Family history, Jensen-Aaen
Dagmar Jensen-Aaen Phippen’s biography
[as told by Evelyn Olga Phippen May to Alice Mary Moreland May, 1994;
submitted to and accepted by the Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa]
Dagmar Jensen was born to Christen and Karen Jensen-Aaen in Aalborg, Denmark, in 1889, being their fifth child.
She was baptized in the Lutheran Church. In 1890, she came to America with her family. They settled in farm country in Shelby County, Iowa.
When Dagmar was about 6 years old, they moved to Texas, where she, along with all those in her family able, helped to pick cotton¾a difficult, hot job!
When she was about 10 years old, they moved back to Iowa and settled into farm life again. She continued in school only through the eighth grade, but like her father, she loved to read so became self-educated.
Her father got the urge again to move when Dagmar was about 18. On to Wisconsin the family moved with 10 children. Dagmar, being a young woman, worked for the Gary family, who owned a general store in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. She performed the duties of a nanny for the two girls in the family and kept a very clean household (they lived in a mansion at 122 N. Brown St.). The family grew very fond of her and kept in touch for many years.
In 1911, Dagmar married Thomas Phippen. They lived on a farm in Greeley Township, Audubon, Iowa, northeast of Exira. Five children were born to them: Florence (b. 1912), George (b. 1914), Leonard (b. 1915), Evelyn (b. 1917) and Thomas (b. 1921).
About 1920, the house burned to the ground, saving very little. A large new structure was constructed on the original site. But after a few years, with prices dropping and the Depression years coming, they had to give up the farm.
The family moved into Exira and lived with Dagmar’s parents, who had returned to Exira in 1918. Thomas worked for many years for a large dairy farm on the east boundary of Exira.
Living as three generations in one house never seemed to cause any problems. The grandparents did frequently visit their other children.
Dagmar spent many winter evenings reading to the whole family.
She was a terrific cook -- her apple pie and fried chicken were the best! She made whole wheat bread (from wheat Thomas ground with a small grinder), which she sold to neighbors and the grocery store. At Christmastime, she always made an English plum pudding because Thomas was English and his mother had taught her the method.
Dagmar was very kind to everyone and her children got the very best of care always, especially when they were ill. Thomas became ill and died in 1940.
Dagmar became a housekeeper for Wyman Harvey. She would take trips in the winter to Orlando, Florida, with him and other friends. During this period of time, she discovered that she was a severe diabetic. But she continued on with her work at Harvey’s. Then she was set back with gall bladder surgery and took a long time recovering.
When Wyman Harvey married a woman from Exira, Dagmar was offered another housekeeping position with Hugo Westphalen in Atlantic. She was there quite a few years, but her health started to deteriorate. For a brief time, she lived in a nursing home in Atlantic, but later transferred to the Friendship Home in Audubon, where she died at age 78.