SAKARIAS JONSSON was born on the vicarage Innvik in Nordland, Norway. This area went through a number of name changes, eventually becoming Sogn og Fjordane, a popular tourist destination north of Bergen. In 2020, it was combined with Hordaland to become Vestland.

In 1633, SAKARIAS married DOROTEA JØRGENSDOTTER, daughter of JØRGEN NILSSON, a local official in Skein, Telemark, Norway, DOROTEA died in May, 1643, after 10 years of marriage, but SAKARIAS was not long a widower. On August 10, 1644, he was betrothed to Sarka Jonsdotter.

Following the marriage, Skanke accepted a priesthood position in the kommune of Seljord in northern Telemark. He was the first priest to keep a ministerial book, documenting the people and events that took place in Seljord. Much of the information in the Seljord Ættesoge comes from this record.

This brief biography was condensed from Tov Flatin's work. A link to the much larger biography follows this paragraph.

PRESTEGARDEN (Skorves)
Gardsnr 1, bruksnr 1

English translation At the vicarage, it has been that some priests use the farm themselves, while others had users. Here are just a few of the best known priests and mainly those who had descendants in Seljord.

Compiler's note The vicarage is located several hundred yards north of Seljord church. It was once called Skorves after a local mountain. The vicarage can be reached by following Prestevegen from where it intersects Brøløsvegen, near the church.

PRESTAR

GARVIK store
Gardsnr 17, bruksnr 1

Han var fødd 4 oktbr. 1601 på Innviki prestegard. Foreldri hans var sokneprest og prost mag. Jon Mogensen Schanke og Magdalene Andersdtr. f. Foss, dotter av Bergensbispen Anders Foss. Far hans vart dømd til dauden og halshoggin, og er sovidt ein veit den einaste norske prest som hev fengi slik ei avferd.

Schanke er den fysste presten i Øvre Telemark som tok til halde ministrialbok. Ho tek til i juli 1654. Ho byrjar med ein lang sjavbiografi. Her fortel han um båne- og ungdomsåri sine. Mor hans lærde han å lesa i sitt niande år vart han send til Bergen på skule, men vart sjuk og laut heimatt til mor si og kom kje til att på skulen fyrr han var i det tolvte åre. Men i 1619 laut han røme for pesti og for heimatt til mor si igjen. Åre etter hjelpte biskop Nils Paasche honom til koma på skulen att, og i 1623 vart han student. Same åre for han til Kjøpenhamn og vart tekin upp ved Universitete i desbr. Men in mai 1625 vart han jaga heimatt til Noreg av pesti.

English translation 7. Zacharias Schanke. He was born on October 4, 1601 at the Innvik vicarage. His parents were parish priest and prost mag. Jon Mogensen Schanke and Magdalene Andersdtr. f. Foss, daughter of the Bishop of Bergen, Anders Foss. His father was sentenced to death and beheaded, and is, as far as one knows, the only Norwegian priest who received such a death. Schanke is the first priest in Upper Telemark who began keeping the ministerial book. That began in July 1654. It begins with a long autobiography. Here he tells about his career and youth years. His mother taught him to read, in his ninth year he was sent to Bergen to school, but was ill and went home to his mother and came back to the school before he was in his twelfth year. But in 1619 he came down with the plague and returned to his mother's home again. Years later, Bishop Nils Paasche helped him come back to the school, and in 1623 he was a student. That same year he went to Copenhagen and was admitted to the University in December. But in May 1625 he was forced back home to Norway because of the plague.

Schanke fortel so koss han vanka vidt og breidt i lande, stundom var han huslærar og stundom kapellan, men berre nokre småbil å kalle på kvar stelle.

I 1633 døydde hrr. Mikkel Madssøn og Schanke vart då sokneprest i Seljord etter honom og hadde dette embete til han døydde 22. januar 1689 då hadde han vori prest her i bygdi mest i 56 år.

English translation Schanke told me that he wandered far and wide in the country, sometimes he was a house teacher and sometimes the chaplain, but only some small matters on each call. In 1633 Mr. Mikkel Madssøn died and Schanke remained parish priest in Seljord after that and held this office until he died on 22 January 1689, when he had been priest here in the village for most of 56 years.

Då han hadde vorti prest i Seljord, hugsa han «heldigvis» på Guds ord um at det er kje godt for menneskje å vera eismal, at den som er åleine er det ingin til å hjelpe uppatt um han dett, og når tvo ligg i saman, so vermer dei seg, o.s. fr. Han fridde då til Dorthea Jørgensdotter, dotter etter Jørgen Nilsen, som hadde vori rådmann i Skien, og vart trulova med henne 30. mai 1633. Ho døydde i mai 1643, då ha dei altso vori gifte i 10 år. Men han var ikkje lenge enkjemann. Den 10. august 1644 vart han trulova med Sarka Jonsdotter, som då var i huse hjå borgarmeistaren i Skien, Johan Trinepol, som var gift med Karine Gjertsdotter og ho var farsyster til Sarka, prestefruga i Seljord skulde bli. Den 3. novbr. s.å. vart dei vigde i Seljord av prosten Peder Povelsen, «efter Bøn og Paakaldelse til Gud om et lyksaligt og godt yndeligt Egteskabs Anfang og Begyndelse paany igjen.»

