Prosit

When someone sneezes it is customary to say bless you! 

Please click on the video for pronunciation.

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My neighbors who did have permission to make such transactions were left more than a little cross by me doing this and they reported me to the authorities. So it went that one Sunday as the bowling alley was up and running that I got a visit from Otto Hansen, who was the magistrate from Roholte i.e. the police. He demanded half a beer, which I proceeded to serve him, but when he tried to pay for it I merely replied that it didn't cost anything and that nothing here was for sale. "That's what I thought!" he replied. "I know the law and taking money for the beer would be a violation. I'll tell why I'm here, you have been reported for the illegal sale of beverages and I advice you to stop immediately before you get yourself into a heap of trouble." I thanked him for his kind consideration and the respect he showed in dealing with me. I then proceeded to tell everyone who was present what was going on and asked them to stop bowling immediately. The following day I drove to Storeheddinge and sought permission for me to build a bowling alley in my yard. The police chief there told me that no one could tell me that I wasn't allowed to cover my entire yard in bowling lanes, which was just fine. I then inquired if it was possible for me to get permission (license) to sell beverages on sight. "Oohh, I thought that might be what this was all about!" So he proceeded to inquire as to how far I was from the nearest

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inn or other establishment where one could purchase a drink. I told him the truth and he let me know that there was no way I could secure such a permission. So I returned home and the very next day I dismantled the bowling alley to ensure that I couldn't get into any more trouble. So then I was done with the whole mercantile bit, or rather I made the decision for me to be done because I could see it wouldn't have worked out in the long run. I was now left with a substantial amount of unsold beverages in my house which I was afraid to sell. So I made an arrangement with the authorities and got permission to hold a dance in my yard. During that day, and the following night I sold 80 crowns worth of drinks. There I was, having to feed a horse that wasn't doing me any good. So I began digging marl and used the horse to help me spread it all over the property. There was also a large piece that was rather marshy which I filled in. Later on I drained the entire lot which left the property in tip top shape. The last year I harvested I got 36 barrels of seed which was a lot compared to the four I got the first year. Another thing that greatly helped the further improvement of the condition of the property was that my father-in-law was a road worker for two years. I then went and replaced him in his position for another two. We were to cover 3/4 of a Danish mile in our district and it was our responsibility to keep the grass and shrubs at bay. From the side of the road, and into the ditches we were allowed to keep everything we removed.  

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a year. Those 28 days would consist of every Monday and Tuesday in each of the fourteen weeks between Midsummer Day and Michaelsmas. St. Hansdag - 24th of June, Mikkelsdag - 29th of September. This agreement stood fast for ten years but then discourse grew between us and out of an act of revenge he demanded that from here on out I owed him 34 days a year. I flat out refused and that was that. 

The last few years that I was in Orup I lacked a permanent plowman, which is what we used to call it. However, I managed to get my driving done through my various jobs and it was cheaper than it used to be. Meanwhile, we arrived at the 11th of February 1865 which was when Maria was born. During the winter I just worked my butt off as one might say. It has to be understood that for every 24 barrels of germ we threshed, we received one barrel of seed. However, after a few years it changed and we each ended up getting ten barrels. One winter I threshed for twelve Schilling a day but it didn't work out. Then one day my brother in law tells me I should become a merchant. Which was all good and fine, but how would it work since I had no money. Then Hans Petersen tells me:"I have a horse and a wagon which you can get on credit if your brother Hans Jørgen then could lend you 100 crowns. Then I'd lend you what you would need

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of the one hundred after the horse and the wagon had been deducted. So I managed to get the 100 crowns from H. Jørgen and forty from H Petersen. That's how I started out as a chicken peddler. I bought all the things that the peasants were selling, with the exception of seed, and drove everything to Copenhagen whenever I had a full load. Everything probably would have been just fine had I only stuck to selling nothing but chickens. However, I was hoping to make some real money so I also started selling general mercantile wares (groceries). When I had sold all of my load in Copenhagen I would spend all the money on groceries that mother then sold out of our house. It so happened that I got all of my money tied up in too much merchandise that wasn't selling quickly enough. This resulted in me not having enough cash on hand to do business. Another thing setting me back was the fact that mother wasn't feeling well for a long time and I wasn't able to leave her side. However, then on the 5th of February 1868 Lisbeth was born and mother recovered. By that time the business was pretty much at a standstill and by the time summer rolled around I had given up completely. I had set up a bowling alley in my backyard, and the young people in the area were putting it to good use. It so happened that during the use of said bowling alley I saw an opportunity to sell a lot of Bavarian beer, as well as brandy (which was illegal). 

