52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #35 "Disaster" - Gustaf Gustafsson

 Prompt #35 (Aug 27-Sep 2): "Disaster" - Gustaf Gustafson

South Central Sweden has the largest concentration of base metal and iron ores in Northern Europe. There are mines in existence today that were established in the early 1700's and mining itself took place in Sweden from the earliest times. Mining was a very common occupation for the average man in the area of Sweden my paternal grandfather came from.

Gustaf Gustafsson, my 3X great grandfather, was born in 1795 in Berg, Lerbäck, Örebro, Sweden. Swedish Household Examinations and the record of his death refer to him as a "bergsman" or miner.
A physically demanding and dangerous job no doubt. In addition, in his day there were no worker safety or child labor laws. The 5 day, 8 hour work week was over one hundred years away.  It is entirely possible that Gustaf worked the mines from the young age of eight or nine, six days a week for up to twelve hours a day.

late 19th century miners

Gustaf was twenty six when he died. Twenty Six. Young even for the early 19th century. Look at this  record.  Lerbäck, Örebro, Sweden deaths from January to July 1812. Gustaf's death is underlined in red and he is only one of seven miners who died in this parish in just half a year!  Every month another miner died. It seems very possible, even probable that work in the mines was the contributing factor or direct cause of death for many who spent their life underground. Truly a "disaster" for Gustaf and his young wife and his two young sons.

Ancestry.com: Swedish Church Records 1500-1941
County: Örebro; Parish: Lerbäck; Volume: F:1;
Record Type: Död (Deaths); Year Range: 1801 - 1861;
Roll/Fiche: MN-1128; 

my great great great grandfather

Gustaf Gustafsson

b: 9 December 1785 Berg, Lerbäck, Örebro, Sweden

d: 23 March 1812  Lerbäck, Örebro, Sweden

Gustaf Gustafsson→Jan Gustaf Gustafsson Bergvall→Clara Sofia Bergvall→

Richard Severin Källman→Melvin Carl Kallman→ME!