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How to Research Sailors in the Navy Rolls - Sweden (Part - 2)

Tutorial 3: How to Research Navy Sailors,

Sweden (3b)

Tutorials:

Contents - Navy:

The Jöns Jonsson Åsing Family in the Parish Records (HFL)

Jöns Jonsson Åsing was born on September 16, 1810, in Ljustorp parish, Medlepad. He was enrolled in the Navy on November 27, 1835, and was discharged February 6, 1856. When Åsing was discharged he had served as a "båtsman" in the Navy for 21 years. Åsing died on June 2, 1880, in Öster Frötuna, Ljustorp parish, fully 69 years old. Ljustorp Household Examination Rolls (Husförhörslängder) AI:5 to AI:7

Above, extract from Ljustorp parishbook, Ljustorp AI:5 (1841-1849) Image 203 / page 191 (AID: v121830.b203.s191, NAD: SE/HLA/1010115), Öster Frötuna. The extract above lists the Åsing family as of 1841 - 1849. Jöns Åsings wife was Anna Cajsa Forsberg. The entry also lists Jöns Åsing's mother as "båtsman Bovéns widow Anna Jönsdotter." Jöns Åsing's title is listed above his name, "Kr. Båtsm." which is short for "Kronobåtsman" which simply means sailor.

Above, extract from Ljustorp parishbook, Ljustorp AI:6 (1850-1860) Image 229 / page 219 (AID: v121831.b229.s219, NAD: SE/HLA/1010115), Öster Frötuna. The extract above lists the Åsing family as of 1850 - 1860, i.e. at the time when Jöns Åsing was discharged. His title is now listed as "f. krono-båtsmans korpralen" which is short for "förre kronobåtsmanskorpralen" and means "former Corporal and sailor". The column "Giftoår och dag" (date of marriage) list his and Anna Cajsa Forsberg's marriage date; 1836-02-14. There is also a notation that Jöns Åsing's mother Anna Jönsdotter died on September 30, 1856 (see right-most column). She was the widow (enka) of båtsman (sailor) Bovén and was born on October 5, 1777.

Above, extract from Ljustorp parishbook, Ljustorp AI:7 (1861-1870) Image 133 / page 125 (AID: v121832.b133.s125, NAD: SE/HLA/1010115), Öster Frötuna - left-hand side. The above extract lists Jöns Åsing as a former båtsman (sailor). The column to the far right "Flyttad från" (Moved from) back to Ljustorp from Sundsvall on November 15, 1868. As we can see below, the family moved to Sundsvall in 1866.

Above, extract from Ljustorp parishbook, Ljustorp AI:7 (1861-1870) Image 133 / page 125 (AID: v121832.b133.s125, NAD: SE/HLA/1010115), Öster Frötuna - right-hand side. The family moved to Sundsvall city on November 17, 1866 (column "Flyttat till" - Moved to). It looks like Jöns Åsing did well after he was discharged. He took on an employment as a caretaker (vaktmästare) at Enskilda Banken in Sundsvall (a bank in Sundsvall).

Above, extract from Ljustorp death book, Ljustorp F:1 (1861-1895) Image 47 (AID: v121849.b47, NAD: SE/HLA/1010115), year 1880. Former Corporal and sailor (f. båtsmanskorpralen) Jöns Åsing died on June 2, 1880 (first two columns). He was then 69 years and 8 months and 16 days old. Columns 3 and 4 tells as that he was buried on June 13, 1880. Jöns Åsing's wife still lived when he died since he is listed as "Gift" (Married), see the column to the far right.

Amiralitetskollegium, Sjömilitiekontoret - The Navy General Muster Rolls (2)

