My Great Uncle 'Ante Sundin was the older brother of my Great Grandmother Brita Kristina 'Christine' (Olofsdotter-Andersson-Olson-Sundin) Ersson Eriksson Erickson. Indeed quite a mouthful of a name there, but I have come to the conclusion that it is fair to lay out all of Brita Kristina's maiden, father's, brother's and married names before and after her emigration from Sweden. Brita Kristina is the wife of my Great Grandfather Anders Alfred Ersson Eriksson Erickson. Brita Kristina and Anders both emigrated from Sweden to the West in 1903. Their final destination was North Dakota, where one of Anders' older brothers, Fredrick, and his wife Karin Carrie' (Jansdotter-Johnson) Erickson and their children had settled on a farm in Slaughter, North Dakota in the late 1800s.

Anders Petter 'Ante' Sundin was born on April 28th, 1863 in Stöde Västernorrlands län, Medelpad, Sweden to my Great Great Grandparents Karin Goransdotter and Olaf Petter Andersson. Ante Sundin's Grandparents were Anders Nilsson 'Ryssmo Ante' Rudin and Stina Greta (Olofsdotter) Rudin. 'Ryssmo-Ante' was known as a Traditional Swedish Folk Musician (Speleman) and one of his most well known compositions was 'Ryssmo Antes Gånglåt.' Many that knew him stated he was already a well-to-do man, a successful tailor and businessman. 'Ryssmo-Ante' owned a large farm in Stöde, Sweden with considerable of land and forest surrounding the farm.

Coming from that family history, Anders Petter 'Ante' Sundin followed in a mutiple of his grandfather's professions. Ante Sundin also became a tailor, though his passion was music and over time he became a well known and influential Traditional Swedish Folk musician playing fiddle and the violin in and around Medelpad. Many musicians from the last century along with contemporary musicians and bands have covered his music or have been influenced to write what I refer to as, 'Ante Sundin melodies,' in their own particular styles. A very recent 21st Century example is by the Swedish band, 'Melpa-Jockes Jam Club's' electric Zeppelin/Jimmy Page infused take on 'Polska efter Ante Sundin' with Zeppelin's 'Kasmir' floating in and out of the band's slant on a Traditional Swedish Folk melody composed by Ante Sundin.

Ante Sundin as he was known throughout his lifetime in Lyngstern and in music circles, played and composed Traditional Swedish Folk Music. Anders was married to Brita Kajsa (Persdotter-Rundgrin) Lindqvist who was born on April 26th, 1870. Brita and Anders had ten children between 1893 and 1916: Gunnar Petter, Gerda Katarina, Jenny Dorotea (Dorothy, Brita Elina, Jonas Einar, Signe Ottilia, Anders Valter (Walter), Hildur Kristina, Harry Olof and Siri Olivia Sundin.

For Ante Sundin, besides being the brother of my Great Grandmother Brita Kristina had two other sisters, Katarina Olivia (Olofsdotter) Backlund and Sigrid Elisabet Olofsdotter Andersson. Ante Sundin's younger brother was Erik Olof Sundin. Great Grandmother Brita Kristina (1903), her sister Katarina (1910) and brother Erik Olof (1903) all ended up emigrating from Sweden and heading West, to America and Canada respectively.

Brita and Anders and their six children, one being my Grandfather Frank (Frans) Gustaf Severin Eriksson Erickson settled on a farm in Regan, North Dakota. Katarina and her husband Isak Olof (Johan) Backlund and their seven children settled on a farm in Manitoba, Canada. Erik Olof's Wife Amanda Kristina Nilsson unexpectedly passed in 1900. By 1903, inspired by his sister Brita Kristina's planned emigration, he soon would follow. Erik Olof would decide to leave his three children behind in Sweden, staying with relatives till he was settled in America.

Erik would travel to Kiron, Iowa to meet up with his cousin, Jonas Svensk Jr. (Swede). Jonas is the son of my Great Great Aunt Ingrid Svensk and her husband Jonas Ericsson Svensk (Swede) Sr. Ingrid is the sister of my Great Great Grandmother Karin Göransdotter Andersson. As time tumbled along, Erik journeyed to Minnesota, then Canada to visit his sister Katarina and her family. His final trek was heading to the West Coast of America and settling in Oregon. His three children would eventually join him in Oregon.

