Magnus Jönsson Lif A swedish carpenter from the 1800s.

Transkript

1 Magnus Jönsson Lif A swedish carpenter from the 1800s (The number in the text refer to the maps) This article is written 2013 Genuine kids males: 25 Ditto female sex: 20 Not true-born males: 3 Ditto female sex: 2 Anders was thus one of the few children this year who was not genuine His mother Greta Andersdotter previously had a daughter Ingrid, born in 1788, she also an illegitimate child Magnus Jönsson Lif It happened that a male child was born in a simple earth cottage in the darkest part of the landscape Småland in the south of Sweden It was at Christmas Day 1792 and the place was Möcklehults small cottage in Västra Torsås parish (1) The very next day he got his name Anders and became Baptist in the church The priest wrote in the birth register that this was the last baptism in the parish that year: Not true-born Anders, father unknown, maid Stina Greta Andersdotter from Möcklehult earth cottage Godfathers: wife Mary Andersson, farmman Sven Månsson, wife Bodil Månsdotter, Maria Månsdotter At this time it seems not common to have children outside of marriage, at least not in the Västra Torsås parish After the priest had put Anders name into the church register he made, on the same sheet, a summing up of all children who had been born in the parish in the year 1792: In the church book for the years we find Greta Andersdotter and her children being enrolled in Möcklehult soldier cottage No 23 The mother is listed as a maid It same goes for another person living in this poor house, Lena Andersdotter, born in the year 1760 Greta and Lena stay together in the same place even in the future, and it s therefore likely that they were sisters Greta had another child, the son Jonas, who was born in the year 1798 According to the church book Jonas also was born in the soldier cottage in Möcklehult However, in this church book, which ends in the year 1807, all the names are crossed out, ie the family has moved, this time to Långhult earth cottage (2) in the same parish They are here listed in the same church book as before So the move must have occurred in the period after the birth of Jonas in 1798 and before the year 1807 At that time there were two earth cottages in Långhult In the other earth cottage we find the soldier Sven Nilsson Modig (Brave) and his wife Maria Månsdotter It is in the handwritten church book we see the name of Greta Andersdotter We learn that she was born in the year 1766 and that her first child Ingrid was born in the year 1788 We also learn that she probable had a sister Lena who was six years older, born in the year 1760 Finding more traces of these two people before in earlier days proves however impossible They are not recorded in any older church book and they are not to be found in the book of births for Västra Torsås parish What s worse - they are not in the big database that Kronoberg Genealogical association has put together for the entire area of the south of the landscape Småland As for a researcher in the family history this is of course a big tragedy! It all remains a great mystery Maybe they came from a place outside this area, the Kronoberg area The two sisters were poor and 1

2 they never got married Lena seemed not to have any children, whereas her sister Greta had three illegitimate heirs to the poor mans life which they lived in The youngest child, Jon, born in the year 1798, is included in the church books but does not exist in the birth books of Västra Torsås parish from the same time The same goes for the daughter Ingrid, born in the year 1788 We know that she, at the end of her life, was named Ingrid Olofsdotter (Olofs daughter) Any child with that name is however not born in the area of Kronoberg in the year 1788 This should indicate that both she and her mother were born in a parish outside Kronoberg area Disappointed not being able to bring the light of knowledge in these matters we instead look at Greta Andersson and her life after she and her sister moved from Möcklehult earth cottage to Långhults earth cottage sometime in the early 1800 s At this time there were two simple cottages in Långhult Through church books from the inhabitants step forward into the spotlight: In one of the cottages lived the old, dismissed soldier Sven Nilsson Modig (Brave) with his nine years older wife For these two the priest has noted the word: poor In the second cottage lived maid Lena Andersson and maid Greta For Greta the priest has written down her social status as beggar Gretas daughter Ingrid was still living at home Here, in the small, poor little cottage, in January 15, 1811 she gave birth to the baby Anna Catrina, carefully noted in the priest s book as Ingrid s not true-born daughter Seven years later, Maria was born, another daughter of Ingrid It had become crowded in the small cottage Before the year 1820, however, Ingrid s brother Anders moved to the cottage Olofhylte in the same parish Perhaps he has moved already before the year 1814 when the soldier Anders Olsson Blad moved into the little cottage It is recorded that this man was crippled, wounded Overview map of the places that are mentioned in the article house belonging to the farm Långhult in Västra Torsås parish She was 60 years old and she died as a poor maid The cause of death is recorded venereal Her sister Lena survived her by only one and a half year On December 1, 1820, she died of spirit clog The church book says that she was really poor, living in Långhults earth cottage It is difficult to form an idea about the miserable life that must have exist behind the walls of this earth cottage Congestion, short of food, diseases In March 16, 1819, Greta Andersdotter died in this cottage, a 2