Farvel or Mojn

A more formal way to say goodbye is to say Farvel, 

but in the southern part of Jylland, it is common to say mojn! 

Please click on the video for pronunciation. 

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because it was the third time I had come down with this ailment. However, I recovered again, Spring came and I managed to get most of the materials together allowing me to begin construction that summer. I did all the work myself, the carpentry, thatching and the masonry, although it should be mentioned that Stine help me when ever she could. She would wield the planer while I sanded boards for the ceiling and floors. All along Hans was on the floor crawling around in the wood shavings and sawdust. I went to Copenhagen to see a man who sold building materials second hand and from him I bought windows, as well as hinges and locks for the doors. 

I dug a whole just outside the kitchen door and I used the clay from that hole to fashion homemade bricks which were to be used for the back wall of the chimney as well as for the dividing wall inside the house. Every step of the way I continued to do all of the masonry work all by myself. 

I continued to dig the hole deeper and deeper while lining the inside of ti with rocks turning it into a rather nice well. I thatched the roof with rye straw which I had collected by hand. However, I didn't have enough and so I borrowed some from a few of our neighbors and I took great care to repay them for their kindness the following year. I went and got limestone from Faxe which was to cover the interior walls, and I only had to pay what it cost to break it free at the quarry. The limestone I acquired from the lime stone kiln in Vindbyholdt and for which I paid full price, ten mark per barrel, The wood framing, which consisted of the bases, posts, transoms and support beams were all made out of oak which I got 

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from our landlords free of charge. The lord, under whom I served was Baron Ritz Thott out of Gavnø (Reedtz-Thott) and the man managing his affairs was councilor Nielsen from Vindbyholt. I placed a solid foundation under the house before I built it and I was painted, wallpapered and furnished in every way imaginable. The outbuilding, which also was in pretty rough shape was raised onto a new foundation where it got new baseboards and all other necessary repairs in order to make it like new. The yard was rearranged in such a way that there now was a small flower garden under the window on the South side of the house. There were also a lot of fruit trees in the yard and there was literally no rime or reason to their placement which left very little usable space. I moved some of the existing once and planted new ones as well all along the edge of the yard so that I could plow the area. I dug a marl pit in one of the back corners of the yard and used my wheelbarrow to spread marl all over the yard. I also drained the entire thing which would work to my benefit. I made a deal with Hans Jørgen Petersen, who was a farmer from Orup, that I would be able to use his horses and farming tools in order fro me to work my land, as well as using the horses for transportation. In return I was to work 28 days 

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So when he noticed that I had gotten almost no plowing done I had no choice but to tell the truth. He told me that the womenfolk had absolutely no jurisdiction over me or the horses when he was out of town. He then left again and things got a bit better for a while before they reverted to business as usual. So whether or not he actually spoke to them about the matter I really couldn't say. 

I had been there for a year and a half when it so happened that a short while before I left there, the miller's eighteen year old son was crushed to death. We were having lunch one day while he was at the top of the mill attempting to grease some gears when his clothes got caught in the machinery. While I can't say for sure, he probably died in under a minute. That same evening I drove to Præstø where I was supposed to get a coffin for him. At the same time I took the opportunity to by myself a fine silk hat for when I would get married. I placed both in the carriage and headed back. 

