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- This database has been researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 21 July 2015.
It has been made available for non-commercial, individual use. Please respect the fact that I have put thousands (1,000s) of hours of research, translation, and data-entry into building this database and do NOT upload my GEDCOM to any internet library service, or commercial or volunteer GEDCOM database provider without my knowledge. As genealogy is an ongoing pursuit, this database is constantly being revised; in order to update it I need to be in control of its distribution. I ask you to respect this requirement. E-mail: norman.madsen@sympatico.ca
The following is to explain the terms used and the choices I have made in putting this database together:
Much of the material on my mother's Bornholmer ancestry has been provided to me by two people: my grand-uncle Vilhelm Svendsen (1896-1980) and my cousin's husband Alex Conrad Larsen. Vilhelm Svendsen did much ground breaking research on my mother's mother's family. As well as doing genealogy research himself, Alex has pulled together extensive amounts of existing, published material available almost exclusively through the Bornholm Genealogy Society. The background material has mostly been translated by my mother: Elene Marie Lau.
On my father's side of the family, most of the material is the result of my own research efforts, also from some existing family records (i.e. past family genealogists), and my third-cousin Marlene Bruun (who has a degree in Danish history). In my research I am indebted to the Mormon's Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT, and the wonderful (and cheap) service they provide with their local Family History Centers. I have made use of micro-film copies of parish registers, census, and military levying rolls.
Although I have tried to be as accurate as possible, of course this database is not without errors. Most especially for individuals not in our (that being: Norman Madsen, Alex Larsen, Lis Anna Lindberg, Marlene Bruun) direct family-lines, check the published sources cited or go to the original source material.
The Bornholm sources chiefly used include:
"?sterlarsker Sl?gter" by Vilhelm Svendsen (published 1942-59); "Familien Koefoed A og B" by Julius Bidstrup (pub. 1886-87); "P? Spor af de F?rste Kofod'er" by J?rn Klindt (pub. 1979); "1000 Aner til en Skovg?rdssl?gt" by Edvard Fabricius Sonne Skovgaard (pub. 1989); "Af Oluf Koefoeds Eftersl?gt" by Louise Skovgaard (pub. 1976); "Sl?gten Low-Lov-Lou" by Elsa Lau; "Pihl (Piil) - Sl?gten p? Bornholm" by Flemming J?rgensen; and "Kj?llersl?gterne" by Margit Tobberup (pub. 1980). Also of great value are Bornholm's published genealogical reference material: "Kures G?rdejerfortegnelser" which documents the ownership of Bornholm's farms over the centuries; and the multi-volume historical publication "Bornholmske Samlinger"; the writings of the respected Bornholm historian Dr. M.K. Zarthmann (published in the 1930s). Plus to a lesser extent a number of others, which are cited along with the individual to which they pertain.
In addition to christening and burial, other information fields are:
Fact Field Nr. 1: Chief Occupation (with original Danish term in brackets);
Fact Field Nr. 2: Title (i.e. Major, Corporal, Reeve, Mayor);
Fact Field Nr. 3: Residence, and date (purchased, inherited, leased);
Fact Field Nr. 4: Miscellaneous (secondary employment, other residences, and pertinent miscellaneous facts).
Fact Field Nr. 5: Probate (date, obtained, etc.).
I have used the three additional letters in the Danish alphabet: ? ?, ? ? and ? ?. In the old alphabet, pre-1900, the letter "?" was written as "aa"; in the past "?" was written as "?". These can be made on a computer key-board (set for the English language) by holding down the Alt key while pressing a series of 3 or 4 numbers: Alt 146 for ?; Alt 145 for ?; Alt 0216 = ?; Alt 0248 = ?; Alt 143 = ?; Alt 134 = ?; Alt 153 = ?; and Alt 148 = ?.
Names and Places:
I have used standard modern Danish spelling for Danish place names (i.e. K?benhavn NOT Copenhagen - an English spelling of a German name for a Danish city; also Klemensker not Clemens, Danmark not Denmark, etc.). I think this will make it easier to find the correct place on maps most people would have access to. Also, in Danmark the names J?rgen and S?ren are always spelled with the letter "?" never "o". Note, I have used Schweiz instead of Switzerland, Norge for Norway, Sverige for Sweden, etc.
I have used the word "note" in the Reference Number field to provide a quick indicator as to whether or not there is background material provided in the Notes field. The most information will be found under those people who are among my own ancestors, although this is not always true. The code-letters (i.e. MA) are my own codes for keeping track of my own ancestral lines.
