Paulsen, Hans

Private Hans Paulsen was born in Oslo (Christiania), Norway and immigrated to Canada with his wife Mathilda around 1904. Mathilda had a son, Karl Johan (Carl John), who was born in Norway in 1891 or 1892. With Hans she had another son, Hans William, who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Ocober 1904. Hans and his family settled in the town of Kenora in northwestern Ontario where he worked as a millhand. Mathilda’s son Carl John was married in Kenora in September 1916 to Lilly Elizabeth Lindquist.

The war was in its second year by the spring of 1916 and Hans enlisted in Winnipeg on 21 March. He signed up with the 197th (Vikings of Canada) Battalion, which was based in Winnipeg and recruited in western Canada. Hans said he was 40 years old and gave his birth date as 4 December 1875. His occupation was labourer and next of kin was his wife in Kenora. He said both of his parents were deceased and he had one son, Hans William. Hans trained with his unit for almost a year. On 15 Feb 1917 he was transferred to No. 10 Special Services Company and on 31 March he was discharged from service for medical reasons.

Hans returned to Kenora and when the 1921 census was taken he was living on Seventh Street South with his wife and son. He was employed as a millhand in a lumber mill. Mathilda passed away in the Kenora General Hospital on 23 August 1930, at age 65. She was a widow at the time so it appears Hans died sometime between 1921 and 1930. Mathilda was survived by a daughter in Russia and her two sons, Carl John and Hans William. She’s buried in Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora. Her son Carl John did in 1965 and he’s also interred there, along with his wife Lilly.

By Becky Johnson

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