Audubon County >> 1915 Index

History of Audubon County, Iowa
H. F. Andrews, editor...Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, 1915. 

C

Unless otherwise specified, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.

It is proper to judge the success of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his neighbors and fellow citizens. They see him at his work, in his family-circle, in church, hear his views on public questions, observe his code of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all of the relations of society and civilization, and are, therefore, competent to judge his merits and demerits. After a long course of years, it would be out of the question for his neighbors not to know of his worth for, as has been said, "Actions speak louder than words." In this connection it is not too much to say that William T. Callow, a prominent farmer of Viola township, this county, who is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 29, and who has lived on that farm for nearly twelve years, has passed a life of unusual honor in the community where he has lived. He has been industrious and has the confidence of all who have had the pleasure of his friendship.

William J. Callow was born on February 24, 186l, in Iowa county, Wisconsin, the son of James and Ann (Skillicorn) Callow, both natives of the Isle of Man, the former of whom was born in 1824 and died in 1895, and the latter of whom was born in 1843. James Callow emigrated to this country in 1852 and was married in Wisconsin. His widow is now living in that state.

William J. Callow was reared on a farm and educated in Wisconsin, during which period he performed the usual work which falls to the lot of the country boy. He was married in Wisconsin in 1885, and three years later, in the spring of 1888, he moved to Furnas county, Nebraska, where he remained for nine years. In 1897 he moved to Iowa and settled in Melville township, this county. The next year he moved to Viola township and in 1902 he purchased his present farm, moving to the same in the spring of 1903. Mr. Callow has improved the place with splendid buildings, excellent drains and good fences and now has a fertile and highly productive farm.

In December, 1885, William J, Callow was married to Susanna Matthews, a native of Norway, and to this union were born six children, namely: Stansmore James, who lives at home; Myrtle Anna, the wife of Wilbur Daniel Sampson, of Viola township; Lillie Maude, Beulah May and Harold Gordon, all of whom are at home and one who died in infancy, unnamed.

Mr. Callow for many years has been an ardent opponent of the saloons and is politically identified with the Prohibition party. He is bitterly opposed to the liquor traffic in any form and has given his best energy to the cause of state-wide and nation-wide prohibition. Mr. and Mrs. Callow are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the faith of which their children have been reared, and are liberal contributors to the support of this denomination. This is an excellent family and is held in high regard throughout that whole section of the county.

Chris Christensen

Among the well-known citizens of this county, Chris Christensen, a retired farmer, had made a success of his chosen life work, and at the same time has established an enviable reputation for honesty, integrity and cordial feelings with his fellow men. There is, therefore, a measure of satisfaction in presenting even a brief resume of the life and achievements of Mr. Christensen. His success should be interesting and instructive to the present generation of young men who are just starting out in life, and whose careers are yet unformed.

Chris Christensen was born in Denmark on September 5, 1875, the son of Hans Peter and Johanna (Adamson) Christensen. Hans Peter Christensen emigrated with his family to America in 1879, settling near Kimballton, in Sharon township, this county, where he following the life of a farmer the rest of his days. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, six of whom are still living, Mars, Bertel, Andrew, Chris, Margaretta and Katherine. The mother of these children is still living at the age of eighty-two years.

Chris Christensen was educated in the public schools of his native land, and in 1877 came to the United States, arriving in this country two years before his parents came. He settled first in Scott county, Iowa, where the remained seven years, at the end of which time he moved to Taylor county, this state, where he resided for four years, and in 1888 came to Audubon county. Upon arriving here he purchased a farm and has since lived in this county. Mr. Christensen first purchased one hundred and twenty acres, to which he added from time to time until he became the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of splendid land. Recently he sold four hundred acres to his different sons, retaining only about eighty acres. Mr. Christensen also owns a fine home in the city of Audubon, and there he is now living retired, surrounded by all the comforts and conveniences of modern life.

On January 16, 1883, Chris Christensen was married to Dorothy Adamson, who was born in Denmark, daughter of Soren and Kisten Maria (Jersensen) Adamson, and who came to the United States in 1882. To this union seven children have been born, namely: Hans P., a farmer of Sharon township; Soren, John and Andrew, farmers in Sharon township; Allie, who became the wife of Hans Johnson, a farmer of Douglas township; Hannah, who is keeping house for her brother, John, and Elda, living at home.

Mr. Christensen is a Republican, although he has never been especially active in political affairs. He and his family are members of the Danish Lutheran church, and are deeply interested in the welfare of that denomination, and liberal contributors to its support. In all the relations of life Mr. Christensen has shown himself as eminently worthy of the respect and esteem which are accorded him by his neighbors and fellow citizens.

