Eric Laurén, living in Somero 1759-1815, appeared to be a complicated case. He served in Major's Company according to a memoire: 'Åbo 17. Nov. 1788, signed by Lejonhjelm, ' Alla hem turna' (All returned home). Dragoun Eric Laurén is at the time '28 år gammal 14.10.1786, med liten blås, 5 1/2 ft.hög' (28 years old, with a little bruise, 5,5 feet tall'.
Solders are difficult to trase, because their patronym is usually missing and also the exact date of birth. In Eric's case the date of birth was finally found and his route as a young farm-hand in Somero region could be followed. Some mistakes made by contemporary parish clerks could still be found.
1781-1815 Eric Laurén (1759), wife Chirstin Jöransdotter (1750) and children Jacob (1778), Maria (1782), Elisabet, Lisa (1785), Helena (1790-91) and Brita (1792) live in dragouns cottage at Somero Suojoki Matti's farm.
The birth date for Eric is given as 7.5.1759, (here the Finnish date order, dd.mm.yyyy is significant!) only in the 1781-1791 communion book, when Eric lives with his wife Chirstin Jöransdotter, her son Johan Johansson from previous relationship, and Eric's son Jacob in the Somero Suojoki dragouns cottage.
1777-1779 wife Chirstin Jöransdotter and son Jacob, b. 1778, stay at Somerniemi Jakkula village Hamppula farm, while 'huusman tjänar på prästgården' (husband works for the parsonage).
5.7.1778 Jacobus is born at Somerniemi to 'Drg. Eric ____son Chirstin Jöransd:r b. 1750', Eric's patronym is not given here!
12th October 1777: Eric Simonsson (this false patronym caused a remarkable delay in finding the actual Eric!), a farm-hand from Suojoki, is married at Somerniemi chapel to Chirstin Jöransdotter from Jakkula.
10th October 1777, Eric Ericsson, b. 7.5.1759, receives his first communion and gets the permit to get married in Somero Pastor's farm, later Eric is informed to move on to Suojoki in 1780.
1777-1780 farm-hand Eric Ericsson, b. 7.5.1759, from Suojoki, at parsonage farms in Jaatila.
1772 farm-hand Eric Ericsson, b. 7.5.1759 (here April is, obviously by mistake, replaced by number 5, which stays from this on!) , from Kasei (Somero Kaskisto Kasei), at Suojoki.
1772 Eric Ericsson, b. Apr. 7th 1759, from Lautela, at Kasei, to Suojoki.
1771 'pojken' (young boy) Eric Ericsson, b. Apr. 7th 1759, at Terttilä Kapo (Terttilä and Lautela are partly overlapping), to Kasei.
1764-1769 Eric Ericsson, b. Apr. 7th 1759, at Culdela Theri, twice.
1763 Eric Ericsson, b. Apr. 7th 1759, at Lautela Räyhä (born 1759) and Culdela Theri.
1763 Eric Ericsson, b. Apr. 7th 1759, at Terttilä Kapo, to Culdela Theri.
Eric's parents live at Terttilä Kapo until 1763, when both die of some fever disease. There are several children in the family, and they are scattered in different farms in Somero and Kiikala regions.
Eric's father is a soldier, Eric Christersson Hurtig (1.4.1728-30.6.1763), a cousin to Terttilä Kapo's farmer Matts Ericsson Kapo from his mother's side. Eric's mother is Maria Johansdotter (13.3.1721-22.6.1763) from Lautela.
Eric's grandfather is also a soldier, Mathias Arfält (written also Årfält or Arrfell), from the same region.
Somero's communion books have suffered from fires, which were quite common in timber-built churches and parsonages. Some information in the books has been added later, and this may explain several mistakes in spelling and dates.
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