Christian Nelsen

(Christian Knudsen)

1845–1935

Residence: Portneuf (Chesterfield), Bannock Co., Idaho

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 4 May 1883

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 7 May 1885

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 24 January 1845

Birthplace: Kjelgaarden, Gudum, Ålborg, Denmark

Father: Christensen, Knud

Mother: Christensdatter, Karen Margrethe

Spouse: Call, Charlotte Vienna

Marriage date: 22 November 1869

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 17 October 1935

Death place: Bountiful, Davis Co., Utah

Burial place: Bountiful, Davis Co., Utah

Christian was with the first company of Latter-day Saints to leave Copenhagen in 1852. He arrived in Salt Lake City by ox team on 29 September 1853. After staying the first winter in the city, he moved to Bountiful, Davis County, Utah (see “Christian Nelsen, Pioneer of 1853 Passes Away,” Davis County Clipper, 18 October 1935).

At age eighteen, he was called as a missionary to haul rock from Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Salt Lake Temple. In 1866 he was called to cross the plains to assist other emigrants in their efforts to reach the valley. After successfully completing this assignment, he was called to be a pioneer in the Muddy. He remained in that region until 1868, when he returned to Bountiful (see “Christian Nelsen, Pioneer of 1853 Passes Away,” Davis County Clipper, 18 October 1935).

By 1880, Christian and his family had located near the Portneuf River, two and a half miles northwest of the Chesterfield town site in Bannock County, Idaho. Three years later, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 4 May 1883 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 7 May 1885 with his wife, who came to meet him. Together they toured Europe. They returned to the states and became residents once again of Bountiful in 1903. In that community, Christian served as a ward teacher, a Sunday School teacher, and a member of the bishopric (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 273, 275, 292; “Vinnie Nelson, Wife of C. Nelson, Dies at Bountiful,” Davis County Clipper, 23 November 1934).

He died from chronic myocarditis at this home in 1935 at Bountiful, Davis County, Utah, at age ninety. His funeral services were held in the Bountiful First Ward chapel (see “Davis Pioneer 90 Years Old Dies,” Deseret News, 18 October 1935; “Christian Nelsen, Pioneer of 1853 Passes Away,” Davis County Clipper, 18 October 1935).

Bengt Nelson

(Bengt Nilsson)

1834–1919

Residence: Cedar City, Iron Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 2 June 1877

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 7 September 1878

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 28 September 1834

Birthplace: Lomma, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Andersson, Nils

Mother: Pehrsdotter, Karna

Spouse: Johnson, Ellen

Marriage date: 16 November 1856

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 22 April 1919

Death place: Cedar City, Iron Co., Utah

Burial place: Cedar City, Iron Co., Utah

Bengt was educated in the common schools in Sweden. He helped his father on the farm in the summer and attended school in the winter. For a short time, he was apprenticed to a blacksmith. By age eighteen, he had learned the mason trade (see Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”).

Bengt was baptized on 15 April 1854, after walking fifteen miles to hear what the Mormon missionaries were saying. “Every word of the sermons and testimonies thrilled him and he knew that he had listened to the true gospel of Jesus Christ,” wrote his biographer (Palmer, “Historical Sketch of Bengt Nelson,” The Instructor, June 1945). His family members were angry with his decision to be baptized, leaving Bengt to write, “It seemed as though the whole world had now turned against me” (Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”).

Soon after his baptism, he boarded a small steamer bound for Copenhagen with a brother-in-law and two sisters. From Copenhagen they journeyed to Hull and Liverpool, England, and finally to America. Bengt recalled that on the ocean voyage a storm stripped the ship of all its sails. He crossed the plains with Captain Abraham O. Smoot’s ox team company. “We had quite a time not being used to driving oxen and I found that most of the boys were just as green as I,” he penned (Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”). He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 9 November 1856.

He married soon after his arrival to a young woman who had crossed the plains with him (see Palmer, “Historical Sketch of Bengt Nelson,” The Instructor, June 1945). He and his wife resided in Cedar City, Iron County, Utah. In that community, Bengt worked in the iron works industry and herded cattle. He recalled that the first winter “a band of Indians numbering about a dozen, came to our dugout, crowded in, and demanded everything we had,” he wrote. “We learned economy and patience, and found that a good many things that we considered absolute necessities today, could be gotten along without.” Bengt is credited with building several structures in Cedar City. “When the city was first located, no buildings had been erected and I had the honor of putting up nearly every house that was built in the place,” he wrote (Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”).

In the community, he was also highly involved in Church and civic activities. Bengt was ordained a seventy by Henry Harriman and served in the Sixty-third Quorum of the Seventy. From 1867 to 1868, he was the treasurer, marshal, assessor, and collector of Cedar City. In 1876, he was elected to the city council (see Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”).

While residing in that community, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1877. He was set apart for his mission by Orson Pratt. He arrived in Copenhagen on 2 June 1877 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference. On this mission, he shared the gospel with his uncle’s family (see Palmer, “Historical Sketch of Bengt Nelson,” The Instructor, June 1945). “It was over 23 years since I had left Sweden, and I had forgotten some of the language. I had had no previous experience in missionary work, and altogether began to feel discouraged,” he wrote. It was a dream that gave him encouragement to try. “In my travels I have seen many wonderful manifestations, and it has proven that the Lord has been with me,” he said (Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”). After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 7 September 1878 aboard the steamer Bravo with 218 emigrating Latter-day Saints and other missionaries bound for Zion (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 233).

After returning to the states, he penned, “I found all well at home; prosperity had attended my family” (Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”). Prosperity continued to bless his labors. Yet, Bengt did not neglect his civic or Church responsibilities. He served in a bishopric, was president of the co-op store, president of the Cedar Sheep Association, and a school trustee for many years (see Palmer, “Historical Sketch of Bengt Nelson,” The Instructor, June 1945). Of these responsibilities, he wrote, “I have held many positions of trust in Cedar City and have labored faithfully to the best of my knowledge” (Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”).

Near the end of his life, he performed temple work for his deceased loved ones in the St. George Temple. He ended his autobiography by writing, “I am now nearing 76 years of age and according to the allotted life of man, my stay here is not long. I am in the hands of God and abideth my time” (Nelson, “An Autobiography of Bengt Nelson, Sr.”). He died in 1919 in Cedar City at age eighty-four.

James Nelson, Jr.

