Although I have no doubts that you could have brilliantly handled that furniture store business, I'm glad your life took a different path so others like me could enjoy your writing and appreciate the depths of your research.
Thanks, Margaret. Those family business values I learned -- hard work, honesty, quality craftsmanship, good value for a good price -- still guide me today.
Broadway is clearly a common street and neighborhood name besides that in New York. Here in Winnipeg, we have a Broadway that runs from the west to downtown (the Legislative Assembly, Law Courts and other prominent businesses on it) while the residential neighborhood near it called West Broadway.
In Minneapolis, the street was originally 20th Avenue North when laid out in its logical plat design. All the avenues are numbered and the streets are in alphabetical order from Aldrich to Zenith. In 1910, the street was renamed Broadway. It slowly became a commercial district and has always been a major thoroughfare for traffic moving west from the Mississippi River north of downtown.
My grandpa was the last of his generation in my family. He died last fall, so some of the family treasures have been trickling my direction. Most recently, a serving dish that my great-grandparents (also Swensons!) brought with them from Norway. I had no idea it even existed until my mom offered it to me. Maybe it will inspire me to search out stories from that branch of my family. Thanks for sharing your family stories!
I just realized I deleted an entire generation from my family. They were my great-GREAT-grandparents. Which makes it that much more remarkable it’s lasted this long.
It sounds to me like you fulfilled your Grandpa's dreams for his grandchildren. I love the old photos of my dad's Missouri family and my Mom's Ohio family. In Missouri, Grandma's piano was the center of the home. I don't know what happened to it and there's no one alive to ask.
I recently watched that episode of "Finding Your Roots" also. I, too, remember that quote. I think you are spot on with "learn from history and tell the truth"! Thanks for the trip down your memory lane.
I found the material on Sean Sherman's family roots fascinating. I have long been a fan of his. First his cookbook. This fall I had the pleasure of dining at his Owamni restaurant in Minneapolis. Grandma Swenson took us to Fuji Ya's restaurant in that same building half a century earlier. The decolonized meal was superb.
This is an extraordinary piece of family history writing and storytelling, @Jill!
And what a beautiful story to tell, both in words, in photos and through the objects which carry forward your memories and your family’s history. Just beautiful.
Thanks so much for sharing this so I could read it this morning!
The items you found of your history are remarkable. It's really humbling to look at pieces like what you write about from the past and think deeply about the history. Oh if only those objects could talk...
Love this story, Jill. Growing up in Crystal, West Broadway was the in-between area for us. We felt comfortable doing business there, not intimidated as we did in downtown Minneapolis. Our dentist had his office on West Broadway, and my aunt lived nearby. Memories, later, of a bus route that meandered a few blocks along that street. We would never have shopped at your grandfather’s store, however; I grew up with Furniture Barn. He was right: cheap furniture didn’t last. Thanks for sharing your story.
West Broadway ran through downtown Robbinsdale and into Crystal all the way from the Mississippi River. I remember the Furniture Barn (and my mother's upturned nose as we drove by). North Memorial Hospital was on West Broadway at the western edge of Minneapolis by the parkway. Thanks for reading!
Yes, West Broadway did run through those areas, but they were rooted in my everyday experience. For me, the street was most vividly defined by the section that seemed exotic and far away from the suburbs: Minneapolis. I was a kid. It took me a long time to understand how sheltered I was.
Yes, Memorial Parkway separated the city from the western suburbs. I've been interested in the Mapping Prejudice project in the Twin Cities which has mapped properties with deeds with racial covenants. We were as segregated in the north as in the south.
Yes. I’ve seen the redlining maps. I wasn’t aware of The Mapping Project as such. It was a shock to realize just how much racism was a part of the city’s history. Hiding in plain sight.
The Mapping Project helped me visualize what structural racism looked like. And I love that it is a public history project with lots of volunteers contributing to the research https://mappingprejudice.umn.edu/
Thank you for the link, Jill. Good to know that the project is widely sourced. So many personal stories behind what we call “history,” as you know well. I’m deeply impressed with your dedication to the people who make your work matter so much.
Although I have no doubts that you could have brilliantly handled that furniture store business, I'm glad your life took a different path so others like me could enjoy your writing and appreciate the depths of your research.
Thanks, Margaret. Those family business values I learned -- hard work, honesty, quality craftsmanship, good value for a good price -- still guide me today.
