Miller Rasmus Hansen and his family

Rasmus Hansen was my great great grandfather. He died many years before I was born, but I have found so much information about him, that I feel I have known him.

Rasmus was born on the 3^rd of March 1825 in Vaalse on the island of Falster; he had an older brother Anders born in 1817 and a sister Maren born in 1819. His father was miller Hans Andersen and his mother was Maren Lisbeth Rasmusdatter. The little Rasmus, who later became a miller himself, was hereditary loaded; his grandfather Anders Jensen was a miller in Systofte in the late 1700^th and in Skovby in the beginning of the 1800^th. Rasmus’ father had earlier been a miller in Lundby a few km away from Vaalse. When Rasmus was eight years old, the 29^th of September 1833, the family moves to Øster Ulslev on the island of Falster, where his father gets a new job as a miller.

Systofte Mill

Rasmus’ father dies in 1840 when Rasmus is 15 years old, and his older brother Anders, now 22 years old and working in the mill, takes over as a miller with help from Rasmus. In May 1842 Rasmus leaves the family to get a job in a mill in Idestrup on the island of Falster. Idestrup had two mills, but I do not know which one he is going to work on. Six month later Rasmus returns to the mill in Øster Ulslev, but only for one year. In 1843 the whole family leaves the mill in Øster Ulslev and travels to Sønder Ørslev mill in Idestrup, possibly the same mill where Rasmus was a year ago. Anders is the miller and Rasmus a mill worker. Their mother goes with them, but the sister Maren is probably married and lives elsewhere.

In 1844 Rasmus gets a job as mill worker in Thorup mill. The miller Arnold Storm Boas has just started as a miller, because he married Johanne Jeanette Marthinsen, the widow after the late miller Georg Sørensen. Rasmus stays at Thorup mill for one and a half year. In November 1845 he moves to Frejlev mill, a few km away, to miller C.Rasmussen. In November 1846 Rasmus moves to the town Nysted, but I do not know if he skips the job in Frejlev. Six month later, in May 1847, he gets a job and moves to the mill in Kettinge; the miller is Rasmus Jørgensen.

Rasmus’ mother Maren Lisbeth dies the 20th of April 1848 at the mill in Sønder Ørslev.

In May 1848 Rasmus moves back to Nysted, and again I do not know if he gets a job in Nysted, which had two mills at that time. On the 27^th of October 1848 he marries Ane Larsdatter who is a stepdaughter of the miller Rasmus Jørgensen in Kettinge. They get their first child Hans Jørgen Rasmussen the 5^th of December 1850, and at that time Rasmus works at the mill in Frejlev. They live in Bomstræde no. 7 in a house Rasmus owns from 1849 to 1854.

The 4^th of November 1851 the small family packs all their belongings, and moves to Skelby at the island of Falster, where Rasmus becomes the new manager of the mill in Skelby; on the 15^th of January 1868 he buys the mill. They get a child more; Maren Kirstine Rasmussen is born the 15^th of June 1853.

It looks like a happy family, but in 1855 heavy clouds begin to shadow. Ane drowns in a lake near their home on the 6^th of March. Poor Rasmus is alone with two small children, and at this time, there are two solutions to that problem. Rasmus could get married again, or he could find a foster family for the children. Rasmus chooses both solutions. He brings the children to the mill in Kettinge to their grandmother Sidsel Hansdatter, who is 71 years old, but their mother’s sister Karen Larsdatter, who is a widow also lives in the mill. Rasmus moves on to the mill in Thorup and asks the miller for permission to marry his daughter Martinette Lisette Sørensen, who was a little ten year old girl, when Rasmus worked there ten years ago. They get married the 17^th of October 1856, and Martinette, my great great grandmother, now is millerwife in Skelby.

Skelby Mill.

One year later, on the 19^th of November 1857, my great grandmother Anna Elisabeth Hansen is born. A law or circular from 1828 stated that children should have the family name, in this case Hansen, but it took many years for people all over the country to use the new rules. Before 1828 children got a name made by their father’s name, for example the son of Rasmus got the name Rasmus’ son or Rasmussen, just like Rasmus’ first son was named Hans Jørgen Rasmussen. Now the family uses the new rules, and the rest of their children are named Hansen. Maybe Martinette had forced Rasmus to use the “new” rules, because in her family they have been using the family name Sørensen since before 1828. Her father was Georg Sørensen born in 1802 and her grandfather was Gregers Sørensen. On her mothers side they also used the “new” rules. She was born in 1808 and named Marthinsen after her father Frederik Ditlev Marthinsen.

