Jon Simensen Grue

   Other names for Jon were John Simensen Grue, Jo Gruen ⁸²⁶ and Jon Simensen Hulbækdal.

  Research Notes:

1. Source: Etteregister i tidsromment 1717-1969 for Grueslekten -----

[NOTE: 13 Oct 2022 - no longer a record on google search - but is available on the Norway, Nasjonalbiblioteket - but I have figured out a way to access this yet]

section: Grue og Langen (p 15)

Jon Simensen from Simafarm, Tolga, born in 1729 got his teaching training by wicker (paster) Olaus Schult and manager/secretary Mikael Schielderupp from Tolga. He started as a teacher in Dalsybgen in 1748 at 18 years old. In 1754 he married Sigrid, daughter of mine's blacksmith (Grubesmeden) Østen Olsen Bortistuen (who was married to Kari from Usen Breen).

2. Source: Solveig Persdtr Moseng, summer 1980

3. Source: Eiliv Peter Johannesen Grue, summer 1980 and 1982; [ Eiliv Grue is my half 5th cousin; Eiliv Grue is my half 5th cousin - his 5th great grandmother was Kari Jonsdtr Grue, daughter of Jo Simensen Gruen; Rueben D Grue, 9 Jan 2015 ]

4. Source: Family records (personal), written by Mary E Grue (Lofgren), about 1980-1982, based on information from Solveig Persdtr Moseng and Eiliv Peter Johannesen Grue, summer 1980

In 1748 Jon Simesen came to the mine (Grue mine - Gruvasen). At 18 years of age, he became the first formal teacher in the area. How different school was in those days. He taught 36 weeks at 36 different places and had taught 150 children and received 54.50 krona [ about $180.00 - note: likely 1980 krona value ]. He did not teach at a school, but travelled from farm to farm, house to house, place to place. In 1754, after 6 years of teaching, he married Sigrid, Osten Olsen Gruen's daughter. Now he bagan to learn the blacksmith trade from his father-in-law. And, as was the custom, he took as his name, the name of the place where he lived and so became Jon Simensn Gruen. Sigrid and Jon had eight children. After Sigrid died, he married Gjertrude Ousten and they had five children. One of these was Tore Jonsen Gruen - from which we stem.

4. Source: Orville Movold, personal correspondence materials, 1983 (#66; translation by Mary Grue, 1983 and some by Rueben Grue, 2008)

Jon Simensen was from Simagården at Tolga and came in 1748 to Dalsbyda; he was the valley's first true teacher. In 1754 he was married to the mine's blacksmith daughter, Sigrid. He now worked with his father-in-law for a few years for certain, but not as much as 7 years. During this time he saw much blacksmithing, so that he was able to make a lock. When his father-in-law died, he concluded (stopped) blacksmithing and returned to working hard with the school (teaching).

On April 28, 1774 [Sigrid died in Jan 1774] , he received 1/4 of the Berg farm for a sum 50 Riksdaler. This should be part of the land between Gruen and Skarvåsen; then afterwards stood barns (for livestock) and farm sheds. There were also small hay meadows at Milskift and Langsfjell; [previously, a share of his farm belonged to him when he first undertook farming] (?)

5. Source: Tolga - Gards og Slektshistorie, page 261 (basic/literal translation, Rueben Grue, July 2008)

Jon had extra/special [særs] good intellegence [evner] for books and received additional instruction by pastor Schjelderup; he became teacher and sexton in Os. Married Sigrid Estendtr Grue and was the ancestor of Grueslekten in Dalsbygda who fostered or reared many teachers.

