Not So Wordless Wednesday: Madsen Family in 1912

Once again, I've been contacted by a cousin wanting to share family pictures and stories. I'm always happy when my new-found cousins are excited for me to post their treasures here on my blog because I know how much it means for all of us to have these rare glimpses into our families' pasts.

So, thanks to my cousin, Jim Cole, for this gem! This handsome family is Jim's grandparents, Han Terkelsen Madsen and Maren Christiansen Caspersen, their six children, AND Hans' youngest brother, Lars Hansen Madsen. Yep, that handsome young Danish chap standing in the back with his hand on his hip was my Great Grandpa Louie!

Hans came to California from Aero, Denmark, in 1891. Born in 1870, he was the oldest of ten children and 23 years older than his little brother, Lars, who followed him to Livermore, California, in 1908.

Here are the Madsen family members in this photo, which I think was taken in about 1912, likely in Livermore:

Front (l-r): Louis C. Madsen (1906-2000), William Hans Madsen (1910-1973), Hans Terkelsen Madsen (1870-1956), Maren Christiansen Caspersen (1870-1972), Casper Marion Madsen (1907-1986).

Rear (l-r): Katie M. Madsen (1896-1976), May Christine Madsen (1904-1981), Julia C. Madsen (1899-?), Lars Hansen Madsen (1893-1971). It's entirely possible that I have May and Julia mixed up here, but based on birth dates, I think this is correct.

Cousin Jim Cole is the son of May Christine Madsen, and he's been sharing wonderful stories about his memories of my Grandpa Louie, whom they all called either 'Little Louie' or 'Uncle Louie,' and my Great Grandma Hannah. Jim is visiting our families' homeland in Aero, Denmark, later this summer, and I can't wait to hear more stories when he returns!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Lars Hansen Madsen Naturalization Certificate

While virtually all of my dad's family history can be traced back to the 1600s and 1700s in America, most of my mom's family became Americans more recently. I'm finding it a bit difficult to locate some of the naturalization papers of my ancestors. For example, I know that my GGG grandfather, Claus Schlichtmann, was naturalized on September 13, 1877, in San Francisco. Well, I'm finding that the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire seem to have destroyed a good lot of documents that were held in San Francisco, including naturalization papers. Le sigh...

Meanwhile, I've had the good fortune of finding a copy of the actual naturalization certificate of my great grandfather, Lars Hansen Madsen, in my mom's files.

This document is chock full o' interesting information about Grandpa Louie (1893-1971), who was born in Denmark and immigrated to California in 1908. For example:

• I see that he was a 23 year old unmarried man when he was naturalized on March 9, 1917. In fact, he married my great grandmother, Johanna Bruhns, just a few weeks later on April 4, 1917.
• He had already started to anglicize his name from Lars to Louis. 
• He was all of 5 feet, 5 inches tall, and had a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.
• He had no other distinguishing marks.
• He was naturalized in Alameda County, California. For some reason, I had been under the impression that he was naturalized in San Francisco, but I see that I was wrong on that count. 

I look forward to finding the naturalization papers for my other immigrant ancestors to see what else I can learn about them!

Family Recipe Friday: Æbleskivers!

Mmm... æbleskivers!

I've been thinking about æbleskivers lately. In fact, I'm craving these yummy little Danish pancake balls right now. It's probably because that's what I always asked my mom to make for me for my birthday breakfast. I'm heading to her house tomorrow so we can celebrate our May birthdays together this weekend (mine was last week, hers is this weekend). I think we're going to have to make up a batch to celebrate!

Æbleskiver is the Danish word for apple slices. They are spherical in shape, and kind of a cross between a popover and a pancake. They are made in an æbleskiver pan, which has several half-spherical cups or indentations in the bottom of the pan. My mom uses a non-stick æbleskiver pan, but I like my heavy, cast iron pan. I'm told by a Danish friend of mine that you can actually find frozen æbleskivers at Trader Joe's. That just seems so very wrong to me, though...
Here are a couple of versions of the æbleskiver recipe that our family have used. The first one is more traditional, but the second one is my favorite (I love buttermilk...).

Standard Æbleskiver

4 eggs, separated
1 Tbls sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup melted shortening
scant 2 cups milk

Beat egg yolks; add sugar. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with shortening and milk. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. See below for baking instructions.

Buttermilk Æbleskiver

3 eggs, separated
2 Tbls sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Beat egg yolks until light and lemon colored. Add sugar, salt and buttermilk; mix well. Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder; add to egg mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold into batter.

