A Remarkable Life Story
This concerns the first Heilborn to come to Sweden. His given name was almost certainly Heyman, but for some reason he always wrote his name as H. Heilborn. His son Daniel stated that his given name was Henrik, and that is what I will call him here.
In the work “The Heilborn Family Over Two Centuries,” I wrote quite a lot about Henrik, some of which is repeated here. In recent years I have resumed my research on Henrik, partly inspired by my niece Kristina Folgert.
Henrik’s Childhood and Youth
We know nothing about Henrik’s early years other than that he is said to have been born in the Silesian town of Rosenberg in 1776. It is likely that no records have survived that could shed light on this period of Henrik’s life. He probably received a very good education. For example, Henrik knew French and had a good knowledge not only of the philosophers and scholars of his own time but also of the great thinkers of antiquity.
In other contexts I have referred to a book on Jewish surnames in Germany that is now more than 20 years old. It shows that most Jews in 18th-century Germany did not have true family names, apart from the father’s given name, sometimes with the addition “son.” Only toward the end of the century did the authorities, for administrative reasons, begin to require Jews to adopt specific family names. Those Jewish families who already had such names probably belonged to a more educated urban “upper class.” According to the book mentioned above, names such as Heilborn, Heilbrunn, and Heilbron arose to indicate an origin in the city of Heilbronn. According to legend, there was a holy well in that city, which is what our name would therefore mean. There is evidence that the family name Heilborn existed as early as the 16th century. One may reasonably assume that Henrik’s father was also named Heilborn, as were probably several generations before him. One may also assume that the family could afford to give their son a good education.
Hamburg
We do not know for certain, but we have good reason to assume that Henrik spent some time in Hamburg before going to Sweden. One indication is that Henrik’s future wife, Jeanette Benjamin, came from Hamburg. She had a high-bourgeois background. Her father was an insurance director. Johan Heilborn owns portraits of both of Jeanette’s parents as well as of her sister and brother-in-law, who bore the family name Magnus. These portrait paintings are of high quality. Copies exist in the National Portrait Archive.
Henrik’s Early Years in Sweden
Henrik moved to Stockholm in 1804, according to a note in the National Archives. He is described as an “informator” (tutor), but according to the historian Hugo Valentin this may have been a cover for “commercial clerk.” Henrik is thought to have been employed by the firm “Michaelson & Benedicks.”
Michael Benedicks was a prominent figure in business life, among other things as a financier of mining operations. Like Henrik, he had his children baptized in the Swedish Church. Benedicks belonged to the small group of wealthy Jews who were granted Swedish citizenship.
The Gothenburg Period
For unknown reasons, Henrik moved to Gothenburg in 1810 and stayed there for just over ten years. He was employed by Lazarus Elias Magnus. Magnus, like his descendants, was a prominent figure in Gothenburg’s business community.
In 1819, Henrik married Jeanette in Copenhagen.
Lurifalsiana, or The Soaped-Up Lurifaxiana
In 1815 Henrik wrote and published a pamphlet with the above title. To be on the safe side, he stated that it was the “first and last issue.” Lurifaxiana—the work Henrik criticized—was crudely antisemitic. The author and translator were anonymous. It may have been a Swede hiding behind this anonymity.
The background was the so-called “Jewish feud” of 1815. An extraordinary session of the Riksdag had been convened. Within the burgher estate there were anti-Jewish sentiments, fueled by an economic downturn.
Henrik had lived in Sweden for just over a decade. His pamphlet bears witness to deep insights, among other things in religion and philosophy. It is also written in good Swedish. Why, in “The Heilborn Family Over Two Centuries,” I claimed otherwise, I do not understand today. Henrik expresses himself well, with measured doses of gentle irony and humor. He has many forceful formulations. At times, Henrik’s thoughts may require considerable knowledge on the part of the reader to grasp their full meaning.
