question about marital status.

[Bett Nielsen]

My Great Great Grandmother had 2 children by 2 different men.  She never married.  I found the church records for both her children.  I found it very interesting that there were a great many unmarried mothers listed in the church books over many, many years.  Can anyone tell me if there was something cultural in that area that made marriage optional. 

The area is Hjørring, Børglum, Tolstrup.

My Great Great Grandmothers birth record is in the book 1853 – 1863

Her first child is in the book 1864 – 1881.  Her son had his fathers surname. 

My Great Grandmother is in the book 1882 - 1892.  Her daughter had her surname. 

[Ralph Rasmussen]

There was a social stigma as well as legal and religious strictures associated with births outside of marriage.  But in most every community some unmarried men and women didn't wait til marriage for intimacy. 

It's unusual to find a married man named as the father or a couple who lived openly in defiance of the church's insistance on the trappings of marriage.

Over time, the rules for surnames changed. 

[Henning Møller Madsen]

if there was a military garrison in the area, it could often lead to many illegitimate births. Sometimes it was a farm owners who abused their maids and if they rejected him, she could not get employment with other farmers because she got bad publicity of the peasant.
If a man refused he was the father of the illegitimate child, the mother put up with witnesses who had seen the mother and the man had sexual intercourse, but the man could still refuse with hes hand on the Bible, and not have to be designated as a father.

There was also poor couples who had children, but did not have the opportunity to get a home, my grandmother's parents were first married 7 years after my grandmother's birth, where they found a home in the interim period, he had an illegitimate child with another woman.

Regards
Henning

[Bett Nielsen]

Thanks for your replies.  That has always been my understanding, however when you look at the records from the parish you will see at least 1 'Ugifte' woman on almost every page.  The number seemed very unusual.   

My Great Great Grandmother was Jensine Olesen.  Her son's birth was listed on opslag 50 in the record book 1864-1881, entry 8.  Her son's name was Martin Christian Christiansen

Her daughter is in the next book 1881-1892 opslag 59 entry 11.  Her daughters name was Jensine Christine Olesen.

I can't really figure out all of the details in these records.  If anyone can translate the records, I'd appreciate it. 

 

[Kirsten Kjellerup]

16th June 1879
Martin Christian Christensen
See note
Baptized in the church 27th July 1879
Unmarried Jensine Olesen  of Øster Hjermislev, 20 (years), and alleged father bachelor Henrik Christensen of Ingstrup parish
Carried by maid Ane Olesen of Øster Hjermislev, maid Martine Olesen of Filholm, Thise parish, bachelor Jens Christensen of Øster Hjermislev
Illegitimate
Got by royal concession of 1905 11th July permission to carry the name of Martin Christian Tolstrup.

22th June 1882
Jensine Christine Olesen
Baptized in the church 18th February 1883
Unmarried Jensine Olesen  of Øster Hjermislev  and alleged father bachelor Jens Nielsen of Thorup
23 years
Carried by small-holder wife Ane Johanne Kristine Jensen of Østerhjermislev, maid Martine Olesen of same,  small-holder Lars Peter Madsen of same
Illegitimate


I think it was rather usual to see children of unmarried mothers in the churchbooks. It is even more usual that the first child of a married couple was born 3-6 months after the wedding.

As far as I know, the alleged father should give his permission to let the child carry his surname. Perhaps Jens Nielsen did not want to give that permission. But it is also possible that the mother chose to let her child carry her own surname.

Kindly,
Kirsten Kjellerup

[Michelle Bie]

At one time in Great Britain many couples began living together after their betrothal and were pregnant at the time of the church wedding, which was considered more of a formality that legality. I don't know if this was the case in Denmark but it could explain the number of births shortly after the marriage.

Michelle

[Henning Møller Madsen]

a Google tranlation:

Betrothal
Until 1799, one might say that a wedding was divided in two: betrothal and the marriage

Originally marriage an entirely secular affair. There was an agreement between the two genera. Older legislation, eg Jutland Law envisaged a kind of "cohabitation" as a woman who obviously had lived with a man for three years, and was made available to the household should be counted as true wife.

Betrothal ceremony resembled
Originally contributed priest at the betrothal, and the rituals of betrothal and marriage was very similar to each other. With Frederik 2's ordinance from 1582, the church was given full control over marriage and required that a priest should help the betrothal with five witnesses.
In the church books that Christian IV introduced in 1645-46 was trolovelserne written into. When the couple some time later married, or "copulereret", was wedding date added. Betrothal was much more formal than recent engagement. One could not simply raise a betrothal for example, to marry another. Getting betrothal raised required a tamperretsdom, ie. a decision by a special ecclesiastical court. Here, among other things, emphasis on whether either party had lied eg diseases, or whether they had been forced into the relationship.

Betrothed moved in together
In the countryside, it was very common for betrothed moved in together, and otherwise behaved as husband and wife - ie. that it began to have sex with the future spouse. In 1783, the trolovelsesgilder prohibited, and people who moved in together should be punished as the "fortidlig Together Rent". Already 8 years later had to be softened; pair escaped fine if they managed to marry before their child was born.
A recurring problem for priests was whether one should baptize children of betrothed as "true" or "false". The decision could have important implications for the child's future because, for instance, as illegitimate could be refused admission to håndværkerlavene. Priests decisions in these cases could vary from region to region.
After the betrothal was abolished continued homeowners even into the 1800-century to move in together after they were "merged" with the priest, ie. the wedding was ordered.
In 1799, betrothal abolished, marriage was the only ceremony in connection with marriage. But people clung to the old tradition, and betrothal gave the same rights as before. About half of peasant society brides were pregnant.

Regards
Henning

[Bett Nielsen]

Thanks Henning, that explains a lot. 

Bett

[Kirsten Kjellerup]

You're welcome!

[Bett Nielsen]

Thank you so much Kirsten for the translations.  I can make out some words but my Danish just isn't that good.