A Love Story.

This is a love story. It begins with my grandmother Sara Amalie. Her pet name was Malle. I prefer to call her Sara, because that name has to me a scent of beauty - and a beauty she was. She was much courted. Every young man in the parish - jah, all along the beach courted her. Also Lars (Lás) my grandfather. He was handsome and fancied Sara very much.

Then a war came in between - The Prussian War 1864. Lars was a seaman like most of the boys in Strandby. He has sailed the great seas and consequently he was enrolled as a mariner on our finest battle ship Rolf Krake. It was engaged in battle. In a heavy fighting Lars's mate got killed by a bullet, but Lars himself stayed safe and sound throughout the war. The Navy honoured him with a medal for bravery in combat.

I am sure he showed the medal to Sara, but she was not that easy to impress and she would definitely not marry a seaman. "It will never work with you and me. I will not walk on the beach and keep lookout for you each time a gale is on the loose" she said.

There was no getting around it, and Lars had to defer to her arguments. He took a pair of oars on his shoulders and walked southwest. He walked and walked until he met a man asking him "What are those poles for you are carrying on your shoulders". Then Lars knew he has walked far enough.

The oar-story may not be quite true, but it is very much in keeping with the fact that Lars and Sara settled at Søndersigen in the very heart of Vendsyssel equally far from the West Sea, the Oust Sea and the Limfjord.

Here they bought the farm "Søndersighus" and they were well accepted in the community. We knew, because neighbours gave them a precious wedding anniversary gift less than a year after their settlement. It was a fine clock with an eight day and thirty hours work made by Junghans Brothers and it is still in good order.

Lars´s ancestors had been sheriffs or wreck masters way back and soon Lars was appointed sheriff of Hallund. His superior was the police superintendent or chief constable in Sæby. Many a times he brought prisoners to court in Sæby, or he attended officials there in connection with his various tasks. Lars was extrovert and charming. Often he lunched with his superior. On his way home he bought fish. Back home he gave the herrings to Sara and went himself to the fields to catch up with the work missed during the day.

It was a happy family - fourteen children they got. A grandchild was named Amalie (Malle) for her grandmother. Cousin Malle phoned me shortly before she died and told me about the time she lived at Søndersighus as a child and teenager. Grandmother was marvellous she said. Lars was often on the road on duty and Sara had to look after everything on the farm. A score of people to breakfast, lunch and supper - every day. When Laura - her daughter - was divorced, she came to Søndersigen with her children - one of them was Bette Malle. No matter how busy Sara was, she had time for children and grandchildren and taught them to read and write before they got to school. She did also find room for one or two kids from the village needing food and care.

In 1907 she died 64 years old. Lars carried on. In 1905 the king made him knight of the Dannebrog for long and faithful service and he continued that faithful service until 1918 - the year he died. In 1911, however, he handed over the farm to his youngest son Emil - my father - and stayed as a pensioner on the farm well looked after by my father and aunty Jane.

1914 King Christian X invited the veterans from the war in 1864 to a great party at the castle. Grandfather participated of course and being the most prominent of the veterans he was given the queen mother as dinner partner. He made her a speech. After the party he stayed overnight with his daughter Laura and told her all to tell. "I said to the queen mother, that she looked gorgeous - but I did not mean it" he confided to Laura.

In particular as a pensioner he got time to read. His library counted a hundred books of Tolstoy, Oehlenshlæger, H.C. Andersen, Rosencrantz etc. They have now found a home in my bookshelf and all are signed by grandfather.

In 1918 he gave up and both he and Sara are buried in Hallund close to the church tower. The headstone is not scheduled as a monument, but the sexton told me, that when and if the family does not keep the tomb anymore the parish will take over. It is a large grave with seven lots where more of Lars and Sara's children are laid to rest. Not all got a tomb-stone - a proof of the poverty of the time.


This is, however, not the end of the story. Eight children grew up and got their own family. Some of their children and grandchildren are assembled here in Hjørring today to celebrate their memory.

The poverty in Vendsyssel forced many a lad to emigrate to Gods own country. One of the late emigrants was Poul Møller Larsen from Mølgaard in Vidstrup. After the Great War he paid us a visit at Søndersighus. He brought his son and daughter. I was 15 years old and tried in particular to impress the girl being on my age. I decided to tell about my heroic acting, when our bull got on the loose a few days ago. Unfortunately I could not get the word "bull" on my tongue, so I invented the word "he-cow". The girl laughed so intense, that I took offence and refused to tell how the story with this furious animal ended.

The incident came to my mind half a year ago and after intensive search on the Internet I succeeded tracking down the girl. She lived happily with her husband Richard in Iowa. She confirmed the story. Her name is Rosalie. She has not changed a bit and now she is here.

(Story as told at the family gathering in Hjørring 11. July 2006)