Help with occupation

[David Grawrock]

1865 census, with unfortunately one of the most faded pages around, and the transcribed occupation is Gdb Selv Styrmand (which I think is right). My handy dandy Norwegian-English dictionary gives no word for Styrmand but does have styrmann / styrmanns. Any help on what this guy is doing? :)

 

page https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/38161/147 

index https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01038161004254 

[Ivar S. Ertesvåg]

This is 1865, and the words are Danish - and abbreviated.

"Gdb" = Gaardbruger (gardbrukar): farmer

"Selv" = Selveier: literally 'self owner', owns his own farm

"Styrmand" = styrmann: mate

[David Grawrock]

Ok sailor who also owns his own farm. Thank you so much. And why are they using Danish in the Norwegian census?

[Ivar S. Ertesvåg]

31 minutter siden, David Grawrock skrev:

Ok sailor who also owns his own farm. Thank you so much. And why are they using Danish in the Norwegian census?

Because Danish was the language of the elite and ruling class from the breakdown after the Black Plague (~1350) during union with Denmark (to 1814).

Norwegian as a written  laguage was about to be (re-) established at the time.  Officially recognized in 1885.

A form of Danish has been norwagized and is still used (called "bokmål" in Norwegian and "Dano-Norwegian" in "Encyclopedie Britannica").

https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Norwegian-language/56305

[David Grawrock]

So I finally found an "elite" :) I've just dealt with the common folk so far and had never seen the Danish use. Thank you for the education.

[Even Stormoen]

26 minutter siden, David Grawrock skrev:

So I finally found an "elite"

 

Hold your horses! 🙂 The Mate was not necessarily «elite», but the Officials like judges and parish priests was. And they wrote the records.

And speaking of records – for the record: An estimated 85 to 90 percent of the population are still using the scolded so called«norvagized» danish. (In writing)

[Source from 2005, but I believe it has not changed much since then.]

 

Reg.

[Even Stormoen]

37 minutter siden, David Grawrock skrev:

had never seen the Danish use.

 

And the «Danish use» is ‹all over the place› in virtually every written record up until aprox. mid 1800. So you must have «seen» it. Just not been aware of it, I think. 😉

 

Reg.

[David Grawrock]

Yep I just thought that was "parish" Norwegian and just dealt with it. You get some Latin some other words, I just never put 2 and 2 together. It's why I love genealogy, you learn so much.