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| Herman Peterson in 1942 |
My great-grandfather Herman Peterson was born on December 24, 1875 in Äspö, Skåne, Sweden. He was the first child of Hans Persson and Karna Andersdotter, who had been married just a year earlier. The church book in Äspö records his birth like this:
You can see his birthday listed, December 24, and that he was baptized on December 30. His given name was Per, probably after his paternal grandfather. Because of Swedish naming traditions, young Per would not take a last name (which would be patterned after his father's first name) until he left his parents' house many years later. When he did, he would be known as Per Hansson. (How he came to be called Herman Peterson is a topic for a future blog post.)
Imagine having a baby on Christmas Eve, which is such a big holiday in Sweden. Were Hans and Karna already celebrating, with family or by themselves? What must young Hans and Karna's house have been like when baby Per came into their lives? Did they have a Christmas tree with lit candles? Were there presents under the tree, maybe even for the expected little one? Did they think about another young couple whose baby was born in Bethlehem so long ago?
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| The back of this photo says "House where Dad P was born." |
Hans Persson, his wife Karna and now his son Per lived at Espö No. 14, a farm that had been owned by Hans' father before him and where Hans grew up with his younger brother Carl and his sisters Kersti (the oldest) and Boel (third in the family).
Five days after Per's birth, Hans and Karna took their son to the church to be baptized. Below is a picture of the church at Äspö, which is centuries old; the baptismal font dates from 1200-1300 AD. Just imagine the young family going to the church in the dark and cold of a Swedish winter. They probably would have met the baby's sponsors, listed as Marna Helgesdotter, Anders Persson, and Boet Persdotter, who was Hans' younger sister.
I think about my own children's baptisms and wonder about Per's. Did baby Per cry when the cold water washed his brow? Did he have a special christening gown? Did people give him and his parents presents? Surely the family celebrated afterwards. Bringing a child into the world and into the community of saints is an event to be cherished and remembered. Herman, Per, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa Pete, today we remember you.