My mother passed away on the first day of Pentecost in the year 1860. She had been the one washing and mending all of my clothes and now with her gone I had to hire a woman to do this for me. I hired such a woman and paid her six thaler a year for services relating to washing and mending. I was also required to buy wool, which she spun and turned into stockings for me, but for these I had to pay separately, 

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Marriage:

and it ate up a rather large portion of my wages. At this point in time I was 25 years of age and I was becoming fed up with the constant moving from place to place. So I made the concrete decision to permanently tie myself to the little girl whom I had referred to on page seven of this very book. I moved in with her on the first of November of 1861 and on the fifth of said month we had our wedding where we were married by Pastor Heise in the town of Roholte. At the same time, my new wife and I became the new lifelong leaseholders of her father's property. The land consisted of a parcel of about 3 1/2 acres which had a small grove of trees as well as a garden occupying about 1/2 an acre. We also agreed to supply Stine's dad with whatever he might need for the rest of his life. I paid 100 crowns for the deed and also 30 crowns to each of Stine's three brothers, Niels, Jørgen and Lars in lieu of an inheritance. Furthermore, I also had to pay at least four times as much in annual fees in excess of what had already been paid. However, nothing was too much as long as I got to be with Stine and we had a place we could call home. 

The house was very old and in poor condition and I immediately began collecting materials for a new one. Time passed and on the 7th of February 1863 we welcomed our son Christian. Shortly after that I became ill with pneumonia which nearly robbed me of all of my courage,

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A little later a spinner from Faxe arrived by the name of Jens Larsen and he wanted to go into business with me. He wanted us to either buy or build a carousel, travel the world and make lots of money. However, I soon realized that my money was supposed to buy everything. Furthermore, I knew him to be a lazy guy and I managed to talk my way out of that deal.

Meanwhile, my clog making business wasn't going as well as I had hoped. To be honest, I was never quite able to get them just right, and my earnings suffered because of it. Also, I had entirely too many opportunities to get distracted and realized that I couldn't keep up the work, so I chose to give it all up. I then bound myself to miller Johansen at Hauby mill. From the first of May 1860 and for the amount of 60 Dollars for one year. I was supposed to be his right hand man as well as his coachman. The miller was a member of parliament and spent most of his time in Copenhagen so I had to take care of almost everything at his estate. On my first day there the miller informed me as to what was left to sow. He asked me to go plough and sow seed in  

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the soil I had cultivated the day before. So while I was out in the field sowing, the miller sent his former right hand man out to see if I knew what I was doing or if he had to step in and take over.

He had been the miller's right hand man for 26 years and was now instead put in charge of all of the large animals. When he came to see me he informed me of his business there but went immediately on to saying that he didn't think that he could sow as well as me, which was exactly what he reported back to the miller. A few days later the miller returned to Copenhagen, but not before giving me instructions as to what he wanted me to do in his absence. However, as soon as he had left I figured out exactly who was in charge. His wife was, as well as his two daughters who were around my age and very fond of going on outings. They used to tell me how happy they were finally having a young coachman. The had been stuck with old Lars for too long. So I had to drive them around almost every single day and these trips often times went into the night resulting in me not getting my ploughing done, or anything else for that matter.

So a short while later the miller returned home unexpectedly and I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who was on his toes.

Tak for Mad

It is customary to say Thank you for the food when you have finished a meal in Denmark. 

In response to the photos we have created on the Facebook page, we are now making them as short videos in order to add the audio! Enjoy! 

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as Johanne the Bank, made us some fresh coffee. This, in so many ways, signified the end of my apprenticeship. That same morning I had gotten a pint of cream from Trine Hans Jørgens which we had along with our coffee.

It was around New Years in 1857 when I was all set to be able to place my two feet under my very own table in the form of an apartment of my own. It so happened that H. Jørgen had a shed, which as a matter of fact is the same shed as the one depicted in the drawing of the farm on page one and which is labelled as "spare space." It used to be part of one of the barns and now it was given to me to be used as an apartment. The room was six feet in width and sixteen feet in length. At one ned of the room is where I set up my things which consisted of a bed and my trunk. I crafted a table which was one foot wide and two feet long. I mounted it on the wall directly across from the bed so that I could sit on the edge of the bed while eating at the table. The table was fastened to the wall with leather straps so it was therefore possible to either have the table down or up. When it was down and in use I used to put a piece of wood under it as support. At the other end of the room was where I had my work station which was where I usually had 1 1/2 or 3 foot lengths of clog making wood, along with my chopping block, hollowing block, carving bench, tools and much more. My kitchen 

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consisted of a small box which sat under the bed. That is , as long as I had remembered to do the dishes and to put everything away.

