Apprentice

[Jean Sorensen]

My great grandmother, Sophia Walbum, was born in 1838 on Oland. She served an apprenticeship (I believe as a domestic servant) at a clergyman's house. I am curious about how this worked. What age was a person when becoming an apprentice? How many years was one there? I assume that an apprentice didn't have any contact with his/her parents or friends while serving . . right? I assume that, because nobody made contact with her to tell her that her father had died. She was far enough from home that she didn't know about his death. Can anyone here tell me anything else of interest about apprenticeship? Thank you very much for your help.

[Moderator USA]

N.B. the original posting is obviously not a query for a specific individual, but more a question for an general explanation of apprenticeship, and should be kept to that, as this sub-topic is not to be used for discussions concerning specific persons.

[Anna-Carin Betzén]

After confirmation (which took place around the age of 15), you were considered an adult, and could leave home to work at another farm (the majority of the Swedes made their living from farming at this time). Most would work as a farmhand (dräng) or maid (piga - i.e. a female farmhand rather than a housemaid) for a number of years, extending their experience of farm work. They lived at their employer's house, and whether they stayed in touch with their family was up to them - like any youth who's moved away from home today.
 
There's certainly some truth in describing a dräng (or piga) as an apprentice farmer (or apprentice farmer's wife), but I've never seen the word apprentice used in that context before. So in order to answer your question properly, we do need to know what Swedish word is used in the Household Examination Roll in your case, to rule out the possibility that this apprenticeship was something other than the normal piga job.
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av acb 2012-02-23 11:52)

[Jean Sorensen]

Anna-Carin, thank you for your help. From what you say, I would suppose that she was about 15 years old when she left to go and work.  
 
I don't think that Sophia did farm work. I know that one of her chores was to shine the minister's shoes. I believe that she did other maid's work, too--house cleaning and so forth. Perhaps I am incorrect in using the word apprentice. Household Examination Roll? Would there have been a household examination for a maid? Either she or her sister was given a black dress when she finished this period of work.

[Anna-Carin Betzén]

Household Examination Rolls are sort of like a census, but more detailed - keeping track of who lives where, what their occupation is, when they move away and where they go. You can read about them here.
 
Swedish parsonages were also farms, with crops and cattle to tend to (the farm produce constituted a large part of the parson's income). A piga would do all sorts of female chores - women mostly worked indoors and men outdoors. This might include shining shoes, milking cows, weaving, cooking, looking after children... They were given clothes as part of their wages. As a dräng or piga you would amass much of the clothes you'd be wearing for the rest of your life. A black dress was typically one's best dress, used for many different occasions throughout one's life (women even got married in it until around 1900). I think servants just attending the family were pretty rare in Sweden - not at all as in England, where there were lots of them even in middle class families.
 
You may want to add to your knowledge about your great grandmother by doing genealogy research. Then you could find out which parsonage she worked at (many still exist so perhaps you could find photos of it as well), how old she was and how long she stayed. Swedish Roots is a good place to start finding out about genealogy research in Sweden. Especially check out the section on church records - they're the most important information source.
 
 
--- Moderator: I think this thread should be moved elsewhere, and perhaps given a different name. Apprentice is just an arbitrary choice of word, not a term that can be given a general explanation, so there's nothing to discuss here other than the specific person.

[John Bentley]

A simple question to ask is how have you identified her as an apprentice, since most of us will understand the Swedish term lärling as applying to one learning to be a smith, potter, or other craft trade.  After serving an apprenticeship, the lärling became a gessäll (craftsman) and when at the top of his trade, a mästare. From your description, I see your ancestor as an indentured servant.
 
Everyone had their personal details recorded annually and you should go to Roots in English http://www.genealogi.se/roots/ and read under Church Records, Household Examination Rolls.  These existed from the early 1800s and almost all can be found to inspect on eg ArchivDigital.  You will need however to identify in which parish priests household she worked.
 
John
 
ps  I see that Swedish Roots abbreviations has gessäll as apprentice which is incorrect according to all searches that I can make.  See for example http://www.hantverksrad.se/gesall-och-mastarbrev/
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av JohnB 2012-03-01 12:15)

[Stefan Zylberstein]

True. Gesäll was a knowleable craftsman, although usually employed. The Gesäll-prov was always very nice pieces of work, made to prove they could their handicraft.    Master was not always the big maestro. Not seldom it was simply the owner. Or if you want, it was easy for the owner to get his master-diploma.
 
Apprentice is lärling.
 
To the TS question. You ancestor was surely piga.  Although in many families it was common for they young women to begin work as adult as piga. Even in many decently well-to-do families, not just the poorer families.  So in a way, for them it was a sort of apprenticeship in the school of life.
While other, typically from poorer families, worked perhaps their whole life as piga or dräng (for boys).
Why your ancestor didnt get letters from home is another question. The patron was very seldom so harsh they would stop letters or dont let someone leave to bury her parents. It could surely happen, but the patron would be wellknown as a very unpleasant person. People would talk disapprovingly, esp if parish priest.
So it was sooner something with the family.  Or simply, the letter diappeared in the post.

[Charles LaVine]

A gesäll would be the equivalent of an American or English journeyman.
 
Charles LaVine

[Jean Sorensen]

Anna-Carin, John, Stefan, and Charles,  
   Thank you SO much for your information. I have already learned much from what you have said. I know now that I should have used the word piga instead of apprentice. I will go this weekend to the web places that you recommended to me.  
   Sophia told her daughters about her work for the clergyman. Aunt Carrie told her daughter(s) about it, and cousin Pearl about it. Cousin Pearl told me. It has all come down by word of mouth. I very much appreciate the advice and guidance of you people. I want to write about her life and those of her ancestors and make it as specific as I can. Some of her genealogy work has been done. Over the next couple of years I want to learn what else I can--and then pass the written knowledge down to my sons, daughters, and grandchildren. I don't know how to read Swedish, so that is a challenge.  
   I am VERY GRATEFUL to all of you for your help.  
              Jean