1857–1919

Residence: Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 19 September 1891

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 6 October 1893

Birth date: 3 February 1857

Birthplace: Ogden, Weber Co., Utah

Father: Nielsen, James, Sr.

Mother: Thomsen, Maria

Spouse: Cutler, Nancy Urania

Marriage date: 14 October 1877

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 27 October 1919

Death place: Perry, Box Elder Co., Utah

Burial place: Brigham City Cemetery, Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah

James and his parents lived in the Brigham City Fourth Ward. His father worked for the Brigham City Roller Mills. As he grew to manhood, he helped his father in the mill. In his spare time, he read the Bible. After the marriage of James to Nancy Cutler, they homesteaded in Brigham City, Box Elder County, for fourteen years before moving to Three Mile Creek, now known as Perry (see “A Life History of James Nelson, Jr., a Native Pioneer of Utah,” 1–3).

James accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1891. He arrived in Copenhagen on 19 September 1891 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 6 October 1893 with thirty-five emigrating Latter-day Saints from Scandinavia (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 320–21, 333).

In 1900, James moved his family to Thatcher, Box Elder County. On 15 February 1902 he became the presiding elder of the Thatcher Branch, named after Elder Moses Thatcher (see Tolman, “A History of the Thatcher Ward, 1894–1954”). He became bishop of the Thatcher Ward after being ordained a high priest and bishop on 24 November 1902 by Rudger Clawson. He served in that capacity until 21 May 1911. He was next called to serve on the high council (see “A Life History of James Nelson, Jr., a Native Pioneer of Utah,” 5–6).

James was hit by a train at the Perry crossing in 1919. He died as a result of the accident at age sixty-two (see “A Life History of James Nelson, Jr., a Native Pioneer of Utah,” 6).

Jeppa Nelson

(Jeppa Nilsson)

1834–1914

Residence: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Arrival dates in Copenhagen: 12 September 1882; 15 June 1904

Missionary labors: Göteborg and Skåne Conferences

Departure date from Copenhagen: 6 June 1884; May 1906

Name of departure ship: Panther

Birth date: 31 October 1834

Birthplace: Ullatofta #5, Östra Sallerup, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Jeppsson, Nils

Mother: Svensdotter, Karna

Spouse: Svensdotter (Swenson), Anna

Marriage date: 16 June 1865

Marriage place: Östra Sallerup, Malmöhus, Sweden

Spouse: Swenson, Kjersti

Sealing date: 9 June 1909

Sealing place: Manti, Sanpete Co., Utah

Death date: 23 September 1914

Death place: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Burial place: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Jeppa recalled begging for bread at Christmas time as a child due to the indigent circumstances of his parents. “At certain times I thought of my future and wondered whether the Lord would help me, so I wouldn’t have to become so poor as my parents were,” he penned. At age twelve, he began earning his living. He did so by serving in the Swedish army, where he learned the trades of wheelwright, mason, and stonecutter (see Journal of Jeppa Nelson, 1–2).

It was in the army that he developed a great desire to know the truth about God. He attended Baptist meetings in search of truth. It was not until 1871, when he listened to Mormon missionaries, that his search ended (see Journal of Jeppa Nelson, 2). On 15 April 1871, Jeppa was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Ola Nilson. He emigrated from Sweden to America in 1873 and arrived in Salt Lake City on 24 July 1873. He settled in Pleasant Grove, Utah County, Utah, where he became a farmer (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 173).

He struggled to make a living as a farmer and spent most of his time working for others. He fulfilled two missions to Sweden. On his first mission, he served in the Göteborg and later Skåne Conferences. He presided over the Kristianstad and Vittskövle (Kristianstad County) branches (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 173). During his presidency, thirty-three converts were baptized. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 6 June 1884 aboard the steamer Panther with 71 emigrating Latter-day Saints and several returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 268, 279).

His second mission assignment came at age seventy. He arrived in Copenhagen on 15 June 1904 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference. He wrote, “I was always for the most out among the people, and distributed tracts and had conversations, so I was known everywhere in the branch” (Journal of Jeppa Nelson, 4; Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 402, 405).

Returning to Utah, he became a successful farmer and was “highly respected in [his] community” (Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 268). He served as a ward teacher for many years and as first counselor in the Scandinavian meetings in Pleasant Grove (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 173). It is reported that he built the Manila chapel, laying each stone up to the gable. He was paid two hundred dollars for his labors on the building. He took the two hundred dollars and donated the money to the purchase of roof materials for that same building (see correspondence from Joye Anderson). He died in 1914 in Pleasant Grove at age seventy-nine. His widow wrote, “Now I sit here alone and grieve” (Journal of Jeppa Nelson, 5).

Martinus Nelson

(Søren Martins Nielsen)

1863–1918

Residence: Ovid, Bear Lake Co., Idaho

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 21 March 1891

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 27 October 1892

Birth date: 10 January 1863

Birthplace: Lille Glinvad, Dronninglund, Hjørring, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Andreas (Andrew) Martinus

Mother: Sørensdatter, Mariane

Spouse: Peterson, Clara Wilhelmina

Marriage date: 3 April 1884

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Mathisen, Agnes Vannoy

Marriage date: 4 June 1909

Death date: 8 April 1944

Death place: Salmon, Lemhi Co., Idaho

Burial place: Ovid, Bear Lake Co., Idaho

Martinus’s family immigrated to the United States in 1869 sailing on the Minnesota, which left Liverpool on 15 July 1869. The family settled in the Huntsville, Weber County area. The Ovid Ward reported receiving the family in 1876, and Martinus was baptized there on 5 November 1876. He was ordained a deacon on 5 February 1878, an elder on 30 March 1884, and a seventy on 18 July 1884.

While a resident of Ovid, Bear Lake County, Idaho, Martinus accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1891. He arrived in Copenhagen on 21 March 1891 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 27 October 1892. He was one of four returning missionaries with responsibility for twenty-eight emigrating Latter-day Saints (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 319, 321, 326).

He accepted a second mission call to Copenhagen in 1905. When he returned to Copenhagen on 7 June 1905, his residence was listed as Centerfield, Sanpete County, Utah. In Denmark, he was appointed to labor in the Trondhjem, Norway Conference (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 408–9). Martinus died in 1944 in Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho, at age eighty-one.

