Hans Poulsen ~ Pioneer of the Month ~ April 2011

Andrew Swensen Sr. and Anne Torgesen Swensen ~ Pioneers of the Month ~ March 2011

Many times over the eleven years that I have been volunteering at the Mt. Pleasant Relic Home people have enquired about the above couple.  We had their names, but no history.  The names Andrew Swensen Sr. and Anne Torgesen Swensen were plainly labled on the front of the large and well framed portrait.  They are a very attractive couple.  They don't have the stern look that so many of the early pioneers to Mt. Pleasant had.

Thanks to Joan Carlson Lea Winward, we now have a history of this fine couple.  The Swensen's were ancestors of hers.  Many Sanpete residents can also claim this couple as their noble pioneer ancestors.  We are happy to be able to share their history as we know it with you.

The following is taken from a family history entitled " The Family of Arnold and Luetta Orme Swensen"; compiled by Arnetta Swensen Pincock. The Orme ~ Swensen family located in St. Anthony, Idaho.  Arnold was a great grandson of Andrew Swensen Sr.

~~~~~

Andrew Swensen Sr. was born in Floen, Sorum County of Akershus, Norway on April 13, 1835.  Floen was the name of the farm and Sorum was the name of the town.  Akershus was the county or province.  He was the first child born to Svend Andersen and Marie Olsen.


There were six other children born to this family:


Ole ~ born November 1837
Anne ~ born 13 January 1841
Casper ~ born in 1843 (exact date unknown)
Martin ~ born in 1845
Soren ~ born in 1848
Engebret ~ born 14 September 1854

He left the old home in Norway as a young man and went to Oslo where he worked as an apprentice in a cabinet establishment.  While there he became acquainted with the Mormon Elders and was converted to the gospel and was baptized April 27, 1859.  He was ordained an Elder and filled a mission in Trondheim, which is 500 miles north of Oslo.  He walked across the Bak Bone of Norway from Oslo to Tondheim to serve that mission.

While he was working in Oslo he became acquainted with Anne Torgersen, who had moved to Oslo to get work and she too became acquainted with the elders and joined the church.  This is the way they found each other. 



Andrew Swensen Sr. was working on the public school when a rafter fell striking him in the head, which caused his death November 13, 1897.  He was 62 years old.  His second wife (Dorthea Bramstead - a sister to Anne) lived until October 1925.

Dorthea Torgersen Bramstead feeding the chickens. 

Andrew Swensen Sr. married Dorthea Torgersen Bramstead seven months after  Anne died.  She was a sister to Anne who had lost her husband.

Life Sketch of Hannah Peterson (Pedersen) Meiling ~ Pioneer of the Month ~ February 2011

James Christian and Hannah Peterson Meiling ~ Pioneers of the Month ~ February 2011

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.

Duncan and Susan McArthur ~ Pioneers of the Month ~ December 2010



Duncan McArthur was born May 22, 1796 in Thornton, Grafton County, New Hampshire.  He was the eleventh of twelve children born to John McArthur and Margaret Aiken.

Duncan's parents settled in Thornton, New  Hampshire.  Here his father was one of the "town fathers".  The township grant being made in 1763 to Matthew, James, and Andrew Thornton.  It was incorporated in 1781.  John McArthur was instrumental in helping establish the Scotch Presbyterian Church, and helped in establishing roads and the school.  Many of the early settlers came from Londonderry New Hampshire.  They were Scotch Irish descent and immigrated to the United States about the same time as Margaret Aiken's ancestors.  Perhaps this was a reason they chose to live in Thornton.

Here John and Margaret's family of twelve children were born and John had their births recorded in the town records.  Duncan's brothers and sisters were named:  Catherine - 1775, James - 1778, John and Mary (twins) - 1781, Andrew - 1783, Samuel - 1785, Margaret -1787, Sally  - 1789, Jannett - 1791, Moses  Little - 1794, Duncan - 1796, and Roxanne - 1798.

For twenty-seven years they lived in Thornton.  In 1802 they moved to Chelsea, Vermont. Perhaps going to follow their minister, Noah Worcester with whom records show they had land dealings.  Noa Worcester seemed to have been embroiled in a controversy over church doctrine at this time and another minister was appointed in Thornton.

John McArthur was a farmer.  We do not know more about his life but he left a will.  It it he gave his belongings to his dear wife Margaret.  soon after his father's death in 1816, Duncan must have left Chelsea to be with his brothers, John and Moses Little.  They lived in Holland, Erie County, New York.  His mother, Margaret and young sister Roxanne, moved to Vershire with sister Margaret Keyes, who was now a widow with considerable means.  Both were buried in Vershire.  The other brothers and sisters were already established in their lives and had families.

Duncan married Susan McKeen in Holand January 1, 1818.  Her parents were Daniel and Sarah Libby.  Daniel McKeen also descended from the Scotch Irish group who settled Londonderry, New Hampshire and later moved to Corinth Vermont.  From Corinth, the family moved to New York with a group who bought land from the Holland Land Company.  Daniel McKeen was one of the earliest settlers of Holland or Wales, Erie County, New York.  His wife was Sarah Libby.  Her ancestry came from Kittery, Maine.  Daughter Susan was born in Corinth in 1801, and was taken as a child to Holland when her parents moved there, possibly in 1809 (before 1812). 

Duncan and Susan seemed to have a close relationship with Susan's family.  They moved with them to Scrubgrass, Pennsylvania in 1821, then back to Holland in 1826. 