Chris Christensen

Among the many well-known farmers of Sharon township, Audubon county, Iowa, who have made a conspicuous success of agriculture, is Chris Christensen, the owner of two hundred and forty acres of splendid land. Mr. Christensen is one of the old-time residents of Audubon county, although he, himself, is scarcely past the prime of life.

Chris Christensen was born in Denmark, November 21, 1865, and is a son of J. C. and Mary Christensen, both of whom were natives of Denmark, who came to America in 1879. J. C. Christensen was a mason by trade and followed that occupation until he came to America. After arriving in this country he located in section 30, of Sharon township, Audubon county, Iowa, where he purchased about forty-six acres of land for three hundred and sixty-seven dollars and twenty-eight cents. Later, he increased his land holdings to one hundred and forty acres, and improved his farm in many ways. He broke the raw prairie sod originally, which had never been previously plowed, and was engaged in general farming and stock raising until his death, February 22, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Christensen were the parents of the following children, five of whom are now living: Peter, Carrie, Chris, Mrs. J. J. Andersen, Sena, Martin C., and Andrew. J. C. Christensen was a soldier in the War of 1864 before coming to this country. After having lived a useful life and a life which was devoted to the welfare of her husband and family, Mrs. J. C. Christensen, the mother of Chris Christensen, died in 1895.

Chris Christensen, after having completed his education in the schools of his native land, resumed his studies on coming to America, and attended school here for a short time. He worked out by the month until he reached the age of twenty-four years, and then located on an eighty- acre tract of land which he purchased in 1884. He broke the sod and improved his place in various ways, and has enjoyed altogether a good record as a farmer. Mr. Christensen paid ten dollars an acre for the first eighty-acre tract which be bought from the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company, and he has invested ten thousand dollars in improvements on the place, making it now one of the valuable farms of the township. He is accustomed to raising an average of sixty acres of corn and forty acres of small grain each year, and feeds all of the grain raised on the farm to live stock, and is able to produce every year sufficient grain to feed one hundred head of hogs and a carload of cattle for the markets. He always keeps a very high grade of live stock, and has been very successful in this branch of agriculture. Mr. Christensen has three barns on his farm, one, sixty by fifty-six; one, fifty-six by sixty, and the third, fifty-six by forty, and is fully equipped for scientific and successful farming.

Chris Christensen was married in 1893 to Anna Sorensen, the daughter of Peter C. and Johanna Sorensen, and to this union five children have been born, Guy, Gaylor, Leroy, Hazel and Johanna, all of whom are living at home with their parents.

Chris Christensen is an independent voter and has been for many years. In fact, he has never permanently identified himself with any political party, although taking an active interest in all matters of public welfare. Although the Christensen family attend church, they are not actively identified with any church organization.

Having only six dollars in cash when he purchased his first eighty acres of land, Mr. Christensen each year has saved something out of the profits of the farm, and today he is one of the substantial landholders of Sharon township, and while he has applied himself industriously to his vocation, he has never neglected the larger duties of life, and is an honored citizen of the township where he lives.

Christ Christensen

One of the most active and successful farmers of Audubon county, Christ Christensen, one of the prominent citizens of Kimballton, Iowa, is now living retired. Born on August 15, 1847, in Vensyssel, Denmark, he is the son of Christ and Inger (Jensdetter) Christensen, who were both natives of Denmark and followed the occupation of farmers. They lived and died in their native land, rearing a family of four children, three of whom are now deceased. They are Kirstine Marie, deceased; Christina, who lives in Utah; Caroline, who is deceased and Christ, the subject of this sketch.

Christ Christensen, who was educated in the schools of his native land, lived at home until seventeen years old, working out as a farm hand and serving as a soldier in the Danish army from April 25, 1870, to July 30, 1871. Three years later he came to America, locating in McLain county, Illinois, where he remained for three years. Moving to Rock Island county, Illinois, he remained there four years and in 1881 came to Audubon county, Iowa, locating in Sharon township, one mile south and one-half mile east of Kimballton. There has been nothing phenomenal in Mr. Christensen's success, but it has been attained by steady and consistent efforts. He first purchased forty acres of land at seven dollars an acre and later forty acres more at fifteen dollars an acre. From time to time he added land until he now has one hundred and sixty acres of well-improved land, with many improvements which Mr. Christensen himself has made. During his active career as a farmer he made a specialty of stock raising and was very successful.

