Family History Search Begins

Dear Byron,

Grandma Cheryl feeding you birthday cake

Its official. You are two years and nearly a month old. We also note that you are getting into that talking thing. You imitate, repeat, point and share. You are communicating with us all the time. Of course, we're not always sure what you're saying, but if we hang around long enough it becomes clearer and clearer.

A very interesting thing is that you are learning two languages. You have a Spanish-speaking-only nanny. I think her name is Josey, but at the moment I'm not even sure how to spell it. Your Mommy will tell you that  Josey cared for her when she was a small girl. And now Josey lives with you in your house and looks after you while Mommy and Daddy are at work. So when we ask you, "Byron, how old are you?"
you hold up two fingers and say, "Two annos." We love it! You're learning Spanish. You'll grow up able to converse with people who speak both English and Spanish. How cool is that? 

Here's the family on GGPa's & GGMa's deck at Easter

This year I decided to find out more about the people who make up your family tree. Last year, as you noticed, I wrote a little about that, but it was pretty scattered. This year I'm going searching, To help I've become a member of a marvelous website called ancestry.com. And as I learn more and more how to dig around I'll share more information about your family, both on your Daddy's and on your Mommy's side.

For starters I've begun to research the Swanberg family down in south Texas where you were born. I learned at once that your Great-Grandpa Norman's daddy was Emil T. Swanberg. He was born back up in Minnesota in 1893 and already in 1935 lived in Hidalgo and worked as a farmer. Great-Great-Grandpa Emil was married to your Great-Great-Grandma Hildegarde. Looks like she was about a year younger than him. She was also born in Minnesota.

Now here's where it gets interesting. From what has been tossed around in our family so far, I learned that both Emil and Hildegarde grew up somewhere around Hastings, Minnesota before moving to Texas.  As you know, I grew up on a farm near Coates, Minnesota. That tiny town is only about 10.5 miles from Hastings. Give me some time. I will run this down further and let you know. Not sure I have the facts yet.

Of course the Swanbergs are Swedish and on my Daddy's side, I'm German, but if all this is true, it will be neat to learn that the LORD guided both of these families from the same general area to unite in Texas, some 1,500 miles away. Just what motivated your GGG-Pa Emil and GGG-Ma Hildegarde to move way down to Texas is something I must learn more about. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that our country's economy was in a big depression in the 1930's and farm land was cheap in Texas. But I don't have that story in any detail yet.

When I know more I'll be sure to pass it on.

For now, Byron, keep on learning more and more about how to talk and I'll be talking with you too.

Love,
GGPa

Learning To Talk

Dear Byron,

It certainly is fun watching you begin to learn to talk. Already at one year now you can say words like Mama, No, YaYa, Bye and maybe a few more. It looks like you are trying to put sentences together. And we certainly can tell when you want something or are angry that you can not have what you want.

Your Mommy was saying a couple days ago that she hopes you can also learn Spanish as well as English. And maybe you will. There certainly are many Spanish speaking people in this part of Texas and their numbers are growing rapidly. After all, Spanish is an official language in 20 sovereign states and one dependent entity, totalling around 423 million people. Many of those countries are to the south of Texas where you are growing up, in what we call Latin America. Thousands of those folks are moving here to work and live. Yes, it certainly will be to your advantage to learn Spanish. However, it is still best for you that English is your primary language. It is the world's universal language. Carlos Carrion Torres of Vitoria ES, Brazil
writes,

English is without a doubt the actual universal language. It is the world's second largest native language, the official language in 70 countries, and English-speaking countries are responsible for about 40% of the world's total GNP.

English can be at least understood almost everywhere among scholars and educated people, as it is the world media language, and the language of cinema, TV, pop music and the computer world. All over the planet people know many English words, their pronunciation and meaning. 

The causes for this universality are very well known and understandable. English first began to spread during the 16th century with the British Empire and was strongly reinforced in the 20th by USA world domination in economic, political and military aspects and by the huge influence of American movies. 

The concept of a Universal Language is more significant only now, in the era of world mass communication. Before this era Greek, Latin, and French were to some extent universal languages, though mainly in Europe. 

By a lucky coincidence due to factors above, English, the Universal language, is one of the simplest and easiest natural languages in the world. The only other simple and easy languages are constructed ones.

I never learned Spanish, because where I grew up in Minnesota very few spoke the language. I grew up in an area where many members of my community spoke German. That was the language of my Daddy's childhood. It was the worship language at his church and he learned his catechism in German. Because of that he always talked with a German accent, as did his parents, my Grandma and Grandpa. Let me tell you a couple stories to illustrate.

My Mommy was not German. She was British in background. Her name was Thelma Turpen. Her Mommy's maiden name was Iva Brommel. So she was English through and through. As a result, we never talked German in our house. Because of his German accent my Daddy always called my Mommy Telma rather than THelma. He could not pronounce the 'TH' sound—or at least he was not familiar with it. German speaking people do not use that sound. When they see the TH letters, like the Germanic god THOR, they pronounce it TOR, without the TH sound we use in English.

Another thing. We named our second son, your great-uncle, Nathan. So of course my Daddy said Natan, because he could not pronounce the TH sound.

I do hope you will learn Spanish, Byron. It will be very useful to be able to communicate with Spanish speaking people everywhere. However, we're all wanting you to learn English well, because wherever you go in this world, people now speak that language. It is and will continue to be the Universal Language.

We love you,

GGPa