Surname Saturday 2.0: The Christensens

The Christensen Family

 

Kirstine & Jorgen (found at Vejle museum)

What I know about this family breaks down to a couple of names on a chart and a small handful of very old photographs. The Christensens were my great-grandfather's maternal grandmother's parents. The only reason I even have their name is because my grandmother and her sister were putting together a family tree, and able to ask their father's cousin for information on this branch of the family.

Kirstine (front) and Katrine

We have three photos of Ivare Kirstine (I believe she was known as Kirstine) that I have included in this post. One is of her with my great-grandfather's older brother Hans Jorgen (named for her husband)'s family, when she would have been about ninety or thereabouts. The second is a photocopy of a photo family members found in a Vejle museum of Kirstine and Jorgen. The third is a photo of Kirstine with her sister Katrine. All three reveal tiny snippets of her life, though I know very little about this woman in general.

Kirstine with her daughter Else and Else's son Hans Jorgen (named for Kirstine's husband) and his wife and eldest daughter

One story I do know is that when my great-grandfather was young, he fell ill, and had to be taken to the hospital, which was a long trip, as they had no cart to carry him in. Rather than make him take the long walk home, he stayed in town at his grandmother's house for quite a long time, and his grandmother grew quite fond of him and didn't want him to return home once he was finally doing better.

In this family, I only have four names: Kresten Christensen, his wife Else Katrine Ivarsdatter, and two daughters, my great-great-great grandmother, Ivare Kirstine and her sister Katrine. All I know for certain is that they were from the Jutland area of Denmark, and most likely from in or near the area of Vejle. I do know for certain that that is where Kirstine lived with her husband and even after his death until her own.

My Christensen line, for those interested:

*  Kresten Christensen married Else Katrine Ivarsdatter. They had at least two daughters, Ivare Kirstine and Katrine. I have no other information about this branch of the family.

*  Ivare Kirstine Christensen was born 1845 in Vindbjerg, Denmark. She married Jorgen Larsen 1863 in Vejle, Denmark. They had nine children. She died in 1932 in Vejle.

Ø  Else Katrine Larsen was born 1865 in Ringive, Denmark. She married Jens Christian Hansen 1885 in Ringive, Denmark. They had eight children, which I listed in last week's Surname post, if you wish to learn about them in more detail. She died in 1934.

Ø  Kristine Larsen was born 1870 in Ringive, Denmark. She married Peter Andreasen. I have no children listed for them. She died in 1957.

Ø  Birte Marie Larsen was born 1870 in Ringive, Denmark. She married Jens Ibsen Laurberg. I have no other details on her life.

Ø  Mette Margrethe Larsen, known as Margrethe, was born 1873 in Ringive, Denmark. She married Isak Isaksen sometime before 1897, and the two emigrated to the US, settling in New York. They had three children: Peter, Jorgen, and Tula. I have details of three generations after them. Margrethe died in 1970.

Ø  Lars Kristian Larsen was born 1876 in Ringive, Denmark. He married Marie Damgaard, but I have no information on their life beyond that. He died in 1955.

Ø  Maren Kirstine Larsen was born 1878 in Ringive, Denmark. She married Christian Christensen, but I have no details on their life together. She died in 1957.

Ø  Soren Larsen was born 1880 in Ringive, Denmark. He married Marie Eskildsen, but I have no further details on his life, or if they had children together.

Ø  Dagmar Augusta Larsen was born 1883 in Ringive, Denmark. She married Reiar Aasberg, but I have no other details on their life together. She died in 1973.

Ø  Ane Marie Larsen was born 1886 in Ringive, Denmark. She Niels Peter Skov Jensen (whom I believe to be a cousin of Else's husband above) in 1906. They had five children: Laura, Jens Skov, Harald Skov, Svend Aage Skov, and Karen Kirstine. I have record of two more generations after those children, but nothing more. Ane died in 1960.

What I don't know:

* While this branch is not as vital to my search at the moment, I would love to learn more about my three-greats grandmother's family, as I have so little on them at the moment.

* When was Kresten born, and where, and who were his parents? And the same information is missing for his wife Else as well.

* I'd also love to know more about Kirstine's siblings, especially Katrine, whom I have a photo of. Any births, deaths, marriages or children would be welcomed.

* I would also love to know more about Kirstine's children, as I currently only have detailed information on three of her daughters.

Other information about this branch:

* Christiansen – Part I

* Women's History Month – Week 1