Robert Jorgensen
Robert Jorgensen was born November 5th 1857 He was born Rasmas Rasmussen in Albjerg Denmark. He came to the U.S.A. in 1859 with his parents Dorthea and Jorgen Rasmussen and a half sister Anna and a sister Mary.
When Danish boys are Baptized the are given a new name by taking the father's first name and adding sen to it. So his name became Rasmas Jorgensen. He later Americanized it to Robert Jorgensen
The family settled in Chicago. Jorgen Rasmussen was a cabinet maker. He died 2 years after they arrived in Chicago during a Cholera epidemic. Then Robert age 4 became the man of the house.
Dorthea made ends meet by making dresses and doing alterations. She also did ironing and sold preserves and jellies. Robert went to school until he was 8. Then he got his first job getting glue pots ready for cabinet makers. He gave the money to his mother to help the family.
At 14 he got a better job in a local print shop. He would do odd jobs at first. Robert eventually became Overseer of press room activities. Because of his lack of education he could not get a better job. His pay was always very low.
On October 21 1884 Robert became a U.S. citizen. It was one of the happiest days of his life.
On October 6th 1885 he married his neighbor Elizabeth (Lizzie) Jones. They had 6 Children, Robert Evens born 8/20/1886., Mabel Elizabeth born 3/6/1891, Harold Thomas born 8/20/1895, Clarence William (Clare) born 5/6/1898, Raymond Joseph born 2/10/1902 and Mildred Grace born 8/19/1905. That is a big family and Roberts small pay did not go very far at all. So Lizzie found all the help she could in Chicago to feed and cloth her children. There was one thing they had plenty of and that was love.
In 1903 Raymond was suffering from Pneumonia and not doing good. The Doctor had just left the baby and asked his mother to close the windows because the cool night air was not good for the baby. Before they could close the windows a white pigeon appeared out of the night and sat calmly on the open window ledge. The kerosene lamp all of a sudden got real bright. Lizzie looked up at the pigeon and prayed with tears in her eyes. She prayed “Lord you have sent me a messenger to make me strong in this hour of human strife and sorrow. I now know that my baby will gather strength as you take him in your care to live in your house forever.” Then God sent an angel to take baby Raymond home.
Robert was always very punctual. He always worked hard. He loved the great outdoors, all the animals, the birds and the bees, the trees, the smell of pine needles. He never had much money but he was very generous with what he had. Anytime he saw a beggar he gave them a nickel or a dime. Someone asked him once why he was so good to hobos. He answered “I'm afraid of putting out the light of hope in someone deserving help.”
Robert worked 50 years for the print shop. In all that time he only got 1 raise in pay. Robert never considered it a pay raise he considered it a company award for many years of good service. He had an almost a perfect attendance record He was out once when he got ink poisoning and almost lost a hand. While he was home draining the poison from his hand someone neglected to give a big press a safety check before it was turned on. Someone had dropped a wrench in the press and when it was turned on it caused very serious damage to the press. All the press room employees said if Little Robert was there it would not have happened. He would have seen the wrench in one of his safety checks and pulled it out before the press was started. (He was called Little Robert because he was a small man in size. But he had a very big heart.)
Robert retired at the age of 64. Robert and Lizzie went to live with daughter Mildred. Things were tight. There was no social security back then and Robert had no retirement. So one day Mabel decided to do something about the situation if she could.
She went to Evanston Illinois where the owner of the company lived. She found his house and feeling braver then she was she went up to the big mansion and knocked on the door. She waited a few minutes finally the door opened. And a butler looked down at Mabel. She gulped and said “Sir I would like to see Mr. Barnes about my father.” The Butler said “Who is you father and who might you be?” Mabel said “My father is Robert Jorgensen and I am Mabel.” The Butler said “Wait here a minute” He came back in a few minute, she was ushered into a sitting room and told to wait. She looked around at all the fancy stuff while she waited. Finally Mr. Barnes walked in and shook her hand and asked how her father was doing. Mabel said “That is why I am here sir. They are having a terrible time financially and I was wondering if you could give my parents some sort of pension. After all he gave you 50 years of good service.” Mr. Barnes said “ I am sorry things are so bad for Little Robert, let me see what I can do.” A few minutes later Mabel left. A few weeks later Robert started receiving a pension. It wasn't much but it sure helped.
Robert died at the age of 91 on November 29th 1948, Lizzie died a year later.
Just to set the record Straight, Robert and Lizzie Jorgensen were my Great-Grandparents and Mabel was my Maternal Grandmother whom I loved very much. She died in 1976 and I still miss her.
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