Wedding Wednesday: Jens Christian Petersen and Caroline Hansen

Jens and Caroline Petersen
December 10, 1892
Black Hawk county, Iowa

My father's grandparents were both born in Denmark and both came to the United States in 1888. Jens arrived with his parents, Peder and Elsia Jeremiasen. The Jeremiasen family's destination was Waterloo, Iowa. Jens and his siblings were listed with the surname Jeremiasen on ship's passenger list. In America, Peder retained the surname Jeremiasen, but all of Peder and Elsia's children took the surname Petersen. Once in America, my Danish ancestors stopped changing the surname with each generation.

I've not yet documented Caroline's arrival in America. Family lore was that she and Jens met on the ship. If that is the case, there is only one possible entry on the ship's passenger list that could be Caroline, a 16 year old female who was unnamed, but listed as Servant with another passenger.

It was just a few weeks ago when I discovered documentation of Jens and Caroline's marriage on FamilySearch.org. Their union is listed in the collection of Iowa Marriages, 1809 - 1992. This record shows that Elsia's maiden name was Lauridsen, not Polsdatter as I had been told by other family members and as was recorded in Jens' obituary. Jens' obituary also reports the family moving to Nebraska from Iowa about ten years before they actually moved. The Petersens moved to Nuckolls county Nebraska about 1905, between the births of two of their children.

On the marriage record, Caroline's parents are listed as Soren Hansen and Christine Nielsen.

The Family Search record shows that Jens and Caroline were married in Black Hawk county, Iowa. The wedding location may have been Cedar Falls, Iowa (that is from my notes from another family member). Cedar Falls is about ten miles from Waterloo, Iowa where the newlyweds lived.

Jens and Caroline Petersen
Hardy, Nebraska

Jens and Caroline were the parents of ten children: Emma Christine, Elmer Martinus, Otto William, Katherine Jereminia, John Theodore, Christine Dorothea (died as an infant), Esther Dorthea, Marvin, Margaret Leona, and Jess Carl.

Jens died in Hardy, Nebraska on August 9, 1948 and Caroline died January 7, 1962. Caroline's grave marker shows the original spelling of her name: Karoline.

Decoration Day can be dangerous

This item appeared in the Waterloo, Iowa Daily Courier 118 years ago today.

Apparently, I have inherited my great-great grandmother's proclivity for falling down.

Success Story! Jeremiasen - Petersen immigration record discovered

It has been along and arduous task, but at last I have discovered my very first immigration record of any of my family lines! The record shows my great-great grandparents, Peter Jeremiasen (first name spelled Peder on the record), his wife Elsa (I've seen it recorded as Elsie and Elsia) and children Margretha, Maren, Karen and Jens, my great-grandfather. The parents retained the surname Jeremiasen after they came to the United States. The children took the surname Petersen, as per Danish naming tradition.

It was exciting enough to see all of the given names and ages matching my family tree, but when I saw that their destination was Waterloo, Iowa, I was ecstatic since I knew that's where the family lived when they came to the United States.

The other new information I have from this record is that the family arrived in Quebec, Canada in June, 1888 on a ship called the Sarmatian. They had departed from Liverpool, England.

With these few pieces of information, I've broken through a brick wall that has perplexed me for years! Family lore is that my great grandfather Jens' wife-to-be, Karoline Hansen, was on the same ship with the Jeremiasen/Petersen family. So my research is just beginning - to locate her and find out more about this immigrant ship.

What an amazing day! I can hardly wait to begin digging deeper.