Samson Samsonsøn
(1641 - c.1700)
Samson was born in Norwegian Jemtland (Swedish Jämtland) c.1641. When Jemtland came under the control of Sweden by the terms of the Peace of Brømsebro in 1645, the Samson family fled to Norway and settling in the Kvæfjord area. To date, there is no known reason why the Samson family was motivated to migrate to Norway at this time and it is not known in what area of Jämtland they originated from. The Kvæfjordboka is the only source that states these origins and no primary source has yet been found regarding this.

Samson is listed as a hired farm hand for the farmsted of Neder Hemmestead in the 1666 Kvæfjord parish census, working for Nils Person. There are three theroies on how Samson aquired the Neder Hemmestead farm: 1) Thomas Johansen, stated in his 1989 book [Manntallet for Kvæfjord menighet 1701] that Samson may have married the daugther of Nils Person and inherited the farm through marriage, however no probate has yet been found to comfirm this; 2) the probate record of his son, Samson Samsonsen II (1681-1712) states that he had a brother named Gregers Samsonsen (1683-?). If Gregers is the second son of Samson I, then by the paterachical naming system, their mother's last name would be Gregersdatter. There was a Gregers Tomeson of Øtder Hemmestead living between 1666 and 1689 and she may be his daughter, or; 3) Samson purchased the Neder Hemmestead farm outright from Nils Person.

Samson died sometime between the 1689 tax registers and the recording of the 1701 census.
All the Samson's that were mentioned in Kvæfjord parish during the seventeenth and eigthteenth centuries were related to this person.

Source:
Kvæfjord: Nedre Hemmestad
1) Kvæfjordboka
2) Mantall 1664-1666, Senjen Porvsti., (April 4, 1666) b. 931.
3) Rentekammeret, 931: 1670 (listed under the Øtder Hemmestead farm).

____: Sandvigen
4) Regnskaper, b.1: 1689.
5) Johansen, T. Manntallet for Kvæfjords Menighet - 1701, Kveøy 1989. p48-49.