Captain Niels Christensen

Timeline of Niels Christenson, 1840-1909

1840 Born on January 31st in Denmark to Frederik and Marie Baker Kristensen.

1862 Niels immigrated to America where he enlisted in the Union Army as a private in the 145th New York Infantry of Volunteers.

1864 Niels mustered out on January 14th and was honorably discharged as 1st sergeant at Tullahoma, Tennessee. Mustered into service on February 23rd as a private of Company B, 102nd New York Infantry Volunteers. Honorably discharged as sergeant on December 29th at Savannah, Georgia.

1865 Mustered into service on January 19th as captain, Company H, 44th United States Colored Infantry. During the year, Niels was stationed in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Huntsville, Alabama; Tuscumbia, Alabama; and Nashville, Tennessee.

1866 Mustered out on April 30th and honorably discharged as captain.

1865-66 Passed examination and received appointment to serve as captain in the 44th U.S. Colored Infantry. Served in Alabama and Tennessee.

1867-1870 Served in peacetime army at Fort Wayne in Detroit, Michigan. Honorably discharged as sergeant major.

1870-76 Passed civil service exam and accepted position as keeper of the National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina. Cared for graves of more than 8,000 black and white Union soldiers.

Ca 1876 Founded hardware store/lumber yard and became a general contractor in Beaufort, South Carolina.

1878 Niels, a Republican, was chosen by Democrat Wade Hampton to serve as Commissioner of Elections for Beaufort County.

1886 Niels elected Acting Intendant at Beaufort, South Carolina.

1895 Diagnosed with Bright's Disease.

1909 Niels died on February 4th. He had been in declining health for several months

Note: Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It is typically denoted by the presence of serum albumin (blood plasma protein) in the urine and is frequently accompanied by edema and hypertension

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Biography

In 1874 Abbie met Niels Christensen. Niels, a citizen of Denmark, came to the United States in 1862 and enlisted in the Union Army as a private in the 145th New York Infantry Volunteers. At the time he and Abbie met, he was working as the superintendent of the Federal cemetery at Beaufort. The couple married on 13 April 1875 in Beaufort's Charles Street Baptist Church. Between 1876 and 1887, Abbie gave birth to six children (and buried an infant son). During these years, she also published numerous folktales.

In the years following the Civil War and after his position at the cemetery ended, Niels assumed an active role within Beaufort's business community. Around 1876 he founded a hardware store in town and began work as a general contractor; over the next ten years, the business grew and expanded. He also established Christensen Realty Company, which specialized in the sale of timber land and large tracts of plantation land. As his sons came of age Christensen welcomed both Niels, Jr., and Frederick when they expressed an interest in joining him. In 1879 Niels was selected to serve as Commissioner of Elections for Beaufort Country, and in 1886 he became the acting Intendant of Beaufort.

• Link:http://library.sc.edu/socar/uscs/1999/christn.html
• Link:http://library.sc.edu/socar/mnscrpts/christensen1.html

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Note: Unable to add links below as sources for Civil War Service:

• Link:https://www.fold3.com/image/316080484/?terms=Neils%20Christensen
• Link:https://www.fold3.com/image/7717945/?terms=Neils%20Christensen

D. Glenn 2015