Stavsjö in the county of Södermanland

My mother's cousin passed away in cancer so I want to write about something that is connected to him. I am going to write about the village where he, his father, and my grandfather grew up in.

The village of Stavsjö, situated between Norrköping and Nyköping south of Stockholm, mainly exists because of the ironworks that started its production in 1662. The ironworks was placed by the lake Stavsjön because of the natural resources of the area. In 1666 the production of canons started and became the main product for 200 years. Today the factory is still running and produces knife gate valves.

Stavsjö bruksmuseum - model of the village around 1900

The Russians attacked and burned down almost all of the village in the early 18th century but the ironworks was soon rebuilt. My great grandfather used to work at the ironworks and it was where my grandfather had his first job as a young teenager.

During the years 1898-1902 3000 arcres of forest was damaged by the black arches butterfly and a railroad was built to transport timber from the Kolmården woods down to the bay in the Baltic sea. The railroad-trasportation ended in 1939 when cars had become more common. Today you can walk or go by bike where the rails once were.

Kolmården station down by the bay.

Stavsjö station

The old canteen, that had also worked as an inn, of the ironworks was moved at the end of the 19th century and served as living quarters for the workers as well as housing a store on the bottom floor.

The old original part of the inn.

In 1947 the building once again became an inn under the current owner, counseler Julius Lindström. The mian road to Stockholm passed right outside the inn and it became a popular place for travellers to stop and have a bite to eat at. Traffic became heavier and heavier and the highway was moved a kilometer and the inn started to have troubles. It has stood empty for many years but in February renovations were being made in order to turn the inn into a place to house newly arrived immigrants who are waiting to know if they can stay or have to leave.

The restaurant

The conference and hotell section that was added in the early 1980's.

My grandfather's brother used to run the local gas station, right next to the inn, and my mom's cousin took over. When the highway moved so did the gas station and is one of Sweden's most visited gas stations.


Pictures:
Stavsjö bruksmuseum by Masugn  under license CC BY-SA 3.0
Kolmården station, Stavsjö station and the inn by Your Swedish Herigage

Sources:
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stavsj%C3%B6
http://www.stafsjo.com/index.php?id=233
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Stavsj%C3%B6_V%C3%A4rdshus

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Those Places Thursday - Gårdstenstorp in Södermanland

Gårdstenstorp, also known as Gålstenstorp and Israelstorp, is a farm in the parish of Kila in the southern parts of the province of Södermanland. It is where my mother, grandmother, great grandfather  and great great grandfather grew up. The first person in the family to move to and own the farm was Nils Andersson, my great great great grandfather, who moved there with his secound wife, Anna Persdotter, in 1837. Nils' son Anders and daughter Brita Catharina from the first marriage also moved to Gårdstenstorp. Anders got married to Margaretha Jacobsdotter in 1843 and they had a daughter, Johanna Charlotta, in 1844. Nils dies in 1843 and July 1, 1844, Anders hangs himself in the barn, one month before his daughter was born. Why he took his own life is not known to me. His widow moved and took her daughter with her but Johanna Charlotta would only live to be ten years old. Nils' son Nils, also from the first marriage, now took over the farm and moved in with his wife, Maja Lisa Andersdotter, and their six children (two more would be born on the farm) in 1851. When Nils dies in 1880 his son Carl Johan takes over the farm who, together with his wife Amalia, had eleven children. Konrad, one of the sons, stays on the farm and marries Agnes Hjälte in 1919, togheter they have three girls. Karl Johan dies in 1924 and Konrad dies four years later of septicimia. I have written earlier about my grandmother and her mother.

In 1938 the total land area of the farm was 25,7 acres where half was farm land and the rest forest and grazing land. There was 1 horse, 4 cows, 1 calf, 2 pigs, and 20 hens. The main house was built in the 1890's and stable and barns in 1919.

In 1955 the house was renovated. A basement was added and the house was modernized.

Gårdstenstorp on Wikitree

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Sunday's Obituary - Osvald Johansson

My great grandfather Osvald Johansson held several important posts at the town hall and the local worker's union. Therefor it is not strange that there was a large article about him when he passed away at an age of 74. Here are what it says about him:

Osvald Johansson in Ålberga dead 

One of southern Sörmland's most known municipal men, the minicipal accountant, Osvald Johansson, Hälsogården, Ålberga, died last Wednesday 74 years old. He was born in Sundsvall and grew up in Luleå. He was drawn to the south and has been a toolman in Södertälje. There he belonged to the volenteer fire department. In 1916 he came to Stafsjö ironworks.

