Annette Bowen asked: “Smiths had last names that were not patronymics. Do you know how they got them? Were they inheritable? Is there something I could read on this subject?” When a blacksmith´s apprentice advanced to blacksmith he regularly changed his name from the patronymic "-son" to a family name, often indicating the family´s origins. Most likely this was a way to mark a step up the social ladder: The blacksmith was a an independent contractor who worked on contract for the iron mill´s owner. If he was a skilled blacksmith he could recieve extra payment for quality which exceeded what was considered standard given the raw materials he was supplied with. It is also possible that this naming tradition was inspired by family names used by German and later Belgian (walloon) experts imported to get the iron industry started in Sweden. In the ironmaking heartland of west/central Sweden, where my family comes from, many blacksmiths were descended from Finnish settlers in the early 17th century, who also carried this naming tradition. Once a blacksmith had adopted such a name, it was usually inherited. In my case, the name “Elg” appears around 1730 and is still in use. The sons of blacksmiths often carried on the tradition, learning the trade as apprentices to other blacksmiths, often uncles or even older brothers. Most of my paternal ancestors worked in the trade for almost two centuries. See also http://elgfamily.blogspot.se/2011/01/blacksmith-profession-in-swedish.html and http://elgfamily.blogspot.se/2010/07/role-of-blacksmiths-in-ironmaking.html– not about naming but other aspects of the blacksmith profession in Sweden. Lennart Elg

Lennart, Thank you for your response and for the links to your articles on blacksmiths. They help me to understand how my ancestors lived. In this context what would be the job of the "miller"? I am more familiar with the term "miller" being used for a grist mill or a saw mill. My great-grandfather's mother was the daughter of a master smith, and both of her grandparents were from families of smiths. Annette On 1/6/13, Lennart Elg <len_elg@telia.com> wrote: > Annette Bowen asked: “Smiths had last names that were not patronymics. Do > you know how they got them? Were they inheritable? Is there something I > could read on this subject?” > > When a blacksmith´s apprentice advanced to blacksmith he regularly changed > his name from the patronymic "-son" to a family name, often indicating the > family´s origins. Most likely this was a way to mark a step up the social > ladder: The blacksmith was a an independent contractor who worked on > contract for the iron mill´s owner. If he was a skilled blacksmith he could > recieve extra payment for quality which exceeded what was considered > standard given the raw materials he was supplied with. > > It is also possible that this naming tradition was inspired by family names > used by German and later Belgian (walloon) experts imported to get the iron > industry started in Sweden. In the ironmaking heartland of west/central > Sweden, where my family comes from, many blacksmiths were descended from > Finnish settlers in the early 17th century, who also carried this naming > tradition. > > Once a blacksmith had adopted such a name, it was usually inherited. In my > case, the name “Elg” appears around 1730 and is still in use. The sons of > blacksmiths often carried on the tradition, learning the trade as > apprentices to other blacksmiths, often uncles or even older brothers. Most > of my paternal ancestors worked in the trade for almost two centuries. > > See also > http://elgfamily.blogspot.se/2011/01/blacksmith-profession-in-swedish.html > and > http://elgfamily.blogspot.se/2010/07/role-of-blacksmiths-in-ironmaking.html– > not about naming but other aspects of the blacksmith profession in Sweden. > > Lennart Elg > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > SWEDEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message