Ulrich Fredrich von Cappelen (1770–1820) was a Norwegian businessman, ship owner and timber merchant.Frednesalléen 1
in ''Eidanger–Porsgrund'', by Finn C. Knudsen (1932). Hosted by Porsgrunn public library.

Personal life

Ulrich Fredrich von Cappelen grew up in at Mæla Manor in

Gjerpen Gjerpen is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Skien Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Gjerpen, which is now part o ...

(''Mæla gård i Gjerpen'') in the municipality of

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

. He was one of the sons of the wholesaler, timber merchant and ship owner Diderich von Cappelen (1734–1794) and his first wife Petronelle Pedersdatter Juel (1737–1785). He had two older brothers,

Diderik von Cappelen Diderik von Cappelen (21 June 1761 – 3 April 1828) was a Norwegian wholesaler, merchant, shipowner, estate owner and politician in 1814. He is often referred to as Diderik von Cappelen but he spelt his name ''Didrich von Cappelen'' and is also ...

and

Peder von Cappelen Peder von Cappelen (24 January 1763 – 11 March 1837) was a Norwegian merchant and politician. He was involved in timber trade and was an owner of ironworks. Cappelen was a member of the Parliament of Norway. Personal life Peder von Cappe ...

, a sister and one younger half-brother. In 1793 he married Benedicte Henrikke Aall (1772–1812), daughter of

Nicolai Benjamin Aall Nicolai Benjamin Aall (1739–1798) was a Norwegian businessman, ship-owner, property owner and timber merchant.

and Amborg Jørgensdatter, née Wesseltoft. The couple had nine children, many of whom became noteworthy citizens. The sons Nicolai Benjamin and Ulrik Frederik became jurists and members of the national parliament. The third son, Wittus Juel, became a merchant in

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

. The daughters Didricha and Louise were married consecutively to bishop and politician

Jens Lauritz Arup Jens Lauritz Arup (20 April 1793 – 9 April 1874) was a Norwegian bishop and politician. He was born at Kristiansand in Vest-Agder, Norway. His father was a sexton and a school teacher. In 1811 Arup was sent to Copenhagen to study, but had ...

. The fourth daughter Benedicte married her cousin Hans Blom Cappelen; their son Didrik became a member of parliament while their daughter Marie married

Fritz Trampe Flood Fredrik "Fritz" Christoffer Trampe Flood (13 January 1826 – 10 May 1913) was a Norwegian merchant. Personal life Fritz Trampe Flood was born in 1826 to merchant Jørgen Flood (1792–1867) and his wife Hanna (1796–1863), née Aall.

of the notable Flood ship-owner family. Their fourth son

Jørgen Wright Cappelen Jørgen Wright Cappelen (10 August 1805 – 6 October 1878) was a Norwegian bookseller and publisher. He was one of the founders of the publishing house Cappelen Damm. Personal life Jørgen Wright Cappelen was born at Porsgrund, Norway as the ni ...

moved to

Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...

(now Oslo) and founded the publishing house J.W. Cappelens Forlag. Except for Nicolai Benjamin, they all have descendants living in Norway today.

Career

Some time after the death of his father in 1794, he moved to

Porsgrund is a town and the administrative centre of Porsgrunn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The town is located at the mouth of the Porsgrunn river where it joins the Frierfjorden. The town of Skien lies immediately to the north of the to ...

, and started as a timber merchant and ship owner. He had inherited real estate and other assets with which he bought more property, especially in the rural parish of

Eidanger Eidanger is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Porsgrunn Municipality. The administrative centre wa ...

. He operated sawmills and marketed timber. However, during the

Gunboat War The Gunboat War (, , Swedish: ''Kanonbåtskriget''; 1807–1814) was a naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and Great Britain supported by Sweden during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing sm ...

(1807-1814), British Naval forces conducted an economic war, regularly seizing merchant vessels. The British Navy also conducted raids and disrupted Norwegian foreign trade. The subsequent Norwegian economic depression had a very negative impact on von Cappelen's mercantile business. He was virtually bankrupt upon his death in 1820. Cappelensvei
by Harald Bache Bystrøm. Hosted by Porsgrunn public library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cappelen, Ulrich Fredrich von 1770 births 1820 deaths Norwegian businesspeople in shipping People from Skien People from Porsgrunn Ulrich Fredrich