Oconto County WIGenWeb Project
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OCONTO COUNTY
Wisconsin
FAMILIES and BIOGRAPHIES

 

 

 .JENSEN.

of Maple Valley

Descendant contact: Kim

Christ and Petrina Jensen Family


Christ Jensen and his older brother James Jensen are on the 1900 census. They were living together, along with their wives, in town of Maple Valley,  Oconto County, both working as laborers.  James, born 1872,  and Christ, born 1875, Jensen had been born in Denmark and had come to this country in 1887 and 1888. Since James was about age 15 and Christ was about age 12 years and they came separately when they immigrated from Denmark, it is very likely that they came with other adults, such parents or older brothers, uncles or older cousins. 
 
Older brother James had just married Mary H. (nee ?) in 1900. She was 18 years old and had been born in Michigan. Her father had been born in Sctland and her mother was a Scot born in Canada.  They had no children yet. Christ had married Patrina B. Olsen in Oconto County just one year earlier, in 1899 and they did not yet have children. 
 
Petrina Olsen Jensen  was born in Norway and came here either in 1880 or 1900 depending on what records you are looking at. In some records she was known as "Katie". Petrina and Christ were married in Oconto County and had a total of 8 children born, including twins James and Norman. But Norman died before he was a year old. Melvin was the youngest, born August 25, 1915. The last 4 children were born while the family was attending Immanuel Lutheran Church in Oconto County. It appears all the children were born in Oconto County and that is where the family always lived. Petrina died May 6, 1967 at the age of 90 years old  and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Oconto County.
 
Records found so far indicated that Christ Jensen was a general laborer his working life. This would mean that he went from job to job for different employers over the years. He seems always to be employed so was probaably a good, hard worker. Christ became a US citizen in 1904 in Oconto County at the courthouse. His jobs included farm labor in 1900 and handyman odd jobs in 1910. In 1918 he was listed on his World War I Draft Registration Card as a fisherman for employer O. B (or R.). Olsen (probably related to his wife Petrina), and his appearance was described as medium height, large build, blue eyes and light hair that year. He was a woodsman (lumber company) in 1920 and worked in a sawmill in 1930 when the youngest child Melvin was 15 years old. Christ Jensen died in 1947 at the age of 72 years and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Oconto County.
 
Melvin Jensen's oldest sister, Nora, married after 1920 at age 21 and had a daughter. By 1930 Nora was divorced from Mr. Close and she and her daughter were living with Christ and Petrina. She apparently never remarried and is listed in Evergreen Cemetery Records as Nora Close who died at age 81 years on May 1, 1981. Melvin's brothers James P. Jensen died February 6, 1989 in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin  and  Elmer Jensen also is buried at Evergreen Cemetery. He was age 87 when he died January 3, 1994.
Christ Jensen's brother James A. Jensen and his wife Mary were found after 1900. Christ and Petrina Jensen moved around a lot, but stayed in Oconto County. James and Mary Jensen moved around a lot but way out west. The unique thing is that of the 7 children they had on censuses, 2 sons born outside of Wisconsin were back in Oconto County by 1930.
 
James and Mary Jensen  had a son Wesley in Wisconsin in 1902, were in Michigan (same state as Mary was born in) by 1904 where they had two children. Next on to Nebraska by 1912 where two more children were born, and on to Washington State by 1913 where the last two were born.   James and Mary Jensen were not found in the 1930 census, but their three youngest children were. Sons James and Arthur Jensen were farm hands in Oconto County (their names, birth years and states lined up correctly as Nebraska and Washington) and daughter Florence was a nursing student living at the nurses' residence at Sweden Hospital in Seattle, Washington State.
 
Go down the page past the James and Christ Jensen tree for more possible connections:
 
1. James A.  Jensen - brother of Christ Jensen
    born: September 1872 in Denmark
    immigrated: 1887/1888
    naturalization: 1904
    occupation: 1900 Laborer, 1920 house carpenter
    died: 
    burial: 
    ( notes on James A. Jensen: 1920 Living on Rave Road in Skagit, Washington; )
+ Mary A. (nee ?) wife of James Jensen
    born: April 1882 in Michigan
    parents: father born in Scotland, mother was a Scot born in Canada
    married: 1900 at age 18
    died: 
    burial: 
    ( notes on
    children of Chris Jensen and Petiena: (8 births, 7 living in 1910) all born in Wisconsin
        1. Wesley E. Jensen 
            born: 1902 in Wisconsin    
            married: 
            died: 
            burial:
       2.  Helen H.. Jensen
            born: 1904 in Michigan
            died:
            burial:
        3. Louise A. Jensen
            born: 1906 in Michigan
            died:
            burial:
        4. Nelda M.. Jensen
            born: 1912 in Nebraska
            died: 
            burial: 
        5. James P. Jensen 
            born: 1911 in Nebraska
            died:
            (note on James P. Jensen:  1920 Living on Rave Road in Skagit, Washington;  Lived in  town of How, Oconto County, WI in 1930 as farm helper for Richard  Firgens;
        6. Arthur A. Jensen 
            born: 1913 in Washington State
            died: 
            burial:
            (notes on Arthur Jensen: 1920 Living on Rave Road in Skagit, Washington;  lived in Breed, Oconto County, WI in 1930 as farm helper to George and Cora Cronce;
        7. Florence M. Jensen
            born: 1916 in Washington State
            died: 
            burial:
            (notes on Florence  Jensen: 1920 Living on Rave Road in Skagit, Washington;  May have lived in Seattle, Washington, as a student nurse at Swedish Hospital; )
 
