52 Ancestors: #8 Jensene Marie (Nielsen) Sorensen

52 Ancestors: #8 Jensene Marie (Nielsen) Sorensen

This year, Amy Johnson Crow has issues a new 52 weeks blogging challenge:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

on her No Story Too Small blog.


The challenge: To have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor. Not only should this get me blogging more, but also to take a deeper look at some of the people in my family tree.

My approach: I plan to make this a Tuesday Theme, and, use it to enhance my WikiTree ancestor profiles. That is, focus on a different ancestor on my WikiTree list of profiles, each week (include possibly adding new profiles), Great idea! Thanks to Randy Seaver's post for bringing this to my attention!

#8 Jensene Marie (Nielsen) Sorensen is #15 on my Ancestor Name (Ahnentafel) List, and is my great-grandmother. She married my great-grandfather, #7 Lauritz Christian Sorensen (1847-1922).
I am descended through:

* their daughter, #7 Dorthea (Dorothy) Kristine (Christine) Sorensen (1887-1982) who married
#6 Paul Harold Kinnick (1892-1968), through
* their daughter, #3 Mary Eileen Kinnick (1918 - 1999), who married #2 Delbert Leverne (Pete) Smith (1915 - 1977), to
* me, #1 William Leverne Smith (1939- …)

These are my Danish relatives, of course. They were both both in Denmark as was my grandmother, Dorothy, making me one-fourth Dane, by heritage!

We knew very little about Jensene, until a couple of years ago, except that she died about a year after coming to America, and was buried near Stuart, Iowa. I have visited the grave.

In the fall of 2011 (has it been that long ago, seems like yesterday!), our cousins in Denmark, Orla and Bente Poulsen, saw my posts, and sent some information, then photos, and now we know much more. Here is one of the first posts, about the home where she was born.

Here is a story about the tombstone of Jensene's parents. How wonderful to hear from cousins in Denmark. They, and several others, are now Facebook friends and we continue to communicate regularly. My daughter, Arrion, hopes to visit them, in Denmark, in the next year or two. Wonderful!


Families are Forever! ;-)

52 Ancestors: #7 Lauritz Christian Sorensen

52 Ancestors: #7 Lauritz Christian Sorensen

This year, Amy Johnson Crow has issues a new 52 weeks blogging challenge:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

on her No Story Too Small blog.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor. Not only should this get me blogging more, but also to take a deeper look at some of the people in my family tree.

My approach: I plan to make this a Tuesday Theme, and, use it to enhance my WikiTree ancestor profiles. That is, focus on a different ancestor on my WikiTree list of profiles, each week (include possibly adding new profiles), Great idea! Thanks to Randy Seaver's post for bringing this to my attention!

Top row, left to right: Christian Otto, Dorthy Christine, Dagmar Rebecca (Delma)

Front row, left to right: Jensene, Louise Mildred (Louise), Lauritz

Most likely taken in Denmark just before their departure for America

#7 Lauritz Christian Sorensen (1847-1922) is #14 on my Ancestor Name (Ahnentafel) List, and is my great-grandfather. He married #15 Jensene Marie Nielsen (1852-1906) my great-grandmother.
I am descended through:

* their daughter, #7 Dorthea (Dorothy) Kristine (Christine) Sorensen (1887-1982) who married
#6 Paul Harold Kinnick (1892-1968), through
* their daughter, #3 Mary Eileen Kinnick (1918 - 1999), who married #2 Delbert Leverne (Pete) Smith (1915 - 1977), to
* me, #1 William Leverne Smith (1939- …)

These are my Danish relatives, of course. They were both both in Denmark as was my grandmother, Dorothy, making me one-fourth Dane, by heritage!

We have had this wonderful family photograph for many years, but it was only in recent years that we learned very much about their lives in Denmark, and that is still pretty sketchy. Fortunately, we do know quite about them once they arrived in the United States, and came directly to Stuart, Iowa. Their oldest son, Morris, was already living in Des Moines as a pharmacist, I believe, so that provided some stability.

The wife of Lauritz, Jensene (more about her and her family next week), died within a couple of years of arrival so we know almost nothing about her life here.

All we really know about Laurtiz, really, is that he raised a good family who adapted to life in America very well. He was already nearly 60 when they arrived, and he lived to be 75.



Families are Forever! ;-)

Barbara Cowles Memorial Service/Obituary

Barbara Cowles Memorial Service/Obituary

 

 

Barbara was my 2nd cousin by way of my maternal grandmother Dorothy (Sorensen) Kinnick and her brother, Morris (Marius), grandfather of Barbara (Groth) Cowles (Nov 1931-Jan 2013). Our common ancestors were Lauritz and Jensene (Nielsen) Sorensen (Denmark > Iowa).