The Amiralitetskollegium Archive (The Admiralty Staff Archive) is another archive with rolls of interest for the genealogy researchers. Here we find rolls such as navy logbooks, ship muster rolls (skeppsmönsterrullor) etc. For more information, see chapter Other Rolls below. The Sjömilitiekontoret (The Naval Office) is a subseries to the Admiralty Staff Archive and contains also navy general muster rolls. Here we have four subseries: 1. Regementsskrivaren för Båtsmanshållet (The Regimental Scribe for the Navy Allotment System). These rolls begin 1683. Here we find båtsmän general muster rolls, principally 1700s. 2. Regementsskrivaren för Kofferdibåtskompanierna samt matros och Skeppsgossekåren (The Regimental Scribe for the Merchantman Sailor Companies and the Seamen and Ship's Boy Corps). These rolls begin 1758. 3. Regementsskrivarna för Volontär- och Sjöartilleriregementena (The Regimental Scribe for the Navy Volunteers and Sea Artillery Regiments). These rolls begin 1692. 4. Timmermans- och Hantverksstaterna samt Arbetskarlar och Arrestanter (The Carpenter and Trade Departments, Laborers and Navy Prisoners). Very few rolls are kept. When you are researching navy general muster rolls you should browse both the archive "Rullor flottan 1635 - 1915" as well as the archive "Amiralitetskollegium" to get a complete picture of which rolls are available for a specific båtsman company. The general muster rolls found under Sjömilitiekontoret (The Naval Office) mostly concerns the 18th century.

Above, extract from "The Regimental Scribe for the Navy Allotment System": Flottans arkiv, Amiralitetskollegium, sjömilitiekontoret. 2.0. Regementskrivaren för båtsmanshållet EIIIa1:6 (1757-1759) Image 5900 (AID: v748541.b5900, NAD: SE/KrA/0501005). The extract above shows a page from the South Halland Navy Company's (Södra Halland Båtsmanskompani) general muster roll for 1758. The extract lists båtsman (sailor) Anders Fager born in Köpenhamn (Copenhagen, Denmark) and was enrolled as a båtsman in 1752. Båtsman rote 42 was located in Krogsered parish (socken), Årstads Härad (Hundreds), Halland län.

Båtsmansrullor - Båtsman Rolls (Sailor Rolls)

If you are researching navy båtsmän from the 1880s and forward you should browse the series båtsmansrullor. They were introduced in the 1880s (there might be some from the 1870s too). This series is a goldmine if you have sailors from the 1880s and thereafter. These rolls are very detailed since they hold information regarding each sailor's duty, voyages, grades etc. Each sailor's service data was kept in individual books called "båtsmansrulla"; one book per sailor. These rolls are found under respective naval station. For more information, see båtsmansrullor.

Other Navy Rolls

There are other navy rolls of interest for the genealogist, such as the ship muster rolls (skeppsmönsterrullor) and the ship logbooks (loggböcker). To find the names of a warship's crew the ship muster rolls are of great value. Information about a ship's voyages are found in the logbooks.

Ship Muster Rolls (Skeppmönsterrullor)

