#rosalie olafsson

[300yearschallenge]

Dear Charles Elias,

I prayed for your safe passage through this bitter winter every day, and it warms my heart that my prayers were answered.

I am so relieved to hear you found Theodore alive and well, and that you are settling in well to your new life!

I hope you manage to continue settling in well and that you may be able to make some friends in your new home.

You asked how we all have been here.

After the initial shock of your departure settled life has continued mostly unchanged.

Your siblings miss you dearly, and Joseph is as he always has been.

We celebrated Eugene Anifas' birthday recently.

To think he is now no longer a boy, but a young man!

As is tradition we held a large celebration with the entire family invited.

The party was attended by several relatives. My uncles Joseph and Vilhelm attended, as did several of your cousins.

Constantine was, of course, there. And even Rosalie managed to travel over with her two daughters for the occassion. It continues to astonish me the rate at which your many cousins grow. Beau is already a young man himself, and Rosalie's youngest - Greta - is now walking around all on her own!

Although, I will say that your absence from the celebrations was sorely felt by me and your siblings.

As for the man of the hour - Eugene Anifas looks more mature and respectable than ever.

He is as kind and gentle as he has always been, and his foray into adulthood has done little to lessen this. I do so desperately wish we could have seen his twin grow up with him, to know what he may have been, but I must not dwell on such matters.

As the party came to an end a young sheperdess stopped by to give Eugene Anifas a gift in person.

I am, of course, not a gossip, but I do believe I saw the faint stirrings of romance between the two.

Lord knows it is about time at least one of you find someone you fancy! Iliana Dorothea seems to have already dismissed half the village, and every letter Émile Gustaf sends revolves around his work and his studies.

Hopefully you may meet someone who catches your eye soon, so that I may feel some hope that I see one of you marry before I am old and grey.

Do keep writing to your dear old mother so that I may know you are well, and give my regards to Theodore.

With love,

Théodora Park 1783

P.S. I have included your new address in my latest letter to Émile Gustaf in the hopes that he may write to you soon.

[300yearschallenge]

In the summer of 1784 Eugene Anifas married his longtime sweetheart - Henrietta Otalbo.

As the only daughter of a local shepherd Joseph thought Eugene Anifas could marry someone of higher statue, but Eugene Anifas put his foot down very gently and persisted in getting engaged to her.

The wedding was held in early summer, with the Park home decorated with every sort of flower the family had managed to get their hands on.

And even if Joseph didn't agree with Henrietta being a "mere shepherdess", no one could deny that the bride was simply stunning on her wedding day.

It truly was a very happy day. The first wedding for one of the Park children, the addition of a sweet wife to the family.

And yet. And yet.

And yet as Théo watched the celebrations, she could feel a spiraling lump that had lived in her chest since the day of the engagement moving up into her throat.

Her eyes stung and she kept having to force herself to take calm, slow breaths.

In the end she couldn't contain it any longer, and she wandered away from the main party to seek relief in the mild summer darkness.

She wasn't entirely sure how she ended up there, but she found herself at the old bench that she had played around so much as a child and teen, and once there she finally sank down and began to cry.

Part 1 I Part 2

[300yearschallenge]

Away from the Park household, Inés was enjoying her life.

Although she missed Ulf, she found joy in caring for her children and doting on her grandchildren.

She was like a second mother to Constantine's two adopted sons, who both loved her very much.

But, sharing the care of a household with her son still took a toll on her.

And one day, at the age of 61, Inés Olafsson laid down for a nap in her bed and passed away.

She was buried next to her husband Ulf, together again after his death in 1776.

Everyone in her family was devastated.

Inés had been a pillar of strength in her family for so long, always there to comfort them and help resolve conflicts.

And now, all of a sudden, they were on their own.

Her three surviving children clung to each other during the funeral, trying to stay strong for each other as they said their goodbyes to their beloved mother.

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Rest in Peace Inés Olafsson

1721 - 1782

Mother to Constantine, Théodora, Teresa & Rosalie Olafsson.

[300yearschallenge]

In the winter of 1781 it was time for Charles Elias's 12th birthday.

As was tradition family from near and far were invited to the celebration.

