Birth: 22 Sep 1898 in Santiago,Sherburne Co,Minnesota
Death: 20 Mar 1970 in Monticello,Wright Co,Minnesota
Burial: 23 Mar 1970 Danish Cemetery,Becker,Sherburne Co,Minnesota,USA

Note: The biography is a work in progress. Please contribute or correct any mistakes. Thanks, Martha-Lisa Mode Flinsch
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Condensed from stories by Wendell Hansen:

Waldemar Hansen was born September 22, 1898, at home in Santiago Township, Sherburne County, Minnesota. The twelfth child of the marriage of Jens Hansen and Maren Sophie Jeppesen. They had immigrated to Minnesota from Denmark in their middle years having already had ten children. Two more were born in the United States. He lived almost all of his live on the farm in Santiago. He married Julia Fern Moon June 13, 1923 Monticello, Wright County, Minnseota. They had four children all boys. He died March 20, 1970 and is buried in Danish Cemetery, Becker, Sherburne County, Minnesota.

Waldemar's mother passed away when he was Five years old. He went to a two room school, District 21, a country school on Jens Hansen farm Santiago Township. He lived almost all of his life on the farm in Santiago. He married Julia Fern Moon June 13, 1923 Monticello, Wright County, Minnseota. He died March 20, 1970 and is buried in Danish Cemetery, Becker, Sherburne County, Minnesota.

Married Julia (Fern) Moon, June 13, 1923. At Monticello, Wright County, Minnesota. Worked in Minneapolis for some time. Farmed Eighty acres at Santiago Township, until his death. Cleared the land of trees to grow corn, oats, hay, and pasture for the cattle. Built a house, barn for the cattle and other building to house chickens and pigs. At anyone time he would have about nine milk cows, five or six sows, three hundred to five hundred laying hens.

Farmed with a Fordsen tractor until the Spring of 1942. The engine through a rod out of the bottom of the engine. Glenn and I were with him at the time it happen. There was two excited little boys. After that he got a 1940 Model B Farmall tractor, to farm with. Along with farming he was the janitor at District 21 school. Used his car (Dodge Brothers car 1926) as a school bus, before WW II.

Lost the farm in the depression of the 1930's. Got a new loan from the Federal Land Bank.

He was easy going, not mean at all. One to help the neighbors and let his own work go till later. He had blue eyes, dark almost black hair, bald, very muscular, strong as an ox. 5 foot 10 inches tall, 190 pounds.

One day when I was about nine years old. I came home from school. Dad had got his foot pined under the frame of the cornbinder. That he was repairing, he had the bull wheel off, and the binder slipped off the jack on to his foot. The jack was wedge under the binder. He called to me to start the tractor by crank, as there was no starter on the tractor. I got it started and into gear, and pulled the cornbinder off his foot. Dad drove the car to Foley to the doctors office. He lost the nail of the big toe. It hurt him a lot after that. It hurt him a lot at the change of the weather. That was his weather toe after that.

The name Waldemar comes from the first kings of Denmark (Valdemar) of 1157 to 1182. Most of the neighbors and relatives called him Waldy. He was a good cook, but most of the time had one of his boys do the cooking. Donald until he went to the Air Force, Wendell very little, Glenn for several years. As Fern his wife was working in the cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) and home only every other week end. As we were growing up, from the time Glenn was in the first grade. Waldy loved his butter, a lot of it on his bread, up to a ¼ inch all over it, side to side, top to bottom, not just the center.

Waldemar love to hunt and fish. Of all the years that he could hunt deer, only one year he did not get a deer. We ate a lot of vension, pheasant, duck, and other wild animals.

Waldemar also raised guinea hens, twenty to thirty they would roost in the trees by the driveway. They put the run on us boys more then once. They did not like us to take their eggs. In later years he had some geese that had the run of the farm. They were bad news also when they were laying eggs. Dad like to tease them. I got run out of the haymow by one of his pet geese. I got two bales of hay, and hay and I went down the shunt at the same time, with a goose hot on my tail. Dad thought that was funny. When I was small dad had some goats, and uncle Albert Lundberg would not park his car in our yard, as the goats would get on top of the car. Cloth top. He was one fine father. One of the best.