Eventually their family would consist of fourteen children.  They are listed according to birth year.  Silas - 1818, Daniel Duncan - 1820, Orange Niles 0 1822, Washington Perry - 1824, Sarah Libby -1827, Henry Morrow - 1829, Ira James - 1830, Emeline Janette - 1832, Mary Jane - 1834, Annie Mariah - 1836, Margarette Roxanne - 1839, Emma Lodeska - 1841, Susan Amanda - 1843, Joseph Smith - 1846.

All of the children except Orange Niles and Washington Perry who were born in Scrubgrass, were born in Holland down to Annie Mariah who was born in Kirtland, Ohio.  Margarette, Emma, and Susan were born in Nauvoo, Illinois, and Joseph Smith in Garden Grove, Iowa.

After their stay at Scrubgrass (1821 - 1826) Duncan moved his family  back to Holland, purchased a farm and believed he was settled for life.  His farm prospered, and his family was growing.  However, in 1829 he was stricken with rheumatism which caused his right hip to be drawn out of the joint and confined him to his bed the remainder of the winter.  In the spring he got so he could rise from his bed but he was obliged to use crutches to get around.  He was not able to do much work for two years.  There was a continual doctor bill accumulating, causing him to have to sell his farm to pay off his debts.

He then moved his family up on Vermont Hill to a rented place for one year, this being 1831.  The next winter he bought another small farm and moved again.  This being only one-half mile away.  He resided there until 1833, with all things prospering.  At that time he had a chance to buy a larger farm two miles away on Hunter Creek.  Here he again commenced to settle down for life.  This new place was in rough condition.  He went to work clearing the land, making fences and building a nice farm to live on.

He planted an orchard covering five acres of land.  On it he planted the choice fruit trees, which he had reserved in a nursery from trees he had planted on the first farm when he owned after returning from Pennsylvania.  It was recorded that he grew choice blue and yellow Damson plums, reaches and currants.  Along with the orchard he fenced a one acre garden spot.

We are uncertain when Duncan and Susan first heard the Mormon missionaries.  His son, Daniel D.  says in his diary that Daniel first saw the Prophet Joseph Smith in the woods when he was twelve years old.  This would possibly have been in the later part of January 1831, as Joseph and Emma were on their way from Fayette, Seneca County, Ne York to Kirtland Ohio.  They arrived there the middle of February.  He was accompanied on this trip by Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, and Ezra Thayer.  Some records say that the McArthur family joined the church in 1833 (Jenson, Early Church History-some family members also.)

Whatever the circumstances of the McArthur families conversion to Mormonism, we do know that Duncan was baptized March 22, 1835, by Elder Daniel Hicks.  (Dates are verified in the Nauvoo 5th Ward High Priests Record Book in the LDS Historical Library.)  He was ordained a deacon by Andrew G. Squires and others April 6, 1835.  He was ordained an Elder under the hands of Alman Babbit and others and was called to preside over the branch at Holland July 1835.  He may have been directing the Mormon effort earlier.

After they joined the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) they felt as "castaways" by their neighbors and friends, except those few who joined the Church with them.  At the Freedom Conference of the Church, May 22, 1835, a report was taken of the branches of the Church in the area.  There being branches in Freedom, Rushford, Portage, Grove, Buins, Genesse, Avon, Java, Holland, Aurora, Greenwood and Niagara.  Seven Apostles of the Church were present at the conference.  Parley P. Pratt reported that there were 15 members in Holland and that the branch had  "suffered much from false teachings of hypocrites and knaves". (Manuscript, History of the Church in N.Y. ms4029, Reel 3 box 6, Folders 5, LDS Historical Library).

We know very little about the branch as church records are scant concerning this time period.  We are told in Saniel D. McArthur's diary that Duncan continued to teach and baptized members into the branch until he left to join the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio in 1836.

In September, 1836, Duncan moved his family to Kirtland, where the church had commenced to gather as early as 1830.  It must have been hard to leave Holland, New York.  Both Duncan and Susan had family there.  Their oldest son, Silas, had drowned in Lake Erie July 4th of that year and they had buried a three year old son in 1833; (Ira James).  They had small children and Susan was expecting another child.  Annice Mariah was born Nov. 21, 1836 in Kirtland.  Daniel D.,, then their oldest, was sixteen when they moved to Kirtland.  Their farm was prospering at last.  This area of New  York has beautiful farm land and timber.  (Holland New York)

The Kirtland Temple was dedicated March 27, 1836.  Great sacrifices were made in its construction.  There were spiritual manifestations and the spirit of the Lord was strong among the Saints, but there was also turmoil.  Persecution prevailed in Kirtland and some of the saints began to move farther west of Missouri.  Duncan was ordained to the 2nd Quorum of the Seventies by President Joseph Young and others.

Duncan resided in Kirtland with his family until 1838, when, because of persecution, the Prophet Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Brigham Young, found it necessary to leave Kirtland quietly for Far West, Missouri.  After their departure, the desire to immigrate became general among those who kept the faith.  On the 6th of March 1838, the Seventies assembled in the temple for the purpose of devising means for moving to Missouri.  On the 10th of March it was manifest by vision and prophecy that they should go to Missouri in a camp, pitching their tents along the way.  On the 13th they voted on a constitution which was signed by 175 brethren, Duncan being one of them.  James Foster, Zera Pulsipher, Joseph Young, Henry Herriman, Josiah Butterfield, Benjamin Wilkes and Elias Smith were appointed to act as commissioners to lead the camps.  Duncan was appointed as one of the three assistants to these leaders to act as judge and to help as needed.

