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The Christensen, Jespen, and Langfeldt Families |
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I have three main names of immigrants from Denmark to the Kankakee/Iroquois County areas - CHRISTENSEN, LANGFELDT (LONGFIELD) and JEPSEN, with three others that may have been in the area as well - KJAERGAARD, SORENSEN and SCHMIDT. Below is the background information that I have, but would love to compare notes with others that may be researching the Danish ancestors or American descendants of the immigrants.
Aarhus County, Denmark
1. Chris PETERSEN born in the 1830's or 1840's in unknown area of Denmark. He married Anna C. NIELSEN (NIELSON - have seen both) and she was likely born in the same time period. They had at least one son and one daughter that immigrated to the USA, probably more that I don't know of.
2. Jens Peter(Peder) CHRISTENSEN son of Chris PETERSEN and Anna C.
NIELSEN. Born March 19, 1866, in Skjodstrup/Studstrup, Skodstrup
Parish, Aarhus County, Denmark. (The spelling of these locations may
not be correct - looking at an old marriage license) Jens was supposedly
an apprentice miller and in order to get out of military service, took a
job on a trans-atlantic cattle boat to Canada. When the boat was to
return, Jens was not on it. He came into the US through Chicago,
supposedly to be near relatives in the Kankakee, IL, area. He married
Maren LANGFELDT (LONGFIELD in the US) on May 21, 1890, in Kankakee, IL.
They had six children born in Kankakee, except the youngest, born in
Monticello, IN:
Rose Kathrine Christina b.1891 married Ira Leroy WILSON (their son,
Leroy "Bud" WILSON and family still live in Kankakee.
Johan Peter b.1892
Harry Chris b.1894
Katherine Minnie b.1897
John August b.1899
Frederic Peter b.1908 (my maternal grandfather)
Jens was a farm manager in the US, and died June 27, 1932, and buried in
Clifton, Iroquois Co, IL.
3. Unknown Daughter of Chris PETERSEN and Anna C. NIELSEN. Not much is
known about this daughter in Denmark, but she probably immigrated to the
US. It is thought that she married a man named SORENSEN and they had at
least one son named Soren SORENSEN who was probably born in Denmark.
Soren came to the US and stayed with Jens and Maren CHRISTENSEN, but I
think did serve in the Danish military.
Haderslev County, Schlesvig, Denmark
1. Johan Poul LANGFELDT born 1826 in Heide, Denmark. Johan was married to an unknown woman and it isn't clear whether they had any children. He second married Cathrine Margrethe KJAERGAARD March 5, 1863, in Skrydstrup Mark Parish, Haderslev Co, Schlesvig, Denmark. He was a cottager and a tailor and also served in the Danish military. He died April 21, 1869, during a skirmish between Prussia and Denmark, and was buried April 28, 1869, in Nustrup, Haderslev Co.
2. Catherine Margrethe KJAERGAARD in about 1838 in Skrydstrup Mark Parish, Haderslev Co. She died about 1932 in Haderslev Co. After Johan LANGFELDT, her first husband died, she married Peter SCHMIDT. According to the Danish Emmigration Archives, there were several KJAERGAARDs who emmigrated to the US, and listed Clifton, IL, as their destination, in the 1870's - this is assumed to be the reason that the LANGFELDT sisters below chose to come to Kankakee in the 1880's.
3. Maren LANGFELDT born April 5, 1863, Skrydstrup Mark Parish, Haderslev Co, christened May 14, 1863 in the same location. I have the witnesses to the christening if needed. After her father died when she was 6, she was put out to work on local dairy farms because her mother couldn't afford to support her four children. Maren immigrated to the US in 1888, lived in NYC as a maid/nanny for about a year and then moved to Kankakee, IL, to live near her sister and other relatives. Maren died of a stroke July 27, 1947, and was buried July 30, 1947, in Clifton, Iroquois Co, IL.4. Jensine Christiane LANGFELDT born May 10, 1865, Gabol, Nustrup
Parish, Haderslev Co, christened July 23, 1865, Nustrup Parish. She
went by Christiane and immigrated to the US in 1888. She married
Chrisian Larsen JEPSEN January 11, 1889, in Kankakee, IL. They had the
following children in Clifton/Chebanse, IL:
Tena b.1890
Emma b.1896
Frank H. b.1904 (Frank ran a car repair business, and I believe still
has descendants in Iroquois Co.)
5. Marie Nicoline LANGFELDT born November 14, 1866, Gabol, Nustrup Parish, Haderslev Co, christened December 12, 1866, Nustrup Parish. It is believed the Marie did not immigrate to the US, and nothing else is known about her.
6. Hartvig Peter LANGFELDT born May 19, 1868, Gabol, Nustrup Parish, Haderslev Co. Hartvig immigrated to Kankakee, IL, supposedly with an uncle, in 1887. He changed his name to Harry LONGFIELD in the US. He was married and had a son, I think named Harry, in 1894, in Minnesota. His uncle had gone from Illinois to Colorado, and Harry didn't stay in Illinois with his two sisters. He homesteaded in Albion, Carter Co, Montana in the early 1900's. He second married Julia THOMPSON February 25, 1918, in Baker, MT. Julia already had 2 daughters, Donna and Eunice. Harry was a rancher and ran a general store. He died May 24, 1933, in Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
7. Peter SCHMIDT second spouse of Cathrine Margrethe KJAERGAARD. Peter already had one son and he and Cathrine had at least one more. The sons were Sam and Charlie.
8. Sam SCHMIDT was born in Haderlsev County, married a woman named Cathrine, and immigrated to the US. He and his wife Cathrine, lived with his half-sister Maren LANGFELDT CHRISTENSEN in Kankakee, IL, for a time and then lived in Chicago.
9. Charlie SCHMIDT was born in Haderslev County, immigrated to the US and is thought to have been a rancher in Montana like his uncle Harry LANGFELDT/LONGFIELD.
10. Christian JEPSEN born in Denmark, possibly Tonder County, and married to Christine Marie PETERSDATTER, also born in Denmark. Christian was a cottager and had at least 2 sons, Christian Larsen and Jens Kallf.
11. Jens Kallf JEPSEN born December 13, 1865, Brede, Tonder County, Denmark, christened January 4, 1866, Brede, Tonder Co.
12. Christian Larsen JEPSEN born November 5, 1863, Brede, Tonder County, christened November 23, 1863, Brede, Tonder County. Lars immigrated to the US in 1884, according to census records. He married Jensine Christiane LANGFELDT and worked on the railroad.
My request is for ANY information on any of the above named people... specifically I would like to find further records on the people born in Denmark, and to take documentation back further generations. Also any articles, pictures, etc. on these folks or their descendants would be great. Thank you so much for reading... hope to hear from someone soon!
Very gratefully yours,
Laura Kaatz
lkaatz@sprintmail.com
2316 W. Cothrell Street
Olathe, KS 66061 USA
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