6. source: 1801 Norway Census ; farm #1

- lists Jon (age 72), wife Gertrud Thoresdtr (age 61), son Jon Jonsen (age 19), daughter, Rganille Jonsdtr (age 20), and Sigri Estendtr, [huusbondens søns daatter tagen til opfofostring - are raising [foster]]

- farm # 1 - likely Gruva or Gruvåsen or Gruben; however, if the 1801 Census was using the old matrikkel number as indicated in 1838 Matrikkel, then farm # 1 would have been the farm Breen. It is possible that Gruvåsen was not included in any Matrikkel (although possibly from 1723 matrikkel but I haven't found the farm in the Digitalarkivet scaned book) and so the census taker simply used the farm # that was close to Gruvåsen (Berg is also close, but the old gnr # for Berg is #3). The fact that the leasee of the farm Berg, Jon Eriksen Berg, sold the Gruben farm lease to Jon Simensen Grue (1729-1807) in 1773 suggests that the leasees of the farm Berg leased this area. It should be noted, however, that prior to the 1838 Matrikkel, the farm numbers only were attached to the Gårdsnavn and were not broken down into smaller units.

However, over-all the 1801 Norway Census for Tolgen seems to use an "unknown" numbering systems for the "Gard/hus"; most other places, use a name for the "Gard/hus", but the numbers do not match numbers used in the 1838 Matrikkel (land register)

Conclusion: the recording of Farm #1 may be an error in 1801 census; the record likely should have been Farm #3. Farm #1 refers to the Farm known as Breen; Farm #3 was known as the farm Berg (Gruben originally a part of the farm Berg. Of course it is also possible that Jon Simensen Grue was living at the farm Breen or enumerated there, the homeplace of his wife Gjertrud.


Olav Rygh Norvegian Farm Names

Farm #123 - Berg; #1 (bruk), Gruben - presumbably named after a closed copper mine

Occupation 1801 Census: Jon Simensen: Owner of farm/Farmer Bonde og gaardbeboer klocker og skoleholder i sognet [Owner of farm/farm resident; Klokker/Sexton and schoolmaster in the parish]



7. Source: Bygebok for Os: bygda og folket; page 51 [PDF - John S Grue & Bergs]

- born about 1729 (f.ca 1729)
- Jon Simensen began as a teacher in the old Dalsbyda in 1748 and was also the Sexton/parish clerk
[ Jon Simensen begynte som lærer i det gamle Dalsbyda i 1748 og ble også Klokker ] ;
- his son, Simen Jonsen Grue, born 1766 took over the farm





8. Source: Bygebok for Os: bygda og folket; page 219 [ PDF - Breen ]

Gjertrude
- outlines her parents, brothers and sisters and some descendants
- indicates she had a child prior to the marriage with John Simensen Grue - Kari, born 1768. With the settlement of the estate after Gjartrud died in 1828, it was made clear/written that several years ago Kari had traveled to Trondheim, where she died. In Trondheim she had married a man from Hedemarken, Jens. There is no doubt that their son, Johannes, lived in Nordlandene.


9. Source: Digitalarchives :


a. Marriage, 23 Oct 1775; engaged 30 Sep 1775

- Jon Simensen, residence Grua; Giertru Toresdt, residence Breen
- Trulovar - public announcement of engagement; by Erik Persen, Berrig and Erik Olsen [den ældre - the elderly], Breen

b. Burials in Tolga 1807, transcribed and entered by Marie Tollan [ other information she has provided is reasonably accurate; noted - 27 Jan 2011 ]

- Name: Jon Simensen, burial 7 Jun 1807; position - Klokker; 78 yrs old <1729>; residence Grue

- scanned images of death and burial are not in the digital archives
- the burial is a transcribed entry into the database, but likely an acurate transcription
- transcription entry DOES NOT indicated the date of death - it is not clear if the original Klokkerbok recorded date of death or only date of burial

c. Confirmation, 1746; Tolga Ministerialbok, 1733-1767, page 216-217, line 3 (1st side, bottom of 1st column, year 1746)

- name of Jon Simensen, 17 years old <1729>, recorded --- names of parents, etc are not recorded on these pages, therefore, this is likely the year of his confirmation, but the "surety" level is only probable versus convincing evidence

== note: there is a transcribed record: http://digitalarkivet.arkivverket.no/en-gb/kb/kf/person/pk00000000895111

