The White Spots in Soldier History : A study of future soldiers’ and boatsmen’s widows in the 19th century

This essay deals with the lives of soldiers' widows in Himmeta parish in Västmanland and boatsmen's widows in Förkärla parish in Blekinge in the 19th century with the aim of highlighting these women. I chose these women from a parish register from 1871-1880. To get a basis for this study, I have chosen to follow the widows of soldiers and boatsmen from when they were born until they became soldier widows. The results have been analyzed based on their family background, the widows' marriages and how their children fared. The answer I got was that the widows came from the lower classes, it was not common for them to remarry and that their children did not choose the same professions as their fathers. Ericson Wolke has served as an important reference to my work. The majority of soldiers’ and boatsmen’s widows lived a difficult life. The essay deals with twenty soldiers’ and boatsmen's widows. I have compared their lives as maids with their subsequent lives as married women and then as widows, but also how their children’s lives turned out. The essay shows that there is a certain difference between being the widow of a soldier over a in the agrarian society during the 19th century. Although life was hard for soldiers’ widows, life was even harder for boatsmen’s widows.