The Silander Section

I have researched Swedish records back to the mid-18th century to learn something of my grandfather's ancestry. Like our Scottish ancestors, they were mainly crofters and small farmers living in remote areas. They were all in south-west Sweden.

Both great grandparents were born on small farms and met in Gothenburg. He and his forebears came from an area around Kungsbacka, which is near the coast about 20 miles south of Gothenburg. She came from Södra Kedum, near Vara, which is about 50 miles north-east of Gothenburg. Some of her ancestors are from a little further north, say 50 miles, just south of the great Lake Vänern.

Grandfather worked in Gothenburg for a Scottish lace-making firm which was based in Newmilns. He moved to head office, leaving Sweden at the age of 18. As far as I know, he never returned. Possibly, this was partly due to the recent death of his mother and his father's subsequent re-marriage as much as a desire for a foreign assignment.

Swedish family history research cannot be described in terms of the families that have been discovered as family names were not allowed for the working classes until about the mid-19th century, and even then they were not usually adopted. The law changed again and in 1901 surnames became mandatory. This makes it very difficult to relate to the Swedish branch of the family tree.

See the separate note for some thoughts on the origin of the name Silander.