My family tree and family legends

Introduction

Many families has myths, legends and family traditions where rumors are both internal and external. It has also my family.

In about 1996 I became aware of some sort of rumors from a friend in my class. I did not think of it much until I heard of the rumors again when I was a student in Uddevalla in 2001, including the ironical text "Sir Brage" at lower left corner of a lecture slide, that led to that I became interested in heraldry.

But I did now know exactly what the rumor  was until several years after that the tree was completed in 2007.

Drawing by Magnus Bäckmark who also helped me with the research
image

Magnus Bäckmark works as Riddarhusets chief genologist.

Family legends

Legend speaks of Royal House of Bernadotte, and thus Vasa and other houses, at both my mothers fathers side, where rumors speaks of King Gustav VI who stopped drinking alcohol because of a direct orders from his wife the year my mothers father was born, and at my fathers mothers side, where rumors speeks of a descendant of King Oskar II (blixtrar den ene så åskar den andre).

There are some visual similarities as well towards different Bernadotte members, particullary towards me and "V Gurra" (Gustav V) but there are also other cases among my ancestors if one knows how for example Folke Bernadotte looked like (extern link to Wikipedia, there are better pictures to see it clearer but not public published) or Oskar II looked like (extern link to Wikipedia).

There are also some sorts of rumors about some house at my fathers fathers side and some house at my mothers mothers father side and some house at my mothers fathers mothers side. Legend also speeks of Vasa blood from for example ancient noble houses like House Trolle and House Uggla hidden at varios parts of my family tree.

I have also seen a pattern in the names and the legends where my mothers name matches Gustav VI:s wife and my fathers mothers mothers name matches Oskar II:s wife (only other name order in her case).

Note the marks with yellow where names does not match Swedish naming traditions. Also note the red thread on the green with two shields at the same position.

Also note the supporter holding the shield. Only royal and a few high nobilitys coat of arms uses supporters. I dont know exactly why it is a squirrel but I belive its be a symbol linked to Svenska Släktkalenderns coat of arms crest that the artist is editor for.

Swedish regions and family orgin

According to church books my grandfathers father was Johan Alfred Johansson who was baptised in Västergötland 1865 and much later moved to Eskilstuna sometimes after 1883 and latest 1897 when he married Hilda Kristina Anderssdotter. He died in Eskilstuna 1949. If one follows church books the oldest members on male lines are tracable to the farmer Nils who lived in "Vipetomten", Saleby, Västergötland since at least 1604. One of the oldest known members on the way was dragoon and farmer at Vipetomten that somehow got the surname Sandin but that surname was never passed to hes children.

The surname Bragesjö was bought by my grandfather Gustaf (Gösta) Oskar (Johansson) Bragesjö in 1951 and taken up by him, hes wife and their children. Several years later my grandfather and my grandmother divorced and he moved to Askersund and got remarried. My grandmother never remarried and several years after that my grandfather had died she changed her surname to her maiden name Hammarberg.

The shields on my family tree marks where the oldest persons listed at my family tree lived in. At my fathers fathers side Västergötland (Skaraborgs län) then comes Södermanland. At my fathers mothers side Närke and Östergötland at the same shield and after that mainly Södermanland and also Västergötland at one position. At my mothers fathers side Skåne and at my mothers mothers side Västergötland (Älvsborgs län).

Älvsborgs län and Skaraborgs län combined was the core lands of the old kingdom of Västergötland. The kings names are little known but it is still documented that Västergötland had its own kings. Svealand and Västergötland and Östergötland did at some point form a defence allians that became the kingdom of Sweden.

The Swedish kings titles was "Sveriges, Götes and Venders konung" until 1973 when it becamed simply "Sveriges konung". Before Napoleon wars Finland was also part of the title, often as "Storfurste av Finland", and during Swedish-Norwegian Union the title was "Sveriges, Norges, Götes och Venders konung".