Jorgen Kristian Jensen was born November 11, 1855 to Mariane Nielsdatter and Jens Jensen Christiansen at Tingtrohaus in Jerslev parish; it appears to be a farm at which his parents worked during the approximate period 1854-1864. It is sometimes associated with the place name Klostrup. Jorgen was baptized on December 16, 1855 at Jerslev Sogn, Hjørring, Denmark.

By the time of his confirmation in 1870, Jorgen no longer lived with his parents. He was working at Ålshap in Jerslev parish. Sometime in the 1870's he migrated to Hørby parish, located immediately east of Torslev and to the northeast of Skæve. At the time of the 1880 census he was employed as a laborer at Hørbylund farm. The 1882 birth of his daughter Hannah is recorded in the Vor parish record with the information that Jorgen was from Hørbylund farm in Hørby parish.

His January 26, 1883 marriage to Ane Eline is recorded in the parish register at Skæve Kirke near Dybvad, Denmark. At that time both he and his bride lived at Hugdrupfælled, about two kilometers east of the church. This is not far from Krogsdam farm where Ane Eline's parents lived. In 1886, when their son Alfred was baptized, they were living at Smågårde, another farm in the same area.

In 1889, Jorgen emigrated from Denmark arriving in Minnesota. The Danish authorities required all emigrants to register, and Jorgen's registration sheet lists Hugdrup in Skæve as his place of origin with Alden, Minnesota, as his destination. This seems to indicate that relatives or friends had already located in the Alden area.

At the end of 1889, his wife and their four children arrived in America to join him. He farmed in the Wells and Alden areas of Faribault and Freeborn counties, and he worked drilling wells. In 1895 two young men named Peterson resided with the family. Since his daughter Anne later remembered a Pedersen family at Walters as being cousins, the two may have been relatives of Jorgen.

The family rented a house at Wells, Minnesota, and this is where their remaining five children were born. They were living in Wells as of the 1900 census. Jorgen is said to have at one time worked at the lumber mill in Alden. The family is believed to have moved to Alden shortly after the turn of the century.

Jorgen was an alcoholic who became wild and abusive when drinking. He also developed a liking for gambling at cards, and the gambling debts he accumulated led to financial hardship. One story that has been passed down over the years is that while drinking in town one evening, Jorgen became so drunk that his friends threw him in the back of their wagon and drove him home where they deposited him on his front porch and tied him upright on a post where he spent the evening.

Eventually his drinking habits led Ane Eline to demand that he leave. At the time of the 1905 state census, the family lived in Alden but Jorgen was absent. He went to South Dakota where he did farm work for a number of years before his death.

Jorgen passed away March 26, 1911, a very painful death brought on by his drinking that caused internal bleeding, vomiting, and wasting away. He was 55 years old. His remains were buried in Greenlawn Cemetery in Redfield, South Dakota on March 29, 1911 with a simple cement marker; no name, no date, simply marked GRAVE; perhaps set by Spink County to indicate someone is buried in Division D, Block 016, Lot 002, Grave 008; a sad reminder of Jorgen’s failed hopes for a better life in America.

According to the late Dr. John Allen, 'When Grandpa Jorgen was dying; Grandma boarded a train to Redfield to see him. There was much pain, because Grandpa had abandoned the family to move away. He felt so much guilt for his drinking and gambling that he felt unable to stay any longer.'

His younger children grew up with limited memories of their father. One photograph has survived and is in the possession of his grandson, John Allen.

Source Notes: International Genealogical Index, Parish registers in Denmark, U.S. Census Reports, Jorgen’s Death Certificate, family records of Anna Marie Jensen Allen and John A. Stewart.