Person:Berthel Poulsen (1)

Berthel owned a handle factory---a wood shop. He made Dorothy some stilts at one time. Berthel immigrated from Denmark in 1876. He first settled in Emlenton, and later in Titusville, PA.

Titusville (PA.) Herald (January 31, 1939): Operator of One-man Factory, Making Tool Handles, Puts in Spare Time Painting, Drawing. By Larry Lowing. Bertel Paulsen observed his 82nd birthday Wednesday by turning out a few handles in his one-man factory on St. John street. He walked to work this particular morning because the previous Sunday he had narrowly avoided a nasty spill from his bicycle on the ice. Ordinarily it is his habit to pedal his ancient, but nevertheless excellent, chainless-drive Pierce-Arrow to work every day. "I enjoy bicycling," he told use. "It keeps me young. But the other day, it was pretty windy and it blew me every which way. You can't have much control of a bicycle on the ice." Since 1889, Mr. Paulsen has been operating his factory where he turns out pick, sledge hammer, hatchet and benthook handles and whiffletrees and ___yokes. A more recent product is baseball bats. Virtually all these years he has operated the factory single handed. Only very occasionally has he employed any person to help him during a rush season. The factory is a frame building of three-rooms--machinery room, office and storage chamber. In the way of machinery, he has three lathes, circular saw, saw gummer and four motors. Hickory for his product is imported from Tennessee. MAKES ONLY WHAT HE CAN DO His philosophy of operating the factory is simple: "I do not accept any more jobs than I can do myself." Mr. Paulsen has been in the handlemaking business ever since he came to America from Denmark in 1876. He first settled at Emlenton, where he was in partnership with a brother and another man. Later the firm broke up, and sold off several factories, retaining the Titusville and began operations in the local plant at that time. He said he had more work this month than in any month last year. He is a spry man for his age, climbing around the piles of lumber and firewood, edging recklessly between machinery and tables, like he was 28 instead of 82. In fact, when we saw him the other day he was oiling a motor from a precarious perch on top a wobbly stack of firewood. We told him we understood he did some painting and remarked about a copy he had made of Abraham Lincoln that hangs in a hallway between office storage chamber and machinery room. TAKES LITTLE PRIDE IN PAINTING Although he should, Mr. Paulsen shows little pride in his hobby of painting with water colors and pencil drawings. But he took us into his office where he has a fine collection. Mr. Paulsen's latest picture is a watercolor of President Roosevelt in a pose on the White House steps. The painting, copied from a candid camera shot published in Life, shows the President with enormous legs and torso. Many of Mr. Paulsen's paintings are taken from pictures in Life and the National Geographic Magazine. Mr. Paulsen said he became interested in painting and drawing in Denmark where he had opportunity to see pencil drawings, as fine as any steel or copperplate engraving. Much of his training came from a Danish school teacher who painted flowers in water colors. Mr. Paulsen thought they were so fine he asked to be shown how to paint them. Mr. Paulsen dropped his painting after he came to America, figuring it would be all he could do to carve a living out of this strange new country. However, after coming to Titusville, he resumed the enjoyment of his hobby. GOT INSPIRATION FROM FLOWERS The urge to take up painting in Titusville was accentuated by the beautiful flowers he saw along the old bicycle cinder path on which Mr. Paulsen spent much of his time in cycling with his close friend, Will Schiewe. He began picking flowers and natural growth along the path and painting them. He now has paintings of over 800 different species. He work on flowers is excellent and one painting of a chestnut in a broken burr almost invited the writer--who is very partisan to the American chestnut--to pick it out and devour it, despite the dangerous look of the burr. Mr. Paulsen has been doing extensive pencil drawing and his work looks much like the prints from which they are taken. He has a fine pencil study of Postmaster General Jim Farley. His portraits show a firm hand, and a wall lined with painting of great American looks much like photographs. Despite the fact Abraham Lincoln died 12 years before Mr. Paulsen arrived from Denmark, he has much admiration for the Great Emancipator. He has several portraits from different poses of "Abe", as he calls him. One is made from a picture taken four days before the President's assassination. He considers this one of his best. The picture portrays the tired, thoughtful expression of Lincoln and the lines of his thin face are accentuated by the worry of four years of civil war. WOULD NOT DISPLAY WORK A local merchant recently looked over the collection and was so much taken with Mr. Paulsen's work that he asked to display some of the paintings in his store window. Mr. Paulsen declined saying that if they were for sale he would like to have them seen publicly but since he did it more as a pastime he didn't want them shown. "I paint because I like to," he said. "If I were getting paid for painting maybe I wouldn't enjoy it so much. When I have spare time on my hands I like to sit down and do a little drawing. It seems as though I have been doing something all the time, and can't be idle without getting nervous. I can't get away from work." Later he added: "You're not going to say anything about this are you?" He got a thoughtful expression in his eyes as he recalled his immigration in America. "Over in Denmark," he said, "they regard a person who wishes to leave the country to seek a fortune in another a traitor. It was with difficulty that I persuaded my mother to permit me to come to America. I had to promise her that I would return within three years before she would leave me go as a man." "I returned in three years, but everything was changed. Although they were all friendly enough, I felt like an alien among them. So I packed up and returned to America."

