History of the Danish settlement in Hill Township, Cass County, North Dakota

• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: State Historical Society of North Dakota
• Subjects: Anvil; Eldorado; Ingeborg; Sven; Yukon; Dawson; Nome; Alaska
• Online Access: http://cdm16921.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/ndsl-books/id/53795

DANISH SETTLEMENT IN HILL TOWNSHIP. 29 destination June 12. Shortly after her arrival. December 31. 1S79, she was married to Peter Westergaard. who had already located in Hill township, as mentioned elsewhere in this paper. After her husband’s death in 1S96 she with her nearly grown sons managed the farm until 1899, when she married Sven Hansen. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hansen. Andrew Jensen, one of the first group of Schleswig people to arrive in the settlement, was born November 7, 1850, in Lnegum-kloster, a small village in northern Schleswig. His youth was spent on his father’s farm until he had just passed his eighteenth year, when, as lie was fast becoming eligible for the three years’ service in the German army, he left for the new world, arriving in New York on the Cunard line on May 1, 1869. He proceeded directly to Iowa and for nine years he worked at railroad and farm jobs at Cedar Falls, Dubuque and in Mitchell county. In 1S73, before he left Iowa, he paid a visit to his old Schleswig home, bringing with him on his return his future brother-in law, Jens Schmidt. Ingeborg (Anna) Schmidt came to Dubuque in JS74, and on March 20, 1S76, was married in Mason City, Jmva, to Mr. Jensen. His arrival in Dakota has been mentioned else-wliere. In 1898, lie was seized with gold fever, started for Alaska by the McKenzie river route with three Americans, and after a difficult trip landed at Dawson. Dissatisfied with the prospect lie went down the Yukon. While at St. Michael's island the news of the Nome gold discovery reached him, when he, with all who were able to get away, started for the new Eldorado with all pos­sible haste. Fie was among the early arrivals and staked out a number of claims on Anvil and other creeks. During the three summers following he narrowly missed getting a large fortune several times, and in fact succeeded in securing enough of the elusive metal to make a modest competence. Mrs. Andrew Jensen (Ingeborg Schmidt) was born in Erode, near Luegimikloster. Her father was a carpenter. Several events of her life has been mentioned in this narrative. With her 1\vo small children she came to Dakota in the spring of 1879, a few months later than her husband. She is the mother of ten children, of W hom seven, three sons and four daughters, are living. Jacob Westergaard was born in Hassing, Jutland, May 25, 1852. His father had a small farm or “guard” of about 30 acres, and with soil that was none too rich. There was a family of eiglrt consequently the children had to work, out as soon as they were able to earn a living. In. the case of the subject of this sketch that was at the age of eleven, when he was hired out to a neighbor to herd his sheep and geese during the summer. As he errew older lie was set to herding cattle, helping with turf making and at various odd jobs which the ingenuity of his employer could devise; for employers of boys were usually scrupulously Scanned with a Czur book scanner at 300 dpi.