The Story of this Blog

I’m not even related to my favorite ancestor.  In fact, I don’t think anyone is.  Kiersten Christensdatter lived in Brovst Parish, Hjorring County, Denmark from 1766-1808 and none of her children lived to adulthood.  Her husband was Peder Simonsen, and he is my third-great-grandfather.  I’m descended from Peder Simonsen and his second wife, Maren Pedersdatter.

While I was researching my Danish ancestors, like most people, I was busily tracing my direct line.  I noticed that Peder Simonsen married Maren Pedersdatter when he was 43 years old.  So looking in the census records for those adult years before this marriage, I found Peder listed with a wife named Kiersten Christensdatter, but they had no children.  No one in my family ever knew about Kiersten Christensdatter.  I looked through the church records of Brovst Parish, and I found this heart-breaking family group for Peder Simonsen and Kiersten Christensdatter who married 27 November 1791.

•                 Mette Kierstine Pedersdatter, born and died 1794
•                 Christen Pedersen, born and died 1795
•                 Inger Marie Pedersdatter, born 1798, died 1799
•                 Christen Pedersen, born and died 1800
•                 Simon Pedersen, born and died 1801
•                 Stillborn daughter born 1802
•                 Mette Kiersten Pedersdatter, born and died 1804
•                 Simon Pedersen, born and died 1806
•                 Kiersten Christensdatter died in 1808

I have thought about Kiersten A LOT.  As each of my four children were born, I thought about the advantages that come from living now and not 200 years ago.  I think about how physically hard her life must have been.  And it’s a reminder to me that women have done hard things for a very long time.  I feel a closeness to this forgotten woman because I think she’s really grateful that she has been found.

This blog will be a place for me to share my genealogy thoughts.  There will be some fun stuff, too, but mostly it will be about methodology and online tools. I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the years, and there should be a place for me to keep all of that.  Kiersten Christensdatter is one of the forgotten ancestors.  She and her children would have stayed this way if it weren’t for sound and thorough research.