Another Look at Luloff Stidden and His Son, Tim, by David R
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1998 COVER STORY 1998 his family there. However, he probably immi- immigrants, and Dutch was the official lan- grated from Denmark, but was he Danish? guage. The Dutch were invited to Gothen- Church records, guild records, and other burg with promises of free trade and freedom Gothenburg records referred to Luloff as the of religion in exchange for their Dutch build- Another Look at “Dutchman” (nederlander) to distinguish him ing and trading skills. However, it was not from the Germans (tysker) who lived in the possible to defend the island of Hisingen from same community and worshiped in the same Danish invasions, and the first town of Goth- church. [3] It has been suggested the first enburg was destroyed on 12 June 1611 soon names Lijloff and Hilken (his daughter) may after the outbreak of the Kalmar War. [5] have came from Friesland in the northwestern In 1621, the Swedish king Gustavus part of the Netherlands. Yet, other evidence Luloff Stidden points to his origins in Germany. Luloff and his family were members of a German church in Gothenburg where services were (and still are) conducted in German. The German and His Son, origins are further developed by Richard Steadham in “Dutchman or Duetschman?” (Timen Stiddem Society Newsletter #19) wherein he presents convincing evidence Luloff may have been from an upper class German family of Stitten from Lübeck. Steadham postulates the name Stidden may have evolved from von Tim Stiten, most likely derived from the village of Stiten in Germany, now known as Groß Sti- eten (Gross Stieten). Is it time to rewrite our early Stidham* family history? Luloff’s surname also suggests his origins were from the upper class. His surname did not follow the traditional patronymic (e.g. WIKIPEDIA By David Stidham DCM-1 Andersson, son of Anders) or occupational (e.g. Goldsmith) system of names common Adolphus II decided to build a second Göte- Nya Lödöse (Nylöse) for Scandinavian families in the 17th century. borg—present day Gothenburg. Dutch city at the end of the n August 2011, a delegation from the Timen Stiddem His surname Stidden most likely derived planners and builders were contracted to 16th century. from a geographical place. And, consider- build the city and its canals and fortifica- Society visited Sweden to learn more about Timen ing his important government positions in tions, since they had the skills necessary to Sweden, he most certainly came from an build along the river and in the marshy areas Stiddem’s roots and to experience the history and aristocratic family which was more likely to where the city was to be located. The Dutch culture of the family’s fatherland (see Issue #52). My having non-patronymic or non-occupational enjoyed a major political and social influ- surnames. ence after Gothenburg was built and many wife and I were fortunate to be part of that delegation. of the city officials were Dutch. The Dutch Luloff’s early history in Sweden The first I initially exercised political power in Goth- One of the most interesting aspects of our tion about the city during Luloff’s residency The trade center and major port of Swe- enburg. It was not until 1652, when the last mention of trip was a visit to the Stadmuseet (Gothenburg there. Using a computer, visitors can locate den’s west coast in the Middle Ages was of the Dutch politicians in the city’s council City Museum) in Gothenburg—Sweden’s specific neighborhoods in Gothenburg in the located at Lödöse, about 25 miles upstream of died out, that the Swedes came into political Luloff in this second largest city and Scandinavia’s larg- 1600s and read (in Swedish) about the fami- present-day Gothenburg on the river Göta älv. power. [6] est sea port. This museum documents the lies that lived there at the time. This family This center was moved downstream in 1473 The first mention of Luloff in this history history of history of Gothenburg from prehistoric to research, which is also available online, was to Nylöse (Nya Lödöse, or New Lödöse) [4] of Sweden is in the Nylöse records book. [7] Sweden is in Person holding the contemporary times. The exhibit that I found done by the late Swedish historian, Olga to better defend against Danish and Norwe- On 15 October 1604, he appeared before a actual baton Luloff Stidden used in his most interesting was dedicated to the history Dahl. Much of this article is based on Dahl’s gian invasions. When Sweden rose to be a Nylöse court in a charter dispute involving the Nylöse position as the first of Gothenburg in the 17th century. It was work. [1] (Thanks to William Hultgren of major European power in the 17th century, a ship from Copenhagen: “There appeared skult (chief of police) during this time when the Stidham* family Charlton, Massachusetts for translating the Sweden’s King Charles IX founded the town Hans Auersberg and Lijlöff Stidden (Sti- records book. of Gothenburg. patriarch, Luloff Stidden, made history in Dahl papers.) of Göteborg (the first Gothenburg) in 1603 on jdenn) from Copenhagen and defendant The photo is from a Gothenburg as its master builder and first the northern bank of the river Göta älv and Joran Gunnarson from Landkrone before the book published by Origin of Luloff Stidden the Stadmuseet sheriff or public prosecutor. The exhibit had near the outlet to the sea, on the island of court about the ship cargo they had brought (Gothenburg City actual artifacts which Stidden used in execut- Luloff (or Lijloff) Stidden [2], born before Hisingen. This first Gothenburg was almost from Copenhagen.” This is the hint Luloff Museum). ing his job, and had a model of and informa- 1580, worked and lived in Sweden, and raised wholly inhabited by Dutch merchants and may have been from Denmark. Luloff lived in 10 11 1998 1998 Nylöse before moving to Bohus fästning (Bohus keeping. Either before or after his residency Fortress) in Künglav, a Norwegian city fur- in Kungälv, Luloff was living with Dutch set- ther north on the river Göta älv. [8] tlers on the island of Hisingen. Among other As early as 1615, Luloff was alderman responsibilities, Luloff was an emissary for or councilman of Kungälv. Since he was an Henrich Meir, a prominent citizen of Mar- alderman, he was no doubt a long established strand . citizen of Kungälv. He lived, along with other Luloff resigned his position as alderman prominent citizens of Kungälv, on the Bohus and offered up his citizenship in Kungälv on Fortress Bohus Fortress island, and took refuge in the fort 29 June 1618 in order to gain citizenship in in Kungälv as it looks today (below). during hostilities. He was a member of the King Gustavus’ newly planned city of Goth- Lutheran church on the island, and probably enburg. [10] A month later, on July 29th, he Model of Bohus served as usher or arms keeper (one who sold his Kungälv farm to Nylöse resident, Lau- Fortress, as it was collected swords and other weapons from rentz Jacobgssen. [11] On 12 February 1619, before it was ceded parishioners as they entered the church for “Leluff Stedimb” was listed among a group of A 1636 Plat of to the Swedes. Luloff Gothenburg, north- had a home on the worship). [9] While living in Kungälv, he was Dutch and Germans petitioning for citizen- south view, sent by island. (bottom). trained in the trades of masonry and book- ship in the second Gothenburg. [12] Ewert Arwidsson. Source: Kiätell Klason, Statens Luloff Stidden’s life lantmäteriverks arkiv, in Gothenburg Gävle, showing the layout of Gothenburg Luloff lived within the fortress wall of with its streets and the newly built Gothenburg in Kvarteret Kro- canals still seen nobageriet (the Royal Bakery block), 6th Rote in old Gothenburg today (minus the [13], on Köpmangatan (Merchant Street). fortification walls). Today, the streets in this area of Gothen- burg—Nordstaden or North City—are still named and laid out as they were in the 1600s. The 6th Rote was on the east side of the Luloff would East Harbor (now East Harbor Street), near have been buried the still existing Christinae Kryka (Christinae somewhere within Church, also called Tyska Krykan—German this circle. Church) where Luloff and his family wor- shipped. Luloff’s home place on Merchant Street (Lot 14) is now part of the huge Nord- stan Mall in modern Gothenburg. Luloff was Gothenburg’s first skult (from police or public prosecutor), [14] a position ied in an old graveyard south of the church in WIKIPEDIA the Dutch word schout meaning chief of he served from 1 January to 31 June 1622. an area called Kronhusområdet (Royal Arma- The skult was in charge of the city prisoners, ments Depot). That area containing the old executions, capitol and corporal punishments, cemetery was developed in the early 1980s fines, etc. [15]. In 1622, he is also called the into apartments and a playground. During stedzend kontrollör (city comptroller) who over- construction, some 70 coffins were discov- saw construction activities in the newly con- ered and reinterred (current whereabouts are structed city. In the 1637 mantalsllängden for unknown). [17] Gothenburg (sort of a tax record and cen- sus), Luloff’s is listed as the stadsbyggmästare Luloff’s wife and family (city master builder) with a family of four Luloff’s wife was Brigitta (also written occupants. In the 1639 tax census, he is listed Britas and Berita)—last name unknown. Bri- as the stadsfabrikmestare (city factory master gitta had been previously married to Johan in charge of newly built factories).