The Bridge

Volume 41 Number 1 Article 3

2018

Those Who Stayed Behind: Blacksmith Soren Nielsen's Family History in Denmark

Kai Aage Jensen

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Recommended Citation Jensen, Kai Aage (2018) "Those Who Stayed Behind: Blacksmith Soren Nielsen's Family History in Denmark," The Bridge: Vol. 41 : No. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thebridge/vol41/iss1/3

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Bridge by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Those Who Stayed Behind: Blacksmith Soren Nielsen's Family History in Denmark

by Kai Aage Jensen, translated by Erik S. Hansen

Translator's Foreword Hans Christian Andersen's allegorical tale "The Bell" begins with a mysterious but beautiful sound heard from outside the confines of a city. It draws attention away from the narrow streets. The sound is like a church bell pealing deep in the forest. Some townspeople, especially confirmation-age children on the threshold of adulthood, are drawn to go looking for the source of the enticing sound. So, too, was the sto­ ry of Danish emigration to the Americas. Many were drawn toward the unknown. The stories are varied, and each individual adventure is unique, while many other people remained behind in Denmark to live out their lives. Seeking a new life in a new world makes for good read­ ing, and much has been written about those who go out to seek their fortunes, but the focus of this article is on those who stayed behind. In the form of a long letter to distant relatives in America, Kai Aage Jensen, a retired small businessman living near Silkeborg in central Jutland, recounts the story of how his family was divided by the lure of emigration, and why some on his maternal grandmother's side chose to remain in Denmark. Coincidentally, because of family ties to the Tjele Manor, a medieval estate near Viborg in north cen­ tral Jutland, this account also touches on a well-documented side of Danish history, namely that of the landed gentry who were content with their privileged lives. Tjele Manor was home to a famous, if not infamous, figure from Danish history and literature, Marie Grubbe. Various Danish authors, including the playwright Holberg and the Jutlandic storyteller Steen Steensen Blicher, as well as Hans Chris­ tian Andersen himself in his story "Chicken-Grethe's Family," have recounted her story. The poet J.P. Jacobsen devoted an entire novel to Marie Grubbe, in which he recounts her destiny and desire in dramat­ ic detail. Kai Aage Jensen's narrative focuses on the parallel universe of the underclass who were the workforce for the wealthy on estates

58 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen like Tjele. How this feudal legacy affected the lives of the working poor-and the resulting push factors that led many to seek a new life elsewhere-is the theme of this family history. It's the story not only of those who were drawn to leave- to seek the sound of the exotic bell in the wilderness, so to speak-but also of the life and temperament of those who stayed behind. These are the people who not only provided the hard labor and foundation for generations of the wealthy, but also who contributed to the evolution of modem Denmark. It's the story of interaction between the haves and have-nots, as those two forces altered the structure and dynamic of Danish society over the course of the nineteenth century.

Photo presumably of S0ren Nielsen, assumed to be taken during period of active duty, 1860-64. Other documentation shows he was awarded a medal for service at the battle of Dybb0l in April 1864. Photograph courtesy of Bruce Sorensen .

59 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) Introduction S0ren Nielsen (1836-1913) and Ane Marie Jensdatter (1830-1901) were the parents of Ane Kathrine S0rensen from Vinderup, who be­ came a beloved grandmother to twelve grandchildren, including me. She was great fun to be with when we were young, yet was also so humble that she almost never spoke about herself and those near­ est to her. As a grandchild one didn't ask, of course, and now-sixty years later- no one is left to give a first-hand account of actual events. Fortunately, some written information still can be found that is quite accurate, although without much detail. It gives some indication of what happened in the lives of these people. I don't know if others be­ fore me have done research about my grandmother's parents' life and times from the mid-1800s, but in my case, it was my grandmother's very gentle good nature toward her grandchildren that provided me with so many wonderful childhood memories and now makes me want to find out as much about her as I can, at least as much as exist­ ing sources can provide. Nineteenth-century women, often with a quickly expanding brood of children at their sides, generally stood in the shadows of their husbands. Nevertheless they were, in truth, the heroes of their day. Completely dependent as they were on their husbands' abilities and willingness to provide for the family, many women-with only minimal financial resources-had to feed and clothe their children. There was no public assistance other than the poor house. Ending there was the greatest shame that could befall a family. Such a fate also meant the father lost his voting rights, while women had no voting rights at all. S0ren and Ane Marie's marriage in 1862 was no departure from the generally meager living conditions of the time. The first years were also a challenge for them, but S0ren had both the ability and will to provide for his wife and children. I hope that this little account will give something of a sense of their humble story, however far from complete it is. Not many of us living a hundred and fifty years later would wish "the good old days," such as they were, to come again.

Background To better describe my grandmother's father, who I've decided to make the main character of this story and who had to work very hard 60 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen to provide for himself and his family, I will begin with his mother's parents, who were born late in the 1700s, two generations before our main character. We begin in the spring of 1836. S0ren Petersen and his wife Mette Margrethe sit silently at their kitchen table. Several of the older children live at home but with their future still undecided. The two youngest children, Ane Severine and Christen, aged nine and eleven, are off at school. Many of the salient facts of their lives are not suitable for the ears of small children. Together the two middle-aged parents, aged fifty-four and fifty­ three, have eight children between twenty-five and nine years old. The parents are still in good health and focused on providing for their children. As in all large families, problems are bound to arise, though as long as the children accustom themselves to their rightful place in the family and neither steal nor deceive, the family can avoid the pitfalls and false steps that natural evolution can impart. When S0ren and Mette Margrethe remember the year 1811, both think no doubt of January 25 of that year, the day they had to hurry and marry so that their still unborn child Mette Marie would not be called illegitimate. Though why think back to just that time, when the now middle-aged parents were twenty-nine and twenty-eight years old? No doubt be­ cause S0ren and Margrethe now had to help their own third-oldest child, their daughter Birgitte, who was twenty-two years old, unmar­ ried, and carrying the child of the twenty-four-year-old farmhand Niels Rasmussen from Skals. Niels Rasmussen was a reliable fellow who on November 1, 1833 had moved from Peterstrup to serve under Parish Administrator Vagn Hansen at Formyre in Tjele parish. The two young people had met each other at Tjele, but found themselves in a situation where neither was certain the relationship could lead to marriage. With Birgitte's parents' memory of their own similar start twenty-five years earlier, S0ren and Margrethe are in complete agreement that Brigitte's child must not be born in secret but must be provided a good start to life. Thus, it happens that on a warm, summer day in 1836, Birgitte S0rens­ datter lies in agony while her mother and several neighbor women run to and from the maternity bed. For even if one is young and strong, it is still a painful process to give birth to one's first child.

61 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) Finally, she is delivered of her burden. The helpful women, all of whom have borne their own children, are quick to attend to make sure the baby boy is healthy and that the mother can resume her daily work and duties as a maid at Tjele Estate as soon as possible. The day is Thursday, August 25, 1836, on which the future blacksmith from Tjele is born in Rise, Tjele parish. He is christened S0ren Nielsen for his mother's father but takes his last name from his father. After S0ren's birth, the two young parents, Birgitte S0rensdatter and Niels Rasmus­ sen, discover that in addition to the love they feel for their child, they also have warm feelings for each other. The relationship continues and soon bears fruit again. The parents, who had not married after S0ren's birth, now hasten to correct that omission by celebrating their wedding in Tjele church on December 2, 1837. Four months later, on April 22, 1838, Birgitte brings their first daughter, little Mette Marie, into the world. Over the seventeen years between 1836 and 1853, their union will result in a family of eight children. While S0ren naturally has to take a turn in helping provide for the family, there's no doubt that he is a clever boy. He is easy to be with and can be relied upon. Grades in country schools are not given in those days of the mid 1800s, but the local minister takes notice of S0ren at the time of his confirmation, noting in writing: "excellent knowledge of Christianity" and "very good behavior." S0ren is con­ firmed in Vinge Church the first Sunday after Easter in 1851. Despite the minister's approving words, one should not mistakenly believe that children then were necessarily more disciplined than those living 150 years later. School for many, especially boys, was the place where one could get a little rest and perhaps even an hour's sleep in com­ pensation for being awakened at five in the morning to do the chores. The instruction itself, often by self-taught, incompetent teachers, was almost without value. A frequent rap on the knuckles did little to cor­ rect or compensate for a teacher's own ignorance, and many children, especially those from the poorest homes, often ended up virtually il­ literate, due to neglect and the need to work for a living. While in the normal course of life for Danish peasants at this time, most children S0ren's age have to leave home at the age of nine in order to go out and earn money and provide for themselves, S0ren's parents, Niels and Birgitte, prove to be as compassionate as Birgitte's

62 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen parents had been. They have no interest in making S0ren work his knuckles to the bone for others and for an uncertain future. No, he must have a good artisan's apprenticeship from which he could later provide for his own family. Despite the large family size and the no doubt crowded living quarters this entailed, census documents from 1845 show that S0ren's parents also housed a young cobbler who made wooden shoes, maybe to help with finances, or maybe just to give a young man a roof over his head. Lodging offered with an apprentice­ ship was often minimal, sometimes not even with a bed to oneself. Therefore, after his confirmation, S0ren apprentices as a black­ smith with a strict but competent master in Randers. This apprentice­ ship lasts five years. To be a craftsman in training midway in the 1800s in many ways cannot be compared to how it is a century and a half later. Little attention is paid to S0ren's well-being and basic needs. He works in the smithy up to ten hours a day, six days a week, making all kinds of useful hardware such as hinges, spikes, and hooks, anything that can be of use in the home or farm. One must be clever with the hands and have some imagination. Many horseshoes of all sizes must be fashioned. They are hung up under the rafters, ready to be fired again to fit exactly, because each horse is just as dependent on com­ fortable shoes as we humans are. Everything is time-consuming in a nineteenth-century smithy. One doesn't just go and light the smelting fire when needed. The bel­ lows must be tended and treaded by an apprentice, while the master and his assistant determine exactly when the heated iron is ready to be worked, and the apprentice finally can be relieved of the monoto­ nous task of treading the bellows, maybe only after getting a rap from the master for poor technique. Imagination alone sets a limit on how a master or his assistant might mishandle an innocent apprentice, whose only defense lies in his own intuition and self-confidence to fend off outright unreasonable treatment, though this almost certainly never proves to be the case for S0ren. Labor union protection from gross abuses had not even been thought of yet, nor is there any protec­ tion against daily overwork. No wages are paid during the apprentice period, only room and board, plus work clothes and laundry washing provided.

