Category Archives: Molin

Molin

18th & 19th Century Family Mobility in Southern Sweden

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In my previous post, I mentioned that my Swedish ancestors were very mobile, working from place to place. Actually, it is historically accurate to say that Swedes who lived in the southern part of the country, particularly in the old Malmöhus County, which covered most of the southern tip of Sweden in the 1800s, moved far more frequently than residents in northern Sweden.

I don’t know why that is true, but in addition to traveling around southern Sweden, a number of Swedes migrated to Norway and even more settled in Denmark.

Why did residents move so frequently? First, if a man or woman was an unskilled laborer or a farm worker, they had to live where they could find a job. It was actually illegal to not have a job and a way to support yourself and jail sentences were regularly handed out by the local court.

Second, it was common for men to marry in their very late 20s or even well into their 30s. Accordingly, they moved where the work was. Females also married later than, say, their counterparts in New England, where young ladies typically married around age 21. I have a number of female ancestors who, like the men, married in their late 20s or early 30s and then started a family.

With the later average age for marriages, there are many instances of children born out of wedlock. For those children, life was more difficult as they had no family stability in the home.

Third, once children were in their late teens, they were expected to get a job. That meant that by the time they reached 20 years old, many children no longer lived at home because their job was too far away to walk to and from their parents’ home each day.

Hans Samuel Molin is the youngest of the children born to Sara Brita Krook, mother of yesterday’s sketch on Jöns Abraham Krook.

Hans Samuel always used the Molin surname and he definitely wins first prize for the person who moved the most times in his life.

Here is a timeline of his life and the places he lived:

1798: born in Önnestad
1820: moved into Tryde
1820: moved to Simris
1822: lived in Röddinge
1823: married in Ekeröd
1823: daughter born in Tryde
1825: lived in Tolånga
1826: daughter born in Östra Vemmerlöv
1828: lived in Ravlunda
1832: son born in Södra Mellby
1835: lived in Ystad St. Maria parish
1836: daughter born in Skivarp
1840: left Malmö and moved to Skivarp
1840: lived in the Raus poor house
1848: lived in Hjärnarp
1851: moved out of Hjärnarp
c1854: taxed in Båstad
1862: died in Blentarp

What does this list look like in terms of geography? Well the map program wouldn’t let me add any more locations after Ystad, so the purple arrows represent Skivarp, and then Raus, Hjärnarp and Båstad in the top left corner, off the map, and, finally, Blentarp, which is the arrow at the bottom center of the map near Skurup.

Hans Samuel literally lived all over southern Sweden in his 64 years of life and I imagined he walked many of those miles.

How did I find him in all these places? I mentioned that Sweden kept some fabulous records. They didn’t take national censuses, but did create an even better set of records called Moving In and Moving Out records.

As persons moved from place to place, they were required (but didn’t always do) to visit the minister to tell him where they were moving. The minister noted the date and the place where they planned to live. The receiving minister recorded the same information in the new town.

Believe me, even knowing where Hans Samuel was off to next kept me plenty busy trying to find him in those records and then in the Household Records organized by families in each parish.

As you can see, Hans Samuel never stayed long in one place even after he married. Records note him as a watchmaker, a saddle maker, farmhand and forest worker, along with several abbreviated occupations such as “Carab” and others I can’t make out clearly enough to even try to translate. He and his family were even forced to live in the poor house in Raus because he had no job.

Life was tough for Hans Samuel Molin, born in the poor house, with an unknown father and raised with no occupational skills. However, he married when he was 25 and raised five children with his wife, Berta Jönsdotter.

This snapshot view of one man provides a glimpse of his difficult life circumstances. The map certainly gives me a perspective I wouldn’t otherwise have, given my limited knowledge of the geography of Malmöhus County.

 

 

 

 

Molin

Swedish Mystery #2: Jöns Abraham Krook (aka Molin)

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Yesterday, I shared the smattering of information I have discovered about Elsa Christina Sandberg. Today, I have a second mysterious person for whom only two records exist.

