Note: This is a translated, and just a touch reworked, version of Fra Porsgrunn til Moss — jakten på Rinker.
Those who know me well may wonder why a Mossing1 like myself is writing about families in Porsgrunn. To explain such a curiosity, and start off our story, we need go back in time to 1910 …
… where a boy is born in Klyvegata, not far from the Porsgrunn River. His father, Johan Marthinius Rinker, worked as a foreman at 
the local ironworks; his mother Gusta Mathilde stayed at home. No wonder — she had her own football team worth of children (and a spare!) to take care of.
The youngest child, Aksel Øivind, was my paternal grandfather.
We’ll have to go back a further fifty years for the real start of things. This is when a well–heeled tradesman, Berent Christian Blichfeldt, went all–out and started Drammen Jernstøperi — the aforementioned ironworks — in the district of Tangen, city of Drammen. The year was 1846.
No moss grows on a rolling stone — as 1847 rolled around, the Director went on a shopping spree in Europe. He visited both Germany and Prussia2; from the former he brought moulds, from the latter he brought craftsmen who could make more of the same.
On the 1st of March 1930 an article by headmaster G. Bergan in Drammen was posted in Buskerud Blad. Here he studied the history of the ironworks. Quote:
“He had, as previously mentioned, also hired German craftspeople […] among them mould–makers Stahl, Rincher, Uhl, Emmerich, Hettrich and Miller”
Rincher was, likely, Johannes Rinker (1822–1884), son of Klara Emrich (1797–1863) and Philipp Rinker (1795–1875), from Aßlar in Hesse, Germany.
If we are to believe in the newspaper, Johannes ought to pop up in Norwegian archives some time after 1847 — and in 1850 he does, specifically in church records from Strømsø, today a part of Drammen, when he marries Marthe Olivia Asbjørnsdatter. His father is, in the same record, mentioned as “Philip Rinkes, of Aszlar in Pressud”
1865 he’s back, this time in a census — again in Strømsø. The next record is from 1870; here he is “Johannes Rineker” from “Azlar in Prusen”
In both cases he — Johannes — is a mould–maker, married to Marthe Olivia, with son Johan Marthinius. It is likely the Johannes we seek, and it is also likely that his father is Philip of Aßlar, spelling mistakes aside. I find no–one with the same characteristics.
Johan Marthinius — from time to time Martinus or Martinius – was born the 20th of October 1853 in Drammen. Of his formative years we know little, but in 1885 he’s a “workman”, living at Tangen. In 1900 we find him as a “foreman” at…. Drammen Jernstøperi — the ironworks it is likely his father was recruited to in 1847.
He’s also a widower; between 1888 and 1896 he was married to Anna Katharina Eriksen — they had five children. In 1902 he re–married, this time to Gusta Mathilde Isaksen (1873–1919), daughter of Marie Norberg and fishmonger Isak Isaksen.
The offspring sprang forth. Gustav Karl (b. 1902), Anna Marie (b. 1903), Oskar Alf (b. 1904), Maria Marthine (b. 1905), Arvid Frank (b. 1907) and finally Aksel Øivind (1910–1962).
Foundry Master Johan Marthinius Rinker is buried in Porsgrunn Cemetery, at the western part, with his wife Gusta, his brother Gustav and the sisters Asta Katarina and Aagot Viktoria. There is no longer any trace of the family grave (Verified May 2023).
Aksel — often as “Eivind” in various sources — met Ruth Olsen some 
time during summer of 1935 and together they had Jan Eigil, my father and the very reason for this research into the Rinker–family. He was later adopted by Halvar Holmboe, who also married Ruth.
Eivind studied at Oslo School for Mechanics and went to sea in 1938. Over a period of 13 years and various ships he worked his way from “assistant to the 3rd machinist” to “Chief Engineer”. He served in the Norwegian Merchant Navy ( Nortraship ) during World War II, as too did his brothers Arvid Frank and Johan Paulus.
Just after the war, in 1946, he made a surprise visit to Norway, got engaged and un–engaged, then — in 1951 — married Astrid Lassen (1903–1992). Five years later they were both citizens in the US. No children are known to exist; they are buried together at Green–Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.
The son of Eivind, Jan Eigil, married my mother Aslaug Jenssen (1938–1999). They worked together in the publishing industry, and are buried together in my home town of Moss.
Curiously: In 1946 Buskeruds Blad — the newspaper — published yet another article on the ironworks; it was still an important industry at the time.
Here they corrected themselves, and now referred to the mould–maker as 
“Rinker”, and mentioned that Johannes’ relatives were still going strong. They showed a picture of Gustav (Karl) Rinker with, quote:
“ … mould–maker Gustav Rinker with [tool I have NO idea what is named in English], the very same his grandfather, one of the first mould–makers in the company, Johannes Rinker used”
It all ties neatly together.
The Rinker family lives on in Drammen, Porsgrunn, the US and other places.
The information in this article has been collected from a variety of sources, all of which have my gratitude —
Much of the information from Ancestry was gathered by Ulrich Lotz, but is sadly lacking in references. I have subsequently not included data on generations prior to Philipp and Klara Rinker.
Everyone mentioned in this article is deceased.
Image of Porsgrunn courtesy of Lars Iver By Porsgrunnspuls - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Census for Johannes Rinker, 1865 Strømsø Parish, is documented in Digitalarkivet, ref. pf01038081006190
Census for Johannes Rinker, 1870 i Drammen Town, is documented in Digitalarkivet, ref. pf01053330005629
Marriage records for Johannes Rinker and Marthe Olivia Asbjørnsen (1850) is documented in ministerialbok nr. I 17 fra Strømsø, covering the period of 1848–1865. See page 111, ref. kb20051109040461
Marriage records for Johan Marthinus Rinker and Gusta Mathilde Isaksen (1902) is documented in klokkerbok nr. I 3 fra Porsgrunn, covering the period 1877–1915. See page 304, ref. kb20060918040555
Marriage records for Eivind Rinker and Astrid Lassen (1950) is documented in New York City Marriage Licenses Index, 1950–1995, ref. GVQS-HPT
Adoption 1960 of Jan Eigil Rinker (later Holmboe) is documented at Statsforvalteren i Oslo og Viken
Marriage records for Jan Egil Holmboe and Aslaug Jenssen 1960 is documented via a physical certificate signed by res.kap Ludvig Larsen. The document is in the author’s possession.
Burial records for Johan Marthinus Rinker and Gusta Mathilde Isaksen is documented in the Gravminner–service by Slekt og Data, ref. db4e76e14586
Burial records for Eivind Aksel Rinker and Astrid Lassen is documented in Find–a–Grave og Green–Wood Cemetery. ref. 58231475 and ref. 58231474
Documentations regarding Eivind Rinker’s service during the Second World War is collected from Krigsseilerregistreret, ref. 236985
Jan Egil Holmboe and Aslaug Jenssen are both buried in the Jenssen family grave at Jeløy, Moss. It is owned by the author.
1 Mossing, a person from Moss, Østfold, Norway. Characterised by their love of crows, football and tall tales. Not overly fond of Vestfold, where Porsgrunn is …
2 Prussia was, at the time, a separate political entity. Germany, as we know it today, didn’t exist until 1871.
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2009 — 2013 archive (aka "ye olde stuff")
© Tina Holmboe, Jörgen Andreasen
2010 — 2023
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