The Family Union HÄSSLA SLÄKTFÖRENING.

Hässla Släktförening (Hessla Family Union) was founded on October the 11th, 1952, in Stockholm, Sweden. The founders of the association were John Andersson (3:8), Karl-Erik Söderlund (6:20) and some other interested persons. The purpose was, as stipulated in the rules:

• to act for maintaining and promoting the feeling of relation and kinship within the family of Anders Andersson, Garpenberg, Dalarna, Sweden and with allied families.
• to, if possible, give orphans best possible care and upbringing.
• to bring the members together in socially togetherness.
• to keep a complete family register.

As member can any person be accepted who has reached the age of 16 years and who is descendant to in the family book named persons. Member can also be persons who are married (or living-together) with or widow (widower) after such a person. Membership can be acquired after application to the board, which do the approval. The membership fee is 50 Swedish Crowns per year.

The interest was great in the beginning but after some years it faded away except for a small group of more or less enthusiastic persons. 1961 the entire board resigned and a new board was elected under the chairmanship of Kurt Karlsson. Year 2005 leaved Kurt the chairmanship and Marie Wilén took over. Year 2008 leaved Marie and Nicklas Karlsson took over. The boards composition has changed over the years and consists now of members from family branch 6.

Genealogical search has revealed that most of the ancestors lived as farmers in the provinces Dalarna, Västmanland and Småland. Some of the ancestors have been traced back to the 17th century. The search continues but is more and more difficult and laborious the longer back the search goes.

The Hessla Family Union has one annual meeting in the summer and publishes a paper (Hasselbladet) once a year. The meetings are often located at historical places near Stockholm. Sometimes the union visits at the Hesslen (Hessla) in Garpenberg, Dalarna, where the forefather Anders Andersson lived for twenty-four years (1860-84). The place was thus the home of childhood for most of the children, which later became the 12 family branches of the Hessla Family.

The Hessla Family Union can be reached by e-mail under address: hessla(AT)bredband.net.

Views on the site can be forward to Kurt Karlsson under mail address as above.

The Hessla Family and its main branches.