Taken from the Titusville Herald, (PA) Jan. 31, 1939.

Bertel changed his name to Paulsen from Poulsen.

(From Gloria Kerns notes:) During his youth, Bertel attended school in Denmark until he was 14 and assisted on the home farm for two more years, after which he started learning to be a carpenter. At the age of 19 he immigrated to the New World, first locating at Irvine, Warren County, PA, where for three years he was engaged in the manufacture of handles and spokes. He then returned to Denmark. During the 8 months he was there, he attended high school because he knew how essential a good education was to a successful business career. On again coming to America the following spring, Bertel took up residence in Titusville, PA, where he was employed in a cabinet factory through the summer. The next year he worked for K.G. Shutt as a carpenter in Irvine, PA. Subsequently he went to Howard, PA, where he erected a plant for the manufacture of handles and spokes. He successfully engaged in that business until the fall of 1896, when he moved to Centre Hall and established a similar plant, B. Poulsen & Co.

Politics: Republican

Newspaper Article: Bertel Paulsen Dies Saturday At Age of 85 (Native of Denmark and resident of Titusville for nearly fifty years) Bertel Paulsen, aged 85 years, passed away at his home, 315 West Oak street, at 1:05 p.m. Saturday. He had been failing for several years, but was seriously ill only about two months. Mr. Paulsen was born in Aalborg, Denmark, on January 25, 1857, and grew to manhood there. He came to America in 1876 and first setteled in Warren, where he remained several years. He later resided for some time in Center Hall, PA. He came to Titusville in 1898 and lived here ever since. Soon after coming to Titusville, Mr. Paulsen started a handle factory, which he operated more than forty years. He made handles for all kinds of tools and his business extended throughout this region. Mr. Paulsen was one of the early bicycle riders of the city and continued to ride his wheel between his home and his factory on St. John street until late the past summer. Mr. Paulsen was greatly interested in old coins and had one of the best collections in this region until burglars stole most of it a few years ago. Mr. Paulsen possessed considerable artistic ability and had executed many paintings, drawings and sketches. Mr. Paulsen was interested chiefly in his home, his business and his hobbies, although he enjoyed a large acquaintance throughout the community. Besides his wife, Mrs. Lenna Paulsen, he leaves the following children: Victor H. Paulsen of Lakewood, O.; Mrs. A.W. Mead of Owego, N.Y.; Mrs. Myra Motzer of Titusville; Mrs. W. Paul Thompson of Beaver and Walter T. Paulsen of Erie. There are nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The body was taken from the Peterson funeral home to the family residence, where services will be conducted this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. Rev. Edwin S. Carlon, pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church, will officiate and interment will be in Woodlawn.

FUNERALS Bertel Paulsen Services in memory of Bertal Paulsen were conducted at 2:30 p.m. yesterday at the family home, 315 West Oak street. Rev. Edwin S. Carlon of Emanuel Lutheran church officated and interment was in Woodlawn. The following were pall-bearers: David Z. Kerr, Fred Gasche, Domer Bailey, J.H. Wiborg, W.F. Schiewe and Louis D. Foots.

1. ↑ Dick Paulsen & Grace Paulsen & family oral histories. Paulsen Family History.