noted that Bergman is a common name in Sweden, used by several unrelated
families. Torbjörn Michelsson, who used the name Bergman from 1703, was district scribe in Läckö district and bailiff in Höjentorp. He had two children, Barthold
Bergman (Torbern Bergman’s father) and a daughter, Brita, who married a priest
Erik Afzelius in Mariestad. Thus, Bergman was probably distantly related to Johan
Afzelius (Chap. 11), his student and successor as professor in Uppsala.
Bergman’s father, Barthold Bergman, was the royal bailiff (kronobefallningsman) in the Vadsbo district and was born in 1704. Thomson wrote in his History of
Chemistry about Bergman’s father that “A receiver of the revenues was at the time,
in Sweden, a post both disagreeable and hazardous” [4]. Bergman’s mother, Sara
Hägg, was a merchant daughter born in Gothenburg in 1697 and a cousin of the
wealthy and successful merchant Niclas Sahlgren (1701–1776), director and
co-founder of the Swedish East Indian Company. Sara Hägg married for the first
time in the village of Björsäter, Västergötland, in 1721, with district official Olof
Myra, born in 1689. The couple had three children: Margaretha (1721–1763),
Petrus (1726–1741), and Jonas (1730–1737). Of these, only Margaretha could have
made any lasting impression on Torbern. Olof Myra died in Mariestad in early
1732. On November 9, 1733, Sara married Bergman’s father in Mariestad. Torbern
Fig. 2.1 Katrineberg in Låstad, where Bergman was born. The yellow wooden main building,
partly obscured by trees, with its two wings may originate from Bergman’s time. Photo Anders
Lennartson, June 2018
12
2 Bergman and Scheele: Childhoods
families. Torbjörn Michelsson, who used the name Bergman from 1703, was district scribe in Läckö district and bailiff in Höjentorp. He had two children, Barthold
Bergman (Torbern Bergman’s father) and a daughter, Brita, who married a priest
Erik Afzelius in Mariestad. Thus, Bergman was probably distantly related to Johan
Afzelius (Chap. 11), his student and successor as professor in Uppsala.
Bergman’s father, Barthold Bergman, was the royal bailiff (kronobefallningsman) in the Vadsbo district and was born in 1704. Thomson wrote in his History of
Chemistry about Bergman’s father that “A receiver of the revenues was at the time,
in Sweden, a post both disagreeable and hazardous” [4]. Bergman’s mother, Sara
Hägg, was a merchant daughter born in Gothenburg in 1697 and a cousin of the
wealthy and successful merchant Niclas Sahlgren (1701–1776), director and
co-founder of the Swedish East Indian Company. Sara Hägg married for the first
time in the village of Björsäter, Västergötland, in 1721, with district official Olof
Myra, born in 1689. The couple had three children: Margaretha (1721–1763),
Petrus (1726–1741), and Jonas (1730–1737). Of these, only Margaretha could have
made any lasting impression on Torbern. Olof Myra died in Mariestad in early
1732. On November 9, 1733, Sara married Bergman’s father in Mariestad. Torbern
Fig. 2.1 Katrineberg in Låstad, where Bergman was born. The yellow wooden main building,
partly obscured by trees, with its two wings may originate from Bergman’s time. Photo Anders
Lennartson, June 2018
12
2 Bergman and Scheele: Childhoods