Sunday, February 1, 2026

Ferdinand Ericksen and Clementina Marion Morrison ~~~ Pioneers of the Month ~~~February 2026

 

 








Ferdinand Ericksen, son of Lars and  Stena, was born in Mt.  Pleasant, September 30, 1863.  He attended the district schools and took a two year course at B.Y. Academy at Provo.

He taught school for four years in Mt. Pleasant and then entered the Ann Arbor Law College, studying one year.  He was admitted to the bar of Michigan, June 5, 1890 and opened an office in Mt. Pleasant.


He was elected County Prosecuting Attorney in August, 1890 and County Collector in 1892.  In 1897 he was elected mayorl.  He was cashier of the Mt. Pleasant Bank from January 1893 to July 1895, and was a member of the board of directors.  He also had an interest in the Ericksen Meat and Grocery Company.


In 1894, he was elected Major of the National Guard of Utah, and in 1896 was appointed Judge Advocate, with the rank of Major, on Brigadier-General Willard Young's staff.  He was appointed a school trustee in 1896, to fill a vacancy, and in 1897 was elected to that position.


"In 1898, during the time Ferdinand Ericksen was mayor of the city, the city purchased the north brick schoolhouse, (the now mortuary) corner First North and First West, and in due time, after remodeling it, placing in a heating plant, vaults and cells, suitable furniture, etc.,it became an up-to-date and creditable city hall, and was the first real home the Mt. Pleasant city council had ever known.

The north Public Square was cleared of the brush and burrs, and trees and grass were planted for a city park".  from Mt. Pleasant History pp 179-180 by Hilda Madsen Longsdorf





































Picture taken at the dedication of the Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Monument








Bon Accorde Cottage  Where Clementina Grew Up