Copyright © Hans Högman 2021-07-02
The Clergy Family Hornaeus,
Ytterlännäs, Sweden
Introduction
The Hornaeus Family have been clergymen for 3
generations in Ytterlännäs parish in southern
Ångermanland, Sweden.
Laurentius Christophori Hornaeus was the first in the
family to become a clergyman in Ytterlännäs. He
took up his post in 1672. Including his father-in-law,
the family has consisted of 4 generations of
clergymen in Ytterlännäs.
Ytterlännäs Parish
Ytterlännäs parish is located in the southern part
of Ångermanland province, Västernorrland County,
and is part of Kramfors municipality since 1974. The
rural centers are Bollstabruk and Nyland.
Ytterlännäs old church and Ytterlännäs new church
are located in the parish (socken).
At the municipal reform of 1862, the old “socken”
was transformed into Ytterlännäs Parish and
Ytterlännäs Rural Municipality (landskommun).
The famous Häxberget (Witch Mountain) is located
at the place where the three parishes meet;
Ytterlännäs-Torsåker-Dal.
Ytterlännäs Old Church
The oldest parts of the church date from the 13th
century. In the 15th century, the sacristy and the
armory were built and the chancel was widened
along the walls of the nave. The windows were
made larger and the roof was raised considerably
when brick arches were joined with spiral columns.
The church was also painted in the 15th century
because images and saints were important in the
then Catholic Church.
In the middle of the 19th century, there was a strong
opinion to demolish the old church because
Ytterlännäs new church was built. Judge Carl Martin
Schönmeyer of Angsta farm opposed this and it was
decided in 1850 that the old church would "remain
untouched". Johan Nyberg, a sea captain and
businessman on Johannisberg manor, made large
donations and helped to save the church.
On 22 October 1854,
the last regular service
was held at the old
church.
The image to the right
shows Ytterlännäs Old
Church in 2010. Image:
Wikipedia.
Ytterlännäs New Church
The church was built in 1848-1854 on Näsholmen,
after Ytterlännäs old church became too small. The
sacristy was previously housed in an extension to
the east, which was
converted into a choir
in 1896. A new sacristy
was added in the
northeast.
The image to the right
shows Ytterlännäs New
Church in 2012. Image:
Wikipedia.
The Hornaeus Clergymen in
Ytterlännäs
Laurentius Christophri Hornaeus (gen 1)
Lars Christoffersson or Laurentius Christophri
Hornaeus, which was the name he used as a
clergyman, was born in 1645 in Härnösand, died on
27 May 1719 in Nordanåker, Ytterlännäs. Laurentius
is buried inside the old church of Ytterlännäs.
Between the altar ring and the door to the sacristy,
there is a gap in the floor to the burial place. He
studied to be a clergyman (Lutheran Church of
Sweden) and he was enrolled at Uppsala University
in 1667 together with his brother Petrus. The two
brothers also traveled around Germany.
Laurentius was ordained in 1672 and received a
post as an assistant parish minister in Ytterlännäs
parish, Torsåker pastorate. He was also a clergyman
in Dal parish, in addition to his ministry in
Ytterlännäs. After receiving the post, the Hornaeus
family first lived in the old parsonage (the parish’s
official residence for the parish minister) in
Sunnanåker. After 1675 (possibly 1677) they took
over a deserted home in Nordanåker, which they
refurbished.
Laurentius was a zealous witch hunter during the
witch trials in Ytterlännäs 1674 - 1675.
Laurentius was commissioned by the parish
minister of Torsåker, Johannes Wattrangius, to try to
track down all the witches in the parish. The young
chaplain did this with great zeal. In Torsåker's
pastorate, which included Ytterlännäs, it all
culminated in 1674-1675 when 71 people in the
pastorate were sentenced to the ax and stake. The
executions took place on a mountain in the border
area between Torsåker, Dal, and Ytterlännäs
parishes (east of Lesjön Lake). This mountain has
since been called Bålberget or Häxberget.
Laurentius married in 1672 (probably) Brita
Olofsdotter Rufinia (1651 - 1730). The couple had
10 children. Brita was the daughter of the former
assistant parish minister of Ytterlännäs. She was
thus born and raised at the parsonage residence in
Sunnanåker. Brita was suspected of being a witch
for a while during the witch trials in Ytterlännäs
1674 - 1775. However, she was acquitted.
Her father, Olaus Erici Rufinius, was born in
Hälsingland and died around 1672 in Sunnanåker,
Ytterlännäs. Olaus was assistant parish minister in
Ytterlännäs parish 1637 - 1672.