In March, 1878, Christ Christensen was married to Ansine Christensen, of Denmark, who came to America in 1873. To this union have been born six children: Inger, who lives one mile north of Elk Horn and who married Marinus Larsen; Helena, who is the wife of Andrew Topp, of Sharon township; Peter, who is employed in the First National bank at Audubon, Iowa; Caroline, who is a teacher and lives with her brother on the farm; Anton and Martinus, who also live on the home farm. Mr. Christensen has been able to give all of his children a splendid education and has every reason to be extremely proud of their accomplishments. They have had the advantage not only of the home schools but also the high school, and the schools of Des Moines and Omaha. In 1911 he built one of the finest modern homes, consisting of eight rooms, to be found in the city of Kimballton and is now living retired in this beautiful home. A director and vice-president of the Landsmen's National Bank of Kimballton, he is also a director and vice-president of the Kimballton & Elk Horn Lumber Company, a director of the Farmers Shipping Union, a member and organized of the Farmers Butchering Company and treasurer of the Kimballton Creamery Company for two years, a concern which he helped to organize.

A stanch Democrat in politics, Mr. Christensen served as township clerk from 1884 to 1892. During the past two years he has been serving on the city council of Kimballton and was also treasurer of the Danish Lutheran church of Kimballton, of which all the members of his family are faithful and loyal adherents. Mr. Christensen takes a wide interest in the affairs of this church. Although he and his wife started in in a small way, they have reared and educated a splendid family of children and have also attained for themselves and their children a substantial competence. Mr. and Mrs. Christensen are well-known and popular socially in Kimballton and vicinity, and they have many warm friends in Audubon county.

H. N. CHRISTENSEN

One of the most extensive farmers of Cameron township, this county, if not the largest landowner in that section of the county, is H. N. Christensen, who, coming to America with little or no means at his disposal, set to work diligently as a farmer, and during a period of less than thirty years, which he has spent in this country, has become one of the most skillful farmers in Audubon county. Trained for the vocation of farming in his native land, he was well equipped to take up this occupation scientifically upon coming to America, and this accounts to some extent for his large success in farming.

H. N. Christensen was born on October 13, 1865, in Denmark, the thriving little kingdom which has given to this country, and especially to Audubon county, so many of her enterprising and successful citizens. Mr. Christensen's parents, Peter and Kate Christensen, were farmers in Denmark and are still living in that country. The father served in the Danish-Prussian war of 1848 and has a splendid military record as a consequence of that service. He and his wife have five children, four of whom are living in this country.

H. N. Christensen received practically all of his education in Denmark and upon leaving school took up farming with his father and was engaged in this vocation until 1887, when he came to America. His education, however, has been supplemented by home study and wide reading, and he is regarded as one of the well-informed men of Cameron township today. Upon coming to America Mr. Christensen located in Cameron township, this county, and worked as a farm hand until 1899. Being frugal and economical in his habits of living, he naturally saved some money during this period of twelve years when he was working on various farms in Cameron township, and presently was able to make a start as a farmer on his own account. From the very beginning of his farming operations Mr. Christensen has prospered, and now owns sixteen hundred acres of land. He raises four hundred acres of corn and two hundred and fifty acres of small grain each year, besides annually feeding from two hundred and fifty to three hundred head of cattle and at least two hundred head of hogs. More than thirty thousand dollars has been invested in improvements on the Cameron township farm of Mr. Christensen. Of the total acreage, at least one hundred and sixty acres is in hay, and Mr. Christensen also keeps a considerable acreage in pasture, which he finds necessary on account of the great number of cattle he raises.

In 1897 H. N. Christensen was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Cameron, nee Grife, daughter of John Grife, a well-known and successful farmer of this section of Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Christensen have no children.

Mr. Christensen is a Republican and takes a keen interest in political matters, but he has never been a candidate for office, his large farming interests having kept him so busily engaged that he has had little time for politics. He is deeply interested in civic movements and worthy public enterprises, however, and his support may always be depended upon when private assistance is needed.

Mr. Christensen is a man of charitable and humane impulses, friendly and cordial in all of the relations of life. He is not only well known in Cameron township, but well liked by all the people of this section of the county. Mr. Christensen deserves great credit for the zeal, energy and determination with which he attacks the problems of farming and for the honorable, upright character of all his dealings with the public. He is a worth citizen of this great county and state.

LARS PETER CHRISTENSEN

Coming to America from Denmark when he was twenty-eight years of age, Lars Peter Christensen, who started his new life in his adopted country as a common laborer, has made such excellent use of his opportunities that now, at a time not much past his middle age, he is able to live a life of comfortable retirement in his fine home in Exira, this county, enjoying the fruitage of his life of active endeavor and the confidence and esteem of his many friends.