On Saturday, July 16, 1838, they began their move south.  The camp consisted of 515 souls, namely 249 males, 266 females, 69 cows and one bull.  Jonathan Dunham was the engineer.  On the way however, they were met by a mob who told them they would not be permitted to stay long in Missouri.  Still they prayed they would get through safely and they pressed westward.  The camp record states on August 20 there was an illness in the camp and a child was seized with an evil spirit.  Elder Jeremaiah Willey had administered to him and the spirit left the child and entered Bro. Willey.  When the Elders entered the wagon to assist him he jumped forward yelling, "Yow, yow, yow," gnashing his teeth and camping horridly.  Elder Duncan McArthur laid hands on him and began to rebuke the spirit.  At the same instant he groaned, yelled and screamed out as it were, all in a whistling sound, and he began to talk like a man.  As Elder McArthur was done, he lay down and went to sleep and remained well.

In the morning of Wednesday, the 26th of July, Elder James Foster, one of the counselors, proposed to council to stop and break up the camp.  There was so  much excitement in Missouri at the time, because of so many Saints moving west.  It was therefore thought wise for the brethren of the camp to go to work and provide for their families until the difficulties should be settled, or until they heard from Far West.  A silence prevailed in the council, and shortly, writes the historian, "It was made manifest that it was the desire of the camp, collectively, to go forward, notwithstanding their deference always to the will of the Lord through the council.  Elder McArthur said, in a low tone, that it was his impression that we might go up in righteousness, keeping the commandments, and not be molested.  Some  others manifested the same, in concurrence with his feelings.  There was silence again.  Here our faith was tried, and here the Lord looked down and beheld us.  Then, lo, a gentleman who was directly from Far West, and returning to the East where he belonged, left his carriage and  came among us, although we were a distance from the road, and he told us there was no trouble in Far West and Adam-ondi-ahman, but that we might go right along without danger.  A vote was called whether to proceed or not and all hands raised toward heaven in favor to going on."  The camp then passed on towards Far West.  Joseph the Prophet in company with Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, Isaac Morley and George W. Robinson, met them some miles out and escorted them into the city, where they camped on the public square.  On Thursday, August 4th, the Camp arrived in Adam-ondi-Ahman, Davis County,  "This is a day", writes the Prophet Joseph, "long to be remembered by that part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints called "The Camp", or Kirtland Camp No. 1."

When they arrived at Adam-ondi-Ahman, they commenced  to build a city.  Some cut house logs, others hauled them to the spot and others put them up.  By doing so a city sprang up in a very short time.  While they were busy building and providing for winter, the mob was busily engaged in preparing to come against them and kill and drive them from the state.  They came around their cornfields, that is the corn as it stood in the fields and take the Saints' horses, oxen, cows and wagons in exchange.  The Saints were pleased to dispose of many of their teams and property in this way, not thinking of the desires of the Missourians. As quick as the mob got all they could from the Saints, they packed their duds and commenced moving off into other counties to consolidate themselves into an armed body in order to come against  the Saints and drive them off their possessions and not only get their property back again, which they had sold to the Saints, but everything else the Saints possessed if possible.

Word came to Adam-ondi-Ahman that an armed mob was collecting to drive them out of the state, but knowing they were engaged in the work of God, they relied on Him for protection.  Following difficulties with the mob of Davies county, the Saints moved to Far West.  Duncan put up a log house on Log Creek.  He stayed until 1839.  Here, Annice Mariah was burned to death in a little playhouse which she and three little friends had built under a large white oak tree.  They started a fire which got out of control.  She was a little over four years old.  Also, in 1839, while living in Caldwell County, another little girl, Margarette Roxanna, was added to their family on February 7th.

Governor Biggs  appeared anxious about having his orders for the Saints to remove from the state carried out.  There were many poor among the Saints.  The published History of the Church Vol. III, p. 261, tells that D. McArthur along with several others needed assistance.  In the same volume the following resolution was recorded dated 29 January 1839; "Resolved:  That we this day enter into a covenant to stand by and assist each other, to the utmost of our abilities.  In removing from this State, and that we will never desert the poor who are worthy, till they shall be out of reach of the general exterminating order of General Clark, acting for and in the name of the State."

The following document,  or covenant,  was also drawn up and signed  by the faithful brethren:  "Far West, Missouri, January 29, 1839:  We, whose names are here underwritten do each for ourselves individual hereby covenant to stand by and assist each other, to the utmost of our abilities, in removing from this state, in compliance with the authority of the State, and we do hereby acknowledge ourselves firmly bound to the extent of all our available property to be disposed of by a committee who shall be appointed for that purpose, for providing means for the removing of the poor and destitute, who shall not one be left who desires to remove from the State:  with this provision what no individual shall be deprived of the right  of the disposal of his own property for the above purpose, or having control of it, or so much of it, as shall be necessary for the removing of his own family, and be entitled to the over plus after the work as effectuated: and furthermore, said committee shall give receipts for all property, and an account of the expenditure of the same."  Both Duncan McArthur and Daniel McArthur, his son, signed along with many others.

It was the month of March, 1839 when Duncan McArthur and his family left the state of Missouri.  They landed in Quincy Illinois the first of April.  Soon after, he moved his family to a farm thirteen miles east of Quincy, near Payson, Adams County.  Duncan was ordained a High Priest by Hyram Smith and Alman Babbit in June 1839.  The Freedom Stake was organized with Henry W. Miller as President and Duncan McArthur and William Teney as counselors.  (Oct. 27, 1840)

Quickly thereafter, Duncan was called on a mission to the Eastern States.  He reportedly baptized 20 people into the church while on this mission to New York, Vermont, Main and Massachusetts.  His companion was Perregine Sessions.  Elder Sessions kept the journal for the mission and it is in the LDS Historical Library.  The "Times and Seasons" publication of the church, page 108, also has a report from this mission.  It is thought to have been written in 1840 and said the extract published was sent from Bethel, Oxford Co., Maine.  In it he mentions leaving Vershire, Vermont September 10, 1840.  This is where his mother and sister Roxanne were living.  One can only imagine his heartache as none of his family accepted his message.  Surely he would have taught them.

