2018.038.008 [Print, Photographic]

This is a photograph of Maren Christensen Olesen, a resident of Waterloo, Iowa. Maren came to the United States in 1890, at the age of 17. She arrived in New York and was processed at Ellis Island. She then traveled by train from New Jersey to Waterloo, where she knew other Danish immigrants had settled. After arriving in Waterloo, she met a man named Mr. Jensen and lived with his family for a year as she learned English and got settled. In 1901 Maren married Jens Oleson, another Danish immigrant who lived in Waterloo. The couple had two children. In 1921 Jens Oleson and his son, J. Peter Oleson, founded Jens Oleson & Sons Construction Company. Both Maren and Jens Oleson are buried in Waterloo. Content can be used with the following standards: 3rd grade SS 3.27 Immigration and Migration in a lesson on immigrants to Iowa and the early settlers of the Waterloo area. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.