From beyond the seas

Alfortkrönikan, Allra första generationerna, Frågor och mysterier, Grenar, In English, Kultur, samhälle och affärsliv, Rekommenderat, Släktnamnet Alfort, Tidiga försläkterna
av Esben Alfort

Svenska – English

From beyond the seas – A history of the Alfort family.

Chapter 1

From beyond the seas

© Esben Alfort 2014-2023

The Alfort family came to Sweden in the middle of the 17th century when a master shipbuilder emigrated from England, but according to family tradition his ancestors were originally huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecution in France. Church registers and other archives of historical documents can tell us a lot about the history of the family in Sweden, but very few sources give direct information about this early period. Even so, we can make some educated guesses.

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A fish out of water – Captain Erik Alfort

Alfortkrönikan, Alfortska öden, Allra första generationerna, In English, Originalen på Liljeholmen, Rekommenderat
av Esben Alfort

Svenska – English

From beyond the seas – A history of the Alfort family

Chapter 2

A fish out of water – Captain Erik Alfort

© Esben Alfort 2014-2023

Captain Erik Alfort is the earliest named member of the Swedish Alfort family and ancestor of every Alfort in Sweden. He had an interesting career in the navy where he contributed – directly or indirectly – to several historical moments such as the attack on Copenhagen and the famous battle of Narva. An invitation to a christening brought him to Östergötland where he met his future wife, whose father was one of the richest men in the country, thus securing the Alfort family’s position and fortune for generations. The occasion has been immortalised for us in a fascinating document listing the names of the witnesses, who were all prominent members of the military elite, gathered to celebrate the christening of a child at a historical moment of great tension, which was to be the signal for 21 years of constant warfare. Erik’s military career ended after he participated in a failed attempt at keeping Russia out of the Baltic, leading to the founding of St. Petersburg as well as the loss of a great deal of Swedish territory and of many lives.

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A self-made investor of the 17th century

Alfortkrönikan, Allra första generationerna, Gyllenståhlska försläkten, In English, Kultur, samhälle och affärsliv, Originalen på Liljeholmen, Rekommenderat, Tidiga försläkterna
av Esben Alfort

Svenska – English

From beyond the seas – A history of the Alfort family.

Chapter 3

A self-made investor of the 17th century – Gabriel Gyllenståhl

© Esben Alfort 2014-2023

Erik Alfort’s father-in-law Gabriel Gyllenståhl is one of the most interesting personalities of his time, and perhaps also a somewhat misunderstood person, as his childhood has recently been shown to have been very different from what had previously been supposed. Indeed, he seems to have been the son of entirely different parents. He married wealth, and had the skill that allowed him to invest cleverly and make more money at a time when money was scarce among the nobility. He eventually achieved nobility for himself, but he never had a surviving son, despite marrying twice, so the line went extinct with his decease. He witnessed some remarkable events, such as an illegal duel which ended in cold-blooded murder and the revenge burning of an entire village during wartime. According to a wide-spread legend he once captured the Danish war chest, which is supposed to have made him immensely rich at a stroke. But are the legends really to be believed?

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The price of wilfulness – Gabriel’s daughters

Alfortkrönikan, Alfortska öden, Allra första generationerna, Gyllenståhlska försläkten, In English, Originalen på Liljeholmen, Rekommenderat
av Esben Alfort

Svenska – English

From beyond the seas – A history of the Alfort family.

Chapter 4

The price of wilfulness – Gabriel’s daughters

© Esben Alfort 2014-2023

Gabriel Gyllenståhl’s willpower and refusal to be gainsaid or overruled was a personality trait inherited by his eldest daughter Hedevig Margareta Gyllenståhl. The two wills of father and daughter were doomed to eventually clash, and perhaps surprisingly this conflict with his daughter hurt him deeply and weakened him both physically and mentally.

Being such a rich man, Gabriel was naturally aware of the very real risk that his daughters would be courted by a lot of unsuitable men who were only after their money. In fact, none of Gabriel and Maria’s three daughters had uneventful and uncomplicated marriages. Hedevig fought against her father’s wishes, as we shall see presently, and Maria’s marriage to captain Erik Alfort was thoroughly unhappy. Erik became violent and aggressive towards her over the years, and their son Gabriel was forced to act as a mediator between them when things got rough. All of this was an enormous strain on Gabriel’s nerves, and his strength weakened as he grew older. The third daughter, Märta, kept her engagement secret from her family, which was perhaps as well, given that Gabriel was dying at the time, and more worries of that kind might have finished him off on a bad note.

Very likely he was decidedly grumpy in his old age. He had become very stout, and this started to keep him from going to meetings and presiding at important decisions – something which would naturally have annoyed a domineering man like Gabriel Gyllenståhl and made his old age less agreeable.

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Political farmers – Maria Catharina Alfort and her descendants

Historier
av Esben Alfort

Svenska – English

From beyond the seas – A history of the Alfort family.

Chapter 6

Political farmers – Maria Catharina Alfort and her descendants

© Esben Alfort 2014-2023

Maria Catharina Ahlfort’s story is one of continuously striving to retain her position in society in spite of having married a lowly farmhand against her parents’ will. Having been disinherited, she was forced to settle in a tiny soldier’s cottage with her new family until her brother helped her to a farm. In the end, their children got some of the inheritance that she should have had, and she even inherited another home, much against her mother’s wishes, which allowed them to rise further in society. This helped them establish themselves as respected citizens, and several of the couple’s children and grandchildren became politicians, jurymen and church wardens, although they usually performed this duties in addition to farming. With time, this part of the family would prosper and grow to some thousands of descendants.

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