The final linking pattern for Scandinavian research is based on social class. I call it societal linking. The idea behind this rule is that our ancestors lived within the same social class their entire lives. “Rags to Riches” stories, or the reverse, are simply not true. If your family was born into a class of poor farmers, they lived that way until they died.
Another aspect of this rule is that trades were passed through the generations. If the father was a blacksmith, it’s likely that his children learned the same trade. If the family were merchants in a more urban area, that lifestyle was learned and practiced by the children.
This census record shows that Hans Pedersen was a wheel right (hjulmand). Subsequent generations of this family also worked as a wheel right. That more-distinct profession helped me to know which family I was tracking.
As also mentioned in this post about naming patterns, these occupations sometimes were used as a surname. In addition to the patronymic surname, individuals (typically the head of the house) became known by the profession. Some of these surnames I have frequently seen include:
- Smed (smith)
- Skræver (tailor)
- Hjulmand (wheel right)
- Tønder (barrel maker)
- Husmand (cottager)
- Gårdmand (farmer)
- Foged (sheriff)
- Skomager (shoemaker)
And the list goes on and on
While it’s a romantic idea to think that the wealthy estate owner’s son fell in love with the poor dairy maid, they ran off to marry and the wealthy family disowned the son, those stories just aren’t true. Our families were entrenched in their societal roles. There may be an occasional tale of someone moving to the city and changing from a rural farming family to an urbanite, but it’s far more likely that our ancestors remained in both the trade and social standing of their previous generations. When searching for ancestors in Scandinavia, the most likely match for that individual will be a person whose economic lifestyle is steady.