Extraordinary hometown certificates were issued to people from Southern Jutland (then called Schleswigers) who had opted for Danish citizenship following the end of the Second Schleswig War in 1864. I have previously shown an example of an application for an extraordinary hometown certificate. The application was from Peter Jessen. One of the attachments to that letter was a copy of a citizenship record.
- Copy
- Stamp
- The undersigned town bailiff in Ærøskjøbing declares: That year 1867 on 17 Sept. seafarer Peter Jessen met before me and requested to gain citizenship as “sætteskipper” [a skipper of someone else’s ship or boat] here in this town. He showed his baptism certificate, per which he is born at Skjillegaardsmark in Broager Parish on 31 Dec. 1841 and therefore of age and has naturalization rights, whereafter he documented his previous legal occupation and to be in possession of other documentation required for becoming a citizen as “sætteskipper” per law about sea trades dated 19 Feb. 1861, section 3.
- The requested citizenship was thereafter granted the applicant, with the obligation to enter the fire or police corps per given regulations.
- He was then recorded as a citizen in the book of citizens under entry 21, whereafter he was approved.
- Confirmed under my hand and official seal. Town bailiff’s office in Ærøskjøbing on 17 Sept. 1867…
- Letter of citizenship for Peter Jessen as “sætteskipper” in Ærøskjøbing.1
This type of citizenship record is not a naturalization record, but a record by which the applicant is granted citizenship of a specific town, in this case Ærøskøbing. The citizenship record can be retrieved from the records of the town bailiff for Ærøskøbing.
The status as a citizen of a specific town gave the applicant the right to be self-employed within the stated trade in that specific town. The fact that Peter Jessen applied for citizenship of a town thus implies that he was self-employed. Further research could therefore include trying to find information about his business.
Footnotes
- Ærøskøbing Byfogedkonto, letter, 17 September 1867, letter of citizenship Peter Jessen; copy thereof as an attachment to Peter Jessen, to Svendborg Amthuus, letter, 7 November 1871, application for extraordinary hometown certificate; filed in box 175: 1870-1873 Sager vedrørende ekstraordinære hjemstedsbeviser, collection AB006: Svendbrog Amt, Landsarkivet for Fyn.
- The image at the top shows a part of Peter Jessens application. See before-mentioned post for further information.
