Jens Marinus Nørlem

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Brief Overview

Jens Marinus Nørlem.

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Jens Marinus Nørlem (1858-1935) was a native of Mariager, in northern Jutland. After immigrating in 1880 he spent his first four years in the US as a soldier, fighting Apaches, Comanches and Mexican bandidos in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. He later established himself in Omaha, Nebraska, as a general contractor, painter, and interior decorator. In 1897 he won the painting contract for the Omaha International Exposition of 1898. He married Mary Ella Fronk in 1895, and anglicized his name to James Morris Norlem when he became a citizen in 1904. In 1913 he was hired to supervise the rebuilding of the town of Ralston (now an Omaha suburb), after it was destroyed by a tornado. Here we see him in a typical painter’s hat.