FEIF, DONAT [SSNE 782]
- Surname
- FEIF, FYF, FIFE, PFEIF
- First name
- DONAT, DONALD
- Title/rank
- BURGESS
- Nationality
- SCOT
- Region
- MONTROSE, ANGUS
- Social status
- BURGESS
Text source
Donald was born in Scotland in Montrose the son of Alexander Fife and Jeanetta Rynd. He and his brothers David [SSNE 708], and James [SSNE 4779] moved to Sweden in the first decades of the seventeenth century and they all became burgesses of Stockholm. Solomon [SSNE 6679] was apparently another brother but does not feature in SBL. Donald became known as Donat, and his burgess-ship in Stockholm dates from 1633. From 8 September 1643 he was listed as a silk trader. On 10 January 1630 he married Karin Borielsdotter in her second marriage. She apparently died and was buried on 26 February 1643. Hellstrom notes that a Stockholm merchant Donat Feiff was married to one Sara Andersdotter Karsten (this was on 2 March 1645), and they had a daughter called Kerstin in 1647. They also had a son Donat born 18 May 1648, and another child born 25 July 1649. Little else is known of the man, apart from an accusation of adultery with one Karin Erichsdotter on 27 July, 1644 for which he received a reprieve. He died in 1652 and was buried at Storkyrkan in Gamla Stan (Stockholm), where is grave slab is still visible as you enter the church (left hand side, hard against the wall).
Donat and Karin had two sons: Donat the younger [SSNE 4691] who became a goldsmith and burgess. According to SBL they also had a son called Carl. The records of the Nikolai Kyrka in Stockholm reveal many other children being baptised, most of probably did not survive to adulthood. According to G.A. Sinclair this Donat was the original ancestor of both the Adlerstolpes and the Ehrensparres noble families.
Sources: Stockholm Stadsarkiv: Borgare i Stockholm, Register 1601-1650, p.22; G. Hellstrom, Stockholms Stads Herdaminne, (Stockholm, 1951), p.230; Stockholm Stadsarkiv, (Storkyrkan) Nikolai församling dopböker, 1623-1717, I, pp.156-157; Svensk Biografisk Lexicon, vol.15, pp.507-510; Svenska Män och Kvinnor (8 vols., Stockholm, 1942-1955), II, p.502; G. Elgenstierna, Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, vol. 1, pp.676-677; G.A. Sinclair, 'The Scottish officers of Charles XII', Scottish Historical Review, vol.21, no.83. p.179; T. Fischer, The Scots in Sweden (Edinburgh, 1907), p.216; Curt Haij, 'Skottar i Stockholm under 1600-talet', unpublished list of names, Hintze biblioteket, Genealogiska Föreningen, Sundbyberg, Stockholm. Thanks to Ardis Dreisbach for this information.
Service record
- SWEDEN, STOCKHOLM
- Arrived 1633-01-01
- Departed 1652-12-31
- Capacity MERCHANT BURGESS, purpose CIVIC, TRADE, COMMERCE