Godparents, witnesses, and social class in mid-nineteenth century sweden

Abstract

If we want to understand the social relations of the urban family in the nineteenth-century town, it is necessary to study different family patterns, particularly social networks, or sociability, as it is sometimes called. Whom did different social groups mingle with? Whom did they regard as their equals and friends? By studying such questions it is possible to enter deeply into the lives of different social groups and their relations to other groups or classes in society. By doing this we can avoid simplifying nineteenth-century social structure, and obtain a deeper understanding of the complexity of social relations. This article focuses on this problem by studying family relations created through the ceremony of baptism—that is, networks that were created through children and families.