|
|
|
|
|
Chapter 6 Nykulla Village A. 1890 Census The Nykulla village is made up of five farmsteads. In the 1890 census there were 121 people living there. The farms were: #24 Norregård (North Farm); Stom Hemman (Priest Homestead) 1 1950 This farm estate is located on manorial land, possibly owned at one time by nobility and exempt from taxation. The buildings and the land have the same owner. The farm belongs to or provides support for the parish priest, usually only one in each parish. The name is still used but the original meaning is lost to most people. The owners were Johannes Persson (b.1837), Nils Peter Johansson (b.1831), Peter Johan Persson (b.1825), and Johan Bengtsson (b.1819). In the 1890 census, there are 47 people living on this farm ================================================== #25 Mellagård (Middle Farm); Krono Skatte (Crown State) 1:3/4 2150 This farm is located on privately owned former crown land, subject to taxation. The owners were Johan Lundgren (b.1841), Nils Peter Johansson Herberg (b.1842), and Carl Gustaf Petersson (b.1858). In the 1890 census, there are 21 people living on this farm. ================================================= #26 Södergård (South Farm); Krono Skatte (Crown State) 1:1/2 1550 This 166-acre farm is located on privately owned former crown land, subject to taxation. The owners were Peter Johan Jonasson (b.1818) and Peter Johan Carlsson (b.1813). In the 1890 census, there are 29 people living on this farm. It is the birthplace of the Newquist direct ancestors for over two hundred years. Peter Johan's son, Johannes (b.1858), had inherited the partial ownership as the sole resident offspring. His widowed mother lived with his family. Four brothers had immigrated to the United States between 1868 and 1894, another brother moved to Vaxjo in 1881 (see #27 below), and a sister had married and moved to Asa in 1889. ================================================= #27 Backagård (Slope Farm); Sateri (Manor) 1:1/2 1550 This farm is located on manorial land, possibly owned previously by nobility and exempt from taxation. The owner was Peter Johansson (b.1815). In the 1890 census, there are 6 people living on this farm. In 1895, Johan Petersson (b. 1844), Peter Johan's oldest son and a Newquist direct ancestor, became the owner. He had left Sodergard in 1881 and had lived in Vaxjo. ================================================== #28 Kronogård (Crown Farm); Krono Skatte (Crown State) 1:3/8 1050 This farm is located on privately owned former crown land, subject to taxation. The owners are Peter Persson (b.1837) and Sven Gustaf Johan Kronquist (b.1846). In the 1890 census, there are 18 people living on this farm. B. Agriculture and Industry Factors Agriculture in Sweden was organized as an open-field system. In the early periods, each peasant had a number of strips in different parts of the village. Pasture and forests were used as commons, for animals to graze, etc. Rye, barley and oats were the predominant crops, while wheat was grown in a very limited extent. Apart from grain, beans, peas, and other vegetables were grown in the fallow, and hemp and flax were also grown on a small scale. During the 19th century new crops were introduced, most notably the potato. Animal production was of rather limited importance relative to grain production. Usually a couple of animals were held and grazed in the commons. Lack of fodder was a limiting factor in animal production, in an agriculture where crop rotations included little fodder crops. This led to low outputs of milk and meat. An agricultural revolution took place from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century. Increased productivity resulted from land reclamation, improvement in tools, new crops and crop rotations, and the Storskifte and Enskifte Acts of the "enclosure movement". These acts reduced the number of separate strips, peasants got their holdings in one consolidated land holding, and the landowner could force the enclosure. During the period 1845-1860 foreign exports increased rapidly. Oats became of increased importance in the exports to England, where it was used as horse feed. Barley went mainly to the brewing industries in England and Holland. Grain became Sweden's third largest export commodity, after iron and timber. At the same time the population had experienced a significant increase in the standard of living, there was also a major decline in infant mortality and increased longevity. The economic conditions resulting from short-run harvest outcomes had now become a major factor for the rapidly growing rural population. And the country's education system expanded. In 1842 education in Sweden was made free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 14. The school system consisted of infant schools (7 to 9 years old) and elementary schools (9 to 14 years old). Children who did not attend public schools were required to provide evidence of private education. It also stated that there should be a school in every town and parish in the country. This was a continuation of an earlier system where the church was responsible for teaching children basic biblical knowledge and reading. The Swedish industrial revolution accelerated during three periods. In the 1850s, it was the timber export production in the northern part of Sweden. And increased incomes among large segments of the population further increased demand for textiles, which lead to intensified mechanization of the textile industry. During the 1870s, the increased demand for exports led to investments in industry and infrastructure, particularly the railroads. In the 1890s Sweden got its real industrial breakthrough as the proportion of the population employed in the industrial sector increased. New products (butter and pulp) became important, and the domestic market and production of