Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1838 Birth and Baptism of Hans Lauritzen Hede in Gram, Haderslev, Denmark

 It's Treasure Chest Thursday - an opportunity to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history research and genealogy musings.

1)  The treasure today is the 1838 Birth and Baptism record of Hans Lauritzen Hede in the churchbook of Gram, Haderslev, Denmark: 

The birth and baptism entry for Hans Lauritzen Hede is the 8th record from top on the for 1838/9:

2)  The source citation for this record is:

"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941," Gram, Haderslev Kirkebøger,  birth and baptism entry for Hans Lauritzen Hede, birth on 03 October 1838, baptism on 2 December 1838, parents Lauritz Pedersen Hede and Mette Chatrina Poulsdatter of Vesterlinnet; imaged, FamilySearch, (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QGD4-GS63 : 16 March 2018), ; “Gram Religious Records, 1830-1846”, Volume 6, pages 46-47, image 28 of 443; original data at Rigsarkivet, København (The Danish National Archives,, Copenhagen).

3)  I used the MyHeritage Scribe AI tool to interpret this record, highlight the historical context, compile key details, provide next research steps, transcribe this record in Danish, and to translate it to English.  Here are the Scribe AI results:

a)  Historical context:

This document is a page from a Danish parish register (Kirkebog), specifically recording male births and baptisms (Fødte Mandkjøn). It covers the end of the year 1838 and the beginning of the church year 1839. The register was maintained by the local parish priest, acting as the vital registration authority for the Danish state church. The document features pre-printed columns with handwritten entries in Gothic script. The term "Indsidder" used for the father indicates he was a tenant or lodger, typically an agricultural laborer who rented a dwelling but did not own the land he worked, providing insight into the family's social and economic status.

b)  Details Mentioned:

Principal Individual: Hans Lauritzen Hede

• Role in Document: Subject of Baptism (Child)

• Birth: October 3, 1838

• Baptism: December 2, 1838, in the church ("i Kirken")

Parents:

• Father: Lauritz Pedersen Hede

• Mother: Mette Chatrine Balle Datter

• Occupation/Status: The father is listed as an "Indsidder" (tenant/lodger) and "Landbo Mand" (agricultural worker/farmer).

• Residence: Vesterlinnet

Associated Individuals (Godparents/Faddere):

• Lauritz Jensen: Smith ("Smed") from Rødding

• Karen Jensdatter Grønbel: Maid ("Pigen") from Østerlinnet

• Mette Morthensen: Residing in Vesterlinnet

c)  Key Findings:

The document is a Danish baptismal record from 1838/1839.

• It documents the birth of Hans Lauritzen Hede on October 3, 1838, and his subsequent church baptism on December 2, 1838.

• His parents are identified as Lauritz Pedersen Hede and Mette Chatrine Balle Datter, living in Vesterlinnet.

• The father's occupation as an "Indsidder" and "Landbo Mand" suggests the family belonged to the rural agricultural working class.

d)  Suggested Next Steps:

You should search for the marriage record of Lauritz Pedersen Hede and Mette Chatrine Balle Datter in the parish registers prior to 1838 to find their origins and parents' names.

• You should look for the family in the 1840 and 1845 Danish censuses (Folketælling) for Vesterlinnet to identify other children and confirm their household structure.

• Check the confirmation records for the same parish around 1852-1853, as Hans would likely have been confirmed at age 14.

• Utilize MyHeritage to search for existing family trees that might include Hans Lauritzen Hede or his parents.

• Explore the Danish State Archives (Rigsarkivet) online via Arkivalieronline, which provides free access to original digitized parish registers and census records.

e)  Full Text Transcription (in Danish) (this entry, by column): 

Fødte Mandkjøn.

• No.:   1
• Aar og Datum:   den 3die October 1838.
• Daabens Datum enten i Kirken eller Hjemme:  Hans Lauritzen Hede
• Forældrenes Navn, Stand, Haandtering og Bopæl:  den 2den Decbr. 1838 i Kirken
• Faddernes Navn, Stand og Opholdssted: Ind. Landb. M. Lauritz Pedersen Hede og Hustru Mette Chatrine Balle Datter af Vesterlinnet.
• Hvor anført i det almindelige Jevnførelses-Register: Lauritz Jensen Smed af Rødding, Pigen Karen Jensdatter Grønbel af Østerlinnet og Mette Morthensen af Vesterlinnet

f)  Translation (to English) (this entry, by column):

Born Male

• No:  1
• Year and date:  the 3rd October 1838.
• Child's Full Name:  Hans Lauritzen Hede
• Date of baptism either in church or at home:  the 2nd Dec. 1838 in church
• Parents' name, status, occupation and residence:  Lodger, farmer M. Lauritz Pedersen Hede and wife Mette Chatrine Balle Datter of Vesterlinnet.
• Godparents' name, status and place of residence:  Lauritz Jensen Smed of Rødding, the girl Karen Jensdatter Grønbel of Østerlinnet and Mette Morthensen of Vesterlinnet.
• Where entered in the general comparison register: [blank]

The only significant error I see in the transcription and translation is the mother's name - in the record it is clearly Mette Chatrina Poulsdatter (not Mette Chatrine Bouls Datter).  The family was from Vesterlinnet, which Google Search told me was an area in Rødding (very near to the town of Gram). 

 4)  I captured this record and wrote about the process in Dipping Into Denmark Church Records: 1838 Birth of Hans Lauritzen Hede dated 25 June 2020.

5)  Hans Lauritzen Hede was born 3 October 1838 in Gram, Haderslev, Denmark, and was baptized in the church there.  His parents were Lauritz Pedersen Hede and Mette Chatrina Poulsdatter.  Hans married Kirstine Sorensen in 1863 in Gram, Haderslev, Denmark, and they had ten children. 

6)  Hans Lauritzen Hede is the 3rd great-grandfather of two of my grandsons in their father's ancestry through his son Hans Lauritzen Hede (1880-1940) who migrated to the United States in 1906.

I noted that the father and son in the record (and the line down to my grandsons) all have the surname Hede. The limited records I have before 1838 indicate that the last names were patronymics before then.  Hede was peobably a local farm name. There is a Hedeland near Copenhagen. There is a wind farm and museum in Jutland with Hede as part of the name. The word "hede" in Danish appears to mean "heat" or "heath or moor."

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