Portraits from the Torne Valley

A number of people from the Torne Valley have survived on the pages of Outhier’s travelogue Journal d’un voyage au Nord. The help of many local people was essential to the success of the expedition.

In addition to local knowledge, the expedition needed physical strength to carry measuring instruments and build markers.

The identities of the common peasants and soldiers are not recorded on the pages of the travel book, but the names of several nobles are mentioned.

Anders Hellant, the expedition’s young interpreter

Anders Hellant (1717–1789) was only 19 years old when he served as an interpreter and local guide for the Maupertuis expedition. He later went down in history as Lapland’s tax collector, bailiff, member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences and as a daring entrepreneur.

When Maupertuis arrived in Tornio, Hellant was the county clerk accompanying Governor Gabriel Gyllengrip on his inspection tour of the northern regions of the Swedish Empire.

Hellant translated Maupertuis’s research report into Swedish already in 1738, the year it was published.

Johan Wegelius, the educated schoolmaster

The help of Johan Wegelius (1693–1764), the schoolmaster of the Tornio pedagogical school, was also crucial for the expedition. Wegelius knew Latin, was interested in astronomy and made meteorological observations.

Wegelius knew to tell that the Torne ran closer to the north-south direction than was marked on the maps of the time. Based on this information, Maupertuis started planning to take measurements of the riverside hills.

Carl Magnus Du Rietz, gentleman of French background

Carl Magnus Du Rietz (1681–1741), commander of the Västerbotten Regiment’s Tornio company, organised for the local soldiers to serve as labour for Maupertuis’s expedition at the request of the King and the Governor.

Petter Johan Pipping, Mayor of Tornio

The first place the members of the expedition stayed when they arrived in the city was in the house of Petter Johan Pipping (1694–1766), the Mayor of Tornio.

Prior to his mayoral career, Pipping was the bailiff of Lapland, where he was responsible for the administration and taxation of the Lapland region. He served as Mayor of Tornio for more than 30 years, from 1733 to 1764.

Pipping had studied Latin, which made it talking to strangers easier.

Erik Brunnius the Elder and the Younger, a civilised clergy family

The Ylitornio vicarage was one of the excursion’s bases of operation.

The conversation with the French took place in Latin as was usual at the time in the learned circles. The Brunnius household made a significant contribution to the maintenance and upkeep of the expedition.

The vicar of Ylitornio, Erik Brunnius the Elder (1660–1741) was already almost 80 years old when the expedition stayed in the Torne Valley. He was almost blind, and in practice his son Erik Brunnius the Younger (1706–1783) already held the position of vicar.

Christine and Elisabeth Planström, the young daughters of a Tornio burgher

The sisters Christine Planström (around 1716–1790) and Elisabeth Planström (1718–1784) belonged to the social circle of Tornio’s civilised society, with whom the French socialised. Socialising with some of the guests developed into romances.

The sisters followed the men to Paris. In France, things did not go according to plan, and the siblings faced many adversities. Both lived the rest of their lives in France: Christine in a convent, Elisabeth married to a brutal nobleman, in prison and in a convent.

Abraham Fought, Vicar of Alatornio

The vicar of Alatornio, Abraham Fought (1684–1760), was an educated man who knew Latin, which enabled him to converse fluently with the French.

A Swedish biologist and physician Carl von Linné, who visited Tornio a few years earlier, describes Fought as a friendly man in his correspondence.

Gabriel Gyllengrip, business developer

Gabriel Gyllengrip (1687–1753), the governor of Västerbotten county, organised the soldiers of the Västerbotten Regiment to help the French expedition in accordance with the King’s order.

In the summer of 1736, Gyllengrip made an inspection trip to the northern parts of the county and at the same time met Maupertuis and his entourage.

Sources:

Lundholm, Kjell. “Matkailijoita Tornionlaaksossa”. Tornionlaakson historia II. 1600-luvulta vuoteen 1809. Ed. Olof Hederyd et al. Tornionlaakson kuntien historiakirjatoimikunta. Jyväskylä, 1993.

Outhier, Réginald. Matka Pohjan perille. Maupertuis Foundation and Väyläkirjat, 2011 (alk. 1744).

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Pekonen, Osmo. “Meteorologisia havaintoja”. Maan muoto ynnä muita kirjoituksia Lapista. Ed. Osmo Pekonen. Väyläkirjat, 2019.

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Tobé, Erik. Fransysk visit i Tornedalen 1736–1737. Om en gradmätniingsexpedition och dess nyckelpersoner. Tornedalica, Luleå, 1986.

Vuorio, Lauri. “Anders Hellant”. Tornionlaakson vuosikirja 1978. Tornionlaakson kotiseututoimikunta, Tornio, 1978.

Weinz, Erik. “Personer och händelser kring gradmätningen i Tornedalen 1736–1737. Några anteckningar som förord.” Ed. Erik Weinz. Tornedalica Nr 23. Kalix, 1977.

Wikipedia https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Wegelius_nuorempi