This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/YKB.2ACE/175.1.1.1.1 Message Board Post: Rhonda: I’m excited to connect with the Danish community in Monroe/ Audrain counties. It must be an amazing feeling to see the farms created by immigrants who changed the western landscape. In 1880, my great grandfather was setting up a homestead west of Fargo, Dakota Territory near New Buffalo. There were no stately buildings in Dakota, although development happened very quickly, a few years earlier buildings of any sort were sparse. His homestead was part of the first Danish settlement at Hill Township in Dakota Territory, which dissipated years later There were ANDERSEN's in that community, both Dane and Norwegian. As requested, I will give you a quick run down of the family names, and then a little background on my search. Peter’s brothers were FREDERIK 1846, RASMUS (ROBERT) 1851, NIELS (NELS) 1853, HANS CHRISTIAN (1855). There were two sisters BODIL KRISTINE (1861) and MAREN (1863). All are children of JØRGEN HANSEN of Denmark. Fred, Robert, Neils, Peter and Mary came to America. We know from archived records that in 1885 all of the brothers who emigrated were in the US. ROBERT is the only one I can find with certainty in the 1880 census. We know more about his family, and this has given us insight into their lives I did not think possible. Mary comes with Robert when he returns from Denmark in 1886-87. NEILS and ROBERT came to MICHIGAN. NEILS settles in MINNESOTA, Robert starts in DAKOTA, returning to SOUTH DAKOTA, then MINNESOTA, then NORTH DAKOTA, then SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA in that order. MARY comes with Robert to SOUTH DAKOTA, and marries there a couple of years later, remaining in Dakota. Peter and Fred are less known to us. Grandma wrote that PETER settled in the PARIS, MISSOURI area. I think he may have come from Denmark around 1880, but due to the little information we have, I can't be sure. FRED settled in the DAKOTA TERRITORY around this time as well. Not cut out for farm life, he returns to DENMARK, but eventually lives in LOS ANGELES, CA with his second wife. I know little of his first wife, but he did also use LOGAN as part of his name, for reason's I don't understand. I knew the first names and order of the children, plus my great grandfather’s birth date, and that he came with another brother to America when he was about 20. The emigration information for ROBERT (RASMUS) and NIELS (NELS) was easy to find, and told me the family home was VÆGGERLØSE, MARIBO, on Falster Island. Checking with the archivist in Denmark with access to church records, we are now sure of their birthplaces and dates. FRED was born in SKELBY, further south, but all the others were born in Højet and Væggerløse area, Maribo, Falster Island. Regarding graves, I did look for information available through the internet, and I found a PETER JOHNSON in the Walnut Grove, PARIS MO cemetery who is buried with wife and child. It appears to be a family plot, numbers Z133 to Z135 with a PETER J, HANNAH K. AND KITTIE H (infant) resting there. I wrote for more information, but received nothing in return. It would be lovely to find out what happened to Peter. Regarding the MADISON name, I don’t recall hearing it, nor ANDERSON, but the Patronymic naming system really fouls up persons’ efforts as does the generalizing of names and diversification of spellings in America. I can check with our family historians to see these names ring any bells. I took a look for myself, with the information you had, and came up with nothing on the emigration side, but there are immigration records I think. With three children, and fairly close dates, as well as a narrow emigration window of maybe three years, I think it is possible to find them, regardless of the names. Happy hunting! Rhea.