Lars Peter Christensen was born in Hjerring, Denmark, January 9, 1855, the son of Christian and Mary (Nelson) Christensen, farming people and natives of the same place, who were the parents of eleven children, all of whom are deceased, save the immediate subject of this sketch. Mr. Christensen attended school in his native village until he was fourteen years of age, at which time he entered an apprenticeship to the brick- making industry, bricks there being made by hand, and for years followed that trade, becoming so expert that he could make four thousand bricks a day. He married in his home village and remained there until he was twenty-eight years of age, at which time he and his family came to this country, arriving on May 20, 1882, at Loreville, Green county, Iowa, where he secured work with the Milwaukee Railroad Company as a laborer, after two years of which service he was promoted to the position of section foreman, which he held for six years, at the end of which time he was given charge of a construction and gravel train, remaining with the company in that capacity for about two years, after which he bought one hundred and twenty acres of land west of Scranton, Iowa, where he lived for five years, at the end of which time he sold that place and bought one hundred and sixty acres five miles south of Beard, Guthrie county, Iowa, which he sold after two years' residence thereon and bought two hundred and twelve acres two miles west of Penora, meanwhile owning several other farms in Guthrie county. In 1905 Mr. Christiansen traded for one hundred and seventy acres of land in section 11 of Hamlin township, this county, and lived there until the spring of 1915, at which time he bought a couple of houses in the city of Exira and retired from the active life of the farm, making his home in one of the houses which he had bought. He also has owned several other farms in Audubon county and is very well circumstanced.

On October 14, 1877, in Denmark, Lars Peter Christensen was united in marriage with Mary Sorensen, who was born in the same village in which he was born, the daughter of Christian and Katrina Sorensen, and to this union ten children were born, five sons and five daughters, of whom all are living save one son and one daughter: Chris married Lena Hansen, of Neola, this state, and has five children; Anna married Fred Christensen and has one child, Ellis; Agnes married Chris Christensen, a native of Schleswig-Holstein, and they have two children, Clarence and Mary; Mary married Walter Micklesen and has two children, Charles and August; Harry is unmarried; Tillie married Walter Lane and has two children, Charles and Peter; Peter and Charles are unmarried. The mother of these children died in Penora, Iowa, June 9, 1901, and Mr. Christensen married, secondly, September 28, 1907, in Exira, Mrs. Katrina Hansen, who was born on August 20, 1850, in Denmark and who died on September 27, 1910.

Mr. Christensen is a Republican, though he is not a politician and has never been included in the office-seeking class. He and his family are members of the Danish Lutheran church and are active supporters of all the good works of the same, being regarded as among the most substantial and earnest members thereof. Mr. Christensen is a good citizen and enjoys the confidence and respect of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

MATT CHRISTENSEN, although of Danish parentage, is one of Uncle Sam's true children and with whom he is well pleased, as there is no vocation in which he is more interested, or stands ready to give his valuable advice and assistance to, than that of agriculture. No man need suffer for the want of proper instruction in conducting his farm along the most approved and up-to-date lines. A11 he has to do is to spend a few moments of his time, and a two-cent postage stamp, and Uncle Sam does the rest. If the necessary information is not at hand, he sees to it that same be secured and forwarded to his child of the soil, with the least possible delay.

Matt Christensen, general farmer and stockman, of Lincoln township, Audubon county, was born on November 29, 1878, in Shelby county, Iowa. He is a son of Christian Christensen and Marie Peterson, his wife. In his early youth, he attended the public schools of Shelby county, quitting school at the age of fourteen years. He farmed with his father until the age of twenty-two, when he rented a farm in Shelby county and cultivated it for two years. Giving this up, he returned to his father's farm, where he has been ever since. He has given his special attention to the raising of cattle and hogs, and his crops, principally corn and small grain, have been fed to the stock on the place. He is a member of the Danish Lutheran church, of Shelby county, and in politics he is a Republican.

The parents of the subject were born in Denmark, and married in Davenport, Iowa. His father lived on a farm of four hundred and forty acres in Shelby county all his life, up to 1914, when he retired and moved to Kimballton, Iowa. They were the parents of nine children, Christ, Nels, Anna, Matt, Johannes, Nels, Madia, Martha and Mary.

In 19OI Matt Christensen was united in marriage with Anna Petersen, daughter of Christ Petersen, of Shelby county, Iowa, by whom he has had four children, Matie, Christena, Laura and Mabel, the three eldest of whom are attending the county school.

