hansenjd
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.
JAMES D. HANSEN is a prominent
farmer residing two and one half miles southeast of Davenport where he
has one of the most complete homes in the county. He was born in
Bonholm, Denmark, May 23, 1853, the son of Diderek and Maren Christain
(Hansen) Hensen, both natives of Denmark. The father, though a shoe
and harness maker by trade, followed farming most of his life. He
spent his entire life in the vicinity of his birthplace and died at the
age of sixty-eight in 1894. The mother also is dead. The brothers
and sisters of Mr. Hansen are, Mrs. Julia Jensen, Mrs. Leno Olsen, Marcus,
Hans, Mrs. Christina Cass, and Mrs. Martha Morgan.
Mr. Hansen grew to manhood on a farm in his
native country and attended school until fourteen years of age. In
the spring of 1873 he with his brother Marcus, who is his twin, sailed
from Copenhagen and landed at Castle Garden, New York. From there
they came direct to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they procured work on a farm.
In 1875 he proceeded westward to Red Bluff, California, whither he had
been preceded by his brother, and there the two did farm work until the
fall of 1879, when they started for Washington. They came to the
state overland by means of a wagon, stopping first at Walla Walla and from
that point proceeded on to the Palouse country to the present site of Pullman.
In the spring of 1880 they came to Cottonwood Springs, the present town
of Davenport. At that time there was but one small house at that
point and the surrounding country was very sparsely settled. Here
Mr. Hansen took the homestead where he still lives.
On August 7, 1898, James D. Hansen took for
his wife Hanna L. Hansen, a lady of his own name but of no connection.
She was born in Lolland, Denmark, the daughter of Hans Christian Jensen
and Anna Marie Jensen, both of whom are still living in the old country.
Mrs. Hansen had one sister, the deceased wife of her husband's brother,
Marcus, and one brother, Martin Hansen, a resident of Lincoln county.
This union has been blessed with three children;
Agnes H., and Lilly M., both living; and one son, James D., who died in
infancy.
Mr. Hansen has three hundred and twenty acres
of choice grain land the improvements upon which are of the most modern
and elaborate type. He has an excellent water system for his house,
barn, garden and orchard, and his buildings are large and substantially
built. He has farm machinery and live stock in abundance to carry
on his business and he makes a specialty of the culture of grain. He has
in addition to his farm an interest in a forty-acre tract of timber near
by.
Mr. Hansen is a devoted member of the Lutheran
church.
When our subject arrived here he had only
a half interest in a team and wagon, the other half being owned by his
brother, Marcus. He was forced, like the other pioneers to go to other
portions of the state to harvest to earn money for the necessities and
for improvements on his farm. Supplies had to be hauled in from Colfax
or Spokane and the times were trying, indeed.
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