BELFRAGE, HENRIK JOHAN [SSNE 4340]

Surname: BELFRAGE, BEFRITZ
First name: HENRIK JOHAN, HENRY
Title/rank: LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Nationality: SCOT
Social status: NOBILITY
Education: UNIVERSITY

Text source

Henrik Johan Belfrage was one of the sons of mayor John/Hans Belfrage [SSNE 4339] and was born in 1640. He became a student in Uppsala in 1653 and then a 'styckjunkare' with the artillery in 1657, and became an ensign there in March 1658. Belfrage served as a lieutenant with the dragoons in 1665, and a lieutenant with the Vänersborg garrison in 1667. Thereafter Henrik Johan became a regimental quartermaster with the Västgötadal regiment in 1669, and captain there (one source says it was with the artillery) in 1673. His regiment was reformed but soon after he became a captain at the Vänersborg garrison in 1674 and commandant there in 1675. At this point his father had lent the Swedish Crown funds for the establishment of an armoury, and the recruitment of 70 soldiers under Henrik's command - perhaps to replace the 30 out of 124 who had deserted due to hunger. In anycase, the following year he became a major with the artillery. He was promoted again in 1678 to Lieutenant Colonel in Jönköping in which capacity he served until 1698 with the artillery. During this period he must have been commandant at Nya Älvsborg as a letter dated 15 April 1684 makes it clear that he was seeking the position again, and it is possible he received the command in 1685. At that time a Henry Belfrage appeared on the Gothenburg shipping lists freighting goods to Hamburg. In any case, he served as vice-governor of Gothenburg by November 1689. He was certainly an esteemed member of Gothenburg society as he, along with Captain Kinnaird and President Spalding [4816]were godparents to various newborns in the community. In April 1686 he was godfather to Hans Bautzen's son, in May that year to Jochim Meijer's son, and in November to Lieutenant Johan Otto von Vicken's daughter. In January 1688 he was the godfather to the regional governor David Rosenholm's daughter, and in January 1690 he was the godfather to Johan Gerdesen's daughter (as were Colonel Maclean's and Captain Hamilton's wives). In September 1701 he, Major Hamilton's wife, and General James Duncan's wife were godparents to David Maclean's daughter. Henrik Johan moved to Bohus in December 1696, retired and lived on until 1706. He had six brothers including two fellow officers, Lt. Colonel Bengt Belfrage [SSNE 4761] and Captain George Belfrage [SSNE 4763] and Jakob [SSNE 4762]. His five sisters were Jonetta [SSNE 6356], Christina [SSNE 6357], Elisabet [SSNE 6358], Maria [SSNE 6359] and Ingrid [SSNE 6360]. Henrik Johan married Maria Stöltenhjelm.

Sources: Göteborg Landsarkiv (GLA) Förteckning över Landshövdingens i Göteborg och Bohus Län - Skrivelser till Kungl. Maj:t 1657-1840 - 15/04/1684, 18/11/1684, 03/11/1685, 09/05/1689, 07/12/1696, 31/12/1696, 28/10/1706; G. Elgenstierna, Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, vol. 1, pp.265-266; Swedish Krigsarkiv, Bewers, E.2. 1-2. MR Artillery 1658-61: MR Skåne-Bohus Dragonregiment 1665: MR Vastgötadals 1669-1674: MR Vänersborgs Garniskompani 1675-1676: MR Artillery 1676-1698; Swedish Riksarkiv, P. Sondén, Militärachefer i svenska arméen och deras skrivelser; A. Lewenhaupt, Karl XII:s Officerare Biografiska anteckningar (2 vols., Stockholm, 1920), I, p.36; C.F. Corin, Vänersborgs Historia, vol.1 (Stockholm, 1944), pp. 80 and 228; W. Berg, Samlingar till Göteborgs Historia Christina Kyrkas böcker, (Gothenburg, 1890), vol.1, pp.203, 206-7, 217, 232, 304; C. Dalhede, Handelsfamiljer på Stormaktstidens Europamarknad (3 vols., Partille, 2001), III, cd rom.

Service record

SWEDEN, UPPSALA: Arrived 1653-01-01, as STUDENT; Departed 1653-12-31, as STUDENT; Capacity STUDENT, purpose ACADEMIC
SWEDEN, ARTILLERY: Arrived 1657-01-01, as STYCKJUNKARE; Departed 1665-12-31, as ENSIGN; Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, DRAGOONS: Arrived 1665-01-01, as LIEUTENANT; Departed 1666-12-31, as LIEUTENANT; Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, VANERSBORG: Arrived 1667-01-01, as LIEUTENANT; Departed 1668-12-31, as LIEUTENANT; Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, VASTGOTA DAL REGIMENT: Arrived 1669-01-01, as QUARTERMASTER; Departed 1673-12-31, as CAPTAIN; Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, VANERSBORG: Arrived 1674-01-01, as CAPTAIN; Departed 1675-12-31, as COMMENDANT; Capacity COMMENDANT, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, NYA ALVSBORG, GOTHENBURG: Arrived 1680-12-31, as LT. COLONEL; Departed 1684-04-15, as LT. COLONEL; Capacity COMMANDANT, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, GOTHENBURG: Arrived 1689-11-28, as LT. COLONEL; Departed 1706-12-31, as LT. COLONEL; Capacity VICE-COMMANDANT, purpose MILITARY
SWEDEN, BAHUS: Arrived 1696-12-31, as LT. COLONEL; Departed 1706-12-31, as LT. COLONEL; Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY