Parents of Martine (Tina) Petersen were Peder Haakansen and Anne Katrine (Hansen). Peder Haakansen (Figure 18) was born in Hosta, Skonne, Sweden on 24 Mar 1837. He walked across the frozen ice where Sweden and Denmark almost touch at Elsinore. He came to the Danish island of Langeland on 7 May 1856. This is where he met Anne Katrine Hansen from Hennetved. She had been born there on 18 Apr 1832. Peder and Anne were married 18 Jul 1858. Peder was working at Thorsgard (Thor's farm) at that time. Langeland is a small island about 7 miles wide and 21 miles long. Anne Katrine Haakansen died 8 Jun 1896.

       Peder worked for various farmers. One of the farms was a large estate called Skovsgaard (Figure 2). This is right on the edge of Hennetved. All of their children worked there before immigrating to America. They had the following seven children. They were all named Petersen (son of Peder).

(See Figure 18 for a picture of most of these.)

Dorothy Petersen, born 30 Aug 1857, immigrated 6 Apr 1879, died 11 Dec 1953

       Married Andrew Anderson 18. May 1879

Hans Petersen, born 8 Apr 1859, immigrated 15 Apr 1881, died 15 Aug 1940

       Married Annie Larsen 7 May 1882

Jens (James) Petersen, born 30 Sep 1862,

       immigrated 4 Nov 1884, died 1 May 1888 from TB

Botille (Tillie) Petersen, born 4 Jun 1865, immigrated 13 May 1889, died 18 Jul 1961

       Married Max Sorensen 2 Dec 1885 (Figure 17)

Marentine (Tina) Hansine Petersen, born 10 Feb 1867,

       immigrated 14 May 1888, died 24 Mar 1940

       Married Hans Christian Andersen 10 Nov 1900

Annie Eline Petersen (Figure 14), born 17 Mar 1869,

       immigrated 1896, died 11 Sep 1907 from TB

       Married Christian P. Hansen 14 Dec 1900

Oluf L. Petersen, born 3 Feb 1872, immigrated 1889, died 9 Jan 1935

       Married Enga Jacobsen 2 Jun 1900

       There is a Danish Lutheran Church in Lindelse (Figure 5), a town near Hennetved. This is where all the Peder Haakansen children were confirmed into the Danish Lutheran church.

       Martine (Tina) told her daughter Clara Anderson that bad storms with huge waves washed over Langeland. In the winter the children played a game on the ice. They cut squares of about 2 feet in the ice and left them in place and the game was to run and step on these squares and get off in a hurry before you went under. One time a child did go under and his mother came with a rake and fished him out.

       After Peder's wife died in 1896, Peder sent a letter to each of his six children that had immigrated to America asking if his daughter Annie and he should come to America to live. The letter to Tina is included following this section. A translation of the letter is also included. Oluf returned to Denmark and brought Peder and Annie to America. They both lived with Oluf. Annie kept house for Oluf and Peder. Annie, Oluf, and Tina all married in 1900. Oluf and his wife Enga moved to the state of Washington in 1901. Peder then went to live with his son Hans and family until he died on 17 Apr 1909.

       When Dorothy Petersen immigrated to America in 1879 she met Andrew Andersen on the ship (not related to H. C. Anderson). He had already immigrated, married, and lost his wife. He was on a return trip to the states from Denmark. He asked Dorothy to marry him and come with him to his farm in Wisconsin, which she did. The trip over was a rough trip. The boat stuck an iceberg and the rudder was damaged. The drinking water ran low and all the passengers were allowed for water was to suck on the tap of a barrel of water.

As each Petersen sibling immigrated to America, they came directly to the Andrew Andersen (Dorothy's husband) farm near North Cape. They always had a job lined up for the new arrival.

       Clara Anderson remembers Grandpa Peder Haakansen carving wooden shoes for all his children. He also carved wooded spoons and rolling pins out of wood and made funnels out of cow's horns. He was a fine gardener and could graft fruit trees. Clara remembered him walking across the field from his son Hans place to visit his daughter Tina (H. C. Anderson's wife) and family. He loved to hold Olga (the baby) on his lap, but insisted Clara was too big. Peder Haakansen is buried in the North Cape Lutheran cemetery.

       Clara Anderson also remembered the family clinging to old customs. When Andrew Anderson (Dorothy's husband) died the families all lined up as they left the house. After the immediate family came the oldest brother or sister, then the next and so on. This was a very rigid custom. Clara remembered it because they came after the Max Sorenson family. The Sorenson's had a car and the Andersons had horses which became very unruly because of the car.

       More information on the Peterson family is available in the book that Katherine Peterson put together in 1983. She titled it, "From Scandinavia to America."

Dear Tine,

       I will today write a few words to you and let you know your mother died yesterday. She slept peacefully and quietly into the everlasting which she has long awaited and was praying for.

       Now it is my wish that we could get to see any of you and therefore wish we can get an answer from you as soon as possible. I have also written to the others today, but we now wonder if we would be welcome to come see you so I write to find out what I should do with the money which you have sent.

       So I will close for this time with a loving greeting from us. We are well but we have so much to do in these days.

Peder Haakansen