Her father, Peter J. Hansen

Esther’s father, Peter J. Hansen, was born on May 12, 1878 in Steward, near Rochelle, Illinois. He was the first son of his parents, Jacob and Petrina Hansen, who had come from Denmark the previous year. Jacob “worked his way over” on a slow potato boat, across the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Jacob was 21 years old and was accompanied by an uncle, John Larson. They started out in February 1877, and the trip took five weeks before docking in Philadelphia. In May, 1877, Petrina Jorgensen left Denmark with her mother and sister, and came to America.

Jacob Hansen and Petrina Jorgensen had not known each other in Denmark. Jacob was born near Odense on the island of Fyn, Denmark, on December 1, 1855. Petrina was born in Denmark on January 18, 1859. However, after they came to America in 1877, they both settled near Steward, Illinois. They worked as hired help on neighboring farms and thus became acquainted. On November 12, 1877, three couples were married by a preacher from Chicago. One of those couples was Jacob and Petrina Hansen. Jacob and Petrina had nine children all born in Illinois between 1878 and 1895.

In 1891, they moved seven miles to another farm they rented near Rochelle, Illinois. They had a large house and the farm consisted of 420 acres, which was farmed by using horses to pull machinery – sometimes owning 20 horses at a time. In 1893, Jacob and Petrina went to the World’s Fair in Chicago, taking the baby along but leaving the other seven children with Grandma Jorgensen. The story is that Charlie got tired of braiding Hannah’s long hair, so he took a scissors and cut off the long braids! Grandma Jorgensen (Petrina’s mother) lived with the Hansen family until her death in May 1898.

Peter J. Hansen (1878 - 1967)

Esther’s father, Peter J. Hansen, was a good “horse man”, being conscientious in caring for the horses. Pete received his formal education in Illinois and was considered a good student. At the church they attended, Pete met a young Swedish girl, Hannah (Minnie) Olson, and he took care of her horse when she arrived at church. However, the Olson family left Illinois in 1902 and moved to land they had purchased near Alpha, Minnesota. Pete said good-bye to Minnie and they promised to exchange letters.

Jacob & Petrina Hansen and their nine children (1902)

The Hansens left Illinois in 1905 and moved to Iowa. Before moving, they had a sale to reduce their inventory but they still shipped three carloads of stuff by train to Havelock, Iowa. Keep in mind, that by now they had two steam engines, two corn shellers, two threshing machines, and one saw mill plus their large family.

The land they purchased in Iowa near Havelock was very wet but was level black soil that produced good crops when tiled. However, the damp climate in Iowa was hard on Petrina and she died in 1907 from asthma at the age of 48. Lawrence, the youngest child, was 12 years old at the time of her death and Pete, the oldest of the nine children, was 29 years old. Guess who came to the funeral? Hannah (Minnie) Olson, Pete’s friend from Illinois. As you recall, the Olson family had moved to Minnesota in 1902. Minnie happened to be visiting a friend, Bertha Maltzahn in Havelock. The Maltzahn family was going to the funeral and Minnie went along. Thankfully, Pete and Minnie’s friendship was renewed. Although over 50 miles separated Minnie who lived near Alpha, Minnesota, and Pete who lived near Havelock, Iowa, their relationship must have thrived. Pete and Minnie were married on December 29, 1909, at the bride’s parent’s home – seven years after they parted in Illinois when Minnie’s family moved to Minnesota.
-Marita

Footnote:
The Hansen Family Renions were held in a park in the Emmetsburg, Iowa, area from 1926-1989 on a Sunday in July. Peter J. Hansen really enjoyed going to the reunions to see his brothers and sisters and their families – lots of good visiting and catching up on family news.