63 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) Even though essential industrial conditions in the 1850s were try­ ing-and would remain so decades out in the future-as the machine age approached with faster and more dangerous machinery, the risk of serious work injury in a smithy was very real and accidents were not at all uncommon. These often resulted in back injury from heavy lifting, or other injuries from heavy objects being dropped on the legs and feet. Horseshoeing was also very dangerous, especially when young horses were shoed for the first time and often needed to have their legs bound to protect the blacksmith. Despite these and many other dangers in the daily workplace, there was no insurance for workers or compensation from injury or disability. If one were to be so unlucky as to find oneself in this situation, the only recourse would be to seek other less strenuous employment, or go to the poor house, one of the worst fates that could befall a person, especially someone who has a family. An apprenticeship of five years, as S0ren had with his master in Randers, is a long time and depends on many variable factors. First, no technical school training was available beforehand, so even theo­ retical learning must be gotten on the job, thus extending the train­ ing period until the apprentice has learned all the tricks of the trade. Added to that are the master's expectations-as compensation for his instruction, he expects some payback when the apprentice becomes a journeyman and learns to assist him in earning profit for the business. S0ren seems to have come through his apprenticeship unscathed, and he also lived up to his master's expectations, even throughout the full seven years of working together. That S0ren did his job well and was a valued worker is reflected in the fact that he stays on in the same job as a smith for two years following completion of his training. These training years can be summed up in the short commentary in his jour­ neyman's book: "Good working relationship." S0ren leaves his train­ ing with the self-confidence and certain knowledge that he knows his craft. That S0ren learned his trade well can be seen in his later life. By 1858, S0ren can look ahead to a bright future. He is twenty­ two years old. It's time to try something new and see if seven years of training can now provide a daily income. He is well-placed in re­ lation to those who otherwise must go as day laborers to the estate and who don't have much to show for years of work. With a solid

64 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen apprenticeship training, and then two years of additional work under the master, there are few projects in the smithy that he cannot handle or complete. It can even be a bonus not to have the master breathing down one's neck, though it's still a stretch to think of establishing one's own business. First, he needs a bit more experience, and then to get the obligatory military service out of the way. Skilled craftsmen are al­ ways needed, and many larger farms had their own blacksmith shop for repairing the increasing number of machinery and wagons and accessories for agriculture. Employment possibilities were numerous in S0ren's home region, so why not test the market in familiar waters with an application to the manager of the Tjele Estate? This was a ran­ dom choice, perhaps, but one that would have lasting consequences for S0ren for the rest of his life.

Tjele Estate, a manor farm 14 km northeast of Viborg. The main building dates from 1585 and once belonged to the Grubbe family. From 1737 on, Tjele Manor belonged to the Luttichau family. Although not directly the place of origin for the families who are the subject for this little account, Tjele Manor clearly had importance for S0ren Nielsen's life and his family's struggle to make a daily living.

65 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) Getting Established in Life Late in the year 1858 the young blacksmith journeyman S0ren Nielsen takes a job in the smithy at Tjele Manor. Behind the impos­ ing double doors of the estate he finds a well-kept workshop amply outfitted for all daily repairs required for fourteen teams of horses and accompanying equipment. It was not unusual for disagreements and raised voices to be heard around the shop. The hired farm laborers are impatient when their equipment doesn't function as it should. Each of them pushes to the front of the line and argues that his problem is so minor that the smith can fix it in a minute and therefore should attend to it first. Eventually the manager must determine whom has only come in to delay getting out into the fields for work. In thin, thread­ bare clothing, a dark and rainy day outdoors can get long enough. S0ren prioritizes the shoeing of horses over a defective plow. A living animal, from which a full day's work is expected, has a right to walk without pain, and shoeing is S0ren's specialty. With Christmas 1858 at the door, extra preparations have been made for the many employees who wish to celebrate the holiday in the big room of the main house. Small landholders from surrounding farms also come with their wives and children to enjoy the decorat­ ed Christmas tree, and each child receives a bag of Yuletide goodies, something most families couldn't afford. After the meal of rice pud­ ding and roast pork which all have consumed with ravenous appe­ tites, Master Li.ittichau himself enters the big room with his family to wish everyone a merry Christmas and thank them for their work in the preceding year. When one hears about estate owners and noblemen of the 1800s and before, the talk often is of brutal and unfeeling person­ alities, of which no doubt there were many. But that was not the case with owner and master C.D. Li.ittichau of Tjele. As reported in Aller's Illustrated Encyclopedia [Allers illustrerede konversationsleksikon] from 1895: "Chamberlain and Royal Huntsman Christian Ditlev Li.ittichau of the lineage of Tjele Estate, born April 20, 1832, studied jurispru­ dence, though without completing the degree. Active for many years in political life, and in 1894 was Minister for Finance. He is known for great competence in agricultural circles and was the leader of many agrarian organizations, as well as president of the Agricultural Coun­ cil. With all, a modern and forward-looking man."

66 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen The Christmas holidays are a particularly busy time for the kitch­ en personnel, what with all the food that must be prepared and served for both the head family and the workers on the estate. The staff must find whatever little free time they can muster for themselves in the days between Christmas and New Year's. There is always a need for kitchen help and service staff as the master entertains family and friends at the estate. Blacksmith journeyman S0ren Nielsen of course is also welcome in the big living room, but now he's not far from his own family, who also wish to see him, and he's drawn home during the holidays. A smith has no obligation to feed the animals or clean the barns. At Christmas S0ren has much to tell about his new position where he's enjoying the many and varied projects that demand full knowledge of his craft. Nor is S0ren made of wood when it comes to social life among the workers on the estate. Many nice girls are present, and they don't go by without S0ren's notice, though in the first months of his work there he doesn't have a lot to offer a young woman. That will happen a bit further into the future. When S0ren returns home to his parents at Christmas, they have received a letter for him, the exterior of which reveals no complete surprise, but whose contents will cause a dramatic break in his career trajectory-a disruption far more dramatic and complete than anyone could imagine. S0ren Nielsen has been called up for military duty, which can hardly happen right outside his door. He is to report to the city of Kiel in May of 1859. There has long been much discus­ sion about the meaninglessness of war and how otherwise civilized people seem to end their arguing only by the most sinister and cyni­ cal manner of killing each other and destroying each other's property. But this does not deter the German politician and aggressive lawyer Bismarck. For many years he has fomented unrest with neighboring lands, and he now urges his countrymen to look to the north, where he pronounces the duchy of Schleswig to be German territory and promises his countrymen that the region-all the way up to Kongeaen in southern Jutland -must be returned to German sovereignty. These dark clouds hang over the heads of S0ren's generation and shadow his budding relationship with Ane Marie Jensen, a Tjele Manor kitchen maid, now twenty-nine years old, who has had an impoverished but good upbringing with a pair of hardworking parents out on Yllebjerg

67 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) Heath in Hodsager Parish in West Jutland. When S0ren comes into her life, her father has been dead for five years, while her mother Karen Andersdatter still has eleven years remaining of her life. Ane Marie is the fourth child of six siblings. When she was born in 1830, her father was thirty-six years old and her mother twenty-nine. She grew up in a poor moorland family, like so many others at this time. Only through utmost diligence and hard work were they able to scratch a living from the unforgiving earth and raise the crops necessary to feed the family. There might have been two or three cows to tend, and maybe a single horse, but it was a stretch every winter to feed the cows, which often got only tufts of heather bushes and therefore gave no milk. Most of the attached acreage was moorland covered with heather, and the rest was poor, sandy soil that needed constant cultivation and nourishment, barely possible given the family finances. Some years it can be hard to come by seed to sow the fields, if the last year's harvest has been consumed. But spring sowing must be done. Then it is only by the grace of a trusting neighbor on a larger farm that seed can be borrowed. It's either that or get the miller or grocer to offer temporary credit, which comes as often as not with a written promissory note that will be collected without mercy, even if the crop fails. Both of Ane Marie's parents and all the children still at home must employ every waking moment in the tiring and repetitive tasks of breaking and tilling the intractable moorland soil. All this is done without machines or plows, for there is no money to rent such equip­ ment; all the hard work is done completely by hand, hunched over at the waist, a curved knife or worn spade the only tools. The tilled fields must be enlarged each year in order to accomplish needed im­ provements and make repairs. Even putting a meager household back together after a storm can be a risky endeavor. The roofs of houses are only partially covered by proper thatching straw; the rest is stuffed with heather bushes, which if not pressed together and then com­ pacted have a tendency to leak or be blown away. With snowfall or other precipitation, one must assume water will trickle into the living rooms. Protecting the beds from dripping water above is the most im­ portant thing, as the stone or dirt floors won't be damaged by a little moisture.

68 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen Jens Christian Jensen and Karen Andersdatter, like all other small­ holder families out on the moors, don't have the resources to keep their children home with them. Even though the parents would prefer that arrangement, a small farm like this can't feed a family of two parents and six children. Schooling is not assigned much value. If the children only can be taught reading and arithmetic sufficient for household functions, expectations won't go beyond that. In all likelihood, they'll spend their lives in the service of others or perhaps follow in their par­ ents' footsteps. Knowing the catechism and order of royalty is deemed to be more important, probably because learning both won't challenge a self-taught and incompetent teacher's abilities. Inattention in these two topics leads to many a lash from the willow switch. School attendance is offered to children between seven and ten years of age for four days a week during the summer months and two days a week during the winter. The older children between ten and fourteen cannot be spared for school, for they are an important part of the family work force during the summer. As a youngster, Ane Marie also had obligations at home. She had to babysit the two younger chil­ dren, gather eggs from the henhouse, and tend to the sheep grazing the heath. All hours of daylight were taken up by work, and there was seldom any time for relaxed play. Nor were any actual toys to be found, only the ones created from a special stone or oddly shaped branch that became a playmate in a dream world, as all children have a need for fantasy and imaginative play. Inside the dark classrooms, benches are placed across the width of the room. In front of each row is a square box filled with sand, which each morning is wetted and tamped down. The first assignment in school is to learn the letters of the alphabet, the basis for all further education. In these boxes students first learn the look of those odd­ shaped letters so vital for future learning. The teacher (often also the church sexton) walks back and forth smoking his long meerschaum pipe while simultaneously trying to stop any annoying sounds, es­ pecially from the boys' clogs rustling against the cobblestone floor. Many youngsters are more interested in showing off than in learn­ ing letters of the alphabet, and silence isn't attained until at least one of them has been up in front by the teacher to receive a few smacks from his cane. It's a daily occurrence for a boy to fall into deep sleep

