Danish Sisterhood News March 2021

News

Danish Sisterhood

Serving the Danish Sisterhood of America since 1947

March 2021

In this issue: Historian's Corner Resolutions Butikken & Promos and more...

President’s Corner

News

Danish Sisterhood

www.danishsisterhood.com

Volume 74, Number 3

Honorary Member Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Published by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America, (Dansk Søster Samfund) as its Official Publication.

Christina Sallee, National President

It is hard to believe that the first day of Spring will be here soon, 2021 already seems to be flying by. The pandemic is still here, but we finally have good news and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Spring is usually the time when most of our District hold their Conventions, however as we are not quite ready to meet in person, I ask that you cancel, postpone, or have your convention online. Many lodges have had great success using Zoom, or other forms of video conferencing during the past months, and our Tivoli lodge is a great example of this, simply because even if there was no pandemic they would still meet online as this is always their forum for monthly meetings.

For those of you having their District Conventions in the Fall, we are still cautiously optimistic that those will proceed as planned, but we will have to see as we get closer.

We have reached out to the District Presidents, so please be sure to inform us of your plans, so we can make ours and attend as circumstances allow.

Finally, I am sending a special Thankyou to those who have paid their annual dues. I know that 2020 was difficult and a lot of things changed, but the Danish Sisterhood is still here supporting our members and their family in various ways such as scholarships, camp grants and ideas for online meetings. We hope that during 2021 we can eventually have face-to-face meetings again, and I hope you are all able to continue your membership and support of the Danish Sisterhood.

DANISH SISTERHOOD NEWS (USPS 148-200) is published monthly by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America. Office of publication at 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463. Periodicals Postage Paid at Rochester, MN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DANISH SISTERHOOD NEWS, 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463 EDITOR: Lauren C. Nielsen (507) 206-9099

Articles for publication in the Danish Sisterhood News must arrive to the Editor no later than the 1st day of each month previous to publication.

Subscription: Members $12 (US) Non-Members $20 (US) Officers of the Supreme Lodge National President: Christina Sallee, Lodge #81 16116 SW Deline Ct, Beaverton, OR 97007-3425 (503) 928 4494 president@danishsisterhood.com National Vice President & Website: Karin S. Wasler, Lodge #68 814 S Sherbourne Dr #7, Los Angeles, CA 90035 (310) 903-8837 vicepresident@danishsisterhood.com National Secretary: Glenda Madrid, Lodge #177 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463 (805) 448-7631 secretary@danishsisterhood.com • glenda_madrid@hotmail.com National Treasurer: Linda Brooks, Lodge #21 8402 Winter Berry Dr., Castle Rock, CO 80108 303-905-9934 treasurer@danishsisterhood.com National Trustee & Butikken Chairman: Linda Holz #102 4400 EP True Pkwy Unit 47, West Des Moines, IA 50265-5615 (515) 225-0951 trustee1@danishsisterhood.com National Trustee & Scholarship Chairman: Nealna Gylling, Lodge #186 1474 Floan Point Rd, Brainerd, MN 56401 612-390-1374 trustee2@danishsisterhood.com National Trustee, Membership Chairman: Karen Vig-Keathley, Lodge #4 109 South First Street, Itasca, IL 60143 708-715-0071 trustee3@danishsisterhood.com National Past President: Sindy Mikkelsen, Lodge #126 2938 Sweet Grass Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 (707) 755-0260 National Historian: Donna Christensen Thomas, historian@danishsisterhood.com

Christina Sallee, DSS National President Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

Email: editor@danishsisterhood.com

Copyright 1946-2020 by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America, All Rights Reserved.

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Velkommen

Lauren C. Nielsen, Editor

Dear Sisters, With the days slowly getting longer and the temperatures rising ever so slightly each day, I feel hopeful that spring really is just around the corner!

While I know it is common for snow to fall in April or even May in Minnesota, I know that will never stop me from enjoying the early spring.

After a cold snap in February, we had a lovely Saturday with sunshine and a nearly 30 degree day...some would say, "That's so cold!" But in Minnesota, we never take these days for granted. And so, we socially distanced with a couple friends around a campfire. It was such a delight to spend time with people, even with the distance and masks.

This past year, more than ever, I have learned the importance of staying connected with those you love. I have been inspired by our lodges who have carried on—learning how to use Zoom for meetings and presentations, doing drive-by celebrations, dropping off Danish goodies at each others' doors, and continuing to grow our organization and help it thrive. I hope to see even more of these great ideas and celebrations in the months to come.