The Historical Record, Church Encyclopedia by Andrew Jensen relates the following about one of his converts while on his mission:  "Olive Grey Frost, daughter of Aaron and Susan  Frost, was born in the town of Bethel, Oxford Co.,  Maine, July 24, 1816.  She possessed a happy and genial disposition.  She gained many friends whose friendships grew stronger as time advanced and they learned to appreciate her good qualities.  When quite young, she was inclined, and would often go to some private place, with a chosen companion to pray out her soul in sincere prayer to that being who rewards openly, and frequently she incurred ridicule thereby from those who were less sober minded.  When about eighteen years of age she and her particular friend, Miss Louisa Foster learned the tailors trade, and they went together from place to place, among their acquaintances to work at this business thereby being able to lighten the labor of busy housewives.  While engaged at this work in the neighboring town of Dixfield, Elder Duncan McArthur visited the place and preached the Gospel.  Following earnest prayer she soon comprehended its vast importance.  She received it joyfully.  She was baptized by Elder McArthur and always looked upon him with reverence as her father in the Gospel.  She was sister-in-law to Parley P. Pratt.  She and another sister were the first lady missionaries to go across the sea to a foreign mission.  She married Joseph Smith as a plural wife and was sealed to Brigham Young for time.  She died in Nauvoo October 6, 1846."

Daniel took care of the farm in his father's absence.  He said, "While my father was gone, we prospered in everything we set our hands to do.  When father left, we had two cows, and when he returned we had two yoke of oxen, three cows, and a herd of young stock.  Instead of having grain to buy as we had when he left, we had 75 bushels of wheat, 500 bushels of corn on hand and nine hogs, with plenty of clothing to do us for the present.  We numbered ten in the family.  I continued to reside at home until June 24, 1841."

In the spring of 1842, Duncan and his family moved from Adams County to Nauvoo where they could enjoy the society of those whom they loved.  In Nauvoo, he built a home and a cheese factory, he owned lot 3, block 71, lot 20 in block 70, lot 3 in block 105 in Nauvoo.  Duncan applied for membership in the masonic lodge in Nauvoo on March 17.  The day the Relief Society was organized.  He was accepted into the lodge on April 7, 1842.  Duncan acted as a guard for the Prophet and other church leaders during the days of persecution in Nauvoo.  His presence and vote is often recorded in the Nauvoo 5th Ward High Priest Quorum meetings.  Frequently, it is recorded that he was called upon to pray.  He worked as a carpenter on the temple.  Duncan is recorded as performing the marriages of James Hale and Lucy Clements, November 14, 1844 and David Pratt and Ester S. Tyler, March 2, 1843.  We do not know if he was a Justice of the Peace, or if the marriages were performed through his church position and with the authority of a High Priest.

He was a clerk in Nauvoo and dated some membership records for the Wilcox family.  Among his close neighbors in Nauvoo we find Howard Cory, who was the scribe for the inspired version of the Bible, James Bird, Erastus Derby, and Horace Alexander.  The McArthur home was of brick and was located on Block 78, lot 2.

In February 1846, once again, Duncan had to leave his home in Nauvoo because of the persecutions.  They crossed the Mississippi River and took up the march West.  They had buried five little girls including Annice Marian who was burned to death in Far West.  Emma Lodoeske lived two months, she died in 1842.  Jennette Emerline who would have been eleven when she died in July of 1844, and Mary Jane would have been six years old in April of 1845.  Susan was pregnant again, when they left for the West.  The baby was born and died at Garden City, Iowa, 12 September 1846.  He was named Joseph Smith McArthur.  Their trials were many but their faith strong.  They endured much sorrow and want.  They camped one hundred and fifty miles from Nauvoo on the Grand River at Garden Grove.  There was a large  plot of ground that they fenced like a farm.  It contained 500 acres and was a good stopping place for the others who would come to share the crops that were planted.  Those that were too poor and in too bad of circumstances to go on west would stop here to make more preparation.  Daniel went on but his father stayed.  Henry Morrow was called to go with the Mormon Battalion.  Duncan stayed here until he could get better equipment to go on to Winter Quarters.  The next year when he arrived at Winter Quarters, he found his son Daniel very sick.
He laid his hands on his head and gave him a blessing that saved his life.  Sons, Washington Perry and Orange Niles, left to return to Illinois.  The diary of Daniel Duncan says of this time that they buried Jennette on the banks of the Platt River.  But the date he gives would indicate it took place in Nauvoo.  This has not been  verified.  Only five out of Duncan's fourteen children came west; others died en route.  I know Duncan did not come to the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1848 when Daniel did, but he was in Pleasant Grove by 1850.  He lived between Pleasant Grove and American Fork, Utah.  The ditch by his property is still called the "McArthur Ditch".  The town of American Fork was called "McArthurville" in the Journal History of the Church, 18 March 1851.  He was in an early bishopric and an Alderman in Pleasant Grove.

In 1859 Duncan was called to move his family to help settle Mt. Pleasant.  He took with him Sarah Libby, Henry Morrow, Washington Perry, and his wife, Susan.

He planted trees and berries he brought from Pleasant Grove, and also brought the first bees to the area.  He must have been an excellent agriculturist.  The family was highly respected.  Sarah Libby, Henry and Washington Perry were known as the town doctors. 

