Rasmus and Karen Hansen - Ancestors and Descendents

By Joe H Hansen

This book revises and adds to the original “Rasmus and Karen Hansen” published in 2004. Errors in the first edition about Karen’s Norway family have been corrected. Research tools now available on the Internet and “Family Search” enabled discovery of Rasmus parents and family dating to the 17th Century. Karen’s family could trace their ancestry to nobility, the first King of Norway, Viking King Harold Fairhair according to information found in the history of Brottum parish. Social and economic conditions in the 18th century motivated immigration. Hans Rasmussen, father of Rasmus worked in near serfdom on one farm his entire life. In Norway Hans Engebretsen, Karen’s father, moved from farm to farm. Lack of opportunity to acquire farm land was true in both Denmark and Norway. Denmark’s rigid social classes prevented upward mobility.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: May 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781483480688

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Rasmus and Karen Hansen

Ancestors and Descendents

Joe H Hansen

Copyright © 2018 Joe H Hansen.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-8070-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-8068-8 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

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Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 3/22/2018

Cover Photos, Rasmus Hansen 1864, Ragena Helene Hansen, youngest daughter of Rasmus and Karen, standing beside 1922 Chevrolet Coupe

Fathers have fought, mothers have wept in the building of a new home in a new land. Their history deserves preservation

P. S. Vig, distinguished pioneer clergyman and historian of the Danish immigration

Foreword

This is a revision of the 2003 family history, Rasmus and Karen Hansen Family Lineage correcting errors plus some updates. In addition is a bit of history about the Hansens of Norway. An error in the 2003 edition was the name of Karen Hansen. In the newspaper Elk Horn Kimballton Review Karen Hansen’s 1936 obituary gave her name Karen Olsdater, Midtlien. In Norway the practice was to add the residence farm name to the surname such as Karen Olsdater, Midtlien. This name was an error, Karen was the daughter of Hans Engebretsen and Martha Olsdater born at Nordlien farm. The name in the obituary correctly should have been Karen Hansen, Nordlien. The Olsdater name was her grandfather Ole Olsen. The name error was copied by someone to an internet location and so the error was compounded.

In a few years preceding 2016 the sixth generation descendants of Rasmus and Karen Hansen were born. Present day Hansen lineage, Northern European at the time of immigration, now Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American. It soon will be 150 years since their immigration so as time passes recent descendants have little awareness nor little interest in the immigrant story. But as historian P. V. Vig said the story must be preserved. So copies of this book will be placed in genealogy libraries. Perhaps a future scholar will use this book in research.

In Norway Hans Engebretsen with his family moved from one farm to another and indeed did live on Midtlien farm several times. Hans Engebretsen’s ancestry is traced back to the Viking King of Norway Harold Haarfagre (Harold Fairhair) according to sources found in Brottum-boka by Nels Moen. Hans died at age 42 in 1857. His death was probably from tuberculosis then called consumption. This disease spread among family members with four known deaths as a result. Tuberculosis was spread when living in small one room houses where cooking by the open fireplace made smoke always present and infectious germs spread by coughing. Karen’s mother Martha and all the family left Norway and immigrated to the United States.

Family accounts recorded that Rasmus Hansen left Denmark for the opportunities offered in the United States and to avoid being drafted into the Danish Army again. He had served his country in a disastrous war with Prussia in 1864. Then lower economic classes such as farmers were drafted into the lowest military rank while officers were drawn from the upper class. In a few short battles the professional Prussians crushed the Danes. Another family story relates that Rasmus spent time in Berlin.

The Hansens of Denmark, Rasmus and Peder, began the voyage to the United States leaving from Copenhagen, Denmark then to Germany and then sailing to Hull, England there crossing the country by railroad to the port city, Liverpool, England. There boarding the ship Peruvian to continue the journey. Soon after sailing a deadly outbreak of cholera infected the ship passengers. Spread by unsanitary conditions the disease eventually killing almost 100 passengers. This ship was one of five cholera ships that carried the disease to New York City in 1866 where 1215 citizens of the city died.

From Norway Hansens traveled to Oslo then boarding a ship to Hull, England and then to Liverpool. They boarded the ship Scandinavian going to Quebec, Canada. Of the Norway immigrants two apparently died enroute, Even Olsen, Karen’s Uncle and her sister Anne. After arriving in Canada the family traveled by train to Moline, IL.

The Norway Hansens as well as the Danes chose Moline, IL as their destination and first new home in the United States. There were Danes who immigrated before the civil war and joined the Union Army. Two of which were in-laws of Rasmus Hansen by reason of his first marriage to Ingeborg Iversen. As did Rasmus and Karen the Iversens the lure of cheap farm land caused their westward moves in the 1870s.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Hansen descendants for providing family information for the genealogy. Thanks to Joan Lykke Potts, and Martha Hansen Farley for historical family letters and manuscripts. Also Linda Hansen Ballantyne and Carol Hansen Posgate for permissions.

Thanks to the late Bertha Andersen of Elk Horn, IA, for translating Danish letters and documents. Thanks to Marcia Snyder and Marlow Crawford for photo restoration. Also thanks to Linda Greethurst Norway genealogy expert and finally to Christy Jo Hansen Guay for proofing and editing.

Names and Numbers

Our Scandinavian ancestors used patronymic names derived from the father name. The son of Hans Rasmussen became Rasmus Hansen (Han’s son). The daughter of Hans Engebretsen was named Karen Hansdatter (Han’s daughter). This practice resulted in many having the same names and so lead to the use of adding the farm or town name where they lived thus Karen Hansdatter, Midtlien.

Patronymic names were usually dropped when immigrating to the United States and Marte Olsdatter adopted the Hansen surname. Her son Even changed to Jacob Hansen.

Names written in the Rasmus and Karen family Bible show children named with Danish spelling. The children later anglicized their names. Wilhelm became William, Helene, Helen for instance. Others modified in other ways. The Table of Contents gives names as shown in the family Bible and following in parenthesis name usage in later life.

Rasmus and Karen Hansen followed the old world naming custom, if an infant died the name was given to the next baby of the same sex. Rasmus and Karen’s first born, Anne Marie Margarethe was named for Karen’s sister Anne plus deceased children of Rasmus first two marriages. Infants Martha and Harold died and the names were given to later born children.

Depending on the source ancestor names were written many different ways. Instead of trying to show each variation the most recent spelling available was used. Other spelling problems exist because the genealogy software automatically inserts words and just plain simple error.

Numbering system: each person in this genealogy is given a number. The software program Brother’s Keeper assigns the number at the time of data entry. Generations are identified with the first person is given the Roman numeral 1 and the first child is given the letter A, the second child is B and so on. The first child of A is 1 and the second 2.

Chronology