Sweden Occupations

Occupations were a measure of social status. Some trades were viewed as more prestigious than others. For example, goldsmiths had more prestige than shoemakers. Many trades, such as butchers, tanners, shoemakers, tailors, and others were organized into guilds, which were in charge of training apprentices and regulating a trade's practice in an area.

Guilds were usually established in each city. Guild records include lists of members, information on journeymen practicing in the town, marriages of journeymen, and advancements from the rank of apprentice to journeyman and from journeyman to master craftsman. In addition, contracts between masters and parents of apprentices may be included.

Guild records are now stored in the provincial archives for the area where the records originated. The Family History Library has some Swedish guild records. It also has a few books about Swedish guilds and occupations.

To find these sources, look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

SWEDEN - OCCUPATIONS

SWEDEN, [COUNTY] - OCCUPATIONS

SWEDEN, [COUNTY], [CITY] - OCCUPATIONS

A wordlist for some Swedish occupations follows:

A

abetare = workmen adel = nobility adelsman = nobleman adlig = noble adoptera = to adopt adopterad = adopted afflyttning = removal afled = deceased afton = evening ahl=This is the older spelling variation for "al", which is an alder tree. aldrig = never alla, allt = all alltid = always ana, anor = ancestor andtäppa = shortness of breath, asthma anfall = seizure ankom = came annan = other antavla = pedigree, ancestry, genealogy arbetare = worker arftagare = heir arftagerska = heiress arkiv = archive = office of records arrendator = tenant farmer, leaseholder arton = eighteen arv = inheritance arvinge = heir attest = certificate av = by, of avgift = fee avgång = departure avgått = moved avled = died avsomna = die, death ______________________________________

B

backstuga = a small house dug into the side of a hill bagare = baker barn = child barnbarn = grandchildren barnhus = orphanage barnmorska = midwife barnsb.=mother died in childbirth bataljon = battalion begraved = buried berg = hill, mountain bergsman = =miner biografi = biography björn = bear, man's name blad = leaf bliva = be, become bok = book bokhandlare = bookseller b., bond, bonde, = farmer, peasant borg = castle, fortress borgmästare = mayor bosatt = living (in, at or whatever bosted = residence, address boupteckning = estate inventory, will brandsoldat = fireman brandstationen = firestation broder = brother bröstfeber = inflammation of the lungs. bröstinflammation= lunginflammation= pneumonia. brorsdotter = brothers's daughter, neice brorson = brother's son, nephew brud = bride brudgum = bridegroom bröllop = wedding bruk = usage, foundry, mill, industry br., brukare = user, employer, farmer, tenant brukinspektor=factory manager, factory inspector bryggare = brewer båtsman = a marine soldier. There was a firm organization where every man had a 'place in the organization' and a place to live with his family. The place had a number and the soldier had a name, which was connected to the place where to live.

börje = man's name

TOP _______________________________________

C

cantor=organist, choir director chorsångare=singer in a choir christnadad =baptized churchverger = is a person in the employee of a church who is responsible for the upkeep of the "interior" of the church. This person would also carry the rod, or symbol of office, for someone of authority in a church procession. cigarrarbetare=cigar maker cigarrbutik=cigar shop circa=c:a/ca., about, approximately civilregistret = civil engineer coopvaerdi = merchant marine croft=torp, cottage, little farm, hamlet crofter=torpare, cottager, peasant ______________________________________

D

dag = day dagsverkskarl = male day laborer dal = valley dam = lady danneman = farmer, gentleman datum = date den = the dom = sentence, judgement domare = judge dop = baptism-christening d., dotter = daughter dotterdotter = daughter's daughter, granddaughter dotterson = daughter's son, grandson drottning = queen drunkma = drown = drunkna dräng = farmhand, bachelor, young man dödsboken = death records döbt, döpt = baptized död, dödd = dead dödbok = death record dödfödd = stillborn dödsorsak = cause of death döpt = döpta, döpte, döpelse christening dött = has died döv = deaf

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E

efternamn = last name egendom = property eller, el. = or engelsk = English :) :) :) etternavn = family name ett = one, a, an ______________________________________ TOP

