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

 

JOHN WALDEMAR AND ELISE ERICKSEN WALDEMAR ~~~Pioneers of the Month ~~~ April 2024

 

 

John Waldemar

 

by Ina Marie Erickson Allred Asmund Waldemar and his wife, Hannah Johannson, (John's Parents) lived in the seaport town of Malmo, Sweden, where they both worked hard to provide for their family, as well as to educate them to be dependable and self-reliant. It was into this home that John Waldemar came on September 12, 1837. John's boyhood days were spent on a small farm, and at an early age he helped in many ways to supply the daily needs of the family. His earliest ambitions were directed toward accomplishing something worthwhile. When he was old enough, John attended school in Sweden, but he was later sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where there were more efficient teachers and more subjects taught. Having a great love for music from an early age, John became a very apt student. By ardent study he learned to play very skillfully on the violin, the flute and the cornet. Military training was given to all boys when they reached the age of fourteen, and so John, as well as his father, were for many years, members of the Swedish Sea Force. When he was not at sea, John helped cut timber to be exported to other countries. Father and Mother Waldemar were both faithful members of the Lutheran Church, and so the children became interested in the same faith. It was about 1853 that the Waldemar family first heard the Mormon missionaries relate the principles of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. John, now a young man of sixteen, became interested in the gospel along with his parents and the older family members. In 1854, he, his parents and other members of the family were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John became a very devout member of the Church: sincere and faithful. In 1855, he was set apart to do missionary work in Sweden. He was a great influence in bringing many into the Church. After John's baptism, his one desire was to gather with the Saints in Zion and plans were made toward that end. It was late in November of 1855 before the Waldemar family was able to begin this long journey, almost too late to venture out upon the wintry sea. But since it was such a wonderful occasion, John had faith to face the chilly blasts of wind and water on the stormy sea. The Waldemar family experienced anxious and exciting moments as they left their native shores and travelled by way of Keib, Germany. The trip from Germany to Liverpool was made on the small boat, Cambrie. It was cold and the North Sea was rough during the five days that were spent on the water. The latter part of the journey was made by train. At Liverpool, Elder Franklin Richards held a meeting instructing the Saints about the voyage. He told them to be prayerful and have no fear or anxiety, as they would encounter bad weather, but all would be well if they were brave and had the faith to endure. John Waldemar was appointed to preside over the group of Saints on the vessel. On December 6th, 1855, John went aboard the sailing vessel, John J. Boyd, anchored in the bay and ready to set sail for America. Five hundred and eleven souls were on this ship, so it was overcrowded. Large families were encouraged to remain home until spring, but because of their strong desire to go, many were willing to suffer the discomfort and inconveniences of a winter trip. Many of the emigrants who sailed at this time were from Sweden. Boxes, trunks, bundles, and bedding were piled everywhere on the ship. Some of the baggage even served as tables. There was no room to cook on deck, so the food had to be eaten cold or not at all. The voyage was far from pleasant. Each day the storm grew worse as the waves dashed over the deck and finally tattered the sails, which had to be taken down. To calm the passengers fears, the Saints sang hymns of praise. The captain, blanched and angry, blamed the bad weather on having so many Saints on board. He demanded that all of them stop singing and praying, saying that Satan was on the ship. Christmas Day was spent on the ocean amid sleet and storm. What a Christmas it was for the Saints! John Waldemar played beautiful strains of music on his violin while the Saints sang. They even had a Santa Claus. Some of the parents had brought a few little gifts for the younger children and a little rock candy; otherwise, there were no gifts. A few days after Christmas someone carelessly threw a lighted match into the cabinet room, causing a fire. Smoke almost strangled those on board. Elder Canute Peterson prayed for the Saints to be saved, and faith was the prevailing power. After this incident, the captain again cursed the emigrants, saying he had a notion to throw half of them overboard. As the weeks passed, food grew more scarce and there was not enough water on board to quench the thirst of even the sick persons. Many of the children had measles, and several cases of scarlet fever broke out. There was much sadness and heartache as some loved ones were lowered into their watery grave by John Waldemar and others. After almost twelve weeks at sea, John arrived in New Orleans. He was happy to be on land again after such a strenuous journey. After resting for a few days, the emigrants went up the Mississippi River on a boat, and then by rail to St. Louis, arriving there the first part of March, 1856. Because of bad weather, John worked in St. Louis until the latter part of April. It was then that Elder Peterson ordered his company of Saints to set sail on a steamboat up the Missouri River to Winter Quarters where preparations were made to begin the trek across the Plains. John and his parents were assigned to travel to Utah in Captain Robert Neslen's company. They left Winter Quarters in June. John helped drive the cattle and ox teams across the Plains. Indians were often troublesome, causing the oxen to be hard to handle. The days were sultry. Because of heavy loads, supplies were often unloaded and left beside the roadside in order to relieve the weary oxen. In spite of the many difficulties as they trudged through the burning sand or mud, the Saints were often heard laughing and singing the songs of Zion. At bugle call all would gather to receive instructions. Sunday was a day of rest and worship, and no travelling was done on that day. Often in the evening, after a long day's trek, John would play his violin while others danced barefoot to the music. After three months of travelling by ox-team, John arrived in Salt Lake City. September 20, 1856. He lived in the fort until spring, then his family moved into a little log cabin near the Second Ward. Many houses and buildings were needed by Saints and carpenters and masons were in demand, so