Lars Larsson-Hornaeus was born 1682-01-07 in
Nordanåker, Ytterlännäs. He died on 1751-04-29 in
Nordanåker, Ytterlännäs, of pneumonia. Lars was
the son of Laurentius Christophri Hornaeus, the
assistant parish minister of Ytterlännäs, and his wife
Brita Olofsdotter Rufinia.
Lars was a student at Uppsala University in 1706
and was ordained a curate in Torsåker in 1708. Lars
held a curacy in Luleå between 1715 and 1717. The
family had to flee headlong from Luleå when the
Russians attacked the city at the end of the Great
Northern War. Once back in Ytterlännäs in 1717,
Lars became his father's assistant and designated
successor at his father's request. After the death of
his father, assistant parish minister Laurentius
Christophri, in 1719, Lars was given a mandate as
assistant parish minister of Ytterlännäs on 15 July
1719. Lars and his family settled on the family estate
in Nordanåker. Lars' mother Britta continued to live
with the family on the farm in Nordanåker until her
death on 1 September 1730.
In his first marriage in 1709, Lars was married to
Elisabeth "Lisken" Wattrang (1682 - 1743). Lars
and Elisabeth had 6 children. Lisken was the
daughter of Johannes (Hans) Wattrangius and his
wife Catharina Blanchovia. Catharina came from the
famous Blanck family in Hammar, Ytterlännäs.
In his second marriage in 1747, Lars was married to
Margareta Klingberg.
Jöns Hornaeus (gen 3)
Jöns Hornaeus was born in Ytterlännäs parish on 3
June 1715 and died there on 3 May 1778. He was an
assistant parish minister in Ytterlännäs like his
father and grandfather. Jöns was a divinity student
at Uppsala University in 1735 and was ordained in
1742. In 1746 he became parish curate in Dal parish.
He was appointed assistant parish minister in
Ytterlännäs (Torsåker pastorate) after his father in
1753. He died of pneumonia in 1778 after a long
illness. Like his father and grandfather, Jöns settled
on the family farm in Nordanåker.
In his first marriage in 1745, Jöns was married to
Katharina Elisabeth Pihlwall (1727 - 1771). Jöns
and Katharina had 8 children. Katharina was the
daughter of the very first works steward of Bollsta
Bruk, Carl Pihlwall (1688 - 1745), at Bollsta manor,
and his wife was Elisabeth Dorothea Fabricia (1702 -
1774). Carl Pihlwall died on 20 October 1745, just a
few months after Jöns and Katharina's wedding.
In Jöns’ second marriage in 1773, he was married to
Margareta Pehrsdotter-Molin (1739 - 1809).
Jöns Hornaeus (i.e. grandson of Laurentius
Hornaeus) made at his time a study of what
happened during the witch trials in Ytterlännäs in
the 1670s. Jöns received this assignment from the
dean of Torsåker around 1735, i.e. 60 years later.
The study came to be called "A Truthful Story" (En
Sannfärdig berättelse). Jöns had the first draft of his
study ready in 1741, but it was not published for the
public until 24 May 1771.
In 1750, Jöns becomes involved in a project to start
glassworks in Ytterlännäs. He does this together
with two other people and the glassworks is
established on Sandö island.
On 24 March 1760 Jöns and his brother, steward
Lorents, bought land at the outlet of Lesjön Lake to
Ed River from the villagers of Ed. The land was
intended for a paper mill. Jöns' share was later
taken over by Erik Edström, who in partnership with
Lorents built up the paper mill. The two partners
were brothers-in-law and each married a daughter
of the owner of Åvike Works, Carl Pelt. The paper
mill has had different names through the ages,
including Hornöström, but later the mill was named
Nyede.
In 1764, Jöns also takes the initiative to build a
bridge across the Svedje strait between Bollsta
and the land east of the strait where, among other
things, the church was located. See below.
Jöns and Katharina's daughter Catharina Hornea
(1754- 1809) was married on 28 November 1773 in
ytterlännäs to Grels Henriksson (1746 - 1824) in
Östergraninge, Graninge parish. Grels was a lay
assessor and farmer in Östergraninge after his
father. With Catharina, the Hornaeus family enters
my family on my grandmother's side.
The following text is found in the marriage book:
"The homestead owner Grels Henrikson Österberg from
Östergraninge was married on 28 November to maiden
Catharina Hornea from Nordanåker." Catharina's
ancestors have for four generations, since 1637,
been clergymen in Ytterlännäs. The following is
noted about Catharina's father, Jöns Hornaeus: "The
father had unusually good practical sense and had
extensive interests and seems also from the mother
(Elisabeth Wattrang, parish minister's daughter from
Torsåker) inherited poetic predispositions."
Catharina's father, assistant parish minister Jöns
Hornaeus, officiated at the wedding in Ytterlännäs.