Baking instructions for both recipes:
Place a small amount of shortening (or butter) in each cup of æbleskiver pan, and fill 2/3 full with batter. Cook over medium heat until bubbly; turn carefully with a fork (or a butter knife or a metal knitting needle) and finish baking on the other side. Turn each æbleskiver several times to ensure thorough baking. If desired, a very thin slice of raw apple can be pressed into batter in each cup before turning. In our family, we serve with butter, powdered sugar and strawberry jam.

By the way, æbleskivers seem to be gaining in popularity, even among non-Danish folks. I've seen æbleskiver pans and entire recipe books readily available in several cooking stores, including Williams-Sonoma and Sur la Table. I hope you'll try them out!

Those Places Thursday: Ærø, Denmark

Ærø, Denmark

I'm proud of my Danish heritage, and I've been having fun writing about the Madsen side of my family. I especially enjoy sharing information about my great grandfather, Lars Hansen (Louis) Madsen, who immigrated to California from Ærø, Denmark, as a young boy in 1908.

A couple of years ago, when I was searching for information on my Madsen family (beyond what I already knew), I came across the most wonderful website, Genealogy Ærø. Ib Christensen, who happens to be a distant cousin of mine, has spent years researching his genealogy, as well as others, on the small island of Ærø, which is in the Baltic sea off the southern edge of Denmark. Fortunately for me, he's gone all the way back to my 10th great grandfather, Erich, and has very graciously sent me some amazing information about our Danish ancestory (including smuggers, witch trials, arranged marriages gone awry and other fun stuff that I'll surely write about later!).

Rise (REE-suh) is the little village, noted in
the center, near the farm where my
Great Grandpa Louie grew up.

For anyone interested in Ærø genealogy, or Danish history, Ib's website is a goldmine. He's written it in Danish, but he's already translated many pages into English (and you can always use Google Translate for the pages that aren't yet translated). It includes information on many Ærø families, including Ærø residents (like Great Grandpa Louie) who eventually emigrated away from Denmark. He has detailed the overall history of Ærø, from the Middle Ages (starting in the 13th century) until now. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about Ærø's smugging past, including my own 9th great grandfather's part in that: Apparently, Bertel Erichsen was a skipper and smuggler who had a history with the law due to his bad temper.

Ib also wrote histories of some of the villages and other historical places. What thrilled me is that he included a photo of the oldest house in Ærøskøbing, one of Ærø's largest villages, which was built in 1645 by my 9th great grandfather, Bertel Erichsen (1617-1701), the ill-tempered smuggler referenced above. The house is called "Kjøbinghus" and appears to have been very well kept all these years.

Kjøbinghus. Photo by Ib Christensen, Genealogy Ærø

Ærø is now a tourist destination for travelers looking for a quiet vacation amongst old villages, thatched-roof buildings and well-tended farms. The island is only about 5-by-19 miles in size, and many visitors rent bicycles to get around and explore. My ancestors' farm, Bakkegaard ("hill farm"), near the town of Rise, is still there. Sadly, I'm told by Ib and another distant Madsen cousin who visited there last year, that it's a bit in disrepair.

I'm hoping to get to Ærø in the next few years so I can set foot on the land where my ancestors farmed, lived and raised their families for so many generations. Meanwhile, I enjoy going back to Genealogy Ærø to see what's new and continue learning about my Danish heritage. I hope you'll also visit Ib's website, especially if your family hails from Ærø. And, if you do have Ærø ancestry, please leave a message for me here so we can compare notes!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: The Madsens in Ærø, Denmark

Here's another wonderful, old family picture that my cousin, Vikki, has shared with me. It's a photo of our great great grandparents, Laurits Hans Madsen (1839-1934) and Kirsten Terkelsen Madsen (1850-1925), and nine of their 11 children, in Ærø, Denmark.

I've already written quite a bit about my great grandpa, Lars Hansen (Louis) Madsen, and shared several photos of him as an adult. I just love seeing this photo of him as a little boy (he's the cutie in front on the right) with his mom, dad and siblings! I especially love that it was taken in his homeland of Denmark. One of these days, I'm going to get over there to see the old family farm where Grandpa Louie, and several generations before him, grew up (and which still exists -- I've seen pictures!).

