We mostly think about Emily Olsen, George's wife, but this obituary from 1906 gives a detailed story of his life and accomplishments.
From
the Wicker Park Eagle 1906 (Chicago)
Obituary.
The
funeral of Geo. Olsen, 36 Le Moyne Street, was held on Tuesday, January 16,
interment being at Graceland.
Geo.
Olsen of the firm of Geo. Olsen & Son, contractors and builders, was one of
the old, extensive, and active builders of this city, although he commenced on
a small scale in 1857. He has erected hundreds of structures, partly in full
and partly in carpenters’ and joiners’ work only. He began in the fifties,
according to his own designs and drawings, the building of cottages, two and
three story frame buildings, and continued up to about 1867. In 1868 he
designed and built one of the first brick buildings on Milwaukee avenue, a
block of six stories and flats, corner of Huron street and Milwaukee avenue, 140
feet front (one-half belonging to himself); also several other brick and frame
buildings on that avenue and other streets, principally in the northwestern
part of the city. He designed and build the first stone-front building on
Milwaukee avenue at the intersection of Peoria street, the Bohemian Turner hall
on Taylor street, scores of two story brick houses for Col. Augustus Jacobsen,
and several for Geo. H. Severson.
After the great fire he concluded as a business matter to let the
architects do the designing, so as to stand a better chance for competition.
Mr.
Olsen was born in Denmark February 25, 1825. He came to the United States in
1854 and after six weeks voyage in a sail vessel landed in New York. He worked
at his trade there a short time, then went to Boston where he worked eight
months in a cabinet shop and was also then employed in the great Chickering
piano works. From there he came to Chicago in April,, 1855, but not liking it
here remained but a few months, working at home building and in an ice box
factory. He then went to Madison, Wis., worked at cabinet and house building
till October, then to New Orleans, working there during the winter of 1855 and
1856 in a shipyard and cabinet shop. Thence to St. Louis, Mo., working there
about three months at house building and cabinet work, and finally arriving in
Chicago again May 10, 1856. In June, 1857, he began contracting for buildings.
In 1859, owing to a general stagnation in all trades, he engaged in
manufacturing and wholesaling liquors. In the spring of 1869 he went to
Memphis, Tenn., and established a factory and sales house of mineral waters. He
was very successful for a time, but the rebellion in 1861 sent him back to
Chicago again, which from that time was his permanent home. He learned his
trade as a joiner and cabinetmaker in Denmark. He served five years as an
apprentice, worked seven years at his trade in Copenhagen, and most of that
time attended a technical institute in the evenings, were drawing and
mathematics were taught and instructive lectures were given. In 1859 he married
a Danish lady named Emily Miller. The same year he became a Free Mason. He has
been for many years a member of the Builders’’ and Trades Exchange, the
Carpenters’ and Builders’ Associations, and several other societies.
He
is survived by two sons, Viggo F. [the ‘son’ in the firm Geo. Olsen & Son] and
Edwin Olsen (district manager Bankers’ Endowment Association) and three
daughters, Mrs. H. T. Grund [Anna], Mrs. J. B. Thorsen [Florence] and Mrs. C.
E. Faye [Dagmar]. He was 81 years of age. “
From a Xerox copy of the
newspaper belonging to Aunt Alice [Thorsen] Taylor.