And please be sure to remember the DSN.... send in your stories, photos, ideas and more! I hope you all have a wonderful spring and that we are all able to gather in person again soon.

Until next time...

Lauren C. Nielsen, Editor editor@danishsisterhood.com

In this Issue President’s Corner.........................................................p 2 Editor’s Welcome...........................................................p 3 Historian's Corner.....................................................p 4-5 Resolutions..................................................................p 6-7 Lady of Tears............................................................p 8-11 Where in Denmark Are You From.........................p 12 Butikken..................................................................p 13-14

Youth Birthdays Happy March Birthday to: Names Thomas Keough America Cole Phoebe Volious Macy Edgington Zoe Edgington

Lodge 21 68 102 131 131

Age 9 9 5 13 13

On the Cover Title: Port of Hirtshals Location: Hirtshals, Denmark, 2007 Photo by: James M. Nielsen Hirtshals Havn or Port of Hirtshals, was established in 1929. Jorgen Fibiger was the civil engineer who planned, projected and built the port.

Hirsthals Havn is also the hub for all ferry routes between Denmark and Norway.

Submit Your Cover Photo!

Do you have a photo that you’d like to see on the cover of the Danish Sisterhood News? Send in your submissions and yours could be featured next!

Photographs must be high resolution and should be accompanied by a short description of the photo’s content. Photos from Danish events, Sisterhood meetings, travels around Denmark, Danish culture and more are all great topics. Send photos to: editor@danishsisterhood.com 3

Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

Member Story

Member Note

Our family has a tradition of sharing Super Bowl Weekend (that is another story) and go out for dinner on that Saturday, because I prepare food for all day on Sunday.

This year, due to the pandemic, we kept it small and with family that we see on a regular basis. I decided to make a frikadellar dinner with mashed potatoes and red cabbage, as several family members had never had it before. In preparation, I had purchased everyone a tshirt from the newsletter, not knowing that they are made only in female sizes. Well, you can imagine the laughter when everyone was a good sport and just “went with it”! Attached are photos of me making 47 frikadellars and our gang with the tshirts!

We made the Country Oat Loaf recipe from the Danish Sisterhood News and it was delicious. We make it once a month now.

Paul and Tracey Nielsen

Kathy Bonn

Historian’s Corner

Overview of the Mærsk-Moller Family and the Mærsk Company

by Donna Christensen Thomas, National DSS Historian

During the Christmas season while watching the nightly news, a story caught my attention. The report showed a harbor with various ships containing goods manufactured anywhere in the world which were unable to be delivered due to the pandemic and travel restrictions. This resulted in the shortage of some popular gift items. I spotted the shipping container in the harbor marked MÆRSK with its characteristic unique logo. I commented to my husband that MÆRSK is a Danish company and started delving to learn more about the company’s history and the founders’ history.

I would normally have tried to access additional materials in the libraries at the Danish AmeriDanish Sisterhood News, March 2021

can Archives and Library(DAAL) and the Genealogy Center of the Museum of Danish America. However, these institutions are closed due to the pandemic so I ended up accessing what I could online, starting with Wikipedia. I will summarize and supplement with further research. A.P. Møller and the Møller family are as well known in Denmark as Warren Buffet, the Carnegie, Rockefeller families and other highly successful business people in the USA.

Arnold Peter Møller (1876-1965) was a Danish shipping magnate who along with his father, Captain Peter Mærsk Møller (1836-1927) founded the Dampskibsselskabet Svendborg (the Steamship Company Svendborg in 1904. The latter, a veteran 4

Historian’s Corner of the Second Prussian War of 1864, was the first in Denmark to suggest using steamships over sailing ships. They took advantage of the opportunities created by their introduction. His mother Anna Hansen Nielsen Jeppesen (1843-1922) came from wellknown shipping dynasty in Dragør and her father Hans Nielsen Jeppesen (1815-1883 ) was known as the “King of Dragør.”

After his wife Laura recovered from a serious illness, and as a reminder of the answered prayers offered during the night, Peter Mærsk Møller, a deeply religious Christian, attached a blue banner with a white seven sided star on the chimney of the steamship. He saw the sign of a star in the gray, cloudy sky which became a symbol of the company and remains so today on a deep blue background.

As research progressed, I was very surprised to learn that A.P. Moller married an American woman. I was very curious and intrigued as to how they became acquainted! I initially imagined him in the USA for business or education, but found in a 1910 newspaper article about their marriage which read “Finishing her school work she took a tour of Europe, and while in Copenhagen met the ‘apple of her eye’".