That was a small side step into the history; let us get back to Rasmus. After Anne Elisabeth, they got four children, Jeanette Vilhelmine Hansen the 29^th of April 1863, Julie Jette Hansen the 6^th of April 1866, Georg Jens Michael the 26^th of July 1869 and finally Marie the 17^th of August 1872. Three months later a huge disaster happened in southern Denmark. For several days a vast storm from west has forced an enormous amount of water into the Baltic Sea, and then the wind direction turned to northeast and all the water tried to get out again. The water level around the southern islands rose to unseen heights, up to 3.5 meter above normal level. 80 people drowned all over Lolland and Falster, 52 of them were from southern Falster and in Skelby 6 drowned. Ten thousands of animals drowned as well. I do not know how the miller family felt those days with a three-month-old baby, but as it is seen on the map, the water stopped just outside their doorstep. A lot of people who had lost their homes were housed in Skelby for several months.

                                              
                                                        Drawing made in 1872.

The children grow up, and on the 29^th of May 1883 Anna Elisabeth marries Niels Peder Christiansen in Nakskov. About three weeks later, the 17^th of June, their son Anton, my grandfather, is born, but the dark clouds above the family have not quite disappeared. Anna Elisabeth dies two weeks after the birth. Little Anton is christened at home the day after his mother was buried.

Rasmus and Martinette take their grandchild as a foster son, and on the 23rd of December 1883 Anton is christened in Skelby church.

The 15^th of October 1886 Rasmus ends his job as a miller; he gets a job as manager of the poor law institution in Gedesby. He does not sell the mill; it looks like his son in law Mathias Simonsen, who is miller and baker, continues in the mill. Mathias married Julie Jette last year, and now they take Anton as a foster child. In the account from the poor law institution it is seen that they buy bread from Mathias.

On the 3^rd of March 1889 Rasmus and Martinettes only son Georg travels to America to start a new life. Six month later, the mill is sold by the authorities, Rasmus must be bankrupt. In the census 1890 Mathias is working at a tile factory in Væggerløse, and on the 15^th of April 1890 he also travels to America to see if he could find an existence for his family, Julie Jette and their two children Peder Sofus Andreas and Anna Martinette Bolette.

Also in April 1890 Janette Vilhelmine travels to America together with her husband Jens Christian Mikkelsen and the two daughters Anna 3 years and Ida 1½ years old.

It must have been a success in America. On the 2^nd of September 1891 Julie Jette leaves Skelby together with her two children, her sister Marie now 19 years old travels with her, and Rasmus packs his suitcase and says goodbye to his wife, his grandson Anton and his job.

After the 66 year old man traveled to America, Martinette is the new manager in the poor law institution. She asks the parish council for permission to have her grandson Anton with her, and it was granted if she would pay 30 crowns per year (the salary she had for one year was 200 crowns). Anton moves in, and he continues in Skelby School, it was not that far away. Martinette continues as manager until the 3^rd of May 1893 when she gets a job as housekeeper for a farmer Hans Pedersen Suder, whose wife died in March. Hans Pedersen Suders farm was close to the most southern point of Falster, and Anton leaves the school in Skelby and starts in Gedser Odde School, close to his new home.

In the census 1901, Hans Pedersen Suder is retired and he and Martinette lives in a house in Gedser at Langgade no. 91. Anton, now 18 years old, has left them; I do not know where he lived.

Anton is back in Gedser in the census 1906, when he works for a merchant in Gedser together with his later wife Laura Johanne Mortensen, and Martinette lives alone in the house in Langgade; Hans Pedersen Suder died in 1901.

Martinette and Laura Johanne with her first born son Svend Marius.

Anton starts a beer depot in Martinettes house, and when he marries Laura Johanne they moves into the house together with Martinette until she dies on the 21^st of March 1912.

What about Rasmus? The only information I have is that Martinette says in the census 1901 that she is a widow and her husband died in 1895.
In Wisconsin Deaths, 1820-1907, I found the record of Rasmus Hansen Kenosha County who died the 10^th of September 1895.

  
                Examples of Rasmus Hansens signature.

Joern Christiansen 30^th of May 2011