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| To America On Wednesday, the fifth of May 1880, the Hamburg-America liner Frisia docked in New York harbor. On board was a 26-year-old Dane, Lauritz Christensen, who was determined to prepare a new home in America for himself and for his young family, whom he had temporarily left behind in Denmark. |
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| Upon the ship’s arrival, Lauritz’s
name was added to the Frisia’s passenger list. (A copy of the
passenger list is available online and can be found here.) Note: In most of the Danish records, Lauritz Christensen is named Laurs Christensen. His family always called him Lauritz, so that is what he is referred to in this account of his life. Information on the steamship Frisia can be
found here.
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 Photograph of the S. S. Frisia from Ships of Our Ancestors (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1993 reprint), p. 104. |
| Two weeks earlier, on Monday, 19
April 1880, Lauritz had registered with the emigration authorities to
leave Denmark. Between the years 1869 to 1908, nearly 400,000 Danish citizens
made this same decision to leave their homeland and seek a better life
in America. (An extract of the emigration record is available online
and can be found here.) |
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The painting at the left shows the city of Horsens
as it appeared in 1854, the year after Lauritz Christensen was born. The
view looks toward the east with the Vor Frelsers Kirke (Our Savior's Church)
in the background. Lauritz's son Chris was baptized there in 1879, the year
before Lauritz left for America. The painting is by Peder Nielsen and is in the Horsens Museum. |
| At the time
of his emigration, Lauritz was living in the city of Horsens with his
wife Sophie and their infant son, Chris. Lauritz may have first taken
a "feeder ship" (or perhaps a train) to Hamburg, where he boarded the SS
Frisia, which departed from Hamburg, made a stop in the French
port of LeHavre, and then sailed for New York. Go to next section: In America |
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Last updated August 2007. Patricia O'Brien Hellmers To contact with comments or suggestions, send email
to: |
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