FAMILY OF CHRISTIAN JENSEN
| A root of the family tree went north to Denmark, to
the North sea coast called Jutland, to the south shore of
Ringkobing fjord, near the village of South Bork where in
1851 another son was born to Christian Jensen and Marie
Simonsdatter. He was called Ole; his brothers were
Christian, Simon and Neil. Ane-marie and Lena were the
sisters.
Jensen, son of Jen the Nordic name for John, is one of the oldest and most widely used names in the western world: Johnson, Johnston, Johann, Juan, Jean, Giovanni, and Ivan. All are related to the word "young". Jutland was a sparsely settled coast where people subsisted from the land and the sea. Christian Jensen farmed a few acres and had a few acres and had a fishing boat big enough to take his catch to England, but not big enough for his four sons. As they grew up and finished primary schooling, each joined the crew of a sailing vessel bound for distant ports. The daughters married and made their homes nearby. At the time the Jensen brothers began sailing he high seas, steamboats were used only on rivers and inland waters. In 1838 the "Great Western" was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, but it carried only mail and a few passengers. All cargo space was required for coal and fresh water for the boiler. Twenty years later, 1858 the "Great Eastern", on of the first steamers built of iron, had engines and propellers efficient enough to permit the carrying of cargo. |
 He was probably the youngest son. He followed his brothers to sea, singing on as a cabin boy, unfortunately he left no log of his voyages. He was on a sailing vessel disabled by a hurricane in the Caribbean, and was among the crew rescued by a Morgan Line steamer bound for New Orleans. Ole Jensen's story will be continued in that port. |
| Neil Jensen | He sailed first on a square rigged ship bound for China and after ten years of sailing to distant parts, he settled in Camden, New Jersey across from Philadelphia, and became the captain of an oyster schooner. He bought an interest in the boat, started an oyster business and became prosperous. |
| Christian Jensen | Probably the eldest brother since he was named for the father. He was captain of a fruit boat from Baltimore, and also of a schooner the "Ellen Messenger". He died in 1883. Nothing is known of his family. |
| Simon Jensen | He was probably the second oldest since he was named for his mother's family. He was rescued from the ship "Schiller" which sank in 1870 with 600 passengers aboard. He lived and died in Hamburg Germany, a seaport about 170 miles south of the Jensen village. |
| Ane-Marie Jensen | She married Anders Pedersen and had a family of eleven: Jens Christian, Peder Jensen, Jorgen Neilsen, Ane-Kristine, Kristine, Peder Thuesen, Ane-Marie, Langette, Katrine, Christian, and Andrea. They lived in Esbjerg a seaport about 20 miles south of the Jensen village |
Jens Christian the eldest emigrated to the Philadelphia area where the family has expanded. One of Peder Thuesen's daughters, Agnes, supplied most of the above information on the Jensen family. Two of her brothers settled in California.
Baptismal Certificate of Ole Jensen |
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