Johan Ludvig Harjo

Married in Vadsø, August 1896: on the 27th, sailor Bernt Vilhelm Børresen and Marie Cecilie Harjo.

Announcement

The members of Vadsø’s municipal executive committee and council are hereby summoned to a meeting in the courtroom on Friday, 24 September, at 5 p.m.

The following matters are to be considered:

Case no. 27. Application for a building plot.

Case no. 28. Election of one member of the county tax commission for 1898. The outgoing member is Telegraph Inspector Henriksen, with Consul Akermand as alternate.

Case no. 29. Election of four members of the tax assessment commission for 1898–99, with four alternates.
Outgoing members:
Consul E. N. Brodtkorb,
Customs Officer G. Haagensen,
Painter Alex. Andersen,
Fisherman Isak Sundelin.
Continuing members:
Merchant Hans Esbensen,
Carpenter Elias Olsen,
High Court Attorney Jentoft,
Fisherman Ludvig Harju.

Case no. 30. Election of the tax assessment review commission: four members with four alternates. The outgoing members are:
Fisherman M. M. Vara,
District Physician Caspersen,
Painter J. Larsen,
Merchant B. Moe.

Case no. 31. Election of a supervisor for the National Insurance Institution.

Case no. 32. Rules for the serving and retail sale of beer, wine, mead and cider.

Case no. 33. Salary regulations for Vadsø’s elementary schools.

The documents will be made available on Tuesday, 21 September.

Vadsø municipal executive committee, 17 September 1897.
A. Ulve.

At the elections held on 6 and 20 December 1897, the following gentlemen were elected as members of the town of Vadsø’s municipal executive committee and council:

a. Executive committee members:
1. Commercial clerk Andreas B. Esbensen.
2. Merchant Hans Fr. Esbensen.
3. Telegraph Inspector Henriksen.

b. Council representatives:
1. High Court Attorney Chr. Jentoft.
2. Merchant B. M. Akermand.
3. Commercial clerk E. N. Brodtkorb.
4. Fisherman Ludvig Harjo.
5. Fisherman Johan E. Harrila.
6. Blacksmith Even Riise.
7. Fisherman Lauritz Olsen.
8. Headmaster M. Schenheyder.
9. Merchant P. A. Sandstad.

Vadsø Magistrate, 20 December 1897.
Jul. Johnsen.

Election list

For the municipal election in Vadsø on December 10, 1898, proposed by:
Laur. Brodtkorb, A. Berentzen, Caspersen, P. A. Sandstad, Rich. Gundersen, Michaelsen, Johan Erik Andersen, Frantz Steen, P. J. Almestad, J. Frøskeland, Ludvig Harjo, Henr. Rautajoki, Alex. Andersen, Joh. Jentoft, Chr. Randers, Paul Mikkelsen, J. Larsen, painter, K. Piippo, Reinhold Helander, and S. Schistad, as the Conservative Party’s election list.

1. Telegraph manager E. Smith.
2. Teacher J. A. Karakka.
3. Consul B. M. Akermand.
4. Consul A. Esbensen.
5. Fisherman Joh. Henrik Beggola.
6. Consul E. N. Brodtkorb.
7. Telegraph inspector Henriksen.
8. Merchant H. Esbensen.
9. Headmaster M. Schønheyder.
10. Bookseller Kildahl Olsen.
11. Fisherman Lauritz Olsen.
12. Blacksmith E. Riise.
13. Assistant police official A. Ulve.
14. Parish pastor G. Balke.
15. Fisherman Aug. Methi.
16. Caretaker P. A. Evjen.
17. Fisherman Joh. Abraham Mikkelsen Vara.
18. Carpenter E. J. Olsen.
19. Restaurateur Joh. Henrik Feldti.
20. Fisherman Ludvig Harjo.

Vadsø Electoral Board, November 24, 1898.
In the absence of the magistrate,
Emil Smith.