2. Christ Jensen - brother of James Jensen
    born: June 10, 1875 in Denmark
    immigrated: 1887
    naturalization: 1904
    occupation:  1900 common laborer; 1918 fisherman, employer O. R. Olsen; 1920 Woodsman, 1930 hardwood mill worker
    died: 1947
    burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Oconto County, Wisconsin
    ( notes on Christ Jensen: Lived with wife, brother and sister-in-law in 1900; 1918 WWI Draft Card, Medium height, large build, blue eyes, light hair)
+ Petrina B Olsen (also Katie) wife of Christ Jensen
    born: 1877 in Norway
    immigrated: 1880 or 1900
    naturalization: 1904
    married: June 28, 1899
    died: May 6, 1967 
    burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Oconto County, Wisconsin
    children of Chris Jensen and Petiena: (8 births, 7 living in 1910) all born in Wisconsin
        1. Nora A. Jensen (lived with parents and daughter in 1930)
            born: 1901    
            married: at age 21 to ? Close; divorced by 1930
            died: May 1, 1981
            burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Oconto, WI.
       2.  Johanna (Hanna) M. Jensen
            born: 1902
            died:
            burial:
        3. Agnes O. Jensen
            born: Jan. 17, 1905 in Oconto (WI pre 1907 Birth Index)
            died:
            burial:
        4. Elmer R. Jensen
            born: 1907
            died: January 23, 1994
            burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Oconto County, Wisconsin
        5. James P. Jensen (twin) (Immanuel Lutheran Church Birth Records)
            born: Nov. 22,  1909
            died:  Feb. 26, 1989 in Oconto Falls, WI
            burial:
        6. Norman Jensen (twin)
            born: Nov. 22, 1909 (Immanuel Lutheran Church Birth Records)
            died: before 1910
            burial:
        7. Wesley O. Jensen
            born: March 28, 1912 (Immanuel Lutheran Church Birth Records)
            died: March 21, 1999 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
            burial:
        8. Melvin M. Jensen
            born: August 25, 1915 (Immanuel Lutheran Church Birth Records)
            died:December 31, 2006 in Appleton, Wisconsin
            burial:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
It is possible that the father of Christ and James Jensen (who we know are brothers from the 1900 census) was a Nels Jensen and his wife Hanna who also lived in town of Maple Valley in 1900. The places of births are correct as are the dates of immigration from Denmark. They had 6 children, and 4 were living in 1900. They also had one son living with them, Ingor (also known as Marimus, Jim and Invert). Ingor Jensen's wife was Emma and they had 6 children in Maple Valley, Oconto County. They stayed on father Nels Jensen's farm there for quite some time, then after 1913, they lived in Tacoma, Washington State. Remember that Christ Jensen's brother James Jensen ended up in Washington State, too. And both Ingor and James were carpenters there. Too many coincidences to these folks to dismiss them as possibly related. This all need documentation to be sure of. Below is the family tree of Nels and Ingor Jensen. If they are all family, it appears that Ingor was the first to come at age 18 in 1886, then Papa Nels and brother Christ joined him in 1887 and they sent for mother Hanna and brother James in 1888.  The 4th living sibling may have stayed in Denmark, or been a woman who married, thus having a different surname.   When or where Nels,  Hanna, Ingor and Emma went or passed away has not been found. 
 
 1. Nels Jensen - ? father of Christ Jensen
    born: September 1847 in Denmark
    immigrated: 1887
    naturalization: Petitioned for citizenship by 1900
    occupation: Laborer
    died: 
    burial: 
    ( notes on Nels Jensen: 1900 Lived in town of Maple Valley, laborer
+ Hanna (nee ?) wife of Nels Jensen
    born: March 1841 in Denmark
    married: 1868 in Denmark
    immigration: 1888
    died: 
    burial: 
    (notes on Hanna (nee ?) Jensen: 1900 had 6 births with 4 living;
    children of Nels Jensen and Hanna (?);
        1. Ingor (Maremus) M. Jensen - son of Nels and Hanna Jensen in 1900
            born: September 1868 in Denmark
            immigration:1886
            occupation: 1900 laborer; General Farming 1910 in Maple Valley; 1920 carptenter;
            died:
            burial:
            (notes on Invart Jensen: lived with parents in town of Maple Valley in 1900; 1920 living in Tacoma, Washington State
          + Emma (nee ?) 
            born: August 1875 in Germany
            immigrated: 1882
            died:
            burial:
            children of Invart Jensen and Hanna (nee ?)
                1. Hanna (Kathryn)  C. Jensen
                    born: September 1896 in WI
                2. Nels E. Jensen
                    born: July 1899 in WI
                3. Arthur F. Jensen
                    born: 1904 in WI
                4. Peter (Attland) A. Jensen
                    born:  1907 in WI
                5. June A. Jensen
                    born: 1909 in WI
                6. Edna Jensen
                    born: 1913 in WI
 

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