Jesse & Anna Emily Dethlefsen Richardsen

RICHARDSEN DETHLEFSEN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/14/2010 at 00:17:35

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Jesse and Anna Emily (Dethlefsen) Richardsen
By Marian (Richardson) Becker

Jesse Christian Richardsen was born September 23, 1841 in Gotteskoog, near Niebull, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. His parents were Christian and Ester Maria (Petersen) Richardsen. Ester Maria was the daughter of Jurgen Petersen of Klausbull in North Germany.

The children of Christian and Ester Maria Richardsen, were Jurgen, Gynke Dorothea, Catharina Maria, Jesse, Lorenz, Juliane, and Juliane Maria. The Richardsens had an Inn and a small farm.

The Richardsen name was spelled differently on different records, as: Rickertsen, Rikkertsen, Richardsen and in America it was changed to Richardson.

The Richardsens were among the group of North Frisians that settled in the Gotteskoog area in the mid-1600’s, ruled by Denmark or Germany at different times. That’s why they were often called ‘Danes’ or ‘Germans’.

Jesse Richardsen went to Midlum, Island Fohr (in the North Sea) to work. He and Anna Emily Dethlefsen were married November 4, 1870, at the St Johannes Church, Nieblum, Island Fohr. The Lorenz M Dethlefsen family lived at Midlum, Fohr, at this time. The first child of Jesse and Anna was born at Midlum, Isalnd Fohr. His name was Christian Lorenz.

The North Frisian ancestors of Anna Emily had lived on Island Pellworm for several generations. Pellworm is another of the North Sea islands, near Denmark and North Germany.

The Mother of Anna Emily Dethlefsen was Lucia Elizabeth Petersen; she had first married Lorenz Harro Melfsen and had two children: Louise D and Hermann Harro. Lorenz Harro Melfsen died July 4, 1844. Lucia Elizabeth (Petersen) Melfsen married a second time to Lorenz Martin Dethlefsen at the new church, Island Pellworm, on July 12, 1845. Their children were: Lovina D, Anna Emily, Lucia Elise, Mathias Wilhelm and Detlef Lorenz Martin (Jr).

Anna Emily was born December 20, 1849 and confirmed in the new church of Island Pellworm. Her father was a Sea Captain. Anna’s parents, younger sister Lucia Elise, and younger brothers, Mathias and Detlef Lorenz, emigrated to America and settled in East Orange, New Jersey.

Jesse’s brother, Jurgen, had emigrated to America in 1871 and settled in Woodbury County, Iowa, on a homestead.

In 1872, Jesse and his family emigrated to America. They remained in East Orange, for two years. Jesse was a brick mason by trade. He got a job as Supervisor of the brick masons on constructions work there; he had to have an interpreter, which was provided for him.

Jurgen wanted Jesse to come to Iowa and get land to homestead. Jesse, Anna and little Christian went in 1874. Christian was exposed to scarlet fever on the way and died after they reached Woodbury County. He died June 18, 1874 and was buried in the cemetery at Climbing Hill, Iowa.

Jesse’s homestead was about three and one-half miles east of Climbing Hill on Wolf Creek Township, Woodbury County, just south of Jurgen Richardson’s farm.

Jesse built a nice large home for his family there on this homestead. The house burned down in later years.

Jesse was seriously injured when a team of horses he was driving were frightened. They suddenly jerked the seat from the wagon and ran, dragging him quite a distance before the team was stopped. Jesse was an invalid for several months before he died July 2, 1894. He was buried in the Climbing Hill, Iowa cemetery.

After the father’s death, the Richardson sons ran the farm for their Mother. Louis and Harry shelled corn by hand, enough to fill a wagon, and took it to town to sell when they needed money.

In those days a woman could not borrow money, so Anna sold their farm at Wolf Creek Township and they moved to another farm just west of Moville, also in Woodbury County.

After Anna’s children had all married she continued to live in the home of her son, Louis. She had been the only mother that Lou’s daughter, Charlotte, could remember, because Charlotte’s mother had died when the little girl was just three.

Anna Emily, my grandmother Richardson, was a tiny person with a happy disposition, who had suffered many years with crippling rheumatism and arthritis. She would get around the house by holding onto the back of a little low-backed chair, slide the chair ahead, put her weight on the back, then scoot her feet ahead.

Grandmother Anna Emily could keep her grandchildren, happy, interested and entertained, by singing songs in German or telling stories of her childhood and homeland.

The nine children of Jesse and Anna, were:

1( Christian Lorenz, 1871-1874.

2( Louise Christine, 1874-1962, and Ira Daniel Mitchell were married in 1895. Ten children: Elmer, Elsie, Daniel, Lula, Harry, Early, Ira, Ralph, Raymond and Josephine.

3( Ella Lucia, 1876-1918, married Hans Bremer in 1898. Nine children: Joseph, Lena, Emma, Ethel, Mabel, George, Mary, Baby Bremer, and Anna.

4( Louis Martin, 1877-1949, wed ‘Lizzie’ Elizabeth Melton in 1907. One daughter: Charlotte.

5( Herman Harry, 1878-1970, wed ‘Maggie’ Margaret Harrison in 1900. They lost two infant daughters, but raised a son, Louis.

6( Josephine Emily, 1885-1966, wed Ernest D Closner in 1908. Four sons: Clarence, Arthur, Lester and Robert.

7( Arthur Christian, born 1887, married Ethel Johnson in 1913. Three children: Geneva, Clifford, and Eleanor.

8( Edmund Johannes, 1889-1966, wed Florence Johnson in 1910. Two children: Marian and Elmer.

9( George Cleveland, 1893-1920, wed Hope Bornholtz in 1918. One son, Lawrence.

Anna Emily was a very tiny lady and Jesse was very tall and strong, a hard-working man and wife. It must have been a happy family, they all smiled a lot.

Anna Emily, died March 30, 1936, in the home of her son, Louis and grandchildren, Ferol and Charlotte Burright. They had all cared for the little mother and grandmother. She was almost eighty-seven years old. She was buried in the family plot in the Climbing Hill cemetery, beside her husband, Jesse and little son, Christian.

My thanks to my Uncle Arthur, for helping me record some of the Richardsen Genealogy.