Candidate list

For the municipal election in Vadsø on 10 December 1898, proposed by:

Laur. Brodtkorb, A. Berentzen, Caspersen, P. A. Sandstad, Rich. Gundersen, Michaelsen, Johan Erik Andersen, Frantz Steen, P. J. Almestad, J. Froskeland, Ludvig Harjo, Henr. Rautajoki, Alex. Andersen, Joh. Jentoft, Chr. Randers, Paul Mikkelsen, J. Larsen, painter, K. Piippo, Reinhold Helander and S. Schistad, as the Conservative Party’s candidate list.

1. Telegraph Office Manager E. Smith.
2. Teacher J. A. Karakka.
3. Consul B. M. Akermand.
4. Consul A. Esbensen.
5. Fisherman Joh. Henrik Beggola.
6. Consul E. N. Brodtkorb.
7. Telegraph Inspector Henriksen.
8. Merchant H. Esbensen.
9. Headmaster M. Schenheyder.
10. Bookseller Kildahl Olsen.
11. Fisherman Lauritz Olsen.
12. Blacksmith E. Riise.
13. Police Officer A. Ulve.
14. Parish Priest G. Balke.
15. Fisherman Aug. Methi.
16. Custodian P. A. Evjen.
17. Fisherman Joh. Abraham Mikkelsen Vara.
18. Carpenter E. J. Olsen.
19. Eating-house keeper Joh. Henrik Feldti.
20. Fisherman Ludvig Harjo.

Vadsø electoral board, 24 November 1898.
In the magistrate’s absence,
Emil Smith.

At the municipal election in Vadsø

On the 10th of this month, the following gentlemen were elected as representatives:

a. Conservative list:
1. Telegraph Office Manager E. Smith: 151 votes.
2. Telegraph Inspector H. Henriksen: 149 votes.
3. Custodian P. A. Evjen: 144 votes.
4. Parish Priest G. Balke: 142 votes.
5. Consul A. Esbensen: 140 votes.
6. Fisherman Ludvig Harju: 128 votes.
7. Consul B. M. Akermand: 127 votes.
8. Bookseller Kildahl Olsen: 126 votes.
9. Master Carpenter E. J. Olsen: 125 votes.
10. Police Officer A. Ulve: 124 votes.
11. Consul E. N. Brodtkorb: 121 votes.
12. Eating-house keeper Joh. H. Feldt: 121 votes.

b. Liberal list:
13. Teacher K. Akre: 222 votes.
14. Postmaster P. Eilertson: 203 votes.
15. Customs Officer G. Haagensen: 173 votes.
16. Fisherman Ole Edvard Hansen: 172 votes.
17. Acting District Physician Kløvstad: 172 votes.
18. Fisherman Mikkel Mikkelsen Vara: 171 votes.
19. Merchant K. Nilsen: 168 votes.
20. Fisherman M. D. Stenhaug: 164 votes.

The order among representatives with an equal number of votes has been determined by their numbers on the respective candidate list.

The alternates elected were:
Fisherman Lauritz Olsen, Master Blacksmith E. Riise, Teacher J. A. Karakka, Senior Teacher M. Schønheyder, Merchant H. Esbensen, Fisherman Johan Henrik Pekula, Fisherman Johan Abr. Mikkelsen Vara, Fisherman August Methi, Fisherman Aug. Ulrik Methi, Fisherman Isak Sundelin, Fisherman Ole Jakobsen and Fisherman John Johnsen.

At the election, 217 ballot papers were cast. The Conservative Party’s candidate list received 2,506 votes and the Liberal Party’s candidate list 1,813. In addition, 21 votes outside the official lists were cast for 14 persons. The allocation divisor was 207.

The electoral board, 14 December 1898.

