The Murder of Farmer Olof Ericksson of Ygsbo in 1717

Olof Ericksson is my 7th great grandfather on Maude Edith Olofson's side. Several years ago in Salt Lake City, I decided to do more research on Olof as I wanted to understand why he died at such an early age: 29. Of course, many diseases and accidents in the early 1700's could kill the young as well as the old, but still, it was something to tie up on my tree. With help from the professional researchers for Sweden in the library, we found Olof Ericksson's death record, and that started some real searching! It turns out that my 7th great grandfather Olof Ericksson was MURDERED!

Olof Ericksson was born on an Ygsbo farm in Farila Parish, Gavleborg County on August 6, 1688.On November 15, 1713, Olof married Kerstin Persdotter, born on September 21, 1688. Kerstin was the daughter of the local innkeeper. This couple lived in Fone, Farila Parish and had a son, my 6th great grandfather, Eric Olsson.

When my husband and I went to Sweden several years ago, we made arrangements to meet with a woman who was very familiar with the Farila Parish area. This part of Sweden is very rural, very forested, with few major roads or signs. We were thankful for her help. I had given her names and locations of the individuals I was interested in knowing more about so we might visit a home or a church they would have attended. But she went so much further. She found the transcript for the trial of the man who murdered Olof Eriksson. She roughly translated it to me as we enjoyed a cup of coffee and I tried my best to remember my shorthand. Below is the story taken from that trial:

THE MURDER OF THE FARMER OLOF ERIKSSON OF YGSBO IN 1717

 

In the year 1717 the 23^rd of February, they had a trial in Farila, Hogdahl and Ljusdal. Those sitting in judgment were Michell Olsson of Storbyn; Olof Jonsson of Ygsbo; Olof Gudmundsson of Hafra (plus 6 men from Ljusdal and 2 from Hogdahl = 11 men).

On the 25^th of February 1717, the Judge Hans Aberg gave a description of what happened. He said a killing had been made at the inn in Storbyn Farila on the 13^th of January the same year. The soldier Olof Hook punched the farmer Olof Eriksson who was about to drive him to Jarsvo. He punched him so much that he died from the damage. By cause of that, the court would like to hear what happened because Olof Eriksson’s family and witnesses wanted to know what happened. There came the father-in-law Per Mansson with his wife as well as the widow Cherstin Persdotter how the battle had begun when her deceased husband on the same evening was waiting with his horse for the soldier.

The soldier had first punched Olof Eriksson two times on his head with a sword out on the lawn just because Olof Eriksson did not take off his hat when the soldier came out of his house. After that, he had yelled at Olof Eriksson so much that no words can describe it. After a while, he did get friendly and offered Olof Eriksson to go into the house for a drink.

The punches that Olof Eriksson got had changed him so much, but a little later he would walk to Jarvso to get the horse that the soldier had borrowed. But Olof Eriksson fell down 4-5 steps from the gravel road northeast of the church into a puddle. The puddle was from the snow that had melted from the suddenly hot weather. Olof Eriksson lay there all night until another farmer named Anders Olsson came and dragged him away. He gave notice to Per Mansson to take him home but at 7 p.m. Olof Eriksson’s life ended.

Another witness Lars Mansson is a church bell ringer. He did not swear on the bible but said that Hook hit Olof Eriksson on the arm, not his head because he did not take off his hat and asked after the innkeeper. Olof Eriksson got two punches on the head and one on the shoulder (the left side). Olof Eriksson and Lars Mansson followed a servant into the house. What passed after that he couldn’t say because Olof Eriksson soon left.

On the same date also a village trustee named Michell Olsson of Storbyn and Jon Michelsson of Ygsbo followed Olof Eriksson and Lars Mansson into the house and they had walked away after the fighting was over.

Then another person (who was a fighter) stated that he, in the beginning of the fight on the yard, was sitting in his house. When he heard Olof Eriksson yell “don’t beat me, Sergeant,” he told the driver of the horse to calm down because no one can hurt you when I’m here. But Olof Eriksson ran away to hide. The driver yelled after Olof Eriksson and when he came back, the fighter reminded Hook that Olof Eriksson was the son-in-law of the innkeeper. They shook hands and Hook and Olof Eriksson went into the house to have a drink of newly made liquor. He didn’t know what quantity was consumed by Olof Eriksson.

A question was asked to the driver: “did you see that the sergeant had his sword?” The driver said the sword was hanging from Hook’s belt. He never saw the sergeant touch the farmer because they were three feet away from each other when the driver came out. In the cabin they became friends once again. No fighting happened inside and the driver didn’t ever hear the dead person complain.

Another soldier Jon Jonsson Friskop did see that Hook on January 13 hit Olof Eriksson and pulled his hair and punched with something. The farmer fell but not so hard it would be a deadly impact.

