Gometz is an unusual name which is borne by several unrelated families of differing national and ethnic backgrounds. This page is primarily about the Gometz family of Sweden, Denmark, and the United States, the descendants of Magnus Bengtsson alias Gometz (1819-1901). However, I'm including some background information on other occurences of the name for those interested.
Magnus Gometz was the first person in our family to bear the name "Gometz".
He was born on 20 September 1819 to Bengt Smitt and and Kjersti Bengtsdotter who were living at the time at #19 Höjatorp, Höja, a town in the lan [province] of Kristianstad in southern Sweden.
In 1837, at age 18, Magnus enrolled in the Royal Swedish Hussar Regiment and was given the "soldier name" Gomez according to a document still preserved by members of the family in Sweden who have sent me the transcription and English translation below:
Drängen Magnus Bengtsson född 1819 den 20:e September
The farm hand Magnus Bengtsson born 1819 the 20th of September
antages som Husar för No 39 vid Silfåckra Squadron af Kongl.
is engaged as Hussar for Number 39 at the Silfåckra Squadron of the Royal
Skånska Husarregementet och erhåller Namnet GOMEZ
Skånska Hussar Regiment and is given the Name GOMEZ
så framt densamme blifver antagen vid nä sta Rekryt(?) Möte.
provided the same is approved at the next Recruit (?) Meeting.Silfåckra den 17. January 1837
S(?), v. (von) Platen
Squadrons Chef
[At this time, Swedish surnames had not yet taken on their modern form and fixity. For an explanation of Swedish naming practices see Some Notes on Swedish Names.]
Notice that the name given in the document is "Gomez". My correspondent writes, "According to my aunt Signe it was changed by the priest who did the parish registration. 'Otherwise nobody will pronounce it correctly,' he said."
Still unanswered? Why Gomez? Where did Magnus (or the squadron chief) get this name and why did he want to use it rather than any other possible name? His descendants would love to know. Perhaps more research into the details of his life and times will provide us with an answer.
Oddly enough, despite the fact that this surname is less than 200 years old, there are still spelling variations for family historians to contend with. In the earlier records in Sweden the name appears as Gomitz or Gomets. In most cases, I've chosen to use Gometz. If I quote an original record, the spelling will be that used on the record.
A good family history requires the same sort of evidence and proofs that a historian uses when writing any other type of history. To save repeating the same information many times on this site, I'm creating a list of sources used.
The rest of this site contains an "Index Chart" that links individuals to "Family Group Sheets" containing the information which I have on each family.
There is also a memoir of the Gometz family in the 1890s and a section for background information on other occurrences of the name, "Is There a French Connection?".
The welcome mat is out! Come in and meet our family. If you can add to or correct the information shown here, we'd love to hear from you.
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