My food consisted of an eight pound loaf of rye bread, a one pound sausage, one pound of cheese as well as receiving a cup of coffee from Trine H. Jørgensen every day at the price of four schilling per day. I lived on this diet for sixteen months, except for one day where I was working for one of the peasants. Two young men who were dancing instructors came to town during this time and I, as well as many of the other young people in the area, signed up for lessons. They covered three towns and offered lessons two nights in each town every week, so they were busy seven days a week.

Myself, as well as several others, went even if they were giving lessons out of town which allowed us to get a rather good grasp on it. The entire course cost us each ten Mark and when we were done with the dancing in the evenings we'd play cards for the rest of the night. Upon completing the course, I came upon a guy named Mads who wanted the two of us to hit the open road as dancing instructors. However, I didn't think that Mads was a very good dancer and I managed to talk myself out of that situation. I can only assume that he chose me because he admired my dancing skills.  

June 13, 2016 Meeting Minutes

June 13, 2016

Members Present: Amy A, Allan J, Dane J, Loraine L, Keri B, Kristine G, (Chelsea B joined us later)


Our meeting started with a trip to the Negaunee Cemetery to visit the grave site and memorial for Christine Hemmingsen, our organization's founder. Our visit was brief as the mosquitoes were quite ferocious! However, we did notice that the stone needs to cleaned. Allan volunteered to attempt to clean it with a power washer. If this is not successful, we will ask for it to be professionally cleaned.

After the visit to the memorial, we continued our meeting at Keri's house. We had a number of business issues to discuss and a wonderful dinner! (Pasties, veggie try, coleslaw, raspberry layered dessert and Turkish Delight candy!)

1). Cheryl F recently resigned as treasurer. After a bit of discussion it was decided that both the treasurer and the president will be placed on the bank account. Kris volunteered to be our treasurer and she was unanimously approved as the new treasurer. President-Allan, and newly elected Treasurer-Kris will be in touch with Cheryl in order to be added to the account and obtain the financial records.

2). Amy made some fliers to post up around town with small Danish hearts to help get the word out about our organization and to assist in recruiting new members. There was some discussion in regard to the message from our national president(in the June newsletter) about the possibility of having male members being referred to as brothers (rather than mister sisters) in our organization and the potential to either join with us, or to form a Viking Lodge. (Many of us have males in our families or have male friends of Danish Heritage that may be interested in this) Members took copies of the fliers to post in various locations, and a few thoughts were shared in regard to potential new members.

3). The June Edition of the Danish Sisterhood Newsletter is now available online in full color! There is a page and a half about the work Allan has been doing on the blog with the translation of the Hemmingsen Diary. We spent some time discussing some of the entries Allan had translated and talked a bit about some of the events that were described. (The newsletter will still be mailed, the online version is just a bonus!)

4). We also discussed some of the ideas Amy and Allan have been sharing with Karin from the National Board. Some of which include a resource pack for marketing and promotion and a podcast.

5). Our Facebook Page is growing! We have had many more likes and folks coming to see and share our posts! Amy and Allan have been trying to keep the page busy with things like links to the translated pages on the blog, photos from their various trips to Denmark, Small Translations, videos,and recipes! If you have anything you would like to see or share on the page, please do not hesitate to contribute or to pass it along to be posted!

6). We discussed the option of joining a district.  We talked about our options to join the Michigan-Ontario-Ohio District or to look at the district connected with Wisconsin. The members who spent time at the MOO District convention shared their experiences, and we talked about the benefits of being part of a district. Members were in agreement that we feel that joining the MOO District would be advantageous as we are a part of Michigan and many of our members live downstate. The convention and members from the other lodges were wonderful to connect with, and we feel having that closer connection to other lodges is important. We decided to join the district, but with the start of the new year as we did not want to try to collect dues mid year, and will request membership beginning with the new year. District Dues of $2/person will be added to the cost of next year's dues.