John soon found plenty of work to do: all, of course, with little or no pay. His willingness and patience toward his fellowmen won him many friends. John was among the three thousand Saints who gathered at Silver Lake, Big Cottonwood Canyon, on July 24, 1857 to celebrate the arrival of the pioneers who had come into the Salt Lake Valley ten years before. At that time, word was received that United States soldiers were on their way to Utah. Not knowing what might happen, the Waldemar family again loaded their wagon and journeyed into Utah Valley. John's next home was on the east bench in Spanish Fork. The grasshopper plague of the previous summer and the resulting shortage of food caused dark days to hover over the new home in Spanish Fork. Fish and cornmeal bread were the main dishes. As spring advanced, pig weeds, thistle and sego roots were added to the almost-starvation diet. After moving into their little two-room log cabin, John and his father cleared the land of sagebrush and planted a small crop of wheat and a garden. Only a few bushels of wheat were harvested; this was ground by hand and made into flour. It was because of late planting that only a part of the crop matured. In June of 1859 the Waldemar family was sent by President Brigham Young to help settle Mount Pleasant in Sanpete County, and to help protect the settlers from the savage Indian attacks. Travelling by wagon and oxen, they arrived in Mt. Pleasant the latter part of June, just in time to help finish the fort there, and move into it. John, then twenty-two years of age, had experienced hard work and severe trials, yet, with his violin as a companion, he had also spent hours of joy and happiness. Less than a month after the Waldemars arrived in Mt. Pleasant, a grand celebration was to take place on July 24, which marked twelve years since the pioneers first entered the Salt Lake Valley. John helped erect a large bowery in the southwest corner of the fort, then Christian Anderson and he went to the mountains with an ox team to get a load of pitch pine wood to furnish light for the evening of dance and entertainment. As before, John played his violin while the happy dancers frolicked on the grass until two o'clock the next morning. The first of August found John in the hayfields helping to harvest one of the crops of native grass with a homemade scythe. He raked the crop with a pitchfork and hauled it with a slow ox team from the lowlands of Chester to Mt. Pleasant, which required one day to make the trip. After the hay was gathered, it was time to cradle the grain, gather it into bundles and tie it by hand. John, using willows, flailed out bushels of grain. He then separated the grain from the chaff by throwing it into the air to let the breeze blow away the chaff. Hard work such as this made the Saints appreciate their leisure hours. John, being a well-educated man and a fine musician, played at all the important gatherings in Mt. Pleasant. On July 4, 1861, the first flagpole was placed in the fort. A whole ox was roasted and enjoyed by everyone. Then John played on his violin for the dancing that took place on the dirt floor of the bowery. Though many people were barefoot, they could still make the dust fly. In March of 1861, John was chosen to go to Salt Lake City with his wagon and ox team to haul granite from Cottonwood Canyon to help build the Salt Lake Temple. After this assignment was completed, he returned to Mt. Pleasant. Soon he organized a pioneer band. It was while he was creating such a jovial time at the dances that John met both of his future wives. On March 19, 1862, he married Sophia, the daughter of Andrew and Ingreed Maneur, also natives of Sweden. Their companionship was of short duration for she passed away the following December in childbirth. On May 10, 1863, John married Alesia Erickson, and twelve children were born to this union. John helped haul logs to build a schoolhouse inside the fort. He also helped to build Bishop Seeley's sawmill, receiving lumber for pay. Plays were put on in the one-room schoolhouse, using a wagon-cover for a curtain. Sweet strains of music could always be heard at these performances. It was interesting to have many nationalities spending the winter together in the fort, singing hymns in their own native tongue, and dancing to the music. They also met together to worship and praise God for his goodness to them. When John's uncle, Niels Waldemar, was sent by President Brigham Young to the Missouri River to bring immigrants to Utah, John not only loaned his wagon and one ox to make the trip, but worked for his uncle while he was away. After leaving the fort, John moved his family into a dugout which furnished a roof over his loved ones for a short time, but because of the attacks by the Indians, they moved back into the fort. In 1865, Mt. Pleasant leaders saw the need for home guards to protect them from the savage attacks of the Indians. John was chosen as one of the guards. He received seventy-five dollars a year as pay for guarding the men who worked in the hay fields. The guards, always ready to go where trouble beckoned, were called minutemen. John served in Captain day's company for three years; he went on duty at the call of the bugle, taking his turn at guarding the Saints. During the winter, because of cold weather and deep snow, the Indians were quieter, but warm weather found them again stealing and killing. The social hall that had been built by John was turned into a guardhouse. Fifty men stood guard for twenty-four hours each, and all minutemen answered to roll call every day. Even as a youth, the spirit of patriotism and loyalty had been instilled into John's mind. When he heard the drums beat, he would quickly assemble with the other minutemen to protect the colony, even though it meant leaving their homes and enduring great suffering. In June of 1866, John was called to go in a covered wagon to Fairview, to move settlers to Mt. Pleasant. While he was away on this journey, a little daughter was born to Alesia. In 1867, John and his family left the fort a second time. He was an adobe maker, and so built a one-room adobe home with a slant to the back so that other rooms could be added at a later date. Happiness reigned in this humble little home and many golden days were spent within its walls. Covered wagons drawn by oxen or mules were the only means of travel, and although it was inconvenient and slow, it was just in such manner that John and his family attended their first October general conference held in Salt Lake City. When President Brigham Young visited Mt. Pleasant in 1868, a grand celebration was held in his honor. Wagons were decorated, and each drawn by four fine horses. It was in such a wagon that John and the other pioneer band members went to Fountain Green