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Funerals

When a person died, the first step was to dress the deceased in a simple long heavy duty shirt. Once they were dressed, the body was placed in a room on what they called a stretcher. It was essentially two chairs with a pair of boards between them. On top of the boards they placed a few bushels of pure rye straw. When these specific bushels weren't used for such an occasion, then they were hung in the attic. Therefore it was quite possible that such a bushel would be used time and time again and could even be more than a hundred years old.

Next someone had to go see a builder or a carpenter to order a coffin. These coffins were made out of rough boards and treated with a mixture of soot and water. The handles were fashioned from rope and covered with black fabric. 

A request was then sent to the country offices asking for the certificate of death (burial permit) after which they needed a grave dug. 

Order the bell ringers, invite people to the funeral, speak to the priest about dropping dirt on the grave. Paying him for his services and asking him to give a speech at the funeral. 

The quality of the speech stood in direct correlation to the amount he was paid. They also had to request the presence of the headmaster of the school, because he had to come along and sing at the funeral. 

  

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However, he was also in attendance in order to enjoy a good meal and perhaps even partake in a game of cards during the afternoon and into the evening. In the meantime, the coffin was ready and had been delivered. It was half full off of wood shavings and a head support had also been placed inside of it. A sheet was spread over it upon which the body then was lowered into the coffin. The sheet was then draped around the body and they would place a bit of lace over the face of the deceased. The came the headmaster along with another man who were supposed to act as witnesses and were to inspect the body of the deceased and clear them for burial. 

Usually 8-9 days would have passed by now and the invited guests had gathered because the funeral day had arrived. Those who had invited them to the funeral, of which there were twelve individuals, had gone ahead with picnic baskets and the likes in order to prepare lunch. The funeral procession set out, and there were no predetermined pallbearers so all of the men took turns. The men walked and the women drove in wagons behind them. Suddenly the procession came to halt and a wagon that had followed in the rear came up to the front where the coffin then was loaded onto it. It was by no means a proper hearse but rather a regular work wagon. Our community didn't have a hearse back then. We were now only a short distance from the church and once again everyone came to a halt. The bells began to ring and the body was unloaded from

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I don't know if it was a law that children needed to be baptized by a certain age. However, more than once it so happened that after six weeks the priest would send a message to a given set of parents, reminding them not to forget to get their child baptized. Sometimes it so happened that the child was baptized in their home, but sooner or later they always ended up in church anyway and had to go through the ceremonies that went with a baptism. This is also why, at the beginning of a baptism, the priest would inquire as to whether or not the child had been baptized at home, to which the godmother would either respond yes or no. You could always tell who the godmother was, because she was the one who would be holding the baby. The first things that needed to be done in preparation for the baby shower and baptism was to choose a sort of "best woman." This woman's duty was to escort the mother of the child into the church. Another woman was chosen to carry the child and to hold them during the baptism. Yet another woman was needed to hold the bonnet, nurse the child if need be and to assist the godmother in the church. She was also required to loosen and retying the bonnet before and after the baptism. Two father's were also required to stand and observe the baptism in the capacity of witnesses. Now the father of the child was required to go out and invite everyone to a feast. His announcement might have sounded something like this; "Greetings from the mother and child. Would you please join us this Sunday at church 

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and then come back to our house where you could enjoy some lunch or simply visit for a while."So the day before the party the girls had to run along with some milk, butter and cream which was meant to assist with the preparation of the feast. Then on Sunday the guests would gather for the feast and were met by musicians as they entered the courtyard at the farm. 

The godmother was also in attendance. She had dressed the child in clothes that she had acquired by buying the fabric, sowing the clothes herself and presenting them to the child as a gift. Now they were at the church and everyone went in except for the mother, the "best woman," the godmother and the wet nurse. They would remain in the entryway until the end of the first psalm, after which the priest came out and gave a small speech meant to usher the mother into the church. The priest then left again and the mother and her "best woman" entered. When the sermon was over the deacon went out and brought in the two other women who had the child with them and the proceeded with the baptism. The godmother would then hold the child while it received the sacrament after which she handed the child to the wet nurse so that she herself could go up and receive the sacrament. Then it was the mother's and her assistants turn and then everyone else's. Everyone would then head to the home of the parents where a wedding style party would commence.  

