Grave of Ari Behn, Our Saviour's Cemetery, Oslo, Norway

 © 2020 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth

The author Ari Behn, former husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, died on 25 December 2019, 47 years old. The funeral service took place at Oslo domkirke (Oslo Cathedral) on 3 January 2020. 

Due to the pandemic, the urn interment at Vår Frelsers gravlund (Our Saviour's Cemetery) in Oslo was postponed. The family finally decided to have a private interment ceremony on 30 September 2020, which would have been Ari Behn's 48th birthday.

On the headstone one can find his name, birth and death date and signature engraved, besides the text «Du er høyt elsket av alle» («You are much beloved by everyone»). 

Ari Behn's urn to be interred at Our Saviour's Cemetery in Oslo

Grave of Thomas Konow (1796–1881), member of the Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814, is buried at Our Saviour's Cemetery in Oslo. Photo: © 2016 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

Geir Håkonsund, who was the author and artist Ari Behn's manager and who has served as the family's spokesperson following Behn's death, informed yesterday that it has been the family's wish that the urn will be interred at Our Saviour's Cemetery (Vår Frelsers gravlund) in Oslo. The family didn't want to reveal the date of interment.

I can well understand that Behn's family wishes to keep the date to themselves, especially if the family wants a private ceremony in connection with the interment. Following Behn's tragic death, the family has shown a remarkable openness, so their wish to keep something private should be respected. The disclosure of the place of interment for a former member of the royal family could be described to be in the public interest to some extent. Unless the urn will be interred in an unnamed grave – something I doubt will happen in this regard – the information will appear in the public cemetery register after the interment. Usually when people die during winter time in Norway, the remains, if cremated, will be interred after the frost has gone out of the ground. Even if the winter has been quite mild so far, I suppose there will be a waiting period before the interment takes place. We will know in due time.

Our Saviour's Cemetery is perhaps the most famous cemetery in Norway and is often described as the «Père Laichaise» of Norway, the place where all the famous people are buried. The cemetery includes Æreslunden, the honorary burial ground, which has many notable interments – for instance the artist Edvard Munch and the authors Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. Outside the honorary burial section there are also many other graves of historical interest. Even an ancestor of Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein is bured in the cemetery. In general Our Saviour's Cemetery was the place to be buried for the upper-class and bourgeois, and there are many grand tombstones to see there. But there are many graves with «less-known» people interred there too. A great aunt and uncle of my wife are buried in Our Saviour's Cemetery as well, mainly because they used to live nearby.

The cemetery was opened in 1808 and was closed to new burials in 1911, the honorary section excepted. After 1911 one could only be buried at the cemetery if the lease of a grave had expired. According to the cemetery website as well as the booklet Her hviler ... Kjente personer på kirkegårdene i Oslo sentrum (by Øyvind Haaland, 1999) the practice of reusing graves after the lease had expired was stopped between 1952 and 2014. I am not sure if this description is entirely accurate, as there were many people interred in «expired graves» in that period, including my wife's relatives. Anyway, nowadays the cemetery allows urn interments in graves which lease has expired.

According to the website the cemetery has more than 4500 tombstones which are considered to be worth preserving and which cannot be removed after the lease of the grave has expired. In order to keep the cemetery's historical appearance it is not allowed to set up headstones with modern design. But one can reuse a grave including the old headstone and get the old inscription replaced by a new one.*

Earlier in January I wrote that «it is quite possible that the urn will be interred at Lommedalen Cemetery in Bærum», given that he resided in Bærum at the time of his death and given that his daughters still live there. No information was disclosed about interment was disclosed at the time. I can, however, well understand the choice of Our Saviour's Cemetery in Oslo. Not only because of the cemetery's historical value, but also for practical reasons. It will among others be easier for Ari's family in the Moss area to visit the cemetery, which is close to downtown Oslo, than to travel to Lommedalen in Bærum.

My earlier blog articles about Our Saviour's Cemetery in Oslo can be found here. More articles will follow later.

* Postscript 15 January 2020: I have to make an additional remark here. According to the Cemetery Administration in Oslo's annual report 2018, when the lease of a grave at Our Saviour's Cemetery has expired and is being reused, the headstone will be taken from an expired lease at another cemetery in Oslo. According to an e-mail from the cemetery administration today, there is an ethical explanation for this – former lease holders should not be exposed to recognizing the headstone which is being used.

Postscript 25 April 2020: Due to the corona virus situation all urn interments where the bereaved wishes to have a ceremony have been postponed indefinitely. According to Se og Hør no. 17/2020, the cemetery administration has confirmed that Ari Behn's urn will be interred in section 20.

Updated on 15 January 2020 (postscript added), last time on 25 Apri 2020 (postscript added).