I'm guessing that this photo was taken sometime around 1900. His oldest brother, Hans Terkelsen Madsen, had already blazed the path to California in 1891, and was not included in the photo. Grandpa Louie was born on September 24, 1893, and immigrated from Denmark to California in 1908 when he was just 14 years old. I'm sure his parents and siblings who stayed behind must have missed him greatly. I'm lucky that he moved here and stuck around long enough for me to get to know him!

Those Places Thursday: Dania Hall, Livermore, California

Dania Hall, Livermore, California

As I've written previously, my great grandfather, Lars Hansen Madsen, immigrated from Denmark to Livermore, California, in 1908. Looking at his ship passenger list, census documents and other historical references (as well as a stroll through the cemetery where Grandpa Louie and Grandma Hannah are buried) it's clear that Livermore has been a destination for a lot of Danes for generations.

One of the gathering places for the close network of Danish immigrants was Dania Hall in Livermore. It was built by volunteers in 1911 and still stands on 2nd Street, between N and O Streets.

Over the years, the Dania Hall has been the Danish cultural center of Livermore and, as a child, I remember spending time there. It was a great place to hold wedding receptions as well as different events from concerts to haunted houses during Halloween. It continues to serve as a rich part of Livermore's history.

Below is a story my Aunt Rae gave me about Dania Hall and it's colorful history. I don't know the name of the publication, but I figure that it was printed in around 1971 because it mentions that my great grand aunt, Maren Christensen Madsen, was 99 years old at time of printing, and she died in 1972. I've transcribed the text below so you can enjoy the history of this great hall and the Danish society that built it!

Centennial Corner

Dania Part of Early Livermore Society

Dania Society was born December 11, 1879, when a group of friends met at a home in Oakland. It was then called “The Danish Social Club of Oakland and Alameda.” After many highly successful social ventures, it was decided that the club was not to be merely a social club, but a beneficiary and benevolent society. Lodge No. Two opened in San Francisco in 1882, and by 1902, the year of the first convention in Livermore, there were 18 lodges in existence.

Livermore’s Dannevang No. 7 was organized July 23, 1892, with 34 members who elected Andrew Simonsen as the first president. Numbered among the charter members were Louis Nielsen, Jes H. Ludvig, Jorgen Peter Olsen, Hans T. Madsen, Chris R. Madsen, William Larsen, Erick Henriksen, Chris H. Groth, M. G. Clausen, P. A. Christensen, Hans Grodt, Hans Mathiesen, Mads J. Moller, and Christian Lilienthal. The Dania banner was made by the Livermore Danish ladies and presented to the men‘s lodge on February 17, 1894, by Mrs. Maren Madsen, now 99 years and still a resident of Livermore. Mrs. Madsen recalls the occasion as “the proudest time of my life – a night I will always remember.”

Livemore’s first Dania Convention, held in 1902, was a gala event, with red and white bunting in the colors of the order decorating the lawn. First Grand President from the Dannevang Lodge was the late Carl Holm who was elected in 1903. Also serving as Grand Presidents were two other Livermore members, Iver Frydendal in 1934 and Conrad Moldt in 1961. Conventions were held in Livermore in 1921 and 1961.

Current 50-year or longer members are John Block, Erik Eriksen, Sam Hauberg, Mads Madsen, Peter Rasmussen, Chris Reuss, Peter Reuss, Chris Svanberg, Louis Thomsen, Louis Banke, Louis H. Madsen and Alfred Petersen. Current membership is 90.

The Dania Hall, as it stands now, was constructed by volunteer labor in 1911. Prior to the construction of the hall, the members met in a building located where the present City Hall now stands.

Danebod No. 16, the Livemore ladies’ organization, was formed October 19, 1905, with Laura Hansen as the first president. There were 73 members then and the group received its charter on July 17, 1920. It will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary next summer. The lodge was named Danebod by the late Mrs. Peter Rasmussen of Dublin. Among the charter members were Mrs. Maren Madsen, Julius Jensen, Mrs. Mika Madsen, Iver and Johanne Frydendal, Mrs. Marie Groth, Soren Hauber, Mrs. Mabel Rees, Mrs. Marguerite Andersen and Mrs. Mary Jensen.

