Handikappade och 1800-talets fattigvård

Fall och livsöden i lokala kontexter

Abstract

This article is based on local poor relief records from parishes in the Sundsvall Region, Sweden. The period described, i.e. decades around the mid-19th century, is characterized by rapid shifts from a rural society and to an industrialized one. The article consists of cases with poor, blind and deaf people involved. The final decisions by local authorities in poor relief cases were pargmatic in nature and primarily based on the way various parts involved responded to the problems that appeared, either these parts belonged to the local elite, or poor and handicapped, or they were relatives of neighbors to those subjected to destitution. By systematically studying these cases socially salient elements within the local community have been uncovered.

Distinctive features involving ordinary people were first of all related to maintenance obligations more than one hundred years ago. Thus to struggle hard to make a living could hardly be underrated. If someone was unable to keep up his or her living by work, close relatives were put in duty to support this person, and if no one could fill this duty, the local community became finally the responsible part. However the local poor relief was almost always in constant lack of means to support those in distress. Therefore extraordinary means were sometimes utilized by the local authorities to minimize expenses. From time to time such steps led to conflicts between parts involved and with moralizing, and social controlling undertones.