NELS CHRISTENSEN

One of the best-known and dearly-beloved citizens of Hamlin township, Audubon county, Iowa, during the last generation, was Nels Christensen, who ably discharged all the duties of honorable and upright citizenship, and who during the years of his struggle for a competence as a farmer of this county, was a power for great good in the community. For many years he was active in the agricultural life of Hamlin township, a prominent member of the Danish Lutheran church, one of the leading geniuses who promoted the organization of the West Hamlin Creamery Company, and a man of wide acquaintance throughout Audubon county. The late Nels Christensen was a man of kindly, charitable impulses, devoted to the welfare of his wife and family and well deserving the reverence which today attaches to his memory.

The late Nels Christensen was born on March 2, 1860, in Sjaelland, Denmark, and in 1882 came to the United States. After landing in New York city, and remaining there for a short time, he came direct to Avoca, Iowa, where he obtained work on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad. After having lived in Avoca about two years, he was sent by the company to Shelby, Iowa, and remained there only a few months and was then sent to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he worked on the section for a time. Later, he was given employment in the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific roundhouse, and remained in this employment until about 1890, when he came to Audubon county, and purchased forty acres of land in Hamlin township. Here he lived, doing the duties of each day as they appeared to him, and saving a liberal amount of his earnings, which enabled him to purchase a hundred and twenty acres of land, comprising a well-improved farm, which was in his possession at the time of his death, December 15, 1909.

At the time Mr. Christensen purchased the land there were but two buildings upon it, a house, fourteen by sixteen feet, and a shed barn. During the first summer he owned the farm he built two additional rooms to the house, and in 1902, he built an addition, sixteen by twenty-eight feet on the north of that. In 1913 the family remodeled the house and now have one of the nicest homes in Hamlin township. They have also built good cribs, granaries, barns and other out-buildings.

On June 12, 1884, the late Nels Christensen was married in Harlan, Iowa, to Marie Rasmussen, who was born in Sjaelland, Denmark, and who is the daughter of Rasmus and Marie (Jensen) Hansen. Mrs. Christensen came to the United States in 1884, and was married shortly after her arrival in this country. She has been the mother of seven children, as follow: Jens P., born on June 13, 1885; Emil C., June 24, 1890, married Stella Jensen; Lawrence C., November 19, 1891; Sophus V., April 25, 1895; Harvey, March 15, 1898; Marius, November 13, 1900, and Alice Marie, December 2, 1905. Jens P. lives at home and directs the operations on the home farm. Harry, Marius and Alice are also at home.

The late Nels Christensen was a Democrat in politics, but never held office; in fact, he was never a candidate for office. He was an active member of the Danish Lutheran church throughout his life, and helped built St. John's church in Oakfield township. He was an active contributor in support of the church, and also in support of the construction of the Exira church. All the members of the Christensen family are identified with the Danish Lutheran church. Mr. Christensen was a member of the Danish Brotherhood, and was prominent in that lodge.

A worthy citizen of this great county, an industrious and skillful farmer, a kind father and loving husband, the late Nels Christensen is remembered, not only by his family, who revere his memory, but by the host of friends he gained during his life in this county. Although he himself has gone, his work goes on, because his influence will not die.

THOMAS CHRISTENSEN

Audubon county is indebted perhaps to the Christensen family as much as to any other, for its wondrous transformation to one of the choicest sections of the Hawkeye state. The members of this family have been leaders in agricultural, industrial and civic affairs since the early days. Each with a fidelity to duty and a persistency of purpose peculiar to the class of men who take a lead in large affairs, they have performed well their duties in all of the relations of life. While they have advanced their own interests, they have not been unmindful of the general welfare of their fellow citizens. Thus, the Christensen family rightly deserves a place in the history of this locality and among the well-known members of this family is Thomas Christensen, a successful farmer of Hamlin township.

Thomas Christensen was born on November 2, 1855, in Jylland, Denmark. He is the son of Chris M. and Anna (Thompson) Christensen, natives of the same locality as their son, Thomas. They were farmers and the parents of four children, of whom Thomas was the eldest.

Thomas Christensen lived at home until he was old enough to work, when he was then hired out by his parents. In 1880 he came to the United States, landing at New York city, coming thence to Cass county, Iowa, but he did not stay long in this county before coming on to Audubon county. Mr. Christensen had no relatives or friends in the United States and was a total stranger. He first worked out for seven years and then rented land for ten or twelve years, and about 1900 he purchased eighty acres of land as a start. He has added to this land until he now owns two hundred and forty acres in the home place, which is located in section 19 of Hamlin township. Mr. Christensen also has eighty acres in section 18 of Hamlin township. The farm is well improved and Mr. Christensen is one of the largest landholders in Hamlin township.