Danebod has two Past Grand Presidents numbered among its members, the late Mrs. Johanne Frydendal who served in 1931 and Mrs. Maren Moldt who served in 1961. Mrs. Victor Hansen, nee Elva Banke, will be the Grand Marshal at the conclusion of the current convention. President of Danebod is Mrs. Rita Post. Delegates attending the convention are Mrs. Kristine Clausen, Mrs. Ada Borch, Mrs. Mette Andersen and Mrs. Ruth Nielsen with Mrs. Lee Austin and Mrs. Sigurd Thomsen as alternates. Attending as representatives of the Dannevang Lodge are Mel Nielsen, Jorgen Clausen, Peter Knudsen and alternates Chris Simonsen, Norman Larsen and Iver Rasmussen. Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Moldt are representatives to the Old Age Fund Meeting.

I love seeing my Great Grandpa Louie mentioned in this article, as well as so many of the other names that peppered our family's conversations while I was growing up: Madsen, Christensen, Rasmussen, Thomsen and Groth, to name a few. I grew up with the grandkids of Mr. and Mrs. Sigurd Thomsen and remember the fun we had at Dania Hall!

Mostly, I admire these Danish immigrants to who came to America to find a new life, but never forgot their roots.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Great Grandma and Grandpa Madsen's Wedding Bowl

This beautiful porcelain bowl and silver serving spoon were given as wedding gifts to my great grandparents, Lars Hansen Madsen and Johanna Bruhns Madsen, on their wedding day: April 4, 1917. Lars (also known as Grandpa Louie) immigrated in 1908 from Risemark, Ærø, Denmark. Johanna was born and raised in Tracy, California. They were married in San Francisco, California, and made their home in and around the Livermore Valley, including the little towns of Murray and Altamont, which no longer exist. There, they raised three children: Lloyd Harold (b. 1918), my maternal grandmother, Donna Marie (1919-1966), and Rae Harriett (1921-2010).

As you can see from the tape on the bottom of the bowl, my Great Aunt Rae gave this bowl to my mom at some point (I'm not sure when because it had been proudly displayed for years in our home).

The other piece of tape illustrates a funny little family tradition my immediate family has: my sister, Cindy, and I somehow started putting our names on masking tape and "marking" the family heirlooms that we eventually wanted to nab. Now, we aren't at all the type of family who fights over the family loot. It's become a bit of a joke, really. For example, I've been known to "tag" an item that I know my sister covets, just get her hackles up (all in fun!). Or, she'll put my name on something she knows I detest. Mom once even put rolls of masking tape and markers in our Christmas stockings. That year, about 10 years ago, when my mom and dad's new Border Collie puppy came to live with them, I half-jokingly wrote my name on a big piece of tape and stuck it to cute little Blaise. I'll still claim her if Mom ever wants to give her up!



Of course, I was thrilled when Mom noticed how much I loved Great Grandma and Grandpa Madsen's wedding bowl and decided to bequeath it to me. I'm enjoying it now, and hopefully someday I'll notice that one of my nephews has discovered it and taped their own name to the bottom...

Treasure Chest Thursday: Great Grandpa Louie's Candy Dish

I'm lucky that I got to know my maternal Great Grandpa Louie -- at least for a few years. Lars Hansen Madsen was my mom's maternal grandfather. As I've already written about him, he was born on September 24, 1893, on a farm called Bakkegaard in Risemark, Ærø, Denmark, and in 1908 he immigrated as a 14-year-old boy to Livermore, California. There, he met and married Johanna Bruhns and they raised three kids: my grandma, Donna Madsen, as well as their other daughter, my Aunt Rae, and their son, my Uncle Lloyd.

Since I was such a youngster while Grandpa Louie was still around, I don't have a lot of memories of him. I do remember delighting in his heavy Danish accent and that he was always very kind to us kids. And I think he delighted in having us around. Another thing I always remembered was that he had the prettiest little lidded porcelain candy dish, with two gorgeous and delicate gardenias on top, and that's where he kept his stash of butter mints. My sister, Cindy, and I inherited a powerful sweet tooth (perhaps from Grandpa Louie?), and we'd spend at lot of time with that candy dish whenever we visited him, admiring both its fragile beauty and the deliciousness it held inside.

Grandpa Louie passed away on May 8, 1971. I was only six years old, but I old enough to be sad to lose him. Mom inherited the candy dish and, growing up, it was always on display in the house and often filled with mints. Every now and then, Mom likes to gift Cindy and me with something that was special to her and to our family. A few years ago, I lucked out and got the candy dish. WooHOO! I kept butter mints in it for awhile, but never for very long because, well, I can't resist butter mints. Now, Grandpa Louie's beautiful little porcelain candy dish is the PERFECT place to store my small collection of double-pointed knitting needles. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. =)

1908 Ship Passenger list for Lars Hansen Madsen

Great Grandpa Louie is the sweet looking man
in the front of this picture

I'm always amazed and in awe of my pioneering ancestors, whether they forged their way West via horse and buggy to settle throughout the United States, or they came by ship to start a new life in a new land. My Great Grandpa Louie, otherwise known as Lars Hansen Madsen, was one such pioneer. Grandpa Louie was born on September 24, 1893, on a farm called Risemark on the tiny island of Ærø in Denmark. Our family there goes back to at least the early 1600s.

