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Författare Ämne: Land customs/first sons  (läst 534 gånger)

2010-02-18, 23:31
läst 534 gånger

Utloggad Jim Reilly

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Hello
 
I am inquiring about swedish land customs in Ostergotland in the 19th century. Were there any laws in which first sons only would inherit their father's land, leaving the other sons out? My ancestor was not a first son and emigrated to America in 1881. His oldest brother (the first son) eventually takes control of the farm a decade later. I am trying to pinpoint a motivation for his emigrating permanantly to America.
 
Jim

2010-02-19, 15:44
Svar #1

Bertil Johansson

Hello Jim,
 
From 1845 the inheritance was shared equally between all children. Some changes in this order could be made by a will, I am not sure about the details.
If families did not want to split the land, the problem was often solved by allowing one son or daughter keep the farm and buy out the brothers and sisters.
 
This is a very short description of a vast amount of rules and customs.
 
Bertil Johansson

2010-02-19, 17:11
Svar #2

Utloggad Anna-Carin Betzén

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Jim,  
 
There haven't been any laws favoring the first son. The inheritance has always been split between all children, though before 1845 it worked differently in different classes. Among nobles and farmers, a brother got twice the share of a sister. Among clergy and burghers, all children's shares were equal.
(source: Marita Persson's post here)
 
There may have been local traditions to let the first son take over the farm, but any child could (e.g. a married daughter). And I've read that in practice, the other siblings often weren't compensated fully. I got the impression that the equal splitting was more enforced after the 1845 law, so the others got some ready cash to use on e.g. a ticket to America. Here, Carl Szabad mentions seeing in court records that drawing of lots was used as a means of settling who'd get the farm.  
 
BTW, one of my husband's ancestors, born in 1887, was the oldest child and got to take over the farm (I don't know if it was from tradition or other reasons). He had to place a heavy mortgage on the farm in order to buy out his 5 brothers and sisters, and the story goes that some of them kept thinking he owed them, because he got the farm and they didn't...

2010-02-20, 11:11
Svar #3

Utloggad Harriet Hogevik

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Jim,
in western Sweden during 19th century it often happend that two children from one farm married two from another to avoid splitting the farms into too small units. In most cases the younger generation took over the farm at marriage - with lifetime contracts allowing the parents /former owners to live on the farm.
There is also families where the father continues to own the farm until he dies. The older sons in these families were able to buy (or inherit from grandparents or uncle without children)another farm. Finally the youngest son takes over after the fathers death - or as among my ancestors - the small farm is divided equally among the two youngest sons (out of five sons and seven daughters born 1822  - 1854) who have to pay to brothers and sisters.
Harriet

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