Nels Nelson

(Nils Pehrsson)

1839–1912

Residence: Santaquin, Utah Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 30 April 1889

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 28 May 1891

Birth date: 20 August 1839

Birthplace: #2 Trunnerup, Villie, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Nilsson, Pehr

Mother: Bengtsdotter, Berta

Spouse: Jeppson, Eleanor Openshaw

Marriage date: 25 April 1868

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 29 November 1912

Death place: Santaquin, Utah Co., Utah

Burial place: Santaquin, Utah Co., Utah

Nels Nelson joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 4 April 1856. He was baptized and confirmed by Elder Jens Jenson. Eight years after his baptism, Nels was to emigrate, leaving his native land in 1864. Four years after arriving in Zion, on 25 April 1868, he received his endowment. Nels and his wife Eleanor lived in Santaquin, Utah, Utah County. Eleanor was born in Lancashire, England. They were married in Salt Lake City, Utah, and they had five children. Nels supported his family by farming and doing carpentry work.

While residing in Santaquin, Nels accepted a mission call to the Skåne Mission in 1889. He arrived in Copenhagen on 30 April 1889 and left on 28 May 1891 after serving a successful mission. He was ordained to the office of high priest on 6 August 1910. He died on 29 November 1912 in Santaquin.

Nils Nelson

(Nils Nilsson)

1853–1926

Residence: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 30 April 1889

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 16 April 1891

Name of departure ship: Cameo

Birth date: 10 December 1853

Birthplace: Emmislöv #10, Emmislöv, Kristianstad, Sweden

Father: Lindoff, Nils Nilsson

Mother: Elmelund, Karna Frederiksdotter

Spouse: Carlson, Anna Carolina

Marriage date: 14 September 1882

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Carlson, Anna Lena

Marriage date: 2 August 1890

Death date: 14 September 1926

Death place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Burial place: Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Soon after the birth of Nils, his father left the home and immigrated to America. Of necessity, his mother worked outside the home, leaving Nils in the care of others until he was eight years old. By age eight, he supported himself by herding cattle and sheep. At age eleven, he went in search of his mother but was unable to find her. He learned that she had abandoned him. He was picked up by the police and lived in a poorhouse until a local farmer gave him work (see Nelson, “Biography of Nils Nelson,” 1).

By 1869, Nils had learned the trade of a blacksmith. He worked for three years for nothing except his room and board. He then obtained work in a machine shop. Working in that shop was Mormon elder A. O. Gjelte. The elder shared the gospel with him. He listened and after several years of searching other religions was baptized on 15 September 1873. Soon after his baptism he was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood and was sent to preach in the local area. While preaching door-to-door, he found his mother. Their reunion was short-lived, for he was transferred to Blekinge to serve as the branch president. After nearly five years of missionary service, he was released in April 1878 to immigrate to Utah. He sailed across the ocean aboard the Wyoming. He arrived in Salt Lake City on 4 October 1878 (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 176; Nelson, “Biography of Nils Nelson,” 1).

He was endowed on 14 September 1882 in the Endowment House (see FamilySearch). Two years later, he was ordained a seventy on 2 January 1884 (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 176; Nelson, “Biography of Nils Nelson,” 1).

Nils accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1889. He arrived in Copenhagen on 30 April 1889 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference. On this mission, he visited several relatives and obtained much genealogical information. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 28 May 1891 aboard the Cameo with 141 emigrating Latter-day Saints and other missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 318; Nelson, “Biography of Nils Nelson,” 1).

After his return to Salt Lake City, he located in the Salt Lake Twenty-second Ward. He was privileged to attend the dedicatory session of the Salt Lake Temple. He worked just south of the temple in a blacksmith shop. He served as the ward superintendent of the Sunday School (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 176; Nelson, “Biography of Nils Nelson,” 1). He died in 1926 in Salt Lake City at age seventy-two.

Swen Nelson

(Sven Nilsson)

1836–1909

Residence: Tooele, Tooele Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 27 November 1875

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 21 June 1877

Birth date: 28 July 1836

Birthplace: Fälskog, Börringe, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Svensson, Nils

Mother: Brock, Lena Maja

Spouse: Gearnson (Jorranson), Fredricka Catrena

Marriage date: 1865

Marriage place: Sweden

Death date: 11 December 1909

Death place: Tooele, Tooele Co., Utah

Burial place: Tooele, Tooele Co., Utah

Swen joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 30 March 1860. He was baptized by Elder Åkesson. He labored as a traveling missionary for about four years in the Skåne Conference before he immigrated to Utah in 1865. They crossed the plains by ox team, fighting with the Indians and passing through all the trials experienced by the early pioneers.

Swen’s family settled in Tooele, Tooele County, Utah, where he was a farmer and butcher. He was the father of ten children. He filled a two-year mission to his native land, arriving in Copenhagen on 27 November 1875 and departing on 21 June 1877.

Swen served on the high council and was a high priest. He lived in the Tooele for forty-four years before dying suddenly on 11 December 1909. He was survived by a wife, three sons, and three daughters (see “Sven Nelson Passes Away,” The Tooele Transcript, 17 December 1909).

Swen Carl Nelson

(Sven Nilsson)

1836–1916

Residence: Richmond, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 4 May 1885

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 7 October 1886

Name of departure ship: Milo

Birth date: 24 December 1838

Birthplace: Ellinge, Västra Sallerup, Malmöhus Sweden

Father: Nilsson, Nils

Mother: Larsdotter, Hannah

Spouse: Jorgensen, Maren Sophia

Marriage date: 7 May 1865

Marriage place: Denmark

Death date: 11 December 1916

Death place: Richmond, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Richmond, Cache Co., Utah

Swen moved from Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1863 and was converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a local mission on the island of Sjælland. In 1870, his family came to Utah, first stopping in Salt Lake City and then moving to Logan, Cache County, Utah, and finally to Richmond, Cache County, Utah, in 1872.

While residing in Richmond, Swen accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He served as president of the Ålborg Conference in 1885. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 7 October 1886 aboard the steamer Milo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 367, 369, 379).

For a number of years, Sven served on the Richmond city council and later as city sexton, a position he held for twenty years. At the time of his death on 11 December 1916, at age ninety-three, Swen was the oldest resident of Richmond.

