Above is an image of a photocopy of a Baptismal Certificate for Valdemar. Visible are fold lines and a folded corner suggesting it was carried in a wallet for some time. The background color has been added to suggest age.
Below is an almost complete translation. The Danish words "daabs" and "debt" are related to the English words "dub," "dab" and "daub." The certificate reads:
Daabs-Attest. ... Christening CertificateOne must wonder what the circumstances may have been that led to the need for a birth/baptism certificate at that time. Perhaps it was needed in connection with Waldemar's education.
Valdemar Otto Jensen
Sin af Bagemester Lars Jensen og Husfru ... Son of Master Baker Lars Jensen and housewife
(We are guessing that the lower part of the f in Husfru is not visible. There may be a better translation for this word.)
Flora Ludovica Clothilda f. (f = the abbreviation for "fedt" meaning "born" or "nee") Nielsen
er fedt den 27 November 1884 (Ottifire)... was born on 27 November 1884 (Eightyfour)
i Vor Frelsers Sogn ... in Our Saviors Parish
og debt den 8 Marts 1885 ... and baptized the 8 March 1885
Dette bevidnes i Overensstemmelse med ... This certification is in integrity with
Vor Frelsers Kirkes Daabs-Protokol ... Our Saviors Church Christening Procedure
af Kjobenhavn, den 27 Juli 1891* ... of Copenhagen, the 27 July 1896.
(*We notice that this 1891 date does not agree with the 1896 date in the ledger notation at the bottom. We are guessing again that the lower part of the 6 was somehow obliterated so that the number at first appears to be a 1. Comparing it with the two other instances of 1 shows that it was not written in the same European style and therefore must have been a 6. The character in front of the number 257 is not a number but a preprinted slash. Thus, this certificate was written in 1896, when Valdemar was 11.
Esther Franck Magnussen's comment, that Waldemar's father, Lars, "went to US as young man, was injured, returned to Denmark, didn't work," suggests that (even though his occupation is given here as "Master baker") there may have been financial difficulty in maintaining a viable household that could keep its members close.
According to my father (born in 1907), Valdemar, or Walter, as he was sometimes called, came to the US and lived with Charles and Mary "until he got established." That must have been sometime between 1897, when we see Valdemar at the age of 12 in the family photo in Copenhagen, and August 21 1911, when, at the age of 26, he marries Helen Friedman in Stamford, Connecticut.
Records from Ellis Island show April 10 1903 as one possible date of arrival, age 19 on the Hellig Olav from Copenhagen. Another record indicates an arrival on May 31 1910, age 26 on the Oscar II from Copenhagen. One or both ( or neither ) of these records may be for our Valdemar Jensen, who may have returned to Denmark for a visit. (DFJ)
Our Savior's Church in Copenhagen is noteworthy. It was consecrated in 1696. The ceiling in the nave is 36 meters (118 feet) high. The tower added later includes a carillon and an external spiral staircase to the top at 90 meters (295 feet).
CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE
VALDEMAR JENSEN AND HELEN FRIEDMAN
AUGUST 21 1911
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