In Part 1, I found out who Agatha’s parents were and located Agatha’s Danish birth record on Ancestry.com.
Let me recap the information I found about Agatha in Part 1:
Name: Agatha Paulsen Christensen
Birth: October 12, 1868 in Halk, Haderslev, Denmark [later: Hadeslaben, Slesvig, Germany]
Parents: Jens Poulsen and Mette Kirstine Ravn
Immigration: Arrived at port of New York on April 13, 1889 from Denmark (sailed on SS Aller in Steerage II)
Yesterday I was contacted through my previous blog about Agatha by a distant cousin in Denmark regarding the Poulsen family line!! My cousin, Aase Rebekka, and I share a 3rd great grandfather (for me) and a 2nd great grandfather (for her). His name is Jens Paulsen. Through this connection I have been able to locate additional information about Agatha and her parents and grandparents.
First, with guidance from Aase, I located the original birth record for Agatha. Very excited to add this to my family tree!
Agatha Paulsen’s birth record – October 12, 1868 Halk, Hederslev, Denmark
I also obtained the birth record from Agatha’s father, Jens Paulsen.
Jens was born in Øsby, Haderslev, Denmark on March 15, 1835.
Through such record, I also was able to determine (with translation help from Aase) that the parents of Jens are Poul Jensen and Anne Marie Kristensdr (Christensdatter). They married in Øsby on October 10, 1835
Back to Agatha: Previous information I obtained mentions that Agatha had 4 or 5 brothers and 1 sister. Aase provided me with the names of three of Agatha’s brothers. In addition to having 4 or 5 full-blooded brothers, Agatha also had 3 half-brothers through a different mother (two of which died at a young age). Here is the information on her brothers:
Oldest brother of Agatha, Anders Thomsen Paulsen
b. March 31, 1872 in Starup, Denmark
d. died during 1st WW, about 1915
*This matches up with information passed down through generations that one of Agatha’s brothers, Andrew Paulsen, served as the Kaiser’s personal bodyguard; he was killed about 1914.
Thomas Andersen Paulsen
b. January 23, 1875 in Grarup (near Haderslev), Denmark
–married Anna Marie Koch in 1906 in Haderslev and they had at least 16 children (four of which died as young children).
Niels Anderson Paulsen
b. August 14, 1878
d. August 7, 1914
The one sister located is Johanne Hansine Paulsen
b. March 10, 1885 and d. August 5, 1891 at 6 years old
The one half-brother who lived to adulthood is Poul Jensen (mother is Agathe Nielsen) – this is Aase’s great grandfather.
b. February 4, 1859 in Øsby, Denmark
d. June 15, 1933 in Haderslev, Denmark
married Maren Jensen
Obituary of Agatha Christensen Amery Free Press -1948
Mrs. Christensen Buried Here Sunday, Last rites for Mrs. Lauge Christensen were held at the Congregational Church Sunday afternoon with the Rev. W.R. Davies in charge assisted by Rev. V.A. Hansen, who delivered the sermon. Mrs. Christensen, together with her husband who preceded her in death, July 25, 1942, were pioneer and respected residents of the Volga Community. The Rev. V.A. Hansen’s family homesteaded as neighbors to the Christensens back in the days when this country was nothing but timber and wilderness. Mrs. Lawrence R. Anderson sang “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” and “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere” at the service, accompanied by Mrs. Mae Porter. Pallbearers were six grandsons, Herbert and Floyd Christensen, Donald Preble, Glen Christensen, Joe Eastlund and Neal Route. Agatha Paulson was born October 12, 1867 in Hadeslaben, Slesvig, Germany and passed away on April 8, 1948 at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Eli Preble where she had made her home for some time. On April 13, 1885 she was married to Lauge Christensen who preceded her in death on July 25, 1942. In 1889 they immigrated to St. Paul where they lived until April 1, 1893 when they moved to their farm at Volga. They lived on their farm until 1916 when they moved to Amery where they lived since with the exception of a short time at Little Falls and also on the farm again for about two years. To this union seven children were born, all of whom survive. They are Chris of St. Paul, Joe of Minneapolis; Agnes (Mrs. G.R. Eastlund), Ruth (Mrs. A.H. Route) of Ubet; Christine (Mrs. Eli Preble); James and Reuben of Amery. She is also survived by 20 grandchildren; eight great grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. Mr. and Mrs. Christensen marked their 50th wedding anniversary April 13, 1935. In April, 1942 they noted their 57th anniversary. Relatives and friends attending services from out of town were: Mr. and Mrs. Martin Sommers, Mr. and Mrs. Christ Christensen, Donald and Helen, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Christensen, Mr. and Mrs. Bart Galle and Mr. and Mrs. Leon Christensen of St. Paul, Mr. and Mrs. Jos. Christensen and Joyce, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Morton, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Nelson and Mrs. Maurice Smith of Minneapolis, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Eastlund of New Richmond. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. R. Eastlund and Genevieve and Alerd, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Route, Marlene and Jim of Ubet, Mr. and Mrs. Neal Route and Mr. and Mrs. Donald Preble of St. Croix Falls, Mr. and Mrs. G.B. Squires of Manawa, Mr. and Mrs. Kurchanski of Spring Valley, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Sommers of Adebolt, Iowa, Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Sommers of Centuria, Mr. V. A. Hanson and Ila Mae of Balsam Lake.
Below information obtained from immigration records and from Kathy Bergant
Agatha was born on October 12, 1867, in Halk, Haderslev, Denmark, where her family lived. At that time her family spoke Danish. However, when Agatha was four years old, the area was taken over by the Germans. The children were raised German and attended German schools, probably through the eighth grade. They spoke German; Agatha could not speak English when she came to the U.S.
According to Lauge Christensen’s obituary, Agatha and “Louis” Christensen were married on April 13, 1885, Hadersleben, Schleswig, Germany. However, other records show that Agatha and Louis were married on the day they arrived in the Port of New York, April 13, 1889. It was not uncommon for new immigrants to marry upon arrival in the U.S. The fact that Agatha used her maiden name (Paulsen) on the immigration manifest is interesting and may suggest that Agatha and Louis were not married when they arrived. Although, it was quite common for married women to use their maiden names when immigrating even if they were married.
Agatha had four or five brothers, and one sister (Marie). None of her family ever came to the U.S., nor did she ever go overseas to see them.
Four or five of Agatha’s brothers served in the German guard. Three were killed in World War I; they were bodyguards for Kaiser Wilhelm. One brother, Andrew Paulsen, served as the Kaiser’s personal bodyguard; he was killed about 1914.
When Lauge and Agatha’s son, Reuben, went into the service during World War I, Agatha worried that he would be sent overseas and have to fight “her people.” However, the war ended soon after he enlisted so he never left the U.S.
Agatha’s sister, Marie, and her husband were wealthy jewelry-store owners in Denmark. Her husband died or was killed. About 1918, when the Germans took over the area where they lived, they confiscated all of their belongings–including the store. For years afterward, Agatha’s son, Reuben, sent money in care of the Red Cross for Marie to live on. Eventually, he stopped because they didn’t know if she was receiving it.
Agatha’s daughter, Ruth, described her mother as an “A-1 seamstress,” who made all her children’s clothes. At night she sat by the lamplight, “knitting socks and mittens…and darning and mending the endless piles of clothes.”
Agatha died April 8, 1948, in Amery, Wisconsin.
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