Thomas Christensen was married on February 15, 1888, in Audubon to Sena C. Christiansen, who was born on March 7, 1868, in Schleswig, Germany, and who is the daughter of Nels C. and Bodel C. (Wind) Jensen, who were also born in Schleswig. Her father was a tailor by trade and lived in the town of Arnutland. He died when Mrs. Christensen was a small child and her mother later married again. In the spring of 1880 the family came to the United States, arriving on May 1,1880, at Atlantic, Iowa, where they remained but a short time, subsequently moving to Elkhorn in Shelby county, where they lived until 1883. They then moved to Sharon township, Audubon county, where they lived until about 1905, when they retired and moved to Elkhorn.

To Thomas and Sena Christensen thirteen children have been born, nine of whom are living: Chris M., born on March 26, 1889; Nels S., July 8, 1890; Anna C., November 19, 1891; William H., September 27, 1893; Adolph, August 19, 1897; Agnes S., June 3, 19O1; Henry H., October 23, 1904; Edith E., January 4, 1907; and Myrtle S., November 3, 1909. All of these children live at home. The other four children died in infancy.

Mr. Christensen does general farming and stock raising, and has applied himself diligently to dairying and at the present time milks about twenty cows on the home farm.

Mr. Christensen and family are all members of the Danish Lutheran church. He is a Republican but is not a politician and has never held office. Nevertheless, he has done much to advance the social and civic life of Hamlin township and is known today as one of its most substantial citizens.

Chris H. Christiansen, who came to this county when a youth of nineteen, has enjoyed a successful and honorable career in his adopted country. There are few citizens living in Sharon township more widely known than Mr. Christiansen, and few who have a larger circle of friends.

An enterprising farmer, the owner of two hundred acres of land in Sharon and Douglas townships, Audubon county, Iowa, Chris H. Christiansen was born on December 27, 1861, in Denmark. His parents were Chris and Anna Marie Christiansen, both natives of Denmark, the former of whom was a laborer in his native land all of his life. Mr. and Mrs. Christiansen had five children, three of whom are now living: Mrs. Mary Smith, Albert and Chris H., Jr.

Chris H. Christiansen, Jr., received his education principally in the schools of Denmark, and after completing his education, worked in the neighborhood of his home as a farm hand until he was nineteen years old. In 1880 he came to America and after an uneventful voyage across the Atlantic, he came direct to Audubon county and worked here as a farm hand for a few years. Out of his savings, he was subsequently able to buy eighty acres of land in Sharon township, the place upon which he now lives and for which he paid thirteen dollars an acre. Mr. Christiansen, however, has invested seven thousand dollars in improvements upon the farm. Ordinarily he raises, annually, seventy acres of corn, which in 1914 yielded sixty-five bushels to the acre. When he came to America, he had only about twenty-five dollars in money, and with this small nucleus as a starter, he had been able to acquire a substantial fortune.

In 1889 Chris H. Christiansen was married to Mary Petersen, the daughter of Hans and Anna Marie Petersen. The marriage took place about nine years after Mr. Christiansen had come to America, when he was twenty- eight years old. He and his wife are the parents of three children: Chris, Hans is deceased, and Anna. Chris married Christena Larsen and has one child, Maren Hilda.

For a young man, unacquainted with our language and our customs, who began working in this country for seven dollars a month, breaking sod and doing other hard and laborious work, the career of Chris H. Christiansen is a conspicuous success and a splendid example of what other young men may accomplish. When he first came to this country, his house, which was only fourteen by twenty-two feet, consisted of only two rooms and his barn was fourteen by twenty-four feet. Mr. Christiansen now feeds about seventy head of hogs each year, and the raising of hogs he has found to be very profitable.

Mr. and Mrs. Chris H. Christiansen are member of the Danish Lutheran church, of which Mr. Christiansen is a trustee. Politically, he is a Republican and has served as school director in his locality.

Chris H. Christiansen is wholly worthy of the confidence and esteem of the neighborhood where he lives. Mr. Christiansen enjoys this esteem and today he is honored and respected in the community where he has lived so long and where the people have had an opportunity to know what manner of man he is.