A memorial service was held for her on February 23, 2013, in Des Moines, Iowa, which I was unable to attend. Her sister, Carole, was kind enough to send me a copy of the program which contained a fuller obituary than that available from public, online sources. Thank you again, Carole. I've included as scan of that obit below.

I want to share one line from the obit:
"Barbara held intense fascination for genealogy and the pursuit of ancestral history with led to many wonderful photo albums, and volumes of historical data and interesting stories."

My wife and I received a Christmas Card and letter from Barbara every year for many, many years with each update in her family, and we exchanged the same with her. Our Christmas letter this year was among the first her sister, Carole, found among her things in January, and contacted us directly. We were so grateful.

Here is one of my favorite old photos, from then 1940s, with my Mom and Dad, in Des Moines, visiting with Carole and Barbara at the home of their parents, Pearl and Alton Groth, in Beaverdale.

 

 

A graduation photo of Barbara:

The obituary from the Memorial Service:

[Click for enlarged image]

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Surname Saturday - KRAG married SORENSEN

Surname Saturday

KRAG married SORENSEN

As first reported recently in this July 31 Sentimental Sunday post and following a series of discussion with our new found cousins in Denmark, we now have the names of both the parents of my mother's maternal grandparents, Lauritz and Jensene (NIELSEN) SORENSEN, including maiden names in each case. Over the past two weeks, we talked of her parents, Niels CHRISTENSEN and Maren Kristine MORTENSDATTER (as well as learning about Danish naming patterns).

Today, we will share the brief information obtained on Lauritz's parents: Anders Christian SORENSEN and his wife, Dorthea KRAG.

It is first interesting to note that neither of these families followed the Danish naming conventions. The father of my great-grandfather Lauritz Christian SORENSEN was Anders Christian SORENSEN (b. act 1807, Aalborg, Denmark; d. 14 Jun 1886, Vor Frue parish, Aalborg, Denmark).

Lauritz's mother was Dorthea KRAG (b. act 1808, Aalborg, Denmark; d. unknown)

Anders and Dorthea were married 8 Apr 1831, Sonder Tranders parish, Aalborg, Denmark - the 'family' story has it that he was a widower at his death. He was a small farmer in Aalborg, Osterbro 12. [Aalborg is sometime spelled with one A and sometimes Aa - I will generally use Aa in my writing. Osterbro 12 is a location address.]

They had two children (that we know of, so far):

1. Anne Dorthea, b. 3 Jun 1834, Vor Frue parish, Aalborg, Denmark; d. unknown
2. Lauritz Christian, b. 9 Apr 1847, Aalborg, Denmark; d. 15 Aug 1922, Coon Rapids, Carroll Co, Iowa (my hometown!)

One more note: Dorthea KRAG - a daughter, Anne Dorthea - Lauritz named his first daughter, my grandmother, Dorthea Kristine…  ;-)


Families are Forever!  ;-)

Surname Saturday - NIELSEN

My parents surnames were SMITH and KINNICK.
Their parents' surnames, respectively, were SMITH, PRESTON, KINNICK, and SORENSEN.
Their parents' surnames, respectively, were SMITH, SODERSTROM, PRESTON, MILLER, KINNICK, WILLIAMS, SORENSEN, and NIELSEN.

Today we will focus on the NIELSEN surname in my familiy. This is my "shortest line." Jensene NIELSEN was born in Denmark and died only a few years after arriving in the USA. I do not know who her parents were - I have not researched any overseas records. This will remain on my To Do list for quite a while - probably forever.

Below, I've adapted the information from the SORENSEN page, just to put her in perspective.

Lauritz Christien SORENSEN (b. 9 Apr 1847, Aalborg, Denmark) married, about 1878, in Denmark, Jensene Marie NIELSEN (b. abt 1853, Denmark)

Children of Lauritz and Jensene Sorensen:

1. Theodore SORENSEN (b. abt 1879, Denmark; d. abt 1899, Denmark, of TB)
2. Maurice SORENSEN (b. 14 Feb 1880, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 8 Nov 1903 Ida LUND)
3. Dorothy Christine SORENSEN (b. 26 Jun 1888, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 12 Aug 1914 Paul Harold KINNICK)
4. Christian Otto SORENSEN (b. abt 1890, Denmark; m. Mary THOMPSON)
5. Dagmar Rebecca (Delma) SORENSEN (b. 7 May 1891, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 19 Oct 1914 Clarence Clyde (Clyde) LUSE)
6. Louise Mildred SORENSEN (b. 28 Aug 1894, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 4 Jun 1919 Rasmus NIELSEN)

SORENSEN is my mother's maternal line. Here is a bit of that story line. Dorothy Chistine is my mother's mother, my grandmother. She is the tall one, center back row, below, flanked by Christian and Dagmar (Delma). Louise is between the parents. Maurice was already in the USA.

