Christian Hanson

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69297243/christian-hanson

Christian Hanson was born 28 Jan 1848 on a small farm in Norway, this farm, known as Oretap, is located in the parish of Rodenes in the county of Ostfold, and has been in the family since 1752. His name was originally given as Christian Hanssen Oretap on his small pox vaccination certificate issues on 5 Dec 1849 (copy in family records). Christian was the youngest of the six children born to Hans Olsen Oretap and Marte Jonsdts. Helta.

Christian related that as a youngster he was most impress with the size of Swedish soldiers who were quartered in the area and used to play with them and run between their legs. (At that time Norway had a union with Sweden.) He also told that when he was in his early teens, he noticed a beautiful child who lived on a neighboring farm and resolved that when she grew up he would marry her. Her name was Annette Amundsdatter.

In addition to farming, he learned his trade as a woodworker and cabinet maker. Christian served in the Norwegian army for two years under their universal military training program.

His brother Andreas was the first to immigrate to America approx. 1873. A story credited to Christian relates that Andreas had stabbed a man in a tavern fight. The police were looking for him, and under the impression that he might have killed the man, Andreas fled to America with the help of Johan and Christian.

Andrew’s letters and glowing accounts of the opportunities there induced Christian and his brother Johan also to immigrate. First however, they both worked for a time in Oslo to earn money to pay off the mortgage on the farm and pay for their passage to the U.S. Christian also became engaged to Annette and it was agreed that she would also immigrate to the U.S.

Christian was greatly respected by both the Scandinavian and Irish members of the community. Larry relates that on occasion when the Irish Hart brothers would to on a drunk and harass pedestrians who passed their house, the mounted police would call upon Christian to handle them because since the brothers threatened to shoot anyone approaching the house. Christian would go with the police to the house and after gaining entrance would get them to bed, prepare them meals the next day and get them to promise to remain sober. This would last for about a month before the brothers went on another binge.

At home Christian was a very strict disciplinarian. Emil recalls that Harry was the one who most frequently got into trouble, but that all of the boys were subject to Christian’s wrath. Christian kept a strap belt (behind the door?) and when he meted out punishment he didn’t care which end of the belt he used, and sometimes the boys were struck by the buckle end.

Larry relates the incident regarding Harry’s banishment from the home. The City of Minneapolis had been plagued for years by dirty politics and election irregularities such as the stuffing of ballot boxes. (about 1907) The city installed voting machines to prevent that practice. One election day when Christian came home for lunch from work, he saw stacks of silver dollars on the dining room table. Christian asked Harry about them. Harry said only that he was “helping the election.” Christian said no more before he went back to work. Obviously he did some checking in the afternoon. When he came home that evening there were still some dollars on the table. Annette was near tears when Christian question Harry closely about them. Harry lamely alibied that he was “only giving them to friends.”

Christian said “Since when do you give silver dollars to friends? Harry this is dishonest. You have broken the laws of this country.”

Christian demanded, “Harry, get your clothes. See that door? Go! Never darken these doors again!”

Harry left, and Larry says he never say Harry again until at the time of his mother’s fatal illness, although Larry suspected that Harry might have visited her during the day when he was at school and Christian was at work.

GEDCOM Note

Til Amerika 1873. 11 barn i Amerika. Se Wiwar nr. 1 2013.