REV. GOTTLEIB BENDER CHRISTIANSEN

The church and the school are the two great forces which make for a broader and better civilization. Their mission is not to compete with the home in the matter of moral training, but rather to supplement its teachings. The man, therefore, who makes his life work the service of humanity through the church, is set apart from his fellowmen by a loftiness of purpose which not only transforms the lives of others, but which likewise puts his own character and conduct upon a higher plane. To the man who loves his work there is no compensation like the consciousness of having done that work well; when his mission is to uplift human life and minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people, the plaudits of the multitude are unnecessary, for he has his reward in the knowledge of priceless service well rendered. But the public is always interested in the life of a man devoted to its service, and for this reason, as well as for the intrinsic worth of the man, no one is more deserving of mention here than he whose name appears at the head of this chapter.

Rev. Gottleib Bender Christiansen, pastor of the Ebenezer Evangelical Danish Lutheran church of Audubon county, is one of the best-known men in the county. Not only as a minister of the gospel is he respected, but as the president of a theological seminary, he has won the esteem and admiration of students and faculty alike.

Gottleib Christiansen was born October 27, 1851, in Middlefast, Denmark, and was the son of Christian and Elsie Cathrina (Dalton) Christiansen, who were pious, hard-working people. They lived all of their lives in the birthplace of the subject of this sketch, the father being a successful farmer. All of their children were brought up according to the tenets of the Lutheran denomination. Gottleib's family circle was broken by the early death of four unnamed children. The others were, in the order of their birth: Hans, now living in Denmark; Nels and Carl, both deceased; Elsie Marie and Rasmus Carl, both residing in their native town.

Having graduated in the schools of his birthplace, the subject of this review studied to become a private teacher, a vocation which he followed for two years. But his ambition led the youth to desire a wider field, so he embarked for America when he was twenty-six years of age, and first matriculated in Augsburg College, Minneapolis, where he studied for four years. After his ordination to the ministry, in 188l, he preached in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for a period of four and a half years, and then for a similar length of time in Albert Lee, Iowa. He was then elected president of Trinity Seminary at Blair, Nebraska, serving in that capacity from 1890 until 1896. From the latter date until 1904, he preached in Omaha, Nebraska, leaving there to accept the call at the church in Audubon which he now serves. In 1896, a signal honor was bestowed upon Rev. Christiansen when the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran church was organized, and elected him to its presidency, an office which he still holds.

On June 23, 1881, Rev. Christiansen was married to Miss Lena Larsen, of Denmark, who was born in the same town, attended the same school and was confirmed at the same time as the man who in after years became her husband.

Mr. and Mrs. Christiansen's children are seven in number. Herman, the eldest, is living in San Francisco, California, and is engaged in the furniture and crockery business. Julia became the wife of Berkhard Eskelsen, of Hampton, Nebraska. Carl is now a real-estate dealer in Elkhorn, Iowa. Christian is a well-known carpenter in Audubon. Johannas follows the painter's trade, and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. Anna married Martin Kjn, of Audubon, and Joseph lives at Brush, Colorado. Realizing the value of an education, Mr. and Mrs. Christiansen gave their children the advantages of the schools in Blair and Omaha, Nebraska, and in Elkhorn, and some of their family graduated from high school.

The success of the modern preacher is in no small degree effected by the character and ability of his wife, for she plays a most important part in the life of the church to which he ministers. No sketch of the life of a minister is therefore complete without reference to the faithfulness and devotion of his wife, not only in the home, but also in the larger church home. Indeed, if she be not tactful and resourceful and unselfish, the work of her husband may be seriously handicapped It is fitting, therefore, that mention be made of the valuable services of Mrs. Christiansen, which, in spite of her large family and their demands upon her time and strength, extended to the wide circle of church members and friends to whom-her husband was called to minister.

On January 12, 1913, "Ridder of Dannebrug," a degree of honor for efficient service as a minister, was presented to Rev. Christiansen by the king of Denmark.

One would expect a man holding the position he has held as a leader in his denomination to be a student of life as well as of books, and Rev Christiansen is both. He has the culture of the scholar, the refinement of the gentleman, and the nobility of the Christian. Having lived a life of altruism, it has now become a habit, and he finds his highest joy in service. The influence of such a man is incalculable, and not the least part of this good is in the countless little nameless acts of kindness which never reach farther than the person whom they help, and yet which give meaning and worth to the public career of the minister. Rev. Christiansen has been a power in the county where he now resides, and both he and his good wife have a host of friends, not only in their church, but in the wider confines of the neighborhood. To be able to diffuse so much good by active service and his own wholesome life, and to deserve and secure the respect and esteem of all who know him is better praise than words can convey, but the real tribute is in the hearts of those whom he has helped, and this tribute must ever be silent, for it can only be felt.