3 king Anna Catrina was named Persdotter (Per s daughter) but in the church records she also has been noted with the shameful title of Not true-born She was born of a twenty-year-old mother a wintry day in the beginning of the year 1811 in the little cottage in Långhult Since the little earth cottage was her mother Ingrid s home from the end of the 1790s probably her father, named Per, had lived nearby Two days after birth, 17 January, the little one was baptized Four Godfathers have been present on this occasion We know them all by names This day was Magnus Bengtsson and Per Månsson and the women Ingeborg and Maria Nilsdotter gathered around the baptismal font in the church of Västra Torsås Notes in the church book from between 1798 to 1807 about Greta Andersson and her children in Långhult cottage Five years later, in the year 1825, the old soldier Sven Modig s wife died of venereal disease Despite the soldier s obvious disease, he immediately remarried Greta s daughter Ingrid and infected, of course, even her In the church book from she is listed as venereal, something she has not been in previous church books Despite this, she gives birth to a son, Samuel, in the year 1827 Why did she marry the sick man? She can not have been unaware that he was carrying a sexually transmitted disease Did Ingrid have any choice? Would she have been thrown out of the cottage if she refused? Maybe it was because he, as an old soldier, received a small sum of compensation money each year In a poor home, every small thing is a gift from God One year later, in the year 1828, there were eight poor people living in the small little earth cottage: Sven Nilsson Modig with his seventeen years younger wife Ingrid Olofsdotter and her illegitimate daughters Anna Catrina (1811), Maria (1818) and her two illegitimate sons Sven (1821 ) and Jon (1825) and the true son Samuel (1827) Her husband Sven died in the year 1840, and Ingrid survived him for fifteen years The last years of her life she seems to have lived alone in the small cottage After she was lowered down into her grave in the Västra Torsås cemetery late winter of 1855, the priest noted her as Earth cottage widow, who died because of old age at the age of 67 years A certainly very hard life was thus ended In the year 1828 Ingrid s oldest daughter Anna Catrina, in the age of seventeen, left home to begin wor- In 1828 Anna Catrina had gone to the priest to announce that she now was so old that she was going out into the world to serve as a maid This has been recorded in the church book of Västra Torup on September 28, and the move took place on October 4 She went to a farm in the neighboring parish Virestad Now the young girl began a long life journey with many breakups Her first work away from home was at Kåraböke farmhouse (3) in Virestad parish Here lived her new master Pehr Jönsson and his family She had been contracted for a year and, as usual, the employment as a maid began in the late autumn, in her case October 4, 1828 A year later, she took her few belongings and moved to the farm Walid Södregård (4) in the same parish For a young maid it was not unusual to move around a lot but Anna Catrina s settlement patterns are remarkable She would just stay shorter times at each location - and she was going to move many times Was she lazy or was she difficult to work with? Her background in a state of a poor childhood was perhaps not the best background Or was she a seeker? A young woman who was trying to get a better life than the one she grew up with and therefore was restless in search of something good in life? We may never know, but we feel free to think After only a year of serving works at Wallid Södregård, Anna Catrina left in the autumn 1830 to start a new work at the farm Nyvärmeshult in the same parish (5) However, a year later she shifted to a new 3

