Photo: The sisters Irma and Rachel are sitting on a sofa made by Gustaf, who gave it to his future wife as an engagement present. Today, 125 years later, Gustav's and Hanna's great grandchildren like to sleep on this sofa.

Master painter Karl Gustaf Westerholm died on 25 January 1924 in Jakobstad. He rests in the Westerholm grave in the Old Cemetery. Hanna died in 1956.

Back to 1903. African fever had hit Karl Gustaf, who decided to go to try his luck in the gold mines of Transvaal (in South Africa).

He took off from Hangö on 15 August. First he traveled on S/S Urania to England. From there he continued on the Briton (shipping company Union Castle) to Capetown (in South Africa). The trip cost him 340 Mark.

At home in Jakobstad, his wife Johanna wrote to her sister Ellen in Härnösand, the day after her husband's departure: "I am healthy but sad because of Gustaf leaving me yesterday. I do not know how we will make out, but I suppose we must leave all that in the Hands of Our Lord..." Johanna was left alone to take care of four children, of house and home, and surely worried a lot about how Gustaf would make out in the African mines.

The certificate below is proof for her worry. It is a certificate of competence in leading, planning and executing the blasting operations.

In Johannesburg, Gustaf worked as a supervisor in a gold mine. Their grandchild Gustaf, son of Thor, has spoken about Karl Gustaf's unease with the work in the mines. Karl Gustaf had a difficulty tolerating the bad treatment of the black workers. He was himself criticised for treating the black workers too humanely. The grandson Gustaf has spoken about a poor black worker whom Karl Gustaf pitied so much that he gave him a shirt. This charmed the black man so greatly that he would have done anything for his white supervisor.

Karl Gustaf was interested in natural phenomena and collected a large collection of butterflies, which he donated to the high school upon his return to Jakobstad.