REV. JENS PETER CHRISTIANSEN

The life of the minister of the gospel, with its requirements for personal sacrifice, does not attract the average man. To the lay mind, it is sometimes incomprehensible that a man should voluntarily give up much of his personal freedom in order that he may minister to the spiritual, physical or material welfare of those in need of him. Although the minister's chief concern is for the spiritual uplift of the community which he serves, his duties and his thought are not nowadays limited to this sphere of life. The modern minister must constantly respond to demands of which his predecessors knew nothing. Not only must he be always ready with advice and encouragement for those who seem worsted in life's battle, but he must also render financial assistance to many causes and individuals. Otherwise, he would, no doubt, lose his influence as a preacher. Not a calling, indeed, to appeal to any but the unselfish and altruistic. But here and there we find men and women who have discovered that happiness for them lies along this way, and to such, ministry is not a sacrifice, but a joy. A stranger in Audubon county would not have to remain here long to hear the name of Rev. Jens Peter Christiansen, pastor of the Danish Lutheran Church, in the town of Audubon. Reverend Christiansen is a native of Denmark, having been born there on November 17, 1876, in a town called Ruds-Vedby.

Rev. Jens Peter Christiansen is the son of Nels and Anna Metta (Fredericksen) Christiansen, both natives of Denmark, the father born in Jerslev, the mother in Kallenborg. The father was engaged in farming both in Denmark and in this country, he having come here in 1893, settling in Winthrop, Iowa, where he bought a farm, retiring from active labor some years before his death, which occurred in August, 1912, Upon retiring from the farm, Nels Christiansen moved to Cedar falls, Iowa, where his widow still resides. Both were stanch Christians and energetic workers in the Lutheran church. They were the parents of the following children: Christian Valdemar, a farmer living in Cedar Falls; Johannes Christiansen, a machinist in Philadelphia; Laurits Christiansen, who is also a machinist, but who lives in Kansas City, Missouri; Martin Christiansen, who is employed by the Gas and Electric Light Company at Cedar Falls, and Rev. Peter Christiansen, the subject of this sketch..

Jens Peter Christiansen was graduated from the schools of Denmark, and upon coming to the United States attended Trinity Seminary at Blair, Nebraska, from 1899 until 1906, in which latter year he was graduated. His first charge was in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he remained from 1906 until 1909, coming thence, in the latter year, to this county, in response to a call from the Danish Lutheran congregation at Audubon, and has lived ever since in that city, serving very acceptably as pastor of the Danish Lutheran church.

On June 6, 1906, the year of his graduation, Rev. J. P. Christiansen was married to Nora Jensen, who was born in Kundby, Denmark, the daughter of Jens and Marie (Olsen) Jensen, who came to America in 1873, locating at Cedar Falls, Iowa, where Jens Jensen died on May 4, 1915, his wife having preceded him to the grave many years, her death having occurred on June 30, 1898. Mrs. Christiansen is the sixth child born to her parents, the others being: Jens S., who lives in Kansas; Maria, deceased; Christine, of Cedar Falls; Line J., also of Cedar Falls; Christian J., of Waterloo, Iowa; a daughter, Ida, who is now dead, and Alfred J., of Sioux City, Iowa.

It is only natural that a man of Reverend Christiansen's profession should be well educated. But it does not follow that he, as a minister, should keep abreast with the times, as this is not an invariable rule. It is true, however, in the present case, for one element of Mr. Christiansen's marked success in the ministry is his interest in modern thought and modern activities.

To Rev. J. P. and Nora (Jensen) Christiansen three children have been born: Rudolf Paulus, born on June 29, 1907; Phillip Wilhelm, July 17, 1909, and Noomi Damaris, July 9, 1912.

Since their residence in Audubon, the Reverend and Mrs. Christiansen have become important factors in the life of the town in which they live. Not only as a minister does the former find and fill his place in the community, but as a man he is respected and admired. Nor is this respect and admiration limited to the congregation to which he ministers, for his range of influence extends beyond. As a minister's wife, conscious of the high calling of her husband, Mrs. Christiansen has seconded all of her husband's efforts in building up strong Christian manhood and womanhood in this community, and both would be greatly missed should they leave Audubon.

DANIEL CRANE, a native of Pennsylvania , and a blacksmith and farmer, married Ann Eckman. He lived in Petersburg , Ohio , but moved to Marion county, Iowa , in 1854, and to Audubon county, in 1855. He was a Democrat. He and his wife passed away at Exira, he in 1876 and she in 1901, aged ninety-seven years. To them were born four children: Mary Ann, who married Frank Salter; John, married Mary I. Harris; Catherine, married John A. Hallock; Van Buren, married Mary E. Bush.