|
 Very little is know about
Jens' childhood in Norway
but several
interesting and surprising facts have recently been discovered.
Jens was born in Hordaland County, Norway near the town of Matre. The
geography of the area is typical Norway - very mountainous with
harsh winters, yet breathtakingly beautiful during the short summer.
Matre lays on the east side of Matre Fjord, Utåker on the west, and
Skånevik on the south. Today, ferries run between these three towns
as they have for at least two hundred years.
Some documentation suggests Jens had two sisters and two brothers
but
 census
records show one sister, Eli, and two brothers, Thor and Tørris.
Norwegian naming conventions are
both logical and confusing. Since Jens' father's given name was Askil, Eli's surname became Askildatter and according to tradition,
her given name was Eli after her maternal grandmother. Tørris was
the youngest, born in 1858. This is where the mystery begins!
According to Norwegian naming
conventions, the eldest son would be named Thor and the second
son would be named Jens after the paternal and maternal grandfathers
respectively. According to records available thus far, Jens
was born in 1852 and Thor was born in 1855. Why was the eldest son,
Jens, named after the maternal grandfather? Further
investigation into Norwegian naming conventions uncovered this
exception to the rule:
when a man married a woman and took over her father's farm, then we
usually see the first born son named after the maternal grandfather.
Now, back to the family tree I go. What do I find? Jens'
mother, Siri Jensdatter was an only child and her mother's name was
also Siri, suggesting she died before baby Siri was baptized in
1830. Did Siri die giving birth? We can only speculate. All this
leads me to believe Askil, Jens' father, took over Jens
Monsson's (mother Siri's father) farm Opstvedt shortly after he
married Siri Jensdatter. With all the Jens and Siris I suggest you
re-read this paragraph - out loud! The Jens in bold font
refers to James Oscarson, the former Jens Askilsen.
Rural Norway 150 years ago...
Other Resources
Rural Norway 150 Years Ago
Norway-Heritage Those Norwegian names, tips for the "online"
researcher |