69 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) in class. The teacher lets him snooze on. He's no doubt been on his feet since five o'clock doing repetitive morning chores that older fam­ ily members avoided by sending him out early. He can barely learn what's required of him, if in years ahead he is going to be confirmed. Once the alphabet has been taught, the teacher tells entertaining Bible stories, to the point where one almost felt a part of those exciting and often harsh events. Being able to add and subtract numbers for daily use also is a problem for many, but all are expected to complete the task. Still, it's a lot more fun to pick on a classmate who's a little different than the oth­ ers, perhaps one who is shabbily dressed, dirty, and lice-ridden. Those crazy numbers will never be of any use, and anyway, within a couple of grades, even the self-taught teacher may have some trouble solving the addition problems in the math book. If such an unsolvable puz­ zle should appear, the teacher simply skips over it and moves on to something more reasonable. The children will probably never need to know it anyway! And so, they move on, though never with any recess or free time, for children get plenty of movement out of work at home or walking on foot to and from school, sometimes over distances of several kilometers. Geography is the other subject taught, though in paltry propor­ tion seen by our standards decades later. One at least gets to hear as much about Germany and Scandinavia as the teacher himself knows. Many parents impatiently look forward to the day their children will be done with "that waste of time" spent in the schoolhouse. Better that they can be confirmed, get out of the house, and make a living for themselves by age fourteen. Confirmation marks the definitive end to childhood at home with father and mother. Especially with the girls, it would be unusually rare that any consideration is given to an educa­ tion. One starts as "a little girl" and from there one takes on increasing responsibility, maybe to end up as kitchen help at a larger farm. Ane Marie had such a job until her marriage in 1862. It's still a couple years before S0ren will enter holy matrimony­ and fifteen years before his fifth child, my dear grandmother from Vinderup, will come into the world. The year we describe is 1860. S0ren has answered his induction notice and served in the military for ten months, which he regards as a necessary duty for his father-

70 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen land. Yet even here he has made good use of his training as a black­ smith. The many army horses give him extensive experience in shoe­ ing, along with the repair of gear. He's also learned a lot from the many permanently employed army blacksmiths, who are used to hav­ ing young craftsmen around and training them, not least in shoeing horses. Nevertheless, the use of weapons is still the primary task of S0ren's service. Even though there is no immediate threat or menace, Denmark's large neighbor to the south hasn't forgotten the defeat of the Three Years' War of 1848-51 and awaits the right opportunity for both that outcome and the northern border to be altered. Otto von Bis­ marck, who was born in 1815 and became a member of the National Assembly in 1845, is already prepared to quell any form of unrest in Germany by the use of force in 1848; this makes everyone in Denmark uneasy, both about what to expect from this stoutly nationalistic and conservative son of a nobleman and what he could be capable of if he obtains a top political post and comes to real power. For the time be­ ing, Danes are left with keeping a close eye on him and observing any potential plans and military movements south of the border. S0ren and his regiment are sent home in 1860, though without any assurance that they won't be called up again. After his success­ ful active duty is completed, S0ren Nielsen is welcomed back to the old smithy at Tjele Estate. In fact, they've missed him, and it's a more mature and talented man they get now, not just with regard to his ability to repair equipment, but also in in terms of organizing and accomplishing his daily work. Even though many consider military service wasted time, the training in precision and teamwork, and the cooperation required, could still be put to good use afterward. The autumn of 1860 approaches, and the last of the harvest is loaded into the granaries, which are so full that some of the harvest must be stored under temporary cover outdoors. It has been a good summer. The soil must be turned and prepared for the next season's planting. It's a busy time for S0ren. Luckily, he is employed on a large farm that keeps up with the times, with the addition of latest improve­ ments in single- and double-furrowed iron plows that can cut to the desired depths. That makes field work so much easier, though the plows demand continual adjustment and upkeep. This season of year requires heavy work from the horses, as the teams daily trudge the

71 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) fields pulling the heavy new plows. Horseshoes must be frequently changed, and the result of a good fit is quickly noticed in the way they do their work. Life is not all about work, however. In the long, dark evenings, so­ cial time is enjoyed in the servants' common room, where a fire bright­ ens the room and where books for enjoyment and romance, as well as trade literature, are available. That very year they have a new foreman who attended R0dding Folk School the past winter and knows how reading aloud can contribute to conversation and communal comfort. He begins reading to them from B. S. Ingemann's novels, which ap­ pear to be a good choice and inspire rapt attention from the audience. Later, he promised to tell about Kresten Kold and Grundtvig, the two great advocates of schools that are based on enlightenment principles rather than exams and that enable young people to become independ­ ent thinkers. Many of those in attendance are inspired to attend a folk school themselves. So beneficial has such an evening gathering proven to be that word reaches the family in the manor house, and soon they ask if they might, a few days later, hear the readings discretely, as well. When it's discovered that his lordship and his family genuinely wish to join in, and not just to snoop on the servants, they are proudly invited to the common room for the evening, and all look forward to the meeting. When the well-prepared foreman has bid them welcome to this most unusual meeting, he reads a bit from Ingemann and Hans Christian Andersen. After that he reports on Kold and Grundtvig's attempts to start folk high schools throughout the country, so that more young people can learn the value of enlightenment thinking and gain politi­ cal insights that will better allow them to appreciate social develop­ ments. The estate owner and his wife are pleasantly surprised, and by prior arrangement with the kitchen girl, they invite everyone in attendance to conclude the exciting evening with complimentary cof­ fee and cake and a startling promise that, decidedly, this won't be the last time they attend. The evening ends with the singing of folk school songs, and everyone shares the view that this has been a truly memo­ rable event. Young farmhands and maids of the parish also meet once a month or so round about at different sites to enjoy music and dancing. A

72 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen couple of locals play the violin and gladly share their talents with the young people, since they know all the popular dance melodies. Usu­ ally these lead to many a joyful evening with swinging skirts on the dance floor along with wine and flirtatious waves and winks from the shadowed corners. Unfortunately, due to too much alcohol or heated jealousy, it can't be avoided that a couple of the boys end up in fisti­ cuffs with each other. Those who don't know the limits of proper be­ havior are sent home, both maybe with a black eye or two, and are banned from the next couple of dance evenings. S0ren shows little interest in these dance gatherings. He never really learned to dance, but he has nothing against hearing some good music. Drunkenness, however, he has no time for at all. For one thing, he's seen enough of the effects of liquor on these oafs, and for another he's of the opinion it is completely foolish to fight like that. He knows of many who ended up drinking and gambling away entire households, with catastrophic consequences for their wives and children. Christmas 1860 offers many such an evening gathering on near­ by large farms, to which the manor farmhands and girls, including S0ren, have been invited. Although he'd never taken much notice of the Tjele estate's cooking maid in the past, S0ren now discovers her very being and attitude has caught his eye and interest more than nor­ mal. She may not be beautiful, but then how many are? And what does that count for, anyway? Of one thing he's certain; she's quick and clever. Every day she's responsible for the other kitchen girls and all the meals of a large household. She looks to be maybe a bit older than him. How old can she be, anyway, he wonders? And even so, since she's older, who's to say that she'd be interested in a greenhorn like S0ren? Yet at the earliest opportunity, as soon as the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas arrives, S0ren manages to sneak over and sit beside Ane Marie, and they get to talking about where they both come from. They discover that their childhood backgrounds are almost identical, except that S0ren has gotten the craftsman's training that came his way, and his future as a life partner looks no doubt a lot better than that of an ordinary day laborer. That first evening may seem like a coincidence, but it leads to many interactions and exchanges of opin­ ion, so that over the course of the following year, 1861, S0ren Nielsen

73 The Bridge 41 :1 (Spring 2018) and Ane Marie Jensen come to the same conclusion, that they wish to share the rest of their lives together. Soon it's well known the cooking maid and the blacksmith have an eye for each other. As is not unusual out in the country, it starts with teasing from the younger workers, though the objects of their taunts are mature people who don't wish to hide their intentions but rather openly announce they plan to marry each other. Maybe not this year, when there are so many things that need to fall in place, not the least of which would be to have a bit better savings in hand. Even while engaged, they can keep their positions on the estate, though for Ane Marie it would be difficult if they were married, since they plan to have children. By the next year maybe the time will be right, so that S0ren can become an independent master craftsman, from which hopefully he would be able to support a family in reasonable fashion. A year passes while they both attend to their daily work in the kitchen and smithy, and no one today can know for sure if Ane Marie has been prudish, plain lucky, or if her upbringing was such that the two lovers promised each other that conjugal relations should not begin before the wedding bells have sounded and they are married for good. One fact does seem to be clear, namely that S0ren and Ane Marie undertake their wedding ceremonies with all decency and pro­ priety, since their first child isn't born until a year after the wedding. Perhaps S0ren had heard about the difficulties encountered by his own parents, not to mention his maternal grandparents fifty years ear­ lier. Entering a "chaste" marriage was not automatic in the nineteenth century. As is recorded in the old church log books, there's really noth­ ing new under the sun regarding human sexual desire, which always has been untamed, and any apparent virtue was merely disguised ac­ cidental pure good luck. "Coming into misfortune," as it was called, getting pregnant out of wedlock, was in those days irreparable and led to marriage only if one were lucky. Otherwise, the forbidden fruit had to be paid for with the price of a permanent label as "illegitimate child of ... " or" ... named as the alleged father ... " The latter is often seen in church logs of the 1800s. S0ren is offered the job of becoming the smith on Tjele Estate, where for a long time he has been a faithful worker and in fine fashion has met all his obligations, once the wedding has been performed.

74 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen But S0ren is determined to "get his feet under his own table," so to speak, and it's a happy occurrence that the smith in Foulum, S0ren's home district, has just let it be known that youthful help is needed and that an experienced young smith is welcome to take over the post. In the spring of 1862 S0ren relocates to Foulum, Tjele Parish, as master blacksmith. He's still a bachelor and uses his energy to remodel and restore the deteriorated house that will become the setting of their first years of marriage. S0ren is busy all spring, and even hires a journey­ man help to handle all the work from farmers in the area, even though he is young and used to long work days. The candles are lit in the church at Tjele for the wedding of bach­ elor S0ren Nielsen and maiden Ane Marie Jensen of Hodsage, and "if no one knows of any reason to oppose the marriage," the date is set for Monday, August 2, 1862. The rather unusual choice of a weekday is due to the fact that that day is S0ren's twenty-sixth birthday. Present in the church are S0ren's parents and siblings, as well as Ane Marie's mother, Karen Andersdatter, who now is sixty-one years of age and has been a widow for seven years. Getting to the church requires a long ride of fifty miles over narrow, bumpy, country roads, and it takes a day and a half for Karen to drive there along with some of her adult children and their spouses. They see and experience many strange sights during the long trip, for no one in Ane Marie's family has ever been out into these distant parts of the country, where the language, or at least the pronunciation of it, is different than in West Jutland. So begins the couple's daily life together, which for S0ren maybe is not so unlike what he is used to, but for his wife this soon will change. Now, on one hand, she doesn't have to look after a huge household, but on the other hand she doesn't have the kind of help around her that she is accustomed to. Here in Foulum, there is a gar­ den full of weeds that need pulling and a plot of ground to prepare for next year's seed potatoes. And if it's necessary, it's not out of the ques­ tion that Ane Marie tread the bellows for the smithy on a busy day. She hasn't quite forgotten her old work place, for on a couple of grand occasions she's been asked to return to lend assistance. The money can be put to good use, while the proprietors appreciate again her broad knowledge of their expectations.