Attendance, unfortunately, turned out to be smaller than expected on account of a sudden storm on the day of the party.

Still, all of Théodora's living siblings were able to make it, as was all of their children except for Rosalie's baby Greta who was home with her father.

And of course, never one to miss anything involving her beloved grandchildren, Inés was there.

Soon enough it was time for Charles Elias to blow out the candles on his cake.

He had grown into a handsome young man, who remained as kind and neat as always.

He spent the rest of the party happily talking to his family and relatives, and went to bed that night to a deep, peaceful sleep full of cake, baked goods and love.

Part 1 I Part 2

[300yearschallenge]

In 1780 it was time for Iliana Dorothea to turn 12, and a large party was planned to celebrate the occassion.

As always family and relatives from all over the island were invited, and as many as could make it attended.

Constantine was, of course, in attendance with his three children.

Including five year old Teresa, who was excited to attend what she called "a proper party".

Rosalie was also able to make it over, although she was told off by Théo when Théo realised her sister had travelled all this way while heavily pregnant.

Still, once the reprimands had died down everyone present took turns to dote on Rosalie and her future baby.

Eventually, though, it was time for the birthday girl to blow out her candles.

Iliana Dorothea was growing into a sweet, confident young girl. She was very similar to her brother Eugene Anifas in many ways, but everyone agreed she had her mother's jawline.

[300yearschallenge]

Eugene's escape from a sometimes chaotic home was music.

Whenever he would hear the tense, raised voices of an early argument he would flee to the piano and play and play and play.

However, on the day of his 12th birthday it was Iliana Dorothea who played on the piano in order to entertain the guests.

It was attended, as always, by most of the Olafssons and their descendants.

Eugene Anifas had grown into a handsome teenager, who looked so much like his father.

And, being the second oldest, he was set to follow in his father's footsteps.

With his days of being a student behind him he was now expected to assist his father in his day-to-day tasks as a bell-ringer.

Each morning he was told what to expect, and he would follow obediently along.

He tried his best to please.

To be a quick learner, polite and well-informed at all times.

But a lot of his people-pleasing ways were born out of fear.

Fear that any mistake he might make could set his father off. He had seen what had happened to both Émile and Theodore when his father had been angry, and it gnawed at him.

Sometimes Eugene wondered if he feared his father more than he loved him.

His only escape was his oldest - music.

His passion had not died down when growing older, in fact it had only increased.

His favourite part of every week was Sundays, when he would be allowed to play on the pipe organ during mass.

With his fingers on the keys his worries would fade away, until there was only the tones of the organ and the songs of the congregation left.

[300yearschallenge]

One day in 1773 Théo was visited by Rosalie.

It was rare for her to walk all the way to the Park house all by herself due to her problems with her legs, but this time she made it just fine on account of a cane.

"Oh, Théo!" She said. "I have something wonderful to tell you. It has to do with the cane, but let me tell you - I'm engaged to be married!"

"What!" Théo said. "Tell me everything. Who is it? How did you meet?"

And so Rosalie did just that.

I had been sitting out by the swing sometime last year when I was suddenly approached by Lukas Arnold.

He's the son of the carpenter, remember? He helped father with some repairs to the porch a few years back.

"Excuse me, miss Olafsson," he said, "I was wondering if you would like to go on a walk with me?"

"Oh," I said, "I'm so sorry but I'm afraid I can't. I have some problems with my legs, so if I go on a longer walk I'm likely to loose my balance."

"I see," he said, "Well, in that case I'm so sorry if I bothered you. Maybe some other time."

And he left. I honestly didn't think much more of it.

And then a few weeks later he suddenly stopped by one evening, looking very shy and unsure of himself.

"I hope this is not too forward, miss," he said, "But I took the liberty to make something for you."

He had made me a cane! All on his own.

It's wonderful, and I love it so much. I've been too shy to use it much outside until now, but I'm finding more and more confidence in it.

"Mister Arnold," I said, "This... This is so thoughtful. Thank you so much."

"I think it's safe to say I would be delighted to go on a walk with you now," I said.

And so we did!

And we kept going on walks as time wore on.

He was so punctual about it too, he would always come over in the evening after his workday to walk around with me.