Bridge Across Svedje Strait in 1764
In 1764, Jöns takes the initiative to build a bridge
across the Svedje Strait and a new road between
Nordanåker and Nyland. Being the practical man
that he is, Jöns takes up the old question of a bridge
across the Svedje Strait, which would shorten the
old road around Ed Bay between Bollsta and
Ytterlännäs by about 3 km (2 mi). The project had
been discussed for a couple of hundred years. Due
to land elevation, the strait had now become so
narrow that it would facilitate the building of a
bridge. On Jöns' initiative, the bridge was built in
1764 at the same time as the roads were re-routed.
The bridge is also shown on the village maps from
1780.
For very important events in the parish, the
clergymen used to make notes in the church books.
Jöns also thought so, and rightly so, about this
project, which is why he included the following lines.
{Source: Ytterlännäs C:1 2/5.}
In 1764 the bridge across the Svedje Strait was built,
which otherwise had been planned for over 200 years,
but had not been executed until assistant parish
minister Hornaeus, through the action of the Office of
the County Governor, brought the matter to a
conclusion."
The
map shows the Bollsta Bay and the Ed Bay
(Edsfjärden) and the Bollstabruk community to the
left of the bay. The strait between Bollsta Bay and Ed
Bay is today merely a stream. Image: Lantmäteriet.
In the same year, the new road between Nyland and
Nordanåker was opened "by the demand and conduct
of the assistant parish minister concerned".
Johannes Wattrangius, Parish Minister in
Torsåker
Johannes Erici Wattrangius (1639 - 1684) was
parish minister of Torsåker parish and head of
Torsåker pastorate, which also included the parishes
of Ytterlännäs and Dal. He became assistant
clergyman (curate) in Torsåker in 1662 to his father
and "pastor loci" in 1670. Johannes studied at
Uppsala University in 1658 and was ordained in
Härnösand in 1668. He was married to Catharina
Blanchovia (1643 - 1708). Johannes and Catharina
had six children.
John's father was Ericus Andreae Wattrangius (1600 -
1670), parish minister of Torsåker pastorate. He
came to Torsåker in 1654. Before that, he had been
an army chaplain in Germany during the Thirty
Years’ War, also during the time of Swedish King
Gustav II Adolf. He studied at Uppsala University in
1625 and was army chaplain from 1628.
Catharina's father was Jöns Bryngelsson Blanck
(1613 - 1667). The family owned a large farm in
Hammar, Ytterlännäs.
During the witch trials in Torsåker pastorate in
1674 - 1675, Laurentius Hornaeus was commissioned
by the parish minister of Torsåker, Johannes
Wattrangius, to try to track down all the witches in
the pastorate. Johannes held a hellfire sermon in
Torsåker church for the condemned men and
women before they were executed and burned at
the stake on Häxberget in the spring of 1675.
Johannes Wattrangius' daughter Elisabeth (b. 1682)
and Laurentius Hornaeus' son Lars (b. 1682) later
married each other (1709).
The Hornaeus Family Tree
•
Family Tree - Hornaeus Family, Chart
•
Family Tree for the Clergy Family Hornaeus
•
Witch Trials in Torsåker, Ångermanland 1675
Bolstabruk
At the far end of the Bollsta bay, there was originally
a village called Bollsta. When an ironworks was
built next to the village in the 18th century, it was
named Bollsta Bruk (Bollsta Works). Over time, the
name was merged into a single word, Bollstabruk.
The ironworks was closed in 1898 and today the
name Bollstabruk is the name of the whole
community.
Bollstabruk, also known as Bollsta, is today a town in
the municipality of Kramfors located at the Bollsta
Bay of the Ångerman River about 10 km northwest
of the central town of Kramfors. The town includes
the old village of Bollsta as well as several other
villages along Bollsta Bay.
In the 1680s, Count Carl Larsson Sparre, Governor
of Västernorrland County and owner of Graninge
Works, planned to build a blast furnace and
hammer forge at Bollsta River. However, Sparre's
plans never came to fruition.
In the early 18th century, the idea of a blast furnace
and hammer mill was revived, now by Graninge
Work's current owner, Johan Clason, and by the
owner of Holm Manor and Gålsjö Works, Jacob
Polack.
In 1737, they jointly built the "Bollsteå blast
furnace" at the fall of the Bollsta River just before
its outlet into Bollsta Bay, mainly on land belonging
to Blästa village.
Most of the equipment was moved there from
Sollefteå, where a blast furnace had previously been
built by the owners of Graninge Works. In 1741 the
blast furnace in Bollsta was completed. The furnace
was in operation until February 1899.
