Hans Nielsen Jeppesen


Hans Nielsen Jeppesen was a Danish merchant and ship-owner. He bought his first ship in 1850 and his fleet of merchant ships later grew to 10 ships. He was the maternal grandfather of Mærsk- founder Arnold Peter Møller.

Early life and career

Jeppesen was born on 15 February 1815 in Dragør, the son of Niels Taarnby Jeppesen and Marchen Hansdatter Møller. The family lived at Von Ostensgade 8. He went to sea in an early age and passed his exams as helmsman at the Navigation School in 1835 but did not have enough practical experience to work as a helmsman until 1838.
He began to work for Chr. Broberg & Søn in 1841 and was on 28 May 1842 granted citizenship in Copenhagen. He was captain on Chr. Broberg's schooner Thomas Lawrence in 1842-1751.

Ship-owner

Jeppesen's first ship, Elosabeth, commissioned from a shipyard in Kalmar in 1852, was already lost in 1855.. His second ship, Prima, was also commissioned directly from a shipyard. The rest of his ships were all used ships bought from other ship-owners. Only two of his ships, Coquette and Ellerslie, were owned in partnerships with others. By the 1870s, his fleet had grown to 10 shups.

Ships

This list may be incomplete
NameImageOwnedTypeBuiltCommentsRef
Carksten1851-1859837Owned by Hans Nielsen Jeppesen's father but still used by the son in 1859
Elisabeth1852-1855Schooner1852
Kalmar
Prima1855-1884Skonnertbrig1854
Kalmar
Premier1858-1862Schooner
Ciquette1860-1861Skonnertbrig1839Owned in a partnership with captain Isbrandt Raagaard. wrecked at Læsø in 1861.
Fraternitas1861-1884Skonnertbrig1847
Sweden		Sold by Jeppesen's widow in 1884 to her son-in-law Louis Rosenkold.
Orrest1861-1887SlupUnknownSold by Jeppesen's widow in 1887 to Andreas Jensen and his son Palm Andreas Jensen, Dragør
Elisabeth1863-1869Brig1841
Ellerlie1863-1881Barque1840
England		Wrecked at Scotland in 1867 but repaired; Broken up in 1881.
Treue1864-1884Barque1839
Memel		Sold by Jeppesen's widow in 1886 to Sweden where it was sunk and used as a breakwater at Höganäs
Cora1870-1872Brig11839
Krøyers Plads, Copenhagen		Sank in the Bay of Køge on 13 November 1872
Ino1870-1884Schooner1844
Burg, Germany		Broken up in Dragør in 1994
Enighed1872-1877Barque1837
Vegesack / Bremen		Sank en route from Greenland to Philadelphia in 1877
Antares1872-1883Skonnertbrig1862
Greifswald		Sold to captain H. R. Stærke in 1885. Ommel,
Fortuna1872-1882Schooner1816
Valkyrien1874-1883Barque1850
Libau		Wrecked on 12 December 1883 off Ayr in Scotland
Paradis1880-1883Barque1860
Vegesack / Bremen		Wrecked en route between Newcastle and St. Croix on 16 February 1886 off Slapton Sands at Dorthmund.

Personal life

Jeppesen was married to Leisebeth Jens Hansen Snedkers and the couple had seven daughters. His eldest daughter, Anna, married Peter Mærsk Møller. Guis youngest daughter, Nicoline, married Jacob Cornelius Isbrandtsen, and was the mother of Hans Isbrandtsen,New York.
The family lived at Elisenborg, a large property on the western outskirts of Dragør. Jeppesen died when a dinghy captized off Dragør in 1883. He was at the time of his death the owner of eight ships. His widow closed the company fown over the next one and a half years.