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 My parents were very worried during the 1930's when the Nazis rose to power. I still remember April 9th 1940, the day the Nazis occupied Denmark in the Second World War. Just outside Horbelev, our home town, the Germans had stationed a small flight group (about 20). They used to come to the Co-op Store Dad managed to buy supplies. By 1942, they used to come one by one to talk with Dad to get information about the developments in the war. We were of course listening to the BBC and on the wall of Dad's office he had a large map, where he constantly marked first the Eastern Front and after June 1944 the Western Front. My father was involved in the Resistance Movement in Denmark during the war, and on May 5th 1945 the entire local German force came to his store and surrendered to him - because Dad spoke German. 
The two world wars have been a tragedy to the Godt family. Many members have been killed. Juergen Theodor Godt of Hamburg lost three sons in World War 1, and he himself died in an air raid on Hamburg in 1943. Peter Godt of Rendsburg had a younger brother who was killed in World War Two, and Peter himself nearly died. 
Fortunately things have changed. Today - 50 years later - we have no political or ethnic problems between Denmark and Germany.   
 
Conclusion
 

In his Book "A History of the Godt Family from Schleswig 1549-1992" Earl W. Godt II traces the first recorded Godt to the village of Bovrup, 10 kilometres north of Rinkenaes. This is the birthplace of Hans Lassen Godt who was born in 1549. The first person listed in the Green Book is Thomas Hansen Godt, born in 1675. This leaves a gap of about 125 years without much information about the Godt family.

There is another Godt family that is recorded in the village of Hoerste near Hanover - about 300 kilometres from Rinkenaes. They are recorded there for the first time in 1630. Earl W. Godt II believes the Hoerste branch was set up by a member of the Rinkenaes Godt’s (Hans Christian?) around 1625. Peter Godt of Rendsburg and I have discussed this and we are prepared to accept this theory.

It appears as though most of the Godts in North America are from the Rinkenaes Godts, although there are also members of the Hoerste Godts there.

We have met other Godts in Denmark who we cannot seem to relate to the Green Book. Three years ago while on vacation in Crete we met a young Danish woman with the name Godt. Her father lives in Odense. It is difficult, as it has been over 60 years since the Green Book was written.

I hope that this history will help you understand some of the background of the Godt Family. I wish you the best of luck in your continuing searches.

Mogens Godt,

Tune, Denmark.

August 1994.

 

 

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