Included in this database are the names of over 100 known emigrants to the U.S. and Canada. They date mainly from the mid- to late-1800s. These people are noted with the term "Emigrated to . . . ." provided in Fact Field #6: Miscellaneous.
Danmark changed from using the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar on February 19, 1700 - that day became March 1, 1700. In other words ten days disappeared from that year! With regards to the dates used herein: in my own research I have taken the dates as they appear in the original parish records.
For hundreds of years the Danes used the patronymic style of naming; meaning people's names include the fact that they were the son or daughter of their father. For example, if Niels Larsen had a son he named Jens, then his son would have been known as Jens Nielsen (a daughter would be Nielsdatter). The Danes used the patronymic suffix "-sen" and "-datter", while the Swedes used "-son" and "-dotter"; anyone of Danish heritage, born in Danmark would have written their name ending with "-sen" or "-datter." The noble and upper class families, and the descendants of immigrants, had long had surnames associated with them (i.e. names that did not end in "-sen", like: Lund, Kofoed, Hvass, Bohn, etc.) Those names might indicate where a person was from (i.e. Lund, which means "woods or grove"), or a family attribute (i.e. Ravn, which means "raven", the person probably had black hair), or an occupation (i.e. Smed). Pre-1800s the "extra" surname of a man of the lower classes would not necessarily be handed down to his children - they might or might not take on their own.
The ordinary, lower class Danes began to take fixed (inherited) surnames (using the "-sen" only, and ceasing to use "-datter"), starting in the larger cities, around 1800; this gradually spread to rural areas. It became the law sometime around 1880. During this confusing period of transition you will often find that, taking the above example, Niels Larsen had a daughter: Birthe, christened as Birta Nielsdatter (say in 1800), but her marriage record (in 1825) might give her name as Birthe Larsen (or Nielsen). And finally, say her husband's name was Jens Rasmussen, then her death record (in 1875) might give her name as Birte Rasmussen (and possibly mentioning her birth surname).
On the pronunciations of Danish names:
When a word ends with an "e", the Danes generally pronounce the "e" as an "ah" sound, i.e. Anne is pronounced Anna. Danes have a difficult time making the "th" sound - it comes out sound like "t", i.e. Marthe is pronounced Marta, and Thor is pronounced Tor. The letters "d" and "g", when within the body of a word, are generally silent, i.e. Anders is pronounced Aners, Mads is pronounced Mas, and Mogens is pronounced Mons (which is also how it is often spelled).
Old-style Danish use of the alphabet:
In the older Danish records your will find that certain letters were used interchangably: "b" and "p", i.e. Ibsen/Ipsen; "d" and "g", i.e. Bendt/Bengt; "ch" and "k", i.e. Christine/Kristine; "i" and "j", i.e. Giertrud/Gjertrud; "f" and "ph", i.e. Christoffer/Christopher; "e" and "?", i.e. Berild/B?rild; "s" and "z", i.e. Laurits/Lauritz; "v" and "w", i.e. Vilhelm/Wilhelm.
In this database the spelling of name has been standardized. This helps to avoid duplicating people: as censuses and published genealogical sources will cite varying spellings for the same person's name. In the past the spelling of names was unofficial and very fluid; the clergyman or clerk recording an event would spell a name in what ever form he thought appropriate - this varied widely. As a result, I have decided to use one spelling for some names: Anne rather than Anna, and Kirstine rather than Kierstina, etc. Variations on the surname Kofoed are: Kofod, Koffod, Koefod, and Koefoed. In the older records, from the 1400-1500s, its spelling is influenced by old low-German (for example: K?ff?th and Kaafodt). Originally the accepted spelling was: Kofod. Around 1570 the spelling: Kofoed, became dominant. The spelling: Koefoed, was first introduced in the 1700s.
There are many myths and errors concerning the Kofoed'er on Bornholm. The widespread circulation of such books as "Familien Kofoed A og B", by Julius Bidstrup (mainly through the IGI), has only served to perpetuate those errors. The book "P? Spor af de F?rste Kofod'er" by J?rn Klindt (published 1979) is a scholarly examination, which tries to clear up the many errors surrounding this families genealogy. An early genealogist named C. Giessing (writing in 1786) tells of an Arnfred Kofod, who was among the Norman noblemen who accompanied William the Conqueror when he sailed to England in 1063. It is thought that the ancestors of the Kofoed'er of Bornholm originated from the area around Hamburg (Duchy of Holstein). That they were Hanseatic League merchants; during the 1400-1500s their merchants spread east from there along the north Baltic coast-line of present day Germany and Poland. They also spread up the Jylland peninsula into Schleswig and Danmark, and of course to Bornholm.