English translation When he had become a priest in Seljord, he «fortunately» recalled God's word that it is not good for man to be alone, that he who is alone has no one to help him up, and when two lie together, they warm themselves, etc. He then proposed to Dorthea Jørgensdotter, daughter of Jørgen Nilsen, who had been our councilor in Skien, and was engaged to her on 30 May 1633. She died in May 1643, when they were married for 10 years. But he was not long a widower. On August 10, 1644, he was engaged to Sarka Jonsdotter, who resided in the house of the mayor of Skien, Johan Trinepol, who was married to Karine Gjertsdotter and she was Sarka's father's sister, who was to become the priestess in Seljord. On Nov. 3 s.å. [same year] they were married in Seljord by the Provost Peder Povelsen, «after prayer and invocation to God for the beginning and beginning of a blissful and well-loved marriage again.»

Med fysste kona si, fortel han, hadde han 2 sønir og 5 døttar og med den andre 4 sønir og 5 døttar; det vart vart i alt 16 born. Sønine hans veit dei ikkje kvar vart av, men alle døttane hans med undantak av ei¹ vart gifte med bondegutar, fortel Wille. Elles døydde nokre av bonni hans med dei var små.

  ¹ Magdalena gift 14/11 1681 med Jens Pedersen Skandrup.

Ei av døttane hans heitte Elisabet 3. august 1662 vart ho vigd med ein heitte Torgjus Olvason av Schanke sjav og 8. s.m. døyper han båne deira, so fulla hev prestedotteri og prestemågen mått stadi kyrkjetukt, eit surt eple å bite i for faren.

English translation With his first wife, it is said, he had 2 sons and 5 daughters and with the other 4 sons and 5 daughters; there were a total of 16 children. They do not know what became of his sons, but all his daughters with the exception of one1 were married to country boys, [Pastor Hans Jacob] Wille said. Some of his children died when they were young.   1 Magdalena married to Jens Pedersen Skandrup on November 14, 1861. One of his daughters was named Elisabet; she was married on August 3, 1662, by Schanke himself, to one named Torgjus Olvason and 8th s.m. [same month] he baptized their child, so I suppose the priest's daughter and priest's son-in-law had to stand in church penance, a sour apple to bite into for the father.

Ei onnor av døttane hans heitte Kristense; ho vart vigd med Eivind Åselson 21. august 1664 i Seljord kyrkje av hrr. Povel i Hjartdal. Mannen hennar, Rike-Eivind dei kalla, budde på Vindal og me skal høyre meir um desse folki i garde- og ættesogo. Det fortelst at Schanke skulde vera so sterk. Når han var på vitjing til dotter si so prøva han styrken sin på ei stor lang burshelle som enno er i bruk på Vindal, han lyfte ho eismall i den eine enden og so laut det vera fire gode karar i den andre.²

  ² Knut Loupedalen, Eventyr og Segnir Fraa Telemarki, Oslo 1823, s. 266-267.

Same dagen vart dotteri Maria vigd med Råmund Brekke, men han døydde eit par år etter og vart gravlagd 2. septbr. 1666. Vælso tri fjordungsår etter bli Maria atter trulova, no med ein som heitte Tjostolv Jørundson.

English translation One other of his daughters was named Kristense; she was married to Eivind Åselson on August 21, 1664 in the Seljord church by Mr. Povel of Hjartdal. Her husband, they called Rich-Eivind, lived in Vindal and we will hear more about these people in the farm and family stories. It is said that Schanke was unusually strong. When he was on a visit to his daughter, he tested his strength on a large long burshelle [flagstone] that is still in use in Vindal, he lifted her alone at one end and there were four fit men at the other.2   2 Knut Loupedalen, Adventures and Legends From Telemark, Oslo 1823, p. 266-267. The same day, daughter Maria was married to Råmund Brekke, but he died a couple of years later and was buried on September 2, 1666. Three years later Maria became engaged again, this time to a man named Tjostolv Jørundson.

Ei onnor dotter som au heitte Maria vart gift med hr. Daniel Wulf, som vart kapellanen hans i 1671. Han preika i Seljord kyrkje 16. juli og song si fysste messe der 30. s. m. Etter preika s. d. vart han og Maria trulova heime på Prestegarden av hrr. Povel i Hjartdal. Då hadde ho ikkje fyllt 16 år endå, so ho fordrygde seg no ikkje. Kanhende det fylgde med i akorten at kapellanen skulde gifte seg med prestedotteri.

Det ser ut til desse prestedøttane hev vori tiduge gjentur, som faren ikkje alltid hev havt glede av.