In 1862, at the towns first big celebration, Duncn was called on to give the oration.  It is given as recorded in the town history.  The following is a part of a sermon delivered by Duncan  McArthur on July 24, 1862 in Mt. Pleasant.  It was recorded in the journal of Andrew Madsen:
"Brothers and Sisters,  It seems to have fallen my lot to address you today, and although I am always willingly to do my part when called upon by those in authority over me.  I am glad of having the privilege of meeting with the Saints on this Thirteenth Anniversary Day when the Apostles and Prophets landed in Utah, led by inspiration, leaving their temporary home in Iowa and by direction of God came to these valleys in the mountains.

I compare this congregation with the one assembled in Kirtland, when they started the temple which stands as monument today.  The persecution and driving of the Saints from that county and from state to state and at last from their beautiful city Nauvoo, where they had been persecuted by the enemy and their Prophet and leader, Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum were killed -  by the hand of God, the saints were then led to these valleys.  We are now permitted to assemble in peace and safety and enjoy the blessings that God has extended to us.

Many of us have now been in these valleys thirteen years, all this time have we not lived in the enjoyment of peace and great fortune?  During this time, it is true, Uncle Sam, through false rumors and false representations of judges and others, placed here by the government, accusing Brigham Young and the Saints of destroying public records and with the purpose of destroying us, sent an army.  But did they do it?  No.  Here is wisdom of God, moved upon thee and instead of their efforts to injure us, they did us good.  We furnished the soldiers with supplies. assisted them in building Camp Floyd, and received clothing and gold and silver which was distributed among us for our services and supplies.  They were a blessing, giving those who wished to leave us a chance and thus ridding the Church of a number of dead branches.  This, with the thousand other difficulties the Saints have passed through, no wonder that we have been tried and prepared that in the future day we might rejoice in the fullness of all glory.

Hail to the Land  of Columbia, may the time soon come when righteous principles may again be established and the lion of the Lord roar from East to West."

Duncan McArthur,  after he came to Mt. Pleasant, is said to be a man about six feet tall and weighed 165 pounds.  He had dark burly hair and a very high forehead.

During the later years of Duncan's life he and a close friend, Lucas Nelson Scoville, both being around 63 years of age decided to take as second wives each other's daughters.  Duncan received Eliza Rebecca Scoville who was still in her teens.  Rebecca was in love with a young man by the name of George Haws.  George was to claim her as his  wife some twenty years later.  Through the union of Duncan and Eliza Rebecca Scoville the following children were born:

Celeste Eliza            born 10 February 1860

Lury                        born 30 October 1861

Alice                       born 10 March 1863

Annie Ermina           born 1 February 1865

Duncan passed away in his 69th year leaving a large family, the last four being very young.  Washington Perry, feeling an obligation towards his father, honored his request to care for Rebecca and her young children.  He married Eliza Rebecca on the 15th of November, 1867 and assumed the responsibility for her four children.  Then he and Rebecca had six of their own.

Sarah Libby McArthur drove a team  and wagon from Missouri River alone.  She was the doctor in Mt. Pleasant for years.  She was the daughter who was married to Lucas Nelson Scoville. 

Susan McKeen, the first wife, died July 4th, 1866 at Mt. Pleasant.

(The material in this has come from Daniel Duncan's diary, "Our Progenitors", by K. Glen McArthur; History of the Church by B.H. Roberts, and Historical Record by Andrew Jensen, published in Salt Lake City in 1888, Volume 3, 4, 6 and 7.  Research at the Church Historical Library done by Margery Peterson.  Also historical accounts by Suzanne McArthur and Annie  Jennings.)

Chreston (Christian) Sorensen Family ~~~ Pioneers of the Month November 2010

the following history is taken from the book "They Followed Their Faith" (Christian Sorensen Family History)  with Helen Read, Editor and Owen Stewart, Publisher

Chreston was born in the neighborhood of Frederikshaven, the most northern harbor in Denmark in Arling Sogn.  He was the youngest child in a family of 14 children.  His parents died early in the life of the boy, his father when he was 3 and his mother when he was about 10 years old.

This misfortune put Chreston in the hands of his aunt, who did the lad the best she could.  They lived in a rural district where company for the boy was scarce.  He helped his aunt care for a few geese (domesticated) kept on the bit of ground which they called their "Gaard".  From the reports of Chreston in  later years as  told to his own children, the goose herding was no snap for a child, and he was none too successful as a herder.

Schools were primitive and far apart in the Northern part of the little kingdom of Denmark in that early day. He read the Danish well, but did not write.  Early in his teens circumstances forced him to leave adopted aunt's home and seek employment, such as he could do , wherever an opportunity was afforded, usually on a large farm or "Horgaar", where nearly all ages could find something to do. 

This was a  rough life and a tough one, especially for a child.  He showed the effects of rough treatment more or less all his life.

At a large ranch called "Rordal" he approached manhood.  He spoke well of the ranch and the people who worked there.  That he did his job or jobs well was evidenced throughout his life, in the fact that whatever he undertook to do for himself or others, regardless of pay or re numeration, he did masterfully and well.  When he finished a job, whether about the home or on the farm, whether for himself or others, he did it well and would not leave the job until well done. 

It was in Rordal that he met a modest and delightful young lady, also employed on said farm.  An affinity grew between them which became stronger with the passing years.  They became lovers, which in due time resulted in marriage.  This maiden which he wooed and wed, came from the north of the peninsula of Denmark. 

In that section, a new religion emanating from the United States, was being preached by missionaries who had been sent there, among other places.

