Anders Petersen (22 December 1827 – 13 August 1914) was a Danish school teacher and author of a range of historical, genealogical and statistical books.

Early years

Anders Petersen was born in Bjæverskov, a town in

Køge Municipality Køge Municipality (, ) is a '' kommune'' in the Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand approx. 40 km southwest of Copenhagen. The municipality covers an area of 255 km² (98 sq. miles), and has a total population ...

, as the youngest of four children of

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...

Peter Nicolaisen and wife Marie Nilsdatter Bech. He grew up with his family in the residence of the

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

of Bjæverskov, where his parents worked for the unmarried deacon. Since rural deacons were often school teachers as well, this may partly explain why he later became a teacher. In 1842 he was

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on of hands. Catholicis ...

as first in his class. The deacon who had employed his parents died in May the same year, two months later at the age of 14 Anders Petersen started as an apprentice as a weaver in nearby Slimminge. In May 1845 Anders Petersen had completed his apprenticeship. During the following years he worked as a weaver in various nearby villages except for November 1846, where he lived in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. In November 1849 he returned to his parents in Bjæverskov. Since his father was over 60 and working as a day labourer he may have moved back to support his parents. In 1850 he volunteered for the army and soon became a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

in the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. The following year his father died, six years later his mother died.

Family and Career Years

In 1852 he entered Jonstrup Seminarium on a stipend from Count Brockenhus Schack of Giesegaard to become a teacher and in 1855 he graduated. On 12 June 1857 he married Olivia Anine Vilhemine Ømann in

Garrison Church, Copenhagen The Garnison Church () is a church at Sankt Annæ Plads in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Baroque church was erected as a church primarily intended for military personnel stationed in the city. History In the 17th century, Copenhagen had become home ...

. From 1857 to 1886 he was a school teacher in Vallø by. While living there he and his wife had four daughters, Petrine Marie Isabella Petersen (19 February 1858), Agnes Theodora Elna Petersen (22 April 1860), Olga Dagmar Nicoline Petersen (14 June 1862) and Thora Astrid Vilhelmine Petersen (19 September 1873). On 25 June 1879 he was a i.e. he had been awarded the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (). In 1886 when his daughter Agnes married a teacher he was her

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

as teacher and church singer. In 1890 he had been awarded the silver medal of merit () and lived in

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a Danish seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...

as a retired teacher with his wife and two unmarried daughters of whom the oldest (Petrine) was herself a teacher. In 1891 he moved with his wife from Køge to Wesselsgade 13-2, Copenhagen as a retired teacher. In 1901 two of his daughters had died. After he retired Anders Petersen remained an active author.

After his Death

Anders Petersen has a posthumous entry in the 1914 issue of

Kraks Blå Bog is a Danish biographical dictionary. According to the publisher, it only contains autobiographies provided by the subjects themselves. The first edition was published in 1910 by Ove Krak and included 3,000 "life stories",''Kraks Blå Bog 2009-20 ...

as author and teacher. The

Danish National Archives The Danish National Archives () is the national archive system of Denmark. Its primary purpose is to collect, preserve and archive historically valuable records from central authorities, such as ministries, agencies and national organisations and ...

has preserved some of his mail correspondence. In 1991 a group of Danish historians led by J. Ingemann Pedersen raised the funds to reprint Anders Petersens book ''Sjællands Stifts Degnehistorie'', which is very useful to genealogists but which had become very rare.

Bibliography (selected)

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Anders 1827 births 1914 deaths 19th-century Danish historians Danish soldiers Danish schoolteachers People from Køge Municipality