Søren Pedersen Neve

1839–1902

Residence: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Arrival in Copenhagen: 3 June 1876; 17 April 1885

Missionary labors: Copenhagen Conference; Ålborg and Skåne conferences

Departure date from Copenhagen: 17 May 1878; other date unknown

Name of Departure Ship: Cato

Birth date: 1 January 1839

Birthplace: Thisted, Thisted amt, Denmark

Father: Neve, Søren Peter Frantzen

Mother: Bømler, Anne Marie

Spouse: Berthelsen, Emma Dorthea Amalia

Marriage date: 9 May 1861

Marriage place:Denmark

Spouse: Olson, Bengta

Marriage date: 3 February 1866

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Liddell, Mary

Marriage date: 4 December 1871

Spouse: Child, Marintha

Marriage date: 21 September 1874

Spouse: Hoglund, Anna Louise

Marriage date: 29 April 1884

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 9 April 1902

Death place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Burial place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Søren received a common-school education. At age thirteen, he was confirmed a Lutheran. After his confirmation, he went to Ålborg to learn the trades of harness making and paper hanging. Although he spent four years learning these trades, rheumatism hampered his abilities. However, his affliction did not prevent his induction into the Danish military. Because he was a large young man, he was chosen to be one of the king’s guards. After his military service, he and his young bride resided in Store Kongensgade (“Great King’s Street) in Copenhagen. “We lived together very happy,” he wrote (Neve, “Journal of Søren Peter Neve: His Life’s Story as Written by Himself”).

After his mother introduced him to Mormonism, he and his wife were baptized on 29 January 1862 by Frederik E. Bertelsen. “After I was baptized and confirmed I felt a happiness that is impossible for me to describe,” he penned. Søren served as a home missionary in Denmark until the impending war between Denmark and Germany. With cries of warfare, Søren and his family decided to immigrate to America. They departed from Denmark on 15 October 1863 and sailed aboard the McKlelland from Liverpool across the Atlantic Ocean. After landing in the United States, they continued their journey to the Salt Lake Valley, arriving in September 1864 (Neve, “Journal of Søren Peter Neve: His Life’s Story as Written by Himself”).

Søren worked as an upholsterer and paperhanger for Henry Dinwoodey in the Salt Lake Valley. He also worked on the police force in the city. While in this employ, he was endowed on 3 February 1866 in the Endowment House. That same year, he was appointed a president of the Fourth Quorum of the Seventy (Neve, “Journal of Søren Peter Neve: His Life’s Story as Written by Himself”).

Ten years later, at a general conference in Salt Lake City, he was called to serve a mission to Denmark. He accepted the call and was set apart by Elder John Taylor. His wife, Emma, accompanied him on the mission. Søren served as president of the Copenhagen Conference, which numbered nine hundred people at that time. Upon leaving Denmark, he was appointed leader of sixty-three Latter-day Saint emigrants aboard the steamer Cato bound for Hull, England (Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 226–27, 232).

Søren boarded a steamer bound for Malmö, Sweden, and continued preaching there. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 17 May 1878 aboard the steamer Cato. When the steamer arrived in Hull, he journeyed by train to Liverpool (Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 232). From Liverpool, he voyaged to America.

When he returned to Salt Lake City, he worked for ZCMI as an upholsterer. He left that employ to begin a furniture and upholstery business with five friends. The business venture was short lived (Neve, “Journal of Søren Peter Neve: His Life’s Story as Written by Himself”).

Søren accepted a second mission call to Scandinavia in 1885. He was set apart for the mission by Franklin D. Richards. He arrived in Copenhagen on 17 April 1885 and was assigned to labor as President of the Ålborg Conference. During this mission, he gathered family genealogy and visited relatives before being banished from Denmark for preaching.

Upon returning to Utah, he faced persecution because had more than one wife. To escape the persecution, he moved to San Francisco, where he found work in the upholstery trade. From northern California, he moved to El Paso, El Paso County, Texas (Neve, “Journal of Søren Peter Neve: His Life’s Story as Written by Himself”). Søren died in 1902 in Salt Lake City at age sixty-three.

Andrew Christian Nielsen

(Anders Christian Nielsen)

1840–1924

Residence: Ephraim, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 5 November 1881

Missionary labors: Århus and Copenhagen conferences

Departure date from Copenhagen: 15 June 1883

Name of departure ship: Pacific (Milo)

Birth date: 23 March 1840

Birthplace: Moien, Ugilt, Hjørring, Denmark

Father: Pedersen, Niels

Mother: Andersdatter, Ane Magrethe

Spouse: Anderson, Mary (Maren) Kristine

Marriage date: 4 December 1864

Death date: 28 January 1924

Death place: Ephraim, Sanpete Co., Utah

Andrew was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1858. After his baptism, he immigrated to America. He journeyed to the Salt Lake Valley with an ox team company and settled in Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah, in 1865 (see “Early Settler Passes Away,” Ephraim Enterprise, 1 February 1924).

While a resident of Ephraim, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1881. He arrived in Copenhagen on 5 November 1881 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference. Later he served in the Copenhagen Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 15 June 1883 with seventeen other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 262, 264, 269).

Returning to Ephraim, he was an active member of the Church and was known as one of the pioneer builders of the community. He is credited with organizing the Mutual Improvement Association in town. He was always willing to help those in need. He died in 1924 after a short illness in Ephraim at age eighty-four (see “Early Settler Passes Away,” Ephraim Enterprise, 1 February 1924).

Andrew Spendrup Nielsen

(Anders Christensen)

1844–1921

Residence: Ephraim, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 30 May 1873

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 27 August 1874

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 27 August 1844

Birthplace: Hvidsten, Gassum, Randers, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Christen

Mother: Andersdatter, Ane Catrine

Spouse: Christensen, Elsa Kirstine

Marriage date: 26 May 1866

Marriage place: Spendrup, Randers, Denmark

Spouse: Hansen, Karen

Marriage date: 25 April 1878

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 5 April 1921

Death place: Manassa, Conejos Co., Colorado

Burial place: Sanford, Conejos Co., Colorado

Andrew was baptized on 31 March 1867. He departed from Copenhagen aboard the Waldemar with other Latter-day Saints. He departed from Liverpool on 21 June 1867 aboard the Manhattan, which was bound for New York Harbor. By 4 July 1867, he had arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, and on 5 October 1867 had settled in Ephraim, Sanpete County. He was endowed on 8 November 1869 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City.

He worked as a farmer and participated in the Black Hawk War before accepting a mission call to Scandinavia in 1873. He arrived in Copenhagen on 30 May 1873 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference as an assistant to Christian F. Schade. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 27 August 1874 aboard the steamer Cato with 214 emigrating Latter-day Saints (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 214–15, 220).