to meet President Young. As they neared, the band played loud and clear. Later they all met at the bowery in Mt. Pleasant where President Young gave encouragement to the Saints and thanked them for their loyalty and good work. On October 15, 1869, a man by the name of Mr. Hustler came to Mt. Pleasant with various musical imstruments for a brass band. A military band was organized, and in three weeks John was able to play six popular tunes on the cornet. The band members had beautiful homemade suits. Their coats were blue trimmed with brass buttons. The band played beautifully and performed for dances. The ticket for such occasions was a bushel of wheat from the men, while the ladies furnished a basket lunch. As a gift of appreciation for services rendered by the band, each member was given ten acres of land in a large field just a mile north of the town. The ten-acre lots were numbered and each drew a lot. John moved out onto his lot and raised grain and a fine vegetable garden. Later he bought forty more acres to farm. The ground was quite low and required only a little irrigation to raise good crops. John was an industrious and a progressive farmer. He started farming with just an ox team and home made implements, but later purchased some mules, and then he became the proud owner of a fine team of horses. John raised milk cows. He planted potatoes, vegetables, and grain, and sold the surplus of his crops that was not needed for his family. He also raised sugarcane, although he had some good years and some bad on this crop. When the grasshoppers were bad, he planted peas instead of grain. In 1886, John built a home on the farm and moved his family there. Farming proved to be uphill business for the first few years, for there was much to be done in clearing the land and planting, but he never gave up. He was also a good businessman. He started the Sanpete County Co-op Store and was secretary for many years. He was connected with this store till 1886. In 1870, John bought beef cattle and started a butcher shop in a log building opposite the Co-op Store. John was a jack-of-all-trades; he believed he should never carry all his eggs in one basket. He was not only a farmer, a musician, businessman, and devoted husband and father, but he served the community as a veterinarian. Many of the settlers came from miles around for help and advice when their cattle or other farm animals were sick. He also made bee-hives and fixed harnesses. He spent the long cold winter months in his shop mending broken tools and making horse-hair brushes for the children. He also owned a brickyard and made the red brick himself. John built the Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant. It was later used for a dance hall, and still later sold for a school and church house. In 1872, he and others built an adobe store building between Second and Third West on the north side of Main Street. This was more modern than the log building that had been known as the Mt. Pleasant Co-op. The new building was called the Swedish Store and the old building was used as a warehouse. On March 3rd, 1875, John and others with an interest sold the old Liberal Dance Hall on Main Street to Duncan McMillan, who started a Presbyterian Sunday School. With the money from this sale, the men built a new dance hall. John's talents were many and his willingness to serve was great. He played his violin in Mt. Pleasant's tabernacle choir for many years. When the telegraph line was put through Sanpete County, John helped to haul logs from the canyon to be used for poles. He served on the city council for two years. He was also called to help build the Manti Temple. During this period, while they were there, the men camped in tents on Indian Creek. One time there was a severe blizzard, and for a time it was feared that all the men would perish; however, they weathered the storm through faith. John gave much in labor and finances to erect this temple. The years of sacrifice in John's life were rewarded. His home on the farm was surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers, and it was said to be the most outstanding in all of Sanpete County. He appreciated the home and the sacrifices of his good wife and his family of twelve children. His trust in the Lord was the key to his achieving such a happy and successful life. When he had a duty to perform, or a position to fulfill, he did it with honor. When called to do missionary work throughout Sanpete County, John was ready and willing to do his part for the upbuilding of the Church. He had clear vision, sound judgment, and a determination to succeed. He worked untiringly on the farm and in his places of business, making a good living for his wife and family. As the years rolled by and John's step grew slower and his eyes more dim, he could no longer run the farm. Surrounded by sad and pleasant memories, and to satisfy the desire of Alesia's heart, John sold the old farm and bought a neat little home in town next door to his daughters, Elizabeth and Elna. both of whom had married. Happiness reigned in the new home for only a few short months. They moved in November, and on February 25, 1921, when he was eighty-three, John passed on to his reward. On the back plate of the beautiful bronze monument erected and unveiled in Mt. Pleasant on July 6, 1909, is found the name of John Waldemar, an honored pioneer and veteran of the Black Hawk War. John's splendid character, his clean life, his love for his fellowmen, and his success as a businessman, caused all to love and respect him. His acquaintances had a keen appreciation for this worthy citizen as a true pioneer and church builder. His children did well to try to emulate his noble character. - Ina Marie Erickson Allred ( John Waldemar was an uncle to my father, Alif Dehlin Erickson. I have often heard him speak of "Uncle John Waldemar" with affection and the utmost respect. He was the brother of Elna Waldemar who became the wife of Paul Paulson Dehlin, my great-grandfather. Because there are so many parallels in the lives of my father and Uncle John, I took the liberty of copying this history from Volume 10 of "An Enduring Legacy" published by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers 1987. I, too felt drawn to him upon reading this account. I feel it would have been a privilege to meet the author, also, who must surely have been a relative of some kind, considering the kind, affectionate way she treated this biography. I have been fortunate enough to find out the following facts about her: Ina Marie Erickson Allred was born at Mt. Pleasant on 29 April, 1897. She was the daughter of Louis Erickson and Elizabeth Waldemar. She was baptized and confirmed by Thomas W. West on 23 July, 1906. She moved to the Tooele S. Ward on 26 March, 1926.)

