Christian "Chris Andrew" Anders
Christensen
b. 20 Dec 1874 Nørre Nissum søgn, Skodborg hd., Ringøbing amt.,
private baptism: 28 Dec 1874 Nr. Nissum søgn, Ringkjøbing amt.
church baptism: 21 Feb 1875
d. 13 Sept 1912 Cranfills Gap, TX
buried: St. Olaf's, (Rock Church), Cranfills Gap, TX
m. Minnie Rohne 16 July
1902 Bosque Co., TX
b. 16 Sept 1882 Løten, Norway
d. 19 Oct 1941 buried St Olaf's, Cranfills Gap, Bosque Co., TX
[findagrave.com]
her father: Evan Rohne
her mother: Marianne Egeberg
Children of Christian Anders Christenson and Minnie Rohne | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ervin Pernell Christensen | b. 17 Apr 1903 Live Oak, Hamilton Co., TX | d. 5 Nov 1964 Kilgore, Gregg Co., TX of carcinoma of the
pancreas [Tex. Death Cert. 70312] buried: Kilgore Cem. |
m. Bonnie Mae Williams of Tyler, TX* |
Johanna "Jennie" Marguretta Christensen | b. 4 May 1905 | d. 6 Jan 1968 | m. William Bertrand Bertelsen 1932 St. Olaf's, Cranfills Gap, TX (b. 1905 - d. 1975)* |
Paul Møller Christensen | b. 21 Oct 1907 | d. 30 Jun 1983 | m. Amy Hazel Larsen 24 Sep 1933 Meridian, Bosque Co.,
TX |
Marie Olena "Marianne" Christensen | b. 1 Dec 1910 | d. 26 Sep 1998 Cranfills Gap, Bosque Co., TX [SS Death
Index] |
m. Ralph Fredrick Dillon before 1946 in Atlanta, GA*
(b. 14 Nov 1912 d. 31 Dec 2006 Cranfills Gap, TX) |
Children of Chris Hansen and Minnie Rohne Christensen | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chris Morris Rohne Hansen | b. 4 May 1921 | d. 22 Oct 2004 at age 83
|
m. Dorothy "Dottie" Louise Brock from W. Texas |
1874, 20 December - The birth record for Anders, the first son,
is interesting because the church record states that he was born
to a woman (apparently meaning a single woman) of
Kalboer. The "alleged father" being Poul Møller Christensen
of Pine Moderen age 26. Mother is age 26. Poul Møller
C. eventually seems to adopt Anders but we are still looking for
the records. He is named after his mother's family here.
Anders Christian Pedersen. Anders was very accepted with the
witnesses being two of Ane's brothers, Daniel and Anders.
[Nr. Nissum kb(church book). 1864-78, opslag 25,
side 25.]
He was one of the oldest in the family and thus the first to
immigrate to the United States.
1892, Feb 27 - Anders C. Christensen immigrates to Groesbeck,
Texas from Søndbjerg,
Thisted,
Denmark.
His
occupation
is
listed
as
"Tyende"
meaning
farm
hand
or
servant.