A 1992 Kansas City Star article read, “Therein lies a story. A love story. In 1908, Arnold P. Møller, 30, son of the founder of Mærsk, met American Chastine Estelle Roberta McKinney of Kansas City. Møller fell in love. Chassie as she was called, put off her Danish suitor. Arnold pursued Chassie, writing home, ‘That is the way Yankees are.’ Eventually, Chassie relented.”

Their wedding took place April 30,1910 at her aunt and uncle’s home in the small village of Mayview, near Kansas City, Missouri. Her familial background from the British Isles had settled and migrated to Missouri and Kentucky, from the Carolinas and Virginia for several generations back to colonial times.

The couple lived in Copenhagen and had four children: daughters Sally (1912-1989, Jane 1926-2002), Hans (1915-1934) and Arnold Mærsk McKinney Møller (1913-2012) who took over the business from his father as CEO in 1965 upon his father’s death. Chastine’s mother Sarah F (Thatcher) McKinney (1857-1920) joined the family in Denmark and died there . Four years after Chastine’s death in 1948, A.P. married Norwegian widow Pernille Ulrikke Amlie (Nielsen) Petterøe (1888-1972).

The McKinney-Møller family never forgot Mayview as they named their home near Copenhagen the Villa Mayview. In 1992, descendants of A.P. and Chassie’s descendants named one of their ships after the village, the Mayview Mærsk, their only ship to be named after a place .The population of Mayview, MO in 2010 census was 211, comprised of 58 families.

World War I was a very lucrative time for the shipping business. The opportunity was taken to full advantage, Mærsk became the fourth largest shipping company in Denmark. The company continued to grow and by World War II was the largest company in Denmark. Before the German invasion of Denmark in April of 1940, A.P. Møller telegraphed his ships not to obey orders from occupied Denmark.

During the War the company was run in part by the exiled son Arnold from New York until 1947. Allegedly, the family lost a great deal of money because the U.S. government would not pay full compensation for the use of their ships during the war.

A.P. Møller was also involved in business ventures outside the shipping industry. He got a contract for drilling oil in the Danish area of the North Sea in 1962 as well as natural gas. In 1964, he joined merchant Herman Salling in ownership of the retail chain Dansk Supermarked which became the largest retail company in Denmark. Arnold Mærsk McKinney Møller became the wealthiest person in Denmark, surpassed recently by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen of the LEGO dynasty.

Møller was awarded with several honors including being knighted to the Danish Order of the Elephant as well as Life Honorary Membership of the Baltic Exchange in recognition of his service to shipping. He served on several boards of directors.

The family and their foundation donated the funds for the Copenhagen Opera House across the harbor from the royal residence Amalienborg Palace not far from the Mærsk headquarters. They also donated Amaliehavn, a park between the Palace and harbor in the 1980’s.

Mærsk, still based in Copenhagen, employs over 80,000 people and has offices in 130 countries worldwide. Ithas been the largest container shipping company in the world for several decades. It is presently headed by fourth generation Ane Mærsk Møller Uggla.

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Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

Resolution: Birthe Jensen Olesen Birthe Jensen Olesen passed away on January 9th 2020 in Media, Pennsylvania at the age of 92. Birthe joined the Philadelphia Princess Marie Lodge 86 on April 19, 1962.

Birthe was considered our matriarch and will be greatly missed by all.

Birthe was born December 17, 1927 in Aalborg, Denmark. She was the Daughter of the late Magnus and Kirstine (Simonsen) Jensen. She was the oldest of four children growing up and attending school in Aalborg. After finishing her secondary education Birthe went on to study nursing at Copenhagen Hospital. She loved to travel; after a few years of nursing in Copenhagen Birthe decided to branch out and experience life in other countries, first Scotland and England and then the United States. She came here as a nursing exchange student. On November 15, 1955 at the age of 27, Birthe sailed on the Oslofjord, and arrived in New York City.

Birthe met her husband Georg Olesen while working in New Jersey. Georg was a fellow Dane coming to the US in 1954. They married May 4th 1957 in the Danish Lutheran Church in Perth Amboy. NJ. The couple settled in the Philadelphia area and quickly became active members of the Danish Brotherhood and Danish Sisterhood Societies.

Georg passed away January 1988 after 30 years of marriage.

