One of the persons with swedish ancestors I have tried to help is
+John beckstein.
His ancestors are from the province of Dalsland in SW Sweden. My family lived in that area in the beginning of the 80's.
During his research John became aware of a book titled "Järboadeln" - The Järbo nobility. In this book there is an interesting discussion about the father of a child born out of wedlock.
Note: I went to school in Vänersborg at the same time as Sune Regeskog, the son of the author. And Sune was our daughter Annika's teacher when we lived in Dals-Rostock.
Since I made a translation from the original (with some corrections by John) I thought it would be nice to publish this discussion and give you an insight to swedish customs during the 19th century.
Paulina Persdotter Svinhufvud born 1838 in Ödskölt, Dalsland province. Mother Britta Nilsdotter, born 1814.
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The original birthdocument. Steneby C:6 (1830-1859) Picture 21. From ArkivDigital.
From left to right: Serial No; Birth and christening date; Mothers title and name; Her adress; WItnesses; Mothers age; Child's name. Comment. Besides the name Paulina it says "oägta" = Born out of wedlock. |
When a child was born out of wedlock in older times there was no law
that the father´s name should be mentioned in the church book. Not even the
mother was obliged to give his name. If the child was left to another caretaker
or to a children´s home, it was not uncommon that no relative was noted; the
child was totally anonymous.
When the father´s name is not stated, it often is
a married man or so called "person of rank". But honor said that you
should provide support for the child as well as the mother. The worst case was
when the father was without means. It is often said that in older times the
master took advantage of their hired women. Judging from Järbo church books and
tradition this was very unusual and for obvious reasons.
The man´s wife,
family, relatives etc. could not accept out-of-marriage activities. It took a
toll on the economy and family honor. And it was against the sixth commandment.
Extra-marital relations were accepted in the farm society, however before
marriage you "slept on faith and promise". It was highly disgraceful
for a man to abandon a girl who carried his child. If the man was married the
situation for the mother was of course difficult.
Before Christian times when
polygamy was accepted, a woman who became pregnant by a married man automatically
was a concubine - member of the family. The concubine children were entitled to
inheritance just as the children to the first wife. So you can guess that the
man thought about it twice before engaging in a love-affair. The woman also
knows what could follow. For the children of this situation without a doubt
were all treated equally. There were no so called "false" children
born out of wedlock. Within Islam which rests on biblical foundation, the same
family pattern exists. The classification into "true" and
"false" children is linked to Christianity and thus the western
cultural pattern. It can be noted that Christ never used the expression
"false" children.
The church and its representative members never thought a child born
out of wedlock as a second class human. When the birth book said
"oäkta"(out of wedlock) it means that the mother was not married.
"Oäkta" just indicated the civil status and does not represent any
moral basis of valuation.
Around the years 1800 to 1900 about half of the women getting married
were in "the family way" and the number was about the same in Järbo.
This fact was never brought forward from the pulpit or in any protocols. When a
woman expecting a child was abandoned by the father the shame was upon the man
and not the woman. She was facing "Olycka" (bad luck) and most of
these unlucky women were later married. They had been taught by experience that
when a married man of means had a child with an unmarried woman, honor dictated
that he should pay his way.
One way was to "buy" another father to
the child or in proper time, with the girls consent get her married to a bachelor
keen on getting married, Of course with some amount of compensation, either a
sum of money, a crofter's holding or a farm. From the few cases I know of, this
was a bad solution in the long run. Jealousy and feelings of inferiority came
into the picture. From the start a good and able farmhand could be developed
into a real monster as husband. He was after all a bought husband.
How W.
Svinhufvud, Britta and her father, farmer Nils Olofsson on the neighbouring
farm Brandserud, solved the love-affair are not known. The child, Paulina
Persdotter, born 1838 in Ödskölt, indicates that the father was Per and from
Ödskölt. The father is thus not indicated as "unknown", which was the
standard procedure, when a "man of lineage" had a child with a
"woman of the people".
Ten years after the birth of Paulina, Britta
married the soldier Petter Pettersson Häll, see Hult. Petter was the son of
crofter Petter Olofsson at Djuret under Önne. He was born in 1794 in Ödskölt,
married to Elin Persdotter born 1793, daughter to soldier Per Dalman, Råberg.
It is possible that this Petter Olofsson from Ödskölt married to Elin
Persdotter was involved getting a named father to Britta Nilsdotter's daughter
Paulina. Petter was born 1824, ten years younger than Britta.
There are no
protocols, family chronicles or traditions, which indicates any controversies
between the families. Paulina was fully aware that W. Svinhufvud was her
father. Two of her own children had the same name as two of his children,
Elisabeth and Fromholt. Probably there was "true love" between the
captain at Önne and the farmer's daughter Britta.
Britta's brother, parish
clerk and organist Jonas Nilsson Branzell was a multitalented person and also
said to be a handsome and warmhearted person. Probably Britta possessed the
same qualities.
Besides Wilhelm Svinhufvud, no other possessor of the captain’s
residence was known for love affairs with the female servants or other females
in the area. It is a fact that "Döbeln" had children with his
housekeeper. But neither was married and the relationship lasted a lifetime and
thus more similar to today’s common-law wife. From the beginning, the marriage
was of no concern to the church. It was more of a juridical matter; a lifelong
contact between the betroved couple and with the blessing of their respective
parents.
Paulina was a first name of almost noble character at this time. That
the priest accepted the name at the christening indicates that he knew the name
of the father of the child. It cannot be ruled out that W. Svinhufvud himself
came up with suggestion for name to his daughter.