There was something fascinating about this religion as well as the ministers who taught it.  This new cult won not a few followers, and in a short time much enthusiasm prevailed.  Church branches were organized and many new converts joined, among which were the parents of the girl who later wedded the young man,  Chreston Sorensen.  Whether Chreston as aware of this fact does not appear, but his wife had been baptized and was a member before she knew Chreston Sorensen.  Whether Chresten's conversion occurred earlier or later when the young couple was married and and frequented the gathering of the new Church is not known.  With these gatherings, some opposition arose, and the greater the number of new converts, the greater the notoriety of the new cult and the greater the opposition on the part of the general public, until the opposition became strong and turned into persecutions.

It became quite unpopular to be seen in the company and association of the new Church.  In fact, the large farm where they both worked had many employees, all of whom shunned and belittled this young couple. The result of which persuaded them to leave the ranch, but then what?

The missionaries from the United States persuaded the new Saints that in America were opportunities galore, a vast country with plenty of vacant ground, open to settlement and homemaking by anyone who cared to make the venture emigrating.

It should be noted that the parents of Christena Jensen, Jens  Jensen and his wife Marianne Jensen, and two sons, Carl and Albinus Jensen were among the first converts in Northern Denmark to the new LDS Church.  Two younger daughters, Johanna and Villirene (also recorded  as Willerena) were later baptized when old enough.



So the entire Jensen family became members.  All came too America except the father Jensen who became sick and gave up the thought of leaving his native country due to the state of his health.

Chreston and Christena decided to emigrate as soon as they could raise the necessary funds to pay their transportation.

For some years after the Mormon Saints located in Utah, local government of the New  Territory was left to them.  Accordingly, Brigham Young was elected the first Governor and continued such for a time, but opposition to this status arose, and under the guise that the Saints were practicing polygamy and advocating this practice, laws were passed by the Congress against this practice, and provided further that the Governor of Utah should be appointed by the President of the United States.  It was further alleged that the Saints were disloyal to their country and were actually in rebellion and working against the United States.  This in time resulted in organizing a body of Armed Forces for the purpose of sending them to Utah to quell the rebellion and subdue the uprising.

This body of U.S. Soldiers was known as Johnston's Army. It was alleged that Mormons refused obedience to Gentile law, that Federal officials had been virtually driven out of  Utah and others threatened with violence. With the advice of his Cabinet, President Buchanan determined that Brigham Young should be superseded as Governor and that an Armed Force should be sent to the Territory to set things right and compel the Saints to maintain law and order.

As a result of of this trouble,  all the Elders in the Mission fields were called home to Utah and all emigrations stopped.  This gave Chreston Sorensen and wife a chance to breathe and as much as possible prepare for their financial needs for  emigration.  If and when such an opportunity should come.

In January 1859, the Mission President of Scandinavia, returning from a visit to England, announced with great joy that a communication had been received from Brigham Young announcing that emigration to Utah, which had been stopped due to the Johnston Army war trouble, would be resumed, and that the Saints would have the privilege of crossing the Plains in the United States, either with ox teams or handcarts.  Accordingly, President Carl Windeborg and co-laborers went to work at once preparing for the emigration of a large company of Saints the following spring ~~ 1859, and through the generosity of some  o more well-to-do Saints, opportunity was given many of the poorer Saints also.  The cost, as announced in the Scandinavian Stjerne (Stjerne means Star ~~ a Scandinavian newspaper for members of the LDS Chuch) of January 1, 1859, would be, for those who would cross the Plains with the handcarts,$75.00 for each individual.  For those who expected to cross the Plains with oxen and wagons it would be $100.00.  Eight persons would be assigned to each wagon,  and about 3 or 4 with each handcart.  Those intending to go were asked to send their money and number of names in each family or group.  Money  was to be sent in advance to America to pay the necessary expenses to cross the Plains.  This was joyful news to the Sorensens.  The family now consisted of father, mother and baby, Patrena, less than 6 months old.

On Friday, April 1, 1859, a company of Scandinavian Saints, consisting of 355 souls, including 224 Danes, 113 Swedes, and 18 Norwegians, sailed from Copenhagen Denmark, on the steamer, :"L.N. Hvidt", in the charge of Carl Wederborg  and Niels Wilhelmsen.

After a rather stormy voyage over the North Sea, the company reached Grimsby, the emigrants continued the journey by rail the same day to Liverpool.  On April 7 they went on board the ship "William Tapscott".  Captain Bell was in charge.  Here they were joined  by British and Swiss emigrants.  Elder Robert F. Neslen was appointed president of the company with Henry H. Harris and George Rolayar, counselors, and a number of other assistants.

On Monday, April 11, 1859, the ship lifted anchor and was tugged out the "Messey" into the open sea with its precious cargo of 726 souls.  Songs of joy resounded from all parts of the ship as it was pulled out into the sea.  But these were subsequently succeeded as usual, by a different chorus, as those well know who make their first voyage on a restless and turbulent ocean.  As a rule, each and all make their contribution to the delight of the teaming fish looking for such generous contributions. 

It has been reported that the company was blessed with good weather and a pleasant trip, but the writer, who is the oldest son of Chreston and Christena Sorensen, was told by his Mother Christena that they had a dangerous trip, that at one point hundreds of monstrous glaciers or mountains of floating icebergs, drifting southward across the path or course taken by the ship, and it was deemed wise to steer southward a thousand miles or more to be safely clear of the dangerous icebergs.

The voyage lasted 31 days.  The health of the passengers was good, and only one death occurred on board.  There were 2 births and 19 marriages.  It is worthy of note that every day on the voyage the people were called together for prayer, morning and night  at 8 o'clock.  On Sundays three meetings were usually held on deck, and fellowship meetings were held in each ward two nights a week.