Birthe was a very active committed member of the Sisterhood, rarely missing a lodge meeting or district convention. Birthe was awarded the 2017 Sister of the Year award at the 2017 EGC Convention held in Philadelphia, PA. In 2012 we celebrated her 50th anniversary with 2 other sister members Toby and Ulla, who had joined the sisterhood that same year. In 1983 the Danish Sisterhood celebrated its 100-year anniversary and held its National Convention in Philadelphia. This was the first combined Sisterhood and Brotherhood National Convention Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

known as Phila-Dania, Birthe and her husband Georg spearheaded the convention.

Birthe hosted our Lodge’s Christmas Party in her condominium’s party room where she lived in Glen Mills, PA. Smorgasbord, Aquavit, Danish beer and of course Risalamande for dessert was always delicious. Dancing around the Christmas Tree singing Christmas Carrols in Danish and English, opening our gifts--all of this happened because of Birthe’s generosity, opening up her home to all of her sisters.

Birthe is survived by her 3 daughters Bente, Annette and Linda. Her daughters Bente and Annette are active members of Sisterhood Lodge 86. Birthe is also survived by her 9 grandchildren and one great grandson. We will miss her!

Bente Olesen Cloud, Daughter & Danish Sister

February & March Specials Purchase a heart compact, heart flag earrings or a coral heart pendant and the profits from your purchase will go toward the DSS Archival Project. danishsisterhood.org

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Resolution: Joni Hansen Hill Amber Lodge #186 has lost a dear, founding member of our lodge. Joni Hansen Hill passed away at home on February 14, 2021 in Brainerd, MN, surrounded by her family.

Joni was born on July 20, 1936 and just celebrated her 84th birthday last summer with family and friends. She was raised on the family farm just south of Brainerd; the same farmland her Danish grandparents purchased in 1885 after immigrating to Minnesota from Denmark.

Joni was a founding member of Danish Sisterhood, Amber Lodge #186. She was Secretary/Treasurer for many years, Treasurer and Vice President, holding offices from our founding in 2004 until 2017 when her health prevented her from continuing as an officer.

She was an active member and also presented several programs about Denmark at lodge

meetings. Joni furthered her exploration of her family's Danish heritage through several trips to Denmark. Amber Lodge Sisterhood members will miss her very much.

Joni is survived by her daughters, Karen and Margaret, her brother, Bill Hansen, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorials may be directed to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research or to the Danish Sisterhood Archival Project through the National Danish Sisterhood Fundraising Initiative.

We will drape our Charter in Joni's memory at the first meeting our lodge has when it's possible to meet safely again.

Barb Wenschlag President, Amber Lodge #186

Resolution: Inge Marie Kaplan On January 6th, 2021 we lost a dear member of the Supreme Danish Sisterhood of America, Lodge # 168, Vintergækken of Bakersfield.

Inge joined the Lodge on June 3rd, 1982 and served many years as our great secretary.

Inge was born and grew up on a farm around Winton, CA. Her parents were both Danish immigrants, and Danish was her first language, so she was fluid in Danish and often translated letters for people who could not read Danish.

Inge worked at a variety of jobs, including as a loan officer at Great Western Bank, and helping her husband run a hamburger stand.

When she retired, she filled her time with a variety of clubs: 60 Plus, The Sierra Club, Democratic Women of Kern Co., Widows and

Orphans, who get together for holidays, and a couple of lunch groups, meeting once a month. If any group asked for volunteers, Inge was one of the first to offer.

In Sisterhood tradition a donation to the CA District Scholarship Fund will be made in Inge’s name.

Inge will be remembered as a kind and gentle woman and a great listener; she will truly be missed.

Inge’s final resting place will be next to her late husband, Daniel L Kaplan at the Bakersfield National Cemetery in Arvin.

Vintergækken Danish Lodge #168 of Bakersfield

In Memoriam NAME Cert # Eleanor Christoffersen 762

Lodge # Location Birth Date Birth Place 36 Perth Amboy, NJ 11.30.21

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Initiated 5.16.86

Died 4.20.20

Benefit

Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

Dame af Tårer (Lady of Tears) - Continued from Feb 2021 DSN

by Annette Lind

With the unrest in the country, Alexander and Dagmar moved about 31 miles outside of St. Petersburg to Garchina Palace.

This large palace had been built by Catherine the Great, and it had over 900 rooms. They lived there for 13 years with their five surviving children. They were always under heavy guard, but in the summers they were able to visit Denmark. These trips were especially enjoyable since in Denmark they had so much more freedom.

