Mads C. Madsen was born December 29, 1860, in Haustrup, Oster Nykirke, Vejle, Denmark.
The 1880 United States census showed Mads Madson (age 20, born in Denmark, farm laborer) living in Farmington, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.
Mads Madsen married Kjarstena (Christina) M. Thomson about 1882. Mads and Christina had eleven children.
The 1900 Minnesota census showed Mads C. Madsen (age 39, born in December 1860 in Denmark, manufacturing) married to Christine M. (age 33, born in August 1866 in Denmark) and living in North Hutchinson Township, Minnesota. Children Viggo J. (age 14, born in November 1885 in Minnesota), Nettie C. (age 12, born in August 1887 in Minnesota), Walter T. (age 11, born in January 1889 in Minnesota), Leon V. (age 9, born in June 1890 in Minnesota), Alton M. (age 8, born in March 1892 in Minnesota), Alma (age 12, born in May 1893 in Minnesota), George W. (age 5, born in September 1894 in Minnesota), and Marie M. (age 4, born in March 1896 in Minnesota) also lived with the couple.
The 1905 Minnesota census showed M. C. Madsen (age 43, born in Denmark, brick layer) married to Kristina (age 38, born in Denmark) and living in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Children Veoga (age 19, born in Minnesota), Walter (age 16, born in Minnesota), Lean (age 14, born in Minnesota), Alta (age 13, born in Minnesota), Almand (age 12, born in Minnesota), Garge (age 10, born in Minnesota), Mary (age 9, born in Minnesota), Matave (age 3, born in Minnesota), Orolard (age 2, born in Minnesota), and Willbert (age 11 months, born in Minnesota) also lived with the couple.
The 1910 United States census showed Mat C. Madsen (age 49, born in Denmark, tile and brick proprietor) married to Christin M. (age 45, born in Denmark) and living in Hutchinson Township, Minnesota. Children Walter T. (age 21, born in Minnesota, farm ditches), Leon H. (age 19, born in Minnesota), Alta M. (age 18, born in Minnesota), Alma (age 16, born in Minnesota), George H. (age 15, born in Minnesota), Marie M. (age 14, born in Minnesota), Matthew C. (age 8, born in Minnesota), Orevil O. (age 7, born in Minnesota), and Wilbur D. (age 5, born in Minnesota) also lived with the couple.
Christina Madsen died in 1915. Mads Madsen married Laura on June 24, 1916.
The 1920 United States census showed M. C. Madsen (age 59, born in Denmark, tile factory manager) married to Laura (age 49, born in Denmark) and living in Hutchinson Township, McLeod County, Minnesota. Children Marie (age 24, born in Minnesota), Mathew (age 18, born in Minnesota), Orville (age 16, born in Minnesota), and William (age 15, born in Minnesota) also lived with the couple.
The 1930 United States census showed Mads C. Madsen (age 69, born in Denmark, silo manufacturer) married to Laura (age 59, born in Denmark) and living in Hutchinson Township, McLeod County, Minnesota.
(Poem) Does the credit all belong to the dreamer, In whose brain was pictured the plan, Or all to the builder who builded, With the help of his brother man?
Shall some of it go to the digger, That dug in the earth below, And to the men who mixed the mortar, Or laid the bricks in a row.
Shall some of it go to the artist, Who tacked drawings upon the wall, As well as the guilder who guilded, With gold the steeple ball.
From the top of the spire to the basement, Each window, wall and door, Plaster that covered the ceilings, The cement on the basement floor.
All called for the best of the talent, Of the men who followed each line, And who worked so bravely together, To erect a building divine.
Back in the early 80’s a lad in Denmark, near Vigle, was engaged in the manufacture of shoes (wooden) and as he sat at his task one day he became so wrapped up in his thoughts about other matters that he forgot to watch his work properly and the result was that he gouged a little too hard while whittling away the wood from the inside of the shoe and pushed the cutting tool right on through the toe of the shoe; thus ruining it. It also ruined him from further prospects as a maker of wooden shoes but he didn’t wait for matters to take their usual course. He stood up from his bench and made the statement: "I’m going to America." Next the people here in Hutchinson began to notice a husky young man who had recently shown up from the old country. He was a hustler and went right to work helping around a brick yard, laying brick, taking contracts, making himself felt in church and civic circles, preaching prohibition, figuring out new ways to utilize raw materials available for improvement of our farms, eventually starting a brick yard, tile factory, silo slab fabrication works, cement block moulder, a pottery kiln and a lot of other activities which would be too numerous to enumerate in my short column.
Anyhow, this man, Mads C. Madsen, as he has been known here for more than sixty years, is not dead yet; or so he says, but has but lately departed from our midst to take up his residence in Minneapolis; for the reason, according to his announcement, that it offers him a wider field for the exercise of his talents. Mr. Madsen has been inflicted with an incurable ailment for many years. This ailment which has nowise dimmed his brain powers has slowed him up some in his bodily activities. In fact, this disease is not uncommon if one lives long enough for it visits many and is called "growing old." So M. C. Madsen and his wife have gone to live in Minneapolis with a married daughter of Mrs. Madsen (Marie). Mr. Madsen was married twice; his first wife Kjarstena Thomson, died in 1915. He was married again in 1916 to Laura Fredericka (Therkilson) Madson, who was the widowed mother of four children. Mads never had much of a family; unless you count seven boys and three girls, all of whom, with the exception of two who have passed on, being successful, solid citizens in the business world today in the case of the boys. The other surviving girl is married and lives in California.