Et vogtsk slektsvirus

Norsk Folkemuseum forbereder en storstilt utstilling med åpning i 2019, TidsRom 1600 – 1914, som vil ta for seg borgerskapet og embedsstanden i nevnte periode. Dette er jo et tema som treffer mitt interessefelt godt, selv om jeg skulle ønske jeg hadde enda bedre oversikt over de mest kjente slektene fra tidsperioden. Men noen av slektene har jeg jobbet en del med i forbindelse med forskjellige slekter, deriblant familien Vogt, som jeg kommer såvdt inn på i denne bloggartikkelen.

Magasinet Aftenposten Historie ved journalist og historiker Ulf Andenæs har publisert en serie med artikler basert på den kommende utstillingen, og det er selvsagt en artikkelserie jeg har lest med stor interesse og hatt utbytte av. Det er vel nesten umulig å unngå feil når man tar for seg borger- og embedsslekter – det blir mange navn og mange datoer å holde styr på. Og da kan man også komme i skade for å basere opplysninger på tidligere publiserte arbeider som inneholder feil. Dermed gjentas feilene, det er dette slektsforskerne gjerne kaller for spredning av slektsvirus. Det er et slikt slektsvirus jeg vil ta opp denne gangen.

I Aftenposten Historie nr. 8 skriver Ulf Andenæs i artikkelen «Norge før og etter 1814. Det gamle og det nye regime» blant annet om juristen, embetsmannen og politikeren Jørgen Herman Vogt (1784–1862). Han var i sitt andre ekteskap gift med grevinne Hedvig Lovisa Frölich (1787–1880), datter av grev Adolf Fredrik Frölich (Sveriges Riddarhus, Grevliga ätten Frölich nr. 49) og Hedvig Eleonora Hummelhjelm. De fikk tre barn sammen, deriblant datteren Ingeborg Hedvig (Hedda) Vogt (1825–1904), som ble gift med den svenske grev Albert Karl August Lars Ehrensvärd (1821–1901). Gjennom denne datteren går en linje til fyrstehuset Liechtenstein og arveprinsesse Sophie, født prinsesse av Bayern. Det betyr at når sønnen Joseph Wenzel, f. 1995, en gang kommer på tronen – han er nå nr. 2 i arverekkefølgen – vil Liechtenstein altså ha en norskættet fyrste.

Ekteskapet mellom Jørgen Herman og Hedvig Lovisa gikk ikke så bra, og i 1837 ble paret separert (noen kilder skriver at de ble skilt, men jeg lar den problemstillingen ligge for nåværende). Andenæs skriver i ovennevnte artikkel s. 36:

«Fruen flyttet ut. Hun døde i sitt svenske fødeland. Vogt ble boende i huset han hadde kjøpt midt i Christiania, i Prinsens gate 8, […]»

Og det er her feilen ligger. Hedvig Lovisa døde nemlig ikke i sitt svenske fødeland, men i Kristiania, Norge. Feilen skyldes nok at noen har blandet sammen den svenske byen Kristianstad med det daværende navnet på den norske hovedstaden, Kristiania (eller Christiania). I den store sammenhengen er det vel ingen alvorlig feil (akkurat som da jeg tok opp den gjentatte feilen om daværende kronprins Olavs kjøp av Bloksberg på Hankø – korrekt år for den formelle eiendomsoverdragelsen var ifølge grunnboken 1949, ikke 1947). Men for slektsforskere er det en kardinalfeil å ikke sjekke primærkilder.

Jeg har ikke Gustaf Elgenstiernas verk Svenska Adelens Ättartavlor 1925–1936 for hånden akkurat nå, men jeg har forstått det slik at den er kilden til feilen som er blitt gjentatt på side 141 i Samuel C. Dotsons bok Genealogie des Fürstlichen Hauses Liechtenstein seit Hartmann II. (1544–1585), utgitt 2003, jf. bokens kildeoversikt. Kanskje finnes samme feil i en relevant utgave av den svenske adelskalenderen, men det har jeg ikke sjekket ennå. På nettet finner man samme feil i artikkelen om Frölich i Adelsvapen.com (TAB 13) og på nettsiden Lindeblad.org. Det finnes sikkert tilsvarende feil på andre nettsider. I en Geni-oppføring har man «utviklet» feilen en smule (skjermbilde tatt i dag, 4. september 2018):

Her er Kristianstad blitt til Kristiansand i Vest-Agder! Jeg vet ikke hvilken kilde Andenæs har brukt (en oversikt er gjengitt på side 37 i artikkelen). To arbeider som nevnes og som eksplisitt kan knyttes til Vogt-familien stammer fra tiden før Hedvig Lovisa døde. Jeg kunne selvsagt tråle meg gjennom all litteraturen som er oppgitt for å finne feilkilden, men jeg vet ikke om det er verdt bryderiet. Feil er det blitt uansett.

