Christian Hansen Biography


	This biography appears on pages 599-600 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				CHRISTIAN HANSEN.

	Norway has given many sturdy and valued citizens to the American 
northwest, and among them is Christian Hansen, a resident of Clay 
county South Dakota, who was born in Norway, June 22, 1843, a son of 
Hans and Kari (Christen) Jacobson. The father was a farmer in Norway, 
and in 1873 emigrated to America, our subject having preceded him to 
this country five years. Hans Jacobson proved up upon a homestead in 
Union county, this state, but in the main lived retired after 
emigrating to this country. He subsequently sold his homestead and died 
six months later, in 1894. He long survived his wife, who passed away 
in 1867. They were the parents of eight children: Jurgen. deceased; 
Arinda, the wife of Ole lveson, of Norway; Anna, the wife of Grabell 
Peterson, of Norway; Christian; Ova, a retired farmer of Centerville, 
South Dakota; Alert, deceased; Cornelius, of South Dakota; and one who 
died in infancy. 

	Christian Hansen was reared upon his father's farm in Norway and 
attended school in that country until he was a youth of fifteen years. 
After that he devoted his entire time to farm work until he was twenty-
five years of age, when he emigrated to America and first located in 
Columbia county, Wisconsin, where he remained nine months. While there 
he was in the employ of a farmer and thus learned much concerning the 
methods of agriculture best adapted to conditions in the northwest. In 
1869 he removed to South Dakota and took up his present farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres. It was at that time wild prairie land, but is 
now in a high state of cultivation. When he came to this state he had 
only money enough to buy an ox, not even enough to purchase a wagon. He 
worked hard and long and as his resources began to increase husbanded 
his capital and is now a well-to-do agriculturist of Clay county. He 
always carried on general farming, believing that method to be the most 
profitable one, and is known as an energetic, capable farmer. He is 
also a carpenter and has worked at that trade to some extent since 
coming to this country. 

	Mr. Hansen was married in 1873 to Miss Elle Ingerbrection, a 
native of Norway. Both of her parents are deceased, her father dying in 
Norway and her mother in South Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Hansen had seven 
children: Herman, who died when two months old; Christina, the wife of 
John Olson, by whom she has five children; Alma, who died when a year 
old; Anna, the second of the name, who also died at the age of one 
year; Herman, the second of the name, who died when a child of ten 
years; Clara, who passed away when seventeen years old; and C. Edward, 
twenty-five years of age, who is in charge of his father's farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres. C. Edward Hansen married Miss Ella Hanson, a 
native of South Dakota and a daughter of H. P. Hanson, a retired farmer 
of Vermillion. A son, Carroll, has been born to this union. 

	Mr. Hansen of this review is a republican and has served on the 
school board and as treasurer of his township for nine years. He is a 
devout member of the Lutheran church and has been trustee of the local 
organization. He is always willing to further in any way possible the 
progress of his community and is highly spoken of by all who know him.