What does it say

[Scott Satterfield]

I'm looking at Anna Svensdotter's birth on GID 98.26.2400 - which was 25 Oct 1796.  What is the St. after Anna's first name?  Also, where was she born, and thirdly, what is the date 12 Nov that is under her christening date?
 
Thanks for your help.

[Don Tuthill]

Hi Scott,
 
The St is just the first letters in the name Stina, if you look at the record again you can see the minister just ran out of space and added the last three letters below the ST.  
 
She was born in Pehrstorp and the family can be found at GID: 98.7.36000, page 63.
 
I can't help you with your last question, I don't remember having seen anything like that before, maybe someone else can help you out with that.
 
Have a nice day!
 
Don

[Kaj Larsson]

I think that 11/12 (Dec 11.) is the day the mother was received back in church after giving birth.
 
Kaj

[Ingela Martenius]

Yes, 11 Dec was the day the mother was churched. It's very late; according to the Bible it should be done 40 days after giving birth but was in real life, in Sweden, done on the 4th Sunday after the birth. You can see that other birth records (on the same page) have a date approximately four weeks after the birth; some a little later. It is possible that in this case the mother was ill after giving birth and the ceremony could not be performed until some seven weeks later.
 
Churching the mother was very important since she was not allowed to leave the house, indeed not the room where she had born the child, until she was churched. In popular superstition she was regarded as being halfway to a heathen; she was a danger to the farm and all her family until she was again a part of the congregation. Her work during this time was done by neighbouring women.
 
This is of course also the reason why the mother was never present at her own child's christening and why the position as chief godmother - the one who carried the child - was so vitally important; the chief godmother really did take the place of the mother.
 
Ingela