Sailor's rank
Denise Hansen	My great-grandfather's (Olaf Hansen) occupation is listed in the 1900 Tune census as "Søfarende Bedstemand[/b]". What does this mean ? - I think it means "Sailor of Some Rank". Is that correct? If so, does this mean he was in the navy or on a merchant ship? Where do I obtain more information on his career? I do know he travelled to Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada in about 1893 -1894, possibly on a pulp ship. Thank-you.
lands	This is from an old norwegian dictionary Sofarende = sea fearer/ seaman/ sailor Bedstemand = best man http://home.online.no/~otjoerge/files/word.htm
Denise Hansen	Thanks for the reply - but I am still wondering what the term means in relation to his occupation as a sailor - Could it mean the same as "First Mate"? (He was about 32 at the time). Is any one out there familiar with Norwegian ship crew terms? Denise Hansen
dgurihus	I found a reference to the term at digitalarkivet.no, which translates to "Trusted sailor who could take the 1st mates duties for the captain. Most often on ships witn only one 1st mate". Original text as followes: "Betrodd matros som kunne ta styrmannsvakter for kapteinen. Oftest på skuter med bare en styrmann". This was as shown a merchant marine term.
Denise Hansen	Thanks for the last post. I have since discovered that the term is in Danish (sometimes used in Norwegian records of the period) and that it was used on fishing as well as "trade" or merchant ships. My source says it refers to the crew man on the vessel who is the most qualified on the ship after the captain ("Best man - most excellent man", although this last forum post seems to suggest a sort of understudy first mate (or I am misinterpreting this?). Denise Hansen