Hi Kaj, George SMITH (1737-1790) came from Fordyce, son of James Smith and Elspet Ferguson, and was a successful merchant, and eventually willed several bursaries to Fordyce Academy, which, as I recall, were to be used for the education for anyone with the name of Smith in Sweden. I may not have got the precise wording and conditions, but that's the gist, strange though it might be at first sight. I've hunted around my notes but I've misplaced (hopefully temporarily) most of the details about the 'George Smith Bounty'. Certainly, his elder sister Jean or Jane Smith (b 1734) went to Sweden. There is a booklet: "An Historic Outline of the George Smith Bounty (Fordyce Academy)" by Dr AA Cormack, Aberdeen 1952. And "The Schools and Schoolmasters of Banffshire" by William Barclay 1925 gives more details about the bursaries, but not about the Swedish connection. And there's a whole book about the history of Fordyce Academy. In the very early days, the schoolmaster was John Innes who was 'deposed' in 1656 after being accused of slander and drunkeness at a baptism. I obtained this info when researching my gt-gt-gdmother Margaret SMITH (1816-1921). I'm sorry I cannot be more specific but at least that's another Swedish connection around the same time as yours. Howard Geddes

> .... that's another Swedish connection around the same time as yours. > Howard Geddes I've got yet another one. William Smith, born about 1844 in Hernosand, Sweden, to Albert Nicholas Smith and Christina Burlin, emigrated to New Zeland aged 16 aboard a whaling ship with his uncle. I have a tree of his descendants in NZ, and I'd love to exchange it for details of his baptism and early life in Sweden. Anne