2 CHRISTEN & JEPPELINE GRAVERSEN and DESCENDANTS

Christen Graversen was born 24 February 1868 at Nordestgaard, Tim, second son and child of Jens Christian and Else Kirstine Graversen nee Christensen. He died 9 August 1942 in Ringkøbing.
On 20 April 1897 in No Church he married Jeppeline Jensen, born 30 September 1875, daughter of Marie Cathrine and Jens Vastrup Nielsen, "Julsgaard" in No. Jeppeline died on 20 February 1959 in Ringkøbing.

Christen was originally a farmer and first had a property in Staby, which they did not own for very long, as it was sold before their eldest child, Jens Kristian, was born in 1898 at Nordestgaard in Tim. After that they bought a property in Sønder Lem, where their second child, Kirstine, was born.

Jeppeline and Kristen were both buried in Ringkøbing cemetery, where their grave still exists. They had 3 children:
2.1 Jens Kristian Nordesgaard
2.2 Kirstine Nordesgaard
2.3 Jenny Marie Nordesgaard

Read Kirstine's memories of her life and parents below, as she wrote it in 1982:
I was not old enough to have any memories from Sønder Lem before we moved to Ringkøbing.

In Ringkøbing, father worked very hard at the cement and limestone factory. Mother also helped by going out to assist others with household work, etc.

Before Kristian and I were old enough to help ourselves, we often stayed on holiday with our grandparents at Nordestgaard. We found it exciting with all the animals. There was also a boy from Copenhagen staying there, and the three of us slept together in a large double bed.

When we grew a little older, Kristian delivered newspapers and I helped a teacher after school. We were paid monthly.

In 1911, the man father worked for bought a farm in Flynder parish, and father became the manager there. There was a large area of cultivated land, heath, bogs, and plantations. In summer, three teams came to dig peat, which Kristian and I had to turn, etc. In autumn, a man came to dig planting holes where we planted conifer trees.

Our schooling was simple: just one class with children aged 7 - 14.

After Kristian and I were confirmed, we moved back to Ringkøbing, where father worked for the same man. After retirement, he rented two small plots of land where he grew produce, especially strawberries, which he sold. He gradually became very weakened by arthritis and died on 9 August 1942.

Mother died on 20 February 1959, and both are buried in Ringkøbing cemetery.

2.1 JENS KRISTIAN NORDESTGAARD (BORN GRAVERSEN)

Jens Kristian Graversen was born 7 May 1898 at Nordestgaard, Tim, died 14 August 1975. On 16 November 1923 he married Mette Hedevig Andersen, born 14 May 1903, daughter of Louise and Anders Andersen, Ringkøbing.

They moved while still young to Copenhagen, where Jens Kristian was a postman. He later became senior postman, 1st class.
Mette worked mostly at home, but she also did washing and cleaning work for others. 1 child:

2.1.1 Minna Nordestgaard

Minna born 28 July 1931 in Copenhagen, married on 25 June 1961 Kurt Blokkebak-Poulsen, born 20 September 1927, son of Christina Hansine and Karl Viktor Poulsen, Aalborg. Kurt died 28 October 1979.

Minna trained as a teacher and worked at Vejgaard Vestre School in Aalborg. Kurt was a teacher of the deaf at the deaf school in Aalborg. Minna still lives in Aalborg. 1 child:
2.1.1.1 Jens Blokkebak-Poulsen, born 1964.

2.2 KIRSTINE NORDESTGAARD (BORN GRAVERSEN)

Kirstine was born 31 March 1899 in Sdr. Lem. Died 19 February 1996 in Skjern. She married 28 May 1926 in Ringkøbing Church Jens Ingvard Nielsen, born 14 October 1896, son of Sidsel and Anders Nielsen, Brejning. Ingvard died 6 June 1986 in Skjern.

Ingvard had trained as a carpenter, but as work was scarce he drove a bus on the Spjald-Skjern route during the first three years. In 1929 they moved to Skjern, where Ingvard worked at his trade throughout the years, though with periods of unemployment in between. After living in a two-room flat, they built a house.
They did everything themselves except the heating and electrical installations, and the pouring of the stairs and basement floors. They started in May 1944 and moved in the following February.

On the light summer evenings they often worked until 11 p.m. At the heaviest work, pouring the foundations, all four helped, and much of the concrete was mixed by hand.
They lived there for 29 years, and then moved to a pensioners' flat, where they lived until Ingvard died in 1986.
In her final years Kirstine was in a nursing home in Skjern. Kirstine and Ingvard were both buried in the cemetery in Skjern.2 children:
2.2.1 Kaj Aage Nielsen 2.2.2 Svend Ingvard Nielsen

2.2.1 Kaj Aage Nielsen

Kaj Aage born 14 February 1927 in Spjald died 27 November 2013 married 13 May 1961 in Borbjerg Church Birgit Lindgaard Pedersen, born 23 February 1941, daughter of Karen Othilda Klausen and Martin Henry Lindgaard Pedersen, died 8 June 2020. Kaj Aage was buried in the cemetery in Struer.

