Should I change my Anderson profile to the correct Andersson?

Question

I've learned that Anders Anderson born in Sweden should have the surname Andersson. Can I change this without making a big mess? I'd like to have the correct spelling.

Comments

Yes, you can change his LNAB without making a mess. It will create a new profile since it will get a new WikiTree ID, but in this case it will be OK since no other duplicates with alternative/correct spelling can be found.

I tried to find his death notice but only found a note in the household book (https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/00149378_00035) that he died in 1925 and his daughter Amanda Elisabeth who was living in the same household died in 1930. By the time of her death she is listed as Amanda Elisabeth Andersson, there was a change in the name laws between she was born and at the time of her death and Andersdotter became Andersson.

You can read about Swedish patronymics here; https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Patronymics_in_Sweden

Edited to add...

It seems not all of Anders children were christened and not all were confirmed in the Swedish church. It might be that the family were inspired by Eric Jansson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Jansson who was a layman holding preacher meeting and emigrated to Illinois and founded Bishop Hill.

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Thank you for all this great information Maggie!

Answer 1

Just be sure his birth record actually uses the spelling Andersson. Sometimes they differ from their parents. Then you have to edit the LNAB. This can only be done if you are on the trusted list and from the edit tab. The link is very small, but you can find it if you look long enough.

It does, in fact, make a bit of a mess when you change the LNAB. As it was explained to me, there are all sorts of synapses and redirections behind the scenes that are involved, so be sure you have good sources before making the change. Of course, if the name should be Andersson, it should be Andersson, so make the change.

Comments

The profile shows Anders having seven children who also had the birth surname Anderson.  So I would add to Lucy's answer that a correction to the spelling would not necessarily apply automatically to all of the children and their descendants, particularly if any of them emigrated to another country.  You would need to treat them individually and try to find relevant records for each line of descendants, so it could be a real project.

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Lucy, his birth record will probably not show a last name for him. Most Swedish birth/baptism records only show the given name(s) for the child.

At the time when Anders was born the common folk in Sweden had last names according to the patronymic system. So the "Last Name at Birth" has to be assigned by principle: when the father is named Anders, sons will be Andersson and daughters will be Andersdotter.

Children will usually be in records for the household with only  their given names, as long as they live with their parents. Only when they move out we get to see their last name - which more or less always agrees with the principle.

Answer 2

The son

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Anderson-26099

Has birth record that says Anderson, so his LNAB should not be changed.

If you check for sources for the rest, it should give you the answer.

Comments

I'm sorry, I don't see any birth record among the sources for Albert?

It would have been very unusual for someone born in Sweden at that time to spell a male patronymic with only one s in the last name.

Edited: Added his birth record as source on the profile

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Torstuna kyrkoarkiv, Födelse- och dopböcker, SE/ULA/11565/C/6 (1861-1879), bildid: A0012466_00023

The birth record for Albert, born 23 Sept 1865 in Torstuna parish does not give a last name for Albert, but states that the father is "bonden Anders Andersson". As is often the case the two s-es in Andersson are written as one small and one "long" s - there are other long s-es in "hustrun Maria Christina Jansdotter."

The names in Swedish birth records at FamilySearch are often incorrectly transcribed - and in the case of girl children all too often misconstructed as male -son names.

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Eva is exactly right!

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Thank you everyone for your help!!

Answer 3

The Swedish Census gives his name as Anders Andersson.  See

• Swedish Census 1880    Actual page image
• Swedish Census 1910.   Actual image

If you are going to be doing research in Sweden, get acquainted with SVAR.  This site is now free and I find it easier to use than Family Search.  It gives access to the church books and census both in English and Swedish. I mostly use the Digital Research Room

Comments

Thanks Norm, I am now getting familiar with SVAR. Thank you for the census links too!