S. SCHILBRED

It is important to have connections over the bor­

ders. You ought to know your neighbours in other countries just as you know people who live in the house next to you. It’s interesting to talk to them, understand them, be friends with them. A sentence of wisdom says that when products pass over a border, it isn’t necessary that the soldiers do it.

Connection by commerce means that it is peace between the nations. And so it is with other connec­

tions - concerning interests of different kinds - I dare to say.

If you have connections with a neighbourcountry you will usually learn to know the country and persons there. And it is very important to get such knowledge. If we don’t know them and they don’t know us, we build up a defence to protect us if something should happen. But all would be other­

wise if we knew each other. It will be easy to get contact - per example if you find that your family has it’s origin in the other country — or even if you have only one ancestor there.

Such knowledge you often get through members of your family - perhaps one of your relatives have heard about ancestors and can tell you about them - and it might happen she or he has a pedigree or papers with informations. Or if you don’t get such material - make investigations yourself, study your ancestors and make a pedigree yourself. You will get a special feeling for a country if you detect that you have family there, you will be warm in your heart if that happens. I have ancestors in a couple of foreign countries, and I like very much to learn about and visit my family-countries and have been eager to get detailed informations about my relatives there.

Much knowledge I have got through letters I have sent to archives and genealogical societies. As I said I have got warm feelings for countries where I have family - I feel them as homes, not as foreign coun­

tries, I am lucky to be there and a little change between them and my native country makes my life richer.

I think more contact between the nations perhaps will result in a more peaceful world. It’s for this reason I have chosen to talk about families from abroad.

Only a few months ago I had a nice and interest­

ing visit in connection with family from abroad. It wasn’t concerning my own family, but a family I have written a book about. I got a letter from a German lady, who had read my book, and she told me that she intended to come to Norway. A member of the family concerned had many years ago left Norway for Germany and established himself there.

Now several descendants were living in Germany — among them the lady who wrote to me. And one evening she called on the telephone and told me she was in Oslo. I invited her up to us, and she came 1 hour later, and we had a pleasant meeting. She didn’t know any of her familymembers in Norway, but I gave her the name and address of one of my collaborators in the family, and later I called him on the telephone and told that he would get a letter from the lady. During the visit I asked her to write down details about so many members as possible of her branch of the family and send it to me or my collaborator. - I have told this because it is an interesting example of family-contact over the bor­

der.

You can also have a friendly feeling for a person from abroad if he has the same interest as you - I have noticed this when I meet a person who is interested in genealogy as science, from a theoreti­

cal point of view. We look at each other in a special way, it is a correspondance between us. And you will have the same feeling when another interest is common.

151

As a general experience I will say that it is very fine to meet colleagues from other countries, people who have the same interest as yourself.

When studying your roots - to use a wellknown expression — you will get experience in doing inves­

tigations in an interesting field. I say these words as introduction to something I will say about genealo­

gical research and the values it gives. I think this kind of occupation is important in our days, when most people do their ordinary work in a limited field and it has few variations. This is usual not only for labourers, but also for persons who work in office.

The reason is that work nowadays very often is specialised so one person only does a little bit of the total result. This method reduces the use of the brain. And what about TV and radio?

It is important to do something in addition to your daily work. Find something to study and re­

duce the time you spend with TV and radio. Here I will add a few words: I am not against the use of data-collected information used in a mechanical way, it might be of good help also concerning ge­

nealogy.

I think you will be happy when studying your background. Your ancestors and their life will be interesting to know. Regularly they have lived in your own country, but sometimes they came from abroad.

When you are interested in knowledge about people from another country - what shall you do?

You shall get a handbook, a treatise about ge­

nealogy, a guide to genealogical sources. Regularly the book will give informations about archives and societies in different countries and very informative for this use is an English book “Your Family Tree”, written by L.G.Pine (edited London 1961-62). You will find names and adresses of societies in all Euro­

pean countries and also elsewhere. Then you write to the society you want - and be sure you get ans­

wer. If you want help about families in Norway, our Society for Genealogy will be glad to help. We also have a society for heraldry. I am representing both and will be glad to give informations. It is also Norwegian books with information about societies in different countries.

The first I will mention when talking about Nor­

wegian families is the Royalty. Our present king, Olav V, is son of Haakon VII, who was a Danish prince, and they are both beloved and esteemed in our country together with their family.

