Hans Nielsen Jeppesen (15 February 1815 – 8 October 1883) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

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 (), also known simply as Maersk (), is a Danish shipping company, active in ocean and inland freight transportation and associated services, such as supply chain management and port operation. Maersk was the largest container shipping line ...

- founder Arnold Peter Møller.

Early life and career

Jeppesen was born on 15 February 1815 in

Dragør Dragør () is the main town of Dragør Municipality, (Denmark), which includes the village of Store Magleby. The city hall and seat of the municipal council lies on Kirkevej 7 (postal code 2791 Dragør) in Store Magleby, which has enough space f ...

, 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''

Personal life

Jeppesen was married to Leisebeth Jens Hansen Snedkers and the couple had seven daughters. His eldest daughter, Anna, married Peter Mærsk Møller. His 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 capsized off Dragør in 1883. He was at the time of his death the owner of eight ships. His widow closed the company down over the next one and a half years.

References

External links