Jöns Abraham Krook was born in Everlöv, Malmöhus, Sweden on 30 July 1786 to Sara Brita Krook who had married Anders Molin in 1776. Together, they had four sons, two of whom lived to adulthood and have descendants today – Hans Niclas Molin, my ancestor, and his brother Johan Peter Molin.

However, around 1783, they went their separate ways and Sara Brita went on to give birth to three sons whose fathers are unknown.

Jöns Abraham Krook’s baptismal record was like no other I’ve ever come across. His parents were recorded as Anders Molin and Sara Brita Krook. Someone apparently knew better because they reported to the church minister that Anders Molin left for Marstrand, Sweden (over 200 miles away from Everlöv) too long before to be the father of Sara Brita’s baby.

The minister CROSSED OUT Anders Molin as the father and noted that he was in Marstrand, leaving the father unknown and Sara Brita’s baby being born out of wedlock.

Sweden has created some magnificent records and I’ve found out so much about my Swedish ancestors, but there are some limitations, like missing church books.

The Molin family was last found together in Vankiva, Malmöhus, Sweden in 1783.

They obviously left with Anders heading to Marstrand, where he appears in the tax records in 1784.

However, nothing has been found to determine whether Anders took his two sons with him or whether they remained with Sara Brita.

Nor have any records been uncovered explaining where Sara Brita was living between 1783 and 1786, when she gave birth in Everlöv.

It’s possible that Sara Brita moved to Everlöv, but there are no other church records there that go back to the 1780s, aside from the baptismal record.

The record doesn’t say that Sara Brita lived elsewhere, although it notes a godparent from Hemmestorp, so she may well have lived in Everlöv. Sara Brita was born in Veberöd, only about 4 1/2 miles away, which could explain how she came to live there from Vankiva, which is over 50 miles away from those two towns. Veberöd records don’t go back far enough to help either.

Back to Jöns Abraham Krook! I mentioned that he left only two known records. The first is his baptismal record. The second is the probate file of his mother, Sara Brita Krook, after she died in 1812.

All five half brothers are listed as heirs, although two are only referred to as Hans:

1. Hans (Niclas) Molin
2. J(ohan) P(eter) Molin
3. Jöns Abraham Molin
4. Johan Jacob Molin
5. Hans (Samuel) Molin

All five heirs are called “Molin,” even though only the first two sons of Sara Brita Krook shared Anders Molin as their father and all were living on 12 November 1812, the date probate was concluded.

It has been relatively easy to pick up the trail of all the sons of Sara Brita Krook EXCEPT for Jöns Abraham.

I’ve been on a quest to try to find something, anything else, however small a tidbit of information to add to the story of Jöns Abraham’s life.

One monkey wrench in this mix is that, in this time period, this family sometimes used Krook, sometimes Molin, and, in still other records, reverted back to the patronymic surname of Andersson (son of Anders).

There are a few family trees online for Jöns Abraham, but no one has any more information that I had originally found.

FamilySearch records have provided two possibilities that might relate to my Jöns Abraham; ArkivDigital and MyHeritage partnered to produce an index (not fully comprehensive) of Swedes living in the 1800s. One possibility has been found in that database, too.

Each of the three possibilities has, so far, turned out to be one-record dead ends. However, in the hopes that someone might be descended from any of them and who might be able to provide further details, I’m sharing the little I’ve found.

The downside is that none of these men is called Jöns Abraham, but not every record calls the Molin brothers by first and middle names. Also, each of these men has only been found in one record.

1. Jöns Krook, born 1786,  married Bengta Rasmusdotter and had two daughters born in Genarp, Malmöhus, Sweden – Kjerstina on 28 February 1821 and Elna, born 1 December 1822.

2. Jöns Krook, born 1786, was a soldier in Istorp, Älvesborg, Sweden in the 1801-1809 Household Record book. His wife was Brita Persdotter, born 1771 (no, that’s no a typo) and son Carl was born 1805, in Istorp.

3. Jöns Andersson was born 30 July 1786 (exact same date of birth for my Jöns Abraham), place unknown. He was unmarried living in Tving Parish, Gunnetorp, Blekinge, Sweden, found in the 1813-1814 Household Record book.

Where are these places relative to Everlöv?

