It began in a small village named Rinkenaes in or about the year 1543. In this village on the northern shore of the Flensborg Fjord a child named Hans Lassen was born. This child was also known by the name Hans Godt. It is recorded in the parish records of Rinkenaes, in the county of Aabenraa, in the nation of Denmark. Hans Godt, as he was known to everyone throughout his life, became a tenant farmer, called faecsere in Danish. The farm belonged to Sogaard in the village of Rinkenaes. Thus the surname of my family began, the family Godt, had started on a long and adventurous history.

First let us learn just where this family Godt began. If you look at a map of Denmark, near the border with Germany on the Eastern side of Denmark, you will find the Flensborg Fjord. About midway along the northern shore is the village of Rinkenaes. Over the years the borders have changed, and as of 1970, the village is now located in Sonderjylland. Until the German-Danish war in 1864, Rinkenaes was situated in the Duchy of Slesvig (Scheswig) which belonged to Denmark. After the 1864 war, the Duchy was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia, later known as Germany. And so it was until 1920, when after the First World War the northern part of the Duchy, then known as Nordslesvig, returned to Denmark after the people voted in a referendum.

Until the 19th century the family farm, upon which the Godt's had farmed for many years, belonged to the estate of Graasten and Sogaard. This farm first belonged to the noble family of Ahlefeldt, one of the most famous Danish noble families. From the year 1725 to 1852 this estate was owned by the duke of Augustenborg, a branch of the Danish royal family. 

As the years went by, the Godt family was able to own their own land and to learn other trades and labors.

From 1549 until about 1650 the Godt name does not appear in the church records. But our name can be found in the land registry records in the area during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Godt name reappears around 1682 in a hidden church record. As one will soon learn, the given name is of the most importance in Denmark. The surname is often dropped when the man becomes of his time or the woman is married. At this time, the man adds to his first name the first name of his father plus - sen (son, meaning son of). Thus if a man named Hans names his son Hans, the son would be known as Hans Hanssen (Hans, son of Hans). As for the womans' name, the ending of -datter is given when she marries. Thus Anne Hansdatter is Anne - daughter of Hans. This custom was not always followed, and this has made tracing family records difficult.

In the church registers of the area around Rinkenaes, the name Hans Thomsen is first recorded in 1682. He was also known as Hans Thomsen Godt and Hans Thomsen Gott. Thus we have the first and only different spelling of our family surname. But it seems to have been just a bit of poor penmanship, as the name was written both ways on some records. An example of this is shown on a copy of a land report.