It is hereby announced:

1. That the estate of merchant Ludvig Harjo of Masjok has today been placed under the administration of the bankruptcy court as a bankrupt estate.
2. That district sheriff Joh. Bertheussen has been appointed administrator of the estate.
3. That a meeting concerning the estate will be held at the Tana district judge’s office on Tuesday, October 1 next, at 10 a.m., to consider the appointment of the estate administrator and, if necessary, vote on that appointment or on the selection of a collection agent; to elect a creditors’ committee; and to decide whether an auditor should be appointed, whether the business should continue, whether a maintenance allowance should be granted to the debtor, and other matters.

All persons having claims against the estate are requested to submit those claims in writing to the bankruptcy court by Saturday, October 26 next, and to forward the documents supporting their claims, either as originals or copies.

Finally, creditors are summoned to attend a meeting at the district judge’s office on Monday, November 11 next, at 10 a.m., to witness and participate in the examination of the submitted claims and the consideration of any other matters that may arise.

Tana Bankruptcy Court, September 17, 1901.

Borch

On Friday, December 11, 1903, at 12 noon, a forced auction will be held in Masjok at the premises of merchant Ludvig Harjo, at the request of attorney Chr. Lund of Hammerfest, acting on behalf of G. B. Ekeland of Bergen.

The auction will comprise a quantity of fabrics, including duffel cloth, dress fabric, woollen cloth, wool-blend fabric, engelskind, cotton fabric and dress fabric, seized from Ludvig Harjo in enforcement proceedings dated September 19, 1903, registered on the 18th and 19th of the same month, for a debt owed to G. B. Ekeland of Bergen.

The conditions of sale will be announced during the proceedings.

Tana District Sheriff’s Office, November 21, 1903.

On behalf of the district judge,

Joh. Bertheussen

The auction notice repeats “dress fabric” and gives registration dates of September 18 and 19 after naming proceedings dated September 19; both details are preserved as printed. The historical fabric name engelskind is retained rather than assigned an uncertain modern equivalent.

8. Petition from Petter Barski, Masjok, for remission of old tax arrears concerning Johan and Ludvig Harjo. The following decision was made:

The taxes were reduced to 50.00 kroner, on condition that they be paid by the end of February 1913.

Photo memory

Do you have an interesting photograph from our recent or distant history that you would like to share with Finnmarken’s readers? Send it to Finnmarken, P.O. Box 616, 9811 Vadsø. Write down everything you know about where and when the picture was taken and who is in it. Remember to include a return address.

A family sorely tried

This photograph is actually more than a hundred years old. Its contributor, Anne-Lise Harjo, who now lives in Vadsø, tells us that it was taken as early as 1904–05.

She also tells us that it shows members of her own father’s family. Her father, Fredrik, who lived in Masjok, had not been born when the photograph was taken. Among those pictured is his brother Kristian, seated at the front. On the left sits her grandfather Ludvig Harjo, with her grandmother Anna Katrine. At the back, on the left, we see Isak Harjo and Andreas Harjo, while the girl on the right is Signe Margrethe Harjo. She married a man from Salangen in Troms and eventually had four children.

But life was not as easy for the others. Andreas and Isak both died of tuberculosis. They were only twenty-seven and twenty-eight years old.

The eldest brother, Bernhardt, who is not in the photograph, also died young, at only twenty-one, of the same disease. Andreas was married and left a wife and a daughter. Bernhardt and Isak were unmarried and died without children.

Anne-Lise Harjo believes the photograph must have been taken in Vadsø. She bases this on the fact that the family lived in Vadsø before moving to Masjok in Tana.

We have mentioned that many of the children in the family died very young. So did their father Ludvik, who died as early as 1908. At that time, the youngest son was only two years old. His wife eventually remarried, to Petter Barski from Østre Seida. They had a daughter together.

Of the people in the photograph, Signe and Kristian lived the longest. Anne-Lise’s father also died young, at only forty-seven, while his wife Anna was sixty-two when she died. She is remembered as an incredibly kind, warm and good woman.

Translation note: The newspaper’s photograph identifications and ages are retained as printed. Its final paragraph mixes generations: Anna Katrine was Ludvig’s wife; Fredrik’s wife was Gunvor. The family’s updated identifications remain in the biographies.