His contract number is 73500. The ship is listed as
"Indreckte" which indicated that he shipped out of a different
port. Birth place is unlisted. [http://ddd.dda.dk]
Going through Ellis Island was not an easy or automatic
process. Health inspection may send any immigrant
home. Often individuals were given other more pronounceable
names. All steerage class passengers had to go through Ellis
Island. If you had a cabin on the ship you were
automatically sent off-loaded without question at the main
dock. Steerage passengers were loaded onto another ferry or
barge that took them to the island for processing. "If the immigrant's papers were
in order and they were in reasonably good health, the Ellis
Island inspection process would last approximately three to five
hours. The inspections took place in the Registry Room (or Great
Hall), where doctors would briefly scan every immigrant for
obvious physical ailments. .....Only two percent of the arriving immigrants were
excluded from entry. The two main reasons why an immigrant would
be excluded were if a doctor diagnosed that the immigrant had a
contagious disease that would endanger the public health or if a
legal inspector thought the immigrant was likely to become a
public charge or an illegal contract laborer. "
[Ellis Island web site, ellisisland.org]
Christian
Anders and Minnie (Rohne) Christensen married July 22, 1902 |
Paul, Ervin, Johanna and Marianne about 1910-11 |
until 1907 - "Chris Andrew" and his family lived in Hamilton County, where several of his children were born. About this time he sells his share of the farm to his brother, Pete, and his wife. It is probably at this time he moves his family to Cranfills Gap. He buys the house and farm of Dr. Monroe Coston sets up a machine shop and flour mill. It said that during this time he "bumped his shin of his leg on a farm implement and later developed cancer, having to have part of his leg amputated. It is said that he could run faster on two crutches than most could run on two good legs." This event probably brought about his early death. [Bosque Co; Land and People p. 207]
1907, January 30,
Oscar Rohne, as Guardian, made Application to the Bosque County
Court to sell the minors' interest in the 312 acres in Hamilton
County. The sale was authorized on March 5, 1907. P. L.
Christenson, the husband of Cora, bought the deed from Oscar as
Guardian to P. L. Christenson dated 23 March, 1907, is recorded in
Volume 33, page 600 of the Deed Records of Hamilton County, Texas.
By deed dated 23 march 1907 recorded in Volume 33, page 603,
Marianne Rohne, a widow, Minnie Christenson and husband, C. A.
Christenson and Oscar Rohne conveyed their interest to P. L.
Christenson and wife Cora Christenson. Thus Pete and Cora became
the owners of what was called the Heinchman Ranch. [Volume 33,
page 603, Land Records of Bosque Co. TX]
1910- US Census, Hamilton Co., Justin Precinct, TX, roll 1558,
page 187.
Christianson, C. A.
head M W 35 Married 8 years
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark 1892 Nationalized English Farmer
"
Minnie
wife F W 27 Married 8years 3 born
and 3 alive
Texas Norway Norway
" Ervin
son M W
7 single
Texas
Denmark Texas
"
Jennie dau.
F W 5 single
Texas Denmark Texas
"
Paul
son M W 2
single
Texas
Denmark Texas
"
Andrew boarder M W 21
single
Denmark
Denmark Denmark
In the above photo, Cranfills Gap is barely more than a few
buildings. In the caption below "Christ Christenson, on extreme left and G. O. Bronstad
with vest, over on right with boys in center being Ervin
Christenson and Clyde Bronstad." The Chris
Christenson in this picture is actually my dad's uncle with Ervin
being his son. Two years later Chris dies and three years
later my dad, Chris M. Christenson, is born.
1912- Chris dies at the age of 37. His plot in the Rock Church Cemetery is marked for "Chris" Christensen. The couple had four children .
"When Marianne was just a baby, the doctor came and operated on her on the kitchen bench and removed a small tumor from her side.Talk about accidents! Our family had more than their share. Johannah was riding with Uncle Jacob Christensen on the double disc plow when she fell off and almost cut off her hand and foot. Marianne drank a can of kerosene and Paul jumped from the second floor to the first floor out in the Mill House and cut a big gash on the back of his leg with an ax. Marianne crawled under the house and got a fish hook in her lip." [Bosque Co; Land and People p. 518]
1920 - US Census, Precinct #8, Bosque Co., Texas.
Series: T625 Roll: 1781 Page:
222 on the Clifton and Cranfills Gap Road.
He taught at the Allen Military Academy and later received a
position with the newly formed Kilgore Junior College. He headed
the Liberal Art Department. During WW2 he made several trips to
Denmark and worked in some capacity as a spy according to my
father. Ervin was a strong supporter of the college and education
in general. He retired from that that position after a long and
successful career.
1930 - US Census, Iredell, Bosque Co., Texas enum. dist.
18-6, sheet 4a
Johanna Christensen is a boarder with J. A Fouts and his wife.
