Hans de Tonsberg

Hans de Tonsberg
1720 – 24 Jun 1770

Son of Wilhelm de Tonsberg and Helene Sophie Kaas

Husband of  Sophie Beate Huitfeldt

Father of  Helene Christine Elizabeth de Tonsberg

Hans de Tonsberg was born in 1720 in Christiana (Oslo), Norway,  into the wealthy Tonsberg family. He married his cousin, Sophie Beate Huitfeldt. His mother and Sophie’s mother were sisters from the noble Kaas family.  Hans obtained the rank of Brigadier Colonel.

Tonsberg is an extinct Danish-Norwegian gentry family who took the name after the city Tønsberg.  The family’s ancestor, Anders Madsen (1609-1670),  was married to Karen Olufsdatter Stranger (1617-1698), daughter of Oluf  Thrulsen Stranger,  købmand i Tonsberg and Dorothea Thromdsdatter.  Hans’ great-grandfather, Anders Madsen,  was born in Haderslev and was a merchant in Tonsberg around 1624. He was a skilled tradesman and became very wealthy. They had in their marriage four children, including three sons, who all took the epithet of their hometown Tønsberg: Oluf Tonsberg,  Mathias Tonsberg (Hans’ grandfather) and Stig Tønsberg and a daughter Kirsten Tønsberg.

Mathias de Tonsberg  had one son and two daughters. His son, Wilhelm, was the father of Hans de Tonsberg.  Mathias’ brother  Oluf died young and his brother Stig had only daughters. Wilhelm’s son Hans had only one daughter, Helene Christine Elizabeth de Tonsberg, thus the Tonsberg line became extinct.

Mathias de Tonsberg and Wilhelm, his son, both acquired the rank of hereditary nobility for themselves and their descendants.