Jørgen von Ansbach (ca. 1510 – ca. 1590) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including Beam (structure), beams and plank (wood), planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as fini ...

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...

(southern part of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

). He immigrated from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

around 1540. He came as a

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

administrator at a time when King

Christian III of Denmark Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

tried without success to establish a mining industry in Bratsberg (now Telemark). He subsequently became a pioneer in the timber industry in the district as an owner of several

sawmills A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and a major timber merchant. He organized efforts to make water flows from the Hjellevannet on the lower water basin in the Skien watercourse (''

Skiensvassdraget The Skien watershed is the third largest watershed of Norway after those of the Glomma and the Drammen rivers. The catchment area is , and the maximum length is . The Skien watershed includes rivers which feed Lake Norsjø above Skien; * Vinj ...

'') to the

Skien River The Skien watershed is the third largest watershed of Norway after those of the Glomma and the Drammen rivers. The catchment area is , and the maximum length is . The Skien watershed includes rivers which feed Lake Norsjø above Skien; * Vinj ...

(''Skienselva'') so that water could drive recovery saws. He established sawmills and the timber trade rose sharply in Skien. He was cited as mayor of Skien in 1568, 1570 and 1578. His considerable fortune was largely derived from the number of properties he owned in the city and district. These properties were divided between his five daughters whose descendants dominated the commercial life in Skien into the 17th century as timber merchants and estate owners. Among his descendants were

Anne Clausdatter Anne Clausdatter, also known as Anne Arnold and ''Anna Clausdatter'' (born 5 June 1659 in Skien, died 11 April 1713 at Borgestad Manor) was a Norwegian landowner; owner of Borgestad Manor in Skien, one of the largest estates of Bratsberg. Ann ...

(1659–1713) who owned

Borgestad Manor Borgestad Manor ( no, Borgestad gård) is an estate and manor house in the municipality of Skien in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway. History Borgestad is located in the former parish of Gjerpen near Porsgrunn. It is one of the largest estates ...

and

Christian Cornelius Paus Christian Cornelius Paus (18 October 1800 – 8 April 1879) was a Norwegian lawyer, civil servant and politician. He was Governor of Bratsberg (now Telemark) and a Member of the Norwegian Parliament. Background He was born at Skien in Telema ...

(1800–1879) who was Governor of Bratsberg. Among his more notable descendants was the playwright

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...

References

Other sources

* Ivar Seierstad (1958) ''Skiens historie'' ''Bind I fra 1184 til ca 1814'' (Skien: Erik St. Nilssens Forlag. page 129-130) *

Øystein Rian Øystein Rian (born 23 February 1945, in Lillehammer) is a Norwegian historian who specializes in the history of Denmark-Norway from 1536 to 1814, particularly its political, social and religious history. He was appointed associate professor at ...

(1997) ''Bratsberg på 1600-tallet. Stat og samfunn i symbiose og konflikt'' (Oslo: Universitetsforl. page 109–110) * S. H. Finne-Grønn (1910) "Jørgen v. Ansbach, Engel Jensen og slegten Klouman" in
Norsk Personalhistorisk Tidsskrift
' Vol. 1 p. 357 1510 births 1590 deaths People from Skien German emigrants to Norway Mayors of places in Norway Norwegian businesspeople in timber Norwegian merchants 16th-century businesspeople 16th-century Norwegian people {{norway-bio-stub