A maid, Jolin Swensdotter, said that she came out just as Olof Eriksson got up from having been hit but he stepped up and she couldn’t tell if he had been harmed.

Par Mansson’s daughter, Carin Parsdotter, could only say that the newly made liquor was less than 6 spoonsful.

Sergeant Lieberhof had been in the cabin and had been taking orders from Hook and he didn’t know anything about the fight.

Driver Petter Norman said the same that he never heard Olof Eriksson complain when he was with him in the cabin. Nor could he tell Hook and Olof Eriksson were enemies.

Hereby Sheriff Pehr Lundman said the same as three persons in the cabin; they had not gone out.

Military Officer Olof Falen told that on January 14 he had been with Liebenhof and Norman and had seen Olof Eriksson. They had checked on his condition because there had been some rumor about Olof Eriksson. But they don’t see any damage (bruises on the body). Only the back of his head had a bump. They didn’t think this was a great damage to Olof Eriksson.

Military doctor trainee David Vogt wrote a paper after examining Olof Eriksson’s body dated 17 January with the following: Olof Eriksson’s dead body was blue and brown over his whole back and his right buttocks had a big scar and his head was swollen. Head was shaved and had been cleaned. You could see a small opening and a split lip. But Vogt was not present in the courtroom.

Farmer Anders Olsson said on 14 January a little after breakfast half past eight he had taken Olof Eriksson from the puddle no more than ¼ meter deep and took him inside and then sent for his father-in-law, Per Mansson, who saw him in this shape and asked two questions of him but Olof Eriksson could only say “God was.” Anders Olsson witnessed also that Olof Eriksson’s head wasn’t in the water because it was lying on gathered ice and placed his head on the ice.

On a question no one could get a real explanation on how Olof Eriksson fell into the puddle and for that sake they were eager to learn if anyone had met him on the road during that time.

Then Per Mansson gave information that the wife of Anders Halfars, Carin Persdotter, heard or had seen Olof Eriksson say he was getting his horse on January 13 at Jarvso. Carin said that Sheriff Lundman drove Hook out of town to Jarvso when Olof Eriksson went to get his horse. Carin Persdotter was sent for and she stated that Olof Eriksson said he had been beaten by Hook and would have lasting damage but she couldn’t explore what that was because Olof Eriksson left to Jarvso to get his horse. She also said that Olof Eriksson was not drunk.

Sheriff Lundman questioned that he and Hook rode away from the inn first. From these men, it was difficult to have them swear on the bible because they didn’t know if they had to swear and be honest about another military man. Hook ran away with the Sargent after the murder. The purpose for his escape was said to be a mission for the Sargent. It also seems odd that there has been no information about his escape until January 18 when the news traveled to Jarvso.

Therefore, the court by the cause of Hook’s being gone, rested the case. Notes: Olaus Hook escaped and then came back and was condemned to death but is in prison in Gefleborg. During the War against Norway, Hook was there and was one of a few survivors (most froze to death returning from Norway). 1717-1718 when 3000 men froze. He came to Jarvso and died in 1724.

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Olof Eriksson was buried in the front of the church. He left a widow and son. The home that they had lived in was moved many years later from Ygsbo to Fone and is a Swedish Heritage Site, showing the architecture of the time.

We were given a tour of the home, a home that was in our family several centuries ago and today is a Heritage Site. Below are a few photos we took while there.

It was a large house for the time with two floors and an attached "garage" for animals.  While this is a very sad ending to a young man's life, I'm thankful that he and his wife had one son to carry on this family down to Maude Olofson...and me.

Every Family

In this blog, I've posted about some of our brave and famous ancestors, those who helped others throughout their lives, religious leaders, soldiers, and farmers. With each of these people, we have learned about their strengths. But what about our ancestors who had difficulties, whose lives didn't quite go as they had hoped or planned? What about ancestors who lived before certain diseases or mental illnesses were known and diagnosed and treated? There is no family without members who struggle, financially, socially, educationally, physically or mentally. 

How do we account for the struggles ancestors had? Do we try to label them with information we can gather? Do we assume that the family stories were true without trying to understand the "why"?

I admit that I struggle with this when I look deeply into my family. I've heard stories about ancestors that have been passed down as true. I've certainly witnessed family members who have/had difficulties. I've read accounts of ancestors who committed suicide, were alcoholics or drug users, spent time in mental institutions, who suffered from PTSD and more. Stories of ancestors who cheated on their spouse, lied to family members, who became so enraged about an issue that they were estranged for years.

Yes, our family is no different from anyone else's.

Christina Anderson was born in Sweden on September 20, 1845; together with her parents and siblings, she came to America and settled in Hamilton County. She met and married Anders Gustaf (A.G.) Barquist and had 6 children. After the death of her father, Christina's mother came to live with them; and when she died on March 12, 1903, Christina became despondent. She drowned herself in a pond less than a month later on April 7, 1903. Details and obituaries can be found on my December 2, 2018, post.