Men korrekt dødssted er altså Kristiania. Det vet jeg blant annet fordi jeg har funnet følgende dødsannonse i Aftenposten 8. januar 1880 nr. 6 s. 3:

Annonsen forteller altså at Hedvig Lovisa Vogt «afgik ved Døden i vort Has [sic!] igaar Middag i en Alder af 92 1/2 Aar». Annonsen er signert datteren Clara Gjerdrum og dennes ektemann, kammerherre C.F. [Carl Ferdinand] Gjerdrum. Samme annonse stod på trykk i Aftenposten to dager senere (10. januar 1880 nr. 8, s. 2). Og da må man jo spørre seg hvor kammerherren bodde i 1880? Jo, da sjekker man adressebøkene som ligger på Digitalarkivet. Ettersom 1880-utgaven gikk i trykken høsten 1879, har jeg sjekket både utgavene for 1880 og 1881, og begge forteller at adressen var «Youngs Gd. 13» (altså Youngs Gade 13, i dag Youngs gate 13).

Skjermbildet er hentet fra 1880-utgaven.

Statsraadinden selv finner man også på samme adresse i 1880-utgaven, s. 270:

Kuriøst nok kan man i adresseboken for 1879 lese at både Hedvig Lovisa og Clara og Carl Ferdinand bodde i Youngs gate 11. Om det betyr at familien faktisk flyttet til nabobygget i løpet av 1879 eller om oppføringen er en trykkfeil, kan man jo lure på. Men det er ikke så viktig. For også kirkeboken for Jacobs menighet i Oslo bekrefter at Hedvig Lovisa hadde bolig i Youngs gate 13 da hun døde 7. januar 1880 av marasme.

Hedvig Lovisa (eller Hedvig Louise) Vogt ble dessuten gravlagt på Vår Frelsers gravlund i Kristiania (i dag Oslo) 12. januar 1880. Her er gravstøtten (felt 14):

Photo: © 2005 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

Hedvig Lovisa ligger gravlagt sammen med blant annet dattersønnen Albert Gjerdrum (1869–1954). Clara Gjerdrum, f. Vogt (1828–1911) og kammerherre Carl Ferdinand Gjerdrum (1821–1902) ligger på et annet gravfelt på Vår Frelsers gravlund. (Her har for øvrig Gravferdsetaten i Oslo skrevet feil fødselsår for Clara, det skal være 1828, ikke 1822.)

Jeg har ikke klart å finne Hedvig Lovisa Vogt verken i den norske folketellingen 1865 eller 1875. Med forbehold om at jeg ikke har gjort gode nok søk er det jo fullt mulig at statsrådinnen en periode etter separasjonen bodde i sitt fødeland Sverige. Det får nærmere forskning ev. klargjøre. Men uansett er det sikkert og visst at hun i 1879–1880 bodde i Youngs gate 13 i Kristiania, og at hun døde der 7. januar 1880.

Se ellers tilhørende debatt i Digitalarkivets brukerforum.

Oppdatert onsdag 5. september 2018 kl. 9.30 (liten skrivefeil, lenke lagt til), sist gang onsdag 5. september 2018 kl. 14.45 (lenke til Digitalarkivets brukerforum tilføyd).

Von Munthe af Morgenstierne graves, Oslo, Norway (Tombstone Tuesday)

 © 2011 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

 © 2011 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth. 

© 2016 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth. 

Bredo Munthe til Bekkeskov (1701–1757) was ennobled in 1755 with the name von Munthe af Morgenstierne. From him descends two Danish and one Norwegian lines. The second last edition of Danmarks Adels Aarbog, in which the family is included, divides the family into two lines, to which the children of Bredo's son Otto Christopher von Munthe af Morgenstierne (1735–1809) make three branches, while the descendants of Bredo's son Troels (1745–1810) make the fourth branch.

The privileges belonging to the noblity in Norway were abolished in 1821, but most families, including the von Munthe af Morgenstierne family, continued to live here, and many members have made a name for themselves in for instance diplomacy and academia.

The top photo shows one of the von Munthe af Morgenstierne graves at Our Saviour's Cemetery in Oslo, graves no. 01.061.02.024 and 025, which are leased together. The headstone includes among others Otto's great-grandson (of the first branch) Carl Johan Maximilian (1844–1912), who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and his wife Anna Dorothea, née Stub (1850–1936), who originally came from Bergen, Norway. Carl Johan Maximilian was the son of Christian Fredrik Jacob (1806–1886) in his first marriage to Princess Anastasia Sergiewna Soltikov (1810–1853). 

The second photo is a close-up of the family's coat-of-arms.