For those individuals for whom there was NO precise information as to the date of their birth I have given them an "About" or "Before" birth date. I have done this to better fix them in the time period that they lived, as I have found giving no time period at all confusing and thus more misleading than no estimate at all. I have used all available evidence to as accurately pinpoint birth periods as possible.
On Bornholm there were three classes of farms:
1) Proprietairg?rd (Propr.): a freehold estate (thus also called a Frig?rd), which could only be owned by a freeman (frimand) or a member of the nobility (adelsmand).
2) Selvejerg?rd (Slg.): meaning a farm owned independently, free of obligations to an estate owner - it could be occupied by its owner or leased to a peasant farmer (bonde).
3) Vornedeg?rd (Vdg.), two types: a) the first type was part of an estate (i.e. connected to a proprietairg?rd), the peasants who lived on them were tenants and were obliged to provide labor, known as the "Herlighedsright" (Glory-right), to the owner of the estate; b) the other type was referred to as a "Fri Vornedeg?rd", this type of farm was not connected to an estate and was free of the labor obligation - could be owned by a freeman and leased to a peasant.
A map drawn in 1851 shows 17 estate-farms classified as Proprietair: 3 in each of ?ker, Ibsker and Nyker parishes; 2 each in ?stermarie and Klemensker; and 1 each in Pedersker, Bodilsker, ?sterlars, and Olsker. There were hundreds of farms comprising the other two classifications. The typical farm is arranged in a joined U shape, with the farmhouse, barn, pig-stall, and utility-shed all built around a cobble-stone courtyard.
In the past most people in Danmark lived on the land, working on the farms. So you will often find the term "Bonde" used in describing a man's occupation. I have translated this as meaning "Peasant Farmer", although you would probably find most Scandinavians would say that the bonde did not have the deprived status of other European peasants. To a certain extent this is true, however: they lived hard, poor lives with few personal freedoms. Although, both men and women had firmly entrenched property and inheritance rights. Bornholm has its own "special" rules for who inherited the "copyhold rights" to the family farm: it is to go to the youngest son! The other children could not be left out, the inheritor had to pay for the farm out of his share of the estate.
Only five percent of Danmark's populace belonged to the nobility. There was little division between upper and lower nobility. The growth of the nobility has been limited; as laws specified which children of the nobility inherited their parents' status. Also, noble-title was awarded on an individual basis by the Danish crown; although, of course, those born into privileged families had tradition and inheritance weighing in their favour.
In the middle-ages the peasants had been declared "vornedskabe" (bound), this meant that the descendants of tenured peasants could be forced to stay on the "vornedegaard" they were working, and it gave the owner of the farms the right to recall a dead peasant's heir to take over working the land. By the 1500s those tenured peasants who lived on manor-owned farms worked off a portion of their taxes by service in the manor's fields.
Since the time of Christian VI (reigned 1730-1746) the peasants had been "adscript"; which meant that, partly in order to assure the existence of a permanent, stable labour force, and partly to facilitate military conscription, all men living in rural areas who were descendants of tenured peasants were declared adscript and were forced to remain living on the same estate, or within the same district, for the entire period of time during which they were liable for military service.
As Prince Regent, Frederik VI (ascended to the thrown in 1808) had been responsible for major reforms, such as freeing the serfs, abolishing the Stavsbaand law - which had tied the peasants to the landed estates, and promoting trade and education. School attendance became compulsory in 1814, elementary schools were established and children between the ages of seven and fourteen were required to attend. Now the common farming people were allowed to live wherever they liked, and at the same time their relationship to land-owners and to the state was normalized.
Most peasants became tenured copyholders, in other words, a farmer often held a copyhold on the farm he rented so that his son could take it over from him at his death. Under certain circumstances a landowner might transfer a farmer from a good farm to one that had been neglected in order that he might re-develop it. A freehold land-owner was known as a "Selvejer"; an upper class property-owner was a "Propriet?r", or further up the social ladder a "Godsejer (Landed Proprietor). After the abolishment of serfdom the farming descendants of "Bonde" (bound peasants) were known simply as farmers (in Danish "G?rdmand", or "Udbygger", "Avlsmand", and "Avlsbruger"), a man who owned his farm was known as a "G?rdejer". A freehold farmer was known as a "Selvejerbonde", while a copyhold farmer was a "F?stebonde".
