Which Rasmus Gudmundsson is ours? Separating Identity using Swedish Tax and Church Records
Previously, in this four-part series on Scandinavian research, we discussed patronymics and naming traditions common in Scandinavian genealogy. We also identified two research objectives as we are trying to uniquely identify Rasmus Gudmundsson, born in Malmƶhus, Sweden, around 1719. We did locality research for KĆ„gerƶd and Norra Vram parishes and had a brief introduction to household examinations, church, probate, tax, and moving records. We also looked at repositories for Swedish records before diving into the research, which helped separate the two Gudmund Rasmusson families. In this final post, we use christening records for Rasmus’ children to identify which of the two Rasmus died in 1773.
- Did Gudmund Rasmusson marry twice ā first to Elsa Thuesdotter and then to Karna Larsdotter, or are these two separate families? Gudmund could have had a son, Rasmus, with Elsa. If both Rasmus and Elsa died and Gudmund married Karna, their oldest son could have been renamed for his deceased half-brother, Rasmus.
- If these are two separate families, which of the two Rasmus married the two Hannas and died in KƄgerƶd in 1773?
Identifying the correct Rasmus Gudmundsson
None of the records used to separate the two families proved which Gudmund Rasmusson was the father of Rasmus Gudmundsson, who died on Bƶketofta farm in Malmƶhus, Sweden, on 7 February 1773.1 Nor were there any household examinations available or Rasmus. He died before the 1773 household examination for KĆ„gerƶd parish was recorded, and earlier household examinations for KĆ„gerƶd are unavailable. Another important source that could connect “our” Rasmus to the correct father is probate records.
By Swedish law, all who died should have had their estate probated within three months to ensure that all the rightful heirs got their share.2Ā The probate commonly lists all the properties and debts the deceased had, but, more importantly, for genealogy, it usually lists all the heirs and their relationship to the deceased. Probate records often include the heirs’ current location at the time of death, their spouse if married, and the age of a minor.
Probate records for either Gudmund of Bensige or Gudmund of Bƶketofta could provide the needed proof of parentage of the Rasmus in question. However, many probate records went missing over time. Only index books for the region were available online, and neither of the two Gudmunds nor their wives were listed. Hence, it was time to turn the attention to Rasmusā children to see if there were any clues.
As mentioned at the beginning of this series, children were often named after their ancestors. The oldest son would be named after his paternal grandfather, while the second oldest son would receive the given name of his maternal grandfather. The girls would be named in a similar fashion after their grandmothers. Previous research had identified Rasmusā children with his first wife, Hanna Andersdotter, as:
- PĆ„hl, born 17453
- Else, born 17474
- Pehr, born 17495
- Anders, born 17526
- PĆ„hl, born 17557
- Jons, born 17578
- Ellna, born 17609
- Nils, born 176210
- Ingar, born 176511
With his second wife, Hana Davidsdotter, he had the following three children:
Rasmus and his wives diverted from the tradition of renaming grandparents when they named their children. The two oldest sons were named PĆ„hl and Pehr instead of Gudmund and Anders, after their paternal and maternal grandfathers. However, they kept to other traditions. The oldest PĆ„hl, born in 1745, died in 1754.15 The year after, in 1755, Rasmusā newborn son is named PĆ„hl after his deceased big brother.16 Rasmusā first wife, Hanna Andersdotter, died in 1766.17 11 months later, Rasmus married his second wife, Hanna Davidsdotter.18 Their first child, a daughter, was named Hanna, likely after Rasmusās deceased wife.19 (Though, in this case, itās harder to tell since Rasmusā second wife was also named Hanna). The first Hanna died less than a month old.20 Two short years later, the parents named their second daughter Hanna, likely after her deceased sister.21 Meanwhile, in 1768, Anders, born in 1752, died.22 His youngest brother, born in 1771, was renamed after him.23
One might question the naming of daughter Else, born in 1747.24 From previous research, we know that Gudmund of Bensige was married to Elsa Thuesdotter. However, since other grandparent naming rules were not kept, this wasnāt enough evidence to decide which couple was Rasmusā parents.
The Lutheran tradition of christening children at a very young age included godparents. The godparents were responsible for the child’s religious upbringing and would often step in if something happened to the parents. For this reason, most godparents were chosen among close family members and friends. Parents, siblings, and cousins of the father and mother were the most common choices. Additionally, close friends and neighbors might receive the honor.
Our next step would, therefore, be to review the godparents of all of Rasmusā thirteen children in hopes of finding either Rasmusā siblings and/or parents listed. In part three, we identified the siblings of Rasmus of Norra Vram as Cecilia, Lars, Kirstina, and PƤr. Research on the children of Gudmund and Elsa of Bensige proved the following children: Anna, born 169925; Olof, born 170126; Elin, born 170427; Nils, born 170628; Carl, born 171029; Karna, born 171430; Rasmus, born 1718.31
With the names of both Rasmusā siblings in place, it was time to address the godparents of Rasmusā children. The list below only contains godparent names recognized among the siblings.
- PĆ„hl, born 1745:Ā Sissa Gudmundsdotter (Sissa is a common spelling of Cecilia).32
- Anders, born 1752: Sissa Gudmundsdotter33
- PƄhl, born 1755: Sissa Gudmunsdotter and PƤr Gudmundsson34
- Nils, born 1762: Karna Gudmundsdotter, wife of Nils Matthison35
- Ingar, born 1765: PƤr Gudmundsson36
- Hanna, born 1767:7 Kirstina Gudmundsdotter, wife of Ola Trulson.37
Of all of Rasmusā children, only six had had his siblings listed as godparents. Among other godparents were Hannaās siblings, neighbors, and friends. Five of the christenings included Cecilia āSissa,ā PƤr, and Kirstina, who all were siblings of Rasmus born in Norra Vram. This is a strong indication that he was the sought-after ancestor. However, one christening record included Karna of Bensige farm in KĆ„gerƶd, leaving a shadow of doubt whether this was the correct conclusion. So, letās take a look at Karna.
Karna Gudmundsdotter was born in 1714 on Bensige farm to Gudmund Rasmussen.38 As Gudmund and Else Thuesdotter were married at this time, Else was likely her mother. Karna married Nels Matthisson of AskegĆ„rden on 25 February 1733.39 AskegĆ„rden was a farm in Vram, and it is possible Rasmusā and Nelsā families knew each other from Vram. After they married, Nels and Karna moved to Bƶketofta in KĆ„gerƶd, where Karna died in 1788.40 This is the same farm where Rasmus and Hanna lived; the two families would certainly have known each other.
Conclusion:
This research aimed to determine if Gudmund Rasmussen of Norra Vram and Gudmund Rasmussen of KƄgerƶd were two different individuals with separate families. If so, the research also aimed to determine which of their sons, named Rasmus, died in 1773. Though no records directly proved when Rasmus was born and who his parents were, there clearly were two different Gudmund Rasmussen with sons named Rasmus. It is likely that Rasmus, who died on 7 February 1773, was born on 6 March 1720 in Norra Vram to Rasmus Gudmundsson and Karna Larsdotter.
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Sources
- Svenska kyrkan, āKĆ„gerƶd parish, (M) CI:3 1773-1790,ā page 2, Rasmus Gudmundsson, 27 February 1773; digital images, ArkivDigital (app.arkivdigital.se : accessed 27 April 2023).
- āSweden Probate Records,ā online wiki, FamilySearch (Familysearch.org/Wiki : accessed 28 January 2023).
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