Back Row left to right: Elna Celcelia, Nels Amos, Emily Elizabeth, John Leonard, Louis Franklin, Hannah, James Alif,
Front row left to right: Torborg Elisa, Eric Theodore, Ralfe Leon, John Waldemar

Clementina Marion Morrison Ericksen ~~~ Pioneer of the Month ~~~January 2024

 

 Description

Inscription on back: Piano of Clementina Marion Morrison in the home of her granddaughter, Rowena Beatrice Proctor Spackman at Cardston, Alberta, Canada September 1982

William Johnson Noland and Camilla Ericksen Noland ~~~ Pioneers of the Month ~~~ June 2021

William Johnson Noland and Camilla Ericksern Noland 

 

Ferdinand Ericksen ~ Pioneer of the Month ~ April 2017

Ferdinand Ericksen 

Ferdinand Ericksen and his first wife, Clementina Marion Morrison
The child is Beatrice.

Tina died soon after giving birth to their third Child Tina 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ferdinand Ericksen and second wife Carrie Lofgren 

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.

Addendum

He was one of the influential persons to bring about the construction of the Pioneer Monument that stands in front of the Carnegie Library today.



His Speech

"Judge Ferdinand Ericksen, in his presentation speech, gave a brief history of all that had been done by the committees and the source of obtaining the necessary funds for the erection of the monument on the beautiful spot on which it stands, and thanked the ecclesiastical authorities for the privilege of locating it there without cost or consideration for an indefinite period of time. He explained in brief, the inscriptions upon the Monument, the names of the persons inscribed, he said, being representative of many nationalities, and among them were names of noted scholars.. musicians, artists, teachers, etc. Men who would, because of their skill and ability, have achieved distinction in any community. He stated in brief that this determined band of fearless and God-fear¬ing men, together with their wives, who shared their labors and who had come here under most adverse conditions; he said that the now vast rich fields with growing crops, were then covered with sage brush, and that the roads, bridges and canals were yet to be constructed, the churches and temples of learning had not then even been planned. The Opera Houses and Amusement houses were unknown. In fact, there were none of the attractions, or features of civilization to induce those pioneers to come, but on the contrary, the existing conditions at that time were such as to discourage."

"Not only were the elements to be subdued and the arid soil made to produce a livelihood, but the roving and uncivilized Indians had to be met and conquered. In conclusion he stated that it was indeed fitting that we perpetuate the names and deeds d such worthy ancestors, and that this was the underlying and controlling thought and desire in erecting the Memorial. He said that he took great pleasure in performing the duties his commission imposed, and presented the Monument to the community in behalf of all those who had in any manner aided in its construction, to honor of all the pioneers, both men and women, who settled in Mt. Pleasant, as a memorial of the esteem in which the pioneers who had made the present Mt. Pleasant possible, were held."

from Mt. Pleasant History pp 188-189; Hilda Madsen Longsdorf
He died on April 20, 1927 in Salt Lake City.
He married Clementina Marion Morrison in December of 1885, a daughter of William and Mary Margaret Farquhar Morrison. New Family Search shows them to be the parents of three children, Clementina Beatrice, William, and Clementina Marian.  His wife, Clementina died while giving birth to Clementina

He was also a partner to Henry Ericksen in the Ericksen Meat and Grocery for short time.  Henry was a brother-in-law.  Ferdinand had a law office on the second floor of the grocery business.


"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

Birth:	Sep. 30, 1863 Mount Pleasant Sanpete County Utah, USA
Death:	Apr. 20, 1927 Salt Lake City Salt Lake County Utah, USA 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. Addendum He was one of the influential persons to bring about the construction of the Pioneer Monument that stands in front of the Carnegie Library today. His Speech "Judge Ferdinand Ericksen, in his presentation speech, gave a brief history of all that had been done by the committees and the source of obtaining the necessary funds for the erection of the monument on the beautiful spot on which it stands, and thanked the ecclesiastical authorities for the privilege of locating it there without cost or consideration for an indefinite period of time. He explained in brief, the inscriptions upon the Monument, the names of the persons inscribed, he said, being representative of many nationalities, and among them were names of noted scholars.. musicians, artists, teachers, etc. Men who would, because of their skill and ability, have achieved distinction in any community. He stated in brief that this determined band of fearless and God-fear¬ing men, together with their wives, who shared their labors and who had come here under most adverse conditions; he said that the now vast rich fields with growing crops, were then covered with sage brush, and that the roads, bridges and canals were yet to be constructed, the churches and temples of learning had not then even been planned. The Opera Houses and Amusement houses were unknown. In fact, there were none of the attractions, or features of civilization to induce those pioneers to come, but on the contrary, the existing conditions at that time were such as to discourage." "Not only were the elements to be subdued and the arid soil made to produce a livelihood, but the roving and uncivilized Indians had to be met and conquered. In conclusion he stated that it was indeed fitting that we perpetuate the names and deeds d such worthy ancestors, and that this was the underlying and controlling thought and desire in erecting the Memorial. He said that he took great pleasure in performing the duties his commission imposed, and presented the Monument to the community in behalf of all those who had in any manner aided in its construction, to honor of all the pioneers, both men and women, who settled in Mt. Pleasant, as a memorial of the esteem in which the pioneers who had made the present Mt. Pleasant possible, were held." from Mt. Pleasant History pp 188-189; Hilda Madsen Longsdorf He died on April 20, 1927 in Salt Lake City. He married Clementina Marion Morrison in December of 1885, a daughter of William and Mary Margaret Farquhar Morrison. New Family Search shows them to be the parents of three children, Clementina Beatrice, William, and Clementina Marian. His wife, Clementina died while giving birth to Clementina Marian. He was also a partner to Henry Ericksen in the Ericksen Meat and Grocery for short time. Henry was a brother-in-law. Ferdinand had a law office on the second floor of the grocery business. "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
Obituary:  Judge Ferdinand Ericksen, for many years prominent in legal business and political life of Utah, died Wednesday at St. Marks, hospital in Salt Lake City, after an illness of several months.He suffered a heart attack about six month ago and was ordered to a lower altitude by his physician. At that time he went to Dallas, Texas, to visit his sister, Mrs. O. C. Anderson. When his condition became worse he returned to Salt Lake and had been in the hospital since. Judge Ericksen was active in the Democratic party for many years and was a factor in the development of Sanpete county in a business and political way. He was the son of Utah pioneers, Lars and Christina Hansen Ericksen, born in Mt. Pleasant September 30, 1863. He received his early education in the Sanpete county schools and later attended the Brigham Young academy at Provo. For a time he taught school in Mt. Pleasant and then attended the law school at the University of Michigan where he graduated in 1890. He was admitted to the bar of Michigan and Utah in the same year and returned to Utah to take up his profession. His political life was long and varied. He first entered politics in 1890 when he was elected Sanpete county attorney Later he served as county treasurer and was a candidate for state senator in 1894, but was defeated. In 1897 he was elected mayor of Mt. Pleasant, in which capacity he served for several terms. In 1904 he was elected judge of the Seventh judicial district and served a four year term. The same year he was a delegate in the national Democratic convention at St. Louis, MO. he was also a candidate for Representative in the House of Representatives of the United State. After serving as judge he returned to private practice in Mr. Pleasant. In 1912 Judge Ericksen moved to Salt Lake and became the law partner of the later Marks P. Braffet. This firm handled the legal business for the Utah Fuel company. In 1915 the partnership was dissolved and Judge Ericksen became general counsel for the Fuel company. He is survived by the following children; Clarence E. Ericksen, Hollywood, Cal.; Mrs,. A. W. Proctor of Sterling, Alberta Canada; Mrs. Obed Nielson, Mt. Pleasant; Mrs E. W. Lambert, William M., F. Harlan, D. Alleen and Elroy L. Ericksen all of Salt Lake. The following brothers and sisters also survive; Mrs. Anderson, Dallas , Texas; Mrs Camilla Noland, Mount Pleasant; Mrs. John Pritchett, Huntington; Mrs. Lena Sorenson Provo, Louis, Orem and Amasa Ericksen, Mt. Pleasant.

