So, I had been pouring through the Nylarsker Parish church records looking for any possible children for Peder and Christine Jensen that may have been missed in the censuses. In the process, I did find a daughter, Sanna, who was born and died between censuses. So, I decided to keep going to see if I missed anything else. What I found was a surprise —
Source: Danish State Archives, “Kirkebøger,” digital images, Statens Arkivers Arkivalieronline (www.sa.dk/ao/ : downloaded 31 March 2012), Annine Margrethe Kristine Jensen death record; Nylarsker Parish, p 468, 1888, no 3.
A death record for Peder and Christine’s oldest child, Annine Margrithe Kristine Jensen. When I saw her name, it actually made me sad – she was so young, only 22 years old.
Transcription / Translation:
It was actually quite surprising to me that I had such a negative response to finding this record. I didn’t feel the “yeah, I found her” feeling, but rather a “no, not yet.” I think that is an interesting side effect of studying family history. These people become your people and you feel connected to them. This young woman, my Annine, died at just 22 years old from a chest disease (TB? Pneumonia?) which according to the priest’s notes had her in bed for 10 months. How difficult for her parents. They had lost a young 5 year old daughter and now another daughter. But even more than looking at this through her parent’s perspective, I thought of all that she missed. I had hoped she had immigrated to Utah, married, had children. All the “what might have been’s” are no longer possible.
From a purely research side, there is some good to come from this record. The priest noted there was a probate certificate. (This was also the case for her sister Sanna) I will definately be looking these up next time I’m at the Family History Library.