| Notater |
- The following is a translation of information taken from "Fynske Bondesl?gter", researched and compiled by Martin Skovbo, Odense, published in 1917:
Hans J?rgensen is remembered more often than any other from our family-line, and the reason being a so called "Testimonium," in which he has set out the specifics of the inheritance rights of his children and step-children; and furthermore wrote down an account of ". . . the feelings in my own heart." He wrote this eulogy/will only nine years after his marriage to Susanna Friderichsdatter (c.1750-1792), at which time he was only 37 years old. That such a young man should do this gives rise to the thought that he must have been reminded of death, in body or spirit - more so than is usual for someone his age.
These testimonium were not uncommon at that time, and later became more common. Instead of a newspaper editor writing a memorial notice for the deceased, often the deceased had written a testimonium describing family connections, lifestyles, etc.; which was to be read by the deacon at the funeral. If no testimonium was left by the deceased, often the deacon was given the task of writing one under the instructions of the bereaved family, and after the funeral it was given to the next of kin.
It is plain that Hans J?rgensen formed and wrote his testimonium himself, as it is in a farmer's plain words - not in the formal style of a deacon. There are certainly quite a few unnecessary repetitions in his testimonium, and often he has a difficult time expressing his thoughts and feelings - something he himself bemoans as well. But generally he displays a wealth of emotions not expected from a farmer of his time and place, when many of his peers hardly knew how to write their own name. Not to mention writing down their personal thoughts and feelings. Therefore it is probably justified to consider his testimonium, with its description of ". . . the feelings in my own heart . . ." as something out of the ordinary.
The last part of the document, written in the form of a prayer wherein he asks God to break down his soul's earthly shelter, was probably written after the death of his wife Susanna in 1792, and not long before his own death in 1796. This is perhaps the most touching and personal section of the testimonium, in which he asks God to ". . . please give me refuge - I am afraid of the World." It seems his body was broken down completely and his will to live so feeble that not even the thought of his poor, orphaned children could restore it.
Unfortunately his own hand-written document no longer exists, it had become (around 1875) so badly worn that it could no longer hang together. At which time the testimonium was recopied by his grandson Julius Pedersen of Baaring Mark. At the time this was written Julius has been dead for many years, so nobody knows how meticulously he copied the document. It is presumed that he copied it faithfully, as both the sentence structure and spelling of the words are in the old fashioned manner.
This is why we present this testimonium, translated from the document which was copied by his grandson and passed down through the generations. And consider it the same as Hans J?rgensen initially wrote it sitting at the table by the small, sunburned window-panes in the old farmhouse in Brenderup parish, using his goose-feather quill dipped in homemade ink over 200 years ago in 1787:
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"In the name of the Holy Trinity: The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, Amen."
Since I, Hans J?rgensen earnestly considered myself a Mortal travelling down the Road-of-Life, not knowing when Death will sneak up behind me and suddenly cut short my life, and therefore I wish to put the affairs regarding my last will and testament in order now, so that these worldly things will not be able to trouble my mind when I get close to my time of Death.
It is not my desire to record anything of my birth or marriage, or about other happenings in my life, as I only wish to inform you of my decisions regarding my children's inheritance in order that both my wife's relations and my family, as well as friends shall know. The parcel of land called Barnh?jl?kken shall belong fully to my children, or instead thereof, 500 Rigsdaler (Danish dollars). Whatever else God will grant me until my last moment on earth, however bountiful or scarce, is to be divided amongst my children. Moreover the Authorities must see to it that each boy receives a solid chest and a bed; and each girl a solid chest, plus a chest-of-drawers and a bed. Instead of a chest-of-drawers, each boy is to receive 10 Rigsdaler. All of my children: girls as well as boys, step-children as well as those of my own blood, have equal rights-of-inheritance. There are no further instructions for now.
