August leaves Bullaren in 1893, 19 years old, and is going to Kansas City. An uncle, aunt and cousins were already there. August settles in Colorado and starts to work in Haxtun where one of his cousins is running a lumberyard. August marries Mary Williams and on Aug. 26, 1914 Howard is born. He is the only child born in the family. Haxtun is just on the border between Kansas and Colorado. The family later moves to a small town called Flager, in Colorado. August becomes accountant for the city with a large responsibility for the cities economy, and for land owned by people living in other states.
It is August job to see that this land is farmed and harvested. His wife Mary is a teacher in Flagler. August always kept contact with his old home, by writing many letters to his brother Alfred. He is very interested in the swedish way (customer pass book) for buying alcohol. ”Has Johannes (an old friend of August) such a book, he asks, and he also wants to know how the swedish law works, concerning purchase of alcohol.
He says that in the US it is impossible to buy alcohol legally, but it is manufactured and sold everywhere, and it seems that this illegal trade is impossible to stop. His son is now in high school and shall continue at the University. August wants to send his son to Annapolis where talanted students can have free education and he hopes that his son will be accepted there.
In January 1930 August tells his brother that their cousin Magnus (Manuel) has moved to San Diego in California. Manuel has become very religous and become a member of a sect. Manuel was very wealthy and the sect induced him to give all his money to them. He sent long religious ”poems” to August and his family.
He says that Manuel would love to go back to visit Sweden but he thinks he is too old for that now. Oscar and Lovisa, two other cousins, he meets often when Oscar is travelling to Denver. After his college education, Howard signs up for the US Navy. There is large unemployment in the US, and in the navy Howard can support himself. His ship is in San Diego and Howard can visit Manuel. He tells his brother Alfred, that Howard has been on a long trip thru the Panama channel, Cuba and other countries.
The hard times in the US continues, and he tells his brother that million of workers have nothing to do and they are supported by the government. There have been bad harvests for many years. Through letters from other people from Bullaren, we also have some information concerning August. Howard is married in 1940 and the same year Alfred dies. When WWII starts, Howard is sent to Africa. He and his wife now have a daughter. August wife, Mary, is still working as a teacher, now in Bennet, Colorado. She dies in 1982, almost 100 years old, and Howard Westman dies in California 1992. Below is some pictures
Gust study
Mary and Gust
The bedroom