So I will say some words about a central person in northern genealogy, a lady who lived in Vendsyssel in Denmark. Her name was Johanne Andersdatter, she belonged to a noble family Panter and she had an estate Asdal with a castle in the northern district of Jutland (Jylland), north of the Limfjord. In Norway

it is edited a book about her and her family. She had 18 children, and in the book, “Our common An­

cestors” (Vore fælles Ahner) you find dates about ascendants going far back from the fifteenth centu­

ry, when she lived, and her descendants up to our days. It is many, many persons you find there, and all the links are mentioned so the book, written by Christopher Morgenstierne Munthe, is of help in many cases, because you find lines and connections.

About the castle Asdal you find details in topogra­

phic and genealogical literature.

Many people are interested in knowing their an­

cestors and other relatives. Among the persons in­

terested in genealogy are also many young people.

But when I investigated as a schoolboy and student there were only few young people in the archives - at least in Oslo. I can’t remember so many I can count on one hand. But as the years went on, when we came on age, the number of persons with genealogical interest increased.

When I look at Norwegian families from abroad, it is only as a specimen, an example - you can do the same with families in your own country. Of course it can only be a few families I mention, but they are representative for the different ways of living.

We shall deal with families from different sides of the life in the country and start with the base ofit all - the work to get the food and other things the people need to live, and that is the results of farming, forestry, fishing, shipping and commerce, later industry.

When we look at farming and forestry in former days we find that owners of some large estates be­

long to families from abroad, but the regular farmer was and is of Norwegian origin.

152

In shipping and commerce we see the same.

When you find names of foreign origin connected with shipping and commerce in Norway it is usually business on large scale. I shall mention some of them and start with Bernt Anker (1746-1805) ship­

owner and also owner of large estates - living in the most representative house - called the Palais - in Christiania. A brother of Bernt was Peder Anker (1749-1824), owner of the estate Bogstad and the largest part of Nordmarka (the forests north of Oslo), the first president in the assembly at Eids- vold in 1814, later to 1822 Norwegian prime minis­

ter in Stockholm. A cousin of these, Carsten Anker (1747-1824) was owner of the estate Eidsvold verk, representative from Norway to England 1814. The family Anker came to Norway from Sweden.

A man with the name Matzjenssen, born 1760 and son of a carpenter in the neighbourhood of Tønder in Jutland, left his native country for Norway, where he started as merchant in Trondheim, and his firm Jenssen & Co. was a success. Four sons followed up in the new country - one of them, Jens Nicolai, was owner of a large estate in Verdal (Vær­

dalsgodset) etc. and one of the largest businessmen in the district. Another son, Anton, ended up as owner of Vinje estates in Mosvik, Trøndelag. A 3rd son, Hans Peter, was bankdirector and number 4, Lauritz Dorenfeldt J. was owner of Ranheim works and estate near Trondheim. Grandson of the last mentioned is Lauritz Jenssen Dorenfeldt, born 1909, attorney-general in Norway 1968.

A citizen of Copenhagen, Jørgen Mathiesen, cap­

tain the city-forces (stadskaptein), had a son Henrik and his son Jørgen (1663-1742) established a fami­

ly-branch in Norway. His son Henrik was president of the urban magistrate in Bergen and the grandson Jørgen (1725-64) leader (lagmann) of the the highest court in Norway (the overhofret). Haagen Mathie­

sen, a son of him lived from 1759 to 1842. By mar­

riage he was owner of Linderud and large areas connected with this estate. His grandson Haaken Christian Mathiesen (1827-1913) also bought Eids­

vold Værk, and the two nice and large properties are still in the family.

Interesting is also a family with its origin in the district Aal in Jutland, Denmark, where the eldest

Families from Abroad known of the ancestors Søren Nielsen lived in the first half of the 16th century. A descendant Niels Aall (1633-1707), citizen in Copenhagen, was father to Jacob Aall (1667-1717) who died as businessman in London. His son Niels Aall, born 1702 in London, left for Norway, where he established himself in Porsgrunn, Telemark, and he died there 1784. A son of him, Nicolai Benjamin Aall (1739-93) bought Ulefoss higher up in Telemark. His son Niels (1769-1854) followed up on Ulefoss, another son consul Jørgen Aall (1771-1833) was businessman in Porsgrunn, a 3rd son Jacob Aall (1773-1844) was owner of Nes ironworks on the south-eastern coast and a 4th son Nicolai Benjamin Aall (1776-1811) on Bjørntvet near Porsgrunn. Three of the sons were connected with the work for Norwegian indepen­

dence in 1814-Jørgen and Jacob were both mem­

bers of the assembly at Eidsvold, Jacob later member of the Norwegian parliament through years. Niels was member of the government in 1814 and 1815-16 in the Parliament as president in one of the chambers (lagtinget).