Grace and two children and another teacher. Johanna is
teaching in the public school.
1930 - US Census, Bosque Co., Texas. Series T626
Roll: 2289 page 277
in 1932- Johanna "Jennie" Marguarette Christensen married to William Bertrand Bertelsen in St Olaf's Church by Rev. Allen Nelson. He was a student of Clifton College from 1921-23. William started working in the First Security Bank in Cranfills Gap when he was 17 as a bookkeeper where he worked his way up the ladder to cashier, vice-president, president and finally chairman of the board. He held this position until the bank was sold in 1972. He also owned and operated an insurance agency down the street from the bank that he started from the age of 18. He left his hand print on many of the activities of the area through his connections as chairman of the board of Farmers State Bank at Iredell; member and president of Cranfills Gap Chamber of Commerce; member of the Cranfills Gap Housing Development Inc., president and member of the Administrative Council of the Texas Bankers Assn. among many other institutions.
Johanna "Jennie" (Christenson) graduated from Clifton College
Academy in 1925 and went onto other education at Clifton Junior
College, John Tarleton Agricultural College, North Texas State
College and Howard Payne College. "Jennie" taught at Mt. Zion in
Iredell and at Cranfills Gap. "She was a lifelong advocate for the
conservation of natural resources and the preservation of wildlife
and was a member of the Texas Ornithological Society. She was
active in all aspects of St. Olaf's church life. Together they
raised two children, Christabel who married David Jorgensen, and
Wm. Bellamy Bertelsen who married Janice Lindberg. [Bosque County;
Land and People p. 153-154]
1936, Mar 31 - Paula Rochelle Christensen(f) is born
to Paul Mueller Christensen and Amy Hazel Larsen in Bosque Co.,
Texas. [Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997]
1939, about - Gyn Christensen is born to Paul Mueller
Christensen and Amy Hazel Larsen in Bosque Co., TX
[ 1940 US Census, Texas, Bosque Co.,
Hamilton.]
1940 - US Census, Texas, Bosque County, enum. dist. 18-20,
sheet 1A
Bertelson, Wm.
B. head m
w 34 mar
Texas
banker
1st
State Bank
"
, Johanna
wife f w
34 mar Texas
"
,
Christabel dau
f w 4
s Texas
sheet 2B
Mickelson,
Minnie head
f w 58
mar Texas
Mickelson,
Martin husband m
w 57 mar
Texas
Farmer Farming
Hansen, Chris
Morris
son m w 18
s Texas
?Jarnto College N. Y. A.
before 1946 - Marianne Christensen married Ralph Dillon
who was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota. During the war, Ralph had
enlisted in the Army and was in the 49th AAA Brigade while in
Europe from 1944 - 1945. The couple moved to Cranfills Gap where
Ralph owned and operated the Clover Farm Grocery for seven years.
He later work for his brother-in-law, William B. Bertelsen, in the
Gap insurance office. [Bosque Co; Land and People p. 256]
1946, 24 Dec - Alma Marilyn Dillon is born to Ralph Fred.
Dillon and Marianne Olen Christensen in Bosque Co., TX. [ Texas,
Birth Index 1903-1997]
2014 - A plaque of the names of Scandinavian immigrants is
engraved with Christian Andrews Christensen's name on the main
monument stone of the Leif Erikson Memorial at Shilshole Bay
Marina in Seattle, Washington. This memorial is sponsored by the
Leif Erikson International Foundation which "Symbolizes the
courage to venture to a new land" and so far contains 2,276
names. His name was included by the paid sponsorship of
Miniette Christensen Shipley, the grand daughter of Christian,
daughter of Ervin Christensen.
Source:
All information and
photos included within these pages was developed by
the help of hundreds of researchers. The information
here is for the express purpose of personal
genealogical research and is freely offered as long as
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included or used for any commercial purpose or
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permission of Elroy Christenson. Copyright Elroy
Christenson 1998-2010.