Jacob Leijel (1612-1678)

Jacob Leijel (1612-1678) came to Stockholm with his brothers in 1638, where he became a merchant and was granted “burskap” in 1639. He later became the mill owner at Älvkarleby mill and Harnäs mill.

His first wife Margareta Edenberg was the daughter of Claes Eden, a councilman in Uppsala, later ennobled Edenberg, and his wife Gertrud Sulchen. In his first marriage, Leijel became the father-in-law of bishops Johannes Brodinus in Västerås and Petrus Bång in Viborg.

His second wife was Barbara Dress, whose father Andry Dress was a Frenchman and tenant of the Nora and Linde mining areas, and whose mother was Elisabeth Schaeij from Holland. Through his marriage and various transactions with his second wife's co-heirs, Jacob Leijel came into possession of the ironworks Rockhammar in Fellingsbro, Ör, and Hammarby near Nora, which had previously belonged to her father, and which were inherited by his descendants for several centuries.

Jacob was also a co-owner of Bröstorp's hammers at Nora. After his father-in-law and his son Otto Dress, he leased Nora and Linde bergslag from the crown together with his brother-in-law Adam Radou in 1661-64. In 1659-65, Leijel also leased Väster-Silvberg's farm in Norrbärke, Kopp, Ludvika hammers and crown farm, the ordinary rent of Grangärde parish and the tithe and church tithe from this parish and Norr- and Söderbärke, and in 1668-71, he leased together with Radou all the crown's ironworks, hammers and mines in Nora and Linde bergslag and in Fellingsbro and Ervalla, Örebro, which contract, with some exceptions, was extended for the period 1672-77.

The son from the second marriage, Adam Leijel (1658–1729) was the millmaster at Hammarby ironworks. He managed this mill and Rockhammar as well as the aforementioned share in Bröstorp's hammer on his and his sisters' behalf, leased from 1694 Kungshammaren at Nora together with the councilman Johan Petre and in 1698 bought Norrby mill in Fellingsbro together with a sister. He was also a partner in Kengisverken in Pajala and one of the directors of Hällefors silver mill, Örebro.

Adam was naturalized as a Swedish nobleman with his name retained in 1717 and was introduced in 1719 under number 1533. He died unmarried and ended his family.
Through his will he established a scholarship at Uppsala University and a poorhouse at Hammarby. He also donated some of his money to help the Hällefors silver mill.

A son from the first marriage, Jacob Leijel the Younger (1650-1719), founded in 1684 the ironworks that was last named Vällnora in Knutby in 1694 and leased from the crown the Ortala ironworks in Väddö, Stockholm from 1684–1700.
In marriage with a daughter of Mårten Kammecker, Maria he was the father of Lieutenant Jacob Leijel (1681–1712), who was captured at Poltava in 1709 and killed in Tobolsk.

Source: 
Riksarkiv
St Andrews University SSNE