August 27, 2025

A Family History Blog by LaVerna Colson Smith

swedishrootsamericanbranches.com

Rebecca Samuelsdotter , the wife (hustrun) of Carl Samuel Larsson,was the mother of ten children and the stepmother of two. Rebecca was born on March 27, 1794 to Samuel Persson, a farmer in Sunnesjö, Ödeshög Parish and Sara Lena Svensdotter. She came from a family of four boys and two girls. The family had been in the Sunnesjö area, a little east of Kushult, for several generations and were well established. The farm was near the beautiful Lake Visjön. Lake Visjön translates to English as “Sunny Lake.”

As mentioned in my last Blog, Rebecca married the 31 year old widower, Carl Samuel Larsson, when she was 19 years old and took up the tremendous responsibility of caring for his two children, Johannes, age 5, and Johanna, age 3. The first of the ten children born to Carl and Rebecca was Sara Lena born in 1815, and named after her mother, Sara Lena Svensdotter. The last child, August, was born in 1838 when Rebecca was 44 years old.

According to comments recorded in “Colson Family Records,” her children continually praised her skills as a mother and homemaker. Her daughters lauded her dressmaking skills and learned from her in all respects. She raised all twelve children to adulthood with many of them living long lives.

After Carl Samuel’s death in 1859, she remained on Skrädeberg farm with the assistance of several of her children who still remained in Sweden. The farm, however, sold in 1866 and she remained there, by way of her undantag rights, until her death of heart failure in 1867. at age 73. “Undantag” was the right of a previous farm owner or tenant to remain on the property until his or her death. It was generally negotiated in the terms of the property sale and was very common. It was an early social security net for the elderly who may have no place to go after the change in ownership.

For those readers interested in pursuing Rebecca’s genealogy I have included her pedigree chart. It should be noted that Rebecca Samuelsdotter and Maria Samuelsdotter are not directly related other than their fathers having the same first name. Not uncommon in a rural area still practicing the old patronymic naming system. (Chart created by Family Tree Maker 2024 version)

I am including a photo of Rebecca but it is not dated. She may be between 70-72. Her photo reflects her hard life on the farm but shows her steely reserve and her kindliness. I also noticed her large hands – I have those hands – but they have not worked as hard as her hands. The photo of Rebecca is of poor quality – it is a photo of a photo. The image in “Colson Family Records” is much better

Next Blog: The Legacy of Carl Samuel Larsson and Rebecca Samuelsdotter. Any of my past blogs may be accessed through my website,swedishrootsamericanbranches.com

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