English translation One other daughter whose name was Maria was married to Mr. Daniel Wulf, who was the chaplain in 1671. He preached in the Seljord church on July 16 and Mr. Povel of Hjartdal sang his first mass there on the 30th [same month]. She had not yet turned 16, so she did not confess. Perhaps it was included in the agreement that the chaplain should marry a priestess. It seems that these priestess daughters were sprited girls, which the father did not always enjoy.

Ved jonsoktidir 1654 brann alle husi på Prestegarden og Schanke miste alt han åtte. M. a. brann ho upp den boki han hadde skrivi inn barnedåpar, trulovingar, giftarmål og inngongskonur. Hadde denne boki vorti berga, hadde kanskje Seljord havt eldste kyrkjeboki i lande.

Wille fortel at han var mykje sjukleg. Det måtte vel vera etter han vart eldre det, for elles kunde han vel ikkje ha vori med tenestgutane sine i skogen og hoggi timmer og heller ikkje i prestekjole og krage gjengi berrbeina til anneksune, med skorne og sokkane på ein kjepp på aksli, som den same fortel.

English translation Around Midsummer time [June 24] 1654, all the houses at the vicarage burned and Schanke lost everything he had. Among other things that burned, the book he had written about infant baptisms, betrothals, marriage ceremonies and childbirth purification. Had this book been brought to a safe place, perhaps Seljord would have had the oldest church book in the country. Wille told that he was very ill. It must have been when he was older, for otherwise he could not have been healthy enough to be with his church boys in the woods chopping timber, nor in a priest's robe and collar walking barefoot to the annex, with his shoes and socks on a stick over his shoulder as it is told.

Men um vetteren laut nok han som dei andre prestane køyre til anneksune, og det var vel ikkje so reint sjeldan det vart messefall i Åmotsdal fordi presten kom kje fram. Berre på eitt år hende det tvo vendur med Schanke var prest. I mars 1659 var det ingi messe i Åmotsdal fordi ingen møtte presten med hest, og 11. desbr. s. å. vart au messa der forsømt «for Hæsten Oluf Skaare sendte frem dugde intett»³

  ³ Seljord Kyrkjeboki.

Um sumro sat prestegardsfolki til staules på Barstad i Flatdal. Då heldt presten seg der mykje au. Han hadde vevgreidune sine med seg. Han var so flink til veva dreil og lærde døttane sine au upp til det. Konfirmantane måtte difor hava med seg eit nykla med lingarn å gjeva han.

English translation But during the winter, he probably let the other priests ride to the annex, and it was probably not so rare that there was a mass missed in Åmotsdal because the priest did not come. In just one year, it happened two times while Schanke was priest. In March 1659 there was no mass in Åmotsdal because no one met the priest on horseback, and December 11 s. å. [same year] mass was missed there «for Hæsten Oluf Skaare sendte frem dugde intett».3   3 Seljord Church book. During summer the vicarage people stayed at stables at Barstad in Flatdal. The priest stayed there himself a lot. He had his weaving looms with him. He was good at weaving cloth and taught his daughters how to do it. The confirmants therefore had to bring yarn with them to give him.

Det var so i den tidi at kyrkjelyden sjav kåra prestant sine, men kåringi måtte godkjennast av lensherren og biskopen. Då nytta telen, som hadde sers lite tilovers for prestane sine, høve til å minke innkomune av prestenumbode. Det gjorde dei au då dei tok Schanke til prest. Han stod sidan sak med bygdefolke um å få att den innkoma som presten fyrr hadde havt, fysst i 1633 og so i 1669. Men domen lua «at Hr. Schanke skal nøies med den Rettighed, som han er tilkaldet», fortel Wille.

Schanke skulde vera ein lærd mann. Då Peder Povelsen i Hjartdal døydde 1653 vart hr. Zacharias vald til prost ivi Øvre Telemark og hadde dette umbode i 30 år. Av kyrkjeboki ser me han var ofte ute på visitatsferdir. Men han reiste ikkje so lite elles heller, var soleis fleire vendur i Skien og høyrde messe der, og i Oslo ser det då ut til av kyrkjeboki at han hev vori ei par vendur.

English translation It was so at that time that the church itself chose the pastors, but the choice had to be approved by the sheriff and the bishop. Then those officials of Telemark, who had little to do with its priests, used the opportunity to reduce the income of the vicar. They did so when they accepted Schanke to the priesthood. He and the villagers stood side by side on the matter of getting the income that the priest had previously had, first in 1633 and also in 1669. But the opinion was " that Mr. Schanke should be content with the privilege, for which he is called », told Wille. Schanke would have been a learned man. When Peder Povelsen in Hjartdal died in 1653, Mr. Zacharias was elected Provost of Upper Telemark and had this position for 30 years. From the church book we see that he was often out on business trips. But he traveled little otherwise, there were several times in Skien he said mass there, and in Oslo it seems from the church register that he held mass a couple of times.