After his mission, he resided in Chester, Sanpete County, Utah, and served as a second counselor in the bishopric of that ward. In 1886, he accepted a call to settle on “The LaJara” in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado and moved the family of his second wife, Karen, to the nearby settlement of Sanford, Conejos County, Colorado. He was later called to help colonize the newly planned settlement, Eastdale, Costella County, Colorado. In July 1897, he was called to serve as a second counselor to Bishop Christen Jensen until the ward was dissolved in 1910. He then moved his family back to Sanford. Andrew died from arthritis deformans in 1921 in Manassa at age seventy-six (see correspondence from Della Steinekert).

Hans Enoch Nielsen

(Hans Enoch Bentdsen)

1833–89

Residence: Hyrum, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 6 November 1880

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 16 June 1882

Name of departure ship: Albano

Birth date: 3 January 1833

Birthplace: Hosterkjøb, Birkerød, Frederiksborg, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Bendt

Mother: Eilertsdatter, Grete

Spouse: Osborn, Nancy Margaret

Marriage date: 11 February 1857

Marriage place: West Weber, Weber Co., Utah

Death date: 22 July 1889

Death place: Hyrum, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Hyrum, Cache Co., Utah

Hans embraced Mormonism in 1853. By December 1853, he had immigrated to America. He crossed the plains in Perry Olsen’s company in 1854 and arrived in Salt Lake City on 5 October 1854 (see correspondence from R. Nick Nielsen). He settled in West Weber, Weber County, Utah, where he received his patriarchal blessing from Isaac Morley on 19 November 1854 (see Morley, “Isaac Morley’s Book,” 15 B 15:215).

He served in the territorial militia during the Echo Canyon campaign before moving to Spanish Fork, Utah County, in the summer of 1858. By April 1860, he was residing in Hyrum, Cache County, and was recognized for bringing water from the Bear River into the community (see correspondence from R. Nick Nielsen).

Hans was known as a minuteman in Hyrum and was often called upon to protect the community from Indians. He had a horse saddled and ammunition ready at all times. He further served his community as a member of the board of directors of the United Order, the water board, and city council (see correspondence from R. Nick Nielsen).

He interrupted his civic service to accept a mission call to Scandinavia in 1880. He arrived in Copenhagen on 6 November 1880 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 16 June 1882 aboard the steamer Albano with 573 emigrating Latter-day Saints and fourteen other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 250, 252, 265).

On 26 April 1888, Hans was arrested for unlawful cohabitation but was released (see Jenson, LDS Church Chronology, 26 April 1888; 30 July 1892). He died in 1889 of a throat disease at age fifty-six. His death was sudden. He was “strong in body and never having had any sickness, everybody seemed amazed at his departure” (correspondence from R. Nick Nielsen).

Hans Jorgen Nielsen

(Hans Jørgen Nielsen)

1851–1919

Residence: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 14 June 1887

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 27 September 1888

Birth date: 6 September 1851

Birthplace: Eskildstrup, Skovby, Odense, Denmark

Father: Knudsen, Niels

Mother: Hansen, Anne Catrine

Spouse: Jensen, Ellen

Marriage date: 8 February 1875

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Nielsen, Severine Amelia

Marriage date: 15 January 1880

Death date: 23 January 1919

Death place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Hans immigrated to Utah in 1873. While a resident of Logan, Cache County, Utah, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1887. He arrived in Copenhagen on 14 June 1887 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 27 September 1888 with the last company of Saints to emigrate from Scandinavia that year. He journeyed with 102 Saints and six missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 304, 306).

Returning to Logan, he became involved in a merchandising business. He was an ordinance worker in the Logan Temple for eight years. Hans died at his home on 400 North in 1919 from a long-standing stomach ailment. He was sixty-six (see Logan Journal, 24 January 1919).

Jens Christian Nielsen

(Jens Christiansen)

1829–89

Residence: Gentile Valley, Bingham Co., Idaho

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 4 May 1885

Missionary labors: Copenhagen Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 30 May 1887

Name of departure ship: Argo

Birth date: 4 April 1829

Birthplace: Orup, Roholte, Præstø, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Christian

Mother: Jensen, Kerstina

Spouse: Hansen, Margrethe

Marriage date: 24 October 1849

Marriage place: Roholte, Præstø, Denmark

Spouse: Hansen, Mary

Marriage date: 12 October 1892

Death date: 16 February 1889

Death place: Cleveland, Bannock Co., Idaho

Burial place: Cleveland, Bannock Co., Idaho

Jens joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 30 January 1858 in

Stavnstrup (Everdrup Parish) Præstø County, Denmark. In the records of the Vordingborg

Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he is listed as “Jens Christian Nielsen.” At birth his name was recorded as “Jens Christiansen.” However, on his Lutheran confirmation record of 1843 and at his marriage in 1849 his name was recorded as “Jens Christian Christiansen.”

Jens’s wife Margrethe Hansdatter was baptized on the same day as her husband. Their twin daughters, however, chose to wait until 30 July 1858, their nineteenth birthday, to enter the waters of baptism.

The Vordingborg Branch records list that Jens emigrated on 19 April 1865. Perhaps he was staying behind to finish up work or sell his smithy, since these same records indicate his wife and daughters emigrated in May of 1864—a somewhat unusual emigration pattern.

Jens was a resident of Gentile Valley, Bingham County, Idaho, when he accepted a mission call to the Scandinavian Mission. He arrived in Copenhagen on 4 May 1885 and served in the Copenhagen Conference. In January of 1887, Elder Jens C. Nielsen reported that he had a pleasant visit to the island of Bornholm and that the membership had grown from nineteen members to thirty-four members in only eighteen months. He departed from Copenhagen on 30 May 1887 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 301).

Jens passed away on 16 February 1889 in Cleveland, Bannock County, Idaho. He died a faithful Latter-day Saint. He was mourned by two wives and families (see Deaths Neilson, Deseret News, 23 February 1889).