75 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) The first week of December 1862, Ane Marie is making herself ready to return to the estate, where she has promised to tend the kitchen for one of the big hunting party feasts. Many fine dishes will be served for this occasion, and she is allowed to take some leftovers home with her after the conclusion of the festivities. Suddenly she feels faint and grabs the doorpost. She's nauseated and runs outside to throw up. She wonders if she's eaten something bad that made her sick but she also understands she's married now, which can cause nausea because of pregnancy. She wants to tell S0ren, but it will have to wait; he doesn't understand much of these feminine symptoms. With thoughts of all the foods she's about to prepare, another wave of nausea gushes up with unpleasant consequences. Must she send her regrets to the estate? That would not be easy at this point, and the least she can do is tell the older women she's not feeling well and that there will have to be some things they must do for her. The feast is made ready according to plan, and no one takes notice that she can't eat any­ thing and must make more than one run outside. As usual, Ane Marie gets to take some tidbits along home for the day after, and she's happy to serve them for S0ren. She can't partake with him, though, and is again forced to make visits outside the house. S0ren now gets worried that she's sick, but when she assures him nothing out of the ordinary is happening, he looks at her with understanding. She can see in his face his pride in her, but it's the kind of thing a man doesn't say out loud. In her mind she begins a countdown-yes, it's quite natural. It's a long way from Foulum to Copenhagen and from Copen­ hagen to the German border. Nonetheless, the discussion among the men begins to include mention that the Prussians are getting restless and perhaps preparing an armed assault on Denmark to regain the area of Schleswig that the power-loving Bismarck convinced the Ger­ mans really belongs to them. Still, the men are hopeful that it's largely empty talk, but those who have seen the newspapers are of the opin­ ion that members of Parliament take these threats seriously and, in the worst case, could lead to war. In that event, many would be called to active duty and many also would lose their lives. The spring of 1863 is not a bright one. One day a recruiting officer arrives at S0ren's door with a notice to return to active duty. He is to report to S0nderborg for military retraining and practice with new weapons.

76 Tho se Who Stayed Behi11d I Kai Aage Jensen When a man is newly married, about to have his first child, and has just opened a new business, this is not the kind of news he wants to hear. But one doesn't reason why. It's an order. Fortunately, it's one meant for three weeks only-but how will it end? Meetings are held in the parish where government representatives, both local and national, give their evaluation of the situation and eventual consequences. This is the cause for many a private consultation at home for S0ren and Ane Marie. If S0ren frequently will be called to mandated active duty, it's vital that his wife know about repairs done for other farmers, and the price for each of these. It's a difficult situation that generates many worried concerns as well as many sleepless nights. Will one's firstborn child perhaps begin life without a father, or one who is a cripple and unable to provide for his family? It can end that badly, and one fears for the worst. Independent craftsmen, especially those out in the country, face great difficulties in these restless times. All are very tight-fisted, hold­ ing on to what they have for as long as possible. Many must settle accounts with the smith by paying in kind, though there is a limit to how many vegetables and how much meat two people can consume, not to mention the bills the smith himself must pay out in cold cash. That goes for the mortgage, the purchase of raw materials, and the upkeep of buildings as well. S0ren can easily become a bit peeved and irritated if he doesn't get payment for a piece of well-crafted work, or if he must haggle over a predetermined price. Problems such as these he hadn't prepared for, but they are only exacerbated by the uncertain times in the summer of 1863. Meanwhile, Ane Marie seems to be doing well and is now round­ ed out, so to speak. She's feeling better, and both parents look forward to the new arrival despite the darkening horizon ahead. As is cus­ tomary in rural areas, local women keep daily contact with the black­ smith's wife. If she should go into labor, it won't directly affect the work of the day, as the smith won't attend the birth. He would only be in the way and perhaps complicate things with his presence. Birthing is something for and about women. No one knows exactly when the day will arrive, but the child will appear when the time is right, and Ane Marie now feels so heavy with child that the moment can't be far away. After nearly a full day of groans and labor, unsettling S0ren

77 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) to the core, finally something happens. Friday, August 21, 1863, four days before the couple's first wedding anniversary, Ane Marie bears a healthy baby boy, who is given the name Niels after his father's father, Niels Rasmussen. The new responsibilities hardly whet S0ren's appetite for a pos­ sible summons to active military duty, but he can only hope that fate will be kind to him. The little boy is healthy and does well, but in quiet moments alone, seeing his son only makes him want to take his whole family and sneak away to avoid a grim fate with most unwelcome consequences. There is naught to do but wait and hope. Unfortunate­ ly, the wait is not a long one. On November 13, 1863 Parliament ap­ proves a "Denmark to the Eider" proclamation that extends Denmark all the way to Holstein's northern border by incorporating the prov­ ince of Slesvig, a move that most Danes view as justifiable. Two days after this legislative act, King Frederik VII dies suddenly, and with him a strong advocate for this policy. The new king, Christian IX, is a more down-to-earth and realistic man who only signs the deal under pressure and without comment, since he knows it will quite certainly lead to war with Prussia, whose armed forces are far larger and better prepared than the Danish army. S0ren once again is called away for maneuvers, with a feeling that things soon can turn deadly serious.

The War of 1864 On Monday, February 1, 1864, Prussian and Austrian troops cross the Eider with fifty-seven thousand men armed with modern, breach­ loading rifles, on the way toward Dannevirke, the ancient Danish de­ fensive earthworks across the Schleswig-Holstein peninsula. The en­ tire Danish army is only forty thousand soldiers strong, carrying old muzzle-loading weapons, under direction of the seventy-two-year­ old general Christian de Meza. Already by February 4, the fortress barricade falls. The army is driven from Dannevirke, whereupon the foreign troops continue their march into Denmark. They stop to re­ group at Dybb0l, where the decisive battle is fought on April 18, 1864. That confrontation costs little Denmark forty-seven hundred dead, wounded, and missing men. Germany then occupies all of Jutland, which it will eventually relinquish only after protests. After Dybb0I, the war continues, the island of Als is overrun, and S0nderborg is set

78 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen aflame. Another three thousand Danish troops lose their lives. Not until July 20, 1864 is a cease-fire declared, but a peace treaty is not signed until October 30 of the same year. Bismarck has kept his prom­ ise to the Germans. Already in 1862, when he became minister of state and foreign affairs, Bismarck had pressed his case in direct opposi­ tion to the majority in the legislature to increase the size of the army, no doubt with an eye toward a final reckoning with Denmark, which now is reduced in size from fifty-eight to thirty-nine thousand square kilometers and in population from 2.5 million to 1.7 million. Already in January 1864, S0ren reports once more for active mili­ tary duty and the showdown fight against a colossal military power­ one that is superior in both size and technology. The war that begins on February 1, with S0ren on the front line, means that each soldier at any moment can lose many faithful friends or his own life. Every day the weariness of combat, both physical and emotional, is ever present, with only little if any sleep to be found. The call sounds again and again to move heavy weaponry, or to signal that the enemy has bro­ ken through the lines. A numb weariness sets in, and there are mo­ ments when the fate of the fallen is an envious outcome. Now they have found their peace, and nothing bad can happen to them again. But at home S0ren's wife is waiting, along with a little five month-old son whom he would like to see grow up. Whatever will become of Ane Marie and little Niels, who are after all his responsibility? This present Ragnarok must somehow be endured, and all measure of dan­ ger met, while never doing anything too foolish in the attempt. With deprivation, drudgery, and common purpose hardly imaginable to us, our forebears laid the foundations for our own prosperity. They earned only little compensation for their efforts. With little understanding from ordinary Danes and facing over­ whelming odds, the commanding general gives in on February 5 and pulls his troops back to the island of Als, in an attempt to minimize his losses. This rattles the populace, who mistakenly believe it is a move of surrender. The retreat is strategically sound but is, unfortunately, only a prelude to the worst bloodbath ever on Danish soil-April 18, 1864. Here S0ren Nielsen is again front and center, but he miracu­ lously survives, presumably with ugly, lifelong, panoramic pictures etched in his memory along with the echoes of death rattles of soldiers

79 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) and horses. This is the last war any Danish leader ever provoked or initiated. Let us hope we have learned from it. By late summer 1864, finally the young couple can begin to hope that, presumably for the foreseeable future, all talk of war has been silenced. Those who were so eager to expand Denmark to the south, and by that provoke a many times larger neighbor that desired pre­ cisely this very reckoning, have also gotten their urges under control. Many thousands of families have been dealt a deep wound to the soul after losing one or many sons in this hopeless war which the Danish government itself had provoked. S0ren can accept his medals earned in honorable defense of his country now that he is sent home.

Life in Peacetime At last S0ren and Ane Marie can look forward to better days ahead. The uncertain times are behind them, at least as far as the threat of war is concerned. Nonetheless, the daily struggles continue and the couple attempts to put aside a little money as an investment in the future. Everything is expensive those years after the war. Feed for the animals must be purchased, along with clothing and food. Both new parents must work every daylight hour of the week to make a go of it. This is done without complaint; such is the lives of everyone at the time, and those who can't work have it much worse. S0ren and Ane Marie are still only twenty-eight and thirty-four years old respectively and have just one child. Both are young and strong and not afraid to do whatever needs to be done to keep hardship away from the door. Sometimes they talk about how wonderful it would be with a small freeholder's farm with some land and a few animals, so they could be self-sufficient at least with regard to their daily food needs. They have only a little money, and it would be irresponsible to take on any debt to get into farming, since they would still be dependent upon S0ren's daily income as a blacksmith for the foreseeable future. If they don't have the time and energy to till and cultivate the soil, a small farm would only be an extra burden for which they don't have the neces­ sary resources. The two of them both come from farming families, where their fathers had to work outside the home to make ends meet. Both S0ren's father and his brother Rasmus, eight years younger, are

80 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen employed by Tjele Estate. Ane Marie's father is recorded in the census as a smallholder and day laborer. As is often the case with hopeful young couples, especially those with children, S0ren and Ane Marie are optimistic about the new year of 1865. Children at this time are in danger of measles and pneumo­ nia, which claims many youngsters each year. There are no safeguards against childhood diseases, and it's important that a small child doesn't catch them. The house S0ren and Ane Marie live in is hardly tight against the wind, and can be difficult to heat in the winter. Little Niels is now half a year old and likes to crawl about, and it can be dif­ ficult to look after him completely when, as a cook, Ane Marie must also prepare meals for a hundred people. Ane Marie prefers kitchen work, which she is good at, to field work and labor in the barns. The little family is dependent on both parents contributing to the house­ hold if there is to be anything left over for the future. In early May, Ane Marie starts feeling a bit under the weather and begins to suspect that the couple's second child is announcing its ar­ rival later in the year. Many women her age already have several chil­ dren, and as a thirty-five-year-old it's none too soon to await number two. At home she was one of six siblings, while on S0ren's side there were eight. The youngest of S0ren's sisters, Karen Marie, is still only twelve years old and doesn't live far away, so occasionally she can stop by to look after her big brother's children. S0ren has plenty to do in the blacksmith's shop. There are many alterations, for what cannot be repaired can be repurposed, and the smith has made it known to area farmers that they can pay on a short line of credit, but not with in-kind goods that can't be converted immediately to cash. Previously, S0ren had gone around to area farms to shoe their horses and make small repairs, but his competence and craftsmanship has expanded the radius of his business and made it hard to reach them all on foot if work tools and horseshoes also must be brought along. Then the smith must borrow or rent a small buggy and horse, which makes him more mobile and saves his strength. On the home front, Ane Marie seems to do well and according to plan, and the family and neighboring women prepare for the fam­ ily expanding as Christmas approaches. S0ren and Ane Marie have spoken to their families about celebrating the holidays together, but