It was all very proper, of course, we haven't even kissed yet. And to be honest I was half expecting him to eventually grow tired of me, or lose interest.

But then the other day he came over to ask for my hand in marriage!

Can you believe it? He wants to marry me!

Of course, mum and dad weren't very keen on it at first.

Dad worried if he would be able to provide for me, and mum worried if he could care for me and my health.

But Lukas convinced them in the end, and when they heard I was happy with him they gave him their blessing.

"We plan on having the wedding in the fall, so there's still some time until then," Rosalie said, "But I am just so excited and so, so happy."

[300yearschallenge]

As fall came to the islands, the day of Rosalie's wedding arrived.

The wedding celebrations were to be held at her future home - a house that Lukas Arnold had recently been granted in a neighbouring village.

While smaller and less luxurious than Rosalie's old home, the house was sturdy and well-built and held great promise for the future.

Lukas even made sure to build a rocking chair to put on the porch of the house facing the sea, with the thought that Rosalie could rest her legs there whenever she needed.

That day Rosalie Olafsson, 22, married Lukas Arnold, 24.

The celebrations were attended by the majority of Rosalie's relatives.

Aunts and uncles all were in attendance, as well as nieces and nephews (except for Émile) and several cousins.

Even Anna Olafsson (now Anna Davidsson) was able to attend, after having moved to the same village a few years back with her new husband, thus distancing her from part of the social exclusion that her children had caused.

Ulf and Inés attended as well, of course.

While they were sad to say goodbye to their youngest, it seemed that the wedding stirred up some romantic memories for the two since they spent most of the evening flirting with each other.

At the end of evening several drunk, full and happy revellers travelled their separate ways back to their homes after hours of fun.

Sadly, many of them went home unaware that they saw some of the attendants for the last time that day.

[300yearschallenge]

The wedding between Constantine Olafsson, 25, and Britta de Monet, 24, was held that same summer in 1770.

Their wedding day couldn't have been more perfect.

It was the height of summer, and there were enough flowers to go around for all of the decorations for the party.

The wedding celebration was attened by as many members of the Olafsson clan as possible, and even some people from the village who were not related to the Olafssons such as Father Isaiah.

The celebrations went on until late in the evening, with drinking, dance and music keeping everyone entertained.

All who attended said that they thought the couple looked absolutely smitten with each other, and that they all were very happy on their behalf.

[300yearschallenge]

During Théodora's pregnancy a happy occassion came when it was time for Rosalie's 18th birthday.

Inés made sure to throw a huge celebration, and family from far and wide were invited.

Another wave of Uppsala Fever had been going around the island that same year, but thankfully the family had suffered no losses and none of the attendees were ill.

Such as cousins Ingmar Bryggare and Karolina Otalbo née Karlsson.

Both of whom had married someone that same year.

Although in Ingmar's case it was the case of a rushed wedding following a scandal, which the family politely chose not to mention.

Or cousins Helga and Karl Olafsson, who had travelled all the way from the farm in the south and who both remained unmarried.

As well as cousins the birthday celebration was of course attended by as many aunts and uncles of Rosalie as possible.

Even Vilhelm managed to get time off work so that he could come and congratulate his dear niece.

Josef was also in attendance, although he had not been able to bring his oldest daughter Anna to the occassion.

She had been involved in a scandal after having two illegitimate children, and societal standards demanded she be forced to stay away.

Still, aside from topics such as Anna or Ingmar's early marriage, the occassion was a happy one and everyone mingled enthusiastically among themselves.

Rosalie had grown into a very beautiful young woman, who bore a strong resemblence to both of her parents in differing ways.

She was, as always, a very polite and proper young woman. Although the sadder events of the past decade had definitely left her with a more gloomy disposition compared to that of her other siblings.

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Historical Info

This is essentially the same info from the previous Historical Info post that focused on Uppsala Fever. If you've read that one then there's no new info here, sorry ^w^''

Uppsala Fever (named after the city Uppsala in Sweden (where my step-grandma lives! :D)) was the name of a fever disease that from time to time swept through Sweden and Åland.

It usually struck during autumns from August until October.

The primary symptoms were fever and exhaustion.

