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| Torben Reiersen Gamst and his family | Loppa |
From the island Loppa the family name Gamst spread in Finnmark and Troms county.
Andreas Erlandsen: "Biografiske Efterretninger om Gejstligheten i Trondhjem Stift" based on older documents have Torben Reiersen Gamst, vicar to Loppa, as progenitor for Gamst in Norway.
Hr. Torben probably have a connection to the village Gamst i Jylland, where the Danish Gamst living, but this has not yet been proved.
When Andreas Erlandsen, who investigated older clerical documents in south and north, say Hr. Torben also uses the name Gamst, we can be pretty sure that he has his name from Jylland, but probably born and growing up in Trøndelag. So far investigation in Riksarkivet in Copenhagen and in old records of vicars in Danish Cancelli's archive, have not given sure knowledge about his family relatives, and we still are not quite sure where he is born, Denmark or Norway. The main reason for not been able to answer the questions, is that the church records goes only back to 1723 in the village Gamst, in Anst "sogn", Anst "herred" in Ribe "amt" in Denmark.
We have only indications that Torben Reiersen Gamst is born in Norway. One indication is Copenhagen Universitet's matrikkel, where he in Juni 1644 is "dimittert" to the university from Trondhjem school by M. Johan Zoega, he "immatrikuleres" as "Torbernius Reardi Nidrossiensis", he has been living in Trondheim and coming from this towns higher school.
After this information it is reason to believe that Hr. Torben's family living in Trøndelag, and that he was son of a Danish/Norwegian citizen probably named Reier Gamst.
Those days usually only sons from a rich family got education on the higher school in Trodheim, a few gifted sons from farmers got help.
But Torben was a priest and probably was not able to give his son Peder education.
Peder Torbensen Arctander got his education and became vicar and "pers. kapellan" to Voss. Probably Peder's grandparents in Trøndelag were able to help him or someone else in Trodheim. The name Arctander the son Peder probably has from his mother or a godfather who might have paid for his education.
Arctander was a rich and powerful family in Trondheim and Stjørdal at that time.
Torben Reiersen came to Loppa as "kapellan" probably in 1651. He was in 1674 appointed to vicar in Loppa and at last appointed to be dean ("prost") in West Finnmark.
(Norske Samlinger, VIII, 7, page 297.)
He married Gunelle Pedersdatter. This we can see from inscription on a silver pot, weight 17 and 3/8 "lodd", mention in "skifte" after Torben Sørensen Gamst, Dypvik, 1763 August 22. The pot has this inscription: "Hr. Torben Reiersen and Gunelle Pedersdatter".
May be he was married (to Gunelle) before he came to Loppa, because he in a letter to "tinget", written in 1662 July 15. (according to "Justisprotokollene") he complain living in poor circumstances and have 10 small children.
He was priest up to 1690 and died on Loppa in 1695, but than as an old man.
According to Stuve, "Håløyminne" (hefte 4-49. 8. bind) we of 10 children only know 7 names, 1 son and 6 daughters. But Axel Hagemann say that Torben probably had a son named Søren, several descendants are named Søren.
Source:: Leonh. Gamst: Loppa øy gjennom tidene og slekten Gamst. Page 93-95.
