JORGEN HARTIVIGSEN.
One reason for the splendid, well-kept appearance of the farms of this county is the fact that the majority of them have been cultivated by a thrifty, honest, hard-working people who came from Denmark. Whatever their work or occupation, it seems to be characterized by painstaking care. It is little wonder, then, that the region where they have chosen to make their homes is composed of land that is now productive and valuable, although it was once open prairie, marsh or timber land. He who causes an undeveloped resource to become both beautiful and useful is a benefactor to the human race, however obscure his life and activities may be. It is doubtful if anyone has done more towards the cultivation of at least a part of Sharon township than the man whose name heads this review.
Jorgen Hartvigsen, like so many of his neighbors, started life with little more than health, courage and the ability to do hard work, and like them, also, he is now enjoying the reward of his labors in the possession of a beautiful and attractive home, a family of beloved children, the respect of the community, and a wide circle of friends. He was born in Harsen, Denmark, on January 1, 1853. His parents, who lived and died in that country, were Hartvig and Marie Jorgensen, both of whom were adherents of the Lutheran faith. The former all of his life engaged in agricultural pursuits. Of their eleven children, only four are living, and of these, the subject of this sketch is the only one who migrated to America. He came to this country in 1881, when he was in his twenty-eighth year. His education was that of the average farmer boy being what the common schools of his country had to offer, but, his wise parents supplemented this by practical training on the farm which enabled him to make his living by working by the month until he came to this country. He located first in Story county, Iowa, but later removed to Audubon county, after two and one-half years residence there he bought land in section 23 Sharon township. He has been successful enough to be able to increase his holdings until he now has two hundred and sixty acres, all improved, and a beautiful and well-equipped home. Prosperity is everywhere apparent about the country place of this ambitious farmer.
The marriage of Jorgen Hartvigsen took place in Sharon township, on July 29, 1886, to Botilda Andrea Kallisen, who came to America from Denmark in 1882. During the years that it was necessary to work hard and economize, the efforts of Mr. Hartvigsen were seconded by his good wife, and much of their present success is due to her management and thrift.
As a farmer and stock raiser, Mr. Hartvigsen has for years made a specialty of good breeds of stock, having several Belgian draft horses and from fourteen to sixteen head of milch [?sic milk] cows, and a number of Duroc-Jersey hogs.
The nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hartvigsen are as follow: Mary married Christ Uhl, a farmer of this township; Clara married Peter Andersen, of Centerville, South Dakota; Palma married Charles Sorensen, of Oakfield township, this county; Viderick and Myrtle, who live at home; Solvejg and Hartvig (twins); Ediel and Viderick, the latter deceased
Mr. Hartvigsen has served his community faithfully and well as a school director, and votes the Democratic ticket. Both he and his wife are members of the Danish Lutheran church in Kimballton, Iowa. They are interested in the affairs of their town and county, and are every ready to co-operate in movements for the betterment of the state in which they live.
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Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, September, 2019 from History of Audubon County, Iowa Its People, Industries and Institutions With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, by H. F. Andrews, editor, Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, 1915, pp. 641-642.
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