COLSON FAMILY GENEALOGY AND HISTORY

THE BRÅBERGENS (1670-1757) – COLSON FAMILY FOREBEARS

August 20, 2024

A FAMILY HISTORY BLOG BY LAVERNA COLSON SMITH

http://swedishrootsamericanbranches.com

Carl Johan Bråbergen (1706-1757) – An Ancestor of Note

Carl Johan Bråbergen, father of Lars Carlsson and 10 others, was the last person to bear the family name, Bråbergen. As discussed in previous blogs, he was the son of Sven Bråbergen and Brijitta Skoug and grandson of the prominent Anders Skoug and Dorothea Crantzberg. Born in 1706 in Skärstad Parish in Jönköping on his grandfather’ Anders Skoug’s farm (Skougsgård), he spent his childhood and young adulthood in that parish until the family relocated to Ödeshög Parish in the late 1720’s and made Kushult Farm their permanent home. Carl Johan’s mother, Brijitta, inherited Kushult Farm after the death of her father, Anders Skoug.

Carl Johan ‘s father, Sven, was career military and served in the elite Swedish Lifeguards during the Great Northern War of 1701-1720 and away from his family for long stretches of time. The family was quite small for the age and only three children survived – Maria Helena (later referred to as Magdalena), born in 1703; Carl Johan born in 1706; Dorothea (Dordi) born in 1709; Gunilla Sophia (stillborn in 1712?); and Andreas born in 1716 and died the same year. All the children were born in Skärstad Parish, Jönköping County, Småland.

Carl Johan married Britta Jonasdotter of Råby Farm in Skärstad Parish on April 21, 1731 and the couple made their home at Kushult Farm in Ödeshög Parish. Carl Johan was 25 years of age at the time of his marriage and Britta only 16. Britta was from a prominent family in that parish, and she became his anchor and helpmeet in every way possible. Eleven children were born to the marriage with eight alive at the time of Carl Johan’s death.

Family Intrigue

As a young man of 25 and newly married, Carl Johan was confronted with a host of family issues. His mother, Brijitta Skoug, died on March 7, 1729 age 56. Because she inherited the Kushult property from her parents, it passed not to her husband, Sven, but to her son and two daughters, Dordi and Magdelena. Sven remarried quickly on October 16 of the same year to the much younger Maria Sjjöman and proceeded to have a family with her. He moved out of Kushult to the neighboring farm of Näteryd. Carl Johan then took on the responsibility of both the Kushult Farm and the Kushult Rusthåll.

The Kushult Rusthåll

A rusthåll was a large farm where the farm owner independently contracted with the Crown to outfit a Cavalry solider and furnish him with housing, stables and basic equipment. This commitment resulted in a significant reduction in taxes for the rusthålleren. Below is an excerpt from the 1744 Muster Roll of Ösgöta Cavalry Regiment, Vadstena Company. Kushult was No, 119 of 125. (Source: Arkiv Digital)

Carl Johan was the responsible rusthållaren along with his sister Dordi’s husband, Carl Gustaf Björkegren. After Carl Johan’s death, his wife, Britta, took over the sole responsibility as Bjorkegren had absconded with some family money. In this entry, the Cavalry rider, Jonas Ohberg retired after 10 years and his replacement was Nils Hultsteen, 29 and 1/2 years old and unmarried.

Early Death

Despite the early responsibilities, Carl Johan bore up well and he and his family thrived. HIs early death at 51, however, may indicate that added stress took its toll.

Death record for Carl Johan Bråbergen in ödeshög Parish, August 12, 1757 – Age of death is incorrect by 8 years.

Descendants

As indicated in previous posts, church records surrounding Carl Johan Bråbergen and his descendants are unreliable. The only reliable family document is his estate inventory date dated October 17, 1757 following his death the previous month which names his surviving widow, Britta Jonasdotter, and eight surviving children. In the absence of correct birth dates, in most cases, I believe this is the closest we will come to accuracy.

Preamble to Carl Johan’s Estate Inventory, 1757

Sons: Anders (23, born 1734); Jonas (15, born 1744); Sven (12, born 1745) Lars (10, born 1747) Carl (3, born 1754). Note Jonas age is incorrect – he was closer to 13-14.

Daughters: Sara (18, born 1739); Lena (7, born 1749) and Maria (5, born 1752).

The first child and oldest daughter, Helena, born in 1732 has passed away prior to Carl Johan’s death. Anders, born in 1737 and Peter, born in 1741 passed away in early childhood. (The name of Anders for the child born in 1737 is no doubt incorrect but was stated in the church records – he would not have had the same name as his living older brother. born in 1734.

Fascinating Fact #5

Filling the Hole: A common custom in old Sweden was to name a new child after one that had passed away. This is often difficult for researchers who don’t know the custom. The idea was to lessen the grief the parents felt in losing a child – the next one named after the lost child would “fill the hole” in the parent’s hearts. For example, in Carl Johan and Britta’s case, I believe Lena (short for Helena and born in 1749) was named after Helena, born in 1732, who died prior to Lena’s birth.

Between 1700 and1750 every fifth child died before reaching the age of one. After 1750, smallpox became epidemic with its victims mostly under ten years of age.

Swedish Cradle – 18th Century

Next Post: Finding Britta Jonasdotter – wife of Carl Johan Bråbergen

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Swedish Pronunciation Guide for English Speakers

The Swedish Language has 3 extra vowels and some challenging consonant combinations.   Here is a quick guide to pronouncing these vowels and tricky consonants

Åå           Sounds like the “o” in for

Ää          Sounds like the “ai” in fair

Öö          Sounds like the “ea” in earn

Y             Sounds  like the Y at the end of Terry

SJ,sj       Pronounced like “wh” – a voiceless fricative. 

K, k       Pronounced like “sh” before the soft vowels of:    e, i y, ä or ö

LaVerna Colson Smith (Lolly) Avatar

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LaVerna Colson Smith (Lolly)
I was born in Oakland, Nebraska (the Swedish American Capitol of Nebraska) and graduated from the University of Texas with B.S. and M. S. degrees. My professional work took me to many different states and cities and after my retirement from the corporate world, I traveled extensively in Europe, Scandinavia and Africa. I currently reside in Lakewood Ranch, Florida near Sarasota and the Gulf Coast beaches. My interest in genealogy began on my 2010 trip to Sweden where I began researching both my paternal and maternal family lines. While living in Denver,Colorado, I became a member of the Colorado Swedish Genealogical Society, studied with Kjell Andersson, a professional Swedish genealogist/author and attended the Swedish School of Denver to further my knowledge of the Swedish Language. I currently belong to the Sarasota Genealogical Society in Sarasota, Florida. My primary research tool is Arkiv Digital, a Swedish focused site which provides clear digital images of church, tax, military, court and estate records going back to the mid 1600’s. Although, the Swedes are excellent records keepers, many valuable old records did not survive fires, floods nor poor storage. My goal is to present genealogy from a socioeconomic and historical point of view paralleling the lives of my ancestors with the times in which they and the character with which they met their challenges. I
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