Brenderup, January 21, 1787 - Hans J?rgensen
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Here the essential part of the testimonium ends. But later on more is added as follows:
These words are written to let you know about the feelings in my own heart: "Pray and you shall be given; search and you shall find; knock and you shall enter." My earnest intention is to live by these words of Jesus, because I am a Sinner who sorely needs to pray and knock at the door of forgiveness. God help me fight against Sin and not to give in when the World tempts and taunts the ones who walk the narrow road of Life. Woefully I often find myself walking backwards instead of ahead along that narrow road. Oh, what ought this Sinner do to be saved. I will strive to touch the seam of Jesus' Robe, to believe in him.
Jesus' words: "Holy are the poor in spirit, because they belong in Heaven. Holy are the ones in Sorrow, they shall be comforted. Holy are to ones who hunger for Justice, because they shall receive."
These words of Jesus give me some comfort, but I have not complete trust in God or faith in Christ; so please, my Lord, help me through the Holy Ghost and by studying the Bible and praying both day and night to come closer to you and receive Grace and rest in Christ. Jesus please help me, I will not let you go until you bless me:
I wait and hope that
Jesus will comfort and save me.
Oh, please Jesus come soon,
I am counting every minute.
Come before speeding Death
Has finished my life on Earth. - Hans J?rgensen
Here it seems he wanted to end his religious musings. Later on in his life he continues, when exactly is not known as no date is stated. This lengthy addition follows:
I pray and beseech you all: wife, children, family and my good friends that you together with me will contemplate Life's uncertainty and shortness, and how often Death suddenly overcomes us poor souls. Contemplate also the Final Day of Judgement, and Eternity. Think also how blessed the people are who struggle along the narrow road leading to eternal life. And think how cursed the people wandering along the wide road leading to Death and eternal condemnation in Hell; when the Tree falls, it falls toward South or toward North: wherever it falls there it has to lie. When we seriously think about such matters we have cause to humble ourselves in front of God and seek his blessing by our prayers and pledge to live by his commands so that we will be saved like Lydia was after giving her life to God's work: we can read about this in Saint Paul's, Chapter 16, and in Chapter 10 we can read of Cornelius, the God-fearing man who freely gave to the poor and whose prayers were heard by God. When we too, like Cornelius, follow his commands and pray for forgiveness of our sins God will hear us, and let us know that we are his children.
Today is time for Grace,
Today we can find our God,
By serious toil we can win his tender heart.
Rise up, up to work on our improvement,
And seek to serve Jesus.
But soon, very soon is my advice,
Today is the time to start.
If only we earnestly would serve God and courageously fight against all Sin and worldly distractions, all the while praying for the Holy Spirit, then Our Saviour will enter our hearts. I myself have experienced this by great spiritual pain in my heart, and tears flowing from my eyes as the Holy Spirit taught me to eternal truth of God's words and made me want to live by them. As well, the Holy Spirit reminds us to pray every day, seeking a secluded place to beg forgiveness for our Sins and then in Jesus' name our hearts will be cleansed by the blood of the lamb. (Ab., Chapter 7, Verse 14)
Jesus, my beautiful Bridegroom of my Soul,
My Life is in your Death and Blood,
Let others love Silver and Gold.
Whenever I so often think of you,
My heart fills with wondrous Joy.
If first you seek God's kingdom and justice then whatever else you need will be given to you. The Lord will look after you in your sorrow, he is the defender of the fatherless and the widowed.
Oh God, comfort the sick
And sad of heart.
Listen to the voice of the widowed,
And shelter my family and friends
Under Thy gracious wings.