Below is the Family group sheet of Ferdinand's Father,  Lars Ericksen.

Christian F. Peel and Mary Miranda Seely Peel ~ Pioneers of the Month ~ October 2014

Christian F. Peel and Mary Miranda Seely Peel  Family

After Christian's death, the farm wasn’t the happy place it once was, so the farm was leased out and Miranda and the children moved to town and lived with Miranda’s mother in the big house on 5^th West and Main Street.

Peter Azel Peel and Mary Margaret Ericksen were married March 18, 1908.  They moved down to the log house, but they only lived there a little over a year and then moved back to town.

On November 27, 1912, John Peel and Esther Matson were married and moved to the Peel log house.  They lived there and raised twelve children.  

It was always hard to get to school in the winter.  They moved to town in 1934, where they rented and later bought the Brown Home.  John Peel’s sons worked the farm but the farmhouse almost fell apart. 

In 1996, Dan and Esther Peel Randall bought 39 acres around the farm house from the Peel boys.  They restored the old log house and made a fish pond, a play ground, and built a beautiful new home west and south of the log house.  But sorrow came again when Dan had a sudden heart attack and died May 31, 2003.  Esther still lives alone and is always happy when family comes to visit.

 Peel Homestead

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Tomorrow...... Much more on Mary Miranda Seely Peel

John Meyrick, Pioneer of the Month, May 2014

Erick and Caroline Gunderson ~~~ Pioneers of the Month ~~~ January 2011

Our friend, David R. Gunderson, has just published a book entitled “Erick and Caroline Gunderson’s Journey of Faith from Norway to Sanpete”. He has been assisted by a cousin, Betty Gunderson Woodbury. Both are contributors to our Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Blog. David has been working on this book for a long time. His research and personal knowledge of, not only the Gunderson family, but also of Mt. Pleasant history is extensive. Betty has been working on the family genealogy and collecting items of Utah family history all of her life.





With David’s permission we post January’s Pioneers of the Month: Erick and Caroline Gunderson, excerpts taken from the book.



In times of crisis, the fate of peoples and nations is often described as "hanging on a thread".  In fact the fate of our Gunderson family did hang by the threads that held a big black button on the foul weather smock that Erick was wearing during a storm on the North Sea.  During this storm, a huge wave crashed over his small fishing boat and washed him overboard.  He was able to get back to his boat, and save his life (and that of our family), because this button caught on a line or a piece of netting that was trailing out from his boat and the button's threads held.



Erick brought this button with him when he came to Utah and my Uncles Doug, Shy, and Glen recalled of playing with it when they were children.  It would be nice to have this button now but it has been lost.  But it must have looked like the one shown here.





The families of both Erick and Caroline lived in Riser, Aust-Agder (East-Agder) Provence, Norway, which is a small fishing and resort village located about 125 miles south of Oslo. It borders the North sea and Oslofjord. Risor was known from Viking days for its strong ships and expert seamen. Like all Norse communities , it had a tradition of Viking raids on England, France and other parts of Europe. In the early 19th Century, Risor, though small, had become an important shipping center in Norway and roughly 100 sailing ships made it their home port. It was in this small community on August 27, 1830, that Erick Gunderson, a son of Gunder Ericksen and Annie Jensen, was born into the world.



At this time Norway was actually a part of Sweden, having been annexed in 1815 from Denmark at the close of the Napoleonic wars, after nearly 400 years of Danish rule. Opportunity for education above elementary school was not readily available to the people of Norway, unless they were a member of the clergy or of the aristocracy. The family had always been close-knit and must have had the means to allow the children to receive a little better than the average education and training. (At this time, Norway was still using patronymic names so Erick Gunderson’s father’s name was Gunder Ericksen) Not much is known about Erick’s growing up years, but he was a fisherman by trade and probably went to sea with every fishing expedition available to him in order to help meet the family’s needs.

The Aurora Borealis as seen from Norway.  Erick and the other members of the family would have been familiar with these spactacular sights.

