The next linking pattern is related to our previous one of geography. This time we will discuss property linkage. We talked about our ancestors living out their lives in a small geographic region. They also had ties to the farms and villages where they were born. Property claims were passed down from father to son for generations.
We understand the idea of passing the land owned from a father to a son. But the same held true for leases. The claim to the lease would be passed from the father to his son. Of course the oldest son was the one to inherit this claim. But the other sons also stayed close to the land where they were born.
Stavnsbåndet lasted in Denmark from 1733 until about 1800. This was a law that required all men between 14 and 36 to live on the estate where they were born. Estates were larger groups of farms. The purpose of this law was to keep the estates properly running (man power) and to ensure that the military knew how many men they could guarantee for each area.
One way this idea of property links is helpful is that it helps us match our ancestors to their correct family groups. The farm names typically appear tied to the subject of all of the church records. When trying to determine which family to look at when there are multiple families with the same name, using that farm name is a great trick. In the christening records shown below, you can see that the farm name of Lunen is what allowed me to determine which Peder Christensen family to follow.
Watching for the same property name in the records can guide our research in the correct direction. Many times individual with the same given and surnames are contemporaries in the same parish. We will see the farm names distinguish the two family groups. This property linkage is another way to streamline our research efforts.