3 Lessons Learned from the Pihlblåds

Peel-Blahds – The very Swedish name of my ancestors. The Pihlblads settled in Lindsborg Kansas and established themselves as a true founding family of that community. They were upstanding citizens, hard workers, an indentured servant, and a college president. Certainly, a very esteemed family. But the lessons I learned from the Pihlblads came from an eBay interaction. I sold an old lithograph print of a town of Lindsborg on eBay. It happened that the mayor of a nearby town bought the print and we started a conversation about the print, the town of Lindsborg, and ultimately my family heritage. The man was very nice, and we connected on Facebook. Since my Great Great Grandfather was a famous member of the community (remember the college president), my eBay friend would send me pictures of him with my other family members that existed in the community that I’ve never seen before. He even sent a picture of my family’s headstones in the Lindsborg Community Cemetery. This entire interaction taught me a few things about hard work, community, and the power of networking. Here we go.