Person talk:Charles Anderson (80)

Rumors about Illegitimate Son of King Oscar II [8 April 2015]

Apparently the rumor was revealed by his wife, Paulina Peterson. As near as I can figure out, one of her daughters, or daughers-in-law, made the comment that all the Andersons were so good. And she put forth the rumor that Charles' father was the future King Oscar II. According to the story - Charles' mother, Caroline Anderson, worked as a chamber maid at a 'castle' where the crown prince was visiting. He seduced her, and Charles was the result of that encounter.

Here is what I have discovered about such a claim. First; it was not uncommon for unwed mothers to claim that their child was fathered by royalty. The Royals were the Rock Stars of the day. Whether such claims were wishful thinking, or sarcasm, most were false. For Oscar Fredrick Bernadotte (King Oscar II) to be the father of Charles A Anderson, it would be absolutely necessary for him and Caroline to be at the same place in late November or early December of 1858. Carolina Nilsdotter (which was her Swedish name) was a single mother living in a dug-out hut (backstugan Bjorksatter) on the Gadderstad farm. About 1 kilometer down the road was the Hylinge Manor (Herrgard). There is no evidence that she worked at the Manor, at least not under contract. It is plausible that she would have been working there as a part time or temporary worker. However, she was a pauper, doing unskilled labor. She would not have been a 'chamber maid' (who would have been available to assist guests), but more realistically, a laborer. If she did anything in the guest's room, it would have been menial, undesirable work, like emptying chamber pots, and scrubbing the floor. It is also plausible that she was very beautiful, and would have been desirable, but her chores would have been done in the absence of the 'guests'. So far, the story carries a little bit of credence. What is crucial, was the Crown Prince a guest at Hylinge Manor during the 1858 time frame? Local historians (of the Västra Husby Genealogical Society) have indicated that the Royals were never there.

The final entry for Carolina Nilsdotter in the Västra Husby church records indicate that she was a pauper (fattig, which meant the church had to assist her), and that she was 'at Hylinge Inn' (vid Hylinge Vardhus). The Inn may have been part of the Hylinge Manor estate, but it was located about a half mile down the road. It was basically a hotel for travelers. Since she was a single mother, she did not work under the yearly contracts like other single women, but would have worked part-time, temporary, seasonal work. Her jobs would have been menial, and undesirable. Her mother died when she was 2 1/2, so she never learned even the common domestic skills that mothers taught their daughters. So it seems that she worked at the Inn, not the manor. The father of her son, was probably a handsome stranger who was just passing through. In all church records previously listed, her children are listed under her by their given names only, ie Carl Alfrid and Maria Carolina. In this record, her daughter has moved out and is working at a farm (she is 13-17 years old) and Carl Alfrid has been appended to include ANDERSON. I do not know if his birth father was Anders Unknown, of if he perhaps chose the name of his god-father.

My guess is that although Johan Andersson was his god-father, he was taking the name of his sister's god-father, who was also named Johan Andersson. But he was probably a long time friend of the family. Whereas, Carl's god-father had just moved into the parish a year before his birth--PhilGambrel 15:23, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Another Contender for Carl's Father [31 January 2022]

Since it is unlikely that Carl's father was Oscar II, maybe there is a hint in the story of his mother working at a Castle.

As stated in the topic "Rumors about illegitimat son of King Oscar II", it could be that his mother did not work at a "Castle" but at a "Manor House".

The Hylinge Manor was owned by a well connected family of Nobility. The "Lord of the Manor" was, in fact, a "Count" by title. The count was Fredrick Knut Harald Strömfelt. He was only a few years older than Carolina. His father died shortly after Carolina's mother had died, and the widowed countess took her young family to Stockholm. Young Fredrick was quite possibly a frequent companion the future King Oscar, who was also about the same age.

Once Fredrick became of age, the family moved back to Hylinge, where he became the "Lord of the Manor" and a "Count". After they settled into the routine of taking their place at the top of the social pyramid, the Strömfelts may have decided to throw a ball. A Christmas Ball, perhaps, or one for Lucia-Fest to kick off the Christmas season. It is possible that Carolina was hired as a TEMP to help prepare the Manor House for the celebration. While the "Lady of the Manor" was responsible for keeping guests and servants separated (especially young male guests, and young attractive female servants), it was the responsibility of the "Lord of the Manor" to make sure that all of the staff (including temps) were doing their jobs.

So maybe it wasn't a "Castle" but a "Manor House", and maybe she wasn't a "Chamber Maid" but a "Scrub woman", a young, very attractive "Scrub woman", and maybe it wasn't a "Prince" but a "Count", a young bachelor count.

Or maybe it was a stranger staying at the "guest house" where she sometimes worked.--PhilGambrel 21:25, 31 January 2022 (UTC)