Christoffer Jensen and Karoline Rasmussen -- 60 years


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Christoffer Jensen and Karoline Rasmussen -- 60 years.


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Christoffer Jensen was born in Årslev parish on the island of Funen in 1864 and left for America via Hamburg in 1884. Karoline was also a native of Funen, immigrating in 1885 or 1886. They met in the vicinity of New Rochelle, Illinois, became engaged, and the following spring traveled to Ethan, South Dakota, where Karoline’s parents had established a farm. There they were married on May 8, 1887. In 1899 a number of families, including the Christoffer Jensens, left Ethan for Tyler, Minnesota, where they became integral parts of the thriving Danish community called Danebod. There church services, the children’s school, folk school and various celebrations were held in the Danish language. Later, Karoline’s parents and brother returned to Denmark, but Christoffer and Karoline remained in the Tyler area for the rest of their lives, retiring to the town when son Jens married and took over their farm in 1916. They had 3 children: Jens, Rasmine and Anna. Karoline passed away shortly after this photograph was taken on the occasion of the couple’s 60th wedding anniversary. Christoffer’s Danish-language memoirs are on file in the FHGC.