Dahl

[Liz Carlson]

I am stuck in my search for an ancestor of mine who came from Dahl which I suspect is in Skaraborg, possibly in or near Särestad parish. Although several people have tried to help me, two who live in Sweden, we have not been able to solve this mystery. A very helpful woman suggested I register and post here. My ancestor, Olof Jansson/Jeansson Krantz was born February 5, 1791 and is listed in a number of household examinations in Rudberga, Särestad, Skaraborg including this one: Skaraborg > Särestad > Husförhör (Household Examination) > 1827 - 1835 (AI:4) > p.31. It has been suggested that perhaps Dahl refers to Dalsland, but this doesn't seem right to me, and if it were true, I wouldn't know where to start in Älvsborg Län. It has also been suggested that this may be connected to his military service in the Westgöta-Dahls regement; but then we found other people, including women, who are listed as coming from Dahl.  
Can anyone help me find out what/where Dahl is, and the birth record for Olof Jansson Krantz? Thank you!
Liz
PS. To the moderator--if I have posted this in the incorrect section, could you please direct me regarding where to post it? Thank you.

[Moderator USA]

As this so far primarily seems to be a question concerning a certain place, let's leave it here.
If discussion will turn more close to persons, we can decide later to transfer it to another sub-topic.
In such case it might be either into an identified landskap/parish or under country where an emigrant ended up.
Queries concerning relatives who stayed in Sweden, might as well be placed there.

[Moderator USA]

There must be an error in that reference to Särestad/Husförhör (Household Examination)/1827-1835 (AI:4) p.31
- it should read p.44 (AD Online) ?

[Anders Hedgren]

Hej, Liz Carlsson!
I think I can help you, in that matter to sort out questions about What Dahl is! Its all about Dalsland. The origin to Dahl, is The two häraden Sun-dahls and Nor-dahls. Sun- means South- and Nor- Stands for north-. The rest of Dalsland was called markerna och was the large forrest and lake District towards Norway and Wermland.
 
Dahl (Dal) means origginally people from Grevskapet Dal.
As time gone by, the meaning has become fuzzy and sometimes Dal includet the whole Dalsland, dependig on the writers knowledge in the matter.
 
In this case, the priest has written on page 30 inthe birth column Bohuslän, and Wermland, which indicate that your Dahl is connectet to Dalsland.
 
Västgöta- Dals regiment in Venersborg had alot of people coming from Dal.  
I belive that in this matter is possible for anyone with special studies around soldiers in Sweden to lock up the military rolls for Västgöta-Dal regiment and find his birth place.
 
 
Regards
 
Anders Hedgren
 
Mail: anders@hedgren.se

[Lars Lundell]

Hi Liz,
 
I may have solved the mystery. As you probably already know, you can follow Olof in the household examinations backwards in time until he moves in to the parish in 1811:
 
Särestad AI:3 1818-1828
p48 Rudberga
Särestad AI:2 1811-1818
p25 Rudberga Överstegård /came 1813 from Frälsegården
p15 Rudberga Frälsegård /came 1811 from Överstegården; 1813 Soldier at the LifCompagniet
p23 Rudberga Frälsegård /came from Steneby 03/05 1811; to Frälsegården 1811
 
Worth to be noted is that he is born on Feb 5, 1791 in all places.
 
In the moving records for Särestad, B:1 1758-1847, you find Olof on page 197 at the bottom, where it says that he moved in from Steneby parish, which is in Dalsland, so here is the connection to that province. The abbreviation Dahl (Olof is said to have been born in Dahl or Dahlbo in the 1825 and 1829 muster rolls of Västgöta-Dals regiment) is very well explained above by Anders Hedgren.
 
As I mentioned at the start, I may have solved the mystery and below you find my suggestion to a solution.
 
The problem with the province of Västergötland (Älvsborg and Skaraborg län) and the parishes I've come across in Dalsland, is that when people are said to have been coming from a place, it often refers to the pastorat, which consisted of several parishes, and not to the particular parish stated; in the case of Steneby pastorat, it consisted of Steneby, Bäcke, Ärtemark, Ödskölt and Tisselskog plus Billingsfors parishes. So when it says Steneby in the moving records, it may mean that he did not come from specifically Steneby, but from one of the six parishes in Steneby pastorat.
 
