Bridge to Sweden

Newsletter no 11
March 2003

 


One grandma's home, where she said goodbye to her parents, siblings and friends, probably forever...		  

Hej!

Spring is on its way - even in this world of uncertainty. The birds are chattering outside my window, enjoying the sunshine, and my thoughts are again turning toward Sweden and our upcoming trips.  

  

What else is in this newsletter?

Let's first look at those Swedish names that changed somewhere between Sweden and US/Canada/Australia. For example, you can be quite sure that your grandfather, Charlie Petersen, or your great grandmother, Annie Johnson, used different names in Sweden. I'll give you some hints below. 

Many Swedish children were born to unmarried mothers - not an easy situation for  mother and child, but also for us who would like to know the child's father. Some ideas about where to find him follow.

If  you unable to travel to Sweden, even though you would love to see that farm or village where your family lived, we have an idea for you. Please read about it below!  

  

Name changes

Here you will find the names, as they are used in English speaking countries, and the corresponding names in Sweden. No, they did not always change this way, but often enough to be a problem. 

 

  
First names    
English  Swedish   
Charles, Charlie
Andrew
Annie
John
Gus
Peter
Ernest
Frank
Henry
Carrie
Mary
Martha
Nels
Swan
Susan
John
Margaret

 

 Karl
Anders
Anna
Johan
Gustaf
Per, Petter
Ernst
Frans
Henrik
Karin
Maria
Märta
Nils
Sven
Susanna
Johan
Margareta		  
Last names    
English Swedish   
Bengston, Benson
Johnson
Peterson, Petersen
Pearson
Lawson
Carlson
Nelson
Swanson		 Bengtsson
Johansson, Jonsson, 
Pettersson
Persson
Larsson
Karlsson
Nilsson
Svensson
  
Well, there are more, but this will give you an idea. If you wonder about a name you encounter during your research road, contact me and I'll try to help you!
  

2. Was grandpa born out of wedlock?
It is quite common that the Swedish records state that a child is "oäkta", i.e. illegitimate. You know the mother, but not the father, or worse, you read "föräldrarna okända", parents unknown. Where do you go for more information? Here are a few ideas:

Study the birth records (födelsebok) and household examination records (husförhörslängd) in detail: the father might be included even when the parents were not married. Check any attachments to these records, maybe at the end of the book. 

  Go to the court records (domboken), located at the Landsarkiv. The mother might have gone to court in order to get support for her child from the father. Or, especially before the mid 1800's, both parents might have had to pay a fine for their transgression!  As you go through these records, look for the first court hearing following the child's birth. Also, unless your Swedish is excellent, you might need some help interpreting these records. 

Many unmarried mothers went to Stockholm in order to give birth to her child. She then often left the child at the Stockholms Allmänna Barnhus (the general orphanage of Stockholm), where he or she stayed until being placed with foster parents.

The records from the orphanage are located at Stockholms Stadsarkiv and very few have been filmed.  Before 1917, the mother had the right of anonymity, if she paid to have the child accepted, which of course complicates the search.  

Beginning in 1917 children born out of wedlock were assigned a guardian (barnavårdsman) who would help the mother in various ways. The records of these transactions are available and often very interesting, again at Stockholms stadsarkiv.

 
 

Marie Louise Bratt

  

 

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