consumption goods was as important as foreign markets and the production of capital goods. Contemporary Sweden is nearly self-sufficient in agricultural products although only about 7 percent of the land is cultivated. Scientific farming, including intensive fertilization and mechanization, makes possible good crop yields despite poor soil, rugged topography, and a short growing season. Agriculture is intensively developed in the southern lowlands, which includes Nykulla. Swedish farms still vary in size from large estates to small farms. In recent years, many small farms have been combined into larger units. Most agricultural production is for domestic consumption. About 3 percent of the Swedish population are engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. After World War II (1939-1945), dairying, traditionally important in Swedish agriculture, declined somewhat in relation to the production of grains and vegetables. The leading farm commodities remain livestock and livestock products, especially dairy items. The major crops are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, rapeseed, rye, and sugar beets. Manufacturing has become increasingly important in Sweden since the 1880s. The value of manufacturing has increased by more than 2 percent annually since the mid-1960s, and as the 1980s ended Sweden was one of the most industrialized countries of Europe. Manufacturing output decreased, however, during a persistent recession in the early 1990s. While facing increased competition for its manufactures, Sweden maintains the industrial advantages of high-quality domestic raw materials and skilled labor C. Digital Historical Maps of Sweden This website provides a unique presentation of old maps that have recently been digitized. A small sampling can be viewed online. The following is a list of five Nykulla digitized maps. On October 2, 2002 I received the detailed size and purchase information. The printed maps cost from $60 to $220 each. Digital file versions cost $60 each, and CD formats are also available. C. 1. Nykulla Geometric Map (nr 1-5 1 Geometrisk avmätning 1715) This 18x32 inch geometric map was delivered as books, "Geometriska Jordeböcker" to the central survey office at the royal castle in Stockholm. The scale is 1:5000 and it describes properties held by the nobility. The map is rather uniform in its design, but limited in its theme. Figure 1 is an example of this type of map. 
Figure 1. C. 2. Nykulla Storskifte Maps (nr 1-5 2 Storskifte på utmark/utägor 1767-70) (nr 1-5 3 Storskifte på inägor 1792 1793) The first of these "Storskifte" redistribution maps are two maps 24x36 inches each. The second map is 18x24 inches. The scale is 1:4000 and they cover most of the populated areas, with exceptions for vicarages and farmsteads or estates with single owners. C.3. Nykulla Laga skifte Map (nr 1-5 4 Laga skifte 1851-56 1856) This 19th century Laga skifte redistribution map is 36x48 inches and covers the whole village area, as the farmsteads were moved into their respective new land areas. The map is made in 1:4000 or 1:8000. Figure 2 is an example of this type of map. The geometric accuracy is very high. Land use, all buildings and other physical features of importance are shown in great detail. 
Figure 2. C.4. Nykulla-Norregard Map (nr 1-5 5 Hemmansklyvning Norreg 1862 1864) This map is 18x24 inches and should show the Norregård farm in very good detail. Figure 3 is a map overlay, where historic and modern map information has been combined. The background map shows part of the village Vallby, in the parish of Tierp, 150 kilometers north of Stockholm. On top is the modern information, where the thick blue lines depict roads, the blue rectangles mark houses and the thin blue lines show borders between areas with different land use. 
Figure 3. The accuracy is impressive in the work from the mid-18th century. Maps from the "Laga Skifte" from 1827 and onwards usually have very high quality, not dissimilar from early maps based on aerial photo mosaics. D. Second Cousins Living in Nykulla Today I have received several e-mail responses from Sten Karlsson who is a resident of Nykulla-Norregård, the farm adjacent to Södergård. He indicated they were "doing just fine in Nykulla today, we are not so many, about half numbers of houses are empty and the people who live here mostly work in Växjö (25 km away) or Rottne (10km away)". The Karlssons are associated with the Nykulla Observation Tower (utsiktstorn). This is an 8-story (25 meters) structure built in 1958-60 as a tourist attraction, and is the tallest in Kronobergs County. On a clear day, sightseers can see ten surrounding parishes - including Hornaryd and Växjö. Sten's brother, Per, has a website where he describes Nykulla as "the most beautiful place in the world". They sent 39 digital photos of the Nykulla farms, lake, and other points of interest, which they took specifically for me. One of the photos is of Ingemar Karlsson who owns Nykulla-Södergård, and lives there with his daughter Amanda Hälsningar. Ingemar is the great-grandson of Johannes Petersson, and he and his family are our second cousins. Ingemar's son, Kristoffer, is 17 years old and attends school in Vaxjo. We have corresponded several times by e-mail. He and other cousins had a meeting about the same time as our Florida reunion in 2002. There are many relatives living in that area. He gave me data on his immediate family and plans to send me their extensive family tree information and photos. There possibly is a photo of John Newquist when he lived in Sweden. He also described the Sodergard farm and the history of continuous ownership by the family descendants since Johannes owned it in the 19th century. In the future, I will update the genealogy information to include these newly found Swedish relatives. Nykulla Observation Tower 
|
