First we deal with the broker, or the "owner" of the farm. The stories are basically about the men, but of course the women were there also. ion and Hans did not run the farm alone. Ingeborg and Marit were perhaps also responsible for good management. The women’s work capacity, perseverance, and competence many times left a greater mark on life then we have managed to see, as sources are so incomplete. Their duties were many. Children, the old, and the sick had to be taken care of and the home kept in order, in addition to other obligations and worries .

A husmann was a man who used a piece of land belonging the main farmer, and he usually was not assessed. The work required by the owner of the land could sometimes be paid as a yearly fee. The land alone seldom gave enough income, so that the existence for the type of husmann we meet in Sømna depended upon his income from fishing. This "plassmann", as he was called in Sømna, usually had a family.

Strandsitters were husmenn without land. They were people who rented just enough land for a house, but did not farm .

The innerst was one who rented a part of the farmer’s house. He had his own household and sometimes some animals. Income came from fishing and odd jobs. After a few years, the innerst usually found his own place.

Many husmenn are named in the sources in the early l600’s, but we must realize that the concept husmann at this time covers far more than what later came to be associated with the word. Those named in the l 600’s can well be a son, son-in-law, a retired farmer, or one who farmed jointly with another. Throughout the l 700’s the concept husmann was flexible, and many times it has been difficult to separate husmenn from the innerst. Because of this we have placed all such families into a group - h l i (husmann/innerst) under the farm to which we think they most naturally belong. A number is added in order to refer to the slektshistorie.

During the 1 800’s, it is easier to place husmenn and innerst families under a certain farm. The number order in the slektshistorie goes mainly according to the year the couple married, regardless of whether or not they were on this farm at this time period.

Under the group andre (others) we find those who were neither farm owners, husmenn or innerster. From the earliest time there can be tailors, barrelmakers, etc., especially those who had a tie to the shops. Under andre are also found the Same (Lapps) we have registered. Near the end of the l 800’s teachers and shopkeepers are also placed in this group.

Tjenere (servants) make up a group that is little mentioned. In l80l they made up about l5% of the Norwegian population. In Sømna, the l7l servants working that year were made up of 5 l men and l 20 women. This constituted l4.7% of the people in the parish. The farming that was done was time consuming and primitive compared to today, and there was a need for workers. As servant life was seldom combined with family life, we find little about these people. Many of those who later became farmers, husmenn or innerster, began as servants, so for most, this existence was a transition period.