COLSON FAMILY GENEALOGY AND HISTORY

FINDING BRITTA JONASDOTTER (1715-1799) – WIFE OF CARL JOHN BRÅBERGEN

August 28, 2024

A FAMILY HISTORY BLOG BY LAVERNA COLSON SMITH

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AN EXCEPTIONAL WOMAN, WIFE AND MOTHER!

Britta Jonasdotter was born on March 8, 1715 in Skärstad Parish to Jonas Månsson and Sara Sandwall and died in Ödeshög Parish on April 18, 1799. The oldest of eleven children, she grew on Råby Farm located in the beautiful and productive Skärstad Valley – or in Swedish – Skärstaddalen. Britta’s father, Jonas Månsson was both a farmer and innkeeper, a profession that dated back several generations in the valley. Her mother, Sara Sandwall, was the daughter of Anders Sandwall, a former military officer and town commissioner for nearby Gränna in Jönköping County.

Britta’s paternal great-grandfather was Jonas Håkansson who had established the Innkeeping trade with the Crown for Skärstad Parish and had also served as the Sheriff. His father and Britta’s great-great-grandfather was Haquinus Svenosis (originally Håkan Svensson), born in 1590, who served as one of the first Rectors of Skärstad Church. At the time, clergymen would “latinize” their names to emphasize their superior education and position in the community.

Impressive Roots

The family was secure and well-connected, and Britta would have been considered a “prize catch.” I can imagine Carl Johan sweeping her off her feet as she married the 25-year-old when she was just 16 years of age. The couple was married in Skärstad Church on April 21, 1731, and they lived out their married life in Kushult, Ödeshög Parish, Östergötland. As the oldest of eleven children and the first-born daughter of an innkeeper, her parenting and homemaking skills were no doubt well-honed by the time of her marriage. After her husband’s early death, she managed the farm, family, and rusthåll until her death at 84 years of age, outliving her husband by 42 years. She lived nearly the entire 18th Century.

Marriage Record

This Skärstad Parish Church entry is the record of the marriage of Rusthålleren Carl Johan Bråberg(en) from Östergötland of Ödeshög Socken (Parish) and Britta Jonasdotter, Innkeeper Jonas Månson’s daughter in Råby.

Early Innkeepers of Sweden “Gästgivaren”

The paternal side of Britta’s family had been innkeepers since the early 1600’s, Although loosely regulated before, a Royal Decree of December 12, 1734, provided details and strict regulations that would stand for a long time to come. One of the perks of being an innkeeper was acquiring the control of the sale of liquor in the parish

View of Skärstad Church and community in early Spring. Råby Farm would have been beyond the church and closer to the mountains. The Råby Forest Nature Preserve is to the east of the community and noted for its stand of virgin pine and superb hiking trails.

The Royal Decree required that the Innkeeper must provide tablecloths, utensils, candles, firewood, food, brandy, beer and weak beer together with hay, straw and stables for the horses. The guests were assigned rooms according to their station in life and were able to negotiate for better food. Noone was allowed to leave without paying compensation to the Innkeeper. Britta’s father, brother and their descendants continued the tradition until modern transportation reduced the need for so many country inns.

A young girl in traditional Swedish dress including the bridal crown. Modern brides mostly prefer a crown of flowers.

Fascinating Fact #6

I nearly lost Britta Jonasdotter…if not for finding Carl Johan’s birth record in Skärstad Parish. Once I found that, I located his marriage record in that parish and found he had married Britta Jonasdotter (1715-1797) NOT Brita Jonsdotter (1713-1799). I learned that Jonsson or Jonsdotter is a shortened version of Jonasson and Jonasdotter. My incomplete knowledge of 300-year-old Swedish spelling peculiarities caused an error which still has not been corrected in many genealogies. It made sense to me at the time because the first Brita (spelled with one t) lived on Frebol, a neighboring farm, she was a young woman about his age, and he certainly would have known her. Perhaps he had the opportunity but, in my view, he made the right choice.

Next Post: Seeing The Family Through Hard Times

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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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