Kaj related the following interesting account in 1983:
I was born in Spjald on 14 February 1927, but remember very little from there - I was only two years old when we moved to Skjern.
On 1 April 1934 I began my schooling at Skjern town school, and after fifth class I continued at Skjern Realskole from April 1939 to March 1943. Because of the war it was very difficult to find an apprenticeship, so I began as a delivery boy at Skjern Co-operative Society. It was hard work, as well as an endless series of punctures, but everything comes to an end. Skjern Bank was looking for a trainee, and in my best clothes and accompanied by my father I went for an "interview" with the bank manager. I began as a trainee in October 1943. The salary was 50 kroner per month.
During the apprenticeship I had to attend commercial school two days a week in the winter half - year from 12 - 22. The apprenticeship was concluded with a 3-month course at the Merchant School in Copenhagen.
After that came military service. On 11 May 1949 I was to report at the Engineer Barracks in Copenhagen. I had chosen the telegraph troops myself, as in the meantime I had been bitten by the "radio bug" and wanted to learn Morse telegraphy in order to obtain an amateur radio licence.
In October 1949 I was posted to the 7th regiment in Fredericia to operate the regiment's fixed radio transmitter, until I was discharged on 22 April 1950 from Langelandsgade Barracks in Aarhus.
At an examination held by the Post and Telegraph Service in Esbjerg I succeeded in obtaining an amateur radio transmitting licence. That was the beginning of many exciting hours in my spare time.
In spring 1951 I moved to Herning Commercial and Agricultural Bank, later Midtbank. Herning had a local association of radio amateurs, which I quickly joined.
It gradually dawned on me that my inclination lay in electronics, but it was only when I read an article in "Readers' Digest" titled "Are you satisfied with your work?" that it became completely clear to me that I really only lived in my spare time - however, many long considerations were still needed before I began training as an electrician on 1 May 1952, but on 30 April 1956 I had my journeyman's certificate.
Then came a busy period. Skjern and surroundings changed from direct current to alternating current supply, but when that was over there came a very quiet period, where I, as the youngest journeyman in the firm, was dismissed.
At that time I often visited a local radio dealer, who one day told me that at B&O in Struer they lacked labour - whether I would like to come along when he next visited the factory in Struer. I had then been unemployed for a month. In B&O's canteen I had the opportunity to talk with a foreman from production as well as the service manager, and when we left I had been offered to start within a week.
At my previous workplace I had had a lot of outdoor work and been very independent, so it was quite a change that I now had to work indoors and at an assembly line, where I was a small link in a long chain, but human adaptability is great, so it did not take long before I had settled in. My work on the assembly line was of short duration, then I was moved to radio repair and then finally to final testing of first radios and later televisions.
The work with final testing was certainly not exciting, but I was fortunate that B&O's instrument department, which at that time consisted of two men, was to begin testing and adjustment of central signal distribution systems. The knowledge I had as a radio amateur was now of benefit, as I was loaned to the instrument department to carry out the work. Here I felt completely at home, and when later there was need for one more man in the department, I got the position and have been there since.
On 13 May 1961 I was married to Birgit Lindgaard Pedersen in Borbjerg Church, and we lived at first in an apartment in "Nørgaard" in Gimsing with a lovely view over the Limfjord. In the summer of 1966 we moved into our own house at Fuglebakken 7, where we have lived since.
In the first years Birgit stayed at home, but later began to work again - in later years as a nursing assistant at a nursing home and at the Central Hospital in Holstebro. In 1982, due to illness, Birgit had to find other and less physically demanding work, and since 1 February 1982 she has been employed by Struer municipality as an occupational instructor, where she visits disabled persons and pensioners with handicraft work. 3 children:

2.2.1.1 Henning Lindgaard Nielsen born 1962. Married 1992 in Gimsing Church Ulla Schmidt Jespersen, born 1967, daughter of Inge and Jens Kristian Jespersen, Struer. In 1992 they both changed their surname to Nordestgaard. The family lives in Struer.

Pictured Right: The family from Struer on a Christmas visit to Dorte and Holger Nordestgaard sometime in the mid-1980s. From the left are Holger, Henning, Dorte with Ole, Kaj, Morten, Tine, Palle, Bente with Jens and Birgit

2.2.1.2 Palle Lindgaard Nielsen born 1964. Married 1989 in Gimsing Church to Tine Kirkegaard, born 1964, daughter of Ruth and Svend Aage Kirkegaard, Struer. Palle changed his surname to Nordestgaard in 1987. The family lives in Slangerup. 2 children:
2.2.1.2.1 Vibeke Nordestgaard, born 1998.
2.2.1.2.2 Martin Nordestgaard, born 2000.