Jens Christian Nielsen

1830–1920

Residence: Moroni, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 2 December 1876

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 23 June 1879

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 10 August 1830

Birthplace: Hvingelenhuus, Fåborg, Ribe, Denmark

Father: Christiansen, Niels Jens

Mother: Jeppesdatter, Maren

Spouse: Andersen, Ana Maria

Marriage date: 2 October 1856

Marriage place: Big Cottonwood, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Christensen, Karen

Marriage date: 29 September 1873

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Petersen, Ane Christine

Marriage date: 14 June 1883

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Petersen, Tomaline

Marriage date: 20 September 1911

Marriage place: Manti, Sanpete Co., Utah

Death date: 26 December 1920

Death place: Moroni, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Moroni, Sanpete Co., Utah

“My parents was of the Lutheran faith and in that faith educated, and I took my examination as a good Christian,” wrote Jens. He received a meager education in the Noruf School in the Noruf District. Due to the poverty of his parents, he was forced to seek employment at an early age. His main employ was cork cutting in the city of Vejle. By 1852, he was superintendent over the cork factory and “everything was looking good for me in the future” (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen”; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

In 1852, he attended his first Mormon meeting. After the meeting, there arose a disturbance, and threats were made against the elders. Jens said to the disturbers, “They [have] not said anything but what was Bible doctrine.” He was baptized on 1 February 1852 by Elder Winberg. He wrote, “I received a testimony that I had done right and felt satisfied that I had embraced the truth” (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen”; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

After his baptism, he boldly shared the truths of Mormonism with everyone he met. His words led to a whipping, being shot at with a pistol, and having rotten eggs thrown at him. Wanting to avoid further impending harm, on 4 June 1852 he departed from Denmark bound for Hamburg, Germany. In Hamburg, he was ordained an elder and participated in local missionary work. “I scattered a number of our pamphlets,” he penned. Unfortunately, he also faced persecution, arrest, and imprisonment. He suffered through many court appearances and jail but admitted, “I will say that the warden treated us with respect and kindness” (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen”; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

He next traveled to Copenhagen, where he boarded the steamer Britannia and sailed to Hull, England. Then he journeyed by train to Liverpool, where he boarded the vessel Helias for America. This was a difficult time for Jens. He had no money and felt “a burden to the saints that was poor and young in the gospel” (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen”; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

After arriving in America, he was advised by Elder Erastus Snow “to work with those who had apostatized and others, hold meetings and if possible bring them back into the Church.” He accepted the advice and visited many old friends and past acquaintances in the St. Louis, Missouri area. From there, he journeyed up the Missouri River. After arriving in the camps of Israel near Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Jens wrote, “I visited the Saints and tried to encourage them in the gospel of Christ” (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen”; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

He stayed for a time in the midwest and presided over the Danish Saints in Mormon Grove, Pottawattamie County. From Mormon Grove, he wrote letters “to the scattered Saints that work far off.” He taught the Saints “to get up in the meeting and bear testimony, the sisters as well as the brethren, and it brought a good spirit in the congregation.” He faced apostates, like Niels Syrup, who “tried to turn the Saints against me, and said the building of temples was wrong, and Brigham Young was from the devil” (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen”; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

His call to return the Saints to greater faithfulness ended on 7 April 1857, when he was released and given permission to continue his journey to Zion. Jens arrived in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, aboard the steamer Keystone. He then purchased a team of oxen and began his trek to the Salt Lake Valley in the Knute Petersen Company. “We had our trials, especially in crossing rivers and in the buffalo country many times our oxen stampeded,” he wrote (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen,” 1; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

After arriving in Salt Lake City, he worked on the canals in Big Cottonwood Canyon and on the road leading toward Fort Union, Salt Lake County. He prepared himself to fight against the U.S. Army and was ordered to march up Emigration Canyon in three feet of snow—”I was very tired and sick and no provisions or at least very little,” he penned (Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen,” 1; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

When the threat of war passed, Jens moved to Spanish Fork, Utah County. From there, he moved to Sanpete County. It was in Ephraim, Sanpete County, that he learned the cooper’s trade. By spring of 1859, he had moved to Moroni, Sanpete County. There, he dug ditches, made dams, and tried his fortune at farming. It was also in that community that he participated in the Black Hawk War as a first lieutenant. He fought in the Salina Canyon and Grass Valley engagements (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 428; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

In 1876, Jens received a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 2 December 1876 and was assigned to be a traveling elder in the Århus Conference. He served as president of the Randers and Århus branches. He recalled cutting holes in the ice to perform baptisms in those branches. On this mission, he visited his brothers who had not joined the Church. He wrote, “The hand of the Lord has been over me and he has blessed me greatly in my labor and I do rejoice to labor in the work of God” (Nelson and Blackham, “Excerpts from His Mission,” 74–83). But he did lament, “O When we think all is well then we are mistaken . . . how hard it is to get the people to serve the Lord” (see Journal of Jens Christian Nielsen; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92). From 1877 to 1879, he served as president of the Århus Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 23 June 1879 aboard the steamer Cato with 331 emigrating Latter-day Saints (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 240, 498).

At his arrival in Moroni, he was welcomed by a choir that followed him home, singing hymns in his honor (see Journal of Jens Christian Nielsen; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

He accepted another mission call to Scandinavia in 1885. He traveled aboard the steamer Nevada to Liverpool and on 28 April 1885 reported to President Lund of the Scandinavian Mission. The president appointed him to labor in the Århus Conference. Once again, he was assigned to be the president of the Randers Branch. In that branch, he preached repentance. He wrote that the “better classes of people do not come to hear.” In October 1887, he was appointed president of the conference (see Journal of Jens Christian Nielsen; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

After his release, he again returned to Moroni. “I am now home again and I feel to thank the Lord our Eternal Father for his blessings unto me,” he wrote (Journal of Jens Christian Nielsen; Bitton, Guide Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 257; Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:486–92).

In Moroni, he was president of the local co-op store and later a stockholder. He was one of the presidents of the Thirty-seventh Quorum of the Seventy and a ward clerk for ten years. He served the community as mayor for two terms before being captured for violating federal laws against plural marriage. The court, failing to find him guilty, released him (see Nelson, “Histore of Jens Christian Nielsen,” 1). Jens died in 1920 in Moroni at age ninety.

Lars Peter Christian Nielsen

(Lars Peter Christian Mathiasen)

1855–1922

Residence: Mantua, Box Elder Co., Utah

Arrival dates in Copenhagen: 11 October 1892; 14 April 1904

Missionary labors: Copenhagen Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 8 June 1893

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 9 February 1855

Birthplace: Austræliensvej #136, Helligånds-Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Father: Larsen, Mathias

Mother: Andersdatter, Sidse

Spouse: Hansen, Sarah

Marriage date: 11 September 1879

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Carlson, Mathilda Josephine

Death date: 22 January 1922

Death place: Ammon, Bonneville Co., Idaho

Burial place: Ammon, Bonneville Co., Idaho

Tracing the parentage of Lars is difficult. He was the first-born son of his mother, Sidse Andersdatter. Although his father was Mathias Larsen, he was adopted by Ole Nielsen, Sidse’s first husband. He was also the stepson of Thomas Christian Anderson (see Hansen, “From Ålborg to Ammon, A History of Four Generations of the Thomas Christian Anderson Family,” 28).