Genarp and Everlöv are both due east of Copenhagen, while Gunnetorp is northeast about 110 miles, while Istorp is about 160 miles north up the west coast of Sweden.

Note, though, that Swedes in the southern portion of the country were VERY mobile even in the 1700s. Remember, Anders Molin moved to Marstrand, which is on an island off the coast of Gothenburg, seen in the top left corner.

I will continue to dig to see if anything else can be uncovered about Jöns Abraham Krook aka Molin and possibly Andersson. My gut feeling, given that I’ve found the other four brothers in multiple records, is that Jöns Abraham likely died in the first half of the 1800s and perhaps never married.

 

 

 

 

 

Molin

Descendants of Johan Peter Molin & Malena Siversdotter, Sweden, 1700s: 12 for ’22

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Last month’s 12 for ’22 project led me back to my Molin family, who lived all over the place in the old Malmöhus County in Sweden during the 1700s and 1800s.

My discovery of Johan Peter and his family happened in a rather roundabout fashion that took much digging.

Here’s a very brief recap:

1. Nils Molin, (1697-1782) & Helena Andersdotter (c1705-1778)

2. Anders Molin (1740-1786+) & Sara Brita Krok

3. Johan Peter Molin (1782-1860) & Malena Siversdotter (1770-1843)

Johan Peter is the younger of two surviving children of Anders and Sara Brita. The older son, Hans Niclas, is my ancestral line and has been discussed in previous posts.

Piecing together Johan Peter’s life story was a lengthy process because the man moved every few years. It would have been very difficult to trace him without the help of the BIS database on ArkivDigital.

Today, the descendants of Johan Peter Molin will be shared. It appears that both of his sons are his biological children. It also appears that his wife Malena was the mother of Anders, having given birth to him when she was 50 years old, a fact that the minister entered into the baptismal record.

Whether Malena gave birth to Lars is another matter, as she would have been 55 years old and no baptismal record has been located for him to confirm his mother’s name. His birth date and place are noted in the household examination records, but more on that in a minute.

Children:

1. Andreas [Anders], born 29 December 1820, Önsvala, Malmöhus, Sweden
2. Lars, born 11 March 1825, Djurslöv, [Knästorp parish], Malmöhus, Sweden

First, let’s take a look at Anders Johansson Molin and his wife, Hanna Olsdotter.

For whatever reason, Anders did not use the Molin surname, but instead adopted the patronymic of Johansson and only appears as Anders Johansson in his adult records.

He married Hanna Olsdotter on 27 March 1847 in Vallkärra, Malmöhus, Sweden.

Hanna, the daughter of Ola Eriksson and Sissa Andersdotter, was born in Vallkärra on 2 February 1819.

All of their children were born in Vallkärra, but the family moved from that town, just north of Lund, about 11 miles south to the town of Nevishög, where Anders and Hanna both died.

The number of children born to Anders and Hanna is open to interpretation, which will be explained. His children used the patronymic of Andersson.

Children (All born in Vallkärra):

1. Magdalena, born 3 August 1848; probably died in March 1849
2. Erik, about March 1849; no further record
3. Nils, born 11 February 1851
4. Jöns, born 8 November 1853
5. Johan Peter, born 16 July 1858; died after 1935, probably Östuna, Stockholm, Sweden, unmarried

The question about their children revolved around Magdalena and Erik. Magdalena’s baptismal record is extant and she appears only once in the Household Examination. No death date is noted there for her, nor is a burial record found.

On the other hand, Erik, if he existed, would have been born no later than 7 months after Magdalena, which is unlikely. No baptismal record has been found for this child and he never appears in the Household Examination.

His burial record clearly names Anders Johansson and Hanna Olsdotter as his parents and I have to wonder if the minister, or his scribe, erred when entering the burial record, which probably should be for daughter Magdalena.

Where did the name Erik come from? I don’t know unless he was the child of someone else who was buried about the same time.

In any case, no further record of this mysterious child Erik has been found.

The three remaining children – Nils, Jöns and Johan Peter -all eventually settled in the Stockholm area, the only (collateral) branch in my family tree to leave southern Sweden for the capital.