2.2.1.3 Bente Lindgaard Nielsen, born 1972, married 1997 in Gimsing Church to Kurt Bonde Poulsen, born 1965, son of Inga and Tage Bonde Poulsen, Struer. After the marriage, Bente's full name became Bente Lindgaard Poulsen. The family lives in Holte, north of Brønderslev. Children:
2.2.1.3.1 Jacob Lindgaard Poulsen, born 2005.

In 2008 Bente told the following for the website:
(Pictured: Kurt, Bente with Jacob at left) In 1996 I qualified as a veterinary nurse. I have always been very fond of animals, especially cats. Therefore we moved to a former smallholding in Serritslev north of Brønderslev, where we started a cat boarding business. But a year ago we had the opportunity to build a new house a little further down the road. Here we could fulfil our dream of a wooden house while still keeping our good neighbours. We have now moved into the house, even though the craftsmen are not quite finished. Follow the building work at www.katteferie.dk
I was very happy working as a veterinary nurse, but it is not easy to find such work here in North Jutland, so after my maternity leave I began training as a nurse, and I expect to finish in the summer of 2009. It is a demanding education, especially when you have a family and a three-year-old boy to think about. But it has gone well so far, and I hope the last semesters will also go well. I look forward to getting out to work again and not just sitting at a school desk - that is not me.
Kurt is a project manager at DBC (Danish Library Centre) in Ballerup. He is in Ballerup three days a week; the other two days he works from home. It works very well. He flies from Aalborg, leaves home at 7:00 a.m. and is home again at 5:30 p.m., so it is like a normal working day.
The best thing about us building a new house is that my father is moving into the upper floor. It is something we have talked about for several years, so now we finally had the opportunity. Father gets his own apartment of 100 square metres with a small kitchen. It must still be so that we can be ourselves, both him and us. But I also think it will be such that he will come down to eat with us, and Jacob will surely often run upstairs to his grandfather and tell him about his day. So it will be very good for all of us.
My mother lives in a small house in Taars. We benefit greatly from that, especially now that we have Jacob. She enjoys having become a grandmother.

2.2.2 Svend Ingvard Nielsen

Svend was born 23 January 1933 in Skjern, married 10 June 1961 to Anne-Lise Lindskjold Ibsen. Children:
2.2.2.1 Dorte Lindskjold Nielsen born March 1966 in Odense. Married 1995 in Korup Church Morten Frederik Knudsen, born 1968 in Varde. After the marriage Dorte changed her surname to Knudsen. The family lives in Odense. 2 children:
2.2.2.1.1 Frederik Anton Lindskjold Knudsen, born 1996 in Odense.
2.2.2.1.2 Karoline Lise Lindskjold Knudsen, born 1998 in Odense.

2.2.2.2 Helle Lindskjold Nielsen born 1969 in Odense. Lives with Ulrich Kryder Bendtsen in Odense. 2 children:
2.2.2.2.1 Marie Lindskjold Kryder Bendtsen, born 2006 in Odense.
2.2.2.2.2 Mads Lindskjold Kryder Bendtsen, born 2008 in Odense.

2.3 JENNY MARIE NORDESTGAARD

Jenny was born 27 October 1905 in Ringkøbing, died 15 February 1990 in Ringkøbing. Jenny was in poor health throughout her life and lived with her parents. For some years she did machine knitting and was very skilled and diligent in needlework. During her last many years she lived at Ringkøbing nursing home, where she died on 15 February 1990. She was buried in Ringkøbing cemetery beside her parents.

Obituary (1990, Ringkøbing Amts Dagblad):
Death in Ringkøbing
Jenny Nordesgaard, Ringkøbing Nursing Home, has died aged 84.
She was born in Ringkøbing and for many years cared for her mother, Line, in their apartment in Grønnegade. Earlier she had worked at the wool-spinning mill on Herningvej.
Even before her mother's death, Jenny's health had begun to decline, and a few years later she moved into Ringkøbing Nursing Home, where she lived for 22 years — the longest - serving resident at the home.
She enjoyed life at the nursing home on Bellisvej and took a keen interest in what happened around her and in society, often holding strong opinions about world affairs.
Jenny Nordesgaard was unmarried and had little family. A brother had died earlier, and she was survived by an older sister living at Klokkebjerg Nursing Home in Skjern.

This page on the descendants of Christen and Jeppeline Graversen was made 16-4-2026, almost entirely from the former Danish family webpages created by Lars Henrik Nordestgaard Andersen which were in turn based on the family history book created by Holger Nordestgaard, Der Har Jeg Rod, Derfra Min Verden Går published 1983. Many thanks for the original research and effort by Lars, Holger and Dorte. I am happy to add, delete or correct and intend to put up all branches of the family assisted by Chat GPT to help with translation. Email me please.

OTHER NORDESTGAARD PAGES:

Jens & Else Kirstine 1 Gravers Graversen 4 Peder Lind & Cecilie