Please help decipher this handwritten location in Sweden

March 12, 2014 12:56 PM

This snippet is from a petition for naturalization filed in North Dakota (USA) in 1908. It is referring to the birth place of a man born in Sweden in 1874. Anyone with more knowledge of historical Swedish parishes and/or turn-of-the-century handwriting care to help me decipher the first word?

I can read "...tofta" but that seems like a common place-name-ending. I believe two of his children were born in Gualöv if that provides any clues.

posted by muddgirl to Grab Bag (9 answers total)

It might be helpful if you could use an image with more handwriting from the same person. I am sometimes able to figure these things out by pattern-matching the way someone wrote letters in other words.
posted by Joh at 1:03 PM on March 12, 2014

Could it be Gantofta, Sweden?

That first letter could be a Palmer Handwriting G.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:11 PM on March 12, 2014

Best answer: Ivetofta? It's only about three miles from Gualöv, and old capital I's can look like that.
posted by theodolite at 1:13 PM on March 12, 2014 [5 favorites]

"Tofta" is found in place names across Southern Sweden (Skåne) and on the island of Gotland.
posted by three blind mice at 1:28 PM on March 12, 2014

Best answer: Yes, Ivetofta. In the old spelling Ifvetofta.
posted by Namlit at 1:47 PM on March 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: This is Ivetofta, spelt in an old way as "Ifvatofta".
posted by Thing at 1:48 PM on March 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

Snap!
posted by Thing at 1:49 PM on March 12, 2014

Heh.
posted by Namlit at 1:50 PM on March 12, 2014

Response by poster: (I saw Ivetofta on a map but there were too many letters! Thanks for the confirmation.)
posted by muddgirl at 1:51 PM on March 12, 2014