700. Mats Matsson700 Mats Matsson, X:189. Born in 1660 in Mjösjö, Nordmaling. Mats died in Mjösjö, Nordmaling in 1720; he was 60. Occupation: Farmer. Residence: Mjösjö, Nordmaling.Sources: Tyko Lundkvist RoR pages 165-171, TLÖ page 154 and 218. Tyko Lundkvist; Olåt och munbruk sid 31. Thord Bylund; the genealogical database "Angur". Richard Gothe; Finnkolonisationen pages 90-91. (Father 1400; Mother 1401) In the Judgement book of 1687 (24/10 § 12) is noticed that Matts Mattsson is a "violent man". When he was very young he got married with a considerably older woman. Already in 1687 she was aged. This was not a god start. In the summer 1687 Matts works as boatswain at the wife Sissla in Agnäs. He then went to bed with the maid Brita Jonsdotter (see under ID 698). At his home in Mjösjö he did the same with the maid Karin Persdotter from Hummelholm. His wife Karin, who had left her husband, complained to the district court sessions and said: " Once near the river he beat me with a switch very badly. He took me in the feet and held them high with the head down. He whipped me on the body as long as he was able to." Matts was 1688 fined 24 mark silver coins because he "had done her left hand and arm paralysed and injured". That's how he was, the son of the Mjösjöman. He was also condemned to have had sex with two maids and had for that to run the gauntlet. Totally he was fined 276 silver dalers and 50 copper dalers. As he could not pay with money he had to pay the fine with his body. The ten pages in the Judgement book in which are described the treatment of Matts´ wife and the maids give descriptions of great value about the life in the Finnish cottages. Here is mentioned loft and drying room where they had bed and could sleep when there was too little space in the cottage or "when it started to drip in the cottage". When it got to hot in the drying room they went out and cooled off in the rain or went to sleep in a hay-barn. The old people lived in a shed by themselves. Once the wife helped Matts to keep the pole when he should repairer a sleigh. He then put her arm out of joint so it was never healed again. "In addition to this he once beat my head so that it bled two days and I was near to die". The wife Karin had since 2 1/2 years left him and she wanted not to return" as he has so awfully treated me. I am afraid that he will kill me". Mats Matsson, his brother Isac and 10 other Finns carried on an illegal elk-hunting, which was reported at the district court sessions 1707 in Nordmaling. They had driven some elks from the mountain to the forest at Humleholm, where shot them. Elk-hunting was forbidden at this place. The hunting was punishable according to a law of the year 1681. They were fined 50 daler for each elk; totally 200 daler. This was a severe punishment. During the hard years of war in the later years of the reign of king Charles XII they met with failure of the crops. Many Finnish cottages were then laid waste. This also happened in the year 1718 with the farm owned by Mats Matsson. It is written that Mats was hit by great poverty and that he had to go begging. Mats died in the year 1720. Mats married Karin Hansdotter, X:190. They had one child:
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