4 Olofstorp Målerås Johannelund rp Ekåsen Stolparås Lästad Gränsö Repatorpet Lilla Hyltan Speleboda Holmen Ledet Östratorp Lidsberg L Enigheten Skiften Björkenäs Marielund Sälhyttan Skövlemon Fållen Spjutaretorp Kullen Kristianstorp Norra Granhult Kyllershylte Enigheten Apelholm örkerås Muggeboda Gärdet Hovgårdstorp Tubbaremma Lindön Fagernäs Brånan Västerås Aplamon rås Kryleboda Lindholmen Riddarhem Mellan Granhult Slättahult Grönelid Torsta säte Grönalund Skyhyltan Hönetorp Haga Gamla Snettaboda Sjöholmen Håralund Skansåsa Lövingsboda Södra Granhult Örnhyltan Skärvholmen Vislanda Kojtet prästgården Degerö Tubbamåla Fridhem Linnevik Glimminge Sandtorpet Lindelund Sjötorp Danielsboda Kvarnen Sjöanäs Håramon Granhult Stenstorp Bergö Vislanda StolpabodaStensboda Stora Madhem Bröthagen Lyckhult Norrhult Skogslund Gustavslund Karlstorp Myreboda Trekanten Tjugaboda Röshult Källstorp Elnaryd Lilla Madhem Karhult Granelund Ljusandal Norrahult Nygård Hästhagen Gransö Bromon Moshult Lindås Grimsnäs Hallatorp Tumhult Östratorp Kalkatorp Kringlehall Jonsgården Nyalund Nyholmen Ströby Svensboda Mariedal Målensås Tykatorp Enedalen Gäddeboda Olofstorp Kronhem Stensholm Sjöbo Värmanshult Brohult Råknahult Råknen Skörda Änganäs Lidhem Taptos Höganäs Ulvsboda Kalkalycke Storö Ramsdal Ranglaköp Moen Nyalund Källeboda Myraås Enebacken Rödjelund Rönneberg Nyborg Bjällerberg Lammakulla Rödingsås Aspelund Grimslövs by und Gamlarödjan Skördatorp Trinshult Enebacken Haghult Norrahult Hullingsved Trästen Björkedal Esbjörnsgården Rickardshult Moadal Möllaretorpet Nyatorp Södratorp Sandliden Fårhyltan Persgården Kolabotten Biabacken Östratorp Hölmö Nyhem Angshult Gydingstorp Nybygget AspholmenMyradal Ängaholm Fågelvik Bengtsboda Rönnäs Myradal Snöreshul Haga Sjö Björkholmen RunnebodaHagalund Duveryd Västralycke Lyckan Hjulsryd Strömma Jättakistan Stensryd Norräng Hult Palm Hallasten Annelund Backen Åker Grimslöv Norra Kulla Lövön Smörhöga Sjöborgen Lövingstorp Gottåsa Sjöby Köpet Haramon Åryd Röckla Ekelund Lunnagården Nybo Tämmesboda Bygget Grönadal Sälleberg Nybo Skogsnäs Planen Moen Skipatången Tannatorp Sjöbyholm Norra Arnön und Rosenlund Runnstorp Värpeshult Falåkra To Källeberg Åstorp Hagadal Liljeborg Hungerstorp Tagelkärr Sjögård Ro Tjurkö Fölshult Barnaholm Buttetorp 11? Södra Arnön Högaberg Furet Äspemon Grönadal Högalund Kvarnbacken Barnhult Ryde Björkelund Bästerås Planen Bräknaryd Hultet Kärrshult Gransholmen 7 Kalvsnäs Brostugan Ryd Lönshult Garphyttan Lillegården Bokedalen Sissekulla Kolabotten Kärr Bosgård Friheten Liljeholmen Björkelu Billsboda Ekesgård Storegård Rö Ugnhult Holkhult Kulla Mellangården Ramsås Lockakulla Sjöåsen Sågsberg Lillegård Sibbagården Sjöboholm Eneryda Skallekulla Gamlelycke Gunnarås Pålstorp Ekenäs Månsboda Fållen Kull6 Lövhult Södralun Sjöbacken Myrekull Torpaskog Åshuvud Sjötorpet Lövås Brogården Lilla Rephult Lyckhem Lindås Lindeberg Slättebacken Opparyd Norrator Rosenholm Boansö Brosnäs Stensnäs 8 Råsgården Gotthem Sjöbo Hillandsgärde Lindö Myreberg Kättlagården Ängön Bokelund P Bölsnäs Strängarås Leaboda Lindön Björkelund Rosendal Myrelund BjörkemonKorsbacken Mölleryd Sjöaryd Hyltekvarnen HagstadMässingskullen Furudalen Svenstorp Järpastugan Degerön Sjögården Kateboda Hyltan Håralycke Bölsö Björket Romsalycke Hynnenäs Skulatorp Källhult Kärrsholm Hagstad Regnhult Höghult Kråketorp Björkholmen Intäktan Loftsboda Högalund Åsen Skärvet Fröseberg Gölshult Långasten Sandhem Björnhult Sjöbyholm Jungfruboda Lilla Boön Mörhult Höljeholm Horsakulla Vare Virestadnäs Grönestrand Granhult Ekåsen Strömstorp Ryd Liatorp Boön Peterslund Arnöbro Köp Knällinge Änganäs Linneryd Årenäs Lindsjöholm Josefstorp Boatången Norratorp Värpeshult Stahult Aleslätt Nydal Spånghult Fårs Linnehörn Stensnäs Myradal Skogslund Mariedal Liden Hägersjöhylte BjörkholmenÖ Garanshult Kistiga Grönhult Håldala Ebbön Hjärpalyckan Berghem Grönaberg Fridhem Perstorp Sälleberg Dihult Lycke Hägerön Hökahult 2 9 Baggås Västra Torsås Fridhem Långhult Hallen Ljungstorp Brostugan Riskulla Målensås Möcklehult ården Flogm V Garanshult Johannesfält Linnekärr Mossön Kvistatorpet Sjöbacken Diö Bergön Virkenhult Mälen 1 Lönashult Kl Furet Kvarnatorp Mannatorp Hökhult Abrahamsryd dal Arnanäs Skogslund Ljungsberg Granelund Fosterkulla Nybygden Torhult Bygget Strömsfors Tohålan Elensås Hälmeshult Moeboda Åvik Östregården lund Stubbinge Buhult Lilladal Sällön Backastugan Nyhem uvelund Södregården Gunnhult Hagarp Palm Hultet Järpanäs Skålshult Virestad Röshult Skogsnäs AspholmenPinnarekull Öveshult ebo Elenshylte Långö Lycksholm Björkelund Persön Råshult Duvelycke Sjölyckan Verakullen Bergsgård Stubbholmen Peppanäs Sjövik Sjövik Nävs Rubbatorp Johanneslund Skiftesbacken Nävsjö Olsholmen Stubbalycke Horshult Strängdragliden Hjortatorp Sjödalen abygd Truvedsmåla Såganäs Sedingehult V Välje Ö Välje Brommeshult Elensbäck Högadal Knutsbacke Bengtstorp Björkenäs Ekelund Granhult orshult Sutareboda Steningeboda Holkya Koppingebygd Enaholm Lönashult Björkelund Södralund 10Nyhem Ljustorp Stockhyltan L Bohult Blomingtorp Olofshylte Finnanäs Su Fridsborg Gylteboda Fagerlund Olofsberg Finnaholm Söd Grönadal Tuvan Björkudden Sjövik Graneryd Skogslund Lilla Röckla Köp Bohult Bisterhult Norregården Fagranäs Bohult Skulatorp Ängadal Aspelund Sjöudden Almedalen Ängaholm Bäckhult Elinsholm 13 örk Sjöbäcken Fridslund Ekhult Hormeshult Lekarekulla Skeppshult Nyadal Ängaholm Bokelund Björkelund Svinhult Nyhem Röckla Nygård Aspelund Rosenlund Skulatorp Liljeborg Skogslund 4 Lilla Raphult Fagranäs Peaboda Dalhem Sjögård Lekarekulla Sjödalen Alekull 12 Horgedal Valid Bastekulla Tullanäs Skärvet Lillagärde 16? Annelund Änganä Rosenlund Sjövik Bredanäs edtorpet Liatorp Petersborg Degersnäs Lillanäs Björnslätt torp Nybacken Borön Sandåsen Vashem Sjöviken oda Danskagården Degersberg Kilen Apelhult Jungfruboda Kvarnanäs Linnefälle Aspholmen Fällen Degerstorp Lilla Vashult Björkholmen Björkhagen Femlingslund 14? Kronängen Nyalund Stora Vashult Myrön Lindhult bygden SåganäsSjölyckan Åkerslund 5 Ållnebro Jonsboda Horgemo Möllekulla Nygård St Skärvet Bråthult Vinskalle Högadal Lindholmen 3 15 Flyen Nyvärmanshult Möllelycke Fanhult Nydala Femlingehult Grönadal Lindö Kåraböke Björkäng Björkedal Tärnin Lindeboda Aspelund Ekebacken Storaholme Hålevik Rosenborg Hästabacken Långabrohult Sänneshult N Uthövdan Slättadal Kyrkön Åbogen Kasernen Kråkön Knihult Godhult Bullerum Djursh Agnshult Härlenäs Ljusadal Bockholm Näranshult Map of places in the landscape of Småland The numbers refer to locations Högavång Låkhult Ljungdalen slund mentioned in the article Nedraön 4

