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Part 7. Mads Nielsen Gram lineage to Gregers WW Gram

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Diane’s cousin Hans G. Jorgenson who visited Norway in the 1950’s wrote that the bailie who was in command of the Norwegian forces at the battle of Kringen in 1612 was Lars Gram:

“He was born in 1577 and died in 1645.   He was a sheriff in Gudbrandsdalen and became the commander of the Norwegian farmers who defeated the Scottish invaders in the battle a=of August 16, 1612 at Hundorp, near Otta. “

This passage led to much dismay during the first year of my research on the Gram family.   His son is listed by Hans G  as  “(?) Larsen Gram”  who was the father of Peder Hansen Gram.   That is problematical.  His father was listed as being Mads Pedersen Gram, which is correct.  But the are are a number of problems with the lines as reported by Hans G.  Keep in mind we do not have the research notes of Hans G Jorgenson so we do not know why he reported this particular tree. But he had pushed his research as far as can be expected for the 1950’s.  I do not believe he had visited Hedmark to look at the state archives.    Anyway, one problem is the sheriff at the time of the battle of Kringen was Lars Hage, not Lars Gram, and that was very confusing to me.  Gram was indeed in command of the forces as reported by Thomas Michell.  But Gram  was not a sheriff,  instead he was the fogd for the crown, and was military commander for all the sheriffs (lensemenn)  in Gudbrandsdal.   But Gram did not deploy to Kringen for the battle.  He gave orders for various sheriffs to deploy to various points guarding passes into Gudbrandsdal from the west coast.

Another problem is that Lars Gram is not in Diane’s direct paternal line but is instead is the line of Gregers Gram.

Niels Simonsen Gram[1] had three sons:

      • Hans Nielsen Gram – 1530  became a priest in Gram, Denmark in 1561.
      • Mads Nielsen Gram – 1552   ancestor of Gregers Gram branch.
      • Niels Nielsen Gram – 1550  ancestor of Diane Jorgenson Gram’s branch (American branch).

 

BIRTH

Lars Madsen Gram (or Laurits Madsen Gram) was born about 1559  to

 

 

OCCUPATION: Fogd  (or magistrate)

Fogd (english: bailiff or magistrate)   in Gudbrandsdalen 1608-1613, later bailiff and manager of the Rosenkrantz family’s estate in Gudbrandsdalen.

 

RESIDENCE 1608

Skoden Farm.


Skoden Farm is in Land parish  northeast of Vinstra.  It is listed among Peder Nielsen Lund’s estates in 1635.  Peder Nielsen Lund  took over as bailiff over Rosenkrantz’s estate after Lars (Laurits)  Madsen Gram, and it is believed by some he was married to Lars Gram’s daughter. 

 

RESIDENCE 1610 – 1631

Steig Farm. 

Steig Farm is the historical capitol of Gudbrandsdal since the time of King Olaf.

We know that Lars moved to Steig Farm by 1612. This is reported by Thomas Michell’s account of the battle of Kringen.
One of Lars’s children is reported to have been born at Steig in 1610.

 


  1. NST 22 (1970) s. 177-178.

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