THE HISTORY OF BJÖRS FARM
Björs Stene 4 (former Stene 1)
In 1550, Oluff Skinnare is listed as a farmer at Stene 1, in the old Cadaster.
The farm name Björs probably comes from Björn Andersson, born in 1570 and, according to the old Cadaster, owner of 7 cows. (both Oluff Skinnare and Björn Andersson are in the genealogy).
The farm is still in the same family and is now in its 17th generation.
19st century
Björs had his ancestral homestead in the village of Österrike down in Nor (near Järvsö), where the animals were penned in the summers. In the autumn of 1804, on September 15, they were on their way home to Stene with all the animals. It was blowing strongly and the maid Kjerstin Olofsdotter, sister of the farmer Mårten Olofsson, was going to light a fire in the brew house in Björs and in the severe stormy weather a spark went off and ignited the barn, which was filled with unthreshed grain.
Everything burned to the ground, except for two hebbers and an old 16th-century barn, "kålsängslöo", which still stands.
The farm people and the animals then had to quickly return to Österrike and remain there until the home farm in Stene was rebuilt.
The Kristofers (Kresfers) farm, which was then located between Björs and Kusens, was also affected, when a barn and a barn fell prey to the flames.
The farmer and churchwarden Mårten Olofsson (1773-1836) married Anna Andersdotter from Uvås and they had two daughters. Karin, the eldest, married the soldier's son Jonas Månsson (Jon Mångsa) (1806-1900) from Spanskas at the foot of Grindstensberget. He came to Björs as a farmhand and became a farm hand. He had already learned to write with charcoal on the goat house wall as a 5-year-old. In addition to being a farmer and churchwarden, he became a clerk for the common people in the parish. In the middle of the 1840s, he built the cottage with the so-called "the priest's room" and there the parishioners who needed writing help used to gather after the Sunday service. (see more about the father and soldier Måns Olofsson "Spansk" in the genealogy).
Jonas and Karin had 9 children, or as Jonas preferred to say: "three and a half dozen". Mårten, the eldest, was married to Bergmans in Kramsta and Jon, son no. two, became the next farmer in Björs. The daughter Margta became the mother of the writer Jon Jonsson-Hanzen, who in the book "Järvsöfolket" tells about the churchyard Björs in Stene, when he as a youth spent a winter there in the 1880s with his grandmother and grandfather. The maternal uncle Jonas Jonsson (1840-1929) and his wife Margta Andersdotter (1845-1925) from Skömmars in Uvås had then taken over Björs.
This Jonas also became a churchwarden. They had three children, Karin (1873-1959), Margit (1880-1952) and Jonas (1883-1970).
During the latter part of the 19th century, the forest became valuable and large-scale felling took place in the forests, which led to many cuts and injuries etc. The doctor Johan Fredrik Öhrn was then active here in Järvsö in the years 1869-97 with a large catchment area which in addition to Järvsö, Ljusdal and Färila also included Los, Ramsjö and Arbrå. He had both reception and residence in the eastern building at Stene gård, and also rented himself downstairs in Björs middle room, where he, among other things, performed amputations.
Karin, the eldest daughter on the farm, had to help take care of the patients.
20st century
Youngest daughter Margit married Lars Larsson, a carpenter from Kåra, and they took over Björs. They had three children Jonas (1903-1983), Lasse (1908-1984) and Marta (1912-2010).
During their time, the old stables and mess were demolished and replaced by a three-story building, which was completed by Christmas 1911, and consisted of mess, stables and pig house at the bottom and hayloft and residence on top. In 1928, Björs received the lease on the land in Prästarv, which was and is still owned by the church. Then you could have the cows there in the summers. Hilma Mårtensson, Kåsjö, messed around there for many years.
In 1930, Jonas married Karin Persson (1904-1974) and they took over the farm and had six boys; Jonas, Lasse, Pelle, 0lle, Erik and Anders.
A big interest for Björs-Jonas and his brother Kåra-Lars (who became a farmer in Kåra) were horses. Northern Swedes it would be. An important feature every spring was traveling to Wången in Jämtland for the stallion premiere.
In 1946, the old timber building from 1805 was renovated. A half-basement with a boiler room and central heating, as well as a small toilet, was made. Old grandmother Margit warned against having long curtains for the windows, because she thought they would catch fire.
At the same time, they took the surname Björs, on the advice of vicar Josefsson, because they were called Larsson both in Kristofers. Kåra and Björs.
Björs-Karin got rheumatoid arthritis and in the summer of 1950 she stayed at a sanatorium in Nynäshamn. When she left home, she was wrapped in cotton wool from head to toe. Erik, 9 years old, wrote a letter to his mother.
"Thank you for the letter. Yesterday there was a fire in Prästarv. I thought it was the fire, but it was just wood nests like bran. And Öder came and called after the fire season. And every day I play with Leif and Britt and Anders. Leif and Britt is the name of the one who lives in the kitchen. And Anders (age 4) sucks on all his fingers, he says he's growing down like a korumpa. And on July 10 the swimming course starts. And I wrote the letter myself."
In 1966, the Järvsöklackens co-pasture association was started with a contribution from the agricultural board. There were five farmers at "lillsia" who in the summers had their cows there, sometimes more than 100, and employed people and it went on for almost 35 years. It was like a modern farmyard, but much more rational, as you milked 5 cows at the same time.
In 1970, the youngest son Anders took over the farm. He married Gunilla Persson from Undersvik. They had four children, Jon, Ida. Brita and Mårten.
In 1978, a new farm was built for 24 cows. From 1984, the land was farmed organically and 14 years later they had to start delivering KRAV milk to the dairy.
21st century
In 2007 it was time for the next generation of farmers. Jon born in 1971 took over and married Anna Lodin from Sidskogen. They have three children. Jonas. Arvid and Elin. They stopped with the dairy cows after a few and now have KRAV production of beef, lamb, potatoes and their own website (www.bjors.nu)
Text by Gunilla Björs
PS: The handwritten logo "Björs" at the top of the page is written by Björs-Karin, taken from one of her letters to Björs-Jonas in the 1930s!