It is believed that Uppsala Fever was actually usually typhoid fever or malaria, although we can't ever really be sure.

There were many different diseases that affected the populace that would come and go intermittently and who all had somewhat similar symptoms and various infection and death rates.

Source: Det Åländska Folkets Historia Vol. III (The History of the Åland People Vol. III) by Stig Dreijer

[300yearschallenge]

In the summer of 1779 Viola Olafsson passed away, leaving her four daughters behind.

Sadly her adopted daughter Aurora had moved far away, and was unable to attend the funeral.

The funeral was held in the local church, and Viola was buried next to her late husband Abraham Nilsson.

Her oldest daughter, Karolina, was now left as the inheritor of the family - in charge of taking care of her daughter Anna and three younger sisters.

While supporting a family as a widowed woman was not an easy task, Karolina had the support of the rest of her relatives behind her.

Josef and Vilhelm, both heartbroken at the loss of their older sister, were more than willing to help her in financial matters.

Still, the loss of the second oldest daughter to Ingmar Olafsson was a bitter blow to everyone, and she would be greatly missed.

[300yearschallenge]

Part 1 I Part 2

"Mum, you need to go to bed," Rosalie said.

Inés had once again been staying up late by Teresa's bedside, holding her hand and counting each laboured breath.

"I just need to make sure she's breathing," Inés mumbled. She hadn't slept properly in a long while, and her exhaustion was evident whenever she spoke.

"I'll be with her, mum," Rosalie said, "Please get some sleep."

Inés sighed and took one long look at her sweet daughter.

"Very well," she said, "But wake me if anything happens."

"I will."

Inés wasn't sure how long she had been asleep when she was woken up to a strange sound.

She sat up straight, realising Ulf was already up, and a deep pit formed in her stomach.

"Ulf?"

"You stay here, love," he said, "I'll go see what is happening."

But she refused to wait, and soon followed her husband into the other room.

"Ulf, what--"

Ulf grabbed her by the shoulders gently.

"Don't look," he said, but Inés glanced over his shoulder to see Rosalie weeping next to Teresa.

"What's happening?" Inés asked, near hysterics, "Ulf?!"

"I'm sorry," Ulf said, "I'm so sorry, Inés, she's gone..."

"...Teresa is dead, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

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Rest in Peace Teresa Olafsson

1749 - 1764

Teresa was only 15 years old when smallpox claimed her life.

[300yearschallenge]

Teresa Olafsson was buried near the rest of her family in the graveyard shortly after her death.

Her funeral was attended by her parents, siblings, brother-in-law, nephew and pet dog Nanne and she was deeply missed by all of them.

The days and weeks directly after Teresa's death was hard on the whole family, as shock and disbelief gave way to sorrow.

While it couldn't be said any of them coped well with the loss, it was clear that Inés wasn't coping with it at all.

She struggled with everyday tasks, and would often break down crying multiple times a day.

In an attempt to get her out of the house Ulf began bringing her with him to the church every day, so that they could visit Teresa's grave and pray for their lost daughter.

Even though the last couple of years of their relationship had been cold and full of arguments, they both came together to mourn their daughter and support each other in this time of grief.

Sometimes after they had visited the grave Ulf and Inés would go into the church and sit in one of the pews to talk and to cry.

[300yearschallenge]

Teresa's condition wavered between life and death.

Her breathing was shallow and she was confused and feverish.

Despite the family's best attempts at treating her they seemed to be unable to improve her condition, yet they kept fighting against it at every turn in an attempt to save her.

Desperately afraid they would lose her the family all took turns keeping watch over her and caring for her.

Rosalie slept in the same bed as her, waking up every few hours to check on her sister, and during the day everyone spent at least a few hours by Teresa's bedside.

Once Théodora and the Park family had recovered, thankfully without casualties, from the illness she was able to come over as well and give her exhausted family members some rest.

But the one who spent the most time with Teresa out of everyone was by far Inés.

She would stay up until late in the night holding her daughter, trying to comfort her and calm her down and praying that she would survive.

"You can do this," she'd whisper to Teresa, "My sweet, darling girl."

