Ulrika Eleonora Church from 1737

You will find Ulrika in the woodland, south of the flat country of Östergötland. The region consists mostly of extended woodland, heath, mosses and mountain ridges. This part of Östergötland was almost one of the latest areas, which got a settled population, in about the 11th century. That you can gather from the name of the oldest farms. Farmss with an ending of -torp, -hult and -bo, as Farsbo, were such farms. For communications with the neighbouring places, there were only ride bridles for a long time. When the inhabitants should visit their churches in Kisa, Gammelkil, Nykil or Malexander they had to ride a horse or walk about twenty kilometres. Not until the 18th and 19th century they built driveways so it was possible to go by horse-drawn vehicle.

Ulrika parish is well-documented thanks for Sven J Carlsson. He wrote the book "Anteckningar om Ulrika socken" (notes about Ulrika parish), which is one of my most important sources. The book is a mine of information about Ulrika parish, the customs of the district, the way of living and the circumstances under the ordinary farmer lived.

A nice view on the way to Ulrika

After 1896 Ulrika parish was under Valkebo Härad (administrative county district). Before that, different farms and villages had in addition to Valkebo, belonged under Kinda, Ydre and Vifolka. Ulrika was confirmed as a parish by the King's resolution in the 5th of February 1761. The parish had been detached from Nykil, Gammalkil, Västra Harg, Malexander and Kisa parishes. Before that Ulrika had been a chapel parish, where the border farmers had duties towards theirs original parishes. According to notes in the parish register, these borderers should have tried to build up a church as earlier as in the end of the 15th century. For this purpose was the Kings sanction needed. However plague and wars were raged and they had to postpone it to a better occasion.

The border farmers had at least twenty kilometres to their churches. That meant they had to go more than forty kilometres when they should visit the church. There were only bridle paths and footpaths for this purpose and the paths could be very muddy or icy in wintertime. It was very risky and dangerously to take a new-born child to the clergyman for christening. In those days, a child should be baptised by 8 days after the birth at the very latest. To take the deceased to the church for the funeral was at great cost because the long distances and because, for taking the coffin to the church, they had to pay for substitutes. Furthermore, many of the youth stayed at home on Sundays and played card and skittles, was fishing in the lakes or other more sinful things, according to the notes in the parish register.

According to a legend, the farmer, Samuel Larsson from the village Viprödsle, would have lost his new-born child on the way to the clergyman. The horse had slipped down on the ice and the child had died. Samuel had after that tragic accident taken the initiative in calling on the King in Stockholm. The story would have touched the Queen Ulrika Eleonora to the heart, who would have promised to support the cause.

The farmers called on the bishop in Linköping in 1732 without any results. However the farmers make a success to talk the cornet Birger von Gardemein at Stora Broby, into taking up theirs cause to built a church. Von Gardemein sent a request, signed by 14 farmers, to the King. The cause was brought up for handling by the Parliament in 1734. After an investigation and the opinion of the county districts, the district judges and the chapter, the Parliament decided in 1736 to agree to the cause, that the farmers should built a church of their own.

In the 1st of June 1737 the bishop consecrated the church. The church got the name Ulrika Eleonora after the Queen. Half of the guests of honour and other people who had gathered in honour of the occasion had to stay outside the church. However, the building of church was not finished to the consecrate ceremony. Shingle on the roof and panelling on the walls was attached later on. In 1742 the church porch was built and in 1755 the church gallery was built. The roof in the chancel was painted, which visualised the Trinity. The painter was Master I G Stoltz from Vadstena.

An indoor picture of Ulrika Eleonora Church.

Different kind of adornments was donated to the new church. The Queen Ulrika Eleonora donated a gilded chalice, wine tankard, box for sacramental wafer and a cloth, a among other valuables. The widow of Gustav Drake, Elisabeth Haddorss, donated a pulpit from Västra Eneby parish. The Crown Prinsess, Ulrika Lovisa donated a big church bell. The parishioners refounded three smaller bells, which had been donated earlier, and made another big bell. A wooden belfry was built in 1752 for these two bells. Baroness and the maid of honour to the Queen, Emerentia von Dyben, donated an altarpiece. Also the German parish in Stockholm donated a picture. The couple at Stora Farsbo, Martin Gustav Planck and his wife, Hedvig Magdalena Runberg, the daughter to the clergyman, donated in 1786 a collection-bag of black velvet and gold braids. In 1798 the couple Planck donated 1000 'riksdaler', while the parish contribute 2000 'riksdaler' for purchasing an organ. That was an organ stop of seven parts, built in 1734 by Johan Nicklas Cahman. The parishioners strictly limited resources, but in 1768 the purchased a parish silver goblet and a gilden bridal crown with 27 stones. That crown was lent for weddings in the parish for an fee of 2 "skilling".

Sven Jacob Carlsson from Lilla Emtefall in Ulrika parish collected old objects, tools, utensils etc. In 1952 he and his wife Hanna donated their museum specimens to the parish on condition that the parish would build a museum and a foundation should manage and preserve all objects. Ulrika Museum is one of the most excellent old homestead museums in Sweden. (But that does not the episcopate understand yet, because the museum has no funds to advertise and make it widely known).

My ancestor Lars Persson Sollfeldt, his wife Annika Andersdotter and their children, Petter, Anders, Ingeborg and Anna, lived here in Ulrika. Lars was a soldier for the file "rote no 2, Sålltorp. As a soldier he had at his disposal the croft Sålltorpsstugan. After he had retired, the family moved to Spångtorpet, Åsarp lands. In the end of 1770, Sven Planck Wallpol moved to Ulrika together with his mother Annika Andersdotter (not the same woman as Lars' wife above). Annika served as a housemaid in Stora Farsbo. The owner to that farm was Sven's father, Martin Gustaf Planck. Sven worked late as the parish tailor and then as the soldier of file, rote no 2, Sålltorp. Sven got married to the former soldier's, Lars, daughter, Ingeborg. Later they moved to Afgölstugan, after Sven had been a soldier for file, rote no 5, Amundebo. Read my whole story about the soldier Sven Planck Wallpol's life and adventure.

Ulrika Museum.
I present in this page an unofficial information about Ulrika Museum.

The soldier Sven Planck Wallpol.
A story about my ancestor he lived in 96 years between 1777-1873.

External links:

Historieportalen om Ulrika Museum.
Historieportalen, about Ulrika museum.

Linköpings kommun, about Sven Jacob Carlsson

Sockenstugan, Ulrika hembygdsmuseum

Historieportalen, Ulrika school, pupil's work from studies of Ulrika museum

Kinda härads hemsida.
Here you will find information about Kinda administrative county district e.g. parishes, genealogical tables of well known people from Östergötland. The author and genealogist Bo Lindvall has made this very interesting site. Only in Swedish.

Ulrika parish.
A site about Ulrika parish made by Bo Lindvall. Here you will find suggested readings, birth book and other things. Very interesting, but only in Swedish.