Magnus' first day with Carl and Stina probably went
something like this:
Stina looked at the fair-haired
boy in amazement. In fact, she couldn't seem to take her eyes off him.
"We've waited so long," she said to Carl, "I can't believe he's
real." (Except she would have said that in Swedish.) Stina retrieved a large quilt from underneath
her bed which she had been saving for just this occasion and fashioned a warm
place in the corner of their small wooden house for young Magnus to sleep. She
fed him a hearty bowl of potato soup and a generous crust of bread before
tucking him in. Understandably, Magnus was a little nervous and not very
talkative. His new surroundings and the circumstances as to why he was there
were all too new. But he managed to ask one question of his new caregiver,
"What will you have me do to earn my keep?" Stina smiled warmly at
the young lad. "Magnus, all we want is for you to accept us as your new
parents. We want you to think of this as your home." Carl sensed Magnus'
need to feel useful. "Tomorrow you can help me in my shop," he added.
"I have an order for two pair of shoes and I think you will make a fine
apprentice." Magnus couldn't help but smile at the thought of being a
shoemaker's apprentice. He imagined Carl's strong, calloused hands on his,
gently guiding him as he learned how to shape a dark piece of damp leather
around a well-used shoe last. With a full belly and a warm heart Magnus nestled
himself under the covers and drifted off to sleep.
That's my story and I'm sticking
to it.
When Magnus was 21 yrs-old he married Brita Charlotta Eriksdotter (or Hahl) (or Haal) (or sometimes even Hal). Magnus lived in the Helgarö parish and Brita lived with her parents in the Hammarby parish about 18 km away, so I'm a little puzzled as to how they would have met. Their engagement was recorded by the Helgarö priest in December 1824 and they were married in Hammarby in March 1825. Brita moved to Helgarö with Magnus and the foster parents. It appears they all lived together in the same house. Brita was also 21 yrs-old when she married Magnus. And, oh yeah, her first child, a girl, was born 4 months later.
But before we get into that, I want to turn my attention to Brita's family since they were, y'know, also my ancestors. Well, actually, the only member of the family I know much about is Brita's father, Erik. (Hopefully this doesn't sound too insensitive, but I really wish early Hallman women did more than have babies and die untimely deaths so more would be written about them.) Brita's parents (my 4th g-grandparents) were Erik Pehrsson and Brita Larsdotter. Erik was a long-time military man.
I linked to military information in a previous post, but given Erik's extensive military affiliation I'll discuss it in a little more depth. We don't usually think of Sweden as a military power, but prior to 1814 Sweden had a history of war. Early on, soldiers were involuntarily recruited by a system called "Utskrivning" or the early allotment system.
Sweden was divided into 25 provinces and every province maintained an infantry regiment. Each province was made up of multiple parishes, and each parish consisted of a number of farms and/or villages. A small number of farms/villages within a parish (usually 2-4) were grouped together to form a "rote." Every able-bodied man in a rote were assembled together and one man per rote was involuntarily recruited for military service. The soldier only received pay during wartime and no compensation during peace time. Land owners (aka farmers, aka freeholders) as well as their sons were subjected to involuntary recruitment. There were many deserters.
In 1682, the "Indelningsverket" or late allotment system was organized. It continued until 1901. Rather than relying on a system of involuntary recruitment, the farmers within a rote recruited and maintained an infantry soldier who would serve in the regiment. The farmers were contractually responsible for providing him and his family with housing, food, a portion of land, and a monetary allowance. Each of the farmers within the rote shared in the cost equally. The soldier was required to go to war when summoned. If the soldier died or was discharged, his wife and children were required to move to make place for the new soldier. Even though it was an added expense for the farmers, they themselves and their sons were no longer subjected to involuntary recruitment. It was also an opportunity for indigent young men to be able to provide for a wife and a family.
The small house provided for the soldier was called a "soldattorp" or "soldattorpet" and was usually assigned a unique number. The soldier was also assigned a unique last name. Often the same last name continued with each soldier who subsequently occupied the same soldattorp. In other words, when a soldier who was assigned the last name of "Län" and who occupied soldattorp 1187 left military service, his replacement who occupied the same soldattorp would also be assigned the last name of "Län." When a man was discharged he could keep his military name or revert to his original surname. It was completely his choice.
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| A soldattorp at the Skansen Museum in Stockholm |
A typical soldattorp was about 372 square feet in total. That's about the size of a newfangled American tiny house. There may have been a sleeping loft between the ceiling and the rafters, and, of course, there was no interior plumbing. With such a small space the vestibule kind of confused me. Why would they dedicate valuable living space to an entryway? And then my architect/engineer husband pointed out that they probably needed that space not only for storage and availability of hats, coats and boots, given the cold climate most of the year, but also to keep the mud and grass and other farm-related material (if you know what I mean) from being tracked into the living spaces. And suddenly that space became quite valuable.
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| A typical soldattorp interior |
Erik Pehrsson was recruited into military service on 17 October 1804 at the age of 25. He and his wife, Brita, 12 years his senior, began occupying soldattorp 874 in the Hammarby parish in December of the same year. As far as I can tell Brita was their only child, so the small soldattorp wouldn't have been such a tight fit as it would have been for a larger family. The military records list his assigned last name as "Hahl". The earliest church record shows it spelled the same way, but subsequent church records list it as "Haal" and some as "Hal". (I think "Hahl" was correct and the priest just forgot how to spell it.)
Erik served in the Södermanlands Regemente, Västerrekarne Kimpani, 5th Corporalskapet. We don't know a lot about his military service, but we do know he fought in the war with Russia in 1808-1809. He was taken prisoner in the battle of Säfvar when Sweden lost control of the Åland Islands in late 1809. He was awarded a "medalj för tapperhet" or bravery medal in the field and his record indicated that he "har bevist alla fälttåg" or "have proven all the campaigns" and "tjänt utmärkt väl" or "served excellent well". He completed 35 years of military service and achieved the rank of corporal. He retired from military service 15 June 1839, but was allowed to remain in the Hammarby soldattorp until December. In the later military records he had the title of "timmerman" which translates in English to "carpenter". (I really have no idea what that actually means.)
After leaving military service he and Brita remained in Hammarby. He also kept his military name. Eleven years after his military retirement Erik died at the age of 71. His wife, Brita, outlived him by 3 years.
After leaving military service he and Brita remained in Hammarby. He also kept his military name. Eleven years after his military retirement Erik died at the age of 71. His wife, Brita, outlived him by 3 years.
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