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Part 1 I Part 2

[300yearschallenge]

Everyone in the Park family had survived smallpox with few adverse effects, except for Joseph's father Markus who had been blinded by the disease.

Due to this he could no longer keep working as the church's bell-ringer, and as such he retired.

This meant that a new bell-ringer had to be elected by the priest and the congregation, and as such most of the village gathered one day at the church to discuss who to choose.

Since it was expected that Joseph would take his father's place as bell-ringer Théo made sure to dress up nicely and to bring little Émile Gustaf along.

Before they walked into the church she took him aside and said, "Be on your best behaviour now, dear. We want to make a good impression for the priest."

Since Joseph was the primary candidate for the position he was brought up in front of the village along with his father.

His father held a speech listing Joseph's many skills and merits, hoping this would sway the congregation.

Most people seemed to like Joseph well enough, and it probably helped that many members were related to Théo and viewed her favourably.

But not everyone in the congregation had that same outlook.

One lady, sitting towards the back, spoke up.

"Are we forgetting that Mr Park here married his wife when she was already pregnant with his child?" She said. "That hardly seems like a pillar of virtue in our church, now does it?"

Joseph cleared his throat.

"While it is true that I sinned, I wish it to be known that I took responsibility for my actions," he said, "Along with my marriage, I have personally repented for my actions through the guidance of Father Isaiah. It is in the past now, and it won't happen again."

"How can you claim it to be in the past when you walked in here proudly displaying your wife and the child you conceived in sin?"

Théo spoke up at that.

"Although we made mistakes in the past, that does not mean there is any shame in a married man bringing his wife with him somewhere," she said,

"As for my son, what do you wish for us to do? We can't ban him from church, lest he stray from the path of God. Besides, he is an absolute darling and oh so well behaved."

That seemed to shut the woman up, and Théo left the church feeling rather proud of herself.

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Historical Info

So.... I hadn't intended to do a deep dive on 18th century Swedish bell-ringing and blindness but I couldn't get it out of my head until I had so here we are.

This is going to be a long segment, so buckle in. Also if you do not wish to read a particular segment I've split it into two little subcategories to make navigation easier ^w^

Before we get to talking about bell-ringers of the past, let's briefly take a look at blindness and disability in the 18th century.

Blindness

TW: Discussions of ableism and the treatment of disabled people of the past

I think we can all agree that suddenly losing your sight without any warning must be a very traumatic event. Speaking as someone who got very suddenly disabled a few years ago I know I struggled a lot getting used to my new life.

And I believe a lot of the time when people think of the past it can sometimes be seen in a rather negative light. ""Everyone was dirty and malnourished and uneducated"" etc. etc. etc. So, then people assume that if you were disabled in the past you were probably left for dead.

This really good article on the history of blindness says that "The negative historical assumption is of the blind as objects of charity rather than active agents in history"

But, as the article goes on to say

"The blind, in truth, occupy no greater or lesser a place in history commensurate to their numbers in the general population.

There are historical examples of blind teachers, soldiers, religious and secular leaders, scientists, philosophers, mathematicians, historians, and a variety of other professionals.

There are, as with the sighted, countless blind who lived out their lives in quiet obscurity. Thus, it can be said that while history offers a pantheon of blind individuals, there exists nothing unique to blind people that is unknown to the sighted."

Essentially, just because we may see history as bleak and dreary does not mean that blind or other disabled people were doomed to die.

At least not any less than disabled people are today (which, arguably, is a possibility in certain countries and regions depending on race/ethnicity/class etc. etc. and is way too complex for me to cover)

While yes, there were a lot of blind people who ended up having to live as destitute beggars, still "many did not live lives of destitution"

There weren't many institutions in place to support disabled people but there were still many people (both blind and abled) who tried to improve and establish whatever systems there were.

For example: "In 1784 French calligraphy professor Valentin Haüy opened the first school for the blind in Paris."

But a lot of the discussions on what would be good for blind people and the institutions for blind people were run by people who themselves were not blind.

"The conflict between what the sighted educators asserted the blind needed and what the blind themselves insisted really worked became the central organizing force of blind people in the two centuries that followed."

