Charles G T Lovenskiold

Charles Grimus Thorkelin de Løvenskiold was born in 1822 at Kronborg Castle, Elsinore, Denmark. 

His family was influential people (lawyers) in the king's service. Charles was educated by private tutors, then he also attended the university in Copenhagen. The man could speak quite a few languages including Greek, Latin, French, German, English, Italian and Spanish. Carl G T de Løvesnkiold was also skilled in the Danish court law and received military training.

Kronborg Castle, Denmark

When he was 19, Charles went to New York. Next, he spent some time in Florida and New Orleans. There he met Miss Sophie Clark, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Clark. Charles and Sophie married in 1848. A son was born to them in New Orleans.

 

The young de Løvenskiold family relocated to Texas in 1853.  Two years later, Charles hired three teachers and founded an academy for young men and women. It was the beginning of Corpus Christi Academy. Later, he sold the school and ran a law office. The spelling of the surname Løvenskiold was changed to Lovenskiold.

 

1860 - Charles, a lawyer (age 37), his wife Sophie (Sofiah, age 27) and their children were recorded by a census clerk in McGregories, Nueces, Texas (1). The children were Oscar (age 11), Alice (age 3), Cecelia (2 months old). A few more people lived with the Lovenskiolds: Thomas Kelly (age 22), laborer, Mary Keler, servant (age 28), Kittie Keler (age 11), and Nepomuseno Kimener, servant (age 24).

During the Civil War, (de) Lovenskiold was a colonel in the Confederate Army (2,3).

Charles was imprisoned by the Union, at that time his health deteriorated, and practically he lost his speech. Despite that, later, the man continued his law career (with the help of a spokesman).

Clipping source: Maltby, H. A. & Kinney, Somers. The Daily Ranchero. (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 51, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 18, 1868, newspaper, January 18, 1868; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth846492/: accessed August 2, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

In 1867, the yellow fever time came - the Lovenskiold family cooked meals for the citizens of Corpus and Charles delivered them to families in need.

Charles Grimus Thorkelin Lovenskiold was elected alderman of Corpus Christi, he served at the position until he died in 1875.

 

Clipping source: The Galveston Daily News. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 58, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 16, 1875, newspaper, March 16, 1875; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth463985/: accessed August 2, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.

Charles and Sophie's sons Oscar and Perry were mayors of Corpus Christi.

More about Charles G T Lovenskiold in the Texas Handbook Online.

Source: 

Photo of the Kronborg Castle: Artico2, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

"The Danish Texans" by John L Davis, The University of Texas. Institute of Texan Cultures, San Antonio, 1983. 

1. "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXFK-64G : Tue Jul 18 01:04:53 UTC 2023), Entry for Chas Lovenskiold and Sofiah Lovenskiold, 1860.

2. "United States Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:73LZ-2GMM : 6 September 2019), C or Charles Grimes Thorkelinde Livenskiold or Lovenskiold, 1861-1865.

3. "United States Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:73LH-VNPZ : 6 September 2019), Charles Grimus Thorkelin De Lovenskiold, 1861-1865.