Marian Johnson's diary 4 Sep 1956

Trip to Kyndelose: The farm was started in 1760. The name of it was Steens boljaard. We discovered this by asking our driver Borge Henriksen to drive us to Kyndelose as I had written in my diary in 1935 some things Daddy told me one day as he was helping me by drying the dishes. He said the old family farm was about 26 American miles from Copenhagen (7 Danish). We first went to the church which was very old going back to the 13th century and asked a woman who lived across the street and whose husband looked after the graves, etc. She told us the old minister who had been there for 33 years had died in June and a teacher in the school was in charge and had the key.We went down to the school and a woman told us the teacher had gone to town and another man who lived about a mile away got her on the phone but he had gone to Copenhagen and his wife said she had his bunch of keys and would gladly let us see if any of them would open the door to the minister's house where the keys were kept. We went down and got her and the keys and came back to the minister's house and Clarence finaly got the door opened.The records were in the safe and we did not have that key. By this time everybody in town knew what we were looking for. We were told by the school teacher's wife that an old woman by the name of Anna Fredenksen who lived a few blocks away was related to us and would like to see us. In the meantime we found the grave of Bodil Nielsen which made us think we had found the right place.The lady who was the caretaker of the church opened it for us. It was very lovely. 1 asked her if had been there long and she said "Well since the 13th century!". The pews were painted a lovely blue gray with the faded blue and red frescos still on them. The organ had been redone and was very intricate and beautiful. There was a canvas on the floor inside the communion rail which she took off and showed us a lovely tapestry which had been woven by the women of the church. The outside of the church was brick covered with white clay with a tile roof. The font was lovely, also the organ, candlesticks, altar cloth, ete. We then went down to Anna Frederiksen's house. She had out the old records and was delighted to see us. One of her daughters, Astrid Frederiksen was there too for the weekend. She lives in Copenhagen. Anna told us about the old family farm which was out on the water. We all went out there and l saw that it was just as Daddy had told me long ago. It was entered thru a gateway in the old wall formed by the farm buildings which were built to form a quadrangle with a cobblestone court in the center. The old farm had been divided, one síde being run by the son of Anna Fredericksen the other was the one where Daddy was born. They showed us the rooms where Johanne had lived alone and looked after the farm. She lived to be a great aqe they said. They told us the first owners of the farm, Frederick and Bodil Schou, were often in great want. That they went to bed many times hungry that the children and helpers might have food. Then we went back to Anna's house and had coffee and salami and white cheese on thin Danish bread. Anna was 79 years old but was as active as though she were 60. She had been making lace and showed us the bobbins etc., also many pieces she had made formerly. She said she had a table Clarences's dad hold made before he went to America. The house was full of potted plants. The Danish houses all have wide window sills. We were all very excited and wished we knew Danish or that they could speak English. Luckily Astrid could speak English quite well and Borge Henricksen was wonderful. He certainly was responsible for our success in finding the old place -- went back to Anna's the next day. We brought candy for the two women who had helped us and a red cyclamen for Anna. We stopped at the church and took pictures. Clarence and l went down almost to the water to look at the fields and the beach.The farm and the farmhouse lay on the west coast of the fiord exactly as our farm lays on Whidbey. We went back to Anna's and had coffee and cakes and saw the table Daddy had made. It was at her son's place next door. Anna also showed me a very fine rock garden which they had. We went back tot he minister-in-charge and went to the old vicarage and he opened up the old books. We found a record of Clarence's dad's birth. Louis Larsen B. Feb. 19, 1860. We then came back to Anna's and had a very sumptuous meal of pork slices, potatoes, big ones and little browned ones, tomatoes, pickled gourds, apples with currant jelly and melon slices with plum halves for dessert. We had soft drinks in bottles and the men had ale in bottles. Later we had coffe and cakes.