5 place; to the neighboring farm Nyvärmeshult No1 Here she worked as a maid for two years before it was time to another move As a twenty-two year old woman, she now returned to her childhood parish of Västra Torsås Now she had found work at the farm Opparyd Brogård (6) Perhaps it was here that the love struck her! On the farm there was a farmhand, Peter Håkansson In autumn 1837 the two decided to work together and to leave the peasant on Brogård and move over to the neighboring parish Skatelöv Here they got an employment on the farm Storegård in the village of Torp (7) Their stay on this farm was however not long-lasting We do not know what happened but after only one year, which was the usual minimum time for employment at that time, both were leaving the peasant in Storegård and moved back to the same farm as before, Brogård in the village Opparyd (8) However, a year later, in 1839, Peter chose to leave this farm for a farmhand employment by Juror Per Larsson at his farm Myreberg Anna Catrina remained at Brogård Their joint movement - can it be that love has arisen? When they moved the first time in the year 1837, Anna was 26 years but he was only 19 years Such age difference do not seem to have been an obstacle in the agrarian society at that time it was not unusual that the woman was older than the man in a marriage If we are playing with the idea that love has been behind, then we must continue to wonder what happened since they later separated Maybe we have the answer for this in the note that the priest in Västra Torsås made in the church book for the period 1832 to 1839 Here he recorded, after Anna Catrina s returning in 1838, Dissolved the betrothal with Nils Nilsson in Sjöboholm, Stockhyltan Suddenly, it is another man in the game! Who was that man? Sjöboholm was a small cottage belonging to the farm Stockhyltan in Västra Torsås parish In the church book there is a note that this small cottage was newly built in the year 1837 The man who built it was the farmhand Nils Nilsson, born in 1812 He married May 19, 1839, in Skatelövs church with five years older Stina Persdotter It is interesting that the bride came from the same farm as Anna Catrina herself worked at during the year 1838, namely Torp Storegård Perhapse we can summarize the events like this: Anna Catrina and Peter leaves Opparyd Brogård in the autum of 1837 to serve together at another farm, Torp Storegård in the neighboring parish There Stina already served as a maid Maybe Anna Catrina and Peter had a relationship but this ends when Nils Nilsson in the year 1838 shows up and love arise between him and Anna Catrina They became betrothal and Anna Cathrina moved in autumn 1838 back to the neighboring parish, perhaps waiting while Nils is building the new small cottage for them to live in Now Stina take command and Nils and she got married Anna Catrina, a disappointed woman, then goes to the priest in Västra Torsås, telling him that she has been deceived and that the betrothal was broken In the summer 1840 Anna Catrina got pregnant The father of the child was named Jöns but we don t know anything more about him The child receive the title Not true-born in the church book In early 1841 Anna Cathrina left her post at the farm Opparyd Brogård and moved back to her childhood home, the small earth cottage Långhult (9) Here her first child Magnus was born March 7, 1841 Three days later, Notes in the church book from between 1808 to 1820 showing the inhabitants in the little cottage at Långhult Here is mentioned Ingrid s illegitimate daughter Catrina 5