As part of the rent, known as "manorial dues" was worked off by the farmer on the land belonging to a manor or to the state; this often mean neglecting his own harvest, although the local Squire naturally was not interested in the farmer's being obliged to neglect his own land to such an extent that he ended up being unable to meet his rent. It was now decreed by law that farmers could buy their own farms and land, and at the same time agricultural methods generally were revolutionized. The way rural settlements were organized had not really altered since the Middle Ages. Peasants lived closely side by side in small villages and had "co-operated" ever since ancient times. All land belonging to the village was cultivated by the community as a whole and in accordance with decisions made by the peasants themselves at their village "Thing" meetings. But now, each peasant was given the opportunity of consolidating his various fields into one whole. Many farms thus moved from the village out to the land, whereby the entire Danish landscape began to alter in appearance.
In Danmark, a person did not become a "Borger" (Burher, or middleclass citizen) by virtue of being born in a place. Burgher class citizenship was a valuable privilege that included: the right to engage in business in a community; rights and protections under the law; permission to reside in a community without being expelled. Citizenship was extended by individual communities to some of their inhabitants, primarily those who were engaged in business and trade, and did not pertain to citizenship in the country as a whole. Until the twentieth century, only males of the middle and upper classes, mostly merchants and tradesmen, were granted citizenship.
The Reformation penetrated the Scandinavian countries in the early 1500s. The introduction of Protestantism was supported by merchants and peasants, and by devout priests who had become followers of Martin Luther. King Frederik I (reigned 1523-1533), who became quite religious in his later years, strongly promoted the establishment of the Lutheran Church. He allowed the leading Danish religious reformer, Hans Tavsen, to preach in the church at Viborg and ordered many Catholic churches in the region destroyed, despite violent protests. It was King Christian III (reigned 1534-1559), son of Frederik I, who established the state Lutheran Church in Danmark. With the support of the Rigsrad - his advising council of lay members - the king ordered all Catholic property turned over to the crown, and declared the Lutheran Church the national church of Danmark with the king as its head. From 1660 to 1849, a period of absolute monarchy in Danmark, all Danes were compelled to profess the Lutheran faith.
On the expansion of Danish territory:
Under King Valdemar II, reigned 1202-1241, the kingdom reached its greatest size. He conquered Pomerania, Estonia, and parts of Mecklenburg; was sovereign over all of Danmark, the south-western coast of the Svensk/Swedish peninsula, and had dominion over the entire Baltic coast-line. The Union of Kalmar, in 1397, united the kingdoms of "Danmark, Sverige, og Norge" for 126 years.
On the losses of Danish territories:
The Swedes declared war on Danmark in 1643, invaded Jylland and Sk?ne and on June 29, 1644 defeated the Danish fleet. In the resulting "Peace of Br?msebro" of 1645, Danmark ceded to Sverige/Sweden the islands ?sel and Gotland, the provinces J?mtland, H?rjedalen and Halland - the latter for thirty years (however, it was never returned). Later Sk?ne, Blekinge, and Bohus, all Danish provinces for 500 years, were lost to Sverige as a result of the "Peace of Roskilde", signed in 1658. The territory of Sk?ne now comprises the counties (l?ns) of Malm?hus and Kristianstad.
The Hanseatic League and its relationship to Danmark:
The Hansa was an association of medieval Germanic cities and merchant groups which became a powerful economic and political force in northern Europe. With a center for meetings in the city of L?beck, the members established an important network of Baltic trade, and a string of commercial bases stretching from Novgorod to London and from Bergen to Bruges. Its earliest union dates to 1241, when L?beck and Hamburg made agreements for mutual defense in trading; the first meeting of the "Diet" in 1256 included: L?beck, Hamburg, L?nenburg, Wismar, Rostock, and Stralsund; later other towns joined the league.
L?beck is located on two small streams connecting with L?beck Bay. It has five 13-14th century Gothic churches, a Gothic town hall, and a 13th century hospital. Founded in 1143 by the Count of Holstein; it was taken by Henry the Lion in 1158. L?beck secured final privileges of an Imperial free-city in 1226, and became leading center for medieval German trade in Baltic region and the "Queen of Hanse". It began its decline from power in the 16th century.
The league reached the height of its power in the 14th and 15th centuries when it contributed to the defeat of Valdemar IV of Danmark in 1367-68, and secured control of Baltic trade by "Peace of Stralsund" in 1370. Including such widely separated places as: Novgorod, Reval, Riga, Danzig (Gd?nsk), Magdeburg, Cologne, Bruges, and London; and gave trading privileges to merchants of many other towns. In its heyday during the 14th century the Hansa included well over 100 towns; its influence gradually faded with the emergence of powerful competitor states. The last meeting of the "Diet" was held in L?beck in 1669. The term "Hanseatic town" was retained by L?beck, Hamburg, and Bremen as long as they were imperial free-cities.