10. source: www.tomren.org [11 Nov 2022 - this website is no longer active]

- lists Gjertrud's (spelled Gjartrud) place of birth as Breen, farm # 131, Os, Tolga, Hedmark
- lists Gjertrud's place of death as Berg, farm #123, Os, Tolga, Hedmark
- lists Jon Simensen's surname as Hulbækdal



11. www.geni.com -- managed by Johannes Rye Røste (last update - 22 May 2011 )

Jon Simensen Simensen Hulbækdal [Simagarden]

- "Farmer and farm occupant/resident; parish clerk [ sexton ] and school teacher/master" ( Bonde og gaardbeboer klocker og skoleholder i sognet; beboer means occupant or resident )
- includes both marriages and all children; however, only some descendents of some children
- database has information on Gjartrud's ancestors [ Breen ] and connects to another tree owned by another manager back to the 1500's


12. From: Tolgen by Ivar Sæter, 1908 - http://www.wangensteen.net/Bibliotek/tolgen/index.html

[ basic/literal translation by Rueben D. Grue, Jul 2012; Ivar Sæter's book is written in an older Norwegian and often has many Danish words or phrases; Eilert Sundt's book is also written in Norwegian/Danish - google translation indicated Danish; some of the original below is copied from Eilert's on-line original; see article 'Jon Simensen Grue' under family genealogy folder for complete Norweigan/Danish original plus my translation ]

- The first church in Os was built in 1642 (it is presumed this is the location). [ I Os blev der bygget kirke i 1642 (antagetig første den paa stedet) ]

page 122 (side 130)

Jon Simensen Grue was the first teacher in Os [ Jon Simensen Grue blev første den lærer i Os ].

E. Sundt wrote in his book, "Røros and region" ["Røros og omegn"] in 1858: "Approximately in the year 1740 a school boy by the name of Jon Simensen, lived at a cotter's farm/cabin on Simagarden close to Tolgen. In all probability he showed great abilities/intellegience and thereafter Priest Claus Schult and writer Mikkel Schjelderup both taught him to write and do arithmetic. And that their work was not useless, for when, in 1747 after the new school law was passed, teachers were hired in the parish. This person (Jon Simensen) was 18 3/4 years old, and he was appointed to the school for the whole Os area. According to the records [ ? datids ? ], he had to keep the school open in the summer and winter, with the exception of a few weeks during haying season on the farm. His district stretched from Dalsbygden in the west to Sømaadalen and Tufsingdalen by Fæmundsøen, and his salary was 17 rigsdaler or riksdaler annually.

He continued to hold school until 1806 [ Jon Simensen Grue died in 1807 ]. After him the teacher was his son, Simen Jonsen until Simen's death in 1813, and then his brother, John Jonsen. In 1822, the son of the deceased Simen Jonsen, Jon Simensen Grue, became the teacher in Tolgen; in his old age he settled at Langen.


The following paragraphs are from Eilert Sundt's book (and are not recorded in Ivar Sæter's book):


In 1754 the schoolmaster was married to a daughter of Esten Olsen Gruen, a blacksmith to the already defunct or abandoned Dalsbygda Grube. But the father, who could not like the fact that his daughter was to have a schoolmaster as husband forced him to quick this work and in its place to start working in the blacksmithing/forging profession.

In the 4 years there were more people, one after the other, appointed in the trade [ school teaching ], but since no one would stand by it and the old blacksmith died in the 1758, the son in law who, after he inherited the farm was named Jon Simensen Grue, now had full liberty, and decided to let go of the hammer and tongs, and returned to his beloved school room. The district was, however, now divided into Dalernes district east to Fæmunden and Os with Dalsbygden. This last district selected Grue, whose salary however was reduced to 13 rigsdaler or riksdaler, because of the division.