7) We were sad to hear of the resignation of some of our members. 4 members have decided to no longer participate for various personal reasons. Loraine noted that we may need to have their resignation in writing for the national board, and Kris/Allan will look into the details that need to be followed in order to process those requests.

Our members at the grate site and Memorial for Christine Hemmingsen

Our next meeting will be held at 6:30 pm on Monday, July 11th at Sol Azteca in Marquette. 

Respectfully Submitted, Amy A- Secretary. 

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Upon hearing this the other two officers took off and I was left with the one who initially grabbed me. I offered him a dollar if he would let me go and I told him that it was out of sheer ignorance that I got into this situation. However, he said that too many had seen what I had done and that he had to take me to the police station. There I would have to pay five crowns as bail, which of course would have to come out of Frederick's share. This event left Frederick in a rather grumpy mood and he proceeded to say things that made me feel cross. So I quit my job with him and left the first of November. During my time together with Frederick, it so happened that Lars Jensen and Laurenze      were wed and we were all invited. On the first of November I journeyed to Holtegaard where I earned a living as a simple farmhand for one year and got fifty crowns. I was then rehired for an additional year for 70 crowns along with a promotion. I was working for an old widow who had a son who had been married for a few years. It was decided that he ought to return home and take over the farm. He wanted to keep me on but I didn't want to stay and chose to leave instead. So now I had no job and it didn't look good for someone

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to be without a place to live. As a matter of fact, it was against the law and one could receive a fine for vagrancy. However, at that time I had a hard time finding a job that I liked. So I got the idea to learn how to make wooden clogs. I had moved my chest into the house belonging to Hans Jørgen and even lived there temporarily. It so happened that I reached an accord with Johan Eggert Christofer Knudsen, who worked at the Faxe quarry, that he would teach me how to make wooden clogs.

In return for him teaching me how to make them I was to give him five thaler! However, while I was his apprentice I was required to feed myself, as well as a supplying my own wood for working on. I was also responsible for the procurement and upkeep of my own tools because he didn't want his personal tools to get damaged. Everything went really well, and on the 19th day of my apprenticeship I made three pais of wooden clogs. At this point he tells me that if I can manage to make three pairs in one day then I had officially surpassed his own skill level. He himself was unable to produce clogs at such a rate and he suggested that I should be come a journeyman. He seemed unconcerned about actually inspecting the clogs for their degree of craftsmanship. That night Johan and I pooled our money and bought a pint of schnapps for four schilling. We proceeded to drink it until our neighbor and his wife, whom everyone referred to 

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kicked off her clogs, grabbed her skirts with both hands and lifted them up high enough so that we were able to see how skillfully she was able to move her feet. It so happened that she was wearing tights at the time and she ended up stepping on her own toes, after which she fell and broke one of her arms. Needless to say, the dancing quickly came to a halt.

Starting on the first of May 1854 I was supposed to get 30 crowns for one years work and from the first of May 1855 I contracted myself only for another six months in exchange for 17 crowns. I did this because I thought I was getting too old to only be making a boy's wages. So during the summer of 1855 mother let Hans Jørgen have the farm and he also went and got married around the same time.

Also, during the summer of 1855 my youngest sister Maria was wed to a smallholder by the name of Frederick Hansen who had a parcel of land called Vibede. Then in November of the same year I moved in with Frederick and Maria, where I was supposed to earn 40 crowns for one year. His parcel of land was about 10 acres in size and he was known to be a farmer. He also dabbled in the sale of chickens and other small merchandise. In addition he also had two horses and we would both ride around the country side buying the peasant's goods such as eggs, butter, bacon, chickens, geese and hides.

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Pretty much everything that the peasantry had to offer, with the exception of seeds and marten. When ever we had gathered enough for an entire load we would head for Copenhagen where we would sell our entire haul. Every ten to fourteen days, once we had sold everything we bought a lot of general merchandise such as "groceries" which my sister then in turn sold out of her house. One time, when we had sold all of our goods, except for one tub of butter, I took it under my arm and walked down to the market place in order to try and sell it. While I was there, a policeman approached me and inquired as to what exactly I had in my tub? "Butter:" I said, to which he replied; "Are you trying to sell it?" "Yes I was!" "What do you want for it?" I told him and as soon as I had he told me that I was under arrest. "Why;" I asked? "Don't you know that you don't have permission to peddle your goods in this here marketplace. That is a right reserved for the peddling women. You have to sell it from the back of a cart!" He proceeded to grab me by the arm and dragged me away but I resisted him. However, he proceeded to blow into a small whistle and right away two more officers showed up, leaving me with few options but to go along. As it dawned on me that they meant business I changed my demeanor and indicated that I would comply with their demands.