That the Hansa had a strong influence over Bornholm can be seen in a fable dating back to the late 1300s. L?beck had long had an aggressive history of attacking Danish territory, once even sacking K?benhavn and stealing off with the city's bells! In 1362 the Mayor (Burgomester) of L?beck, Johann Wittenborg, was in charge of a Hansa fleet which disastrously lost a battle with Danmark. This entirely unathenticated fable relates that Wittenborg had betrayed his trust in return for a dance with the Queen of Danmark, promising to her as a reward the island of Bornholm. That the fable has some basis in truth is proven by the fact that for a long while there survived in L?beck the expression, "He is dancing away Bornholm," when some one light-heartedly did an unjustifiable deed. The L?beck'ers exacted revenge against Wittenborg for their humiliation: they executed him in the town's square!
The Danish king, Erik VII, built a stronghold at Elsinore, over-looking the only sea going access to the Baltic Sea, and in 1426 began to levy duties on all passing ships. The Baltic cities allied themselves with Duke Henry III of Holstein and declared war on Danmark. They did not strike at once, but delayed until 1427, when they sent out a fleet under several commanders, who quarreled among themselves. They plundered and ravaged the unprotected islands of ?r?, M?n, Falster, and Bornholm; and then attacked Flensburg, where during a night attack Henry III lost his life, which caused the Hanseatic fleet to abandon the siege and sail away.
In 1509 Danmark and L?beck were engaged in another one of their numerous skirmishes. The Danes had a famous battleship called the "Svane" (English: Swan) - which was reputed to be the largest and most powerful in the world; but the L?beck'ers in several small vessels surprised, attacked and destroyed it. After this victory a fleet of 14 L?beck ships ravaged the Danish islands and did much damage to Danish shipping. Nine Swedish ships joined them, and the combined fleet almost ruined Lolland and Bornholm.
Later, in the summer of 1509, a great naval battle took place between 16 L?beck men-of-war and 17 Danish ships of about equal size and strength. One of the latter was a new vessel, the "Engel" (English: Angel), larger than the unlucky Svane had been. The L?beck'ers had landed some of their guns and men to attack the fortress of Hammershus, on the northern tip of Bornholm, when the Danish fleet appeared, quite unexpectedly, and attacked at once. The battle lasted all day, and at night both sides claimed the victory. Some days later the fight was resumed, when, after several hours of fierce contest, the Engel had her rudder shot away and was taken in tow by her companions, and the whole Danish fleet fled.
King Christian II made himself so unpopular that his subjects rebelled and the nobles offered his brother Frederik, Duke of Holstein, the crown. He accepted and agreed to confirm all of L?beck's ancient privileges if they would assist him gain the thrown. In 1523 they sent an army of merchantmen and besieged K?benhavn, forcing Christian II to flee.
Because of King Frederik I's inability to pay debts owed to the "Lyb?kkerne" he was forced to forfeited the control of Bornholm to L?beck for 50 years, starting circa 1525. The natives of Bornholm are recorded to have groaned under the Hansa's rule, and declared "they would rather be under the Turks, than under the German, Christian, imperial free-city." King Frederik took pity on them and declared the inhabitants to be under his protection - this was to little avail though.
During those long years the island had been considered the Queen-city-of-the-Hansa's special possession; they had made much profit from the enforced payment of dues, and the export of such valuable commodities as limestone. Poul Kofoed (before 1520-before 1584) was appointed by King Frederik II to negotiate back control of the island. Also, he was to sit in mediation between the L?beck Governor Sveder Katting and the people of Bornholm; this meeting was held on December 1, 1572 at the home of Poul Kofoed in ?stermarie parish.
A sign of L?beck's waning powers can be seen in the actions of King Frederik II concerning Bornholm. First the L?beck governor was formally ejected by K?benhavn, then the inhabitants of Bornholm, encouraged in insubordination by seeing how the authorities in K?benhavn dealt with their masters, refused to pay their dues. Finally, one of the towns even forcibly ejected some L?beck traders. An ominous sign of things to come are reflected in Frederik's opposition to any mention of Bornholm during peace treaties.
On September 7, 1575, Frederik II informed L?beck, "that the fifty years' possession, accorded to them by his grandfather, would have expired on the 19th of the month, and he intended to retake possession of the island." The city replied that the Peace of Hamburg extended their rights of possession which they held for unpaid Danish debts. Frederik replied the treaty was invalid since his father, who had made it, was not crowned at the time, and he himself had not been consulted in the matter. Complain as they might the L?beck'ers had neither the power nor the ability to stop the take over.
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