The monotony of the voyage was also relieved with singing, instrumental music, dancing, games, etc., in which, of course, the young people took a leading part.  The elderly were naturally interested spectators.  There were 9 different languages spoken in this group and also a great variety of manners, costumes and peculiarities.  Yet the voyage was agreeable and successful.

Upon the arrival of the Company in New York, it was pronounced by the Declair and Govt. officers to be the best disciplined and most agreeable company that had arrived at that port.  Arriving safely in New York Harbor, the emigrants landed in Castle Gardens on Saturday, May 14, 1859.  On the same day in the evening, most of them continued the journey by steamboat up the Hudson River for Albany, whence they traveled by rail  via Niagara Windsor in Canada, Detroit in Michigan, and Quincey, Illinois, to St. Joseph, Missouri, where they arrived on the 21st of April.

On the afternoon of that day they boarded the steamship "St. Mary", which brought them up the Missouri River to Florence, Nebraska, where they arrived on the 25th in the morning.  The whole route through the States was one which no former company of emigrating Saints had ever taken.  Bro. Geo I. Cannon, and those who assisted him in the emigration business that year, were quite successful in making arrangements for transportation by direct rail to St. Joseph, instead of, as at first contemplated, shipping them to Iowa City.

On their arrival at Florence, the Saints were organized into temporary districts and branches with presiding officers over each, whose duty it was to look after the comfort and welfare of the group which encamped at the place.  Prayer meetings were held twice a week in most of the branches.

winter facing them.  When the crops were gathered their employment ceased, and while the proverbial hungry wolf oft passed their submerged home, and whose howl could often be heard in the distance, they and their food supply were safe against their hunger depredations.

Of course, the home was crowded. of course, the inconvenience was great, but the true honored and cheerful Danish  adage which says, "Where there is heart room there is home room".  proved here to be a veritable fact.  So winter dragged its weary length along, and the two families managed to get by, nor suffered from either cold nor hunger, nor want of company and friends.

When Spring work began, the Sorensens were ready to  meet the challenge  and would accept work of any kind or nature, they never debated the wage nor the kind of pay with their employers.  They could do any kind of work incident to farming life at that time, from milking of a cow, driving  a team, hauling hay, harvesting grain or even hauling muck from corrals.  Thus went the summer, galloping by, and the autumn found them with food supply ample for the winter and some to spare, should circumstances require. 

Willerena Jensen Sorensen 



The meeting of the sisters was a tender one, having been separated for ten years, and now meeting again so far from home made it even more genuine and touching.

Plurality of wives was in flower, and the older men were taking unto themselves a second wife.  Christena no doubt anticipated her husband would seek another wife to fulfill the higher order of marriage.  She no doubt thought about it , discussing it with her husband ~~ why should he not take Willerena as his second wife ~~ they would be able to live in greater happiness and compatibility than if he were to marry someone else.

Christian and Christena were married September 12, 1870.  Willerena was nearly 16 years old when she married Christian Sorensen, who was thirty five years of age.  The difference in age at that time did not seem so outstanding then as it might today.  Girls married younger then than they do today. 

For the next eighteen years Willerena was a good wife, helping in the fields, helping Christena at home with the household chores of washing wool, spinning, cording, making clothes, soap and candles, preparing meat for the winter and a thousand and one things there were to do to keep two households  stocked and provisioned for the hard winters and a lot of little hungry mouths to feed, as well as to bare children and take care of those they already had.

Everyone had to work in the fields or at home.  The time was valuable in the summer for farming and wrestling from the soil those foods needed to feed the family, while the wintertime was when indoor work could be done.  Every girl had a job and was expected to work according to her ability, while the boys could haul wood by the loads for the hungry fireplaces, logs for barns and fences, and timber for the barns, homes and sheds. 

Two years after Willerena and Christian were married, they sent to Denmark for her mother and father, but the father would not leave his homeland.  He was old and wanted to stay there and die there, which he did two years later, in the year 1874.  The mother, Mary Ann (Larsen) Jensen, desired above all things to come to Zion and to see her two daughters and their families.  She made the journey as her daughters had done.  She arrived here in 1872 and lived with her two families for five years, when she passed away on September 8, 1877.

When Willerena had five children and life just seemed to be smiling on the family, all hell was turned loose, and Satan did his best to perpetuate it on each, as if these poor souls had not had enough to endure in fighting the wilderness, the elements and the Indians.  Persecution by a government that claims any man can worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience seemed unfair.  These noble people believed the Lord when he said the new and everlasting covenant was plurality of wives and were practicing and believing only that which their prophets had done and preached.  These men married their wives, acknowledged their children, cared for them and raised them to become good citizens.

In the spring of 1888 the U.S. Marshal posted guards around the house of Willerena Sorensen, and then forced the door open.  Only the frightened children were there; to their dismay.  They questioned the children all they could.  Caroline was questioned as well as Elsie and George.  such questions as "Where is your mother?"  "Where is your father?"  "Does he come to the house often?"  etc. etc.  They gave as few answers as they could, because they knew the results if they were to talk too much. 

After frightening the children nearly to death, the brave Marshal and his posse of deputies deployed themselves around Christin's house, and there the husband was found.  He was forced to get out of bed and go through a grilling, which lasted for some hours.  He then was arrested and most of the children of the two families were subpoenaed to appear in court.  They traveled the rest of the night to get to court in Spring City by nine o'clock the next morning.  The court was held, and Christian Sorensen was bound over to the court in Salt Lake City. 

