Andrew Johansen and Annie Monsen Johansen ~~~ Pioneers of the Month ~~~ April 2023

 

Andrew and Anna 

Andrew Johansen's life story in The Niels Johansen Family Record Book, compiled by Gayle Hayward Bailey, November 1968. Story submitted by Beverly Johansen Edvalson.

`

Andrew Johansen, the fifth son and seventh child of Niels and Ane Andersen Johansen, was born on 26 November 1870 at "The Bottoms," an area located a little west of Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah. His father lived the then-prevailing church law of polygamy and had two sisters, Ane and Andersina Andersen for his wives. Ane, Andrew's mother, lived on a farm at the Bottoms while Andersine (or Sena) and her children lived in Mt. Pleasant. Andrew did not receive too much early schooling perhaps because of the distance to school or perhaps because he was needed to help on the farm. Although he was the fifth son, two boys had died while very young, and the oldest (Joseph) had married when Andrew was only seven years old; this left just Andrew and John to help on the farm and assume responsibilities when their father was not at home. When Andrew was fifteen his mother died. She left her husband and a family of six living children.. Living just a few miles north of Niels Johansen's farm was another Danish convert and his family. Mons and Maren Katherine Pallesen (Jensen) Monsen had come from Denmark in 1879. Their oldest child, Annie, along with one brother had been born in Denmark. (The Monsens later had five additional children.) Andrew began "courting" Annie Monsen--taking her horseback riding, to the local dances and to church parties. Two days before Andrew's twenty-first birthday they went to the Manti Temple to be married. After their marriage, Andrew and Annie purchased a farm on the Bottoms, but later acquired a home in Mt. Pleasant. In addition to farming, Andrew spent some time during their early married life herding sheep in Scipio. They lived in Mt. Pleasant for seventeen years and during this time Annie gave birth to six children: Fredrick Leo 10 February 1893; Andrew Orange 2 April 1896; Vienna 4 November 1899; Arda May 5 April 1901; Mons Neldon 1 April 1904; Ada Arvinna 2 January 1907. Two of the girls, Vienna and Arda May, passed away during this period and are buried in Mt. Pleasant. Vienna was just a little over four months old when she died of whooping cough and Arda May had heart trouble and passed away at the age of three. In 1908 they heard of some land in the Uintah Basin that could be obtained if a person made the proper filing and then homesteaded it, continuing the necessary improvements. Andrew and his brother-in-law, Will Oman, (married to Andrew's younger sister, Annie) decided to investigate and they later filed on some land in Boneta, a community fifteen miles north of Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. The two men left in the late winter or early spring for Boneta and built homes for their families. In April they returned to Mt. Pleasant for their families and traveled to Colton and thence to the "Basin." Their first home in Boneta was a one-room log cabin with a sod roof, dirt floor, and no windows. (It was located under the hill from their later large family home.) Conditions were very similar to those of the early pioneers of Salt Lake Valley. Sagebrush had to be burned and land cleared before any planting could be done. Some other settlers from Sanpete also joined them at about the same time. There was no water so they had to haul it in. In the winter they melted snow. Then the men all went up to the Lake Fork River and made a canal. Even with the canal and new ditches, many areas were quite a distance from water and still had to haul it to their homes. Because of Indian treaties, Indians had priority on water rights and the settlers worked hard with their crops and meager water privileges. However, the Lord was sure with them and while Andrew didn't become a rich man of gold or silver, he did raise a posterity to honor his name. During this hard period of homesteading, there were few, if any, serious illnesses in his family. (Among his posterity three descendants are named after him: Andrew Orange Johansen, a son; Donald Andrew Johansen, a grandson; and Donald Andrew Johansen, Jr., a great-grandson.) In 1911, Annie returned to Mt. Pleasant for the winter to await the birth of their seventh child. Leo had stayed in Boneta with his father and the other children accompanied their mother. On 25 February 1911 their last child, Mary Catherine, was born. They first had a school in Boneta which also served as the church meeting place; later a chapel was built. At this time Andrew built a "townhouse" near the church and school for winter living and in the spring and summer, they moved to their farmhouse under the hill. Finally about eight or ten years after they had arrived in Boneta, they built a lovely four-room ranch house on a flat overlooking the surrounding area, and it was here Andrew spent the remaining years of his life. Annie's brother, Orson Monsen's wife died in 1925 after giving birth to a baby boy. Andrew and Annie took the baby, Frank Monsen, into their home and loved and raised him as their own. Andrew and Annie sent one son, Andrew Orange, on a mission and helped their other children in establishing their own homes. Andrew was generous with what he had although he was very quiet. The following obituary was published at the time of his death: "Andrew Johansen, 68, one of Bonet'a earliest settlers, died suddenly at his home Sunday, July 23, 1939, at 4:15 P.M. ...Mr. Johansen had been suffering for several months from a serious heart ailment, but though he and his family had been warned his condition was serious, it was not expected that the end would come so soon. Sunday morning his son, Andrew Orange Johansen, of Logan, had arrived at the home and had suggested that his father and mother accompany him to Logan for a visit. Mr. Johansen seemed in good spirits and health as he prepared for the journey and all the members of his family were present to bid him goodbye as he left the house and entered his son's car. The car, with orange and his mother in the front seat and Mr. Johansen in the rear, had hardly traveled 100 yards when Mr. Johansen made some strange sounds that attracted his son's attention, and before the car could be brought to a halt he toppled over in the seat. Death apparently came almost instantly and the goodbyes Mr. Johansen had just given his family served as a goodbye for all time... Although a staunch L.D.S., Mr. Johansen never made any effort to push into the limelight in church work or otherwise. he was known by all his neighbors and friends as a quiet man with little to say, but one who was always a good neighbor, ready and willing to take the share of all responsibilities and cares. he was loved and respected by the entire community." Andrew's appearance was one of premature aging almost certainly coming from the hard pioneering work on his farm in Boneta. he carried the same appearance for years and never seemed to age any further than the first time you met him. He was a quiet hard-working man who never complained or spoke ill of anyone. His visits were always a treat to the grandchildren, and on one such visit, they brought a beautiful Christmas baby doll to their granddaughter, which she still treasures and holds dear. Andrew today (1968) has a posterity of 83; these and many other people will remember and hold dear the memory of Andrew Johansen. Story submitted by Beverly Johansen Edvalson. (Beverly originally began compiling the Niels Johansen Family Record, then asked if I would take over. She deserves our thanks for her foresight.)