Christopher Andreas Lange Lange

http://www.snl.no/Lange/slekt_fra_Holstein

Christopher Andreas Lange, 1766 kopist ved krigsdirektoratet, 1767 fullmektig, fra 1772 magasinforvalter på Akershus festning. Født 14.2 1744 på godset [Deutsch-]Lindau i Kirchspiel Gettorf i Schleswig, † 12.1 1809 på Akershus. Sønn av godsforvalter Bernt Christopher Lange (ca 1715-ca 1782) og Anna Lucie Ewald (1713-1746). Innvandret: Ansatt som skriverdreng i Kiel 3 år og i grevskapet Rantzau, før han kom med sin arbeidsgiver, generalkrigskommissær i Norge Petter Voss († 1769), til Akershus 1764. Beskrives av sin sønn, prost Alexander Lange, som 72 høy smukk, staslig, rødkinnet mild og vennlig mann [maleri se Lange 1917 s. 14], men alltid alvorlig, meget taus, talte kun litt med barna, var overordentlig flittig og arbeidssom. Selv om han behersket godt norsk, kunne man høre tyskeren, i hans vanligste vending Det var doch ganske forskrækkeligt (Lange s. 15). En god del av faddrene ved hans barns dåp (navnelister hos Lange 1917) hadde tysk familiebakgrunn.

Christopher Andreas Lange I, head of the Norwegian Lange family, was born at the

Estate Lindau on 14 February 1744 at 1a.m. After his mothers death in child bed with

below mentioned Anna Lange, he was 1 1/4 years old, sent to his mother's sister, who

was married to minister Mathai in Danischenhagen, and was raised by her, even after she

became a widow and lived in Preetz. He stayed with his aunt until she died when he was

11 years old, and her daughter was married to Regimental Quarter Master Chief Justice

Clauses. He then lived for about 3 years with his father's brother, above mentioned

monastery tax collector Johann Fr. Lange in Schonberg, where his tutor, confirmed him,

in his 14th year, at the time, minister Scheitlie. (1) He then moved to Kiel as "Skriver-

Dreng" (apprentice clerk) for "Ober- und Landesgerichtsadvokat" Lindelof. 3 years later

he was hired by the county manager (non-political) in the county Rantzau, Petter Voss,

who in 1764 was named general commissioner of war to Norway (he died on 28 March

1769), and followed him to Christiania (Oslo), where he from 1 January 1766 was hired

as 2nd clerk at the treasury of the war office. At the same time, his future wife's mother's

brother, Assessor Military Judge Jorgen Brochmann, was hired as cashier. When the war

office was closed down in 1767, he received "vartpenger" (unemployment benefits) and

later advanced to head clerk for general commissioners of war, Voss and Brocker. He

worked there until September 1772, when he was named warehouse manager at Akershus

Fort (Oslo). He was always a generally well-respected and popular man. His son, Rural

Dean Alexander Lange (No. 34) mentions him in this way (2): "My father was a tall and

statue like man (I think he was 72 inches tall), never heavy, but well-proportioned,

without any doubt a very good-looking man with a healthy, colorful complexion which

he kept until his death. I remember he even had a blush on his cheek after his death. He

was a very kind and friendly man, but very serious".

Insert Drawing of the house of warehouse manager Lange at Akershus Fort

I do not remember ever having heard him laugh, but neither did I see him hot-tempered,

scolding, swearing or cursing. The most extreme he ever said, when he thought

something was really bad, was: "that was doch", quite awful. (Doch and och were the

only words he said that made you realize he was a German. By the way, he spoke the

most beautiful Norwegian, and helecturered extremely well and I owe it to him, that I

read and talk quite well) He was very quiet, reticent to us, the children, and as far as I

heard, he was the same to my mother and others. He was extremely diligent and he

industriously worked from morning till evening at his desk in the little closed off room by

the living room. For his no doubt complicated work and accounting, he never had any

other help than an assistant, mostly for running errands. At twilight he walked up and

down the living room floor with his hands in his pockets, idly making noises with his

keys or small changes (coins), However, we children did not stay away from him, on the

contrary, we hung onto his coat while he paced the floors and rode on his foot at

nighttime. I doubt he ever corporally punished us. Only once, when I behaved very badly

and cried because I was not allowed to go with him to Stabaek, did he touch me with the

whip he had in his hand, but that made such a thorough impression on me that I have

never been able to forget it. He loved us all, perhaps me not the least, and I cherish the

highest respect and love for him. He and his family lived a very moderate life - according

to his son Alexander's notes, which state the following: "The way of life was very

moderate. For long periods of time, the children would have thin porridge made of rye

and milk (!) in the morning, later on a serving of sandwiches and tea. Every night the

whole family had rye porridge and milk; only Father and Uncle Brochmann had a

sandwich each."

