Jens Lind

Jens Lind (1763 or 1764 11 November 1821) was a Danish sea captain, ship-owner, merchant, slave trader, landowner and industrialist. He was from the late 1780s until 1806 active in the Triangle Trade and was as such responsible for the shipment of somewhere between 1,800 and 2,000 slaves from Guinea to the Danish West Indies, approximately half of them illegally after the abolition of the trans-atlantic slave trade in 1803. He was from around 1800 also involved in a substantial number of industrial enterprises, including a brewery at Vandkunsten 8 in Copenhagen (from 1802) and a paper mill, oil mill and soap factory on the Hulemose estate at Vordingborg (from 1808).

Early life Lind was born in 1763 or 1764 in Christianshavn, Copenhagen, the son of Hendrich Jensen Lind and Anna Dothea Olufsdatter. He was baptized on 31 July 1764 in the Church of Our Saviour. His confirmation took place on 27 April 1778 in St. Peter's Church.

Lind's father is from at least 1761 mentioned as a mate (styrmand) in the service of the Danish Asiatic Company. In the 1770s, he became engaged in the Triangle Trade. In 1779, he thus captained the frigate Postillionen on an expedition to Guinea. In 1781-82, he captained the Østersøisk-guineiske Handelsselskab's frigate Gehejmeraad Gregers Juel on an expedition to the Danish West Indies by way of Guinea, most likely the Danish Gold Coast, picking up 298 slaves on the way.

Ship captain, ship-owner and slave trader Jens Lind began his career at sea as a cabinboy after his confirmation and passed his navigational exams on 15 April 1793. In , 1787, he acquired the brig Haabet. In 1797 it sailed to Guinea, no doubt to pick up a cargo of slaves but it is not known how many, before proceeding to the Danish West Indies. Haabet departed from Saint Croix on 22 August 1787 and called at Saint Thomas two days later before returning to Denmark, arriving in Copenhagen on 16 October. It is believed that Lind did not return to Denmark with the ship and the next years seems to have spent most of his time either in the Danish West Indies or Guinea.

On 15 December 1802, he also acquired the rxtensive holdings of the fideikommis at Vordingborg on auction for 600,000 rigsdaler. They comprised Iselingen (with Marienberg and Snertingegård, Kosenfeldt (with Aunø, Nygaards Windmill, Vordingborg Færgegaard and the Ørslev skovridergaard estate (with Kastrup og Ørslev kirketiender) as well as Ørslev, Køng og Sværdborg 'kongetiender. On 18 December 1804, he sold Iselingen, Ørslev skovridergaard as well as Ørslev kirke- and kongetiende to Hans Henrik Peter Reiersen (a younger brother of Niels Lunde Reiersen) for 420,000 rigsdaler. Rosenfeldt, Aunø and Nygaard Windmill, Vordingborg Færgegaard as well as Kastrup and Sværdborg kirketiende/kongetiende was at the same time sold to Frederik Hoppe.

In 1813, he was created a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog.