Where We're From – Denmark

So Denmark is the first country outside the US where I know I have many locations, though Germany did end up being a bit larger than I expected.

I am what I consider one quarter Danish. My paternal grandmother's parents were both Danish immigrants, and though I know now that it's possible that her mother had at least some German blood, and that the Danes mixed constantly with the Swedes and Norwegians, I still see this as one of the purer strains of my family tree (the other being the Welsh branch, which will be next).

The information on this list comes from a number of sources, including a website done by one of my grandmother's cousins who still resides in Denmark, and several bits of information I managed to pull from the Family Search website. However, because of the way I received my information, the city/county/shire/region names are a little muddled, so feel free to point out things that seem obvious, because while I know these things are a bit off, figuring them out got a bit confusing. Anyone with more specific information about locations would be very appreciated.

For those unfamiliar with Danish Geography, my family comes from two major locations in Denmark: Sealand, the island to the east, which is the location of Copenhagen on the eastern coast of the island; and Jutland, which is the peninsula that sticks up from Germany, to the west of Sealand. For those curious, I've marked which area each location is found in. Basically, if it's Sealand, it's my grandmother's maternal line, and if it's Jutland, it's her paternal line. The two lines never crossed until her parents met on the boat coming back from the to visit their families right at the start of World War I.

A map of these locations:

View My Danish Ancestry in a larger map

1. Fredriksberg (Sealand)
Before my great grandmother Oline came to the US, she lived for a time here, in a suburb of Copenhagen, working with families as a cook or seamstress, I believe, and in particular working for the agriculture Minister, who was apparently from her family's area in the center of Sealand.

2. Alsted-Flinterup/Fjenneslev (Sealand)
Oline was born in Fjenneslev on her parents' farm, and both of them died here, buried in the churchyard at Alsted-Flinterup, the neighboring church.

3. Give, Vejle (Jutland)
My great-great grandmother Else died here in the mid-thirties, long after her son Holger came here to the US, but even before her death, much of her family had roots in this area.

Her father was born in Brienhoed here, and both of his parents were born in the area also, as were his mother's parents and her paternal grandfather, who died there as well. So the family had at least four generations in that location.

4. Thyregod, Vejle (Jutland)
My great-grandfather Holger's family has a lot of history in this part of the country. He and his father even helped to build the Thyregod train station, and it was the money from that job that allowed Holger to come to the US.

Many generations of his family were born and died here—seven, if I'm counting correctly. I won't go into too much detail here, but I will put all the separate locations on the map to show the variations.

5. Ringive (Jutland)
This is where Holger's mother was born.

6. Slots-Bjergby, Soro (Sealand)
This is where Oline's mother's mother was born, though I am uncertain how long she lived there. I believe she spent a good part of her early life working on other people's farms, though I'm not certain where, or how many she worked on before meeting her husband and settling down.

7. Knudstrup (Sealand)
This is where Oline's father, Rasmus Hansen, was born, not too far from where he later owned his farm.

8. Selde, Viborg (Jutland)
Five generations of my grandfather's family were born in this location, starting with his great-great grandfather Peder Christiansen and working back from him. Peder was born there, and his parents were both born and died there, as did many of their ancestors going back another three generations on Peder's father's side.

This marks the northernmost part of Holger's family line as I have it recorded at this time.

9. Omvra Molle, Sonder Omme, Ribe(Jutland)
Birthplace of Catrine Pedersdatter, Peder Christansen's wife, and also where her mother died.

10. Sonder Omme(Jutland)
Where Catrine's father, Peder Terkelsen, was born, and where he and his parents died.

11. Givskov, Give(Jutland)
Frantz and Maren, parents of Mathias Frandsen, my great-grandfather's great-great grandfather, died here in the mid-1700s.

12. Hoven (Jutland)
Where Mette Christensdatter, one of my great-grandfather's ancestors, died.

13. Orbaek, Rinkobing (Jutland)
Where Anne Andersdatter, Mette's daughter, was born.

14. Oster Nykirke (Jutland)
Where Maren Mathiasdatter's parents, Maren and Mathias both died, and where her mother was born.

15. Adum (Jutland)
Five different generations of Holger's paternal line was born or died here.

This location also marks the westernmost point my great-grandfather's family lived in Denmark that I have recorded.

16. Assing (Jutland)
Where Margrete Petersdatter, one of Holger's paternal ancestors, was born.

17. Vester Sejrup (Jutland)
Where Frantz Jacobsen was born, another of Holger's paternal ancestors.

18. Lintrup (Jutland)
Where Terkel Knudsen Dovr was born.

19. Bindesboll, Adum (Jutland)
Where Las Nielsen died in 1625, the oldest person to be marked on this map.

20. Grindsteddal, Grindsted (Jutland)
Where Karen Christensdatter Dahl was born in 1600.


And that's all I have. And more than double the amount of locations I have for the US, despite having more recent information, and more complete information there. This map does not include any marriage locations, though most of them were probably married in the towns either where they were born or where they died, or very nearby.

Most of the records I have are for Holger's father's mother's line, as the others all peter out by 1750 or even 1800, but her family goes back well into the Medieval ages. I was shocked when I started to tackle this last week and realized just what a task I had ahead of me, so I never finished it in time to post last Friday. Hopefully I'll manage to get the Welsh map up faster, though I know I've got several locations on that one, as well. And the Norwegian one should be pretty interesting, too.

As always, if any of my family reading this knows more, I'd love to hear it.

Next up: Wales! (I'll try to have that one up in a more timely fashion)