(1) With regards to Schonberg and the Nobel maiden monastery of the time. See notes in the 1st edition, page 9.

(2) Minister Alexander Lange's memories about his life and his time (1792-1863)- Published by Christopher Lange,

minister. Char. 1905, page 1

If not by all standards a rich man, he worked hard and became a quite well off man.

Which the below included poster shows. As a matter of fact, a burglary was done at his

house, and this poster was probably posted at the Akershus Fort and at various other

places in Chstiania and its nearby vicinity. The poster goes like this:

Insert Poster with long list of missing articles  written in Gothic letters

About his last years alive and his death, his son the provst, Alexander Lange writes: "The

war in 1808 had certainly increased, but also complicated my father's business". The need

for grain, that turned into a real famine, was the reason why people from far around were

sent to Akershus fort's warehouse to receive small portions of grain (from 1/2 Skj‘ppe

(old measurement, bushel and up) in addition to other things. My father still only had one

assistant to help him and had also assumed the responsibility for a lot of other tasks.

Loads of books were handed over to him and kept in a big closet in one of the bedrooms.

My father finally over strained himself due to the heavy workload and at the end of 1808

he got a serious neural fever. During his illness, I was trusted to sign his name on all

grain orders and, I also think for bank orders, as I had been taught to write his signature

as he did it. However, he recovered, but he started too early to carry out his very

strenuous office work and then Anna Lucie suddenly died at Stab‘k on 8 December and

he was not at all prepared for it. He took it very hard, because he, as the rest of us, loved

this beautiful and loving woman. I clearly remember him, in bed, very emotionally

making arrangements for her funeral saying: "No expenses are too much, she was worth

it all". His illness got worse, his strength was disappearing, and the 3 best doctors in

town, Moeller, Thulstrup and Baumgarten, of whom Thulstrup for a long time came to

see us every night at 12 o'clock, could do nothing. My weak, but always when necessary,

strong and persevering mother was not away from his bed neither day nor night. For

weeks she did not take her clothes off, just had a nap on a bed in the bedroom. My father

had been moved into the living room and the door was open in between. The night of 12

January 1809, she did as usual, watched over him. I don't think I watched over him all the

time, but early in the morning she called for me and asked me to watch over him while

she rested for a while. She strictly ordered me to wake her up in case of any changes. He

lay quietly, almost as if sleeping. It was hard to wake my mother up. But it must have

been even worse for her to be awakened. However, I woke her up when it looked to me

as if my father's breathing was changing. She quietly, full of strength, which I very much

admired, came over to the bed, and affectionately lied down next to him, and said: Don't

you recognize me any longer, father? I don't think he gave any sign and without changing

at all, the noble, faithful husband and father stopped breathing. He did not change at all,

and looked just as good at his deathbed as he did alive. He was buried at the family site

on 20 December at The Old Aker Churchyard. I can't believe how the circumstances in

connection to his funeral have completely vanished from my memories. God praise his

soul and let us meet again in Heaven! My mother carried her great loss with peace and

quiet affection for God and she continued her undiminished and inflexible prayers for we

the children, as already spoken of previously (2) About the conditions in Chnstiania at the

time: The war and the years of scarcity that followed, brought so much need, yes. Real

lack of bread, even among people you wouldn't expect it to occur. Our family, curiously

enough, was not struck by the scarcity. We always had bread, and I don't think we made

any changes in our moderate way of life. However,

(1) This place in the cemetery is still owned by the family. Whether his first wife is buried here, is uncertain. However

both he and his second wife and most probably some of his children; are buried there in addition to the manager of the

national archive Lange. Erling Lange. Mrs. M.K. Lange and colonel *Halvard Lange have been buried there since

1861. *Secretary of State in Norway from 1945-65 (Labor Government).

(2) This part, as well as a lot of other stories from provst Lange memories, is not included in the printed edition, they

only exists in his manuscript.