Torp. = torpare, a crofter.
Someone who is a tenant of a very small farm, sublet from a large farm or even an estate. The crofter and his family payed the rent by working a certain number of days for the farmer they rented the farm from. Sometimes a farmer would let out land which was inaccessible and/or not in very good shape for nothing - only, when the crofter had worked the land and improved it and built some kind of road, the farmer now had valuable land instead of the original worthless one.
Torp (croft) and torpare (crofter) were not uncommon in the 18th century but the number exploded in the 19th century since there was a massive population increase.
fd Sold. = före detta soldat, formerly a soldier.
Soldiers were payed very little; instead they were given the use of a torp - soldattorp (croft - soldier's croft), supplemented with allowances like firewood etc. At the end of their service period they had to leave the croft where they had lived and worked for maybe twenty years. This was called the allotment system, indelningsverket, and was in effect from the late 17th century until 1901.
However, if the soldier was energetic and had an energetic and ambitious family, he could claim land for another torp and work this torp so that when his service as a soldier ended he had something to fall back on.
Also, towards the end of the allotment system - late 19th century - it happened that the soldier was allowed to remain on his soldier's croft after he had retired from service.
So, a very common career: a soldier who after his service period was ended continued as a crofter.
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