Two Unusual Pages in Two Different Smedby Husförhörslängder

[John Friberg]

I recently came across two related pages in two different volumes of the Smedby household examination records, and wondered if anyone might be able to explain their precise meaning.

Both are lists of male sailors who moved away from Smedby during a particular time period, but they are both recorded in seemingly
strange places, and I can't tell why the priests made these lists how and where they did, separate from the typical Utflyttningslängder.

The first is in Smedby Husförhörslängder, NAD: E/VALA/00343/A I/6 (1861-1878), bild 71, sida 64.

The second is in Smedby Husförhörslängder, NAD: SE/VALA/00343/A I/7 (1879-1899), bild 142.

The lists are not identical, but they overlap in content considerably (the 1861-1878 list's entries 7 through 30 correspond with the 1879-
1899 list's entries 1 through 17).

Does anyone know what these lists are, why they are recorded where they were, and why there are two different versions? The 1879-1899 Household examination list is placed at the very end of that book, and it seems to record moves out between 1850-1871, so why would it be recorded at the back of a Household examination years later? And the 1861-1878 Household examination list is also placed at the very end of a section recording entirely different information, and in the title entry at the top, it references only 1867 and 1868, which doesn't seem to correspond to the years when the sailors actually moved away.

I am interested in what people, with much more knowledge than I have, think about these two lists of sailors from Smedby, located in unusual places in the household examinations.

Tacksam för all hjälp!
John

[Kalle Birgersson]

The first one is for people that are recorded by the church as living in the parish, but are not paying their taxes there. I never came across that before, but it might be special rules for sailors. The second one I don't really know, but I guess those are also sailors that left the parish some time ago but still are recorded there. I see on several of them "gone since 1851" and simmilar notes, and one drowned in California in 1886.

[John Friberg]

Thank you Kalle, that makes sense about the list of those not paying taxes. It's interesting to hear that you also have never seen this kind of record before. It would make sense that this would happen in a community with numerous sailors on long journeys, such as whaling crew members and merchant marines. Thank you for the helpful reply!


With appreciation,
John