The family must have enjoyed all of the wonderful Norwegian festivals. They would have especially enjoyed the Yuletide celebration with rice pudding, and small prizes, and coins hidden in the Yule cake. They must also have looked forward to the Midsummer Festivals with all of its traditions as well.



In about 1851, when Erick was 20 or 21 years old, he went to Scotland (Glasgow) to learn the trade of shipbuilding. It is not known how long he apprenticed in Scotland, but it was probably for a period of about one year. Since English is the common language among the sailors of the North Sea, Erick must have had some command of the English language before he went to Scotland. While there, his English skills probably improved markedly. This must have aided him greatly when he came to America.



The first Mormon missionary to Norway was Elder Hans F. Petersen. He was brought to Norway by a Norwegian sea captain, Svend Larsen, of Osterrisor (Risor), who had become interested in the message of the church, while delivering a load of lumber at Aalborg, Denmark. Elder Petersen arrived on 11 September 1851 and with the help of Captain Larsen began to lay the foundation for the work on the next day. In Norway the missionaries received a mixed welcome. Some Norwegians readily accepted them and embraced the Gospel, while others tried to have them jailed or expelled.



It was to this situation that Erick returned to Norway from Scotland. Some members of his family had heeded and accepted the Gospel. Other family members were bitterly opposed. As a result, Erick withdrew from the family, decided to just ignore the Mormon problem and married his childhood sweetheart, Inger Elizabeth Evensen on 13 January 1853. Some of her family members had also accepted the missionary’s message and joined the new Church but she apparently remained indifferent.



Saddened by his lack of interest in this new religion, his younger sister, Torbor, pled with Erick and Inger to just listen to the Elders and then decide. Finally, they agreed. He and Inger soon accepted the message and were baptized on 23 April 1853. He was the 35th member and she the 36th member added to the Church rolls in Norway according to the records. His father, Gunder Ericksen; his mother, Anne Jensen; his sister, and other family members preceded them as members. His parents joined the Church 19 September 1852. The first baptisms in Norway were on 23 September 1851. (Note that Erick’s future wife, Caroline and her blind mother Maria became the 7th and 8th members of the church in Norway on 25 June 1852.)



Svend Larsen, the ship captain who brought the first missionaries to Norway was baptized 23 September 1851 in Aalborg, Denmark. He immigrated to Utah in 1854.



About one year after they joined the LDS Church, Erick and Inger were blessed with a beautiful baby girl who they named Anne Torine. She must have been a wonderful and welcome addition to their home.



Erick, along with other family members, heeded the call to gather to Zion. In mid-November 1854, Erick (age 24), Inger Elizabeth (23), their daughter, Anne Torine (nearly a year old), his father, Gunder (50), his mother, Anne (48), his sister, Torbor (18), his brother Jens (22), Jens’ wife Anne (22), Erick’s Uncle and Aunt Henrik (36) and Ingeborg (35) Erickson and their family, Erick Bertel (13), Torborg (10), John Andreas (5) and Ingeborg (6 months), departed their beloved Norway together. However, due to a problem with ships in Liverpool, Jens and his family had to cross the Atlantic on the next ship, the Charles Buck. Karen Dorthea, and her husband Niels Johannes Petersen probably stayed in Norway to settle up the estate and to care for their grandparents Erick and Torborg, who died in 1857 and 1858 respectively. The Petersons emigrated in 1863.



One cannot help but wonder how the family members felt as the familiar scene of the Risorflekken, the large white stone, that marks Risor harbor, faded into the distance for the last time, as they sailed out into the North Sea. This would be the last sight they would ever have of their beloved home town, Risor.



The first leg of this trip was from Norway to England. This passage was carried out on a 132-ton Danish paddlewheel steamship called the Cimbria. This voyage has been clearly described in the book “Saints on the Sea”. “There is no other body of water quite like the North Sea. It is often unpredictable, violent and treacherous - - and particularly so during the winter monts. Of all the North Sea passages made by Mormon emigrants, probably none was as terrifying as that of the small Danish steamer Cimbria. It left Copenhagen on 24 November 1854. Some 300 Scandinavian Saints were crowded on board when the 132-ton paddle-wheeler sailed out of the harbor. Although the sea was very rough, the Cimbria reached Fredrikshavn on the east coast of Jutland the following morning. There 149 additional emigrants from Aalborg and Vendsyssel joined the company, further crowding the 160-foot ship. (Our Gunderson family members probably crossed to Denmark to join this company of emigrants at Fredrikshaven.)







On 26 November the steamer resumed her voyage and the weather was fair until the next afternoon. Then a strong wind came up, and its rising fury forced the captain to seek haven in the nearest Norwegian port. He put into Mandal (formerly known as Vesterrisor), an excellent harbor sheltered by high and steep granite cliffs. Here the Norwegians offered the Saints accommodations on shore for several days until the wind diminished. The elders preached to some of the villagers, and several were later converted.



On 7 December the Cimbria once again put to sea, but the improved weather soon changed for the worse. Before the end of the day a violent storm struck. The waves became mountainous, and the wind shrieked through the rigging. Tons of water crashed over the bow, shattering the bulwarks and some boxes on deck. The captain once more sought safety in Mandal’s harbor, but the strong currents and winds made it too dangerous to head toward Norway. The vessel returned to Fredrikshavn, where she anchored on the ninth. During this storm the emigrants huddled below decks, suffering from the cold, the pitching of the ship, and seasickness. Once on shore again, a few of the less hardy refused to travel farther, but most of the Saints recovered their courage and even held public meetings.