In addition to the production of pig iron for the
hammers, the blast furnace has also been used for
foundry operations.
Several stoves were cast here
with the mark established for
Bollsta Works: the Roman
number XII within a circle and
the letter B. See the picture to
the right.
In 1853, the ironworks in Bollsta was supplemented
with a water saw with four frames and an edge
bench. It was succeeded in 1860 by a steam saw
with five frames and two edge benches.
As the sawmill industry expanded, workers' barracks
were built in 1887-1894 and named “Kejsarstaden”
(the Emperor's Town).
Neither Johan Clason nor Jacob Pollack lived at the
works, but it was managed by trustees.
The first works steward at Bollsta Bruk was Carl
Pihlwall (1688 - 1745). His wife was Elisabeth
Dorothea Fabricia (1702 - 1774). Pihlwall had a great
social life and often hosted large dinners. When his
own fortune was not enough, he began to "borrow"
money from the works. His debts grew and when
the whole thing came to light, the debt had reached
13,345 daler, a very large sum in those days. By way
of comparison, his own annual salary as a works
inspector was 1,200 daler.
Pihlwall had to acknowledge his debt to the mill in
writing and had all his assets pledged as security for
the debt. The works owners were satisfied with this
and did not pursue the matter further. Neither his
wife nor his children knew anything about this.
When Carl Pihlwall died a few years later, on 20
October 1745, and only now did his widow and
children find out about it. This was of course a blow
to the family when the large debt was discovered.
When the estate inventory was completed, the
estate was left with a loss of 3,328 daler. Together
with the debt that Pihlwall had previously
acknowledged in writing, the total debt amounted to
16,000 daler kmt. In other words, the family was
destitute and had to move out of the steward's
house. Elisabeth's only option now was to move in
with her daughter Katharina and her husband, the
assistant parish minister Jöns Hornaeus in
Nordanåker.
Bollsta Works was later passed on to Johan Clason's
sons and grandsons in Graninge Works' name.
The Manor House of Bollsta Ironworks
The manor house and its two wings originally faced
the Bollsta Bay, but during a renovation in 1813 the
main building was moved to its present location.
The then owner of Graninge Works, Isak Ifraim
Clason, then moved into the manor house at
Bollstabruk. In the middle of the 19th century, the
manor's main building was renovated again and
extended with two additions.
Otherwise, the manor house was the residence of
the works' stewards and the manor house also
included a large farm. The house acquired its
present aspect in the 1940s.
Bollsta Sawmill
The first water-powered frame saw was built by
Graninge and Holm's works in 1853 near the mouth
of the Bollsta River. In 1863 Graninge works built a
steam sawmill on the site. This meant that the saw
was no longer dependent on the flow of water in the
river and could operate virtually all year round.
Initially, the steam saw was equipped with five
sowing frames, but in 1890 it was equipped with ten
frames.
Johannisberg Manor House
Sea captain Johan Nyberg (1801 - 1875) had
Johannisberg Manor built as a residence for
himself. Johan Nyberg built both the main building
and the two wings and named the place after his
own baptismal name, Johannes. The exact date of
construction of the buildings is not clear, but it was
in the late 1840s.
He was a very successful businessman and he
started his career as a sea captain and shipowner
with his own ships. In 1836, Nyberg bought the
shipyard in Bollsta, which had previously produced
boats for the works' needs since the 18th century.
Nyberg traded internationally in timber products
that were transported on his own ships. Johan
Nyberg had graduated as a sea captain from the
navigation school in Härnösand. Among Nyberg's
own vessels were the brig Lisette and the ships
Atlantic, Weidenhielm and Carl XV.
He invested in several sawmills and also farmed. His
fortune grew and after a few years he built his
mansion, Johannisberg.
The painting shows the manor house Johannisberg
in Bollstabruk, Ytterlännäs. Oil painting by G W
Palm, in 1856. Image: Wikipedia..
Later in his life, Nyberg drew up a donation letter
for 167,000 riksdaler. It was to be used for
charitable purposes, such as health care, poor relief,
schools, etc. Nyberg was opposed to the church
council's plans to demolish the old church in
Ytterlännäs when the new one was completed. He
therefore donated 1,500 riksdaler for the
maintenance and repair of the old church. Johan
Nyberg died a few years after the donations and
was then 74 years old. Nyberg and his wife Cajsa
Lisa had no children of their own, but they took on
their nephew Nils Johan Nyberg as a foster son. Nils
Johan also became a sea captain and inherited
Johannisberg Manor.
Ytterlännäs municipality bought the manor
house in 1928 to use the lower level as a municipal
office. The upper floor was preserved intact.
Clergy Family Hornaeus
in Ytterlännäs