Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Hansen, Joseph P. 1857 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 3, 2006, 10:10 pm Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908) JOSEPH P. HANSEN, Grand Prairie township farmer, has been engaged in farming on his present place during the last twenty-two years. He was born in Bedburg, in the province of Cologne, Germany, Oct. 19, 1857, son of Carl Joseph and Mateline (Schnell) Hansen. The father was a tailor by trade. He was horn Nov. 16, 1816, and died in Fulda, Noble county, Ohio, April 22, 1892. The mother was born in 1821 and died in Pomeroy, Ohio, June 17, 1898. Germany was the home of Mr. Hansen until 1881. At the age of thirteen years, in 1870, he began learning the baker's trade in the city of Cologne and served an apprenticeship of three years. During the next four years he worked' at his trade for several different firms in the same city, and then opened a shop of his own in Bedburg, which he conducted two years. He then entered the German army and served two years (1878-1880), his place of service being in the city of Cologne. On May 16, 1881, Mr. Hansen landed in New York city, determined to make his future home in the new world. His intentions were to go direct to Cleveland, Ohio, but while in the metropolis of the country he was robbed of his money and other valuables. This necessitated a change of program. He secured work on a farm in Connecticut, and after one month's labor had enough money to take him to his destination. Arriving in Cleveland, he worked nine months in a foundry, and then went to Pomeroy, Ohio, where he tended bar in a saloon until 1885. On March 19, 1885, Mr. Hansen first set foot on Nobles county soil, but after remaining a few days departed, and during the summer worked in St. Paul. He came back in the fall and worked with a threshing crew. He then went to Scott county, Minn., where he was married and spent the winter of 1885-86. The date of his marriage was Jan. 26, 1886, at which time he led to the altar Katie Bonselet, a native of Kenosha county, Wis. To them have been born these children: Therese, born Feb. 22, 1889; Elenora, born March 3, 1891; Carl, born Feb. 4, 1893; Emil, born Feb. 28, 1895; Beda, born Jan. 1, 1897; Walter, born Jan. 15, 1899; Richard, born April 9, 1901; Joseph, born Nov. 11, 1903; John, born Jan. 12, 1906. In the spring of 1886 Mr. Hansen and his bride came to Nobles county to make their permanent home and located on their present farm, which had been bought in the summer of 1885, and where they have since resided. Besides managing his farm, Mr. Hansen has other business interests. He owns stock in the Farmers Elevator company of Adrian and in the Westside Telephone company. He is a member of the Catholic church of Adrian and of the D. R. K. U. G. V. M. lodge of St. Paul. For six years he served as treasurer of school district No. 49. Additional Comments: Extracted from: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY MINNESOTA BY ARTHUR P. ROSE NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA PUBLISHERS 1908 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/nobles/bios/hansen274gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 3.5 Kb