F

fabrik = factory, mill far = fader, father farbror = father's brother, uncle farfar = father's father, grandfather farfars mor = father's father's mother, great grandmother farmor = father's mother, grandmother farmor's far = father's mother father, great grandfather farmor's mor = fahter's mother's mother, great grandmother fars farbor = father's fahter's brother, granduncle fars faster = father's fahter's sister, grandaunt fars morbror = father's mother's brother, granduncle faster = father's sister, aunt fattighus = workhouse, poor house fågel = bird flicka = girl flytta = move flyttbetyg = removal certificate foreldre = parents fornavn = christian name, given name forskning = research forsoldat = fot soldier forstår = understands fräjd och särskilda anteckniugar = character and private notes frånskild = divorced född = born född i borgerligt stånd = born of the middle class, a tradesman's child födelsboken = birth records födelse = birth födelseanteckningar för åren = birth notes for the year födelseort = place of birth födelsman = person whose working life has passed, elderly person född utom äktenskap = born out of wedlock födorådstagare = see undantagsman förarbete = preperation, preparatory work förbrukining = consumption (to use) förbrytare = criminal, delinquent föreläsare = lecturer, reader förening = society union förfader = ancestor förlovad = engaged föräldrar = parents församling = parish förstfödd = firstborn förteckning = list _____________________________________

G

gamel = old, aged gamla = old (gamla stan = old town) gata = street gift = married glas sliperiarbetaren=glass grinder or glass cutter gosse = boy granne = neighbor gymnasium = senior high school gård = farm gästgivare = Innkeeper, landlord ______________________________________

H

haft = had helt = whole, entire, full, complete halften = half halvsyskon = half siblings handelsman = merchant hantverkare = artisan hem.egaren = farm owner hemmansegare = hemmansägare=farm owner (hem.,hemman, hn, h:n,= farm area, homestead) (hemmansegarinna = female farm owner) husförhörslängd = household examinations (clerical surveys) husman = cottager, crofter, tenant. hus - house hustru, hust., hu, H., h., = wife huvudman principal härod = judicial district = härad höst = autumn ______________________________________

I

i = in infanteri = infantry inflyttning = moving in inhyseshjon=a person living gratis at somebody’s house, a cottager innehåll = contents invandrare = immigrant

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J

jarnvagstjman vid jarnvagen = Railway officer at the railway jord = earth, land jordbrukare = farmer jordebok = land record jordegumma = midwife jordbruksarbetare = farm worker jul = christmas jägmästare = forester järnarbetare = iron worker ______________________________________

K

karta = map keso = soft cheese (new fresh) klockare = he is again an employee of the church and nominally held three jobs -- he was 1) the parish clerk; 2) the church organist, and 3) the teacher of the ABCs to the young people of that church. konfirmationslängd= confirmation record koppor = smallpox krigsarkivet = swedish military records kusin = cousin kvinna = woman kyrka = church kyrkobok = parish register kyrkogård = cemetery, graveyard kung = konung, king kungarike = kingdom kunglig = royal kusin = cousin kvarn = mill kväll = evening kyrka/kyrkan = church = parish kyrkobok = parish register kyrkoräkenskaper = introduced to church after childbirth källkod = source code kön = sex (m for male and k for female) köping = small town köpman = Merchant ______________________________________

L

lag = law landsarkiven = provincial archives landskap = province landtbrukare = gentleman farmer (well to do) landtbruksman = countryman, farmer landbonde - tenant farmer,leaseholder (arrendator) lesat - leasar = lease lilla = little, small Lind = Limetree lysning = bann län = county letter = county länsman = district constable, (sheriff) ______________________________________

M

maka = wife make = husband matros = sailor, seaman med = with medåkande = travel with someone middag = noon mindre vetande - feeble minded, not quite right in the head mjolnare = miller mor = mother morgon = morning moder = mother morfar = mother's father, grandfather mormor = mother's mother, grandmother mycket = much--tack så mycket = thank you much målare=painter mästersmed = master smith mördad = murdered _____________________________________

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N

namn = name natt = night noll = zero norsk = Norwegian nu = now nyfödd = newborn nämdeman = juryman när = when nära = near

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O

och = and afta = often ogift = unmarried omgift = remarried omkommen = died accidentally, drowned ordbok = dictionary ort = place oä., oäkta = illegitimate oäktra barn = illegitimate child _____________________________________