The third photo shows one of the von Munthe af Morgenstierne (2nd branch) graves at Vestre gravlund (Western cemetery) in Oslo. Buried in grave (no. 20.322.00.112) are among others Ambassador Wilhelm Thorleif (1887–1963), who I mentioned in a blog article last year, and his brother Georg Valentin (1892–1978) who was a professor of linguistics at the University of Oslo. He was the father of Eva von Munthe af Morgenstierne (1921–2017), who in 1948 married Erik Finn Lorentzen (1921–2010). One of Erik's brothers, Erling Lorentzen, b. 1923, was married to Princess Ragnhild of Norway (1930–2012). The funeral service for Eva, who died on 22 January 2017, took place yesterday, 30 January 2017, at Vestre gravlund, gamle kapell (Western Cemetery, Old Chapel).

Updated on Monday 5 June 2017 at 22.30 (mising word inserted in last paragraph).

A brazier's grave, Our Saviour's Cemetery, Oslo, Norway (Tombstone Tuesday)

© 2016 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth

 

I came over the grave of brazier (gjørtler) Carl Peter Larsen (1827–1925) during my visit to Our Saviour's Cemetery (Vår Frelsers gravlund) today. The grave plate also shows the name of his wife Hanna Severine Larsen, née Soelberg (1829–1900) and their daughter Vally K. Larsen (1858–1931). The latter worked as a teacher, according to the 1885 national census.

 

A brazier is a person (craftsman) who works brass. In the cemetery register Larsen is actually listed as a gjørtlermester (brazier master). While the grave plate only shows three names, the cemetery register tells that grave no. 01.026.04.007 is leased (festet) together with grave no. 01.026.04.008 and that all in all 8 persons are buried there. I didn't notice any Larsen headstone next to the grave plate. Some of the other five are listed in the 1865 national census.

If one combines the names in the cemetery register with various national censuses you get the following list of children of Carl Peter and Hanna Severine:

1. Vally Kathinka (1858–1931)
2. Albert Frederik (1859–after 1910), gjørtler
3. Carl Oscar (1861–1944), also a gjørtler
4. Fanny Augusta (appr. 1863–after 1910), probably married Bjørnseth, and if so, she died in 1947, according to the cemetery register
5. Sigurd Halfdan (1865–1868)
6. H. Severin (1867–1868)
7. Thorstein (1869–1872)
8. Sigrid Helene (1871–1873)
9. Thorstein Emanuel (1876–1884)

There could have been more children, of course. If the details above are correct, Hanna must have been around 47 when Thorstein Emanuel was born. It seems a bit old, but not impossible. One has to go through the church books to find more details and to double-check everything. Maybe another time.

Grave of Michael Schmidt and family, Our Saviour's Cemetery, Oslo, Norway (Tombstone Tuesday)

© 2016 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth

Last Sunday I visited Our Saviour's Cemetery (Vår Frelsers gravlund) in Oslo in order to take photos for Slektshistoriewiki, the Norwegian Genealogy wiki, and for other projects.

I passed the small headstone of the Schmidt family and just had to take a photo of it. The headstone shows the names of overlærer (head teacher) Michael Scmidt, b. 27 April 1808, d. 13 April 1888, his wife Helene Adelaide, b. 6 October 1816, d. 7 April 1878 as well as Helene. You can only see parts of the latter's birth and death year, but it was 1847 and 1922 respectively, something also the cemetery register confirms.

The cemetery register tells that the grave (no. 01.016.07.010) to which the headstone shown above belongs is leased together with grave no. 01.016.07.009. However, the photo published in the register is not identical to the headstone above. In the cemetery register Michael and Helene (and other relatives) are listed in grave no. 01.016.07.010, while Helene Adaleide and others are listed in no. 01.016.07.009. There might be another headstone next to the above which I didn't photograph.

Anyway, you can find (parts of) the family in the 1865, 1875 and 1885 national censuses.

Grave of the 1st and 2nd Baron Mountevans, Our Saviour's Cemetery, Oslo, Norway

Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans (1881–1957) and his son Richard Andvord Evans, 2nd Baron Mountevans and their spouses are buried at Vår Frelsers gravlund (Our Saviour's Cemetery), Oslo, Norway, plot numbers 01.054.004.009 and 010.

The first Lord Mountevans was married to Elsa Andvord (1890–1963), daughter of Sevald Theodor Richard Andvord (1839–1913) and Sofie Cathinca Andvord, née Jacobsen (1849-1935).

One of Elsa's brothers was Richard Andvord (1886–1965), who was aide-de-camp to King Haakon VII from 1927 to 1930 and later Chamberlain (from 1949) at the Royal Court and head of the Royal Stables from 1945 until 1960

More details about the Lords Mountevans can be found at Cracroft's Peerage.

Updated on Thursday 7 July 2016 at 00.10 (typo corrected), last time Thursday 7 July 2016 at 07.50 (minor mistake).