Tørres Christensen
Tørres Christensen (10 May 1664 – 15 February 1721) was a Norwegian timber merchant, sawmill owner, landowner and ship owner.[1]
He was born at the village of Nedenes in Øyestad (now Arendal) in Aust-Agder, Norway. He attended the Bergen Cathedral School. By 1682, he was enrolled as skipper in the service of the Danish King. He settled in Mandal in Vest-Agder during 1687, where he married Karen Mortensdatter Als (1666-1743), daughter of Morten Mortensen Als(d. 1691), the leading merchant of the town.[2]
After the death of his father-in-law in 1691, Christensen took over the business and became the dominant merchant in Mandal. He greatly expanded by establishing himself as a merchant and shipowner in Kristiansand. During the Great Northern War (1700-1721), he controlled large parts of the timber trade from the valley of Mandalen. He also continued in a few more years to sail as skipper on his own ships. As the dominant employer, merchant, creditor and landowner in Mandal, he ran the small town almost like a business. Christensen owned property both in Mandal and Kristiansand. He held several farms, several with salmon fishing rights, including Halshaug gård in Vest-Agder which was located at the mouth of river Mandalselva.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Godal, Anne Marit (ed.). "Tørres Christensen". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ Eliassen, Finn-Einar. "Tørres Christensen". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "Halshaug gård, Vest-Agder". lokalhistoriewiki.no. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
Other sources
[edit]- Syrdahl, Arvid (1998) Kongen av Mandal (MediaFoto A.S., Mandal) ISBN 82-994900-4-9
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