81 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) since there is no sign yet that the youngster is ready to enter the world, that idea has to be abandoned. It would be too difficult if Ane Marie were to give birth away from home, or with many guests sleeping in her own home. No, that won't work. The families on both sides wait expectantly for the new arrival, but over Christmas nothing happens, and the mother remains heavy with child. Finally, on December 30, 1865, Ane Marie gives birth to another healthy baby boy as a New Year's gift to the family. The oldest son, Niels, who now is two years and four months of age, was named after S0ren's father; the newest son is called Jens Christian, after his mother's father, who had died nine years earlier. We've reached the year 1866, and the popular topic of the day is the requirement that Denmark give up the three duchies to the south: Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg. Two hundred thousand Danes become German citizens overnight. Even though Bismarck has made use of Austrian forces to win these provinces, soon thereafter he cyni­ cally engages in oppositional politics against Austria and its allies and they, as well, are provoked to declare war on Germany. Bismarck wins that one, too, and quickly realizes his dream of a greater Germany, whose northern border now stretches up to the new Danish Ribe-to­ Kolding borderline. These last events fortunately haven't had much direct effect on the family from Foulum, but all those summonses to active duty and the homage to authority that had to be accepted those first years together as a new family undoubtedly affected them and left them uneasy. For­ tunately, King Christian IX seems to be a man of peace who will do all he can to keep his country from involvement in other countries' con­ flicts. Now as consolation he can be satisfied that, as a condition of the peace agreement signed between Austria and Prussia in Prague, 1866, Napoleon III had added Paragraph Five, which declares that Den­ mark in the future may have the most northerly regions of Schleswig returned, provided a free and fair plebiscite of the population man­ dates it. Paragraph Five was not realized until 1920 under the reign of Christian X, but people in 1866 at least had grounds for hope. S0ren and Ane Marie, and the generation before them, were not subject to any more war. That would be left to their descendants, who would inherit war and unrest in abundance.

82 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen In the years 1866 and 1867 S0ren and Ane Marie continue to live in Foul um, where S0ren supports the family with his handwork. They are still pulled toward finding a place where they can have both a workshop and agricultural land. The latter is found only in small acre­ ages, however, for it's costly to start from scratch and they haven't been able to save anything worth mentioning. They are only thirty and thirty-six years old, respectively, and have the youth and strength to take on clearing and cultivating barren moorland, which is the most demanding way to start, but that's the land most frequently availa­ ble in central and west Jutland that could be open to people of small means. It wouldn't need to be in the area they are from, where S0ren spent his entire life and Ane Marie most of hers. Early in the summer Ane Marie can tell she is carrying their third child. That means they must put to rest for the moment any thought of moving, since they aren't suffering any need where they are now. Nonetheless, slowly a change is occurring in agricultural technology, and that means more things for a blacksmith to keep up with. New technology means more time needs to be invested. The year 1867 is a quiet one for the blacksmith and his family. The days go by one after the other. Ane Marie is healthy and her belly grows round while those who have time to interest themselves in the world of the upper classes can read in national papers that Their Majesties, King Christian IX and Queen Louise, will celebrate their silver wedding anniversary this year, after having occupied the throne for four years. As with two years earlier, Ane Marie must again celebrate the Christmas holidays in uncertainty, but both parents joyfully await the arrival of the new little one. If they are to have more children, they must take into consideration the mother's age, as the distance in age between the last one and the first two is nearly the same. On Janu­ ary 30, 1868 Ane Marie gives birth to the couple's third child, again a healthy boy. He is baptized, like his two brothers, in Tjele Church, where he is given the name Anton Frederik. The parents now have three children in the nest and know that if they are ever to realize their long-held dream of changing their living conditions, the time has now arrived. Naturally they wish to maintain contact with their families, but the most important thing is to find a place large enough to be compatible with S0ren's blacksmithing busi-

83 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) ness, with land that can also produce crops and provide enough to support some farm animals. Even if they move a few parishes away, that means only one or two visits a year will be possible with the fam­ ily. Transportation possibilities are either by stagecoach or by private buggy, which few newly established farmers own. The average travel speed of these coaches is roughly 7.5 kilometers per hour, and to that must be added time for the horses to rest. Distances over roads is figured in Danish miles, that is, one mile equals 7,532 meters. Travel from one town to the other easily can take up to a full day, as is also the case with traveling to work near home.

Moving West and Starting Over In the summer of 1868 S0ren and Ane Marie make the decision to move west. They find a parcel of uncultivated moorland for sale near the fields of Rydhave, owned by the estate owner G.C. Raben, in Ryde Parish. It's a lovely spot with a view of rolling heather as far as the eye can see, as far as Ryde Bavneh0j, the highest point in all of Ringk0bing County. The word "bavn" means a height of land, from which in the old days warning fires were lighted in times of war. This move means a whole new era for the family. They are completely starting over in all respects. Ground must be broken and tilled, a house must be built; simultaneously S0ren must develop his professional reputation in a new area. First and foremost, the family must live from his craftsman's abilities. But both parents are strong, and they are industrious. When Count Raben took over Rydhave in 1858, he did so with the idea that he would cultivate the moorlands into fields within Ryd­ have's boundaries. He surveyed seven smallholder farmsteads, called Rydhave Houses. The owners would have lifetime rights, with the re­ quirement of giving the manor owner only a few dollars of annual in­ come, though with the added clause that if they chose to work off the farm, it would have to be on the Rydhave Estate. The area encompass­ ing Rydhave was two hundred t,mder [one tende is about 1.4 acres, so in all, close to a three-quarter section of land]. The plantation woods and surrounding area was called H0vedet, and the property still ex­ ists in much more modern form. [The old term J~stehusmandssted, or "copyholder farm," is used in British English, where the tenant owes

84 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen the manor owner a certain amount of work in exchange for ownership and holding a "copy" of the agreement with the landlord.]

The farm house and smithy that S0ren Nielsen built in Ryde. Photo is taken after he sold the farm, c. 1910, with a different family in front, but the house is unchanged. Picture courtesy of Mette Elmholdt, who like the author also is a great-grandchild of Seren Nielsen, and most helpful contributor to this article.

In 1868, S0ren Nielsen of Tjele moved onto one of the fourteen­ tender smallholder farms, with present address of Bauneh0jvej 6, H0jberg, first as tenant farmer and later owner. S0ren and Ane Marie's three sons were born in Foulum, but the three daughters, Freder­ ikke, Ane Kathrine, and Nanna, were all born in this house. The barn lay to the left, in the middle the private house, and to the right the smithy. Two of S0ren's brothers-in-law and one brother lived nearby on a small farm, Sanggaard, also called "the American property," now defunct, because all three men emigrated to America. Later, all three of his sons, once grown, followed their uncles across the Atlantic, as did one of S0ren's daughters, Frederikke, who emigrated in 1893. The book Ryde Parish 1796 - 1996, by Kaj Jensen and Mads B0ge, explains in stark terms the difficult times endured by landless tenants and handworkers. Many emigrated with the idea that nothing could be

85 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) worse than what they already had. As a consequence of these kind of conditions, nearly all of S0ren's nearest family, his parents included, also emigrated. With three boys aged almost five, nearly three, and a half-year old, they now have arrived in a completely foreign place, an uncul­ tivated moorland, which must be tilled before they can harvest any­ thing from it. With only the tools they own, it would be nearly impos­ sible in the foreseeable future to provide enough crops for the fam­ ily. They must follow non-traditional means, and here they are lucky that S0ren's blacksmith training gives them an additional source of income. Soon after their move to the area, the blacksmith makes visits to adjacent farms in the region to offer his services, emphasizing his specialty, horseshoeing. He brings along a small display of shoes in various sizes, as well a portable forge that he can quickly fire up to make any missing horseshoe sizes on the spot. Word spreads that a reliable and conscientious blacksmith shop is now open for business, and in a short time S0ren has his hands full. Here, as in Foulum, money is in short supply for area farmers, but now the blacksmith has a solution for some of his customers. They can keep their money and instead pay in kind using the local term, "P/ov­ bed" (work exchange) [literally, a contribution of plowing work during the time between two meals] on his moorland fields, which must be cultivated as quickly as possible. It's naturally a good thing, as S0ren is busy; the family needs any income he can earn. In addition to other problems, they face the immediate one of having three small children without a decent roof over their heads. In the meantime, they must survive in a fallen-down hovel as shelter from nature, with winter only a few short months away. S0ren barters for some used materials, brick and lath acquired cheaply for the walls. Those must be assem­ bled, whenever free time is found, into a house to protect them from the winter elements. S0ren exchanges work with a bricklayer, while he does repairs and shoes horses in return. After the walls are up, roof rafters follow, then windows and interior work. It's a difficult time for S0ren, who daily must walk long distances with his tools and heavy wares carried on his back to those farms where he has appointments. Suddenly, though, there is a more serious and unforeseen prob­ lem. The thatched roof must be added before interior work can be

86 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen completed, but no matter where he inquires, no roofing material is available for purchase. The reed harvests the past fall and again this one have been paltry, and all roofing reeds cut at this point have long since been promised to others. Fortunately, he finds a newly demol­ ished building, from which he can buy roofing materials for a small price. They only cover half the house, however, and one can't compro­ mise on the thickness of the roof in providing shelter from the Dan­ ish winter. Only one solution is possible; that is to cover the part of the house opposite the bedrooms with heather brush. That's far more time-consuming to do, and far less water-tight than conventional reeds, but for the meantime there is nothing else to do. With superhuman effort both early and late, the two industrious parents manage to put a roof over their heads before winter, but they must finish more than the house. With three small children underfoot, one still nursing, they need to collect fuel for the stove and dig a well. Problems seem to line up in a row, though they don't stop a family for whom hard work and diligence is a matter of course. They have both known a life of little means all their lives, though responsibil­ ity for three children now is an added extra, and they are unable to avoid a bout with cold and fever for little Frederik, called Fre'de. They can only hope one of the older brothers doesn't come down with the measles, the symptoms of which can be fatal. As a parent, one has problems aplenty for a lifetime. Smallholder farmers of the 1800s had only two alternatives, fend for themselves ... or perish. The year 1868 has been favored with good fortune, and there has been no lack of work for the blacksmith; he has not only been well received personally, but his craftsmanship soon gains him a reputa­ tion, as well. It is apparent at the start of the new year (1869) that if he is to make good on all his orders, he must add on to the house at the other end with room for a workshop and forge where he can repair machinery and equipment. Still, that is easier said than done, what with all the other pressing work on the farm, not the least of which is cultivation of the meager, sandy soil. Annual rent for a tenant farmer amounts to only a few rigsdaler [a monetary amount used in Denmark until 1875, when replaced by the krone (crown) at the time one rigsdaler equaled ca. two Danish kroner], but it was in the renter's own interest naturally to be as self-sufficient as possible with daily food supplies.

