(from Joan Strauss)
In Denmark, a name could be spelled in more than one.…the important thing was how it was pronounced. Theodor spelled his name Kristensen most of the time but sometimes Christensen.…either way it was pronounced the same way. Most of the children used Christensen but the people filling out the “papers” could spell it anyway they felt like! Makes our job interesting. I also thought Andrew left Denmark after his mother and siblings because he had been kicked by a horse and his eye was injured. He needed to wait awhile before immigrating and Frank (Svend) stayed behind to go with him. Trying to find records to verify this is difficult.…! Now we know that the cost of the tickets had to be paid by somebody? The custom was for some members of a family to go to America and convince their employer or relative to come up with the tickets for the rest of the family and family members would have to work off the price of each ticket. Marinus went first, Theodor went next, and Eline and six children went next, and Andrew & Frank went last. At least that’s how my mother told it.