I am Warren Lewis. I was born in 1957, the fourth and last child of Jane Marie Peterson Lewis Olson Mordhorst.

My mother Jane was born in Hartford in 1927, the second of three children of Marie Christine Christensen Peterson. So Marie was my grandmother. I have three of her photo albums, so this page is mostly selections from them, along with what history I can find.

Marie in 1917, age 14
The farthest back we know is Marie's grandfather, Soren Christensen. Born January 19, 1836 in Kalundborg Denmark, on the Northwestern coast of Zealand. He died in Copenhagen May 4, 1904. His wife was Dorthea Nielsen, born October 8, 1843 in Kalundborg. She died in Copenhagen on October 17, 1911. No information on when they were married, but their son Niels Frederik Christensen (Marie's father, my great-grandfather) was born January 30, 1870 in Kalundborg. Marie's mother was Albertine Pedersen, born January 21, 1874. One note says Rasmus, Denmark, which does not appear to exist. Another says Aarhus, which does. It is on the East coast of the Jutland peninsula. Albertine and Niels were married October 15, 1898 in West Haven Connecticut. So we don't know if they immigrated together and then married, or immigrated separately and met here. Niels' parents died in Denmark, so they did not come. No information on Albertine's parents. I would suppose that if they had come to America someone would have been more likely to know something about them. All of this information came from my Great-uncle Carl Christensen, who I did meet when I was a little boy. He died in 1965. The information is on a postcard he sent my mother Jane in 1953.
Anyway, Niels and Albertine married in West Haven on October 15 of 1898. Although they were married in West Haven, my Mom says Niels and Albertine lived in Hartford. They had six children and a lot of sorrow. Henry Emil was born in 1899. He served in World War I and survived, but was electrocuted by a fallen wire in 1920. Carl John, my great-uncle referenced above, was born in 1901 and died in 1965. He and Aunt Ruth had no children: they had that RH factor problem and their children died in infancy. The next child was my grandma, Marie Christine, born January 1, 1903. She died in 1956 of Cirrhosis of the liver. That was the year before I was born. Dorothy Margaret was born in 1905 and died in 1929. She was engaged to be married and my Mom thinks it was some kind of infection, as there were no antibiotics yet. Conrad was born in 1906 and died in 1907. Erwin was born in 1910 and died in 1913. So only Carl and Marie really made it to adulthood. Marie did not reach 60, and Carl did not reach 70.

Henry's grave, July 7, 1920

Conrad and Erwin's grave, taken March 1922
Niels died March 23, 1926 in Hartford.


Margaret died in June of 1929.

I found these pictures of Albertine's funeral in Jane's photo album. Albertine died April 9, 1930 in Hartford.

No information on when these pictures were taken. Since my Mom was born in 1927 she never met Niels, and has no memory of Albertine. Everyone is buried in Zion Hill cemetery in Hartford, including Marie's husband, my grandfather Andrew. His second wife, our dear Irene, is there as well.