Notes:
Data compiled by Udo Momma. (deceased)
Data contributed by Frederick Roberts Reenstjerna. (deceased)
Peter M., printer (1711-72), in 1738 took over Kungl. buktryckeriet (the Royal printing office) in Stockholm, with which he incorporated his own type-foundry - the first in Sweden -, a papermill and a large publishing house. By inheritance in 1769 he became the owner of Grefingska tryckeriet (the Grefing printing office), which name disappears in 1772, and transferred his own printing office to his son Wilhelm M., who however went bankrupt in 1771 and had to escape. "Kongl. boktryckeriet" was handed over to the son-in-law of M., Henrik Fougt. After his death in 1782 his widow Elsa Momma (1774-1826) ran the printing office until early in the 1800s.
It is strange that the two newspapers Peter founded are not mentioned, and there seems to be a confusion as to who had to escape the country. So, reading so far the question arises if there could have been two Peter Momma at the same time in
Stockholm. But I think the following, in using the titles 'printer' and especially 'royal printer' for the founder of the paper, makes it clear it is the same man, so now you can even give your friend the name of Peter's great grandfather and
tell him he has German roots.
The entry on Stockholms Weckoblad states that it was founded by printer Peter Momma in 1745 and was published until 1779.
The entry on Dagligt Allehanda states that is started 1767 as a supplement of Stockholms Weckoblad, published by royal printer P. Momma, became a separat newspaper in 1969 and was taken over in 1771 by a person named
Pfeiffer.
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Momma is not a Swedish name, but I looked it up in my old encyclopedia and found that it was the name of a family which came to this country from Germany via Holland. There are also entries on the two newspapers mentioned in the excerpt, which briefly confirm the main facts of the excerpt.
Here is the excerpt in English:-------------------
The first and most important daily advertising medium in the capital was Dagligt Allehanda (roughly 'The Daily Sundries'), which was first published towards the end of 1767 as a temporary supplement of Stockholms Veckoblad ('The Stockholm Weekly), published by Peter Momma. Already from the beginning the new paper became extremely popular in the capital and gained a constantly growing number of subscribers. From 1771 it was published daily as an issue of four relatively large and tightly printed pages in quarto. The main content was advertisments and notices from the readers, but gradually the paper also took up news of different kinds, however rather badly edited. An interesting fact is that Momma was first to introduce the habit of selling single copies in the streets. "Momma has achieved", Gj?rwell writes, "that a lot of the mob, formerly rambling in the streets and begging, now walk about selling his Allehanda". Momma did good business, carried an extensive house and was involved in many comprehensive business transactions - and finally had to give up and scape from the country.
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Encyclopedia entry on Momma reported by Erik Kjellson
Es ist nicht ganz sicher, ob Peter M. in Nyk?ping geboren wurde, andere Quellen sagen Stockholm.
An interesting story about the Peter Momma Scout Troup
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The first scout troop in Botkyrka was formed in 1927 and was named Botkyrka Scout Troop. The founder was George Malmkvist; he was for a long time the world's oldest scout. In 1964 Botkyrka Scout Troop was divided and became Scout Troop Peter Momma (with activities in Tumba and Uttran) and Saint Botvids Scout Troop (Tullinge).
One can of course ask himself where the name Peter Momma came from. The name is an old historical name from the Tumba region, having to do with the Tumba factory. [Tumba is 19 kms south of Stockholm].
Short history of Bank Commissioner Peter Momma.
The Momma family were factory workers and also businessmen who came from Holland to Sweden in the 1600s.
Peter Momma was born at the factory outside of Nyk?ping in 1711. He became fatherless at an early age and had to go out into the world to earn his bread. After a position with the state secretary in Nyk?ping he went into the service of the crown.
In 1733 he received a royal appointment to study the maritime nation of Holland and its shipyards. He stayed in Holland for 4 years. He studied not only ocean shipping but also the craft of Dutch book publishing and paper making as practiced in The Hague.
On return from Holland he quickly obtained the position as banknote printer in the nation's ranking bank. In 1738 he purchased the royal book printing firm and also obtained appointment as the royal book printer.
He early decided that Swedish books should be printed on Swedish paper in Swedish style if book publishing were to serve the nation. He then founded a Swedish-style book press and a paper mill in Harg. Momma published many newspapers including The Stockholm Weekly Sheet and The Daily Miscellany.
The Tumba factory was founded in 1755. According to the royal permit and a decision of the National Bank, the work began under the direction of a man named Teuchler. The work did not go well under him and in 1757 Peter Momma had to take over the management. He obtained skilled men from Holland since it was decided that the paper should be made by the Dutch method. The Swedish banknotes were altogether too easy to counterfeit.
To get workers for the factory, orphans from Stockholm were brought to Tumba, on Momma's initiative. They got new clothes and shoes, room and board, a housemother to look after them, training in the work, good manners and esteem, plus about 2 dollars per month during the time they were apprentices. As workers they earned about 15-18 dollars a week, but since that did not include food, Momma decided that they could buy a certain quantity of grain at a reduced price.
Bank Commissioner Peter Momma kept his workers under his wing. He got a lot of complaints from other commissioners, among them that the wages were too high and that it was an "unnecessary luxury" to give the workers cut wood, but Momma knew that if the wages went down the workers would quit and that they did not have the strength to cut wood after the hard work at the paper mill.
Momma lived in Stockholm but rode out to Tumba often. He worked also for his book publishing company, his newspapers and his paper mill in Harg. Between 1758 and 1770 he had no vacation at all. His health grew steadily worse and he died on 17 March 1772.
[This page was edited by Anders Ek eken@sebank.se]