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Hello Vincent,
My family lineage dates back until before 1770 in Sweden. The first known member of my family was named Helstrom. His son was a fisherman in the Baltic Sea and kept the name Helstrom until he became a soldier (knekt) in 1825, thereafter he took the last name Haag.
At the end of the 17th century the military system of Sweden was reorganized and it was to remain in effect for over 200 years. Simplified, it specified that four farms (there were exceptions) were to join forces and equip a soldier and provide him with a house (soldattorp). The soldier was to attend military drills and in time of war was to report for duty. Since the soldier had a rural background he had a patronymic, which might be very common, such as Andersson, Eriksson, Olsson, Petersson or Helstrom. When he appeared before the military scribe he was given a soldier's name, which he kept during his service and which he often retained when he was pensioned or left the service. The military name was often the estate or farm name where he was assigned, or the name of a place or common object. Thus, our family name in Sweden was changed from Helstrom to Haag.
Regards, Nils
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