Transcription Request - 1731 Gelting Parish record

Robt_Nielsen

There are two instances of a word following someone's name that appears to describe an occupation that I am not familiar with. In each case, the word ends with a ":", suggesting it is an abbreviation. Any ideas?

13 June Nis Mattsen [Gunst: ??] in Suterbalg. s[ein] frau

24 July Asmus Nilsens [Gunst: ??] in Rabenholtz kind

A couple of pages later in 1732, two more instances occur...

17 Febr: Claus Keuhn [Gunstn: ??] in Nieby

24 Febr: Hinrich Holmers [Gunst: ??] in Wormshöfft sein frau

sylviaelchinger1

Here's something from the German Etymological Dictionary - https://www.dwds.de/wb/etymwb/Gunst

Notice that about half-way down, there's an entry for Günstling, the definition of which basically translates to "favorite," someone who stands in favor with someone else, like maybe the Vogt listed at the very top of the first image? Perhaps these people have some sort of privileged position in the community?

Gunst, ...

Gunst f. ‘Wohlwollen, Gewogenheit’. Das nur im Dt. und Nl. bezeugte Substantiv mhd. mnd. gunst ‘Gewogenheit, Wohlwollen, Einwilligung, Erlaubnis’, mnl. gonst, gunst, jonst, gonste, nl. gunst ist Verbalabstraktum mit st-Formans zu dem unter gönnen (s. d.) behandelten Verb; vgl. unpräfigiertes ahd. unst ‘Wohlwollen, Dank, Gnadengabe, Erlaubnis’ (9. Jh., abunst ‘Mißgunst, Neid’, 9. Jh.). In der Fügung zu jmds. Gunsten ‘zu jmds. Vorteil’ (15. Jh.) handelt es sich um einen alten, erstarrten Dativ Plur. – günstig Adj. ‘wohlgesinnt, wohlwollend, vorteilhaft, passend’, mhd. günstic ‘wohlwollend, gewogen’. begünstigen Vb. ‘bevorzugen, fördern’ (1. Hälfte 16. Jh.). Günstling m. ‘wer bevorzugt wird, in Gunst steht’, gegen Ende des 17. Jhs. aufkommende Verdeutschung von frz. favori, ital. favorito (s. Favorit). Mißgunst f. ‘das Mißgönnen, Neid’ (16. Jh.). Ungunst f. ‘das Ungünstigsein, Unwillen’, vor allem in der Fügung zu jmds. Ungunsten ‘zu jmds. Nachteil’, mhd. ungunst ‘Nichtbegünstigung, Mißgunst, Mißgeschick’, mnd. ungunst, nl. ongunst. ungünstig Adj. ‘nachteilig, schlecht’, mhd. ungunstec, ungunstic ‘mißgünstig, übelwollend, unglücklich’.

Robt_Nielsen

Am commenting partly to move it back to the top of the question list.

But, also, as I continue to look at the word, could it be "Knecht" [servant]??

Ulrich Neitzel

@Robt_Nielsen

I can't really help here, sorry. "Knecht" seems not to be possible; the second letter is quite certainly an "u", note the "dash" over the letter. The last letter could also be "f"; cf. "auf Düttebüll" in the first line.

Robt_Nielsen

@Ulrich Neitzel @sylviaelchinger1

Thanks to both of you for your insights.

The "privileged person" notion is interesting. If true, that may explain how decisions were made later that century as to who received parcels of the estate when Denmark abolished their feudal system. My ancestor, Christian Nielsen, for example received a parcel of land that my 4th cousin still lives on and farmed until he recently retired.