P

parant = elegant stylish Penning (peng,slant,mynt) = coin. Penningar (shorter form: pengar) is the undefinite plural form of penning, penningarna the definite plural form. In the singular the ending -en will give you the definte form. Penningen is t h e coin. p, pig, piga = maid, spinster, single girl pojke = boy = gosse = boy prairieblommen=the prairie flower

Probandus is latin and in genealogy it means the person whose ancestors you are searching/presenting. -- prost = dean prest = minister präst = clergyman, minister, priest på = on, upon, at, in påsk = Easter ______________________________________

R

regemente = regiment Riddarhuset = house of nobility riksarkiv = national archives, state archives rote = district within a parish rusthållare = owner of a farm equipping a cavalry soldier ryttare = cavalryman rättare = overseer, foreman on a farm _____________________________________

S

samhälle = the same samling = gathering assembly collecting samt = and sambo = cohabitee, common law wife - husband sambo is a shortening of Sammanboende=living together sedan = since senare = later (den) sex = six sida = page sjökapten = sea captain sjoman = seaman, sailor = sjöman sjuk = sick sjukdom = disease sjukhus = hospital sjuklig - infirm, weak in health, sickly sjukskoterskebitrade = Assisting nurse sjö = lake sjömän = seamen, sailor skatt = tax skild = divorced skog = forest skola = school slot = castle släktforskning = genealogy research släktnamn, efternamn = last name smed, smith=blacksmith snickare = carpenter socken = parish sold., soldat = soldier sold=soldier soldat=soldier stadsarkiv = dity archives stamtavla = pedigree stift = diocese ström = stream styrman = mate or officer (i.e at at sea). stuga = cottage, house svenska = Swedish svenska adel = swedish nobility syskon = siblings sångarfärden=The Singers Journey sötmandel = almonds __________________________

T

tabell = table tafvla = genealogical chart talet = century tegelbruk = brickyard tegelarbetare = brick worker tid = time till = to, until, at tillnamn = surname timme = hour timmerman = carpenter tingsläg = judicial district titel = title tjäll = hut, cottage, roof tjänare = servant tomtägare = lot owner torp = cottage, little farm, hamlet, croft torpare=crofter, cottager, peasant doesn't own his torp but pays for living there by working for the farm that the torp belongs to torparson = crofter's son, tredingsbrukare (brukare=user, employer, farmer, tenent) trolovad = engaged trångbröstigket = asthma trånsjuka = consuption, atrophy, languishing trä = wood, timber tunnland = Swedish acre tusen = 1000 tvilling = twins ______________________________________

U

undantagsman = undt. =previous farm owner receiving his livlihood/support from the person to whom the farm now belongs. (usually related) underskrift = signature ung = young ungkarl = bachelor, unmarried, single ungmö (gamal) = old maid, spinster umgmö (ung) = maiden = ungmö urmak. = urmakare = watchmaker, clockmaker ute = out utfattig = pauper utflytta = move out utflyttaings-attestens nummer = the moving-out certificate's number utflyttning = moving out utom aktenskap = out of wedlock utom äktenskapliga barn = illegitimate child utresehamn = port utvandra = emigrate utvandrardag = date of departue ______________________________________

V

vad = what vallon = Walloon vapen = coat of arms, weapon var = was, where vattosot = dropsy = vattusot vaviola = small pox vecka = week vem = who vetemjöl = wheat flour vigde &amp; gift = married vilka = which viksdagen = the parliament = riksdagen vittne = Witness, Vittnen = Witnesses

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Y

yngling = young man, boy yrke = profession, occupation _____________________________________

Å

å = at, on, to å = river åbo = tenant, farmer who does not own, but has right of possesion ålader = age ålderdom = old age år = year år och datum = year and date årlig = annual, yearly åt = to åtta = eight åttip = 80 = åttio ___________________________________

Ä

äga = own ägare = äg = owner ägor = land, possessions äktenskap = marriage äldre = oldest, older äldst = eldest ä., änk, änka = widow änkedrottning = queen dowager, queen mother änkeman = widower är = are, is, am ätt = family ________________________________

Ö

ö = island öde = uninhabited, desolate, deserted öst = east över = over överstelöjtnant = lieutenant colonel övre = upper