Sov Godt

It is common to say sleep well after you have said good night.

Please click on the video for the pronunciation. 

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give him a pair of blue glasses and other matching bumps and bruises. The following day he packed his trunk and left after which Hans Jørgen was put in charge of the farm, a position he held until the day he died. The first of May 1853 is when I started working for a farmer named Jens Nielsen in Vallebo. I was paid 27 crowns a year, and it was here I learned to plough for his son who by the way understood the farm quite well. He was a capable plough driver who would make fun of me when my furrows weren't straight enough. However, besides the plowing and everything else that needed doing, the son and I also needed to transport limestone in order to cover our villenage requirements. The route went from the Faxe limestone quarry to Faxe Ladeplads, a distance of 3/4 of a Danish mile. Each of us brought two loads a day and even though we lived quite a ways off of our delivery route we still went home for lunch each day. However, our snacks we would pack and eat in route. We also had our flasks with us containing a shot for each one of us. We always ended up going through downtown Faxe on our route. On this particular route there was an inn and we

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had to stop there each time we passed for some cognac, which was French moonshine and cost 4 schilling per glass and came with a piece of white ginger on the side. I quickly went through eight schilling a day just for me and that was far more than what my income could support. So I needed to lean on my mother for support and she was nice enough to be of assistance, on top of already supplying me with clothes. Part of my job there was to tend to the horses and clean out the cow barn each day before breakfast. After that I was supposed to cut feed for the four horses, and what I was unable to cut then I had to get back to around mid-day, but the horses always got their feed. The son, who was a musician always practiced at night and he had three sisters who were around my age. We would dance every night down by the kitchen door, so that we could familiarize ourselves with the new dances and songs. We were eager to learn so that we might be able to teach others how to dance when we attended parties. In that capacity we were pretty much professional dance instructors. However, one night when we were practicing for a big dance social, the old lady who sat next to the wood burner running her spinning wheel, put everything aside

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but to work in the blacksmith shop himself. I was thanks to him that I was able to learn a lot in a very short amount of time. He took over swinging the sledgehammer and I was in charge of the fire. Throughout our partnership I learned much in a short period of time, little good it did me though! In the month of January I fell ill with pneumonia and Doctor Marier from Vemmeltofte forbade me to return to work. He told me that my lungs no longer could handle the smoke from the coal fire. Before this I had entered an agreement with the blacksmith that I was to apprentice with him for three years. During that time I was to receive nothing but my meals in exchange for my time. I also had permission to use the master's coal as well as his iron, and I was allowed to smith away to my hearts desire but only on Sundays. By this time I had learned enough to make 10 Mark from my work each Sunday. During my time there I got acquainted with a boy who was around my own age and who was an apprentice to Mr. Grum who was a merchant by trade and our neighbor. After my workday was done, I would go into the store and help the boy peel raisins off of the stalks. We were allowed to eat as many raisins as we wanted or perhaps we merely gave ourselves permission to do so. In the end I got sick of them, probably because I ate way too many. 

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So I ended up apprenticing for 3/4 of a year and then ended up staying home until I got better. It was during the summer, while I was apprenticed with the blacksmith that my sister Sofie got married to our neighbor Ole Gabrielsen.

Back when Hans Jørgen came home, the main farmhand didn't like the lay of the land and the direction everything was headed in so he resigned his post. My mother became very sad upon hearing this because she had gotten to know him as a honest and loyal master of his craft. Therefore she made him the offer of taking over the farm as well has getting my sister Maria's hand in marriage, as long as she would have him. However, he didn't want either one of them and she instead gave him fine linens for a bed. He settled down as a clog maker in Orup.