6 Map of the farm lands belonging to the farm Tullanäs, Västra Torsås parish You find the soldier cottage mentioned in this article just south of the road to the farm under the name Enganäs at the map s upper part the mother took her child throw the snow-covered forest to the church of Västra Torsås Here Magnus was baptized Witnesses around the baptismal font was Olof and Elin Rolig from Kittlag cottage, the farmhand Sven Svensson in Kråketorp and the wife Maria Olofsdotter in Granhult In Anna Catrina s childhood home the stepfather, the old soldier Sven Nilsson Modig, just had died Left in the home are Anna Catrina s mother, the 53-yearold Ingrid Olofsdotter, Anna Caterina s 16-year-old half-brother Jon Svensson and 14-year-old half-brother Samuel For Anna Catrina the stay in the cottage, however, is very short The very next year, 1842, she found a new work, this time at the cottage Södra Flyholmen belonging to the farm Stockhyltan (10) But after two years, she move again, this time to the cottage Strömstorp belonging to the farm Kärrsgård in the village Grimslöv (11) So at last she finds a love that would prove to hold On November 4, 1845, she got married in Västra Torsås church Beside her stood a man at the same age as herself, 34 years old; the soldier Jöns Sigfridsson Lif Now she could change her title from maid to wife and her address to the soldier cottage No 21 belonging to the farm Tullanäs (12) Now this small soldiers cottage became her and her son Magnus new home Her husband Jöns was a soldier at Kronoberg regiment, regimental number 159, company number 21 The enrollment list from that time show that Jöns Lif had become a soldier September 24, 1840 His height was 5 feet 11 ½ inches He had taken over the small soldier cottage after the former older soldier Jöns Tull, born in the year 1786, and his wife Britta Lisa Jonasdotter Here, in this small cottage under the low ceiling, more children now would be born: Sven 1846, Maria 1848, Greta 1850 and Ingrid 1854 However, soldier Jöns Sigfridsson Lif died in a tragic way August 29, 1862 In insanity he hung himself it says in the church book Although his suicide the 51-year-old soldier was as usual honestly buried Normally, a man who had killed himself should not have been buried in the church cemetery After the man had died, his wife and all of the children had to leave the soldier cottage It was in winter time, on November 4, they had to move to the small cottage Björkelund, belonging to the farm Horsakulla (13) Four years later, in 1866, they had to move again, this time to the small cottage Winshult (14) 6