A photograph is below of Ante Sundin standing with his Niece Solveig (Andersson) Lundquist in 1944, who lives in Tova and Sundsvall, Sweden. Solveig is the granddaughter of Ante Sundin's sister Sigrid Elisabet. I owe Solveig, which means 'the way of the Sun' in Swedish, countless thanks in helping with the many additions to the Archive Family Project website. She has told me many stories and I feel fortunate to be able to add them to our mutual family history. Solveig filled in missing tales and descriptions for multiple photographs I have wondered about for years. I will share some of her thoughts here.

Solveig writes:
Playing the violin seems to run in the family, like your Grandfather Frank's older brother Helmer Olof Erick who played violin when he came to America. Their mother, Christine Brita Kristina's Father Olof Petter Andersson and Grandfather Anders (called 'Ryssmo Ante') Rudin also played the violin and composed Swedish Traditional Folk Music. My Daughter Maria plays the violin and plays their songs. Now she teaches violin to children. She and her husband, Reinhold perform together, playing various instruments in local performances.

Christine Brita Kristina's Father, Olof Petter, was named Andersson after his father, Anders Rudin. Anders Rudin was named Anders Nilsson at birth after his father Nils Eriksson. Anders took the name Rudin, using the area he lived called Rude, Ulricehamns Kommun, Västra Götalands län, Sweden.

As I have mentioned, Anders was also nicknamed 'Ryssmo Ante' because the area he lived in had been burned and looted by the Russians in the 18th century. Exciting story. And in your regard, with your family name now as Erickson, previously the original shorter variant became Eriksson from the original name of Ersson. As you know with your Great Great Grandfather Eric Ersson, your Great Grandfather Anders Alfred (son of Eric Ersson) took on Eriksson as his last name. Then soon after 1903, the name's final transformation was to Erickson, after Anders and your Great Grandmother Christine and family emigrated from Sweden to America in 1903.

Ante Sundin Biography:

Ante Sundin was born in Stöde, but later settled in Lyngsten in Attmar, Sweden. He started playing the accordion at the age of seven, but later switched to the violin. Both his father, Olof Petter Andersson, and grandfather, the tailor Anders Rudin (Ryssmo Ante, were also musicians. At the age of 16, he became a student of the well-known fiddler Larshöga Jonke (Jon Abraham Andersson) from Fanbyn in Stöde, who, among other things, played at Sundin's parents' wedding in 1861.

Ante Sundin’s Grandfather Ryssmo Ante and Larshöga Jonke both had the same teacher, Spel Jöns from Stöde. Most of Sundin's repertoire thus came from Larshöga Jonke after Spel Jöns, and after the fiddlers Per Mårtensson Grafström and Grels Jönsson in Rännö.

According to Ante Sundin’s biography in the 1928 ‘Swedish Songs History,’ Sundin possessed a great technical skill and had an easy and fluid playing style. He liked to play in higher positions, even though the song could be performed more easily in normal mode. Sundin himself stated that this was to mislead or fool other musicians, so that they would have difficulty playing his songs.

Ante Sundin was married to Brita Kajsa (Persdotter-Rundgrin) Lindqvist who was born in 1870 in Tuna, Sweden. Ante Sundin wrote and recorded two Nature Suites, a Swedish Choral and multiple Traditional Swedish Polkas dedicated to Brita Kajsa.

Four recordings of Ante Sundin from a session in December of 1935 are published in the edition of the 2001 album ‘Spelmanslåtar från Medelpad’ in the Sonet Folk Series. One of his compositions ‘Polish Shoes/Polska' was recorded by Jan Johansson on his ‘Jazz in Swedish’ label under the title ‘Polska från Medelpad (Ante Sundin).'

Ante Sundin composed ‘Polish Shoes/Polska' at the age of 22 as he was completing his military service in Sånga in Ångermanland. Sundin did not have a violin with him, but his comrades raised money for a new violin and they presented it to him. Another of his Polish/Polskas is dedicated to Larshöga Jonke and was recorded by the contemporary band, ‘Draupner’ under the name Ante Sundin, and is the first track on their first 2001 album Draupner. This recording was used, among other things, in a 2002 Swedish television commercial for Bregott, invented in 1969 and is currently Sweden's most popular brand of butter and cooking fat products.