At age seven, Lars immigrated to America with his mother. Aboard ship, his five-year-old brother died and was buried at sea. Adding to the family tragedies was the death of his sister at Winter Quarters, Douglas County, Nebraska. Lars and his mother were the only survivors of the family to reach the Salt Lake Valley. When they arrived in the valley, they had only fifty cents and no relatives or friends, except those who had traveled with them (see “Lars Peter Christian Nielsen, Father of Leo J. Nielsen,” 1–2).

They settled in Mantua, Box Elder County, where Lars’s mother remarried. His biographer wrote, “It seemed to [Lars] that his [new] step-father delighted in letting him go hungry.” At age eighteen, Lars left home. He spent two years working on a Church farm at Bear River City, Box Elder County. In this employ, he met his future bride Sarah Hansen (see “Lars Peter Christian Nielsen, Father of Leo J. Nielsen,” 2).

While he and Sarah were residing in Mantua, Box Elder County, Utah, Lars accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1892. He arrived in Copenhagen on 11 October 1892 and was assigned to labor in the Copenhagen Conference. On this mission, he received word that his wife had died (see “Lars Peter Christian Nielsen, Father of Leo J. Nielsen,” 4). Upon learning of her death, he departed immediately from Copenhagen on 8 June 1893 aboard the steamer Bravo with 105 emigrating Latter-day Saints and other missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 328–29, 332).

He remarried soon after returning to Mantua. In that farming community, Indians called him “Great White Chief.” He moved his new family to Idaho in 1904, and it was there that he accepted another mission call to Scandinavia. He took his wife Mathilda Carlson with him on this mission (see “Lars Peter Christian Nielsen, Father of Leo J. Nielsen,” 5). On 14 April 1904, they arrived in Copenhagen, where Lars was assigned to labor in the Copenhagen Conference (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 402, 405).

Some years later, they were both called on a six-month mission to Southern California. Returning from this third mission, Lars built a comfortable home in Ammon, Bonneville County. He died in 1922 from polycystic kidneys in Ammon at age sixty-six (see “Lars Peter Christian Nielsen, Father of Leo J. Nielsen,” 5).

Martin Nielsen

(Martin Carlsen)

1857–1946

Residence: Levan, Juab Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 19 September 1891

Missionary labors: Copenhagen and Århus conferences

Departure date from Copenhagen: 7 September 1893

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 18 November 1857

Birthplace: Sønder Kragvad, Tårs, Hjørring, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Carl Christen

Mother: Christensdatter, Maren

Spouse: Lundsteen, Mary Nielsen

Marriage date: 9 February 1888

Marriage place: Levan, Juab Co., Utah

Death date: 15 January 1946

Death place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California

On 16 September 1868, Martin was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the North Sea by his father. At age twelve, he was given responsibility for the singing at meetings in his local Church branch. Three years later, he and his family immigrated to America. They arrived in Salt Lake City on 24 July 1873 (see autobiography of Martin Nielsen).

By 1874, they had settled in Levan, Juab County, Utah. After one year in Levan, Martin moved to Salt Lake City and was employed by Brigham Young to work in the fields—an area now known as Liberty Park. On 25 February 1877, he was ordained an elder by George Stephensen and on 19 January 1885 a seventy by John Borrowman. By 1888, he had returned to Levan and was engaged in gardening and farming (see autobiography of Martin Nielsen).

While living in Levan, Martin accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1891. On his voyage to Scandinavia, his ship was struck by a schooner and badly damaged. The ship had to be chained together to stay afloat to reach Liverpool (see autobiography of Martin Nielsen). He arrived in Copenhagen on 19 September 1891 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference and later the Copenhagen Conference. From 1892 to 1893, Martin served as president of the Århus Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 7 September 1893 aboard the steamer Bravo with twenty-four emigrating Latter-day Saints and other missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 328–29, 333, 498).

Upon returning to Levan, Martin resumed his farm labors. His Church responsibilities at that time included ward clerk, choir leader, home missionary, superintendent of the YMMIA, and superintendent of the Sunday School. For seven years, he served as first counselor in the Levan bishopric after being ordained a high priest by George Teasdale (see autobiography of Martin Nielsen).

On 29 November 1905, Martin returned to Copenhagen to serve a second mission. After an honorable release from this mission, he once again returned to Levan (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 412). In 1907, he was elected to be a Juab County commissioner and served a two-year term. His greatest service to the community of Levan was as a member of the school board for eighteen years. He was also the city assessor for two years (see autobiography of Martin Nielsen).

In 1911, Martin moved his family to Provo, Utah County. In that community, he worked as a painter and interior decorator. At this time, most of his children attended the Brigham Young Academy. Martin ended his autobiography by stating, “I am at present residing in California, where I attend priesthood as often as I am able” (autobiography of Martin Nielsen). He died in 1946 in Los Angeles at age eighty-eight.

Nephi Hyrum Rasmussen Nielsen

1862–1914

Residence: Huntsville, Webe Co.r, Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 20 June 1892

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 5 April 1894

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 16 June 1862

Birthplace: Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah

Father: Nielsen, Lars K.

Mother: Jespersdatter, Sarah Marie

Spouse: Jacobsen (Hansen), Anna Jensine Dorothea

Marriage date: 4 November 1886

Marriage place: Logan Temple, Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Death date: 22 February 1914

Death place: Huntsville, Weber Co., Utah

Burial place: Ogden City Cemetery, Ogden, Weber Co., Utah

Nephi, a resident of Huntsville, Weber County, Utah, accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1892. He arrived in Copenhagen on 20 June 1892 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 5 April 1894 aboard the steamer Bravo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 328–29, 336).

It appears that he served a second mission to Scandinavia. Andrew Jenson reported that in 1905, he was appointed to labor in the Bergen Conference (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 408). Nephi returned to Huntsville, where he served as superintendent of the Middleton Ward Sunday School for a number of years. At the time of his death, he was the instructor of the elders and seventies of the Huntsville Ward. He died at his home in 1914 at age fifty-two (“Nielson,” The Ogden Standard, 23 February 1914).

