Appeal for translation into English of the 17th century history of Loftsgården Åsbo farm in Nore Parish, Numedal, Buskerud

[Al Möen]

Appeal for translation into English of the 17th century history of Loftsgården Åsbo farm in Nore Parish, Numedal, Buskerud

 

Endret August 4, 2023 av Al Möen

[Matthias Kolberg]

I have used online text recognition (OCR) and translation tools (Google translate), and the result appears to be acceptable after some minor editing.

 

I assume the four digit numbers in front of personal names are individual index numbers used by the author. I removed these to avoid confusion with years.

Page 2042

 

We know of 4 children:
Tore, born about 1604,
married an unknown woman before 1630.
Svenn, born ca. 1615.
Bjørn, born ca. 1616,
married a woman named Aslaug before 1652.
Oluf, born ca. 1621.

Syver Loftsgarden probably died before 1653, because then his son Tore Syversen is written for the farm. He then owns 1 1/2 skins in Loftsgarden and paid 1 1/2 rd. in taxes that year.

In 1657 he paid cattle tax on the livestock in Loftsgarden. It was 1
horse, 5 cows, 3 sheep and 2 goats.

The following year, in 1658, he paid provisions tax to Akershus fortress
with 1/2 td. bread, 1 bism.pound of meat and 1 bism.pound of cheese. This was food that went to the garrison at the fortress.

 

In 1660, all taxes on the farm were 3 rd. of 1 1/2 skins, but in
1663 Tore was the owner of 2 skins in Loftsgarden and taxed from it.

In the census from 1665, the priest has listed in his assignment that Tore Syversen 
was 61 years old and son Bjørn Toresen, 13 years old. The bailiff has 1 year less on both in his record. The debt was set to 2 skins.

In the register from 1668, this debt was rewritten as 1 ship pound
grain, and tithes and lething were seen to be 26 2/3 skillings in money. But it looks

like the debt was counted in hides and skins as before, and the lething was
paid with 3 gray hides from each farm, as before.

In 1667, Tore Loftsgarden was mentioned as a ‘lagrettemann’ (judge).

Tore Syversen Loftsgarden was the cousin of Oluf Bjørnsen Åsgarden. Oluf was childless and was getting old and sick.

 

By a deed of gift dated 22/3 1677, he left everything he owned to Tore
Loftsgard in return for living with him (registered 6/3 1679).

Oluf Bjørnsen was then with Tore in Loftsgarden for 7 years. In this time
it was the son, Syver Toresen Loftsgarden, who used Åsgarden, and it
seems that Oluf Bjørnsen eventually took up residence with Syver in Åsgarden.

Oluf Bjørnsen Åsgarden died before 1693, because that was the year
of his probate. (See under Åsgarden.)

Oluf Bjørnsen had been the owner of 9 skins in sø. Lien (farm) since 1667.

After the deed of gift from 1677, Tore Syversen probably also became the owner of this
 estate. But in 1692, Lars (Laurits) Sporan got title to the 9 skins in
Lien (dat. Loftsgarden 6/10 1692, dated 25/9 1693). (See Lien and Sporan.)

Tore Syversen Loftsgarden in Åsbø was married to 
an unknown woman before 1630.
We know of 5 children:
Gro, born approx. 1630,
married Anders Svenningsen Råen before 1670.
Seven, born approx. ?. Unmarried, lived in western Åsgarden.
Ingebjør, born approx. ?,
married Tommes Olsen (Olufsen) ø. Nore before 1690.
Bjørn, born ca. 1652,
married Margit Halvorsd. Kittilsland after 1672.
A daughter, b, approx. ?,
m. Gullik Jonsen, b. Åsgarden, before 1682.

 

 

 

Endret August 5, 2023 av Matthias Kolberg

[Matthias Kolberg]

Page 2043

 

After testifying in a trial, Tore Syversen Loftsgarden died on 1
years after Oluf Bjørnsen Åsgarden, i.e. approx. 1694. We do not know of
any probate after him, although it is quite certain that it was held, and some
of his children then received, among other things, an inheritance in western Åsgarden.

It was now the son Bjørn Toresen who came to take over Loftsgarden
after his father, but his siblings also had heirlooms in the farm.

In 1691 he bought at least 8 kjørlags (skins) of land debt in Loftsgarden
by his uncle, Bjørn Syversen Toen for 40 rd. This was probably an inheritance 
Bjørn Toen had had in Loftsgarden. (He was at this transaction
called Bjørn Toen in Veggli, but this must be a mistake)

Bjørn Loftsgarden took the oath of office in 1680, and we find him mentioned since then
as lagrettemann at most every four years until 1700. In the capacity of lag-
rettemann, he signed the land registers in both 1683 and 1698.

In 1693 we find Loftsgarden mentioned in the military rolls. The farm was numbered 49 together with Kollandsrud and 6 other farms. Together,
they were to recruit and equip one soldier, and in 1693 this was Knut Simensen
Lindtveit. (See Megarden.)

It seems that Bjørn Loftsgarden was indebted for the farm, because in 1697
he was summoned to court for debt, but he claimed that he had paid.
And in 1696 he had transferred Loftsgarden to Sebjørn Skjønne
in return for obtaining from him 8 hides of land debt in Rustand and in addition 110 rd.
In the same year, we also find Sebjørn Loftsgarden mentioned as lagrettemann, and
this had to be Sebjørn Skjønne.

 

But this change of landownership must have happened again, because Bjørn was still the owner
of Loftsgarden in 1699, and Sebjørn still owned 1 hide in Rustand in 1697 and
1698. It is likely that noblemen of the Loftsgarden have intervened against
the change of ownership.

In a cadastre edition from 1698, Bjørn Toresen is still listed as the owner
of Loftsgarden. The debt was calculated at 2 hides, but of this it was probably 8
skin land debt with his debtors in Åsgarden.

The taxes on Loftsgarden in 1698 were: Rent tax 2 rd. 2 Ort 0 skillings.
Provisions tax in money 1 ort, Soldier's uniform money 1 Ort 8 skillings. Ross service 
20 skillings. and lething 6 skillings. = a total of 3 rd. 1 ort 10 skillings.

In 1699, Bjørn Toresen received a deed to the 8 skins of land debt in
Loftsgarden by his brother Syver Toresen Åsgarden, brother-in-law Gullik Jonsen
Åsgarden and Sveinung Andersen on behalf of their mother, Gro Toresdotter from
Loftsgarden (fam. 2303) (dat. 27/1, recorded 14/6 1699).

After this, Bjørn Toresen was expected to be the sole owner of Loftsgarden, but
probably very indebted. In the same year, he mortgaged Loftsgarden, 2 hides
etc. to Halvor Olsen Kollandsrud for loan 234 rd. at 5% interest (dated 3/2,
recorded 14/6 1699).

But this debt grew so that in 1704 it had risen to 316 rd. with
the interest rates. It was then not easy to sit with Loftsgarden. Also on others
ways, Bjørn Toresen had (“kommen til atters”??). He was late on a delivery
of wood for the silver works at Kongsberg for 1 year with 8 fathoms in 1703, and he
was then required to deliver the wood within 1 month. otherwise the penalty was 1/2 lot of
silver for every fathom.

Bjørn Toresen had a sister, Ingebjør Toresdotter, who had been
 married to Tommes Rødberg (fam. 2187). She had died without heirs, and
Bjørn Loftsgarden claimed her inheritance in a summons against the widow
the man Tommes Olsen (Olufsen) in 1702. But the case was postponed several times
, and we don't know how it ended.