Mecklenburg (Dano-Norwegian family)

Coat of arms of Sebastiane Hiorth (left) and of Captain Niels Mechlenburg, son of Major Jens Hansten and Maren Mechlenburg. Heraldic artwork from 1763, interior of Sykkylven Church.

Mecklenburg is a family living in Denmark and Norway and descending from Flensburg in today's Germany. It has belonged to the countries' aristocracy, and members have been e.g. feudal lord, fogds (a supreme civil official of a region), militaries, and merchants.

General history

Flensburg (between 1572 and 1618).

Oluf Jensen (b. ca. 1487 in Flensburg) came as a young man to Haderslev. Jensen became a merchant, and within short time very wealthy. He married Margrethe Meckelbork, the sister of Henrick Meckelbork, Mayor of Flensburg. Also Jensen himself became the town's mayor. Jensen took the name of his wife, and called himself Oluf Meckelburg. This name was also given to or taken by his children.

After Oluf the old came Oluf the young (b. 1540), Oluf Meckelburg's son of the later marriage with Marina Oldendorph, the daughter of Jacob Oldendorph, Mayor of Haderslev, and Elisabeth Holst. Like his father, Oluf the younger became a merchant, – not in his birth town, but in father's, Flensburg. He became one of the wealthiest merchant in that town. He traded and exported goods from the royal fiefs, and he had extensive connections to Norway. He was married with Margrethe Carstensdatter, belonging to the rural nobility of Sleswick-Holstein. Her parents were Carsten Rickertsen, Mayor of Flensburg, and Marina Friis af Arlevad.

Their sons Jacob and Oluf Mechlenborg went to Norway, where they became, respectively, Fogd of Nordmøre and Fogd of Helgeland. Their third son, Carsten Mechlenborg, remained in Haderslev, where he was a merchant and the town's mayor. On the other hand, many of his children moved to Eastern Norway.

Mecklenburg in Western Norway

Jacob Mechlenborg (ca. 1565–1619) was appointed as Fogd of Nordmøre. His wife was Maren Mikkelsdatter, and the couple had three known sons: Oluf Mechlenborg, Fogd of Nordmøre and customs and export officer, Niels Mechlenborg, and Johan Mechlenborg.

Mecklenburg in Northern Norway

The prigenitoress of the Northern Norwegian branch, belonged to the noble family Galde.

Hestmona, seat of the younger line.

Jens Mechlenborg was Fogd of Helgeland (yellow and green), and his son Oluf Mechlenborg was Fogd of Lofoten and Vesterålen (red).

The old line

Jens Mechlenborg (ca. 1566–1626) came in 1601 or 1602 to Trondheim in Norway. His occupation during the first years, is not known. It is likely that he worked in connection with merchants who had been partners of his father and his grandfather. In 1619, he became Fogd of Nordhelgeland. His wife was Abelone Madsdatter Galde. She was the daughter of Mads Tønnesen Galde, and she was thus a descendant of the family Gyldenløve of Austrått and a great-great-granddaughter of Lady Ingjerd Ottesdotter Rømer til Austrått, who in her time was one of the mightiest and richest nobles in the kingdom as well as a leading person in the Reformation Process.

Their son Oluf Mechlenburg became in 1626 Fogd of Lofoten and Vesterålen. By 1633, he had left his office, and in 1665, he was living at Lurøy Farm in Helgeland. He was since 1629 married with Adelus Christensdatter (Schanche), the daughter of Christen Olufsen (Schanche), priest to Brønnøy.

Only the son Christen Mechlenborg (ca. 1640–ca. 1710) is known, and he remained living on Lurøy. His daughter Eva Mechlenborg (ca. 1680–1762), who took over Lurøy, was married to Kristen Hansen, a shipper at Hestmona.

The young line

The older line ended with Eva Mechlenborg. However, all her children assumed the name Mechlenborg and thereby established the younger line. As the family no longer were high officials, members began engaging themselves with trade and shipping, then a royal privilege.

Genealogy

Mecklenburg in Eastern Norway

• Oluf Mechlenburg, customs and export secretary
  • Niels Mechlenburg, estate owner
    • Maren Mechlenburg (b. ca. 1677), ∞ Jens Hansten, major
      • Niels Mechlenburg (1715–57), captain, ∞ Sebastiane Hiorth (see that)
        • Hans Jacob Mechlenburg (1749–1800), rural shopkeeper
    • Chierstine Mechlenburg (b. ca. 1678–1707), ∞ Christian Wernersen Werenskiold (see that)
    • White Mechlenburg, ∞ Hans Lorentzen Angell (see that)
    • Wilhelmine Mechlenburg, ∞ Hans Wilhelm von Rømer
    • Ingeborg Mechlenburg, ∞ Carl Frederik von Rømer (Son of H.W. von Rømer.)
  • Willum Mechlenburg, fief/feudal lord
    • Anne Catharine Mechlenburg, ∞ Mathias de Tonsberg
      • Elisabeth de Tonsberg, ∞ Niels Wernersen Werenskiold
        • Karen Werenskiold, ∞ Hartvig Huitfeldt (see that)
        • Hedvig Werenskiold, ∞ General von Hausmann
        • Martha Werenskiold, ∞ the Count von Wedel

Mecklenburg in Northern Norway, the old line

• Jens Mechlenborg (ca. 1566–1626), fogd, ∞ Abelone Madsdatter Galde
  • Oluf Mechlenborg, fogd, ∞ Adelus Christensdatter (Schanche)
    • Christen Mechlenborg (ca. 1640–ca. 1710)
      • Eva Mechlenborg (ca. 1680–1762), ∞ Kristen Hansen, shipper

Mecklenburg in Northern Norway, the young line

• Christen Mekkelborg (1710–56), tradesman and shipper
  • Christen Mekkelborg (1748–1824), tradesman and shipper
    • Andreas Walnum Mikkelborg (1777–1853), ship officer, ∞ Kirsten Marie Schrøder, ∞ Anne Margrete Gregusdatter
      • Ole Walnum Mikkelborg (1826–91), tradesman and shipping agent (of the 2nd marriage)
        • Andreas Mikkelborg Walnum (1875–1962), shipping agent
          • Rolv Mikkelborg Walnum (1920–94), shipping agent
      • Jens Casper Mikkelborg (1827–ca. 1913), tradesman and shipping agent
  • Elling Mekkelborg (1752–1808), tradesman, shipper and innkeeper, ∞ Elisabeth Lucia Mekkelborg
    • Christen Mikkelborg (1786–1871), tradesman, ∞ Maren Johanna Ellingsen
• Hans Mekkelborg (1714–67), shipper, ∞ Dorothea Hønnichen
  • Christen Mekkelborg (1749–1829), ship officer
    • Daniel Mikkelborg (1811–53), ship officer
  • Lars Mekkelborg (1758–1825), shipper

The lists are not complete.

Name

The name has several orthographical variants, which have changed with time and trends, among others Mekelburg (old), Mickelbork (old), Mecklenburg, Mechlenburg, Mecklenborg, Mechlenborg, Mechelborg, Mekkelborg and Mikkelborg. It is not known whether the name has any relation to the German region Mecklenburg.

Coat of arms

Description: An out of a forest [three trees] running wild dog. Natural colours. The crest is a wild dog rampant.

Literature and sources

• Mørkvig, Svend Aage (1986): Mechlenburg – Patricierslægt gennem 500 år
• Ellefsen, Simon (2001): Mechlenburg/Mechlenborg
• Store norske leksikon: Mats de Tonsberg
• Store norske leksikon: Mats de Tonsberg – utdypning