Hans Powelsen Storm's Wallet

This merchant wallet tells its own story about its owner, its age and and its owner's geographical origin: "HANS POWELSEN STORM 1772 FRA FAABORG".

Hans Poulsen Storm (1749-99) was the first child of Poul Kinafarer and Mette Marie Storm. His name is a bit special, in a way witnessing the uprising of this family. All of the grandparents were paysans and according to their tradition, his name ought to have been Jacob Poulsen, thereby signaling that he was the first son of Poul Jacobsen - whose father was Jacob Poulsen - and given his father's christian name as patronymic. But Poul Kinafarer and Mette Marie did not follow suit. They broke all traditions by becoming a wealthy merchant family and Hans' name can be seen as a reflection of this. He was named after his maternal grandfather, the rich farmer Hans Rasmussen Storm, although he was given his father's name as patronymic. But Poul and Mette Marie changed their mind when the next child was born in 1750. From now on, all children were christened with the last name Jacobsen, reflecting that people of higher classes did not use patronymics, but stable family names.

Like his father, Hans Poulsen Storm became a merchant in Faaborg. When he married Berthe Maria Helnis - of course a daughter of a rich merchant in the neighbouring city of Assens - the couple received as gifts a merchant courtyard by one set of parents and a trade ship by the other. One can imagine that for a period of time the wallet has been of good use. Now it is empty which might be seen as symbolic. Hans Poulsen Storm came into financial difficulties and none of his children continued the trade. But quite a few became solid seamen, first officers and captains, not to speak of the many teachers.

The wallet has been owned by descendants for generations. After Hans Poulsen Storm it was owned by his son Niels Willads Storm (1783-1869). After that by his son Hans Storm (1810-1878). After that probably by his daughter Petra Vilhelmine Mathilde Storm (1848-1939), her daughter Sofie Nielsdatter Højgaard (1884-1969) and her son Svend Højgaard Jønson (1908-97) who gave it in 1995 to Tove Susanne Tuxen, née Storm (1953-) who donated it to Faaborg Cultural Historic Museum in 2008.

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