It is also other families from abroad of impor­

tance in the section of farming - one of them is Neumann, descending from a brewer in Helsingør Paul Iversen and his wife Mette Rasmusdtr. Nie- mand. Five children moved to Christiania, among them Jørgen Paulsen, 1653-1709. He was a rich merchant in Chra. and owner of Fossesholm in Eker, west of the city, in company with another rich businessman in Chra. Gjord Andersen - also from Denmark. Fossesholm was mentioned as the largest estate in Norway. A son, Johan Jørgensen followed up on Fossesholm together with his brother-in-law Gabriel von Cappelen, belonging to a prominent family, originally from Germany and wellknown in different fields in Norway, also in politics. Another brother-in-law of Johan Neumann was Otmar Jen­

sen Elligers, also businessman in Christiania and mentioned as timbermerchant on the noteworthy Fossesholm. Otmar Elligers came from Copenha­

gen, where his father Jens Ibsen was a winedealer.

A grandson ofjørgen Paulsen was bishop in Bergen Jacob Neumann, known for his historical interest — also for genealogy - his organisation of archives and interest for museums.

153

In connection with forestry and farming the fa­

mily Treschow must be remembered because of large properties, about 150000 acres of forests from Lar­

vik to Kongsberg, in addition large areas for farm­

ing and also industrial plants. The family is of Dan­

ish origin — the first known of the members, Niels Hansen, died 1593 in Næstved, Sjælland and was a tradesman. His son Rasmus Nielsen was a shoema­

ker and died 1633 - the familyname means a shoe made of wood (tree). A grandson of him, Gerhard Treschow, was prominent in the admiralty, came to Norway and built a representative building in Chri­

stiania. His younger brother Herman was the leading authority in Trondhjem concerning customs and post and lived on the wellknown estate Lade in the neighbourhood of the city. His grandson Michael T.

was given the rank as nobleman (1812). He was amtmann i.e. chief of the civil official administra­

tion in Roskilde, Denmark. A son of him, Willum Frederik T., extraordinary member of the Danish High Court bought the estates of the earlier count of Larvik in 1835. His son Michael took over the esta­

te, and it got the name Fritzøe.

I will also mention the family Rumohr, who has two estates in the western part of Norway - Rikeim in Lærdal and Frønningen in Leikanger, both very interesting. The Norwegian family Rumohr is sup­

posed to have its origin in Holstein, where a family Rumohr, belonging to the nobility is known back to the 13th century (DAA 1937, II from page 99). The family in Norway has been in possesion of Rikeim since 1665-66. Some of the owners has been officers, among them Jan Clausen R. (1662-1735), lieute­

nant-colonel in French service. Frønningen has been in the Rumohr family since 1888.

A large estate Kaupanger in Sogndal in western Norway has been connected to a family since 1710, when a man with the name Niels Knag bought it.

He was a member of the nobility from 1721 with the name Knagenhielm and died in 1737 as presiding judge (lagmann) in Bergen. He got his name Knag, which is of Danish origin, from his mother Maren Nielsdtr. Knag, and it is mentioned that it is a part of the name on a Danish locality - a farm or a town.

His father had the name Castberg - also from Den­

mark. Of the family-members from later years I will

mention Jacob Roll Knagenhielm (1858-1932), head of staff at the court of the Norwegian King Haakon VII.

Munthe is a family descending from Ludvig Munthe, born about 1520, probably in the Nether­

lands, established himself as merchant in Lübeck, had a son Hans (1560-1601), vicar in Tikøb in Sjælland. A Swedish branch goes out from the vi­

cars son Arnold Munthe, lecturer in Lund, and a Norwegian branch from another son, Ludvig Munthe (1593-1649), bishop in Bergen. A daughter of the bishop - Birgitte - was married Morgenstierne and her grandson Bredo got the rank as member of the nobility in 1735 with the name Munthe af Mor­

genstierne - he was judge in the high court. Many of the members of the families Munthe and Morgen­

stierne has been valuable citizens of Norway. In connection with genealogy I will mention captain etc. Christopher Morgenstierne Munthe, member of the first committee in the Norwegian Society for Genealogy, and his cousin Wilhelm Munthe, chief librarian, was later president in the same society 1952-57. As I have farming and forestry as my theme at present I will mention that several farms in the western part of the country are connected with the history of the family Munthe: Aarøen in Sogn- dal, Fevold in Hjelmeland, Snørteland in Skudenes, Mo and Kroken in Hafslo.

A special prominence among the estates of Nor­

way has Jarlsberg in Vestfold, belonging to the fa­

mily Wedel Jarlsberg. Of the members of the family the count Johan Caspar Herman is of interest also as a good introduction to the next chapter in my programme - the political area. He was member of the assembly on Eidsvold 1814, later member of the Norwegian government, of the parliament, and his last position was to be representative for the Swe­

dish crown in Norway with the title Stattholder from 1836 to his death in 1840. His family - Wedel- came from Pommern, but the origin was in Hol­

stein, i.e. further back.