Mads Madsen never heard of Horatio Alger in his younger days nor in probability read his books. If he had he would have immediately written him and given him a few additional words of advice as to how best to succeed in order to rise in the world by the aid of hard work and right principles. As I said awhile back they are not dead and this is not an obituary; just a few words of tribute to a couple of folks who by force of circumstances have been compelled to dwell elsewhere for a time. Both Mr. and Mrs. Madsen will be greatly missed from this community where both have taken such an active and helpful part in the building of the town. I might add in passing that Mads built the first brick building in town and all the rest up to 1915. That is he was the contractor, most always furnishing his home bricks, and doing a lot of the actual work himself. He also built a lot of structures in neighboring towns and you will pass in your every day life the monuments representing his activities while here in the course of his business life. He leaves a son here Matt, Jr., to carry on the work up on the hill and some day soon I will go up there and give you a little write-up of one of Hutchinson’s most valuable and useful lines of business; which maybe all started long ago in the country across the sea when a lad spoiled a wooden shoe. Good luck and a knowledge of the appreciation of this community goes with you. The Madsens departed for Minneapolis Saturday last. (The Hutchinson Leader, Friday, May 3, 1946)
Mads C. Madsen died October 25, 1947, in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Mads C. Madsen, Silo Company Founder, Dies. Services Are Held Monday at Franklin Street Baptist Church. Always on receiving news of the death of a beloved friend of many years we are confronted with a distinct feeling of personal loss. This sense of loss is now being felt by the citizens of Hutchinson who have known Mads C. Madsen during the sixty-five years he has been a citizen of this town and one of the outstanding leaders in the community. He was a leader in church, business, political and industrial circles and leaves behind at his departure hosts of friends and a large family of children and grandchildren, besides his devoted wife. Mads C. Madsen was one of the many foreign born young folks who came to America from Denmark at the very beginning of the tide of rugged individualists who forsook the old communities with their limited opportunities for advancement to take advantage of the new freedoms of America. He did not come here with any false ideas of attaining great returns without labor.
He was glad that this was so, for it gave his energies an outlet which was necessary both for his own advancement and for the benefit of his adopted land. He always struggled to better existing conditions in industry as well as in the welfare of his brother citizens. His had been an existence in his birthplace which was very close to the soil and the common people and in America he clung to that plane. For many years he manufactured bricks, then added a side line of pottery by establishing a kiln for the manufacture of the common varieties then in general use. Later he extended his activities to the manufacture of tile and silo slabs which was carried on under the title of the Rockite Silo Co. All through the early part of his business career in Hutchinson he engaged in contracting and building sidewalks later when cement was adopted for materials for their manufacture. He built many of our more pretentious brick buildings here and extended his activities to many neighboring towns in both lines.
He was a master brick layer himself and as his sons grew he saw to it that they were instructed in that useful trade so they would always have something to fall back on in case other activities which they might adopt should fail. He had been living the last months with his wife at the home of her daughter, Mrs. H. P. Jacobsen of Minneapolis and his death occurred on October 25. He was 86 years old. He was first married to Christina M. Thomson a few years later after he had come to America from his birthplace at Vonge, Denmark. Her death occurred in 1915. To them were born seven sons, all surviving, and four daughters, two of whom precede him in death, Nettie in 1912 and Alma (Mrs. Joe Zavoral) in 1944. The surviving daughters are Mrs. Alta Brigham, Los Angeles, and Mrs. Margaret Culverwell of North Hollywood, California. Their sons are Viggo Jay, of Bath, New York; Walter T., of Mound, Minn., Leon V. of St. Paul, Matthew C., of Hutchinson, George W., Orville E. and Wilbur D., of Minneapolis. He also left twenty-one grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. One sister, Mrs. Stena Ellengson, Auburn, Washington; two brothers, Chris of Los Angeles and Einar of Minot, North Dakota.
On June 24th, 1916, he was united in marriage with Mrs. Laura Madson, of Hutchinson, who survives him. Also surviving are two step-sons, Manney Madson, Winnipeg, Canada, and Ralph D. Madson, Minneapolis; and two step-daughters, Mrs. Herbert P. Jacobson (Marie), Minneapolis, and Mrs. Dean Malsed (Lorraine), also of Minneapolis. The funeral was held in Hutchinson from the Franklin Street Baptist church, of which Mr. Madsen had been a member for sixty-three years. Rev. Elwood Anderson, assisted by Rev. Wallace A. Olson of Powderhorn Baptist Church, Minneapolis, who delivered the funeral sermon, officiated at the final rites. Music during the service was furnished by Paul Hanson, pianist, who also accompanied Mrs. Harry Krogh, Minneapolis, soloist and Mrs. Krogh and Mrs. Wallace Olson, Minneapolis, who sang a duet. Pallbearers were Paul Fratzke, Paul Loessin, W. S. Clay, John A. Jorgenson, Melvin Laugeson, and Arthur Kreie.
A good man gone; How oft we hear the phrase, When some good friend we knew, Has ended his earthly days.
But, is he gone? We no longer see, ’tis true, The man about our streets, As long years we used to do. Yet is his spirit manifest; Through memory’s tender chain, As we review the works he left, Which we count as our gain.
He helped to build this town of ours, In more good ways than one, Nor did he deem when bricks were laid, That his whole job was done.
That there is a body spiritual, Beyond our material ones he knew, So he labored for them both, As our good city grew.
He produced the bricks and mortar, And laid them in neat rows, To build our stores and houses; Like any city grows.
But he looked beyond the structures, Which gladdened all our eyes, To that one godly spirit, That can lift us to the skies.
He was all for building up, And not for tearing down, Long years he’ll be remembered In his beloved town. (The Hutchinson Leader, Number 44, 1947, Page 1)