Johan Peter never married and has no known descendants.

Jöns married Johanna Maria Rosenqvist on 8 January 1876, Malmö, Malmöhus, Sweden. She was born 26 November 1843, also in Malmö and died before 1911.

Jöns died after 18 October 1912, probably in the Stockholm, Sweden area, where he had been living.

However, there is no evidence that Jöns and Johanna had any children.

Therefore, the only descendants of Johan Peter Molin and Malena Siversdotter through their son Anders continue through their grandson, Nils Andersson.

Nils Andersson married Martha Lovisa Johansson in February 1881 in Brännkyrka, near Stockholm. Martha was born 4 April 1853 in Viserum, Jönkoping, Sweden and predeceased Mils by quite a few years, passing away on 8 June 1896 in Brännkyrka.

Nils was a blacksmith by trade and often referred to as a ‘smed,” or ‘smith.’ He died sometime after 20 May 1916, when he was living in Rote 17 of Stockholms Stad.

Nils and Martha were the parents of four children, all born in Brännkyrka, three daughters and one son.

Children:

1. Gunhild Lovisa Kristina, born 15 April 1885; died after 1950; married Gustaf Adolph Berggren, 20 April 1908
2. Ellen Justina Vilhelmina, born 16 June 1886; unmarried and last found in the Stockholm tax book 1924-1926
3. Maria Karolina Elisabet, born 26 February 1888; unmarried and last found in Brännkyrka Church record, moving out to “kR” in 1924
4. Johan Gustaf Ludvig, born 27 January 1890; married Ada Otelia Petterson, 15 April 1933

Of their four children, only Gunhild and Johan have known descendants.

Gustaf Adolph Berggren, born 25 October 1880, Brännkyrka, Stockholm, Sweden, died 13 June 941 married Gunhild Lovisa Kristina Andersson on 20 April 1908.

Both Gustaf’s death date and their marriage date are found in household examination records.

Children:

1. Gustaf Gunnar, born 6 December 1908, Brännkyrka, Stockholm, Sweden; died 7 October 1918, Maria Magdalena, Stockholm Stad, Sweden
2. Stig Gunnar Adolf, born 3 February 1921, Brännkyrka, Stockholm Sweden; died after 1940, possibly in World War II
3. Gunvor Ingegerd Louise, born 6 June 1924, Brännkyrka, Sweden; died after 1980

Of these three children, only Gunvor has descendants. She married (1) Arne Bertil Lennart Parwe, 8 November 1947. He was born 24 February 1912, Karlskrona, Sweden. (2) Alf Gunnar Olsson, 19 February 1955.

There are no known children with Arne Parwe.

Alf and Gunvor were the parents of two children, at least one still living. Both Alf and Gunvor were living at the time of the 1980 census.

Next, Gunhild’s youngest sibling and only brother, Johan Gustaf Ludvig Andersson, born 27 January 1890, Brännkyrka, Stockholm, Sweden, died 22 January 1956.

He married Ada Otelia Petterson, born 8 April 1899 in Fjärås, Halland, Sweden. She died after 1970.

They were the parents of one daughter, who could still be living today. That daughter married in 1953, but appears to have had no children, so there are no further known descendants today of Johan Gustaf Ludvig Andersson.

To summarize, the only known descendants today of Johan peter Moliln and Malena Siversdotter are through their great granddaughter, Gunvor Ingegard Lousie Berggren who married Alf Gunnar Olsson and their two children, who might be living today.

At this point, descendants of Anders Molin and Sara Brita Krok’s two surviving sons, Hans Niclas and Johan Peter, have all been accounted for.

Of Sara Brita’s other three sons, Jöns Abraham, Johan Jacob and Hans Samuel, only the mystery of Jöns Abraham remains. He was named as an heir in his mother Sara Brita’s estate papers, but no place of residence was identified.

Further, he has not been found in the BIS database of living Swedes from 1800-1947, so my theory right now is that he was alive as of May 1812, the date of the estate administration and may have died in the early 1800s.

Perhaps with time, and more indexing of Swedish records, his life story could be told.