Broadway is clearly a common street and neighborhood name besides that in New York. Here in Winnipeg, we have a Broadway that runs from the west to downtown (the Legislative Assembly, Law Courts and other prominent businesses on it) while the residential neighborhood near it called West Broadway.
I didn't realize Winnipeg had its own Broadway.
In Minneapolis, the street was originally 20th Avenue North when laid out in its logical plat design. All the avenues are numbered and the streets are in alphabetical order from Aldrich to Zenith. In 1910, the street was renamed Broadway. It slowly became a commercial district and has always been a major thoroughfare for traffic moving west from the Mississippi River north of downtown.
Beautiful story! Our ancestors still guide us.
Every minute of every day. And my grandfather's grandfather clock never lets me forget that.
Lovely story. Oh how our histories are never just a thing of the past. Thank you for sharing.
What a great piece of history - I love your explorations!
Thanks, Sharon
thanks Sharon!
My grandpa was the last of his generation in my family. He died last fall, so some of the family treasures have been trickling my direction. Most recently, a serving dish that my great-grandparents (also Swensons!) brought with them from Norway. I had no idea it even existed until my mom offered it to me. Maybe it will inspire me to search out stories from that branch of my family. Thanks for sharing your family stories!
That serving dish connects you to your immigrant great-grandparents in a tangible way. And that the famiy kept it all these years is amazing.
I just realized I deleted an entire generation from my family. They were my great-GREAT-grandparents. Which makes it that much more remarkable it’s lasted this long.
Truly!
It sounds to me like you fulfilled your Grandpa's dreams for his grandchildren. I love the old photos of my dad's Missouri family and my Mom's Ohio family. In Missouri, Grandma's piano was the center of the home. I don't know what happened to it and there's no one alive to ask.
Did you hear your Grandma play the piano? Isn't it interesting how our memories are bound up in these physical objects?
I recently watched that episode of "Finding Your Roots" also. I, too, remember that quote. I think you are spot on with "learn from history and tell the truth"! Thanks for the trip down your memory lane.
I found the material on Sean Sherman's family roots fascinating. I have long been a fan of his. First his cookbook. This fall I had the pleasure of dining at his Owamni restaurant in Minneapolis. Grandma Swenson took us to Fuji Ya's restaurant in that same building half a century earlier. The decolonized meal was superb.
This is an extraordinary piece of family history writing and storytelling, @Jill!
And what a beautiful story to tell, both in words, in photos and through the objects which carry forward your memories and your family’s history. Just beautiful.
Thanks so much for sharing this so I could read it this morning!
Wow, such gorgeous objects. True treasures! Enjoy them.
The items you found of your history are remarkable. It's really humbling to look at pieces like what you write about from the past and think deeply about the history. Oh if only those objects could talk...
What a great writing prompt. The story told from the perspective of the chair or the clock. Thanks fo reading!
Thank you for sharing this poignant family story.
You'rew welcome. Thanks for reading!
Love this story, Jill. Growing up in Crystal, West Broadway was the in-between area for us. We felt comfortable doing business there, not intimidated as we did in downtown Minneapolis. Our dentist had his office on West Broadway, and my aunt lived nearby. Memories, later, of a bus route that meandered a few blocks along that street. We would never have shopped at your grandfather’s store, however; I grew up with Furniture Barn. He was right: cheap furniture didn’t last. Thanks for sharing your story.
West Broadway ran through downtown Robbinsdale and into Crystal all the way from the Mississippi River. I remember the Furniture Barn (and my mother's upturned nose as we drove by). North Memorial Hospital was on West Broadway at the western edge of Minneapolis by the parkway. Thanks for reading!
Yes, West Broadway did run through those areas, but they were rooted in my everyday experience. For me, the street was most vividly defined by the section that seemed exotic and far away from the suburbs: Minneapolis. I was a kid. It took me a long time to understand how sheltered I was.
Yes, Memorial Parkway separated the city from the western suburbs. I've been interested in the Mapping Prejudice project in the Twin Cities which has mapped properties with deeds with racial covenants. We were as segregated in the north as in the south.
Yes. I’ve seen the redlining maps. I wasn’t aware of The Mapping Project as such. It was a shock to realize just how much racism was a part of the city’s history. Hiding in plain sight.
The Mapping Project helped me visualize what structural racism looked like. And I love that it is a public history project with lots of volunteers contributing to the research https://mappingprejudice.umn.edu/
Thank you for the link, Jill. Good to know that the project is widely sourced. So many personal stories behind what we call “history,” as you know well. I’m deeply impressed with your dedication to the people who make your work matter so much.