August Meeting Minutes

Members and Guests present: Allan J, Dane J, Amy A, Keri B, Tara B, Loraine L, Ada L, Katie L, and Mike B.

This was our annual bring your own dinner picnic at the park. We met at the Miner's Park in Negaunee and spent most of the evening visiting. Katie and Ada were visiting from downstate.

Dane brought a children's game, "Dyrene's Hotel" for us to play (Animal Hotel). The object of the game is to fill your hotel with all of the animals that are on the card. When you roll the dice you can end up with more animal cards, a chance to trade, or a "chance" card which can cause good or bad things to happen at your hotel. 

Ada enjoyed playing the game, especially because she won the first round! After a bit of play, she even tried reading some of the Danish on the cards. 

Our next meeting will take place on September 12 at Kris's house. We will send a reminder out prior to the meeting and let you know if you need to bring anything along! 

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The dancing is temporarily suspended because it was now time to toast the happy couple. The best man sits down and fills the glasses with brandy, wine and other kinds of beverages, as the music slowly begins to wind down. People then pair up, one man and one woman and head over to the table for a glass. The man utters his toast and proceeds to clink glasses with their partner, they drink, put their glasses down and both leave some money meant for the musicians.

The various toasts that are uttered are primarily in honor of the newlywed, their parents and everyone in attendance. when they were all done the dancing would quickly commence. However, by now the bride had changed out of her traditional wedding gown and into a more simple dress. She was on the dance floor, dancing with all of the women. Dancing her way into womanhood. It was now past midnight and people were starting to head home. However, before leaving they were all offered a snack which consisted of leftovers like fish in mustard, bread and much more. The next day they gathered once more for lunch which was porridge left over from the day before and which this time had been reheated and mixed with beer. There was also fish along with an assortment of many other dishes. It was very much like the previous nights feast except no one was toasting. Sometimes, the immediate family was even invited to partake in a third day of celebrating.

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Qvindestue

It wasn't unusual that a short while after the wedding, the young couple would be expecting an addition to their family. When something like this happened it was customary to hold what was referred to as "Qvindestue" (which meant that the father would go around to family and friends, informing them that they had gotten a baby. He would then invite them to join them for "Qvindestue" on that very day. However, the invite only extended for the parents of the various households. On said day, 10-20 families showed up, each of them bringing a large jar filled with sweet soup and some pancakes. They would all proceed to enjoy a happy day and night, socializing, playing cards and the likes. However, each woman would also bring on crown and placed it in the crib. They would then tell the mother that the money was to be spent on a book for the little one. 

At the time when a young mother was sowing the first outfit for their newborn, they would also sow their own funeral shroud which would be put away for safekeeping until she passed away.  

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would play them on their way, Next they were in the church and a little later they were married. The young couple then goes up and present their offering to the priest and then to the deacon. The groomsmen follow suit, then the next of kin and then everyone else. Afterwards they headed back to the house where the band once again greeted them with music. The next door neighbors and those who lived near by went home where the men unhooked their horses and the women had an opportunity to change. Everyone then headed back to the party and as they entered the festivities they were greeted by a clarinet player. Once they all were gathered, all of the tables were decked out with rice pudding, dried fish, bread, butter, beer and brandy. As soon as the meal began, the band would start playing a piece of music that signified the newlywed couple entering the banquette room, and the same piece was played as they entered the barn. They went around like that two times, and as they started on their third round, the band leader would place a small plate on a table upon which both of them placed a bit of money to pay for the music. 

He takes the money and puts it in his pocket, thanks them and says; "Greetings from the bride and groom, as well as from our hosts. They would like to invite you all back here tomorrow for lunch." That signified the end of the meal and everyone shakes hands and gives thanks for the food. 

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Everyone realizes that it's now time to make room for the servers to allow them to clear the tables, move things out of the way and sweeping the floor. It was now time for coffee and four of the most respected women were asked if they would be the ones that would sit at a predetermined table and pour the coffee. All the coffee cups and many pots of coffee are placed at one end of the table. The first of the four women pours the coffee. The second one pours in the cream while the third one is tasked with serving the coffee to the guests. Finally, the fourth woman walks around and collects used cups for the first woman to reuse, and so they kept going round and around. 