Essentially all this to say that while, yes, the support systems for blind people weren't great at the time that does not mean efforts weren't being made to improve them. The people of the past cared for and tried to help others just as much as we do now. It wasn't perfect, but situations now aren't perfect either.

The important thing is that progress was, and still is, being made.

Bell Ringers

Churches and church bells have held a great deal of importance throughout history in Europe.

Aside from being a place of religious worship, the church also often held the very expensive and large church bells.

These bells could be rung for a number of reasons, such as to keep time, or announce an occassion, or even to warn the village of danger.

On top of that there were often various local superstitions or beliefs around the task of bell-ringing.

For example in 1170 Great Britain "Popular superstition alleged that bells could ring themselves. It is said that those of Canterbury Cathedral tolled themselves when Thomas-a-Becket was murdered."

A bell-ringer's job then was very important, and while it was a rather taxing job it could also be very rewarding.

As with most things people's attitudes towards bell-ringers varied throughout history.

Sometimes they were seen as lazy drunks, sometimes they held highly important positions in society.

In Sweden during the middle ages it was potentially a requirement that a bell-ringer should be ordained and well-educated, although those attitudes began to shift towards having bell-ringers be laymen instead as time went on. (Source in Swedish, sorry)

In 1686 a law was instated that said that the choice of bell-ringer should be made equally between the priest and the congregation.

With that said, oftentimes people took certain factors into consideration. For example if a previous bell-ringer wanted a son to take his place, or if someone married the widow of the latest bell-ringer they would often be elected.

In some places being a bell-ringer could very much be a family vocation, passed down from father to son for generations.

Once elected a bell-ringer would be given the keys to the church, and he would also be required to make an oath.

The Swedish source quotes a bell-ringer's oath from 1681, which I have translated below to the best of my ability:

"As his eminence Lord Bishop and the consistorium have granted me to become bell-ringer in Höör and Munkarps’ congregations and Frosta district, thus I promise and hereafter oblige myself to be His Royal Majesty, my always merciful King and Lord, and Sweden’s land a righteous and faithful subject.

Damage and destruction that occurs should be of outmost importance to ward off and halt or for my vicar and consistorio to without delay announce. And were I against this oath with any faithlessness act, then I be guilty of the punishment incurred, that all faithless subjects are made examples by."

(Modern translation: I promise to be a good subject to the church and the king, I vow to keep the church and its vicar as safe as possible, and should I mess anything up I'll be turned into an example for the rest of society through my punishment.)

This oath is because, on top of being responsible for the ringing of the bells, the bell-ringer would often help guard the church grounds and the church's contents. Oftentimes there would be silver or other valuables kept in a church, and it would be up to the bell-ringer to try to ensure no thieves got their hands on it.

The punishment for anything bad happening would often land on the bell-ringer, as it would have been seen as his responsibility and thus his fault.

On top of that bell-ringers were often the ones who would lead the congregation in song.

And on top of that the bell-ringer was almost always the one to educate some of the boys of the village to teach them to read, write, count and learn the Bible.

This job was definitely intense at times.

As for the social aspect bell-ringer's position has often varied from time to time.

In the early middle ages it was seen as a very noble position, and then it became something somewhat unremarkable.

Later, towards the end of the 1700s, the social position rose again.

Anyhow, that concludes today's essay I guess. I wasn't planning on learning or writing nearly this much on either subject, and I'm sorry if it was kind of intense.

[300yearschallenge]

As Théo and the Park family were having their own battle with smallpox, it soon came to the Olafsson farm as well.

Inés was the first one to become ill, complaining of aches and nausea before becoming bedridden with the disease.

From there almost the entire family fell ill within days of each other.

The only one who avoided the disease was Rosalie, who took on as much of the housework and duties around the farm as she could so her family could rest.

With time Ulf and Inés began to recover, but Constantine and Teresa were still very ill and the family were all very worried.

Teresa was very poorly, the illness had spread down her throat and she was having trouble eating and sometimes even breathing well.

Inés began to watch over her daughter fiercely, comforting and caring for her and hoping for the best.

Eventually Constantine recovered, although he permanently lost vision in one eye.

In an attempt to hide it, feeling self-concious, he began to wear an eyepatch.

Teresa, however, was not so lucky...