The Lauritz and Jensene Sorensen Family
Prior to leaving Denmark c.1903-4

Family is Forever! ;-)

1910 Postcard - front and back

This is a postcard from my Grandfather [Paul] to my Grandmother [Dorothy] about three and half years before they got married. The photo side suggests they were already "pretty good friends!" Note that the young lady is dressed in white, and he wears a white hat!

In 1910, she was 22, had been in this country, from her native Denmark, about 6 years. In 1910, he was 18, just graduated from Coon Rapids High School in May 1909 and was going to go to Commercial College in Des Moines; meanwhile, he was working for his father and uncle on their farms in Coon Rapids and Greenfield, respectively.

Text of Postcard dated 3 Mar 1910:

Monteith, Ia, [a tiny town, about half way between Coon Rapids and Greenfield]

Mar 3, 10
Got here O.K. Had to bring the cattle.
Will go on today.
Can't be there for Sat. night.
Will be down there next wk.
Papa can't come till after noon. The roads are a fright.
Tell Cris [her brother] he wants to go Sat. night.
Take good care of yourself. P.H.K. [Very familiar initials - saw them many times, myself]

Paul Harold KINNICK, b. 18 Aug 1892; m. 12 Aug 1914 Dorothy Christine SORENSEN, Greenfield, Adair Co, IA 

Dorothy Christine SORENSEN, b. 26 Jun 1888, VorFrne, Aalborg, Denmark

From her Funeral Program:

Dorothy, daughter of Lauritz Christian and Jensine Marie Nielsen Sorensen, was born June 26, 1887, at Aalborg, Denmark. In 1903, she came with her family to the United States where they settled in Greenfield, Adair County, Iowa. On August 12, 1914, she was united in marriage with Paul H. Kinnick at Greenfield. At that time she became a citizen of the United States. Dorothy and Paul spent their entire lives in Coon Rapids, Iowa, except for a short time in Bayard, Iowa. Paul was with the Iowa Savings Bank and the First National Bank in Coon Rapids. Dorothy devoted her time to her husband, her children, and her home. Music was an important part of her life. She played both the violin and piano, and loved to sing.
Dorothy was a member of the United Methodist Church, the Gleaner's Sunday School Class, and participated in the Aid Society and WSCS. While living in Bayard, she enjoyed the Helping Hand Class of the Methodist Church.
On July 16, 1975, Dorothy entered the Thomas Rest Haven Nursing Home in Coon Rapids, where she died on Sunday, November 28, 1982, at the age of 95 years, 5 months, and 2 days.

Families are Forever! ;-)

Surname Saturday - SORENSEN

SORENSEN is my mother's maternal line. Here is a bit of that story line. Dorothy Chistine is my mother's mother, my grandmother. She is the tall one, center back row, below, flanked by Christian and Dagmar (Delma). Louise is between the parents. Maurice was already in the USA.

The Lauritz and Jensene Sorensen Family
Prior to leaving Denmark c.1903-4

Lauritz Christien SORENSEN (b. 9 Apr 1847, Aalborg, Denmark) married, about 1878, in Denmark, Jensene Marie NIELSEN (b. abt 1853, Denmark)

Children of Lauritz and Jensene Sorensen:

1. Theodore SORENSEN (b. abt 1879, Denmark; d. abt 1899, Denmark, of TB)
2. Maurice SORENSEN (b. 14 Feb 1880, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 8 Nov 1903 Ida LUND)
3. Dorothy Christine SORENSEN (b. 26 Jun 1888, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 12 Aug 1914 Paul Harold KINNICK)
4. Christian Otto SORENSEN (b. abt 1890, Denmark; m. Mary THOMPSON)
5. Dagmar Rebecca (Delma) SORENSEN (b. 7 May 1891, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 19 Oct 1914 Clarence Clyde (Clyde) LUSE)
6. Louise Mildred SORENSEN (b. 28 Aug 1894, Aalborg, Denmark; m. 4 Jun 1919 Rasmus NIELSEN)

S.S. Hekla, 1884 Thingvalla Line

This is the ship Dorothy sailed on from Denmark, departing on April 15, 1904 and arriving in New York, May 1, 1904, at Ellis Island. The family moved to western Iowa.

Family is Forever! ;-)