I would dearly like my heart to be open for your eyes to see what I carry therein, and how anxious I am for Your Salvation, because I am just a simple, uneducated man unable to express my inner-most concern for You other than resorting to Prayers for You and me:
Oh God, You who are in Heaven show Your Grace to us Your poor, sinning children and forgive us all our Sins in the name of Jesus, who gave his blood on the Cross to save those who believe in him. We ask You please, oh God, to kindle our desire and longing to seek and understand the Spirit of Your Teaching. For on our own we can not succeed - we are but like babes that must gain nourishment and strength from their mother - and thus oh God, our Father, You must too let us suckle strength from Your Spirit in Jesus' holy name, so that we can become strong in our faith. We ask Jesus to turn our hearts to him and ask him what we should do to receive his kingdom. Jesus, please forgive us our Sins, like you did Peter's, when he confessed his sins to you. Let your Spirit be with us always, so that we every day of our life can praise and thank you, and pray to let us, at the very end, enter your glorious Eternity. This we ask You, dear God, to grant us in the name of Jesus. Amen.
For as long as we feel no urge to be saved, no sorrow, and no longing for the justice of Jesus, then we are only pretending to be sane and healthy - like those not seeking the doctor's cure. If we only hear His words or sometimes read them to ourselves they will do us no good; we must ponder their meaning and let them into our hearts. We must first have a burning desire to seek the help of our Saviour in our fight against Sin, because we alone can not stand before God at the Judgement Day without having Jesus, Son of God and Mary, by our side: he, who died and gave his blood on the Cross for our Sins, we must every one of us pray for our redemption through his suffering and Death - there is no other way. Even if we sometimes lose heart and feel no comfort we must trust that our faithful prayers and adherence to His commands will reward us and we shall become His children. The Lord will answer the ones who earnestly call for His help and comfort their broken spirits. So give up all earthly striving for Honour and Riches and let the Holy Spirit enter your Heart.
Jesus give me tears and sighs,
Give me Sorrow for my failings.
Let your Spirit open my Heart,
Place therein the mirror of your Grace.
Give me Comfort in my Need,
By the Grace of your Blood and Death.
Let my last cries and suffering,
Bring me up to Heaven's Joy.
Faithful God our Father, You have commanded that we do our work and given each of us a task to perform in the maintenance of the Human Family; You know how easily our dealings with worldly matters can separate us from You. Therefore I beg You in the name of Jesus to keep my Soul and let me not become ensnared in this World. Stay with me in all my undertakings, and when my flesh and blood get entangled in Worldly affairs, then lead me back to You like a lost sheep - please give me refuge - I am afraid of the World. You conquered it, therefore I ask You without shame to hide me under the shadow of Thy wings - secretly - so that no one can harm me. Speak to my Soul and let me be close by Your side, when my days are done, break down soon my miserable earthly disguise and lead me into Your eternal, blissful rest in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.
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Hans J?rgensen died four years after his wife Susanna Friderichsdatter, at only 46 years old. In between which he had married a woman by the name of Anne Andersdatter. His oldest son, J?rgen Hansen, was 16 years old and the youngest child, Mette Marie Hansdatter, was only 4 years old. Until J?rgen Hansen was 19 years old, he and his siblings, at least the oldest of them, stayed at the farm. But then the farm went into other hands and they had to leave, each to separate places.
His step-daughter Margrethe Poulsdatter (1775-?) married Anders Jensen of Holse in Brenderup parish; the fate of his step-son Friderich Poulsen (1778-?) is not known. His oldest son J?rgen Hansen (1779-1841) eventually settled in Asperup parish, where he married Karen S?rensdatter; his descendants include the writers of this document. Peder Hansen (1782-1835) settled in Fyllested, Brenderup parish and married Ane Margrethe J?rgensdatter. The oldest daughter, Karen Hansdatter (1785-?) married Hans Christian Hansen of Odense, Fyn. The fate of the next daughter, Anne Cathrine Hansdatter (1788-?), is not known. The youngest child Mette Marie Hansdatter (1792-?), must have been taken to family in Risum or in B?ring, as the Asperup church book states the following about her: "1807 . . . Confirmed Hans J?rgensen's daughter, of Brenderup, Mette Marie, well educated in the Catechism and in Bible history. She was clever and of good thoughts." She would marry Lars Nielsen (?-1848) of Blanke ?sterg?rd, near Blanke in Rorslev parish.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 21 July 2015.
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1750 - 1796 (45 år)
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