7 As a soldier s widow with five children Anna Catrina has not had an easy life Her daughter Maria had, in the year 1867, left home for the town Kristianstad and here she started working as a maid However she returned to the home the following year and gave June 17 birth to the illegitimate child Anna Stina Larsdotter The same year the daughter Greta left home for service in Denmark The new built railway to the south of Sweden made it easier to seek a future in the neighboring country On November 4, 1868 Anna Catrina was forced to move once again, this time to the small cottage Ängsholm near the farm Washult in Härlunda parish (15), this time together with two of her children and one grandchild Anna Catrina only stayed two years in the parish Härlunda In autumn 1870 it was once again time to leave On October 27 this year Anna Catrina s youngest child Ingrid left the home to work as a maid in Denmark Seven days later, her daughter Maria and granddaughter left her and Anna Catrina herself settle down in the small cottage Winshult near Tullanäs (16) Here she lived together with the farmhand Jöns Jönsson, sixty years old All the children had now left their mother and Anna Catrina lived with Jöns until he died 24 July, 1879 Alone and abandoned, she could in old age not cope on her own but had to move to a poor family in order to live here and try to help as best she could Three years later, June 10, 1882, she died After a life consisting of no less than eighteen moves of her home, in June 18, 1882, she finally received a permanent home in Västra Torsås cemetery Anna Catrin Persdotter s son Magnus and her daughter Ingrid both left the home parish and travelled separately to the big city of Malmö Here they lost the contact with each other Fate however led Ingrid s son s daughter s son Sven (the writer of this chronicle) and Magnus s daughter s son s daughter Christina in 1975 to marry each other The two are therefore, unaware of the situation before the family investigations were made, in family with each other Magnus was born in the year 1841 in the little cottage in Långhult near Tullanäs farm in Västra Torsås parish He was illegitimate but as the name Magnus Jönsson is inscribed in the parish registers we possibly can suspect that the father s first name was Jöns A man with that name, coming from the village Opparyd where Anna Catrina at that time earned her living as a maid, is however not known We have no records telling us about Magnus childhood, but we know that when he was nineteen years old, it was time for him to leave the home He starts as a farmhand in the nearby Tullanäs farm A year later, on November 5, 1861, he however returned to his childhood home Here perhaps he himself became a witness to the tragic incident when his stepfather Jöns Lif hang himself Magnus soon fell in love in Ingeborg Alexandersdotter, a girl ten years older than himself The two went to the priest for a marriage license May 30, 1863 But something happened There was never a marriage - even though they have been together for at least into July 1863 How do we know this? It is all very simple Their child Carl Johan was born the following year on April 22 in her home in Fårshult When the birth was recorded in the church book it was also registered that Ingeborg was betrothed with Magnus There was however never any wedding On November 2, 1863, Magnus became a farmhand for the crofter in Kvarnatorp in the village of Horjeboda The very next year he moved to the croft Winshult belonging to the farm Tullanäs (14); a place to witch his mother and half-siblings already had moved Here Magnus stayed for four years before he suddenly made the decision to move to Sandsjö parish in Kronoberg area At that time, if you should move to another parish, you had to require a moving approval from the priest The priest noticed this in the church book but he also added that Magnus had promised to marry Ingeborg Alexanderdotter Magnus had to show a copy of this note for the church authority when he registered in his new home parish There is a problem: Magnus Jönsson visit the priest to announce that he should leave Västra Torsås parish for travelling to Sandsjö but he never enrolled in Sandsjö parish according to the church books Instead we find him in the city of Malmö in the southern part of Sweden Here he had to go to the church office to register his arrival The book says that he came from Västra Torsås parish, not from Sandsjö parish With steam and railway, the thirty year old Magnus had forever left Småland in the end of the year 1871 The big city of Malmö loomed The oldest town area of Malmö was surrounded by a water channel Here, in the old town, he settled at the address Per Vejers- 7

8 Photo from Malmö in the 1880s To the right the street Humlegatan and to the left the street Grönegatan It was in the neighborhood just outside the picture to the right, in the block Humle, as Magnus and Karin lived for a short time find his name, the priest had removed the title farmhand he wore when he arrived to the city in January and instead inflicted his occupation as carpenter As a carpenter, he may quickly have received work in the building industry, as for example at the big shipyard Kockum Still at that time there were produced a large amount of wooden ships in Malmö gatan 9 in the block north of the Gustav Adolfs torg On June 27, 1872, or any day soon after, Magnus had gone down to the railway station to await the arrival of a woman from Småland Here 25-year-old Karin Svensson from the cottage Sjöholmen in Tröjemåla village in Almundsryds parish (17) was reunited with Magnus, the man she loved She had been divorced from her former husband Anders Paulsson The bureaucracy had however delayed the divorce from late 1870 until the final letter from the authority had arrived on March 27 this year, 1872 She also brought her five-year-son, August Magnus on the train In church records he is listed as illegitimate; she got him before her marriage to Anders Paulsson Just a few weeks after her arriving in Malmö, August 24, 1872, she and magnus walked to the church and they got married The priest was Pastor Olin; the church was St Petri church in Malmö Magnus had found a place for them to live in the poor mans street Per Vejersgatan Work he also quickly got hold in In the first church book in Malmö were we The construction of railways after the mid-1800s led to a revolution in Sweden, not least for the poorer population in Småland Now people could more easily go to the big cities Photo from Malmö Railway station in the late 1800 s 8

