Birgitte’s Swedish ancestors are based on her grandmother Klara Elvira Jerling. Klaras age “followed the year” since she was born on July 4, 1900 in Copenhagen. She was a Danish citizen, but had purely Swedish origin.
Klara’s parents were never married, but his father was present at her baptism, and gave his permission for the child had to carry his unusual surname Jerling.
Both sides of the family were tailors, her grandfather master tailor in Copenhagen, while the father went back to Sweden again – after only a few years in Denmark.
In Sweden the ancestors divide in 3 lines
• the small country parish Bräkne-Hoby in Blekinge, including a cluster of houses called Store Silpinge, where her father Johan Gottfrid Jerling came from.
• The region of Skåne (Southern Sweden) at Östra Torp parish, where her grandfather Jöns Månsson came from.
• and into the deep Swedish forests near …. well, nowhere! Grandmother Carolina Andersson came from Holsljunga parish in Elfsborg County, 100 km east of Gothenburg.
The three persons mentioned had independently emigrated from Sweden and found their way to Copenhagen.
Research in these Swedish surroundings started with the great help from a great sympathetic genealogist who always helps Danes starting in Sweden. Afterwards you must purchase a subscription for access to church records – but you can achieve much with a one month’s trial subscription! And the special Swedish registry of “husförhör” gives much useful information for a genealogist.
Back to Klara: She grew up, was the maiden in the house in Copenhagen in the early years, got an office education, and had her son Mogens in 1925 without being married to the forever unknown father. Klara married some years later engineer Sigurd Bartholdy, who left a little genealogy family book. If anyone is interested – I have a copy of this.
Later she got a couple of grandchildren. And as a Senior Citizen, Klara made sure to give them some insight into the culture, arts and theater…. And she even lived to celebrate her 100th birthday! And yes, she got a celebration letter from Our Majesty the Queen.
To study the Swedish ancestors, start by clicking here: Klara’s Swedish ancestors
(searchable database….. in Danish, sorry!)