New Denmark, NB, was founded more than 140 years ago—yet homeland pride endures.
The older folks come in and try to speak to me in Danish,” says Kayla Hansen, with a hint of regret in her voice. The 16-year-old works at her parents’ convenience store in New Denmark, NB. “They take the time, they’re patient. Sometimes I do understand a word or two, like the words for ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’.”
Despite her limited grasp of the language, Hansen’s Danish heritage is very important to her. “I’m proud of my history,” she says. “Our traditions are part of who we are.”
In a cultural landscape where Francophone and Anglophone societies dominate, the little community of New Denmark, in northwestern New Brunswick, clings against the odds to its Danish roots. A look through the local phone book would seem to indicate that the Danes are doing just fine: names like Hansen, Jensen and Christensen abound. But there’s more to a community than its surnames.
According to Danish Emigration to Canada, New Denmark is the oldest Danish colony in Canada. Although for many years Danes married Danes in the self-sufficient community, increasing numbers of locals—Danish descendants—have moved away for work. Those who stay raise their children in the language they have in common with their spouse, whether English or French. The Danish language no longer dominates the community, and there are fears that, along with the language, the community’s culture will soon be lost forever.
But despite the general decline of the language, there remains a definite feeling of Danish-ness about New Denmark: King Kristian Road. Klokkedahl Hill Road. Danish flags.
Many who speak no Danish still call their grandparents bestemor, mormor, bestefar, or farfar. There’s Hansen’s Meat Market, where Ron Hansen makes Danish sausage (medisterpølse), paté, and a sandwich meat called rullepølse. A Danish hymn is sung every Sunday in St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. At the Valhalla Restaurant, run by Francophone Line Levesque, there’s still a small Danish menu, including meatballs called frikadeller, and medisterpølse from Hansen’s.
My family keeps up its Danish traditions,” says Sarah Ouellette. “My mother had seven brothers and sisters, and I have over 20 cousins—we all keep the traditions in our own way. Eight of us have a tattoo of a maple leaf with a Danish flag inside it.”
Sarah’s name tells a large part of the New Denmark story. She’s married to Antoine, who is Francophone, from nearby Drummond. Her father is a Palk, English, from near Saint John. Her Danish heritage finds its way to her through her mother.
None of Sarah’s cousins currently lives in New Denmark, and none of them, including Sarah, speaks more than a few words of Danish.
“The language is fading,” says Sarah, “but I think the traditions will survive. I’m trying to pass them on to my kids.”
At 32, Sarah has served on the board of the New Denmark Historical Society for seven years. She’s proud of the many historical items housed in the New Denmark Museum, now housed in a new building, complete with a Danish flag built into its exterior.
The museum is on the site where Immigrant House—erected by the provincial government as temporary communal housing for the immigrant Danes—once stood. Just up the hill from the museum lives Sarah’s grandfather, Stirling Jensen, on the land granted to his grandfather, Anders Carlsen, who was one of the original settlers.
It was June 19, 1872, that Anders Carlsen and some 27 fellow Danes rounded out their transatlantic steamship and upriver paddle-steamer journey with a trudge from the Salmon River to Immigrant House.
New Denmark was one of several planned settlements initiated by the New Brunswick government in the 1860s and ’70s (see “Planned Settlements,” at right); it had paid for their passage, and would grant 100-acre lots to single men over 18—up to 200 acres to family men—once they had cleared and cultivated 10 acres and built a house. The work was grueling; the land and winters wild and unforgiving.
By 1880 there was a church and post office, and Immigrant House was operating as a school. The population was 335.
Although immigration to the community largely came to a halt, intermittent trickles continued over the years. Mixed farming made the community virtually self-sufficient. People spoke the language, sang the songs, played the games and danced the dances that had travelled across the ocean with them.
The second language of choice was English, the working language of the time.
By 1903, New Denmark had two cheese factories; by the 1920s, potatoes were becoming an important crop. By the 1950s, New Denmark’s farms were almost exclusively producing potatoes—as they continue to do today.
There aren’t too many Danish farmers left,” says Gunnar Pedersen, 88. “Maybe four or five. It’s big business now, people buying up neighbours’ land.”
Gunnar’s family arrived in New Brunswick in 1928, settling at first in Drummond, where he attended a French school. He and his wife, Lillian, are among the last generation able to speak Danish.
“Most of the old people have tried to keep up the Danish identity,” he says. “But after we’re gone...I don’t know.” None of their 12 grandchildren or 34 great-grandchildren live there. But some traditions remain: every winter, starting in January, a group meets once a week to play skærvindsel, a card game that came over with the first immigrants to New Denmark.
“There are about 24 to 30 of us,” says Gunner, smiling at the thought. “We have a great time. People bring homemade Danish pastry and sandwiches, and there’s coffee and good conversation.”
It’s a tradition worth keeping.
Planned settlements
New Denmark is one of several planned settlements initiated by the New Brunswick government in the 1860s and ‘70s. Others include Glassville, Knowlesville, Beaufort and Johnville, all in Carleton County, and all of whose first settlers originated in the British Isles.
Immigrants were actively sought, particularly from northern European countries. The government’s intention was to increase the province’s population in general and especially in remote areas. There was a prevailing fear of US invasion, and large tracts of unoccupied wilderness were thought to be easy targets.
The settlers drew lots for their 60- by 40-foot town plots, which had already been surveyed by the British. The settlement itself was at first overseen by the British military.
Lunenburg, in Nova Scotia, had been populated in much the same way more than 100 years earlier. Again, northern European settlers were sought; in this case the response came from the German Rhine area as well as Swiss German and French cantons.
Planned settlements typically were motivated by political, economic and/or military goals, and often did not survive long. In the cases of New Denmark and Lunenburg,
The gospel according to…
If you do an Internet search for “St. Ansgar Church,” you’ll come up with any number of links to Lutheran churches, particularly those with Danish origins. Archbishop Ansgar of Bremen, in Northern Germany, introduced Christianity to Denmark in the 800s; hence Danish churches were named after him.
But in New Denmark, NB, the Lutheran churches are named St Peter’s and Bethany. It’s the Anglican Church that bears the name of Ansgar.
Lay preacher Niels Mikkelsen Hansen arrived in New Denmark in 1875. He started church services and school lessons, but the community was too poor to pay him much and food was scarce, so Hansen returned to Denmark.
Back home, he met an Anglican priest who suggested that he become ordained in that church; they’d at least be able to pay him something. Hansen acted on this suggestion and, in 1877, in cooperation with Bishop John Medley, he returned to New Denmark. In 1884 St. Ansgar’s Anglican church was consecrated. Services were held in Danish, the Lutheran catechism was used, as were Danish bibles and prayer books, and the Danish flag adorned the church. In all but name, it was a Lutheran church.