In 1887 a plot to assassinate Alexander III was launched.

Those involved hollowed out books and filled them with dynamite to throw at the Czar The Okhrana discovered the plot. Five students were hung. One of them was the older brother of Vladimir Lenin.

The oldest son of Dagmar and Alexander II, Nicholas, was a bit of a playboy. His parents thought it was important that he marry, but the woman he wanted to marry was Princess Alicky, a grandchild of Queen Victoria. Both Dagmar and her husband felt the young woman did not have the right character to be an empress. However by July of 1894 it was very apparent that Czar Alexander III was very ill. The parents relented. On March 1, 1894 the Czar died. He was only 49 years old. Dagmar had lost her Sasha as he was known to the family.

Around a week later the Nicholas and Alicky were married.

The Empress was now the Dowager Empress, but while she had not been much involved in politics as Empress, she now became very involved. She served as a political advisor to her son.

The young Czar would often check with his mother before making decisions. Dagmar pressed him to resume the reforms his grandfather had begun in order to avoid revolution. However when after four daughters Alicky, now Empress Alexandra, gave birth to a son, she replaced Dagmar as her husband’s advisor. The two women were opposites.

Dagmar had worked to ingratiate herself to the Russian people. Empress Alexandra was shy and closed herself off from the people.

Dagmar was especially interested in removing Rasputin, a mystic and faith healer, who had Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

become a part of the Russian court.

However, Rasputin had the ear of the Empress who believed he had saved her son’s life. (Alexis Nicholaievitch suffered from hemophilia and when he was extremely ill, Alexandra had contacted Rasputin who told her the boy would recover. The next day he started getting better.) As a result, she fought the attempts by Dagmar to have him removed. The tensions grew between Dagmar and her son and daughter-in-law to the point they no longer had contact.

Dagmar began to spend more time outside of Russia on trips to Denmark and England. She and her sister Alexandra purchased the villa Hvidøre just north of Copenhagen. She continued to try to influence her son from a distance but it became clear the Empress Alexandra was actually calling the shots in Russia. Dagmar moved to Kiev.

In 1914, Russia was drawn into World War I, but was unprepared for the scale and magnitude of the fighting. Nicholas’ subjects were horrified by the number of casualties the country sustained. Russia had the largest number of deaths in the war—over 1.8 million military deaths, and about 1.5 million civilian deaths.

Dagmar was in England when Russia entered the war. She tired to hurry home but was stopped by the German authorities from entering Russia. She had to go through Denmark and Finland. Once back in Russia she again worked on the war effort as President of the Red Cross.

In 1917 the Russian Revolution began.

On March 15, 1917, the army garrison at Petrograd joined striking workers in demanding socialist reforms, and Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate. He first abdicated in favor of his son Alexis. But his son was ill and weak and Nicholas then abdicated in favor of his brother Michael. However, in light of the circumstances, Michael did not accept the authority. After 304 years of Romanov rule in Russia, the dynasty was finished.

Dagmar was shocked. She left Kiev to meet with her son. They spent three difficult days together. On March 21 they bid each other what 8

was to be the final goodbye. She never saw Nicholas again.

With the government of Russia in chaos, it became necessary that Dagmar leave Kiev. The Kiev Council made it plain that she was no longer welcome there. In the beginning of April 1917 Dagmar and some of her family were ordered to leave for the Crimea.

It was a frightening journey. After arriving in Crimea, she lived in Ai-Todor. Most communication between Dagmar and her family was now cut off. At first they were mostly left alone, but in May the house was searched and the family put under arrest. They were afterward confined to the estate and no letters could be sent or received. Eventually paths of communication were opened, and Dagmar was no longer under arrest.

But in August she learned Nicholas and his family had been moved to Tobolsk in Siberia. The situation was deteriorating and offers came from many countries to help Dagmar escape and seek asylum with them. She always refused.

Lenin and the Bolsheviks were now in charge. On March 1918 Russia signed a peace treaty with Germany. Lenin was anxious to be out of the war and turned over a lot of Russian territory to the former enemy. On March 11 Dagmar was forced to move to Djulber. They were guarded by over 60 men with machine guns. Food was strictly rationed.

Pleas were sent by family and friends of Dagmar to her sister Alexandra saying Dagmar’s situation was critical.

The Germans were marching toward the Crimea and rumors circulated that there were plans by the Bolsheviks to eliminate the Romanovs so they could not be saved by the Kaiser. Again arrangements were made to try to rescue Dagmar and her family. But Dagmar was saved when a German column sent by the Kaiser arrived in Crimea.