So my mother contracted an older man named Hans Hansen, who was married to our father's sister Kristen, as the main farm hand. They owned a house with no land attached to it in Vallebo, but he wasn't good for anything other than teaching us how to play cards and hustling us out of our money. However, one night while we were playing cards we got into a fight over the game and he and Hans Jørgen got physical. Hans Jørgen managed to

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I was very interested in learning how to play the violin and my mother was very supportive by giving me opportunities to learn. However, the music teacher, under whom I wanted to study had absolutely no desire of having me as a student. Which was just as well, because since then I've come to realize that I have very little ability when it comes to music.

I then decided to learn more about the profession of blacksmith. So I became an apprentice with H. Danielsen who was a blacksmith in Faxe. I had to work very hard but I received good food and was overall pretty satisfied with the way things went. On the first Sunday during my stay there, his wife asked me to help her chase her ducklings out of the water and into the house. They were swimming in "Vinkjelderen" (the Wine Cellar), which was a large pond near the house and which was also the swimming hole to about 20 other groups of ducklings. The blacksmith's wife showed me which group of ducklings belonged to her. So I gathered a bunch of small pebbles and the first one I threw hits a duckling right in the head dropping it dead on the spot. That was the first and last time she asked me to chase ducklings.

My master was unhealthy, suffering from dropsy and rarely did much of anything. There was another worker  

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who had participated in the Danish-German war during the years 1848-1850. He still had a bullet stuck in one of his thighs which often left him in agony. He had learned his profession in the town of Præstø and was therefore considered a big city journeyman. He also happened to be a rather large individual who continually looked down on me and it didn't help that I kept addressing him in a familiar manner when speaking to him when I was supposed to call him sir, but refused to. Back then it was the custom that the blacksmith's apprentice wasn't allowed to let go of his hammer from morning til evening. So when the iron had grown cold from repeated striking and was put back into the fire you were supposed to stand with the hammer on your shoulder while working the bellows with the other hand until the iron was nice and hot again. Furthermore, it was also the custom back then to roll up your sleeves up over your elbows. So one time, when the apprentice was taking the nails out of the fire, he got the idea to strike the iron so that sparks were sent flying into my folded up shirt sleeve and burned my skin. I couldn't work for a long time after that. The blacksmith and his apprentice fought over this event and the apprentice ended up leaving over the confrontation. So the master had no choice    

God Nat

Before you go to bed, it is polite to say good night! 

Please click on the video to hear the pronunciation

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so that they could practice reading the print.

More than anything I do remember one specific piece of paper that we had in school. I had to read it quite often and it went a little like this;

"When I am an old and weak man who no longer sees himself able to work and run his own farm, parcel #6 in Vallebo, I hereby, in the most humblest manner, seek out Count Holk Winterfeldt of Rosendal for his permission for me to transfere my farm over to my son Hemming Jørgensen. 

Dated circa 1820

Jørgen Hemmingsen

It should be said that back then it was of no use to post such public notices because there were only a few people around who were able to read from a book. It was therefore necessary for the county commissioners to come out every Sunday, stand by the church when the sermon ended and as they were filing out he'd read them the news. 

When Hans Jørgen was 14 years of age he was confirmed which was the custom back then. Immediately following that day he got a job and started earning a wage working for his aunt Karen, in whose services he remained for two more years. Meanwhile I also got confirmed and he chose to return home as I now was the one to venture out. 

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In the meantime we had gotten a new priest, or should I say an old used up deacon. He got the idea stuck in his head that he didn't want to confirm someone who hadn't turned 14 yet. Since confirmation time traditionally fell on the first Sunday after Easter, which in turn tended to be in either late April or early May and because my birthday was on the 3rd of June I ended up being almost 15 years old before I got confirmed. 

My outfit that day consisted of a new black silk hat as well as a black homespun shirt and pants that had belonged to Hans Jørgen, and which he had earned through his work for aunt Karen. I had to return them as soon as I was done. During the ceremony we were a total of 30 boys and approximately the same amount of girls. I was number four in line and I was confirmed by Father Neergaard in the church in Faxe at the end of April in the year 1851.