87 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) Now that there were three more mouths for S0ren and Ane Marie to feed, there's a big difference between the amount of meat, potatoes, and vegetables to be purchased and getting the soil to produce those same amounts of provisions. It would have been helpful if the meager, sandy soil could have been fertilized, but there is not enough money for that, and so the next best arrangement S0ren could secure is to get the farmer, for whom he'd done work in exchange for plowing, to leave a load of cow ma­ nure at the end of the field. That meant some hard work in his free time to get it spread, but that's a necessity if the sandy soil will yield anything at all. Next, the manure must be plowed under, but at least it's possible to rent a team of horses for that. Both parents have been raised on fieldwork and can help each other, looking after the three boys along the way, too. Family finances still have their full attention, but in the end, they are content with the decision to start fresh in their lives. Even though things more or less held together in Foulum, here there is better chance for success, both for the children and the grown­ ups. "New brooms sweep best," the old saying goes, and in this case S0ren is a respected professional whom people immediately trust. Al­ ready after the first couple years, they can look on developments with a joint sense of satisfaction that the farm and the smithy will provide for their needs. In 1870 S0ren and Ane Marie have a visit from S0ren's father, Niels Rasmussen, and his eight-year-younger brother Rasmus. They are not as optimistic as the family in Ryde; they think that day-to-day life is a treadmill of toil and hard labor of working for others, with no positive end in sight for themselves. Neither of them has any education, and therefore they have no prospects other than working as a hired man or herdsman, with a standard of living just above the starvation line. In their minds, there is no future in continuing to work in agriculture in Denmark when, from what one hears, a large tract of land can be ac­ quired in America just by moving out on it and cultivating it. To S0ren and Ane Marie that seems too good to be true, and they believe it is best to think through such an idea very carefully before going in that direction, especially at his parents' ages, sixty and fifty-seven years old, and with their youngest daughter only seventeen. No one in the family speaks a word of English, so S0ren and Ane Marie hope this

88 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen may just be a passing fancy. The two men themselves, though, hope one day it could happen. After all there are already many thousands of Danes in America who could help with language at the start. When father and son make their way back to Foulum two days later, Smen and Ane Marie quickly agree that the chatter about America is just an expression of infatuation with "one side of a medal." It'll be forgot­ ten by the next time they see each other. Meanwhile the visit, seen from the visitors' viewpoint, seems more like an introduction to what possibilities the family can expect from countless hours of discussion and then putting one's future into the hands of fate. That would be a risky venture for S0ren and Ane Marie with their three small children, when they are just on the verge of getting ahead. We move on to the spring of 1871, and the blacksmith's family has lived in H0jbjerg in Ryde nearly three years. They have not stood idly by, but with good planning and hard work they have managed to in­ spire respect for their family. They are still far from financial security, but with the cultivation of all their land and building the new forge and workshop, they can, in all humility, look forward to the future with optimism. They have a cow in the barn, and of equal signifi­ cance, a pair of goats, who provide continual entertainment for the children. Most importantly, neighboring farmers can now drive over to S0ren's workshop for needed repairs or when horses are to be shod. That saves travel time, and necessary tools are always right at hand without having to carry them in a knapsack on his back. While some in the family continue to speculate about a golden future in the promised land of America, that is not foremost on the minds of S0ren and Ane Marie. Not only are they prepared for the future and assured a steady income, due especially to S0ren's train­ ing and expertise, but already in February of 1871 Marie announces that later in the summer she'll give birth to the family's fourth child. By then she'll be a couple months beyond her forty-first year, so she is not exactly a young mother and will have to avoid hard work over the summer. Fortunately, they can expect useful help from Niels, who is now nearly eight years old, and Jens Christian, age five, can also lend a hand. The spacing of the children wasn't planned, as one could hardly do that then, but there is roughly three years between each child. On August 11, 1871, the family's first daughter is born, happily

89 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) also a healthy child. She is baptized in Ryde Church and is given the name Birgitte Frederikke. The newborn little sister is three-and-a-half years younger than her nearest brother Anton Frederik. After the suc­ cessful childbirth, the mother feels strong enough to help with the harvest so that S0ren won't have to do all the work alone. He's dili­ gent and determined, but his wife wants to help, too. Before winter is underway, S0ren also hopes to get the rest of the house roof thatched with new straw, and the local thatcher has promised both materials and assistance over the course of the fall. All that tiresome and somewhat irritating talk of America must soon end, now that S0ren's brother Rasmus, who isn't married yet, is expecting a child with his fiancee Karen Andreasen. How could they contemplate such a long trip and uncertain future with a newborn baby? Certainly S0ren's America-infatuated parents also can see that? He can't interfere with the decision, though, but only hope they will come to their senses. If emigration has so many advantages, and so few problems, S0ren and Ane Marie also allow themselves to dream now and then about blissful possibilities, but with four children at their feet, reality and a healthier view of these dreams soon brings them back to earth. It seems that it's primarily S0ren's parents, mostly his father, who is increasingly dissatisfied with almost everything, but then the parents don't have responsibility for young children, so why not let them go out on their own, then? Still-without younger family members there to support them in the great unknown America, one must admit their age is against them, especially in a country without legal health assistance or help for the elderly. All responsible parents likely would advocate for what is best for their children, but isn't that also the case in this situation? S0ren and Ane Marie, who know how important it is to get an education, want their children, at least the boys, who will be responsible for a family, to learn a craft. So far, they only have one daughter; perhaps she could learn to sew, but there is time enough for that. Anyway, her future may be very different than the one imagined for her by her parents. On April 1, 1871, Niels starts going to school, which he attends four days a week during the summer months for three years. He doesn't regret that at all, since his parents, against common practice of the time, wish to spare him the fate of many young boys sent out to

90 Tho se Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen work twelve-hour days just for meals and a pair of wooden shoes. It's better that he helps out at home, saving his busy father a couple hours of work each evening. The daily routine of the farm has now been firmly established, and the land provides a good harvest of wheat, potatoes, and a few beets for the cows. There are now two cows in the barn, and that means enough milk and butter for the family, as well as food for a couple of pigs, one of which can be butchered at Christmas. Neighbors agree that the family's efforts have borne fruit in the form of a comfortable life, from the combination of workshop and farm. The four children continue to do well, and, other than the occasional cold, they've been spared more serious illnesses that strike many families in these times and that can, on occasion, take away one or more of the children. Diphtheria and tuberculosis, both infectious diseases for which there is no cure, are very much feared. S0ren and Ane Marie have built a decent house, tight without drafts, in itself good protection against the many illnesses threatening the children. Neither of the parents is deeply religious, but they are faithful believers and very thankful for their children's well-being, and they're grateful they've been allowed to keep all of their offspring. The entire family helps with the harvest, each according to age and abil­ ity. S0ren is busy in the smithy, and it's important to keep that income steady, which along with the yield of the soil provides the basis for a stable, daily family life. Supplies for the winter have been set aside for both humans and animals. Newspapers in 1871 announce that Wilhelm I has been pro­ claimed emperor in Germany, but more importantly, that the hated Bismarck has been promoted to German chancellor. Even though he has fulfilled his demands on little Denmark, and doesn't appear to ask for more, he is still a thorn in the side for Danes who are deprived because of him. The new year 1872 starts with a hard frost and some snow, mak­ ing travel difficult, though that is no longer a catastrophe for the blacksmith. He has several repair items awaiting attention in the smithy, and he can also increase the inventory of horseshoes that will be needed for spring fieldwork. The grownups in the family don't get in the way of each other. Daily duties keep them occupied, distances apart from each other are far, and travel is time consuming. Instead,

91 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) in the middle of March, S0ren and Ane Marie receive a letter from S0ren's mother telling them that his brother Rasmus and Karen had a baby boy on March 2. Rasmus's wife Karen, who is seven years older than he is and from Sja,dland, nonetheless has taken to Jutland life. It's not so common one gets a letter like this. People are not so naturally communicative. And what does one have to tell of interest, anyway? Still, on Monday, April 29, Ane Marie receives another letter that stirs the emotions, and when S0ren comes in from work he sees tears on his wife's face. Her sister writes that their mother, Karen Andersdatter, has died in Hodsager on April 26 and will be buried on May 2. Even though Ane Marie has been away from home since her confirmation and is now forty-two, she has been very close to her mother, and it's the last of her parents whom she must bid goodbye. S0ren believes she should take the time to travel to the funeral, but Ane Marie doesn't think she can be gone that long. Little Birgitte Frederikke is still only nine months old. Ane Marie sends a letter to her siblings, in which she lovingly remembers their mother and expresses her sorrow. Since S0ren Nielsen and his family moved to Ryde, other events had occurred in the family that had their full attention, not least among S0ren's siblings. On December 22, 1866, S0ren's younger and still unmarried sister Mette Marie gave birth to a son, christened Jens Christian in Tjele church on June 1, 1867. On November 21, 1868, the same unmarried sister bore another son, christened Anton Lauritz in Tjele Church on December 27, 1868. The father to both these children was a young man, Jens Andersen of Volsgaard, who worked in Vorn­ ing. Both boys took his last name. The father then left to go to Amer­ ica. The Tjele church records also reveal that "unmarried Marianne Nielsen, 24 years of age, servant in Viborg, gave birth June 4, 1873, to a boy Niels Nielsen. Father: Bachelor and working man Christian Vil­ ladsen." There is nothing new under the sun, human behavior being what it is and always has been, but the price paid for nature's ways has, in truth, become decidedly cheaper. One often chastises young people these days for their loose morality, but the fact is human be­ havior mostly always has been driven by desire. Animal instincts lie deep in the genes of all living things-not the least for homo sapi­ ens. There is no doubt that now, generations later, many of the above­ named children would not have been born, but in those times, even

92 Thos e Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen in the worst of circumstances, one had to manage as best one could through family support and frugality. When we look at S0ren's two unmarried sisters, there is no doubt that in addition to being talked about negatively by neighbors, they also had to endure other humiliations, at least having to live on very limited means with their illegitimate children, with no safety net go­ ing to the poorhouse, or being victimized by a forceful farm owner's will. The latter was a very common means of coercion-often result­ ing in even more children. To be a servant girl with no means in the 1800s or earlier was to lie on "a help-yourself table" in complete pow­ erlessness. One only had a choice between submission or the spect­ er of hunger hanging over one's head. It was also the master of the household who wrote comments in the hated "servant's conduct rec­ ommendation book" [skudsmalsbog, a book representing the practice of forcing servants to carry with them a kind of continuous report card that followed them wherever they sought work] which, if not favorable, could mean many doors closed to them in other places.