She was saved by Russia’s enemies and for much of her life, her enemies as well.

Dagmar, however, refused the offer of asylum in Germany and instead asked to be guarded not by the German army but by the local Tartars who lived in Crimea and had remained loyal to Russian Dowager Empress.

In April, Dagmar moved again, this time to Harax located just west of Ai-Todor. Life for the Romanovs in the Crimea returned to a semblance of order. For Dagmar, however, one thing became more difficult. No one had heard from Nicholas and his family since March when they were sent to Tobolik. By July life for Dagmar was unbearable without

knowing where her son and grandchildren were. Then on August 1, 1918 she heard Nicholas had been shot sometime in the middle of July but that the Empress and children were safe.

On November 11, 1918 Germany lost World War I. They had to evacuate from Crimea. More attempts were made to convince Dagmar to leave and return to Denmark or Sweden or even Germany. Dagmar rejected any plan for her to leave secretly. In fact, she refused to leave unless she was attacked.

In January 1919 Dagmar made another of the several attempts she had previously made to find out what had happened to her son Nicholas and his family. She learned nothing more.

In fact, however, in July of 1918 the advance of counter-revolutionary forces caused the Yekaterinburg Soviet forces to fear that Nicholas might be rescued. After a secret meeting, a death sentence was passed on the imperial family, and Nicholas, his wife, his children, and several of their servants were gunned down on the night of July 16.

Dagmar refused to believe her son and his family were dead and kept her faith until her death in 1928. However, her daughter Olga has written that she thought Dagmar, in her heart, knew they were dead.

The Red Army moved closer and closer to Crimea with Dagmar insisting it was her duty to remain. In early April of 1919 Captain Charles Johnson of the battleship H.M.S. Marlborough arrived in the harbor near Harax. He brought an offer of asylum from King George of England and a letter from Alexandra begging Dagmar to leave. After several hours of persuasion, she finally admitted defeat, but only if others could also come. In the end the ship carried 19 members of the Imperial family along with their maids, manservants, governesses and officials of their households. In addition there were 1,170 crew, 200 tons of luggage and a fortune in jewels. The result was the ship had to be outfitted for many many more people than originally planned.

Before she left Dagmar insisted she go to 9

Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

pray at a small church at Harax, even though the Red Army forces were in the area. On April 11, 1919 Dagmar finally left Russia. She had lived 52 years of her life there. Her husband and two sons were buried there and her children Olga and Michael and even Nicholas (or so she believed) remained behind. It is said as the ship moved into the Black Sea, Dagmar “stood on deck, watching the coastline until she could see it no more. She had lost her country, possessions and many of her family but she had her life. Now at seventy-one, she would spend the rest of her life in exile” (quote from page 320 of Coryne Hall’s book Little Mother of Russia).

Dagmar arrived in England on May 9, 1919.

Unlike the arrivals that had greeted her in the past, it was apparent to Dagmar that now she was just one more of the many Royals who were now exiles.

Although finally back with her beloved sister, the two women found little in common after all the years that had passed. It is often written that Dagmar had a hard time no longer being the most important woman in the room. By August things had reached a point at which Dagmar decided to return to Denmark. She is quoted as having said, “Better number one at Hvidøre than number two at Sandringham. (Sandringham is a country retreat and private home used by British monarchs since 1862).

Hividøre Originally a home was built by King John of Denmark in the 16th century on this site along the Oresund just north of Copenhagen for strategic reasons. It was the only port north of Copenhagen where ships could land. In 1871 the original home was demolished the home that exists today was built. In 1937 the home was purchased

by Novo Industry and in 1938 opened as a sanitarium for people with diabetes. Here is where our

lodge has a bit a a connection with Dagmar. Many of you probably remember the program presented to our Lodge by member Marian Wilkerson. Marian spoke to us about the Novo Nordisk company, a Danish pharmaceutical company for whom she works. The parent company now owns Dagmar’s home. It is used for internal conferences and training by the Novo Group.

In April of 1920 having learned that Olga her daughter and her family were in Belgrade, Dagmar wanted them in Denmark. They arrived on Good Friday that same month and lived with Dagmar at Hvidøre. Dagmar’s presence in Denmark raised some issues for the King and the country.

