Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The
Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties,
State of Washington", published by Western Historical Publishing
Co., 1904.
D. C. HANSEN is engaged in the
real estate, loaning and fire and life insurance business in the town of
Downs, Lincoln county, Washington. He was born August 25, 1866, in
Bredstadt, Germany, and was christened in the Lutheran church with the
name of Detlef Kristian. His father's name is Peter Broder Hansen,
and was born at the same place as was our subject, with whom he is now
living at Downs. The mother's name was Margaret Doretas (Sieverdsen)
Hansen. Mr. Hansen has one brother, Kritian Detlef, who also makes
Downs his home.
D. C. Hansen at the
age of six years, was taken by his parents to live in Flensburg, Germany,
and received a fair common school education. During a part of his
early life he worked on a farm in his native country for a wage of sixteen
dollars per year, and in 1882 an uncle, who was at the time living in Iowa,
sent him money with which to come to the United States. He left Germany
on April 16, 1882, and arrived on May 17 of the same year, at Ogden, Boone
county, Iowa. While in Iowa Mr. Hansen worked for fifty cents a day,
and in the spring of 1887 he went to Martin county, Minnesota, where he
purchased a quarter-section of land at seven dollars and seventy-five cents
per acre, and engaged in farming. While on this farm our subject
suffered a sunstroke and was compelled to abandon the occupation, so he
went to Maynard, Minnesota, in 1898, and there engaged in the wood and
coal, and later in the lumber business. He came to Downs, Washington,
on August 8, 1902, and followed the lumber business, which he later sold
to take up the occupation which he is now pursuing.
The home of Mr. Hansen
is one of the best in the town of Downs; he also owns one of the choicest
business corners and has a neat and comfortable office. In addition
he owns several lots and houses as an investment. He has forty-five
acres of choice land adjoining the town, upon which he has the best of
modern improvements, and which is one of the choicest small homes in the
vicinity. He keeps some cattle and horses, farm implements, chickens,
etc. Mr. Hansen has in addition to this, six hundred and forty acres
of land near Downs and a quarter section of timber land south of Roseburg,
Oregon.
Mr. Hansen has provided
for his family in case of his taking off, by joining the M. W. A., in which
he is insured, and by carrying a policy in an old line insurance company.
On December 25, 1889,
in Fairmont, Minnesota, occurred the marriage of D. C. Hansen and Mary
Mickow, daughter of Christian and Elizabeth Mickow, the former dead and
the latter living in Minnesota, to which state Mrs. Hansen came as a child,
from Germany. To this union have been born four children, Wilhelm
P. H., Anna F., Harman, and Ida.
Mr. Hansen has one sister,
Mrs. Ida Barker, living in North Dakota.