Now the dancing was about to begin and one of the best dancers at the party was chosen to dance with the bride for her first dance. The two would start with a single waltz followed by a Hamburg (Polka). After that the dance floor was open to everyone but as it became possible, each young man and woman would try to get a chance at dancing with the bride. The idea was that they collectively would dance har into womanhood. Now it's dinnertime but they only set the table that's in the livingroom with such things as bread, butter, cheese, meat, beer and brandy.

The dancing continues uninterrupted and the musicians have to take turns trying to get something to eat. Now it's about 10 or 11 and a singular table is placed in the middle of the dance floor and upon it they place bottles and glasses along with two chairs that were meant for the best men.

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and the guests needed to be invited. However, that wasn't the responsibility of the groom. That particular job fell to the father of the bride or some other close relative. This person would then travel around and deliver greetings from Peer and Mette and inquire if they would honor them by joining them at the church on their wedding day.  Afterwards they were also invited back to the house for a party and a just all around good time. So on the morning of the day before the wedding each invited family was required to bring a big bucket of fresh milk, a large dish of butter and a bottle of cream which was meant to help feed all of the guests that would be in attendance. 

Meanwhile, the bride would have gotten her dress made, either by a professional seamstress or by some other woman, because the bride was under no circumstances allowed to sow her own dress, even if she herself was a seamstress. The wedding day was upon them and the seamstress, as well as the other upstanding ladies in the neighborhood, showed up to help get the bride dressed and bind her head. Only young girls got their heads wrapped, while widows didn't. The traditional bridal headdress consisted of a neck piece made of stiff paper about 8-10 inches across. It was rounded and covered in fine fabric which had been adorned with tight laying lines of pearls 

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of all sizes and colors. It was fastened in the back of the neck, but not before her hair had been braided into pigtails. It was a tough job to get the hair just right because back then it wasn't customary for people to braid hair. You'd then gather every pearl that you could find, bead them all on string and wrap them around the neck piece. Then they would add bows, enough that they resembled a bushel of oats hanging down her back. 

Now the bride was ready and the musicians were out in the street greeting the arriving guests with a little song. A predetermined person would place a small stool by the wagons, assist people who were disembarking and bid them to come inside. The women were in the sitting room, while the men would congregate in the living room or in the barn, depending on where there was room. There were tables everywhere with trays of wheat cake that had been plated. This cake was accompanied by butter, beer and brandy. These aforementioned items were all that were served at such an event, and no one expected anything else. Now it was time to drive to the church, so everyone got in their wagons, and as soon as the procession started moving, the band    

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We then decided to have an action to get rig of everything that wasn't nailed down (personal belongings), which generated 200 crowns. So with a mere 1000 crowns in my pocket, the clothes on our backs, a bit of bedding and with our three children in tow we left our little home in Orup. We were headed out into the great big world where we would seek our fortune. 

It was the 24th of July 1871 when we held our little auction and that very same evening we moved in with Hans Jørgen in Vallebo. On the 25th I went to Roholte to liquidate my account with the co-op. On the 26th we were in Faxe at Lars Jensen's place, then on to Lars Hemmingsen's house in Taagerup and further on to Vibede Overdrev where we finally said goodbye to Hans Jensen and my sister Maria. 

On the 27th we packed our bags and on the 28th we had Hans Jørgen drive us to the Haslev station. We arrived in Copenhagen that very same day where we stayed until the 1st of August which was the day when we headed out to sea and bid farewell to the land of our birth.

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Old customs

One of the oldest customs is of course the idea that people should get married and this was very much the case when I was still living in Denmark. However, back then there were a lot more ceremonies and rules that had to be observed. For example, when a couple had agreed to get married they couldn't just do it where ever they wanted. They had to have an earnest conversation with their parents about it and if no parents were available then they needed to approach some trustworthy friends who were willing to help them out. The first step was to find two witnesses and it was their responsibility to make sure that the young couple wasn't already married to each other or to anyone else for that matter. They simply had to make sure that there was nothing preventing them from forming this union. Then, on a predetermined date, the young man, while accompanied by his witnesses would visit the priest and ask him to publicly announce their desire to wed. 

So the following Sunday, after the sermon, the priest would read out loud; "I would like to announce the first time union of Peer Peersen and the girl Mette. If there is anyone who objects to their union speak now, or remain silent." The same procedure was repeated on the second and third Sunday after which the final wedding day was set.