My name is Larry Jensen. I am a grandchild of John Jensen and Annie Reimers whose families spent most of their early years in Lyon County in northwest Iowa. I have a hobby of collecting, scanning and electronically improving family photographs. I have in my possession more than 50 old photos of the Reimers and Jensen families taken in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Photos of the Reimers family are more numerous than those of the Jensen’s. The Reimers were a prosperous family in the area.
I would like to find other descendants of these families and share the photos and information with them. If you look on the illustration of "The Roots of the Family Tree" and the key to the "Reimers Family Reunion - 1913" you’ll see asterisks (*) by many of the names. That indicates I have other photos of these people that I’m willing to share copies or even the originals to give to anyone who has an interest in them. As I have said, this is a hobby and there is nothing commercial involved. I ask for nothing in return. My children aren’t interested in the photos and I would hate that they would eventually be thrown away.
The Roots of the Family Tree of John Jensen and Annie Reimers
Click here for large version of family tree.
Hans Henry Jensen was born August 13, 1830 in Schlieswig Holstein, Germany. The house in which he was born was moved to build the Kiel Canal in 1887-95. He came to this country in 1862 and settled in Bettendorf, Iowa, near Davenport. There the family had an apple orchard and truck garden. He married Magdalena Hamann in 1866. To this union, Annie, Mary, John, Augusta and Herman were born. Magdalena died in 1877. He married Margaret Dahlmeier in 1880. Will, Henry, Emma, Mollie, Margaret, Lena, Louie, Matilda and Lillian were born to them and survived until his death in Oct. 1911. Their mother, Margaret, died July, 1898. The family moved to a farm near Rock Valley, Iowa about 1889.
John Jensen (b. Aug. 10, 1872 in Bettendorf, Iowa, d. Aug 20, 1940) and Annie Reimers (b. Oct. 27, 1870 in Sabula, IA, d. Mar. 8, 1957) were married in 1899. To this union eight children, seven girls and one boy were born. They and their descendants make up the upper portion of the tree that is not shown. The boy, Leo Jensen, was my father.
Reimers Family
This family photo taken about 1907 shows the "Blended family" of Jacob Reimers and Maria Sodman Knegendorf Reimers.
Back row: William Reimers, b. February 2, 1869, Sabula, Iowa. D. November 20, 1944; Herman Reimers, b.1880 (?), Grand Mound, Iowa, d. May 26, 1942; Maria Reimers (Schmahl) [Ramesbothom], b. March 27, 1891, Lyon, Co. Iowa, d. May 17, 1975: Louie Reimers, b. October 6, 1882, d. March 25, 1944: Henry Knegendorf Reimers, b. November 25, 1871, Davenport, Iowa, d. November 29, 1953.
Front row: Annie Reimers (Jensen), b. October 27, 1870, Sabula IA. d. March 8, 1957; Jacob Reimers; Maria Sodman Knegendorf Reimers; Lena Knegendorf Reimers (Serck), b. June 10, 1870, Davenport, IA. D. August 20, 1955.
Jacob Reimers was born in 1837 in Mechlenburg-Schwerin, Germany which was known as Prussia at the time. He came to this country as a young man settling near Sabula, Jackson County, Iowa. We have no record of his background in Germany or of exactly when emigrated. He married Lena Hansen about 1868. To this union William, Annie and Henry were born. Henry died in infancy. Lena had had contracted consumption (probably Tuberculosis) on shipboard and died in 1875. Left with two small children and a farm, he married Maria Sodman Knegendorf in 1876. She was born on September 25, 1846 in Mallgren, Mechlenburg-Schwerin, Germany and came to America in 1871. She also had two small children by a former marriage, Lena and Henry. To this union Herman, Louie and Mary were born. The family moved from Sabula to a farm in Lyon County, Iowa near Inwood when it was virgin prairie about 1882. Being successful, they acquired two more farms. They retired in Alvord, Iowa. Maria died November 24, 1920. Jacob died April 25, 1925 at age 88. He is buried in Inwood, Lyon County, Iowa cemetery.
Reimers Family Reunion – 1913
Click here for large version of photo (745 kb).
Click here for number-identified version of photo.This is a photo of the gathering of the families of Jacob and Maria Reimers. It was taken at the same house as that of "The New Mower" after a porch and a lawn were added.
Celia and Sophie Hamann [Kappelman]
These are the daughters of John Hamann, the brother of Magdalena who was the mother of John Jensen. He was a successful farmer on a farm south of Inwood and was very proud of his horses. He and his wife, Lena, had three boys, Henry, Herman and Gus, two girls, Celia and Sophie (maybe Katie). Celia took poison (strychnine) and died around 1909. Her family was Lutheran but the Lutheran minister refused to have her service because of it being suicide. This made the family very agnostic.
The New Mower - Taken about 1898
L-R: Mary Reimers, Annie Reimers, Henry Reimers and Will Reimers.
Before we had power mowers, this was how the vegetation was kept in check. (See the mower’s tracks in the foreground.) You can almost feel the wind blowing the trees and the horse’s cover. The photo was taken on a farm east of Inwood. Will and Henry farmed together for a time and Annie kept house for them. The Reimers reunion group photo was taken at this house 15 years later after the porch was added. The house, with many additions and remodels, is still in use on a well maintained dairy farm.
William Rumohr – Margaret Schroeder Wedding Group – 1898
Bride and groom on far left: Margaret Schroeder (Rumohr) and William Rumohr
To their left: Augusta Jensen (Schroeder) and Claus Schroeder
To their left: Unknown and Henry Reimers?
Far right: Annie Reimers [Jensen] and John Jensen
Louie Reimers - Lottie Bornholdt Wedding, (unknown date)
Bride: Lottie (Charlotte?) Bornholdt, Groom: Louie Reimers
Attendants: Lena Bornholdt, Nick Jacobsen, Mary Reimers (Schmahl) [Ramesbothom], Peter Jacobsen
Henry Reimers – Agnes Schmahl Wedding, (unknown date)
L-R: Dora Jacobsen (Reimers), Herman Reimers, Henry
Reimers, Agnes Schmahl (Reimers), unknown, ? Schmahl
School District 52, Inwood, Iowa, (about 1913)
Click here for large version of photo (83 KB).
Click here for version with names (137 KB).Back row: Anna Serck, Anna Schemmel, Lena Schemmel, Alma Holtz, Eva Cox (teacher), Louise Jensen, Anna Horst, Johanna Jensen, Ella Claussen
Second row: Art Holtz, Otto Claussen, Edward Serck, Henry Weise, Willie Spain?, Harry Serck, Arnold Weise, Willie Spain?
First row: Dan Spain, Albert Mundt, Luella Holtz, Alma Mundt, Louise Weise, Bertha Jensen
Front: Teresa Spain, Leo Jensen
Country School East of Inwood
Elsie Barry (12th from the left) was the teacher.
School Group – Lester High School – Oct. 16, 1919
Third row: Otto Haegle?, unknown, unknown, Leo Jensen, unknown, Hoogeveen?, Mr. Ozias (teacher)
Second row: Mrs. Ozias (teacher), Gertie Cunningham
Front Row: Aletha Gage, Carrie Gall, Bertha Jensen, Maureen Wick, unknown, Edna Hansen, Linda Thiessen, Gladys Dell?
Submitted to IaGenWeb by Larry Jensen - March 2008
larrypjensen@hotmail.com -- (206)-463-9335 -- 9204 SW 204 St., Vashon, WA 98070
Webization by Kermit Kittleson
