Where did your grandfather come from?
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2003 Royal Enfield 500 Deluxe
- Thread starter Raymond
- Start date
Småland in Sweden. I have many 2nd cousins there. My sir name is Hallberg.
My wife's mother came here from Sweden in '28 when she was 6. They were from a place called Tep or Tepp. Their surname was Persson. Her grandfather was quite the craftsman (wood) and we are lucky enough to have many of the things he built. BTW, my wife is making Yulkorv for Christmas.
It's been quite a few years since I've had that. My mother (Irish) has tried to keep those traditions alive as well as her own. I have a daughter picking up some of it. I can't remember the name of the nearest village to my grandfather's home, but I believe it to be somewhere between Hultsfred and Vimmerby. Jamestown, NY had many Swedes living there as I was growing up. The language was still spoken there. I believe that's all gone now for the most part. I wouldn't expect to be able to buy korv there anymore.
Back to our regularly scheduled program already in progress.
My wife is from Stow. Her mother grew up in Jamestown. She still has 1 aunt (mothers sister, 100% Swede) living in Chautauqua Co. My wife grew up on a farm and went to Chautauqua Central School where she was a cheerleader (I always wanted to date a tall blonde cheerleader). She used to work summers at the laundry across from the institute, among the many other jobs that kids did back then. She also graduated from Jamestown Business College. Her late father (b.1922, 1/2 Swede) always liked talking about how there was a place in Jamestown that used to be called "Swede Hill". but by the 1950's Swedes and Italians had intermarried so much they called it "Wop Knob", no offense intended to Italians, just tellin' a story.
Sadly Bob your story is a true reflection of our offsprings future.I think you guys are right on the mark. I believe with every generation we are moving away from mechanical interests and towards electronics and high tech interests. Looking at my own family, my grandfather was a farmer in Missouri in the early 1900’s. He was a skilled blacksmith and mechanic out of necessity because they lived in a remote rural area and when things broke you had to be able to fix things yourself. When my father was a young man he began working the farm with my grandfather, they pooled their money to buy a Model T truck to use on the farm.
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I remember my father talking about how creative and hands on they had to be with repairing their equipment. He told me how that old Model T lost a crankshaft bearing once and my grandfather dropped the pan and cut a piece of leather from his belt to use as a temporary bearing.
My dad was also a very accomplished mechanic, I learned a lot from him. He rebuilt car and tractor motors, built the house we lived in on the farm, he could fix anything!
Fast forward to my generation, I grew up in the muscle car era, every high school boy worked on cars, we did all our own maintenance and service work and tune ups. But compared to my father, my experiences were much more limited. My family moved to the city in the 60’s , and consequently I grew up as a city kid.
Now the next generation…..my two sons, they grew up in the computer age, playing with Nintendo games. Try as I might , they had no interest in learning how to work on things, they don’t like to get their hands dirty. They’ve done alright for themselves, one works in an office for the state, the other is a medical tech. But when something needs fixing, they pay for it to be done.
I now have four grand kids, and I’m quite sure none of them will ever hold a wrench or learn how to fix….anything.
My stepson brought my grandchildren to my shop earlier this year; they came to my bike workspace to look at my bike in bits. Oliver, the middle boy of 14 looked at my partially disassembled XS and said “Grandad how do you know how to fix that.?” It took me back a bit, but I replied ‘if I want to ride it I have to learn how to fix it’. He said “Wow that’s great, dad can’t do that!” His dad works in the construction industry, delivering airport projects at a high level. His dad can’t wire a plug!
The three boys live in a world of computer games. Today’s parents prefer to let them be absorbed in that world for a quiet life. Today’s parents rely on the grandparents to educate the children whilst parents seek ever better paid jobs and status, possibly driven by economics. This maybe a hard Overview; our grand children are generally good kids. But life skills are hugely lacking.
Primary Schools today seem to just educate kids to be performers in theatre or to win TV singing shows. Who will be the next JayZee or Rhiannon? The three R’s (‘riting, ‘rithmatic & reading) are left to us grandparents. Spanners, chisels & hammers don’t get a look in at school these days.
Today’s world is about quick and easy gains with little effort. I honestly worry about the future when the life skills are lost, and nothing gets fixed. When components fail, just pay for a new one whilst you can.
Spot on analysis Adam.
I'm a fixer by nature, not out of necessity, just interest and to prove I can do it. But I'm a little different to most: Growing up I had a mother, father and brother who heaped scorn on me telling me I was useless. To prove them wrong, I taught myself everything I know, machining, painting, fabrication, spannering, electrical, even bricklaying, and welding. I'm sure a psychiatrist would have a field day with me, but I'm happy teaching myself how to do things. The funniest thing though, my brother is a mechanic by trade and raced motorcycles, successfully, winning several titles, and yet he now admits he doesn't know half of what I know, he can't even lace a wheel.
My "boys" are 22 and 19. I taught them both how to wrench on bicycles and they both enjoy that, especially the older one. The younger one has had more of an interest in the TX engine when it was in pieces and how it works. I think he is more of a gearhead than his older brother, but then the older one likes messing around with electronics in 1970s stereo equipment. I tried to get them to have an appreciation for fixing old stuff as they grew up. Thing is, all of these kids have way too much competition for their attention from their damn phones.
Thats cool you guys have that connection through Sweden. This forum is certainly interesting for its international aspects. I like that a lot about it.
Regarding the lack of interest in some younger offspring taking up the tools, have those of you with grandchildren shared your respective build threads with your grandchildren? Thinking aloud, perhaps them realizing the high level of respect their grandpas have from their online friends in their bike builds/restorations would be a catalyst for some interest/involvement from them? I could be out to lunch, but remain an optimist!