She continued to live as if she were still rich. (At one time it is believed that the Czar was the richest man in the world.) Dagmar's hatred of Germany and angry views on the Russian civil war were an embarrassment to the Danish government who refused to give her financial support.

She made several return trips to England and was there on April 26, 1923 to attend the wedding of Albert, Duke of York to lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The first child of this couple is today Queen Elizabeth II of England. During her stay her sister Alexandra suffered from declining health. Dagmar herself became ill and was forced to spend the entire summer of 1923 in England.

During her time in Denmark many of the Romaovs moved to Copenhagen. Most felt that they would not be long in exile and would soon be able to return to Russia and their previous lives.

They especially felt this way after the death of Lenin in January 1924. Because Dagmar refused to recognize that her son and his family were dead, there was an unwritten agreement that as long as she lived no member of the Royal family would claim the throne. Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovitch broke that agreement and proclaimed himself Emperor as soon as Michaelm Dagmar’s son, was declared legally dead in 1924.

Dagmar was furious and worked to keep his claim from being recognized by the other Romanovs.

Throughout her final years she received reports both confirming the death of Nicholas or supporting the idea that he or at least some of his family still lived. Perhaps one of the most interesting claims was from a young woman who claimed to be Anastasia, daughter of Nicholas and Alexandra. This woman had been pulled from a canal in Berlin after attempting suicide. In the hospital she began to confide in people that she

Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

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was, in fact, Anastasia. Some people thought she looked like the Anastasia. It is thought that even Olga, Dagmar’s daughter, thought the girl might be who she said she was.

Eventually the girl moved to America and called herself Anna Anderson. When the bodies of nine people were excavated near Ekaterinburg, DNA tests were performed and the scientists determined there was a 98.5% chance that five of them were Nicholas, Alexander and three of their daughters.

The other four were thought to be servants. Then ten years after the death of Anna Anderson in 1984 her DNA, gathered during a operation she had in 1979, was compared to that of the Romanovs. It did not match, but it did match the relatives of a woman named Francesca Schanzkowska, a Polish peasant who had disappeared in 1920.

On November 20, 1925 Dagmar’s sister Alexandra died of a heart attack. It was one more loss for this woman who had endured great fame but also so many sad losses. Her daughter Olga said after this news Dagmar began to look and act like an old woman. By October of 1928 she was failing fast.

At 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 13, 1928 Dagmar died. She had slipped into a coma and died peacefully. Her daughter said it was one of her last wishes to be placed next to her husband, Alexander III in

Russia, if it was ever possible.

Christian X of Denmark, who had had to deal with many of the issues involved with having the former Russian Empress in his country, at first said there would not be a state funeral. Public opinion, however, made him change his mind.

Her coffin was carried with great pomp and circumstance through the streets of Copenhagen The city’s shop windows were draped in black and flags were lowered to half mast. A special train carried her body to Roskilde where following a service the last surviving Empress of Russia was laid to rest in Frederick V’s chapel. In 1958 Dagmar’s coffin was moved to the private royal crypt on the lower level of the cathedral.

In 1997, the 150th anniversary of Dagmar’s birth, a service was held in the crypt.

So now we are back to the point at which we started in 2006 when this small woman with the incredible life finally found her place at her husbands side in the country that had become her home. Her son Nicholas and his family are also interred in the St. Peter and Paul Church in Russia where the body of Dagmar now lies next to her beloved Sasha.

There are three books in English on Dagmar: The Empress Marie of Russia and Her Times by Vladimir Poliakoff written in her lifetime.

Marie Feodorovna, Empress of Russia by E.E.P. Tisdall in 1957 Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall in 1999 (this book was used extensively in writing this article and will be donated to our Sisterhood Lodge library.)

There is also a youtube video that can be found at https://youtu.be/IlDaiAWVv64. Click on this site or copy and paste site into your browser. I think you will really like seeing Dronning Margrethe II talk about her ancestor, Dagmar, Princess of Denmark, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia.

Membership Expansion Welcome New Members!