Below is a link to the man-of-war Distigheten's ship muster roll of 1790. Source: Flottans arkiv: Amiralitetskollegiets med efterföljares kontor, Arméns flotta, loggböcker, rullor m.m.: Sjöexpeditioner, skeppsmönsterrullor 1689-1873 A:19 (1790-1790) Image 50 / page 3 (AID: v743172a.b50.s3, NAD: SE/KrA/0503035). The Dristigheten was Sweden's most powerful man-of-war at the time and carried the lowest ship number in the Swedish Navy which means she sailed first in the line of warships (ships of the line) in naval battles. The Swedish Navy as well as well as the Army Fleet (the Galley Fleet) was in June 1790 shut in by the Russian Navy in the Bay of Vyborg, Gulf of Finland. The Swedish navy had been pursuing the Russian navy into the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. The plan was to strike a decisive blow against the Kronstadt squadron of the Russian Navy. A few days after the attack on the Kronstadt naval base the Swedish Navy and the Army Fleet joined at the mouth of the Vyborg Bay. Then the wind changed to a southwesterly wind. The heavy, shallow-draught warships of the time were difficult to navigate if the wind didn't come from astern. This made it difficult for the Swedish forces to head toward Swedish waters in southeastern regions of Finland. The Swedish navy and Army Fleet had to take a defensive position a bit further up in the Vyborg Bay and to wait for the winds to once again change. However, the winds didn't change and the Swedish forces got caught in the Vyborg Bay. The Gauntlet of Vyborg Bay: Meanwhile, the Russian navy begun a blockade to prevent the Swedes from leaving the bay. The blockade was in effect on June 8th. The blockade itself was not a threat to the two Swedish fleets. On the contrary, the Swedish presence this close to the Russian capital St Petersburg was a threat on Russia and put a strain on the Empress Catharine II. The 400 Swedish ships had an armament of 3.000 guns and a crew of 30.000 sailors and soldiers. The Navy fleet counted 16,000 men and the Army fleet 14,000. On July 2, 1790, the wind finally shifted. Now a northerly wind, which made an breakout possible. The supreme command of the fleet had a meeting. Orders for the breakout were given during the night of July 3, 1790. The Swedish breakout from Vyborg Bay is known in Sweden as "The Viborgska gatloppet" or in English The Gauntlet of Vyborg Bay. First out in the line of Swedish warships was the 64- gun ship of the line "The Dristigheten" (The Daring). The captain of The Dristigheten was Lieutenant Colonel Johan af Puke (his name has nothing to do with the English meaning of this word). Just before the breakout, King Gustav III reminded him of Puke's father's loyalty to the Crown and now appealed to the son to show the same courage and self-sacrificing spirit. Johan af Puke answered the King "Yes, Your Majesty, You bet your bloody life I will get through, but for the rest of the ships, I don't know". The first Russian lock had 5 ships of the line with its broadsides towards the approaching Swedish fleet. It must have been quite scary for the sailors aboard the five Russian ships to see the entire Swedish fleet of 400 ships and 3.000 guns heading for them. One of the Russian ships was hit by a number of broadsides from "The Dristigheten" and was literary torn apart. More than 700 Russians were killed. Puke had ordered all men, not needed on deck, below deck and therefore had no causalities. Two Russian ships were also badly hit by the fire from the Swedish "The Tapperheten" (The Bravery). Remarkably, none of the Swedish ships was lost due to Russian gun fire. All of the lost ships ran aground due to the poor visibility caused by the heavy gun smoke and from the ships on fires. So it was not the Russians that directly caused the losses of Swedish ships. After the breakout the Swedish ships were assembled at Vidskär (The Vidskär skerry) in the Gulf of Finland, just south of Pitkäpaasi. Then the Navy ships set sail and headed for the Swedish naval base at the fortress of Sveaborg just outside Helsinki in the southwestern part of Finland to do repairs. The shipmaster of The Dristigheten was Lieutenant Colonel Johan af Puke. The ship muster roll mentioned above lists the crew of the Dristigheten including officers, NCOs, sailors and soldiers in 1790. See Ship muster roll for man-of-war Dristighet en 1790.

Warship Logbooks (Loggböcker)

Once you found information regarding a sailor mustered in on a warship the next thing to do is to view that ship's logbooks for the time period in question to find information about that ship's voyages and expeditions during those years. For an example of a logbook regarding a ship in the Galley Fleet in 1760, see Flottans arkiv: Amiralitetskollegiets med efterföljares kontor, Arméns flotta, loggböcker, rullor m.m.: Sjöexpeditioner, loggböcker 1675-1852 A:1760:2 (1760-1760) Image 3410 (AID: v748546a.b3410, NAD: SE/KrA/0503034).

The Uniform

What type of military uniform did sailor Jöns Åsing in our first example above wear when he served in the First Norrland Second Sailor Company (Första Norrlands 2:a-dels båtsmanskompani)? He was enrolled on November 27, 1835 and was discharged on February 6, 1856. Below is an image showing the kind of uniform the navy sailor used in those days. The sailor in our second example, Nils August Björk in the Södermanland Second Navy Company (Södermanlands Andra båtsmanskompani) was enrolled in 1857. Below is an image showing the kind of uniform he wore.

Above, Navy uniform used by the båtsmän (sailors) at the time when Jöns Åsing served in the navy. The left uniform is from 1832 and the right uniform is from 1849.

Above, Navy uniform used by the båtsmän (sailors) at the time when Nils August Björk served in the navy. The uniform is a navy uniform from 1856.

Ljustorps socken (Y) - Båtsman 172 Åsing

Where was Jöns Jonsson Åsing's sailor croft, 172 "Åsäng, Frötuna och Stafre", located? Well is was located in Ljustorp parish, Medelpad, Västernorrland Län. Ljustorp is situated in a valley alongside Ljustorp River (Ljustorpsån, a small river) about 30 km (20 miles) north of Sundsvall city. Ljustorp parish is a part of Timrå municipality. The area is a hilly, wooded district with many lakes. There are hills on the west as well as the east side of the valley (the summit of the highest hill is 411m (1.350 ft.) above sea level). Ljustorp consists of 32 villages in an old farming district. The Church village (kyrkbyn) with its parish church is centrally located in the parish. The allotted båtsmän (sailors) in Ljustorp were serving in the First Norrland Second Navy Company (Första Norrlands Andradels båtsmanskompani). The sailor croft (cottage) 172 was located in Öster Frötuna village at the time when Jöns Jonsson Åsing was serving in the navy.