Sometime later he appeared in Salt Lake City and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and a fine of $90.  He was sent to prison but was released early because of good behavior.  The $90. was hard for the family to raise.

When Christian got home from prison, just a few days before Christmas, a happy party was given in his honor.  The family felt to rejoice and he felt happy to be home and to greet all his friends and neighbors, but he showed uneasiness all evening, which made his family wonder why.

He knew the marshal was watching him, and if he so much as showed any fidelity toward his second wife, he'd be sent back to prison for a much longer time.

In the blackness of night, a wagon slipped out of the corral with provisions and blankets, carrying three people headed northward.  A man was escaping with his wife and fifteen year old daughter from the ever watchful eyes of the law.  He must dispose of his wife until the persecution had died down, and that was the only way to do it.  From Mt. Pleasant to Evanston, Wyoming was a long hard trip on the father and daughter, but more so for the wife, who was carrying her seventh child.  The miles traveled each day were few and the road rough. (Note: Willerena had a daughter, Hannah, born August 24, 1874.  Hannah died August 27, 1874.)

Through the love for her husband she was seeking an exile, seeking a new home in a strange place where she knew on one, and better still, no one knew her, where she had no friends and dared not make any, where she could not have her husband with her in her coming ordeal, where her soul companion, helpmate and consolation would be her young daughter.

At Evanston a shack was rented on the fringe of the town, down by the river.  The shack was run down and a horrible looking place, but with plenty of homemade soap and warm water, mother and daughter got it cleaned up ~~ but one thing they could not wash away was bedbugs.  Willerena said they could not live there with the bugs, but the father could not locate another house in the town or out of it.

One's heart goes out to a harried and frightened individual who must go through all that Willerena went through.  But the story is not ended ~~ it goes on for years and years.  When the baby, whom the mother named Geneva, was born, she was a weak, sickly babe, due to the hardship, worry and privation the mother had gone through.  The baby was near to death's door, when her father clandestinely visited them, and through faith and prayers the child was made well, and lives today as a living testimony of the power of God.

When the baby was six weeks old the mother could stand the separation no more.  she felt she could not be so far away from her family and live under the primitive conditions she had there.  Christian sent her the money to travel from Evanston to Nephi, Utah, on the train.  While on the train she kept her face turned as much as possible or looked out of the window, for fear someone might recognize her and tell  the officers.  She imagined she recognized an officer of the law, which made her so afraid she almost got off the train with her little family, knowing she had no more money to take another train. 

When she arrived in Nephi, Utah, William Sorensen was there to meet her with a wagon.

After the wagon ride of thirty miles they finally got to Mt. Pleasant in the middle of the night.  They had purposely timed it that way so no one would see and recognize her or Elsie.  She slipped into her little home and, with a flickering lamplight, went from one child to another, to gaze upon their faces, as the tears streamed down her cheeks and all the craving of a mothers heart to grab up her little Andrew and cover his little dirty face with kisses.  She wanted to hug her nine year old Josephine and cuddle George to her bosom and tell Caroline what a fine job she was doing as a little mother to the family she was forced to repudiate, because the law had been passed saying a man could not have two families but had to renounce and forsake them or go to jail.

Before morning the trip was started again, only this time Grass Valley in Sevier County was the destination.  They were left there for the summer, where Willerena and Elsie labored in the fields to earn enough to keep body and soul together.  Her nursing babe and the lack of proper food was too much for their strength, so her husband arrived with a wagon and took her to Central Utah, where they were visiting some friends.  While there a man who sold salt in the towns of southern Utah, came  to the door, recognizing Christian and his wife, as he had visited them in their home at Mt.  Pleasant.  With fear the "Salt Man" might begin talking, the couple slipped out of town that night and sped in hast to Manti.

In Manti a shack was rented in the eastern part of town, just south of the present temple site.  For two years this became home for Willerena and her two daughters, Elsie and Geneva.  Elsie was growing into young womanhood, and  in Manti she had many friends among the  young folks and was popular with the young men of the ward.

Years later she spoke of those days and the many friends she left there.  Willerena was called "Wash-woman Jensen" because that was the way she earned her meager living for her two children and herself.  She had to use the name Jensen so no relationship to the Sorensens would be suspected by anyone. 

Willerena must have been a wonderful person, and very likable, because at Evanston she made so many friends that Elsie in later years said they could not have lived there had it not been for the help  of the friends God had raised up  for them. 

In 1890 the Church issued its Manifesto, declaring to the world it was forsaking the practice of plurality of wives because the laws of the land had been made forbidding it, not because it was not still a divine commandment of God, not because the Church repudiated the doctrine, but because God had said we must obey the laws of the land, and the condemnation would be upon the heads of these who prevented the fulfillment of the commandments.  Perhaps it served its purpose in helping to populate the desert, to build up a strong church to test the faith of the faithful, and to build up physical empire in the wilderness. 

Willerena lived to see most of her children grown up and some of them married.  She saw some  of her grandchildren born, and life tasted sweet to her now, having tasted the bitter.  On September 12, 1902 she passed away having contracted consumption due to her starvation, privation and overwork which weakened her body's resistance.  Life had been hard and cruel to her, but she proved faithful to the end.

Christian followed his wife Willerena in death about four years later, on February 17, 1906, and Christena followed her husband seven years later March 2, 1913.

The family reunion must have been one of great rejoicing when all three were able to meet in their beautiful home  beyond the river, with those children of the sister wives, who had  been called earlier  in their lives.  The family unity, love  and solidarity was only begun on this earth.  The Christian Sorensen family  shall continue to grow, and because of their faithfulness shall be a mighty force for good in the Celestial Kingdom of God throughout the eternities to come.