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removed the word "profitable". I did not mean to imply that Christen married Emilie for her money.
Christen Thiesen's career as a Pensacola businessman began through unusual circumstances. Born in Denmark, Thiesen was the navigator of a Danish sailing ship. Thiesen became stranded in Pensacola during the Pensacola [[yellow fever]] epidemic of [[1882]] when his ship left without him. According to a story passed down in the Thiesen family from generation to generation, his crewmates, hearing of the epidemic, refused to let him back on board. (At that time it was not generally known that yellow fever is not transmitted by person-to-person contact, but by mosquitoes.)
Thiesen, who contracted yellow fever but recovered, found a job tending bar in a saloon. The saloon owner died in the epidemic. In 1884, Thiesen married the saloon owner's widow, Emilie Lehnkuhl, and thus became the owner of the profitable saloon, located at the southwest corner of [[Intendencia Street|Intendencia]] and [[Baylen Street]]s.<ref>[http://www.flgenhistonline.com/counties/escambia/directories/1885directory/directpg3-1885.htm Webb's 1885/1886 Business Directory]</ref>.
Christen and Emilie had four children who lived to adulthood; Thiesen also adopted his stepdaughter Dina. Emilie died in January, 1900 due to complications of childbirth. In April, 1901, Thiesen married Effie Lee Mitchell. Thiesen was granted U.S. citizenship in 1902.
