Not long ago, I met with my father's cousin Kurt, who is a paternal grandchild of Robert and Dagny, just like my father. He is going on 90, but completely clear-headed and full of interesting stories from the missionaries' time in China. We usually do something cultural together and this time we went to the... Continue Reading →
Looking through the box of books and documents that fellow researcher Karin Stålhammar Hansson sent me in December, I came across a carefully wrapped Bible in Chinese. On the title page is the name “Mina Stålhammar,” Karin’s grandmother. The cover is somewhat worn, but all the pages are intact, and a bookmark, depicting the mission... Continue Reading →
One of the most difficult things to come to terms with on a personal level, when diving into missionary history in China, is the fact that my great-grandparents had to send their children back to Sweden by the age of seven. In practice, this meant they could only be present in their children’s lives during... Continue Reading →
Life truly takes unexpected turns, and you should never assume you know what lies just around the corner. Since I last wrote and wondered what it would be like to follow in my relatives' footsteps in China, I’ve actually had the chance to do so, though on a much smaller scale. Through my job, I... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Mr. Liu Hong, a passionate researcher of Swedish missionaries in China. He shared with me a passage about my great-grandfather Robert’s challenges in establishing a mission station in Hancheng, Shaanxi. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was incredibly difficult for foreigners to... Continue Reading →
Throughout my research, one particularly important source has helped me make sense of the adventures my great-grandparents experienced during their time as missionaries in China. The Swedish missionary magazine in China - Sinims Land - first published in 1896, is filled with articles from Robert, Dagny, Nils and Olga. Aside from their contributions, I can... Continue Reading →
When I was little, the stories I loved to hear the most, were the stories my grandmother Edna told me about her childhood in China. She used to tell about her dangerous escape from the Swedish school on the mountain of Kikungshan, when foreigners were persecuted in China, and how she and her best friend... Continue Reading →
Being a missionary in China around the turn of the last century, one had to be quite resourceful. When missionaries settled in a village, they first had to find a house that could serve as a mission station and then they would look for buildings where they could hold services, start schools or opium asylums.... Continue Reading →
111 years ago - by the end of September of the year 1912 - Dagny and Robert were on the move again after having spent two years in Sweden. During this time, Dagny had given birth to a baby girl - Helfrid - at the age of 42, and another eight-year period in China awaited... Continue Reading →
This weekend, the whole of Sweden celebrates Midsummer. Midsummer is that magical time of year, when the day never ends and we know we are at the peak of light. The maypole, before being raised. Swedes celebrate Midsummer by getting together, eating herring, salmon and salads and those unbelivably tasty new potatoes. We find a... Continue Reading →
