In yesterday’s post I showed an example of how the Danish public trustee records can be a substitute for lost probate records. They are also a good supplement to the probate records, which may not contain all details about the heirs. Below is a part of another public trustee record from Nyborg-Tranekær County.
- Year 1732 on 1 August, a probate was held after Birte Anders Daatter, Johan Christensen’s wife in Lørup, who left behind 45 Rdr. 1 Mark 9 Skilling to be divided between 3 single daughters and the father and 2 underage grandchildren, namely
- 1) Sidsel Johans Daatter
- 2) Maren Johans Daatter
- 3) Anne Johans Daatter
- 4) The deceased daughter’s children have not even been named in the probate certificate, and none of the heirs were listed by aged, however, per the parish minister in Röslinge, Mr. Hans Steenstrup’s certificates, these two children, who inherit their mother’s mother in succession, are 1) Christen Hendricksen, 2) Birte Catrine Hendricks Daatter …1
The Danish public trustee not only handled inheritance for underage children, but for everyone who did not have authority to act on their own. Women did not have that right at that time, regardsless of age. If a female heir was married, her husband would manage her inheritance; if not, the trustee would.
If the Danish public trustee (overformynderi) is mentioned in a probate record, it is often beneficial to research the trustee records. If you have identified a probate record mentioning the public trustee, but the records of the trustee have not been digitized, you can order me to retrieve the record for you.
Footnotes
- Nyborg-Tranekær Amt (Denmark), "Nyborg-Tranekær Amter: Overformynderiprotokol," 1716-1761, pages 32-33, inheritance after Birte Anders Daatter (1 August 1732); filed in box 28: 1716-1799 Overformynderiprotokol, collection AB016 Nyborg-Tranekær Amt, Landsarkivet for Fyn.