The Os Klokker ombusman (Ombudet is likely from the old Norse umboðsmaðr, meaning an official representative) were managed by men who could not count or write and therefore no standards (for recording) had been made. There had not always been a high level of development ("state of the art") registers of the priests. As a result, children's date of birth were often forgotten, and you had to try to determine the child's age by measuring it with instances of remarkable events, e.g. the "Swedish winter, frost years, large wind in the summer and other events". But from 1768 it was better. In Tolgen, the accomplished pastor Jørgen Mandal and in Os the school master Jon Simensen Grue complimented each other, "Now began this new era at the church with the priest Jørgen Mandal providing assistance and consultation to equip and maintain proper school records and municipality records/books." These two men, the priest and the church clerk/sexton, were unanimous in all things and at all times. They were good friends and like brothers in all events, and in particular worked jointly to help restore order and eradicate superstition and many other vices .... [ vankundigheden drager ?].

In 1769 the inhabitants of Osgården by Os church bought a storehouse in order to furnish it as a school house. After the .... [ betænkelighed ? ] concerns [ ? ] in 1776, it finally was finished. It was probably a result of the clerk's efforts, for he [ Jon Simensen Grue ] is mentioned beside the celebrated director Peter Hjort at Røros whose contributions to the furnishings of the house [ school house ]. It was in the year 1781, during the time of priest Mandal and sexton Grue, that the circuit school teachers in the districts became regulated by the smallest sub-division of local farms or people, [ roder - rote which is the smallest sub-division of a district ], and school salary rose from 13 rix-dollars. to 16 dollars to the teacher in the western district (Os with Dalsbygden) and 15 rix-dollars. to the teacher in the east.

The priests changed frequently, but Jon S. Grue managed the church books (as parish sexton/clerk - Klokker) and schoolteaching until 1806, when the roles were taken over by his son Simen Jonsen [ Jon S Grue died in 1807 ]. This occured during the visitation to Tolgen by Bishop Beck who also had inserted in his order, "And the name 'Klokker' was then exchanged for the name' Kirkesanger'.' However the term Klokker continued to be used by the people here until 1813 [ this was when Simen Jonsen Grue died ]. But it has been written that a younger brother [ of Simen Jonsen ], Jon Jonsen Grue, who as a youngester had taken farm work in Melhus in Throndhiem, had then assumed the role of turn schoolmaster. He came and took over his brother's work, and until this day the people are satisfied with his work.

---- there is more from Eilert's report under Jon Jonsen Grue notes



13. http://wangensteen.net/Bibliotek/klokkervang/index.html#/2/
[ website no long available; see my folder, under, Genealogy Resources, bygeboker .... ]

Klokkervang 29 June 1822 to 29 June 1922 (with a short register of kin - med et kort slegtsregister)
by Thoralf Grue


page 17
- Jon Simonsen Gruen second marriage to Gjertrud Toresdtr nedre Ousten
- daughter Sigrid died at 7 years old


page 11 ; re; the last three children with wife Sigrid
- All three died as young children
- it said that the last died and was buried with his mother, who died of dysentery in 1774 (blodsotten - of blood issue or bloody flux - an inflammatory disorder of the intestine)



14. General, from: http://dalsbygda.net/; history of Dalsbyda school

basic translation by Rueben D Grue, 13 Sep 2012

It became a school Dalsbygda circa 1750. The first permanent school building was inaugurated in 1854. The first time there was a combination of education in the regular school building and school from some some of the villages. There was a new school house in 1867, and from then on, it employed two teachers


15. General http://nordosterdalsmuseet.no/3666.973.English.html

North Østerdalen Musuem; Os, Tolga
- archives -- Jon Simensen Grue - some records, journals of first school teacher



** Further Research:


Norway Church Records prior to 1735 for Tolga would be recorded in Tynset clerical district. Note: Digital Archives does not have images for births in 1729 for Tynset or Rendal
Therefore, Jon's birth record may be recorded:
b. 1 1722-1732 FHL INTL Film 124466 [ available on microfilm from Family Search Library ]

