Jensens, Part 15: Gerhard

Gerhard Jacob Jensen was the 8th and final child born to Jacob and Ingeborg Jensen. He was born in 1884 on the family homestead. Jacob and Ingeborg had had 8 children in the span of 14 years.

Gerhard spent nearly his entire life on the family farm. He spent a few years away, but always came back. He lived there with his sister Anna until she died in 1958. At that point, he was unable to take care of everything on the farm by himself and moved to Beresford, South Dakota until his death in 1965 at age 81. He died in a car crash near Tripp, South Dakota, on his way home from visiting his brother John and family.

It's thanks to Gerhard that I have hundreds and hundreds of documents and photos of his siblings and Jacob and Ingeborg. Living on the original homestead for nearly his entire life, he kept all of these items and now I can preserve them for generations to come.

Photo: Gerhard with his horse

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