Niels Widergren Anderson and wife Louise Lindberg Anderson, ~ Pioneers of the Month ~ June 2017

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   Niels born 4 Nov 1809  Malmo Sweden                        

Louisa born 4 April 1810  Opmana Scona Sweden ???
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Sweden

Niels Widergren Anderson and his wife Louise Lindberg Anderson
                                                                                                                










This Couple with their family suffered many hardships crossing the plains during early pioneer days with the Noah T. Guyman Company. 

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 They were first settled in Brigham City in the year 1853.  From there they were called with a company of others to settle Ephraim,  They lived in Ephraim until the early spring of 1859 at which time they were again called with a group of others to settle in Mt. Pleasant, arriving there in March of 1859.  They were parents of two children:  C. W. Anderson and Johanna E. Madsen.

• Name on ship register is listed as "Nils Wedergren"Jacob F. Secrist/Noah T. Guymon Company (1855)

• Age at Departure: 45

• Head of Household

• Traveled with :
• Lovisa Lundberg Anderson (Age: 45)
• Johanne Elizabeth Widergren Anderson (Age: 14)
• Christian W. Widergren (Age: 11)
• source: https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/16501/niels-christian-widergren-anderson

The following are snippets from History of Mount Pleasant by Hilda Madsen Longsdorf recognizing the contributions of Niels Widergren Anderson and others to the settling and development of Mount Pleasant. 

September 1858:  September 14th, the committee returned to Fort Ephraim and notified the petitioners who at once called a meeting, where the letter from President Young was presented and the contents noted. The advice given was favorably received. At this meeting, James R. Ivie, Joseph Clement, and Isaac Allred were appointed as a committee to wait upon the surveyor at Manti and get him to survey town lots and farming land on Pleasant Creek. This committee with surveyor Albert Petty, of Manti, then visited the present site of Mount Pleasant and selected and surveyed a site where the fort was to be built, which was about one and one-half miles east of the former site of Hambleton, together with a number of city lots and about 1300 acres of choice farm land in twenty­ acre lots. Upon their return to Fort Ephraim, about the middle of October, a meeting was called, and later the settlers drew by number for the land and lots which were pointed out to them by the committee the following spring. January 10, 1859, the petitioners again called a meeting for the purpose of organizing and making preparations for moving to the new quarters. This meet­ing was held in the school house. After discussion of some length, James R. Ivie Sr. was chosen their president and Reddick Allred was chosen bishop. Later, however, Reddick Allred, not being sure he would move north with the party in the spring, declined to accept the position.

About the middle of February, Mads Madsen, Peter Madsen, Andrew Madsen, Niels Madsen, Christian Madsen, George Frandsen, Rasmus Frandsen, Christian Jensen 1st, Mortin Rasmussen, Peter Monsen, James Larsen Sr., Niels Johansen 1st, Alma Allred, Peter Johansen, Niels Widergren Anderson, Christian Widergren Anderson, Mickel Christensen, Soren Jacobsen, James C. Meiling, and Hans Y. Simpson moved north until they were just west of where the settlement was to be located.  Longsdorf, History of Mt. Pleasant p. 31

Niels built One of the first homes  in the community 

Building Homes on City Lots

The people had been told by President Brigham Young not to build on city lots until they had a house in the fort. During the early months of the year 1861, many other families who now had the houses, moved out of the fort into their homes on their city lots. The houses thus vacated were immediately filled with other settlers. As soon as possible, fences were built, some rock, some adobe, some poles, some woven of birch and other willows. Listed as among the first houses built outside the fort this year, was one built by Hans C. H. Beck, which is thought to be the first adobe house, and was built on his city lot, southwest corner, intersection of First South and Second East. One by W. S. Seeley, State Street

between First and Second South, one by Mads Madsen, northeast corner of intersection, Second North on State Street, one by Niels  Widergren Anderson, southeast corner, intersection of First South and Second West, and one by ……….. Christensen, northeast corner of intersection, Third South and Third West, and a log house by James Lemmon, and a house built by Amasa Tucker, northeast corner, intersection of First South and Third East.

History of Mt. Pleasant , Hilda Madsen Longsdorf pp 68,69

Sunday, October 28, a call was made for the people to move south to the St. George country, in order to settle that part and also for the purpose of raising cotton. Those called were Joseph Clemens, Moses M. Sanders, Christian Widergren Anderson, Yeppe Iverson, Niels Widergren Anderson, N. C. Sandberg, James Lem­mon, Andrew Jensen, Peter Iverson, Oke Sandberg, and Amos Moss.  Longsdorf: page 76

This same year (1876) a late and up-to-date Sugar Cane press,
com­monly known as a molasses mill, was purchased in Salt Lake City and brought to Mt. Pleasant by Niels Widergren Anderson, C. W.  Anderson, and Andrew Madsen. It had three iron rollers for grinding the cane. This was a great improvement over the older type mills used. The mill was placed on Sixth South and Third East. Niels Johansen (Weaver) and Andrew Christensen run it for  years and later purchased it.  John Knudsen Sr. and others assisted in operating it. Sugar cane was extensively raised in Mt. Pleasant, as well as in Spring City, which was marketed in Mt. Pleasant.

Longsdorf: p 141 

Later Niels Widergren Anderson imported a later,

up-to-date model which was placed in the old Tannery lot, Sixth South and Third West. For some time it was run by Weaver Niels Johansen and Andrew Christensen, who later purchased it.

Longsdorf p. 288