CERTIFICATE OF DEATH, Minnesota Department of Health;
Deceased WALDEMAR HANSEN, sex male, date of death March 20, 1970 Age 71, date of birth September 22, 1898, race Caucasian, County of death Wright, Location of death Monticello, Monticello-Big Lake Hospital. Birth place Santiago, Minnesota, USA, Married, spouse Fern Hansen. Ever in armed forces No, occupation Farmer, Agriculture. Residence Minnesota, County Sherburne, Santiago Township. Father Jens (P[sic]) Hansen, Birth Place Denmark,
Address of Decedent Rural Route, Clear Lake, Minn. 55319.
Death caused by Hepatic Failure, 10 days, Due to Melastulic Carcerous of Gallbladder, 2 years... Burial Danish Cemetery, Becker Township, Minnesota. Date of burial March 23, 1970, Monticello Funeral Home.
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Condensed from Verna Harris's story of her mother "Anna" Hansen and the Hansen family:
Ane "Anna" Hansen Christianson Daughter of Jens Hansen
Verna Marian Christianson Harris Grandaughter of Jens Hansen

... She ["Anna" Hansen"] was 16 years old when they came to the new land, so she remembered it well. It must have been a nearly impossible hardship for mother Maren [Maren Sophie Jeppesen Hansen Wife of Jens Hansen] to get ready a family of 11 [nine children, 2 parents] for moving. And she was to leave her homeland and her own family behind. Mama said they lived in a long low house, and Maren's mother, Grandmother Jeppsen lived in a couple rooms at one end. She was blind and all the children loved her. They quarreled with each other about taking a bowl of soup that their mother had made for her. For the chance to go over to sweep her floor or do little chores for her. Mama often got to go because she was older. I have wondered who cared for her after the family left.

If it were a hardship for grandmother Maren. It must have been a most challenging task for grandpa Jens, who had to have a sale, keep and pack the most necessary clothing, tools, and household goods for 12 people, one a small baby. He bought 11 tickets so I assume the baby was carried on. Aunt Fanny [Fanny Emilie Hansen Mode Daughter of Jens Hansen] was the baby. I suppose that they boarded a liner in Copenhagen, and it was large, a 5-deck ship.

Mama talked about the trip over durinq our Cando winters, and I wish now that I had asked more questions. They had a space on the third deck with their trunks and belongings packed around them. Her mother had brought two large kettles along and each day made a large pot of soup or stew. Grandpa could buy supplies at the ship's store, and there was a huge coal range that the passengers could use. I'm sure that they had to carry their own water and dispose of their waste which went overboard in those days. People couldn't keep very clean, and Mama said the smells were almost overwhelming. They were even worse when they went by the 4th deck stairs and bilge area. They were not supposed to go up on deck. But Mama said they did sneak up for a breath of fresh air when they could. Their crossing was not too rough, but most of the passengers got motion sickness anyway. It lasted over two weeks and then they were quarantined at Ellis Inland for three days. That was as bad or worse than the voyage, Mama said.
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Uncle Waldemar was born in this country. He helped Jens on the farm and never left Becker (Santiago Township). He married Aunt Fern and they lived in a little house of their own just across the road so he could walk back and forth. They had four boys; Charles, Donald, Wendell and Glenn. We visited Uncle Waldie and Aunt Fern at different times, and they came to Kenmare for the folks Golden Anniversary. Uncle Waldie had not been well, and we stopped to see him when we came home from Florida in March, 1970. But we were too late. He had just died, and we stayed for the funeral. Uncle Charlie had come down and was there, too. Aunt Fern moved into an apartment in Monticello. She died there in a nursing home two years ago (1988). When they had the cousins reunion in Becker last year (1988), they met in the Becker hall. Helen and Dagmar had arranged it. They spent a long time in the old Danish Cemetery the next day reading names and dates on the stones. I was so sorry that I couldn't join them, but Harry was not able to go. They decided to get together a Hansen History, and we filled out our data sheets last summer.
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