The recollections of Gunborg Sofia Boberg Moore

When Mom passed away in June of 2013, she left behind eight cassette tapes on which she had recorded her memories of her life. I've decided to transcribe them, and I'll post them here as I get them done :)

Mom helping with the maypole at Kingsburg's Swedish Festival 2011

"Today is Friday, December 13, 2002. Amanda came as Lucia, Sarah was an attendant and Elizabeth was the chauffer and singing partner. We received some saffron buns and pepparkakor.

I’m going to try on this tape to tell some of the things I remember from when I was a child in Kjettestorp and during my growing up years. It will be the way I perceived it through a child’s eyes and some things that grown ups have told us in later years.

My name is Gunborg Sofia Boberg Moore. I was born in Kjettestorp’s Norrgård on June 19, 1923.  That was the year that they built the barn.  You who have been to Kjettestorp remember that big red barn with the white trimmings and the black doors.  That was a big undertaking. My mother had two brothers who were carpenters, Oskar who later owned his own building construction firm in Kisa and Karl who we used to call Morbror Kalle and then Ernst, a younger brother, was a machinist was very handy with tools of all kinds, and I’m sure he was there helping too. They probably had other helpers who I don’t know about.  At first they had stone cutters there to cut the big granite blocks that formed the foundation and where the bridge or driveway up to the hayloft at the lower end, that was set with rocks about half way up with dirt packed inside. From there up it was logs.

I remember my mother saying that I was a very thoughtful baby because it was a very short and easy labor.  And can you imagine? Think of my mother for a minute – she was ready to have a baby and here she cooked for a whole bunch of men who were building that barn. How many at a time I don’t know, but there was never any less than six, probably seven and eight most of the time because Farfar was still alive and Ragnar, Dad’s youngest brother, and Dad were also there. She cooked breakfast for them in the morning, 10 o’clock morning coffee, lunch at noon, 3 o’clock afternoon coffee, and dinner at 7:30.  Workers in those days worked from 7 in the morning to 7 in the evening and she has told me many times that at 7:30, she put supper on the table for the workers, and at 9:30, I sang for my dad the first time. I can’t imagine how they did it.  No running water, no electricity. She cooked on the Husqvarna cast iron stove with four rings on top, wood stove so they had to carry in the wood.  My aunt Midi was there helping and Hildegarde helped with the kids. When I was born, mother already had three kids. Brita was five, Henrik was four, and Sara was two years old. Just stop for a minute and think of my mother."

The Big Red Barn around 1930
From left to right, the people are Ragnar, Johan August, Henrik, Thor, Margareta, Gunborg, Lennart, & Elin
From left to right, the horses are Grålla, Blåsen, Gurli, Flora & Binga