Jens Mikkelsen Moen

  Research Notes:

Brief summary and likely death

Jens was born in 1869, and even though he was born outside of marriage, his mother and father later married in 1871 in Winneshiek Co IA. It is not clear if his parents had lived together after he was born on 8 Nov 1869. All three left for N America on 8 Apr 1870, and so Jens would have been about 5 months old at that time.

Jens and his parents arrived at the Port of Quebec on 1 May 1870. From their is appears they had travelled to Milkaukee, WI, going west from Quebec/Montreal by train and then a small boat across Lake Michigan. From their they went to Chicago and then further west to the Mississippi River where they took a boat south on the Mississippi to McGregor in Clayton County, where they stopped at Andrew Langen and Arnie and Carrie Allen, relatives. This was likey late May or early June 1870.

At some point either in summer or the fall 1870, or possibly in the early spring of 1871, Jens' parents travelled to Winnishiek Co, IA. They were married on 10 Apr 1871 [See Big Canoe Lutheran Church records]. Eli Marie Jensdatter Narjord had cousins (Mikkel Pedersen Narjord] in Highland Twp and some other cousins in the Waterloo Ridge area of Allamakee Co.

It is not clear if Jens had accompanied them to Winneshiek Co. What is likely evident is that Jens died between 1 May 1870 and 9 Sep 1871 which is the birth of Mikkel and Eli's daughter Betty / Betsy. Betsy was likely born at McGregor, Clayton Co, IA and she is recorded in the First Lutheran Church records

Neil Lorentzen [see his family tree] makes the following comments on the photo of the Mikkel Olsen Moen's family taken in the mid-1880's in Kittson Co, MN:
"I think John Martin passed away before this photo was taken [John was born in 1884, and likely died in Dec 1886]. There is a document saying Jens Moen, first born, came to United States with Mikkel & Ellen Mary, but there are no records or photos of him in the United States. Mikkel & Ellen Mary were not married until after they came to the United States."

Additionally, Neli Lorentzen provided a translation of image 41 from the church records for First Lutheran at McGregor, Clayton Co, IA. Jens is not recorded with the other members of the family.

Conclusion: Jens died between 1 May 1870 and 9 Sep 1871




Some of the Ancestry Family Trees record Jens' death as 1944, BUT .......
****** this is likely the wrong person MN Deaths ... Hennepin Co, 2 Nov 1944 ... cert 022358

Minneapolis Daily Times, issue 9 Nov 1944, page 11 ... Deaths
Jens Moen, age 72, 2107- 4th St North ... their is a brief obit on newspapers.com*
* Star Tribune, issue 3 Feb 1944, page 19 ... age 72 [birth about 1872 ... 'our' Jens was born in 1869]
.... ... same address as above, ...... but talks about survived by brothers in Norway

1940 US Census, Minneapolis, Hennepin Co, MN; ED 89-323; sheet 12A, house visit 232 line 32
Jens Moen, lodger, age 68 b in Nor; single; janitor at a glass company

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-01988-00582?pId=96577965