Regarding the lack of interest in some younger offspring taking up the tools, have those of you with grandchildren shared your respective build threads with your grandchildren? Thinking aloud, perhaps them realizing the high level of respect their grandpas have from their online friends in their bike builds/restorations would be a catalyst for some interest/involvement from them? I could be out to lunch, but remain an optimist!
O.K., now my connection (sort of) to you. My mom was born in Vancouver and grew up in Britannia Beach. In 5th grade, I lived in Port Coquitlam and was a member of The Junior Forest Wardens. It's amazing the interesting people you meet here and how much you have in common with them besides our disease.
I never had kids, adopted my wife's two boys when we were married. Neither have an interest in 'mechanical things', although the eldest one did work in a bicycle shop at one stage, so, knows how to stick a bicycle together. The youngest one is just an armchair sportsman. We never got along, so the last thing they would've wanted was to follow in my footsteps.
What surprises me about most people, is the reliance on books and manuals to stick things together. I learnt by just pulling things apart, examining what each part does and trying to stick them back together. Didn't always work when I was a kid, and sometimes I'd end up with a box full of clock parts. But that's what I rely on these days. Somethings like the clutch backet bearings, nuts and washers bear some delving into online parts views, and critical measurements like ring gaps, cylinder bores, etc, require looking up, but generally I just examine the parts.
What surprises me about most people, is the reliance on books and manuals to stick things together. I learnt by just pulling things apart, examining what each part does and trying to stick them back together. Didn't always work when I was a kid, and sometimes I'd end up with a box full of clock parts. But that's what I rely on these days. Somethings like the clutch backet bearings, nuts and washers bear some delving into online parts views, and critical measurements like ring gaps, cylinder bores, etc, require looking up, but generally I just examine the parts.
I grew up much the same way. Was never afraid to take something (mechanical) apart and put it back together again. That’s how I know what I know today, for the most part. I’m not so bold with electronics though. I’ll save that for my next life.
My grandfather came from the city of Preston in Lancashire, he migrated to West Australia around 1900 and worked as a blacksmith in the West Australuan Fire Brigade. I never met him, he dying before I was born. Perhaps that is where my fascination with metalworking came from. Oddly enough, I too have a blacksmithing background, albeit as a hobby.
When I was growing up, we were the only 'Hothersalls' in Australia, so I thought it a rare, obscure name. However, I explored the name not that many years ago and discovered in England, the name is as commonn as muck, there is even a parish called Hothersall.
Growing up, my father told me we were decensendants of aristocrats, 'yeah, sure Dad'. As I found out, there was a castle named Hothersall Hall. The original castle is no more, but one of the foundation stones is built into the 'new' Hothersall Hall '. The Hothersalls were Lords of the Manor at Ribchester and date from the era of the Norman invasion. Originally De Hadreshal, over time it morphed into hudersal, hadreshale, hodersal, plus many more spellings, some preceded with 'de', some not.
Hothersall Hall was demolished and rebuilt in 1856 and still stands today as a private residence. The Hothersall's were catholics and often suffered for their recusancy, one being executed. There were some priests, but in the main seem to have been military.
There are now a few more Hothersalls in Australua, England is awash with them, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand and the US also have quite a few.
Now I know where my love of metalworking came from and also my desire to serve in the military! However, despite being brought up in the Catholic faith, I can not be accused of recusancy, I'm an athiest.
You may now bow to me and call me 'your Lordship'!
When I was growing up, we were the only 'Hothersalls' in Australia, so I thought it a rare, obscure name. However, I explored the name not that many years ago and discovered in England, the name is as commonn as muck, there is even a parish called Hothersall.
Growing up, my father told me we were decensendants of aristocrats, 'yeah, sure Dad'. As I found out, there was a castle named Hothersall Hall. The original castle is no more, but one of the foundation stones is built into the 'new' Hothersall Hall '. The Hothersalls were Lords of the Manor at Ribchester and date from the era of the Norman invasion. Originally De Hadreshal, over time it morphed into hudersal, hadreshale, hodersal, plus many more spellings, some preceded with 'de', some not.
Hothersall Hall was demolished and rebuilt in 1856 and still stands today as a private residence. The Hothersall's were catholics and often suffered for their recusancy, one being executed. There were some priests, but in the main seem to have been military.
There are now a few more Hothersalls in Australua, England is awash with them, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand and the US also have quite a few.
Now I know where my love of metalworking came from and also my desire to serve in the military! However, despite being brought up in the Catholic faith, I can not be accused of recusancy, I'm an athiest.
You may now bow to me and call me 'your Lordship'!
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It's quite nice that my musings on the involvement required to run an older motorbike have set so many people reminiscing. And deploring the future of practical skills such as mechanicing. With so many having origins in Sweden or Britain or Ireland or wherever it's worth pointing out that there is only one human family on this planet - however distantly, we are all related.
Don't think I'll get back to working on the Bullet or other bikes until after the festive season.
Don't think I'll get back to working on the Bullet or other bikes until after the festive season.
Raymond, I look forward to hearing and seeing more about your bikes. I've been thinking about my last post and I must apologize for some hijacking, but more importantly I feel the need to apologize for my comments about grandchildren. I'm not a grandparent, and I sure as hell should not presume to understand or suggest to others how to be one. I'm sorry for that. I have a hard enough time just trying to be a father and husband!
I look forward to more about the Royal Enfield!
I look forward to more about the Royal Enfield!
Me with grandson stripping XS6502F.
Kojack
XS650 Enthusiast
Nice ride on a Enfield.
Indeed! Video by Paul Henshaw, aka the Bullet Whisperer. Has built a series of tuned Bullets known as the ASBO bikes, a joke on the legal term Anti-Social Behaviour Order.