Object Record
Images
Additional Images [4]
Metadata
Accession number |
1997.006 |
Object Identification Number |
1997.006.007.001 |
Object Name |
Shovel |
Donor |
Isley, Lorraine |
Description |
Small entrenching shovel used during WWI. The handle is wooden and cylindrical, painted dark gray. It connects to the main "arm" of the shovel, also painted gray, by a thin metal strap that wraps over the outer center of the handle and attaches on both sides to the "arm" of the shovel. The digging portion is dark silver colored metal and is flat on the handle end and pointed at the outer end. It curves upward slightly at the sides. Where this portion connects to the wood, "US" is imprinted into the metal. |
Dimensions |
W-6.625 L-22.25 inches |
Creation Date |
ca. WWI |
Place Of Origin |
USA |
Owned By |
Madsen, Axel Christian |
Used By |
Madsen, Axel Christian |
Material |
metal/wood |
Associated People |
Madsen, Axel Christian |
Search Terms |
Madsen, Axel Christian WWI military shovel |
Provenance |
This shovel and its cover belonged to Axel Christian Madsen and were used by him during WWI. Axel Christian Madsen was born April 30, 1896, in Asnas, Sjelland, Denmark to Christian and Petrina (Rasmussen) Madsen. He came to America early in 1916 from Copenhagen aboard the Frederik VIII. He immigrated to the Dike, IA area where he worked on local farms. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1918 at the age of 21, served with the 30th Infantry Regiment Division, and was discharged in 1918. His service earned him his citizenship. Axel trained at the American School in Chicago in the tool and die trade. He worked for Viking Pump Company in Cedar Falls, Iowa, then went to California for three years to work for Ford Motor Company, Pacific Gass and Electric, and American Can Company. Following that, he returned to Cedar Falls and worked for Viking Pump for the next 37 years. Axel married the donor's aunt, Elvina Olsen Nielsen, on March 21, 1958 when he was 62. He had not been married previously. He has a stepson, Edwin Nielsen, of Princeton, MN. Until his marriage, Axel was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls, IA. After marriage, he joined the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Waterloo, IA. Axel had one brother and two sisters, but only he immigrated to the U.S. Axel belonged to the Danish Brotherhood in America and the American Legion, as well as the Odd Fellows Lodge. He died September 11, 1995. Donor is the niece of Axel Madsen. ____________ This object was featured in the exhibit "Denmark - America's Smallest and Biggest Ally" which ran from September 2017 to September 2018. |
Images |
212\1997006007001.JPG |
Date Received by Museum |
01/17/1997 |