It was not until 20 December that the captain felt the weather would permit setting out again for England. For a day the sea was favorable, but the following night the storm returned with the appalling savagery of a mindless beast. Great masses of water threatened to capsize the little steamer, and the twisting troughs between waves seemed designed to break her back. For hours the Cimbria battled the ferocity of the winds and the high seas, while the miserable passengers were too cold and sick and too busy holding on to their bunks, tables, or anything secure to think of much else but prayer and survival. The vessel, shuddering and quivering with each wave, tried to turn back for a third time. Then, in the afternoon of the twenty second, the wind veered to the north. The captain changed course and continued on to Hull. On 24 December the battered steamer with her exhausted crew and thankful passengers anchored in the River Humber. The following day-Christmas-the Scandinavian Saints traveled by rail from Hull to Liverpool, where most boarded the Yankee square rigger James Nesmith bound for New Orleans.”



The Cimbria passengers arrived a day or two too late for the ship they had been scheduled to use, and the Church Immigration Agency hurriedly located the ship James Nesmith. It was quickly equipped for passengers and on 7 January 1855, with 440 Scandinavian Saints, and one English Saint, it sailed for America. (The ship being too small for the whole company, 24 people were left to come later. Jens and his family were probably among these.) The company leader of the Saints on board both the Cimbria and the James Nesmith was Peter O. Hansen, a returning missionary. The voyage began with the ship being towed out of the Liverpool harbor down the river Mersey, past the light house and into the open sea where the sails were unfurled and a course was set for the new world.



During the winter, the prevailing winds in the North Atlantic are westerlies, and emigrant ships had to tack (sail into the wind) for most of their crossings. This results in a fairly rough and long voyage. However, crossing the Atlantic in the winter made it possible to cross the plains in the summer and this was crucial.



Many of the Mormon emigrant ships had wonderful choirs which performed during the dedication and prayer for safe journey services which were always held at the outset of each emigration voyage. One of the great gathering hymns, “Ye Elders of Israel” with its inspiring message, “O Babylon O Babylon we bid thee farewell, we’re going to the mountains of Ephraim to dwell” was one of the favorites. Both the emigrants and many of the ships officers and seamen took courage from these dedication ceremonies and the continued prayers for safe voyage. Over the 30 years of emigration by sail only one vessel, in 176 was lost.

After a 47 day passage, the James Nesmith arrived in New Orleans on 23 February 1855. The passenger list that was presented to the New Orleans Customs Office shows that the family had all arrived safely, except for Anne Torine who had died on 20 January.



The 1850s travel on the rivers was fraught with many dangers. Among these were diseases, especially cholera, exploitation by unscrupulous gamblers and boat personnel, running aground or being caught on a snag, sinking, falling overboard and being ignored, thievery, etc. However, until 1856, when the railheads were extended to Iowa, it was the best means of transportation available. The Charles Buck, on which Erick’s brother, Jens traveled, was the last Mormon emigrant ship to land at New Orleans. It departed from Liverpool on 17 January and arrived at New Orleans on March 14, 1855, after a 53 day passage.



Within a day or two after their arrival the Gunderson/Ericksen family began their voyage up river. Two steamboats, the Moses Greenwood and the Oceana, carried James Nesmith travelers to St. Louis, where they arrived March 7. Those who could not immediately afford passage to Salt Lake City took the steamboat Polar Star to Weston, where they sought employment.



On March 12, 1855, about 175 of the Mormon emigrants from the ship James Nesmith resumed their passage from St. Louis to Atchison, Kansas aboard the steamboat Clara. It was a trip bedeviled by delay and disease. At Leavenworth low water compelled the steamer to lay up for a time during which another Mormon company arrived. There twenty Saints died of cholera and on the way to Atchison nine more deaths were recorded. This 351 ton sidewheeler was skippered and partly owned by Joshua Cheever. A year later the Clara was sunk by ice at St. Louis.



On 25 March 1855 while the family was at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, Erick’s younger sister Tobor Kristine (18) married Simon Fredrick Halversen (26) from Brekke Osnoy Ostfold, Norway.



Erick’s parents, and his Aunt and Uncle, Henrik and Ingeborg Ericksen, and the rest of their family members that came on the James Nesmith, reached Mormon Grove at Atchison, Kansas in early June. There they began preparations to cross the plains and with the exception of Erick and his family, they continued west with the Secrist-Guyman Wagon Company which left from Mormon Grove on 13 June and entered the Salt Lake Valley on 7 September 1855 after a 57 day crossing. They settled in Spanish Fork and prepared for the arrival of the rest of the family.



Erick remained in Mormon Grove at Atchison, Kansas until 1856. Family records say that Inger, who was pregnant, contracted cholera. The baby, a boy who they called Earl Even, was born on 25 October and soon passed away. Inger died two days later and they were both buried at Mormon Grove. The rest of the family had left in June and it was too late for Erick to find and join a company and follow his family to Utah in 1855, so he worked to prepare to go on to Utah during the next immigration season. In 1856 he arrived in Utah during the week of the 16th of September 1856, after an 81-88 day crossing and joined the family in Spanish Fork.



A Wife for Erick Comes from Norway



Erick left Norway in late 1854 with his parents, his sisters, a brother-in-law and a small child and other family members. In 1857, two years later he was a single widower in Utah probably living with his parents. How lonely he must have been. However, things were about to get better.



As the Gundersons and other families, one by one left Risor to go to Zion, another member of the Risor Branch of the Church, Caroline Johnson, longed to go to Zion also, but she just couldn’t leave her widowed and blind mother alone in Norway. Recognizing the strong desire of her daughter to join the Saints in Zion, Maria encouraged her to go. However, Caroline always replied that she could never leave her mother alone in Norway. Finally, Maria said, “If you won’t go without me, I will have to go with you.” When Caroline asked how they could do that her mother said that “they would just face the problems, one at a time. “ In the spring of 1857, they did just that.



