The Old Country Newsletter – Search Efforts & Ancestral Roots

My personal favorite book series of all time is The Emigrants, by the Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg. Through the four books in the series, we get to follow the triumphs and tribulations of early Swedish immigrants in America. In the first book, "The Emigrants," we meet Karl Oskar, Kristina Nilsson, their three children, and eleven others who set out from Småland in 1850, seeking a better life away from poverty, religious persecution, and social injustice.

By clicking here, you can learn more about the books and order a copy for yourself. Beyond getting your hands on an incredible book, it is also a great way to show support for this newsletter, as a few cents of each sale will help support our work.

A new study from Luleå University suggests that frequent sauna-goers tend to be happier than those who don’t, reports SVT Nyheter Norrbotten. While the exact reasons remain unclear, Professor Åsa Engström notes that regular sauna enthusiasts often have higher physical activity levels. The social aspect of communal sauna time could also play a significant role in boosting well-being. For Svante Spolander, a seasoned sauna enthusiast, the experience is spiritual: “For me, it’s 80% inner cleansing and 20% washing up,” he says.

Hope Fades in Search for Missing Elderly Mushroom Foragers

Two elderly mushroom foragers missing since Friday have led Swedish police to wind down active search efforts, with authorities now estimating the chances of finding the pair alive are slim. The couple from Mjölby was reported missing Monday after their car was discovered parked near Boxholm, Östergötland, a few kilometers from where they’d set out in search of mushrooms.

In recent days, a comprehensive search effort mobilized local authorities, K9 units, drones, and volunteers from organizations like Missing People, all scouring the forest for any signs of the couple. The search was further intensified on Wednesday when police opened a preliminary investigation into possible human abduction—not based on direct suspicion but as a means to expand available investigative resources.

Stefan, the son of the missing couple, is trying to remain hopeful despite the challenging circumstances. He recalls how his parents’ love for nature deepened after they sold their summer cabin, leading them to spend considerable time outdoors. He joined volunteers in the search effort and noted the strong community presence—neighbors, friends, and acquaintances all banding together to help. But despite everyone’s efforts, the search's only concrete clue remains the couple’s vehicle.

As Stefan noted, his parents’ deep familiarity with the forest makes their sudden disappearance all the more unsettling, leaving friends and family grasping for answers and hoping for their safe return.

Would you like to feel closer to Sweden? A perfect way to do that would be to have a look at Swedish broadcasts, either current or past. SVT Play is an online streaming service provided by Sveriges Television (SVT), the Swedish national public television broadcaster.

To watch it, one has to be in Sweden – or have access to a VPN provider that can connect to a remote server located in Sweden. Like NordVPN, which sponsors this segment of the newsletter.

By using NordVPN, you can access what SVT Play has to offer – including current news, documentaries about emigrants, live broadcasts from nature events, and much more – by simply connecting to a server in Sweden. Follow the link here to get 74 % off for your first two years and three months (!) of usage. By doing so, you also help support the distribution of this newsletter.

A remarkably rare find just joined Lysekil's Havets Hus aquarium, thanks to fisherman Charlie Lek from Koster.

While pulling in his catch, Lek discovered a European lobster boasting a tricolor, leopard-spotted shell—a rare pattern known as “calico.” According to Havets Hus, calico-colored European lobsters are almost unheard of in both Swedish and international waters. In fact, Maine’s Lobster Institute estimates these beauties appear only once in every 30 million lobsters.

This is only the third such lobster found in Sweden, with previous discoveries in the 1990s and 2018.