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Anna Sine Petersen
b. 12 Jan 1848, Aalborg, Denmark
child of: Jens & Ane Petersen
d. 3 Dec 1931, Blair, Washington County, NE
Buried: Blair Cemetery, Blair, Washington County, NE

Spouse: Soren Jensen
b. 3 Aug 1842, Vejle, Denmark
child of: Jens & Engel Maria (Paulsen) Pedersen
d. 22 Jun 1917, Blair, Washington County, NE
Buried: Blair Cemetery, Blair, Washington County, NE

m. 27 Aug 1866, Omaha, Douglas County, NE
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Sine was born January 12, 1848 in Aalburg, Denmark. She emigrated from Denmark earlier in 1860 with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jens Petersen.

The Petersens were members of a Mormon Colonization expedition. With the North and the South torn by the dissention of Civil War, they made their way westward in a covered wagon and arrived in St. Joseph, Missouri in the fall of 1860. Then they came to Omaha by steamboat to stay in the Mormon Camp at the Florence (North Omaha). While there Sine's father learned that polygamy was being practiced among the Mormons in Utah, so, with several other members of the pioneering expedition, revolted, and abandoned the trip westward.

These people joined the reorganized branch of the Mormon Church, the Josephites. Sine was baptized into this branch and her father was the first missionary of that faith to preach in the old settlement of Desoto.

The Petersens lived on Tenth Street in Omaha, near where the Union station now stands.

Before her marriage, Sine was employed by the well-known Davis family, pioneer bankers of Omaha, as a nursemaid for the Davis children, now Mrs. H. Kountze and her brother Fred Davis.

On August 27, 1866, Soren Jensen and Anne Sine Petersen were married in Omaha, Nebraska where they lived until after their first child, Anna, was born.

In 1867, they decided to take a homestead and with their covered wagons, their belongings, and the family cow, came to the Lincoln Township in Washington County, Nebraska. They took up their claim where they lived for 35 years.

During this period ten of the children were born, Emma, Jens (James H), Jens (James Peter), Nels, Mary, Andrew, Ester, Edward, Henry, and Albert.

Sine's parents lived with their daughter and family for several years until their deaths in 1885 and 1887. They are buried in the Jensen plot in the Blair Cemetery.

On January 12, 1888, the birthday of Anne Sine Jensen, the Great Blizzard struck. The morning was crisp and clear. The older children went to March School about two miles southeast of the homestead. The older boys in the families went to school only in the winters when there was no farm work to be done. Miss Erwin was the teacher.

Around noon the temperature started going down. The wind came up and snow started to fall. The teacher would not allow any of the children to leave, as the storm became worse as time pasted. When it became evident that the parents could not come for their children, the teacher had the older pupils help dress the younger ones in all the clothes they had. She asked Jens Jensen, her oldest pupil, eighteen years of age, to lead them, each holding another child's hand. Jens held onto the barbed wire fence in the lead, and the teacher was at the end of the line. The group, moving single file, left the school blindly, guided only by the barbed wire fence. Approximately two hours later, they reached the Erwin place, three quarter of a mile northwest of the school. All were safe and Mr. and Mrs. Erwins cared for them until their own parents could manage to come for them late the following afternoon.

When the storm finally abated the next day, Soren set out on horseback to search for his children. After an unsuccessful visit to the schoolhouse, he went to the Erwins, hoping they might have some information. Here he found all the children safe and sound. Jens Jensen was ever after known as March School's Blizzard Hero. Peter, Nels, Mary and Andrew also were among the pupils who were well taken care of by the Erwins.

In 1901, Soren and Sine moved to Blair where Sorena and Myrtle were born.
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Source: The Family of Soren and Anne Sine Petersen Jensen, 1974
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(Acknowledgement to Washington County Nebraska Genealogical Society for archive of following obituary)

Obituary
(Note: This is a remembrance of a past death. Mrs. Jensen had died in 1931.)

75 YEARS AGO (in 1931)

Mrs. Soren Jensen, 83, prominent Washington County pioneer and matriarch of the largest family in Nebraska, died at her home. Rites were held at First Lutheran Church. Mrs. Jensen was survived by 13 children, 63 grandchildren and 73 great-grandchildren.

THIS WAS A LARGE OBITUARY, SO IT IS FILED IN THE "LARGE OBITUARY FILE" NOTEBOOK ON THE GENEALOGY SHELF.

Source
Printed in the Washington County Pilot-Tribune on 12/5/2006

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