Chris Callesen, born on June 18, 1854, in Schleswig Holstein, Germany, was a respected farmer in Yankton County, South Dakota. Emigrating to the U.S. at seventeen, he initially settled in Yankton County and, upon reaching adulthood, acquired land from the government. In 1880, he married Christina Nelson, a Danish immigrant. Although they had no biological children, they adopted and raised a son, Nels Anderson. Callesen experienced both challenges, like the 1881 flood that destroyed his home, and successes, eventually owning a prosperous 160-acre farm. Active in his community, he was affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Lutheran church.
Chris Callesen.—Among the citizens of foreign birth residing in Yankton county is numbered Chris Callesen, who is a worthy representative of the fatherland, his career having been a credit alike to Germany and to America. He was born June 18, 1854, in Schleswig Holstein, and was educated in the schools there. When seventeen years of age he came to this country, his parents being George and Annie (Peterson) Callesen, in whose family were thirteen children, two of whom passed away in infancy. The others are Weis, Helena, Yep, Catherine, Annie, Christ, George, Tillie, Margaret, Thomas and Christina. Three of the number are now in this country, while the others are in Germany. The father died in his native country two years ago at the advanced age of eighty-four years and the mother died there in 1860 at the age of forty-four years.
Crossing the Atlantic to the new world when a young man of seventeen, Chris Callesen at once came to Yankton county and when he had attained his majority he entered land from the government. Throughout his entire life he has followed farming. Like most young men starting out in life on their own account, he desired a companion and helpmate for the journey and on the 12th of February, 1880, he wedded Christina Nelson, who was born in Denmark in 1860, there remaining until fourteen years of age, when she came to America in company with her parents, Olsen and Juliana (Hengen) Nelson, the family home being established in Yankton county in 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson were the parents of nine children, namely: Ole, John, Dorothy, Christina, Cecelia, Fred, Christ, Andrew and Helena, all of whom are residents of South Dakota with the exception of Andrew, who is now deceased. The others live in Yankton and Turner counties. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson also make their home in Yankton county and the father, having retired from active business life, is now enjoying the fruits of his former toil, having amassed a very comfortable fortune. He has reached the age of seventy-four years and his wife is now seventy-one years of age.
Mr. and Mrs. Callesen have had no children of their own, but have reared an adopted son, Nels Anderson. He is now a young man of seventeen years, splendidly developed both physically and mentally. At the time of his marriage Mr. Callesen took his bride to a farm and he has throughout his business career been engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1881 the big flood destroyed his home, this being but a year after his marriage. He then removed to Yankton, where he was engaged in the dairy business for three years, and on the expiration of that period he took up a homestead and was for ten years engaged in ranching. He was very successful in that work and when the decade was passed he came to Yankton county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he is now living. His labors have been attended with a gratifying degree of prosperity and he is now one of the well-to-do residents of his adopted county. Politically Mr. Callesen has no party ties, supporting the candidate whom he thinks best qualified for office, although perhaps his allegiance has been more largely given to the Democracy. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and also of the Lutheran church and his life has been passed in consistent harmony with the tenets of one and the faith of the other.
Source: Robinson, Doane, History of South Dakota: together with mention of Citizens of South Dakota, [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen, 1904.