There are moving records existing that cover 1811 in all the six parishes, but checking them, I could not find Olof Jansson there. Since Olof's birthdate was the same in all places, one could hope that is was the correct one and examining the birth records of the six parishes of Steneby pastorat, you find an Olof born in Bäcke parish on Feb 5, 1791, the son of Johan Olofsson and his wife Maria Nilsdotter at Bäcken (Bäcke C:1 p88 -after page 88, for some to me inexplicable reason, the numbering starts on 95.). Jan/Jansson is another form of Johan/Johansson.
 
In the household examination rolls for Bäcke parish, you find Olof J[oh]ansson:
 
Bäcke AI:1 1780-1802
p41 Bäcken [for the years 1790-1802]
Bäcke AI:2 1798-1811
p28 Bäcken [for the years 1798-1803]
p62 Bäcken [for the years 1804-1811] /came from Dalskog; moving to Torpane 1806. Here is also a NB added: Wästergyln attesterad 1811.
p53 Torpane [for the years 1804-1811] /came from Dalskog 1806; moving to Wästergyln 1811 and in the column for omständigheter, particulars, it says med attest. Wästergyln, or Västergyllen in a more modern spelling, is another name for Västergötland. Here it clarely says that he has received a moving certificate in 1811, but as I mentioned, he is not noted in the moving records (The moving records for Bäcke parish is found in Tisselskog B:1).  
 
What it all sums up to, is how much faith one should have in Olof's birthdate stated in the household examinations and if the Olof found in Bäcke parish, born on this date, is the Olof that turns up in Särestad parish in 1811. It does say in the records that he moves to Västergötland, but not where and the name is not that uncommon, so there are uncertainties for sure. Even though I do lean to the assumption that Olof Jansson in Bäcke is Olof Jansson Krantz in Särestad, it's best to be on the safe side, make further researches and take the above as only one of the possibilites to solving your mystery.
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av ldll 2012-08-26 13:52)

[Liz Carlson]

Many thanks to Anders and Lars. This is very helpful information indeed. I will take these significant clues and continue my search in the next few days. I'll let you know what I find. A very generous woman who has been helping me had done some checking into the Steneby possibility. She felt this was not the right person because when she followed him in Steneby, he had already been married there; while my Olof Jansson married Anna Andersdotter in Särestad parish. I'll check into this more, along with all the new information and suggestions provided by Lars.
 
I had found this record: Skaraborg > Särestad > Inflyttning (Moving in) > 1758 - 1847 (B:1) > p. 193 for 1810 listing an Olof Jansson from Tengened, which I located when looking for the record of when he came to Särestad. The woman helping me replied If you read the column far right for Olof Jansson Tengene it is says Östergård, Håle. Look up the parish Håle, at page 623.5.31000,  [Skaraborg]  Håle,  AI.3, Husförhör, 1811 - 1818, 19-0,  Bild 29 av 65 you will find Olof Jansson b Aug 18th 1791 Håle. Doubt if it is your guy. (wrong birthdate).
 
Thanks again,
Liz

[Lars Lundell]

That was interesting additional information. Where in Steneby did she find Olof Jansson and when and to whom was he married?
 
Best regards,
Lars

[Liz Carlson]

Hello again, Lars and others. I checked the Bäcke parish records for a marriage for Olof Jansson and found none. Perhaps my helper was looking at Steneby parish proper and the wrong Olof. Myself and my relative in the US who is also related to Olof have looked over a few of the Bäcke records that you have cited, Lars, and are satisfied that this is our Olof. Your reasoning makes sense and we have as much evidence as I have for many others of my ancestors. It is too bad that the Bäcke birth records don't go back further to look for his grandparents.  Might they have been included in another nearby parish before Bäcke was established? How far back can we expect to trace our family lines in Sweden?
 
I have certainly learned a lot about Dahl and appreciate all the help!
Liz

[Anna-Carin Betzén]

The earliest Bäcke records (1688 to 1742 or thereabout) are part of the Steneby records. Church records are often available from 1688 on (at that time, a law was introduced that required the churches to keep records of baptisms, marriages and burials), but sometimes the earliest records have been lost in fires etc. I understand you can often get a bit further back combining the Mantalslängd (a kind of census listing the head of the family and the number of family members by age and sex, rather than their names) and other sources, but it seems to be much less straightforward than when you can use church records (and the women are often impossible to trace). One or two of my own female lines end in the 19th century due to church records lost in fire.
 
If an estate inventory was made after one of Olof's parents, after he moved, it may say where he lives. So that may be a way of proving or disproving whether you've found the right person.

[Liz Carlson]

Thank you Anna-Carin!