America Fever Already in February of 1873, when part of the family gathers to celebrate the fifty-ninth birthday of S0ren's mother, the conversation turns again, to the irritation of many, toward possibilities in the prom­ ised land of America. S0ren and Ane Marie had believed- not least for his parents' sake, now nearly in their sixties-that these utopian dreams had long since been repressed by reason and had brought them back to the realities of Denmark. But no, America was the future, and since Rasmus also is taken with the idea, why wait any longer? It couldn't be this year, since Rasmus's little Andreas is only a year old, and they just have found out that his mother is expecting another child later in the year. But the family ought to accept the idea in the meantime that S0ren's parents, Niels Rasmussen and Birgitte, along with their son Rasmus and possibly others in the family, have decided on making radical changes to their future life, and at least if noth­ ing intervenes to change their minds, that their future lies in Amer­ ica. They are well aware this will mean lengthy and strenuous toil, but they themselves will reap the fruits of their labor. S0ren and Ane Marie shake their heads and think that, between the growing family

93 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) of the young and the advanced age of the old, that it would be hazard­ ous to believe in a future "over there." The discussion continues, sometimes raising voices, with argu­ ments for and against. What if the elderly folks get sick in America be­ fore the family has established a comfortable income? Or worse, what if the young parents lose their ability to work and their livelihood and will to continue? Niels Rasmussen explains to S0ren, his oldest son, that all argument against the move is wasted energy, the decision al­ ready has been made, only the date remains to be determined. There's quite a difference in nineteenth-century Denmark for servants and farmhands who have no training, as is the case for father and young­ est son, whereas S0ren has technical skills and a useful trade. That dif­ ference in itself can prompt the question of America versus Denmark, and often it's been difficult for Niels and Rasmus to hide their envy of S0ren. Gradually, in the course of 1873, each of them will sell off their belongings and property. Everything will be converted to ready cash, which will be sorely needed, for it's still uncertain exactly how many family members will be included in the first group. S0ren's parents, who by the time of departure will be sixty-two and sixty years old respectively, seem to be the ones most excited about working a new large tract of land, which would become their own property, and they feel without question they are ready to continue that for many years to come until the family is well established. The discussion about emigration ebbs out, and all talk now is of the timing of departure. Rasmus's wife Karen gives birth to their sec­ ond child on September 26, 1873, and the daughter is christened And­ rea Birgitte Nielsen in Tjele Church. Her birth gives the family a little more time and quiet for planning the last details, for the trip already is reserved, tickets purchased, and the destination determined: Saint Paul, Minnesota.1 Now it's all about the waiting. It's a strange feeling for those being left behind to think that this undertaking is a final parting. The will likely never see S0ren's parents and many of his nearest relatives again in this life. They can only wish each other the best for the future. Their concerns for the well-being of the small children, who are being taken away to a distant conti­ nent without their own consent, are undiminished. The adults have expressed their dissatisfaction with their former lives and can now

94 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen only hope America will fulfill their hopes and dreams. Optimism and faith they have-good fortune they can only hope for. The wait is soon over. It is a determined but very excited family group that boards a large ship bound for America on April 29, 1874. There is no way back, now, but they are in good spirits, and they are have the benefit of the wisdom of the elders, the strength and op­ timism of the young, and young children along to take over when needed. S0ren and Ane Marie have said goodbye once and for all to his parents, his youngest and only brother Rasmus, his two sisters with their husbands, and five small children. Odd to think that in a few years these children may not even speak the Danish language and will have completely different customs and viewpoints than they would have had in Denmark, all in the hope that they will gain greater economic freedom and possibilities ahead. Large tracts of land from which one might work one's way to prosperity are inaccessible for those in Denmark without education or financial means. For centuries life has been lived from hand to mouth, with no surplus whatsoever, or prospects thereof. The grandparents, of course, in the conversations for and against, now and then regard­ ed the decision to emigrate as a heavy yoke, though one which they are willing to bear for the sake of a promising future for the young people. With their departure Niels and Birgitte left behind their oldest son S0ren and his wife and, at that point, four children. Perhaps as a way to lighten the parting, they encourage the blacksmith and his family to follow them later on. Everything that could be turned into money for the travelers to America has been sold so that they may reach their destination. They are counting on the young men immediately being able to take any kind of work available upon arrival to support the whole family, while the women and grandparents will tend whatever soil can be acquired and repair any damage to the buildings. All are willing to do their best to attain what they have come for, a free and favorable life under one roof and their own land. Precisely because they have come to America with this goal in mind, they will provide a stable workforce. They work long, hard hours gladly, because the results are readily visible over there. They are highly regarded, their contributions are noticed,

95 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) and their bank already has promised to lend them support. If only they can be spared expensive visits to the doctor, they should be fine. Before departing they promised, of course, to write immediately upon arrival about the trip. Now two weeks have gone by, and quite honestly, none of them has given Denmark a single thought. There has been so much to attend to, registering with the authorities and the task of finding a place to live, at least so there is a bed for each of them. It's also apparent that the children require extra attention just now; they no doubt notice the parents' uncertainty and irritability, which is contagious. Distances are great between neighbors over there, many miles even-and now they have to get used to saying "miles" in Eng­ lish and to pronounce it correctly. Even so, the nearest neighbors stop by to welcome the new settlers and offer advice, or the use of tools needed to get started. That's the custom there. The new currency bills must be studied carefully to know the real value of what each can buy. Every day offers new challenges, adjustments, new impressions, and not the least a new language with big differences in pronunciation and written forms. But they themselves have chosen to take on these things and can do no other than meet them head on. After the final and emotional round of goodbyes from their nearest relatives, S0ren's family has accepted the fact that what first seemed a distant illusion is now reality that can't be changed. They can only hope to hear at some point how the family is doing out there in the great beyond. They know full well letter writing is not the men's strong suit, but they will have to make themselves get that job done, too. The sailing voyage alone takes six days, followed by a couple more on the train in the new country. There are many hardships be­ fore they can reach their new homes-and only then does the enor­ mous work load begin in preparing and building a new life. Can the father and son agree on what should be done? Both are self-willed and stubborn, and will one now dominate the other? S0ren and Ane Marie know that they can do nothing now and can take no responsibility for them, but at least until hearing word from them they both are tense with anticipation.

96 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen Those Who Stayed Behind The year 1874 inches onward. Little Niels has turned eleven. He likes to spend time in the blacksmith shop and see the adults work­ ing, maybe even wondering if he himself could learn the trade. Some things he can help with, but horseshoeing is too dangerous for chil­ dren, and to use the forge hammer is still beyond his abilities. Ane Marie and the blacksmith both can take satisfaction in the fact that six years of hard work and frugality have made their mark. They can both see and appreciate that the soil is being enriched, three cows are in the barn, and they have just purchased their first horse. Rumor has it that as the years go by they might even be able to buy the land they have occupied as tenants. If possible, they would like to be independent owners. The neighbors notice the blacksmith's family is better off than the other tenants; they have been conscientious and aided by having S0ren's trade. A tradesman can hardly expect to become well-to-do in rural society, but they have made a secure life for themselves, even if some wants are not met, but one must learn life is like that. None of the boys yet knows what profession he will pursue, but the parents remind them of the importance of a good education, so they are aware of that. If they don't do an apprenticeship, they know that they will have to go out to work and provide for themselves after confirmation. Politically it is a time of heightened tensions, during which the strong-willed and powerful estate owner Jacob Brnnnum Scavenius Estrup (1825-1913), supported by the arch-conservative, politically un­ disciplined, and anti-democratic King Christian IX, takes the reins of power for nineteen years ahead in direct opposition to the majority in the parliament. For the next two decades this conflict provokes many confrontations around the country. Estrup's blue coat gendarmes are as hated as if they had come from an occupying army. A few days into November 1874, Ane Marie tells S0ren that by next summer they will have a fifth child. By then she'll be forty-five years old, but they have room in their lives for another child. They can only hope it will be healthy. May 12, 1875 is Ane Marie's forty­ fifth birthday, and despite the advanced stage of her pregnancy she is feeling quite well. Already a month later, on June 20, 1875, she gives birth to their second daughter, who is baptized in the home a couple of days later with the given name Ane Kathrine S0rensen and is pre-

97 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) sented in Ryde Church on November 7. She will become the primary source for this account. The blacksmith now has five children, and given the mother's age, one can assume that the most recent daughter, who Is twelve years younger than her oldest brother, will be their last child. Ane Kathrine will have a long life, at times plagued by hard work, but joined by a good husband who will be able to provide for their family. This she has said herself. Time goes by quickly, when it goes by well. S0ren and Ane Marie's five children are happy, though the boys occasionally fight with each other as boys will do, but when there is serious disagreement their mother is quick to find a job to do for each of them. That tends to dampen the temperaments. We've reached the spring of 1878, when Niels is to be confirmed. He's decided on his future profession; he wants to be a blacksmith. That suits his parents, too, though S0ren in­ sists that he must learn the trade all the way from the bottom up, with all that goes along with the job, even the most trivial apprenticeship tasks. He can begin at home, but soon enough he'll have to complete his training with another master craftsman approved by S0ren. In early spring 1878, a couple of months before Niels's confirma­ tion, Ane Marie announces that, despite her advanced age, the fam­ ily is awaiting a sixth child. S0ren is a bit flustered by the announce­ ment and asks if it really can be true that now, three years after Ane Kathrine's arrival, they will have another baby. Ane Marie is forty­ eight years and three months old, when on Saturday August 17, 1878, the family's third daughter is born, who is baptized Nanna Pauline Christine S0rensen in Ryde Church. Now, an even half dozen has been reached, and in consideration of her late debut as a mother, that ought to be enough, and both parents are happy and satisfied with six healthy and active children. Already as a seventeen-year-old apprentice, Niels speaks regu­ larly of his grandparents and his father's relatives in America. He re­ members well when they left six years before, and thinks how excit­ ing it must be to experience that great big country over there, where everyone is blacksmith and forger of his own happiness. The parents ignore that kind of talk, sometimes with only thinly veiled irritation. They remember all too well all that America chatter, and how in real­ ity words can lead to action. When they are alone, they speak directly