Another prominent Norwegian politician from the same time is Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie (1778-1849), who belonged to a Scottish family. He was as Wedel member of the assembly on Eidsvold in 1814, for some time president in the Norwegian 154

parliament and known as protector of the constitu­

tion. He was interested in the history of culture and was founder of the Museum of Bergen. A branch of the family spelled the name Chrystie - with a y - and this branch was connected to Brevik and Moss.

The next family I will mention is of Danish origin and has the name Falsen. A member is connected with Eidsvold and the Norwegian constitution.

Christian Magnus Falsen wrote a proposition to the constitutional law - a work of great value for the shaping of the law. He is called “The father of the constitution in Norway”. He ended up as president of the highest court. - In the family we also find other jurists on a high level.

A prominent family in Norway is Lovenskiold. The first of them, Herman Leopoldus, came from Germany and established himself in Christiania, where he bought a house in 1674, and he ended up as an esteemed merchant. His son - also with the name Herman - was owner of ironworks and large es­

tates, was given the rank as member of the nobility and the name Lovenskiold. Descendants followed up as landed proprietors and still the family is prominent as owners of estates. Large forests in the neighbourhood of Oslo - Nordmarka - belong to one of them. One of the family, Severin Lovenskiold (1777-1856) was a prominent politician, member of the assembly at Eidsvold, later primeminister in Stockholm and finally he had the high rank as the representative in Oslo for the Norwegian-Swedish king. His son Otto Joachim was judge in the supreme court and father to Carl Otto - who was politician and member of the government. From later years I will mention the ornithologist (i.e. expert, scientist in birds) and also specialist in heraldry dr. Herman Leopoldus Lovenskiold, born 1897.

The president in the Norwegian parliament during the historical days in 1905 was Carl Christian Berner. He descended from a craftsman, a tanner who came to Christiania (Oslo) probably from Co­

penhagen, but the elder traces are supposed to be found further south. Through his son, grandson and great grandson you can follow a line up to Oluf Steen Julius Berner, a prominent judge, and he was the father of our president in the Parliament in 1905, Carl Christian Berner (1841-1918). To

ano-Families from Abroad ther line belong two wellknown persons with the name Jørgen Haslef Berner, one of them has been secretary general in the Norwegian Society for me­

dical men and his son prominent in the medical forces of the army. Of the family-members I will also mention Endre Qvie Berner, former professor in chemistry in Oslo.

The Hambro-family came from Rendsburg in Germany via Copenhagen to Norway, where the first member was Edvard Isaach H. (1782-1865), a merchant in Bergen. His great-grandson Carl Joa­

chim H. (1885-1964) was a very skilful politician and able writer, very praised as president of the parlia­

ment for his achievement when Norway was occu­

pied in 1940, active in international work as official Norwegian representative. He got four sons - am­

bassador, professor Edvard Isak H. (1911-77), psy­

chologist Vilhelm Cato Grieg H. (1911-), the lectu­

rer and author Carl Joachim H. (1914-) and Johan RandulfBull H. (1915-), who is general-secretary in Nordmannsforbundet i.e. Association for Norwe­

gians abroad. A sister of Carl Joachim H. was the first female headmaster (rektor) in Norway - her name was Elise Hambro and she lived from 1881 to 1966.

I will also mention some persons from the area of art belonging to families from abroad, and I start with Ibsen. A skipper with the name Peder Ibsen came from Denmark to Bergen and got citizenship there in 1726. His great-great-grandson was Henrik Ibsen, the author and poet, who lived from 1828 to 1906, and son of him was Prime Minister Sigurd Ibsen (1859-1930). Sigurd was married to the singer Bergljot Ibsen (1869-1953), daughter of another wellknown Norwegian author, Bjørnstjerne Bjørn­

son. Their son Tancred Ibsen (1893-1978), stage­

manager, was married to Lillebil Ibsen, born 1899, famous Norwegian actor.

Now I will say some words about the Grieg- fa­

mily. The eldest known of them is John Grieg, who lived in Scotland from 1702 to 74. His sons James (1747-1811) anå Alexander Grieg (1739-1803) settled down in Bergen as merchants. Three main family­

branches come from the sons of the last mentioned, Alexander. Great-grandson of him was Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843-1907), world famous composer.

155

In document http://bibliotek.dis-danmark.dk Foreningen Danske Slægtsforskere: (Sider 153-200)