There is no doubt that alcohol as played a part in our family dynamics. Reports, stories, and first-hand knowledge shows us that, once again, our family is not immune from this horrendous problem. On February 18, 2018, I posted a story about my great-grandfather, Andrew Linn and his struggle and treatment for alcoholism at the Keeley Institute. He and Elin Andersson Linn already had their 3 children, Peter, Frank, and Elsie when he sought help.

I've heard many stories about my great-grandmother, Olivia Rask Olofson. Do we believe them? Two stories are first-hand accounts told to me. Olivia died in 1943 and so people like Veryl Olofson and her other grandchildren knew her well. In Olivia's later years, she believed someone was trying to gas her. She kept rags under her door to "keep the gas out". Veryl's dad Vernie was asked to check all around the house every time he visited her. According to Veryl, "Grandma was having a problem, mostly at night, as she thought people were "milling around" her home. She would have dad go outside and check all around. No sign of anything. He talked with her neighbors and they didn't know of any trouble. Dad discussed this many times with his sisters, as it became more frequent, about 1935 they decided that they would take turns in keeping her in their homes. Dad sold her house in 1936 for $600. No state, Fed aid or nursing home existed then. Her mental and physical condition continued to deteriorate". There is a second story about her chasing one of her grandsons around the table with a knife threatening to cut his tongue out if he didn't sit down for dinner. 

I'd like to add one more story that doesn't come from this side of my family, but from my mom's side. My second great-grandmother, Maria (Stanek) Julius was born in 1831 in Bohemia, met and married Antonin Julius, and had 7 children, and settled in Wisconsin and later Chicago. When her husband died shortly after the Great Chicago Fire, Maria's mental health declined. She came to Iowa to live with one of her daughters and to be closer to several of her children. At one point, she attacked her daughter with a knife. It was then, in 1892, that she was placed in the Insane Asylum in Independence, Iowa. In 1896, she was transferred to the Webster County Poor Farm that also had a wing for the insane. Her intake records show that she was threatening, walked the halls at night, yelling. Her death record states that, in 1913, she died of senile dementia. 

When you read the above examples, what comes to mind? Mental illness? Depression? Loneliness in old age? Alzheimer's?  How would we know? Most of these events happened in the late 1800's or early 1900's before mental illnesses had names or were researched, and certainly there was no treatment other than to lock someone up or have family members take turns living with the difficult person before passing them on to another relative.

Some people are just difficult. I'd say that my grandmother, Maude Olofson Linn, was a difficult woman. Great cook, talented piano player, avid crocheter. But you didn't want to get on her bad side.  I'll leave it at that.

Undoubtedly, there are forms of mental illness in our family, just like there is cancer and heart disease and alcoholism. We are a family just like other families with the same difficulties and challenges of every other family.

I'm proud to have told the stories of many of our ancestors during the past 3 years, stories that generally showed the brighter side. But I wanted to acknowledge, as I move to the end of the blog in December, that mental issues, suicide, dementia and Alzheimer's and more are also a part of us.

 

  

 

Pictures--Mostly Olofsons

Today, I was looking through my Olofson records and came across several photos that I thought would be of interest. There are people I recognize or that my mom helped me label, but you may recognize some faces and can fill me and others in.

This first picture is taken outside Olof and Brita Olofson's farm house from around 1902. I wonder if Maria Barquist had also lived there??? From left to right are Henry Gilbert, Carl Henry, Delbert August, Bada Maylinda, and Leon. Behind them are Olof and Brita. Doesn't that house look small? Even for just the 5 youngest of their children along with the parents?

This next picture is a wide view of William Edward Olofson's farm. Many of us have seen a photo of the front of the house, but this view gives us a sense of a much larger house than the one William's father had lived in--with fewer children!

These adorable girls are two of Olof and Brita's children. Bada was born in 1893; her sister Alice was born in 1883. It looks as if this photo may have been taken around 1896.

Bada appears again in the next picture with four of her brothers. Back row: Charles, Gilbert, and Delbert Olofson; front row: Bada and Leon Olofson. Don't all of their little Olofson faces look similar?

This next photo shows the front of William and Olivia Olofson's home, a photo many of us have seen. On the front porch are Maude and Lilly. Also standing on the porch is mother Olivia. I don't recognize the others. Do you?

Below are two photos of the school that Peter, Frank, and Maude all attended. In the top photo, near the right side is Maude, but I don't recognize others.

And finally, two entrees for the Olof Olofson family in the Stratford Evangelical Lutheran church records:

I hope you've enjoyed this look at the homes, schools, and church records for the Olofson ancestors. I'm always looking for additional family photos, so please go to the attic or back of that closet and see what treasures you may find to share.