About a year ago I googled “Lurifaxiana” and came into contact with a priest in the Church of Sweden named Mikael Mogren. In 2009 he had written an article in the journal Kulturen entitled “A Swedish Antisemitic History.” It turned out that Mikael had no knowledge of Henrik’s pamphlet. I sent him a copy, which greatly excited him. At a gathering in Sofia Church in Stockholm, where Mikael was one of the speakers, he spoke in very positive terms about Henrik and his work from 1815. He said that it was probably the first written reaction against antisemitism in Sweden. Thus it came about that Henrik’s pamphlet, nearly 200 years after its creation, likely reached more people than when it was originally published.
Henrik’s Social Status
Around 1822 Henrik returned to Stockholm. It was probably at this time that Henrik established himself as an entrepreneur. He became a “soup cook.”
The activity is described in Kuylenstjerna’s motion of 1840 proposing a state pension for Henrik. During his employment with Magnus, Henrik had probably been involved in catering contracts and thereby gained ideas for developing this field. Henrik is sometimes referred to as a “philanthropist,” that is, a person who selflessly helps others in vulnerable situations. Henrik certainly was such a person. However, he evidently did not have his own resources to help with money. That he made significant contributions to improving food provision for large groups is nevertheless clear.
In 1827 his sons (Oscar, born 1825, and the twins Daniel and Frans, born 1827) were baptized in Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral). The officiant was the future Archbishop Johan Olof Wallin. The godparents were the Crown Prince (later King Oscar I) and several of the realm’s highest dignitaries, among them General and Count Cronhjelm, who must have been related to Daniel’s future father-in-law.
In various ways I have tried to understand how a German-Jewish immigrant who had lived in Sweden since 1804 could build such distinguished connections within the uppermost strata of society. A researcher at Mid Sweden University, Pär Hammarström, gave me a valuable tip. During the 19th century, several associations were formed to help society’s unfortunate. One of these was the “Society of Friends of the Needy,” founded in 1816. This society is described in detail in Professor Torkel Jansson’s book “Associations of the Nineteenth Century.”
The society’s purpose was to assist people of a certain social background—the so-called pauvres honteux—who had fallen on hard times. I have reviewed the society’s annual report from 1829. At that time, Henrik was one of the dues-paying members.
The patrons were the royal couple. The members represented a selection of the realm’s most distinguished men and women. Three bishops were responsible for the church connection. Many members were high-ranking civil servants. Some also belonged to the Swedish Academy. Several of Henrik’s children’s godparents were members, as was the officiant at the baptism, Johan Olof Wallin. There were also many businesspeople, such as wholesale merchants, and a few craftsmen.
In 1829 at least three Jews were members: the previously mentioned industrialist Michael Benedicks, Heyman Schück (leader of the Jewish community), and Henrik. I believe that Henrik’s status and network were influenced by his significant efforts to improve food provision and by his good education. Furthermore, he must have possessed what we today call good social skills—that is, an ability to form strong relationships.
Royal Medal
During my visits to the National Archives, I discovered previously unknown information: in 1843 Henrik received a royal medal of merit. The Privy Council decision awarding it is signed with a forceful “Karl Johan.”
The Given Name
When reviewing public and private documents concerning Henrik, there is something puzzling. Nowhere is his given name written out—only the initial H. One example is the membership list of the “Society of Friends of the Needy,” where it simply says Heilborn H., with neither a given name nor an occupation, unlike all others. The only exception I found was in the War Archives. Henrik’s son Daniel, then a cadet at the Naval Academy, states that his father was “Merchant Henrik Heilborn.”
Henrik’s real given name was probably “Heyman.” Why did he never write it out? One explanation is that he actually wanted to be called Henrik after coming to Sweden and thereby distance himself from the Jewish-sounding Heyman. Since he had his children baptized, we know that this is possible. Since he was not entitled to write himself officially as Henrik, he chose the simple solution of using only the initial.
Summary
Henrik was an unusual blend of idealist and pragmatist. Many of his ideas in the social sphere were ahead of their time, which contributed to the fact that many of his projects were never realized.
That he was skilled at organizing large-scale food provision is evident, as is the fact that he had difficulty making money from it.
It is also clear that over time Henrik became a well-known figure throughout the country.
Nov 26, 2009
Bengt Heilborn