-- Digitalarkivet - has scanned pages of Tonset Ministerialbok 1722-1732 -- likely the same as micofilm

Kronologist liste only - handwriting difficult to read ; [ last viewed, 27 May 2015 ]

??? one entry, 22 day of Trinity [ but what day is this; a later would be about mid Sept, earlier mid Aug)
- page 199-200 , first side (last entry) : baptism: Joan or Joon [?] Simensen Undset [?] .... ... ? then on next line, Son, Simen
BUT +++++ the transcribed register for Tynset (by Odd Håken Tjade), gives the name of the child as Simen and the father as Joon Simensen Udby

- this seems to be entered differently from the usual entry: most entries are Baptism: then name of parent, .. for example: Jacob.... son/datter, then the name of child
- the first line doesn't appear to be Morten Simensen Undset, - more like Joan or Joon [?] Simensen Un... [?] .... ... ? then on next line, Son Simen


[ 31 Oct 2014 - reviewed scans;; the word Bapt.. is clear, then the name of parent with either son/datter and then the first name of the child ] son is most often written as Són; Tonset/Tynset is the most likely, since Tydall and Elevdal (Alvdal ?) are to the south and east of Tynset; sometimes you see the word that looks like "Item", this seems to indicate the name of another baptism on the same day ]

reviewed years, 1728-1730 -- did not find any other entry for baptism for Jon

thoughts: the geographical area of the parish Tonset/Tynset is/was quite large and the distance from Tolga to Tynset is about 30 kms; this would have been quite a distance and so it seems unlikely that there were many families that travelled to Tonset. BUT, according to wikipedia, the first church in Tolga was built in 1688, so either the priest from Tonset did not record baptisms in Tolgen (I have only seen on entry for Tolga) or the church book for Tolga in the early years (prior to 1733) did not survive, either burned or lost. ^{76,827,828,829,830,831,832,833}

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Birth - 1729, 1729, Tolga, Hedmark, Norway. ^819,821 Family history records his birth in 1729; however, it doesn't appear that he is recorded in the Tynset Parish Registers for the years 1728-1730 (Tolga parish or clerical district was formed in 1735; records prior to this were in the Tynset (or Tonseth) parish. Evidence of his birth in 1729 comes from family records (for example, Klokkervang by Thoralf Grue, published in 1922-1923 or ... Grueslekten ... by Ole Johan Nysas in 1969. It has been recorded that he was born at the farm Hulbækdal, locally known as Simagarden

2. Confirmation - 1746, 1746, Tolga, Hedmark, Norway. ⁸²³

3. Residence - 1801, 1801, Tolga, Hedmark, Norway. ⁸³⁴ Farm #1 (likely Gruva); Local Parish - Dalsbøjgden Eller Ous Annex;
Occupation: Bonde og gaardbeboer klocker og skoleholder i sognet [Owner of farm/farm resident; Klokker/Sexton and schoolmaster in the parish]

Jon married Sigrid Estensdtr Berg, daughter of Esten Olsen Berg and Kari Olsdtr Breen, in Apr 1754 in Os, Togla, Hedmark, Norway.⁸¹⁷ (Sigrid Estensdtr Berg was born in 1734 in Berg, Tolga, Hedmark, Norway,^835,836 died in 1774 in Tolga, Hedmark, Norway ⁸³⁵ and was buried on 9 Jan 1774 in Tolga, Hedmark, Norway ⁸³⁵.)

Jon next married Gjertrud Toresdtr Breen, daughter of Tore Estensen Breen and Kari Kristoffersdtr, on 23 Oct 1775 in Os, Tolga, Hedmark, Norway ^818,819.^,820 (Gjertrud Toresdtr Breen was born in 1740 in Tolga, Hedmark, Norway,^837,838 died on 24 Aug 1828 in Tolga, Hedmark, Norway ⁸³⁸ and was buried on 7 Sep 1828 in Ous Church Cemetery, Tolga, Hedmark ⁸³⁸.)