It was not long before the deceased joined the worker's movement in Stavsjö and became the arbetarkommunen's (branch of the Swedish Social Democrats) chairman when it started in 1917, then as club under Ålberga's arbetarkommun. He has also been the chairman and accountant in the Metal Worker's local branch. Stavsjö's consumtion assosiation has also been one of the deceased's many volunteer field of work, as an auditor and pruduct controller.

His largest contribution has however been in the municipal political field. In 1921 he became a member of what then was Kila municipal executive board and the same year he became a member of the worker's club commitee, in 1924 alternate member of the municipal representative assembly and vice president of the municipal executive board. He has further been a member of the assessment commitee of the social welfare obard, the pension commitee and more. In 1934 he was chosen as chairman of the municipal executive board which he was until the merger of municipalities in 1942.... (unfortunately some of the article has been cut off).

My mother, her sister and their cousin has told me about how the town hall actually was a part of Osvald and his wife Jenny's apartment. The municipalities were not very big back then.

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Matrilineal Monday - My great grandmother Agnes Hjelte

Agnes was born 21 June 1886 as the daughter of Johan Alfred Hjelte and Karolina Boström. Johan Alfred was a soldier which ment that they had a small cottage and some land that came with his job. Karolina had two bastard daughters before she met Johan Alfred. She was engaged to another man since 1875 but they never lived together. She had a bastard son after she moved in with Johan Alfred and the church records say that there was a letter releasing her from the other man in 85. Johan Alfred and Karolina got married in December the same year and Agnes was born six months later. In 1888 the couple's youngest and last child was born, another daughter.

In October 1915 Agnes married Oskar Larsson but he died in June 1917 and Agnes moved back to her parents. In December of 1918 she moved to work as a maid in my great grandfather's household and they got married a year later. My grandmother was born in October 1920 and her sisters in 1922 and 1923. In December 1928 Konrad, my great grandfather, dies of septicimea and leaves Agnes a widow for the second time with three young girls and a farm to run.

When Agnes dies in 1950 she has gone from being a poor soldier's daughter to a poor worker's wife and widow to a stable farmer's wife and widow. At least she got ten good years with her second husband and with the farm they had it better than many others during that time. But it still makes me think about how unfair life can be and how greatful I am over how good I have it compared to those who came before me.

Agnes with her three daughters, Frideborg, Britta and Linnéa.

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Those Places Thursday - Kolmården Wildlife Park

Kolmården is the name of a large area, a forest, south of Stockholm, on the border between the provinces of Södermanland and Östergötland. Back in medieval times it was one of the forests that marked the border between Swedes and Geates. Due to the difficulty to travel through the forest the Baltic Sea was used for travels instead. Right on the border was a monestary and next to it an inn. The forest had a bad reputation, being a place for highwaymen and people staying away from the law so it was not a nice road to travel on. As time changed civilization came closer. An ironwork was founded, just north of where the monestary had been, in 1666 and this added to the traffic in the area. The railroad came and Riksväg 1 (highway one) was built through the forest, not far from the old road, and today it is one of the two big highways in Sweden.

The ruins of the churh where the monestary used to be.

For most Swedes the name Kolmården reminds them of the wildlife park that is named after the forest and also lies on the outskirts of it. It is a very popular place to visit and is known for its great dolphin show. The park was built in the early 1960's and is today one of the world's largest wildlife parks.

Link to Kolmården Wildlife Park in English:

http://www.kolmarden.com/sprak/english

Sunday's Obituary - August and Elin Nilsson

I have four cuttings from newpapers about my mormor's uncle August and his wife Elin. The oldest is when they celebrated their 50th weddin aniversery  and the other three are about their deaths.

August was born in 1875 and Elin in 1881, both in the province of Södermanland. They got marrid in 1902 in Elin's home parish, Björkvik, two month after their first son was born. They then moved to the parish of Östra Husby in the provnice of Östergötland where they stayed for the rest of their lives.

Elin died September 19th, 1966, and August passed just four days later. There had alread been an obituary in the news paper for Elin but when August died they added Elin's facts to August's obituary. They were married for 64 years and had nine children together. They were buried the same day.