Jensens, Part 11: John H.

John H. Jensen was the 4th child of Jacob and Ingeborg. He was born on the homestead in 1875.

John married a girl who lived across the creek from his farm, Agnes Paulson. She was born in Norway and came over when she was 4 years old.

As soon as they were married, they headed west to Lake Andes, South Dakota, and homesteaded there. They raised a family of 3 girls and 3 boys- Inga, Anton, Edwin, Oscar, Agnes and Louise. Agnes Jensen (later McFarlane) was my grandmother.

John didn't have a middle name. He chose the letter "H" because he liked how it sounded.

John was well known for his engineering skills. Anytime someone in the area had a broken part on their machinery, they would come to him and he would build a new part. John was incredibly smart.

John played the fiddle. John drank copious amounts of coffee. John donated some of his land so that Lake Andes could have a Lutheran church.

Even though John was born in South Dakota, he had a Norwegian accent. Growing up in such a densely Norwegian community, he said his Js as Ys his entire life. My mother Judy was "Yudy" to her grandpa.

As a senior citizen, John would entertain people by holding a broom handle horizontally and jumping over it.

John's farm house that he built is still standing near Lake Andes, South Dakota. Some of his former cars from the 1940s are even sitting in the shelter belt with trees growing through them.

I would have really liked to have met John. He died in 1965 at the age of 90.

Photo: Edwin, Oscar, Anton, John and Agnes Jensen

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