98 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen of how hard it would be to see their own son leave them. It is one thing to have the family of S0ren's generation gone, but if one's ow, son leaves it would really hurt. In the meantime, he needs to get ed' cated and grow up, and he'll soon forget that, or find other things think about. Jens Christian is confirmed in the spring of 1880, but he hasn't y. decided what he will do. Therefore, he must go out and get work fo. the time being and earn his own daily bread, very much in opposi­ tion to his father's wishes. S0ren is afraid he may lose his chance at an apprenticeship and maybe end up permanently as a hired man. That would be a wretched life. In 1882, it's Anton Frederik's turn to be confirmed, and to his father's great dismay, he also has no intention of pursuing a trade. S0ren knows all too well, with the experience of his father and younger brother Rasmus in mind, how bitter and sour it can be always to end up doing the work others don't want to do, but since it's hard to speak negatively of one's nearest family, he simply tells his boys they may have cause to regret those decisions later in life. Niels, in the meantime, has gotten word from his uncle Rasmus in America, who is only nineteen years older than he is, that they work hard over there but are very satisfied. There is a good future there for young skilled handworkers with energy. For the past few years Niels had dreamed of those great opportu­ nities and has often talked about America. His parents keep saying he first needs to dry himself behind the ears, and they claim that it's not big boys but rather grown men who are needed over there. They have trouble avoiding the fear that Niels might decide to emigrate. By mid- 1883 Niels has earned papers declaring him to be a blacksmith crafts­ man. The family is happy for him and for the possibilities he now has for a good life, hopefully with his own family. It is a great shock for them to learn that Niels is planning on leaving them, and worse, his two younger brothers think that sounds like an exciting idea. Niels prepares them for the fact that Christmas 1883 presumably will be his last in Denmark. He has decided on a new life by next summer. Since he only has himself to worry about, plans for departure are manage­ able, his bags are packed. Thus, on June 11, 1884, twenty-one-year-old Niels S0rensen starts a journey that a week later will end in Chicago. For his parents, they say a tear-stained goodbye to a son they will

99 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) likely never see again, but a child must not be stopped from pursuing his life's dreams. One can only hope the best for him and that he'll be the last to succumb to those kinds of whims. In 1885 Birgitte Frederikke is confirmed, after which, like other girls, she has to go out and get service work. There are no possibilities for a girl to get a place in school, certainly nothing near their home. The two boys, Jens Christian, now nearly twenty years old, and An­ ton Frederik, almost eighteen, are servant farmhands, as young men working at day labor are called. The two youngest girls, Ane Kathrine, ten, and Nanna, seven, go to school and for the time being can help their mother at home. S0ren has never quite given up on the idea of getting his two boys an education, but they turn a deaf ear to him when he speaks of it. In secret, they have completely different plans for the future, but they keep their plans completely to themselves. They find it gets harder and harder to have their interests heard by the parents. Niels has sent a number of letters back to the family and related that he has moved a couple times but still has continuous employment. One doesn't get anything given to him in America; nonetheless he is better off than he would be at home and is even saving some money. Of these positive tidings, the parents hardly make mention, not wish­ ing to give either of the two younger boys any ideas about pursuing a future path in America without any education or training. What the parents don't know is that Niels has contacted the two boys directly and given them both encouragement to follow in his footsteps to the promised land and a good future. Despite their youth and limited life experience, they can't refute these appealing words from their big brother and are in quick agreement to emigrate. The brothers also completely agree that together they will tell the family of their decision, which not surprisingly isn't welcome news at home. The parents also are disappointed that Niels has been influenc­ ing his brothers in secret without thinking of the fact that he, unlike them, has a good education. S0ren thinks the boys are too young and inexperienced to take such a huge step, but they ignore that opinion, and the family must accept that within a short time two more of the children will have gone away. Neither of the boys has anyone other than themselves to tend to, and as eighteen- and twenty-one-year-olds they depart May 9, 1887, for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.2

100 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen Things seem somewhat empty now for S0ren and Ane Marie, who are naturally nervous about the fate of their boys off in the strange land. There is always joy and excitement in H0jbjerg when a letter­ admittedly at long intervals-shows up from the boys. It's opened with anticipation and some fear of the worst, but usually no bad news is conveyed. The boys have found work, each in his own place, and where there are other Danes who can help with the language in the beginning. There are heavy hours in which they also worry they'll lose their three girls in the same way. At least the girls are not so old yet that the parents can't influence them. On October 6, 1889 Ane Kathrine is confirmed by Pastor Prce­ torius in Sevel Church in H0jbjerg. After that she, too, like all girls,

S0ren Nielsen's two daughters and offspring, in a family photo from 1923, on the occasion of the "dear grandmother in Vinderup" Kathrine's silver wedding celebration. Kathrine and husband Mikkel seated in the middle. The author's mother, Anna, stands directly in back in the top row next to Nanna (right), with whom S0ren Nielsen lived his last years. Photo courtesy of Bruce Sorensen. must go out to work for someone else, as is the custom across the land. Nanna, the family's youngest, is confirmed in 1892, and now

101 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) the whole flock of children is gone from the home. But to the parents, that home is now greatly reduced, and they can't imagine it will be subject to any further reduction. That is the case, however, when their much admired, oldest daughter, Frederikke, in a trembling voice tells her parents she has decided to go out to Canada. This nearly knocks their legs out from under them, even to the point of questioning if they haven't given their children a decent childhood home, since they all are leaving permanently. Frederikke assures them this is not the case, but that she, like her brothers, must follow her calling. On Sat­ urday, April 29, 1893 S0ren and Ane Marie, must, in great sorrow, bid farewell to their fourth child, who has secured a ticket to Halifax on Canada's East Coast.

Epilogue When we were children, Grandmother always seemed very old, so old that it seemed impossible that she, too, had had parents. We never met those parents, of course; they had departed long before we were born. How, then, is it that we hear about their lives? And how they provided for themselves? Time goes by quickly, but fortunately paper endures. It can reveal a good deal of truth about reality, both the pleasant and less pleasant sides of our ancestors' lives. Often a frank and open cleric or preacher made a comment in a church log book, about suicide, or a dissipate life, or just a nickname. Passages that otherwise would be forgotten forever are made eternal, in the annals of church records, while at the same time justifying the lawful eighty-year privacy protection of those named. If this humble account includes details some feel should have been omitted, I would argue that such details show that our nearest forefathers were ordinary people-for better or for worse-and, like their forebears, did some things they regretted and for which they had to pay a price. Their advice to us who follow after them might be: Live as we should have done, not as we did. Lifted up a little on the wings of fantasy, but with long and thought­ ful consideration of the realities of their time, it has been interesting to look into the everyday life of our forefathers. Also, to enjoy not being tied to the drudgery and inhumanly long, physical workdays, or to go without the safety net of later generations, such as access to hospitals

102 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen and effective medicines. It was under these conditions the people of this account lived, and yet they still were largely happy and content. We should respect them for their strength. * * * On a Friday morning, February 7, 1913, Kathrine stands by her kitchen window in Vinderup and sees two men walk into the farm courtyard. Behind them a horse drawn buggy stands waiting. She be­ gins to cry even before they complete their errand, whose purpose she already knows. They have come to collect a coffin for her father, who died the day before -Thursday, February 6, 1913. Even though he had declined somewhat and was seventy-six­ and-a-half years old, nonetheless it's hard for her and sister Nanna to say goodbye. He had six children, of whom the four oldest emigrated to America and never were seen in Denmark again. Kathrine and her husband Mikkel, a carpenter, would gladly have followed in their footsteps but gave up on the idea for the sake of her parents. The four older siblings all left for America twenty years earlier and cannot be reached by letter before the funeral. The same had been the case when their mother died twelve years earlier. In S0ren and Ane Marie, the six children had a pair of capable and caring parents. S0ren especially had a hard life, one often nerve-wracking and dangerous. Throughout his life, he had to battle those emotions stemming from repeated calls to arms and the terrors of war. A good marriage, interesting work, and inborn strong psyche helped him through experiences that would have broken many others.

S0ren Nielsen's Obituary Ringkj@bing Amts Dagblad, February 1913 Blacksmith S0ren Nielsen, Ryde, veteran of '64, was buried yesterday at Ryde Church graveyard. S0ren Nielsen was born August 25, 1836 in Foulum Parish, Viborg County. Soon after his confirmation he entered a blacksmith apprenticeship in Randers, and when he had served his five-year training, he stayed on as craftsman with his old master for two additional years. At that time-as is still the case in some plac­ es-it was the custom that each estate had its own blacksmith. S0ren Nielsen got the job as blacksmith at Tjele Estate. There he met the girl

103 The Bridge 41:1 (Spring 2018) who would become his wife. Her name was Ane Marie Jensen, who worked in the kitchen. In 1859 S. N. was conscripted as a soldier and served on active duty in Kiel. When he finished his "King's Service," he was married in 1861, and the couple moved to S. N .'s home parish, where he was the blacksmith for seven years. Those were unsettling years, for the Prussians stood as a menace to Denmark, and revolutionary fever smoldered in Holstein and the southern parts of Southern Jutland. S. N. was called to duty many times, and when war broke out in Febru­ ary 1864, he again had to don the "uniform" and join the defenses. He participated in three attacks, but the most severe and bloody day he would see was the sad day, remembered by all Danes, April 18, when Germans stormed Dybb0l's trenches. After S. N. was discharged, he and his wife stayed for some years in Foul um Parish; but in 1868 they moved to H0jbjerg in Ryde, where they rented a moorland property on Rydhave Estate. This heathland might be of interest for anyone of a romantic nature. It harbors the highest point of land in Ringk0bing County, Ryde Baunh0j [Signal Hill], with its fine view into no less than four different bishoprics. For S. N. and his wife there was little time, however, to enjoy the expan­ sive and lovely view. The fields had to be developed, and a roof over their heads was needed. With demanding work and great effort, they built a little house. S. N. had to do most of the work himself. The house roof was covered with heather bush, as a proper roof could not be fin­ ished that year due to reed shortages. In this house, the couple lived for forty years. Hard work was the daily fare, but it was done with willing and able hands. The work did not get done by itself, though, for S. N. also had his work as blacksmith to attend to. He was known in a number of parishes as a gifted farrier, and he often traveled ten miles or more to shoe horses. Peasant farmers often paid in kind with "plow services" [the worktime between two meals] on S. N.'s heath­ land, so much so that this land eventually could support a horse and three cows. In this home six children were born, three boys and three girls The three sons and a daughter live in America. Of the two othe daughters, one lives in Vinderup and one in Ryde. S. N. became ,

104 Those Who Stayed Behind I Kai Aage Jensen widower in 1902. His last years he lived in Ryde parish village with his daughter and son-in-law.

Endnotes 1 The original text lists the destination as "St. Poul, Wisconsin." 2 In the Danish original, this destination is given as "Milwaukee, Michigan, USA."

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