Marriage Record – Didrich Funk and Karen Hansdatter

Source: Danish State Archives, “Kirkebøger,” digital images, Statens Arkivers Arkivalieronline (www.sa.dk/ao/ : downloaded 5 June 2011), Didrich Jacobsen Funk and Karen Kristine Hansdatter, Marriage Record, 1843; Nylarskar Parish.


This is the marriage record for Mathias’ parents, Didrich and Karen. Karen had a child prior to marrying Didrich (the daughter was 3 years old at the time of this marriage), so I’ll have to search for another possible marriage record. She is listed as “maiden” in this one so that leads me to believe that either 1.) the priest didn’t know she had a child (which I doubt) or 2.) she was married and her husband died so she could legitimately be called maiden, or 3.) maiden in this case is just used to indicate that she is a woman.


I got some help with the transcription/translation of this one because I couldn’t tell what some of the words are and what they mean. JensenJN from the FamilySearch Denmark Forum really helped.

From JensenJN: I have never seen this title before, written all out it should be ‘gadehuusmænd’ and translated literaly it would be ‘Streethousemen’. A ‘huusmand’ or ‘husmand’ is normally translated as ‘small farmer’, but it really means a person owning or renting a house, which usually had a small amount of farmland around it, perhaps enough to keep a cow. A “husmand” did need to take outside work as well to survive. Is a ‘Gadehusmand’ merely a man who owns or rents a house in the town, with no garden nor farmland? I am only speculating. If true, it would make little sense to translate as ‘small farmer.’

Vielsesdagen
The Wedding Date
13de Mai
1843
13th May
1843


Om Vielsen er forrettet i Kirken eller Hjemmet, og i sidste Tilfælde Bevillings Datum
If the Wedding has been performed in the church or at home, and in the latter case the date of authorization.
i Kirken
in the church


Hvor anført i det almindelige Jevnførelses Register
Where posted in the general Index
p: 106-6
p: 120-a
page 106 nr. 6
page 120 nr. a

Anmærkninger
Remarks
begge vaccineret
af K.Cardts

After getting help from JensenJN another poster, DavidsonnD gave me some additional information:

In regards to the comment on husmænd, maybe this will help explain a little more:
“A husmand was a typical owner of a piece of land worth less than a tønder of hartkorn [a tønder of hartkorn was a form of measurment used to determine the worth of a farm up until 1903 in Denmark], which is to say that there can be a difference between the land worked, where the husmand lived, and the quality of the land. However, there were also husmænd that did not own land more than a little home garden. No matter how much the husmand owned, around that time [the 1800s], it was too little for a family to live off of the land or garden. Therefore the majority of husmænd had work in addition to their land, in one of the many forms of side jobs there were in the country, or as regular wage workers either at one of the nearby estates or in one of the few industries there were in the country. Husmandend was in other words also a farm hand.” (Irene Helvik, “Små Kår: Om Landarbejderne i Slutningen af 1800-tallet,” Journalen: Lokal- og Kulturhistorisk Tidskrift 3 (2010): 18-19.)

He also gave more information about “maiden”.

The word “pige” or “maiden” simply means “unmarried” in the Danish records. The priest would have known about the child as it was the priests duty to know about all children and their eternal salvation.

I think I will still try to find another marriage record, since the daughter was born in another parrish this priest may not have known the prior husband. Or, I may also find the daughter’s christening record which would name the father and perhaps give details on his relationship with Karen.