Grandpa Louie came to the United States with his older sister, Hansine, and her family in 1908. He was just 14 years and 6 months old. They arrived at Ellis Island, New York, on April 26, 1908, on the Arabic. Here's the ship's Passenger List that lists him and his family.

Some things I learned about my Great Grandpa Louie from this wonderful document:

1. He had blond hair and blue eyes.
2. He was 4'9" tall at the time.
3. He was listed as a "labourer."
4. He was headed to meet his older brother, Hans Terkelsen Madsen, in Livermore, near San Francisco.
5. He and his family first traveled to Liverpool, England. The ship, Arabic, left Liverpool on April 16, 1908, and took 10 days to arrive in New York.
6. His father paid the fare for his journey.
7. He did not have a ticket to his final destination (San Francisco).
8. He did have at least $50 in his pocket.
9. He and his sister's family were traveling with another Danish family from Ærø, the Groths, who would also settle in Livermore, California.
10. He was neither a Polygamist or an Anarchist (!!!)

Grandpa Louie passed away on May 8, 1971. I'm fortunate that I got to know Grandpa Louie and that he was one of the many brave souls in my family to forge their own path in America.

Sunday Obituary: Lars Hansen Madsen

Lars Hansen Madsen with his wife, Johanna Bruhns, and family

As I understand it, Sunday is the day of the week when a lot of genealogy bloggers share their ancestors' obituaries. Today, I'm joining this tradition by showing you all the obit of my maternal Great Grandpa Lars (Louis) Hansen Madsen. I was fortunate to get to know my Grandpa Louie -- I was six years old when he died, and I still have fond memories of visiting him at his home in Livermore, California.

Grandpa Louie immigrated in 1908 from Risemark, on the tiny island of Ærø, Denmark. Until that time, he had grown up on the family farm, Bakkegaard (which loosely means "farm on the hill"). He was a successful farmer in the Livermore area, and a very loving family man. My strongest memories of Grandpa Louie are:

1. The butter mints he kept in a lovely little lidded candy dish (which now resides on my sofa table).
2. His Danish accent. It slayed my sister and me, and he'd patiently oblige us when we implored him to say "three hundred and thirty three" over and over again. It sounded like "tree hunderd und turdy tree" to us and we little girls thought that was just hilarious.

When Grandpa Louie passed away in 1971, his obituary appeared in a Danish newspaper. A Danish cousin interpreted it for us, and here's the copy that Grandpa Louie's daughter, my Great Aunt Rae, shared with the family:

 

It reads:

Birthdate: Sept. 24, 1893    Died: May 8, 1971
Ærø died in California

Lars Hansen Madsen, in Livermore near San Francisco, died after a short stay at the hospital at 77 1/2 years. Lars Hansen was the last of a large flock of children grown up on "Bakkegaard" in Risemark. Laurits Hansen Madsen and wife Kirsten (nee Therkelsen), late parents. Five of these children traveled to California. The oldest, Hans Madsen, left in 1891. He was married to the now 100 year old Maren Caspersen, from Dunkaer Mark, who still lives in Livermore. Lars Hansen traveled 1/2 year after his confirmation in 1908 with other relatives (Sine & John; Christine & Rasmus), over to his brother and most of them live in Livermore. His wife and a daughter died a few years ago, but another daughter and son still live in Livermore. 

He was 14 years old when he came to America, and couldn't speak English. He finished trade school at Mocho School. On our tour recently, we lived with my wife's cousin, Tillie Henningsen, in Hayward. An older healthy dame of 83 years. She drove us 40 kilometers to Livermore for a (??) visit with old Maren Madsen, with whom we had a long talk. She cannot see anymore, but has a good memory. The next day, we were called on the phone by Lars Hansen Madsen, who was well and quick-witted and very interested in hearing news of his old home, so we had a long talk. It was quite a shock and sorry when I received a letter from Maren Madsen's oldest daughter, Kate Meyers, that her uncle had passed on.