LODGE

NEW MEMBER

SPONSOR

300 300 300 300

Alicia Sweeney Nuket Curran Janice Stuerzl Jennifer Tbaxton

Nellie Curran Nellie Curran National Linda Brooks

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Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

Denmark

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU FROM? Share what cities or towns you or your ancestors came from in Denmark. Email to editor@danishsisterhood.com Bornholm one submission 2-10 submissions 10+ submissions

Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

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1. Hygge T-Shirt • Red with white print • Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL • Price: $20 2. Black Baseball Cap with Logo in Satin Stitch Embroidery • Price: $20 3. Black Baseball Cap with Logo in Sequins • Price: $20 4. Red Laser Cut Boxes • Unassembled • For table favors • Price: $0.75 5. Get Your FRIK On! T-shirt • Red with white print • Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL • Price: $20 6. Wine Bottle Opener • Black & red • Price: $5 7. Red Plastic Heart-Shaped Paper Clip • Price: $1 8. Greeting Cards • Blank inside • Price: $1 each 9. Puffy Vest • Navy with Sisterhood Logo • Sizes L, XL, XXL • Price: $50

To order contact: Linda Holz Email: trustee1@danishsisterhood.com Phone: 515.225.0951 4400 EP True Pkwy, Unit 47 West Des Moines , IA 50265-5615 Note: Prices do not include shipping and handling.

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10. Sisterhood Heart Makeup Compact • Magnifying & regular mirrors • Price: $5 11. Car Decal • White with a red Danish flag heart • Price: $3 or 2 for $5 12. Coral Pendant with Silver Filigree • Red and silver necklace pendant • Price: $45 13. DSS Fleece Jacket • Available in red & black • Price: $37.50 14. Denmark Flag Enamel Earrings • Pierced • Price: $10/pair 15. Red Ball Point Pen • With Sisterhood web address • Price: $5 16. Onesie • Red with white print • Sizes: 6 mo, 12 mo, 18 mo • Price: $15 17. Set of 5 Notecards • Includes envelopes • $12/set 18. Heart Scarf • Available in red & white • Price: $15

To order contact: Linda Holz Email: trustee1@danishsisterhood.com Phone: 515.225.0951 4400 EP True Pkwy, Unit 47 West Des Moines , IA 50265-5615 Note: Prices do not include shipping and handling.

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DSS Angel Member Status The Danish Sisterhood has a new and very special member status, the DSS Angels. This status belongs to those members that wish to gift their funeral benefit back to the Sisterhood. We have had some members in the past make the Sisterhood their beneficiary. We believe this is a generous and significant gift, and wish to honor them while we can, keeping a list of our current “Angels” posted. A couple of options are available: • A change of beneficiary to: Danish Sisterhood of America or, • A change of beneficiary to one of the national scholarship funds. Be specific, ie: Betty Hansen Scholarship, Past National Officers, Camp Grant, etc.

If you wish to change your status, please contact your lodge or the National Secretary for a Beneficiary Change Form. Your benefit does not need to be fully paid yet, and you would be expected to maintain your payments, as the Sisterhood will not receive the benefit until your passing. Those that do not have a funeral benefit as part of your membership category are welcome to participate by donating $1,000 to the Danish Sisterhood of America.

On behalf of our entire membership, we wish to thank and honor as our first Angels: Lodge # 166 168 126 188 75 22 15 12 177 125 171 102 149 187 177 81 81 165 90 102 15 125 177 15 166 126

Name Viola Wilson Joann Scott Dorothy Petersen Karin Plagens Sandra Nelson Carole Hodges Andrea Sue Welling Leih Elizabeth Haar Glenda Madrid Nancy J. Mayland Johanne Gade Diann Weinman Carol Smith Meredith Sorensen Marie Jaeger Christina Sallee Melissa Sallee Marie Fairbanks Constance Schneider Susan R. Fisher Lou Ann Jensen Hanne Skaarup Else Lassiter Pamela H. Ruben Carolyn Sias Ruth M. Brigden

Address Changes If you have moved please use this form to notify the Danish Sisterhood of America.

Clip and mail to: Danish Sisterhood News National Secretary: Glenda Madrid 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463 I belong to Lodge #: Name: New Address: City: Zip Code:

State:

Submissions Guidelines Submissions should be received by the Editor by the 1st of the month previous to the month published (Deadlines can be found on page 2).

Please submit captions for pictures, including names of people in the picture.

Text for submissions should be less than 600 words (one typed page).

Mail or electronic submissions are welcomed The Editor will proofread for spelling and grammatical errors and will edit for clarity.

Upcoming Newsletter Deadlines April 2021 issue...........................Submit by March 1 May 2021 issue...............................Submit by April 1 June 2021 issue...............................Submit by May 1 July 2021 issue................................Submit by June 1 August 2021 issue...........................Submit by July 1 September 2021 issue.............Submit by August 1 October 2021 issue...........Submit by September 1 November 2021 issue............Submit by October 1 15

Danish Sisterhood News, March 2021

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