Maria (age 54) and Caroline (age 22) departed Norway on Saturday, 11 April 1857, with a group of saints from Christiania (Oslo), Norway and sailed to Copenhagen aboard the Norwegian steamship Viken. In a calm sea, the vessel arrived at the Danish port the following day. After a five-day delay this company-about 540 emigrants under the direction of Hector C. Haight, President of the Scandinavian Mission, boarded the Danish screw steamer L.N. Hvidt and traveled to Grimsby (just south of Hull). From that English port they traveled by train to Liverpool. Soon after they arrived in Liverpool, they boarded the ship Westmoreland.



The Westmoreland left Liverpool on Saturday, 25 April 1857 and arrived at Philiadelphia, Pa on Pentecost Sunday, Sunday, 31 May 1857 after a 36 day passage. The emigrants then boarded the train to go to the trail head in Iowa City, passing through Baltimore and Wheeling along the way.



At Iowa City, they joined the Seventh Handcart or Christian Christiansen Handcart Company which departed on 12 June and, traveling over the Mormon Trail, arrived in the Valley on Sunday, 13 Sep 1857.



One of the other passengers on the Westmoreland was C.C.A. Christensen who was a convert to the LDS faith in Denmark and had served a mission in both Denmark and Norway. Before his mission, he had studied painting and illustration in Copenhagen for several years. It is interesting to note that he lived for a time in Mt. Pleasant and took an active roll in the early developments of that community.



The Arrival of the Christiansen Handcart Company in the Sale Lake Valley



“Along the way lay the skeletons of worn out oxen, but these heroes and heroines endured …With their lips half eaten up by saleratus dust, and clothed in rags, with almost bottomless shoes on their feet, yet they greeted with songs of delight the rising sun which let them see Salt Lake City for the first time.”



“What changes have taken place since that time in less than one week our emigrants are now brought here from the Atlantic coast, where they disembark after a few days pleasant ocean voyage by steamship, while we in those days were tumbled about by sailing ships for several weeks , uncertain of the time when we could expect to see the promised land. And then the journey by land over the great, empty plains and high mountains on foot, poorly supplied with food and clothing- in short, subjected to almost every deprivation that people could bear and endure, and that for all of thirteen weeks.” (taken from Nebraska History p. 344 “By Handcart to Utah, the Account of C.C.A Christensen, translated by Richard L. Jensen)



Caroline and Erick Meet, for the second Time, and Start Life Together



On his arrival in Utah on 16 September 1856, Erick joined his parents in Spanish Fork and began to work to further establish the family in Utah. He probably worked as a carpenter and also at farming, but nothing else is known about this first year in Utah, except that we guess he was very lonely.



Caroline and her mother arrived in Utah on 13 September 1857, about one year after Erick’s arrival. As noted, they had traveled in the Christiansen Handcart Company which crossed the plains together with the Cowley Ox Cart Company in which Erick’s brother Jens Gunderson traveled. While crossing the plains, Jens and his family surely would have become acquainted with their Norwegian friends. Caroline and her mother, Maria that they had probably known for many years, maybe even from childhood, and associated with the Osterrisor Branch of the LDS Church in Norway.



Since they were friends from “home” and had crossed the plains together, it would only be natural for Jens and his family to invite Caroline and her mother to join them in Spanish Fork. Communication between family members in Utah and family members in the Midwest may have been difficult in those days, but some information must have been exchanged, if only by word of mouth. In any case it is likely that Jens knew or was able to find out where the rest of the Gunderson family was located.



How happy the Gundersons in Spanish Fork must have been to have Jens and his family safely in Utah, and to greet friends from “home”, and to get all the latest news about their friends and family back in Norway. They all must have had a wonderful reunion.



Quickly, Caroline and Erick became interested in each other and on Monday, 12 October 1857, only about four weeks after Caroline’s arrival; they were married (sealed) by none other than President Brigham Young in the President’s Office in Salt Lake City at 12:30 p.m. They were late endowed in the Salt Lake Endowment House on 22 November 1861 with B. Young, W. Woodruff, and S.L. Sprague officiating.



Imagine finding a partner from “home” in far off Utah. One that spoke your native tongue, and who remembered the Risorflekken, the midsummer festivals, the picturesque Risor Harbor, the beautiful church by the sea. One who loved all the special Norwegian foods and songs, one who knew all the old friends from “home”, and one who remembered all the other special things that you remembered from your past. Then you will know how blessed Erick and Caroline must have felt to have found each other.



On 6 September 1858, Erick and Caroline had a daughter who they named Lurine Elizabeth Gunderson. She was born in Spanish Fork and died on 28 December 1861 in Mt. Pleasant.

Erick and Caroline Gunderson Relocate to Mt. Pleasant



Considering many factors, we believe that Erick came to Mt. Pleasant in the spring of 1859. It is likely that Caroline came a bit later after the birth of her second daughter, Maria Elizabeth, which occurred on 17 Feb 1860. Therefore, Erick would have been in Mt. Pleasant to assist in building the first and second forts, to divide up the land, and to clear it for planting. They would also have participated in the defenses mounted during the Black Hawk War, probably joined the United Order and played a major role in the erection of the first Mormon Church in Mt. Pleasant. They would have participated in the building of the first plants and mills and obtaining new farm equipment.



Being a carpenter by trade, his services were greatly in demand as he helped build many of the early and later homes, churches and school houses in Central Utah. He worked on every temple that was erected in Utah during his lifetime as well as the Salt Lake Tabernacle, and for the most part, he volunteered his services.