The map to the left shows Ljustorp parish with its villages. Öster Frötuna village is located in the bottom-right corner of the map. The location of the Ljustorp church is marked with a cross.

Bogsta Parish (D) - Båtsman 65 Björk

Where was sailor croft (cottage) Knutstugan, or croft 65 "Berga och Eke" located when sailor Nils August Björk served in the navy? Well is was located in Bogsta parish, Södermanland Län. Bogsta parish is since 1971 a part of Nyköping city. The Bogsta parish church is situated by Lake Runnviken's eastern shore. The church is from the 12th century and consist of a nave, a church tower facing west and a vestry facing north. The chancel is from the 15th century. The old rectory is located across the lake and was built in 1697. Bogsta parish is located northeast of Nyköping city, east of Lake Runnviken. The northern part of the parish is a hilly farming district while the southern part is a hilly wooded district. The sailor croft (cottage) 65 was located 1.5 km (1 mi.) north of Bogsta parish church "by the road" when Nils August Björk was in the navy. More about båtsman Björk.

The map to the left shows the location of Bogsta church (marked with a cross) by Lake Runnviken. Source: Lantmäteriets historiska kartor.

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Images

Images Hans Högman, 2015.

Source References

• Source References Top of page

Registers

There are a number of online registers which can be used to find information about soldiers; information such as regiments, companies, rote, parish, date of birth, date of death etc. This is important information to have when you research soldiers in the military rolls.

Centrala soldatregistret

One of the biggest online soldier register is the Centrala soldatregistret (The Central Soldier Register). The register contains soldiers in the Allotment System, i.e. soldiers and sailors (båtsmän) enrolled between 1682 and 1901. The register has soldiers of rank-and-file and corporals but no NCOs or officers. There are also a few enlisted units in the register. If you know a soldier name, you can search the database to find out which regiment, company and rote that soldier served. Look for a link called There is a link “English” near the top of the page, click it to switch to English. Click “Search Tips” for information about how to enter data into the various search fields. The search-page: http://www.ep.liu.se/databases/soldatregister/search.en.aspx (in English). The people behind the soldier register do not claim that the register is complete, but new soldiers are continuously added to the register. New data are also added to the already registered soldiers. The new data added might be information about the soldiers' families. More information about the content of the register is found at http://www.soldatreg.se/om-basen/ . This information is only in Swedish but you can use services such as Google Translate to have the text translated into English. The soldier register is free of charge.

Båtsman Register

There are also a number of sailor registers (båtsmansregister) available online, for example Blekinge båtsmansregister. In the example above about sailor Jöns Åsing in Västernorrland I also used a register by Olof Strömberg covering the Västernorrland sailors (båtsmän); http://www.gstromberg.nu/ . Note that all these registers are secondary sources and must be treated as such. Use them to get a fast entry to the primary sources, i.e. the general muster rolls and others. Always verify information found in a secondary source with the corresponding information in the primary source.

Made with Xara

How to Research Sailors in the

Navy Rolls - Sweden (Part - 2)

Tutorial 3: How to

Research Navy Sailors,

Sweden (3b)

The Jöns Jonsson Åsing Family in the Parish

Records (HFL)

Ovan, Ovan, utdrag ur husförhörslängden Ljustorp AI:6 (1850-1860) Bild 229 / sid 219 (AID: v121831.b229.s219, NAD: SE/HLA/1010115), Öster Frötuna. Här ser vi båtsmannen Jöns Åsings familj som den såg ut 1850 - 1860, dvs för tidpunkten då han tog avsked som båtsman. Framför hans namn står nu "förre kronobåtsmanskorpralen". Här sysns även Jöns Åsings vigseldatum med hans hustru Anna Cajsa Forsberg, 1836-02-14. Här ser vi att Jöns mor, båtsman Bovéns änka Anna Jönsdotter, avlider 1856.

Amiralitetskollegium,

Sjömilitiekontoret - The Navy

General Muster Rolls (2)

Båtsmansrullor - Båtsman Rolls

(Sailor Rolls)