Mid Sweden University

This study concerns the demographic changes in a group known as båtsmän (seamen and other naval personnel), during 1837-1870 which was an era of great economic, social, technological and demographic transformation. This group of people were the backbone of the standing royal Swedish navy, and they had some benefits compared to the rest of the agrarian society which they lived in. They got a croft and a small plot of land to live off and a yearly wage from the state, just as an example. These båtsmän were of interest because of the region and time they lived in. The parish of Skön in the county of Västernorrland was a place of great industrial development in the 19th century and seated parts 1:a Norrlands Båtsmanskompani 2:del, the company that these båtsmän were a part of. As mentioned earlier, the demographic changes in 19th century Sweden were dramatic, and this study wanted to find out if the same changes could be seen with the båtsmän and their families. The study found that the båtsmän of Skön parish partly followed the demographic patterns of the rest of the Swedish society, but deviated roughly halfway through the study. The study also found that the båtsmän of Skön parish most likely in one way or another took part in the Swedish mobilization of 1848 in case the Schleswig-Holstein war escalated.