“You have a cousin in Iowa looking for you!”
A fateful 2004 phone call sent LaVern Lyon, a member of central Kansas’ Swedish community, on a journey across the ocean to discover a family he had never known. Lyon’s journey to connect with long-lost relatives represents the many American stories featured as part of the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition Journey Stories on display through Aug. 9 at the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, 120 Mill St. in Lindsborg.
Lyon’s father, Gustaf, emigrated from Sweden to north-central Kansas in 1906. The elder Lyon came to America nursing a broken heart and ready to start a new life. Like many Swedish-settled Kansans, the Lyons did not have much contact with their Swedish relatives.
Lyon knew little about his father’s family until the 2004 phone call connected him with Diane Esperson of Iowa. Esperson was a descendent of Lyon’s great uncle and family research led her to Lyon and to Roland Svensson of Sweden. She put Lyon in contact with Svensson, his first cousin, once removed, and Lyon’s journey story began to take shape.
Lyon began to communicate with Svensson about their shared family history over e-mail. In 2005, Lyon traveled to Sweden for the first time.
“We arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden, and were met by Roland and his wife,” Lyon said. “The next 10 days were some of the most rewarding days of my life.”
In addition to visiting the house where his father was born, Lyon met five first cousins for the first time. After Lyon’s visit to Sweden, Svensson visited Kansas in 2006 and 2007.
“Words cannot describe the emotions involved when I met my Swedish relatives,” Lyon said. “A hug was worth a thousand words. It was beyond my wildest dreams that I would get to know and see my relatives in Sweden and have them visit in the United States.”
Lyon and Svensson feel as close as brothers and communicate several times a week via Web cam and instant message. Their only regret?
“Not finding one another sooner,” Lyon said.
Their advice to those interested in family history is to “get busy now — your family adventure awaits you!”
“While LaVern Lyon’s story is a dramatic one, many Americans here have had positive experiences when they embark on family journeys,” said Lorna Nelson, director of the McPherson County Old Mill Museum. “People enjoy sharing their stories as we prepare for the Journey Stories exhibit.”
