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- Sonneck Christiansen Rossen
(Transcribed by Jim Thoma)
Sonneck Christiansen Rossen. - The splendid new county home for the poor, destitute and unfortunates of Cooper County, is under excellent and capable management. Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Rossen, who have charge of the home and the inmates, seem to have found their niche in life and are filling it to the satisfaction of the county authorities, and the people of Cooper County. Mr. S. C. Rossen, superintendent of the Cooper County Home, is a native of Denmark, born April 3, 1849. His parents, Christian and Bridgetta (Hansen) Rossen spent their lives in Denmark.
When 19 pears of age, S. C. Rossen left his home in Denmark and came to America, arriving here in September, 1868. His first work was on railroad construction at Effingham, Ill., where he remained for three months. Going from Illinois to Vicksburg, Miss, he worked in the swamp region of the Mississippi River Valley, during the winter season of 1869 and 1870. He contracted malaria in the South and returned to Illinois. From 1870 to 1871 he was employed at farm labor and in the spring of the year worked in the lime kilns of the neighborhood. He saved some money, then went to Kansas, farmed for 12 months, sold out and came to Boonville, Cooper County in 1873. Mr. Rossen was located east of Boonville on farms for 18 years and finally bought a farm of 50 acres, west of Boonville. He later bought another tract of 73 acres, upon which he lived for 20 years, reared his family to be grown, then sold out and came to Boonville. For five years, Mr. Rossen was road overseer of the special road district. In February, 1917, he took up his duties as superintendent of the county home, with Mrs. Rossen as matron of the home. They have the care of from 20 to 25 indigent poor of the county and no group of unfortunates could receive better care than that given them by Mr. and Mrs. Rossen.
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In the spring of 1873, S. C. Rossen and Martha Evans were married. Mrs. Martha Rossen died in 1881. Three children were born to this marriage, all of whom are deceased. In the fall of 1882, Mr, Rossen was married to Elizabeth Frances Robertson, born in Arkansas, June 5, 1861, She is a daughter of Shelton Eliphus and Rebecca Serena (Hill) Robertson natives, respectively, of lllinois and Arkansas. Shelton E. Robertson died in the Union service during the Civil War. He and a brotherin-law, named Evans, went to the North from Arkansas to enlist in the Union Army. Mr. Robertson never returned. His widow and children went to Illinois and from there to Washington County, Mo. The widow married Charles Baker and the family moved to Cooper County in 1880. Mrs. Baker now lives at Crane, Stone County, Mo. She was born March 17, 1837.
Three sons and a daughter were born to S. C. and Elizabeth F. Rossen, as follows: Josephine Christina, Shelton, Carl Frederick, William Edward. Josephine Christina is the wife of John H. Schnuck, a prosperous farmer living east of Boonville. Shelton is an expert automobile mechanic and is employed in St. Louis. He married Grace Seals, Pacific, Mo. Carl Frederick Rossen is manager of an automobile garage in St. Louis, Mo. William Edward, the soldier of the family, was born Sept. 8, 1892, and enlisted for service in the National Army in June, 1917. He was first stationed at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, then Nevada, Mo., and thence to Fort Sill, Okla., where he was trained for duty across the seas. He left for France as a member of the 110th Auto Supply Train on May 2, 1918, and saw much active service with the American Army in France. He returned to America, and received his honorable discharge from the service May 7, 1919. Mr. Rossen is a republican. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. For 15 years he served as road overseer in his district while living on the farm and has always been interested in good road building. Mrs. Rossen is a member of the Women's Circle and the Degree of Pocahontas. They are kind hearted, yet firm in their management of the County Home and are loved and respected by the inmates.
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1849 - 1930 (81 years)