9 The young people, however, didn t stop long in their first home in Malmö In October, 1871, a few months after the wedding, they moved to a place east in the old town, to the block Humle and the plot IX Humlegatan 18 just south of Drottningtorget (the Queen Square) This property seems to have been very temporary Before the year was done, they had moved residence to another address in the same block, plot No XVI, although it was on the same street number 18 Why this move in the same area? Maybe they had the opportunity to get a larger apartment Now, namely, something strange is noted in the church book Suddenly they had responsibility for a foster son It says so in the church book: Foster son Gustaf Hasselqvist, born 19 april 1857 in Småland Göteryd Who was he and what relationship with the family did he have? We don t know After barely a year the little family moved a few blocks away, to block Duvan near the southern part of the water canal Here they found their now home at the plot XIX at the address Petersgränd 6, and here they stayed for a longer time The foster son Gustaf got a job at a factory and he therefore could contribute to the family s livelihood It was also in this apartment three sons were born First up is John Wilhelm in 1874, followed by Gustaf Adolf in year 1876 and finally Carl Hugo in year 1879 The choice of accommodation, however, demonstrates a family in poor circumstances In the block Duvan and in direct neighborhoods only families and people in very poor conditions lived In the year 1880, however, it seems as if the family had saved so much money that housing standard could be raised Outside the water channel, in the southern suburb, they found a new home in the block Trasten Here the carpenter Mårten Olsson had built a new apartment building on the property plot V, address Flodgatan 9 It was to this address Magnus and Karin moved with their children Now the foster son Gustaf had left them The idyll of the new home would soon be clouded Karin was again with a child and April 10, 1882, the first daughter of the family was born On April 30, the child was baptized in St Pauli Church, but a month later she died of whooping cough Probably their daughter got her grave on the 70-kyrkogården, the cemetery from the year 1870 beside the street Föreningsgatan in Malmö Two years after the funeral, daughter number two was born In honor of the departed the new daughter got of the same name, a not unusual practice at that time After that it took three years before Karin once again become pregnant However, the sand in the hourglass of her life had almost run out On March Behind this block to the left in Malmö is the block Duvan where the family lived for some years Photo from the 1880s 9

10 17, 1888, the son Enoch was born, but complications was encountered On April 8 Karin Svensson died of a blood clot, leaving husband and a home with five children The tragedy was completed when Enoch also died at home, November 13 The cause of death was croup Now we have to put the spotlight on another woman Anna Pettersson was born on January 27, 1860 Her parents were relatively well-off farmers from the area Söderslätt near Malmö Father Petter Nilsson was a farmer at the farm Stora Svedala No 19 at Svedala parish and the mother Kjersti Månsdotter came from the same parish As a seventeen year old girl, Anna had made her way out on her first work at a nearby farm After a year she went back home again In the year 1875, however, she put her belongings together and sought out a maid position at Gärdslöv parish south of Svedala Four years later, having made a brief stopover in the old home, she arrived to Malmö On October 19, 1883, she went into the Caroli Church parish office She was here to enroll herself Expedition Secretary has that day recorded were she lived Östra Förstaden 24 Litt A But from now on it will be difficult to follow her further on in the church documents You can t find the young woman s name in the church book for the specified area Anna Pettersson rish of St Petri church Now it is no longer any doubt as to where she lives With a scratchy pen the church man has noted that her home is to be found in the plot No III in the block Ripan at Flodgatan 4 The very next year, however, she moved to plot IV in the same When Anna Pettersson reappearing in church records, she has moved and lives in St Peter s parish in Malmö but she is just about to move once again On November 16, 1886, she namely reported to Paul s Church parish office that she had moved from the pa- The farm house Värnhem in the 1880s In this area Anna Pettersson lived when she first came to Malmö 10

11 Photo from the early 1880s taken from the High windmill on Kirseberget east of the city of Malmö Somewhere in the small houses in the front of the picture, Anna Pettersson had her first home in Malmö block Two years later, she took her simple belongings and moved to plot V in the block Trasten ved to plot II in the block Uven, Södra Långgatan 2/Rörgatan 2 After five years it was time for a new breakup; this time they moved to plot VIII in the block Falken, Södra Förstadsgatan 64/Spångatan Magnus was then still occupied as a carpenter Anna Pettersson now came to live in the same building, but not in the same apartment, as the widower Magnus Jönsson Lif and all his children Love arose between the two and New Year s Eve 1889 they were married in St Paul s Church A year later carpenter Magnus and Anna moved to block Ripan, plot No IIc, Föreningsgatan 21 The apartment only suited the family for two years In the year 1893 they mo- In this, Magnus new marriage with the maid Anna Pettersson, a lot of children were born Actually quite a lot of children In the same apartment as Magnus had lived together with his wife Karin and in witch their son Enoch was born in March 1888 and died in Death photo of Magnus Jönsson Lif 11

12 November of the same year, Anna gave birth to a son In honor of the deceased the new son also was named Enoch After moving to the block Ripan the daughter Tekla Carolina was born in the year 1892 Then, after the family had moved to the block Uven, Anna s third child, Maria, was born in March 24, 1894 Once again, however, a baby had to stand corpse in the home After only six months, Maria died at home The cause of death is today a rather simple disease: a slight pneumonia Already in the following year, however, their son John was born and two years later, in the year 1897, their daughter Maria Debora This new daughter got the same name as her dead sister just to honor her memory Magnus has truly seen to populate the world With his two wives he had eleven children of whom two died in infancy The children with his first wife Karin had all been baptized but after he had married Anna a strange thing happened When their firstborn was entered in the parish register in 1890, it was noted in the book: not baptized The same came to be applied to all five children in marriage with Anna None of the children were baptized in the Swedish church M2 The explanation is given by the note that the priest wrote when Tekla Carolina was born in 1892: Father said they belong to American brotherhood church and refuse of such reason to baptize the child The parents obvious belonged to a church outside the Swedish church but they were still Christians and therefore it must be assumed that they have baptized their children, but this had occurred without control of the Swedish Church When did Magnus and his wife Anna die? You can t M3 The back of the death photo with text M6 M1 M4 M5 M7 M8 M10 M9 Places in Malmö mentioned in the article: M1: Kv Blomman, tomt V, Per Vejersgatan 9 M2: Kv Humle, tomt IX, Humlegatan 18 M3: Kv Humle, tomt XVI, Humlegatan 18 M4: Kv Duvan, tomt XIX, Petersgränd 6 M5: Kv Trasten, tomt V, Flodgatan 9 M6: Kv Östra Förstaden 24 Litt A, Värnhem M7: Kv Ripan, tomt III, Flodgatan 4 M8: Kv Ripan, tomt IIC, Föreningsgatan 21 M9: Kv Uven, tomt II, Södra Långgatan 2 M10: Kv Falken, tomt VIII, Spångatan 1 12

13 Tekla Carolina Jönsson Martin Viktor Olsson 13

14 find them in the Sweden death book which must be because they did not belong to the Swedish church However, on the back of a photo of the deceased Magnus we read, Chief carpenter Magnus Jönsson Born in 1841 on 7 March Included in the heavenly rest d 18/11 11 (November 18, 1911) The flower arrangement on this death photo shows that Anna was still alive because she stands as widow The daughter Tekla married November 24, 1910, and together with her husband, the priest Martin Viktor Olsson, they had seven sons Later they chanced name to Ollermark One of their children was Filip Ollermark, the father of the wife to the writer of this chronicle, Christina Christina s grandmother s grandmother was Anna Catrina Persdotter The writers grandfather s grandmother was the same person So I, Sven Rosborn, and my wife Christina are related to each other The Americans visiting Sweden in the year 1949 Christina Ollermark with her grandmother Tekla Carolina Ollermark (Jönsson) in the year 1972 You can find this articel on Internet in a printable high resolution at: wwwfotevikense/pdf/magnuspdf or at: wwwpilemediase/pdf/magnuspdf You can use the material anyway without any cost Any questions? Then write to the author Sven Rosborn or to Christina Ollermark at: sr@fotevikense or to info@pilemediase 14

15 What happened to Ingrid Jönsdotter, Magnus Jönsson Lif s half sister? Ingrid was Anna Catrina Persdotter s youngest child She fell in love with a man and gave December 23, 1879, birth to a son, Johan Wilhelm, the grandfather to yhe writer of this article Her husband had left Västra Torsås and traveled to Malmö Here he worked to earn money so that he and Ingrid and their son could go to America On November 10, 1881, all is set for emigration Johan Wilhelm was then 2 years old and he was then old enough to make a trip to America Ingrid goes to the priest in Västra Torsås and got a paper saying that she had permission to leave Sweden She travels with her son to Malmö but her husband was killed in an accident just before their departure to America Ingrid, a poor young woman, then stayed in Malmö She become a successful trader and had several children with the carpenter Carl Anderson The youngest, Sven Gunnar Andersson, was born December 5,1894, and he emigrated about 1920 to America Here he married Clara Grip, born in Landskrona in Sweden, and they settled in Florida The son Billy Andersen was born about 1930 and he married Carol and they got the children Linda, Lee and Bob The family lived 1961 in Apollo Beach, Florida Sad to say, this is the last trace we have of this family in America Even they has roots with the same family that is described in this article Sven Gunnar Andersson and his wife Clara Grip Photo from about 1960 Text on backside of the photo: Florida Maj 1961 From the right to the left: Clara, Carol, Linda, Billy, Bob and Lee 15

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