Peder Nielsen

1813–83

Residence: Washington, Washington Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 11 November 1879

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 28 August 1880

Name of departure ship: Otto

Birth date: 22 February 1813

Birthplace: Krollerup, Øster Snede, Vejle, Denmark

Father: Jensen, Niels

Mother: Christensdatter, Helvig Dorthe

Spouse: Israelson, Anne Marie

Marriage date: 26 November 1847

Marriage place: Korning, Vejle, Denmark

Spouse: Sorensen, Caroline Karen Nielsen

Marriage date: 14 January 1855

Marriage place: Aboard the James Netvius Nesmith

Spouse: Brown, Harriet

Marriage date: 23 May 1873

Marriage place: Washington, Washington Co., Utah

Death date: 9 April 1883

Death place: Washington, Washington Co., Utah

Burial place: Washington, Washington Co., Utah

Peder was baptized on 2 March 1853 by Elder Andersen and immigrated on 27 October 1854. In his new homeland, he fulfilled several positions of trust and responsibility including being a counselor to Bishop Marcus Funk. He accepted a call to Southern Utah in 1861, where he was known for his industry and integrity (see “Nielson,” Deseret Evening News, 13 April 1883).

While a resident of Washington, Washington County, Utah, Peder accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 11 November 1879 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference. He departed from Copenhagen on 28 August 1880 aboard the steamer Otto (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 195, 238–39, 244).

He died of general debility in Washington City, Washington County, on 9 April 1883. His last months were spent in peace and serenity (see “Nielson,” Deseret Evening News, 13 April 1883).

Peter Anton Nielsen

(Peder Anthon Nielsen)

1845–1933

Residence: Draper, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 7 January 1880

Missionary labors: Copenhagen Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 20 June 1881

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 12 May 1845

Birthplace: Bispensplass, St. Knud-Odense, Odense, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Hans

Mother: Hansdatter, Maren

Spouse: Jensen, Olivia

Marriage date: 16 November 1865

Marriage place: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Death date: 18 February 1933

Death place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Burial place: Draper City Cemetery, Draper, Salt Lake Co., Utah

On 22 February 1862, Peter was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by J. J. Jorgensen. He labored as a local missionary in various branches of the Copenhagen Conference. During his early missionary experiences, he was imprisoned in Ork, Fredericksborg, for twelve days for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:573).

He immigrated to America in 1865 and wrote of his journey (see Bitton, Guide to Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies, 258). His writings included mention of a fire aboard the sailing vessel BS Kimball and struggling to breathe as “we had no air pipes; all the air had to come through the stairways. The stench coming from below was very bad indeed, and the place so infested with vermin that we could not rest.” Peter stopped five weeks in Wyoming before continuing his journey to the Salt Lake Valley. He arrived in the valley on 8 November 1865 with the Miner G. Atwood Company. Upon arrival he shook hands with Brigham Young (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 187).

Peter served a mission to Scandinavia from 1880 to 1881, laboring mostly on the isle of Bornholm. During the mission, he was imprisoned for two days for selling tracts in Rønne. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 20 June 1881 aboard the steamer Cato with Latter-day Saints from the Göteborg and Skåne conferences. He was one of three elders in charge of the emigrants aboard ship. He also had responsibility of the same emigrants crossing the plains (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 255).

In 1897, he fulfilled a mission to California. After returning from this mission, he became very involved in Sunday School work and Scandinavian meetings in Draper, Salt Lake County, Utah. He accepted another mission call to Scandinavia in 1907. On 7 September 1907, he arrived in the Danish-Norwegian Mission. He was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference. After completing this final mission, he returned to Utah, where he was ordained a high priest on 6 July 1909 by Joseph Keddington (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 186).

He served as a postmaster in Draper, Salt Lake County, for nine years. During those same years, he was chairman of the school board and a justice of the peace. In 1908, he moved his family to Salt Lake City. He died in 1933 of ailments incident to age at his residence located at 1321 East 400 South in Salt Lake. He was eighty-seven years old (see “Peter A. Neilsen, Pioneer, Dies” Deseret News, 20 February 1933).

Rasmus Nielsen

1835–1908

Residence: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 27 November 1877

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 30 August 1879

Name of departure ship: Albion

Birth date: 19 February 1835

Birthplace: Hårup, Linå, Skanderborg, Denmark

Father: Rasmussen, Niels

Mother: Laursdatter (Gandrup), Mette Marie

Spouse: Mortensen, Ane Katherine

Marriage date: 13 March 1861

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 10 April 1908

Death place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Rasmus accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1877. He arrived in Copenhagen on 27 November 1877 and was assigned to labor as president of the Århus Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 30 August 1879 aboard the steamer Albion bound for Hull, England. He served as a counselor to Nils C. Flygare from Liverpool to the United States aboard the steamer Wyoming (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 152, 155, 177, 230–31, 240–41, 498).

He died from congestion of the brain in 1908 at Logan, Cache County, Utah, at age seventy-three. Seven children and his wife mourned his loss. His funeral was held in the Logan Fifth Ward meetinghouse (see “Rasmus Nielsen,” Logan Tri-weekly Journal, 11 April 1908).

Thor Christian Nielsen

1872–1952

Residence: Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 28 September 1890

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 18 August 1892

Birth date: 25 March 1872

Birthplace: Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah

Father: Nielsen, Jens Christian

Mother: Frederiksdatter, Marine Margrethe

Spouse: Hansen, Olivia Christine Martine

Marriage date: 30 June 1893

Marriage place: Logan Temple, Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Spouse: Hastings, Jane May

Marriage date: 15 May 1937

Marriage place: Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 3 November 1952

Death place: Long Beach, Los Angeles Co., California

Burial place: Long Beach, Los Angeles Co., California

Thor was born in the shanty of a little adobe house in Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah. At age eight, he was baptized on 31 October 1880 and became a member of the Brigham City Branch band. At age twelve, he was a member of the Brigham City Third Ward choir, and at age fifteen he was the leader of that choir (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:106).

Under the tutelage of his father, Thor became proficient at making furniture. He was employed in the furniture department of the Brigham City co-op (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:106). Later, he learned the watchmaker and jewelry trade and graduated as a registered optometrist (see Muir, A Century of Mormon Activities in California, 2:288).

In 1890, he was ordained a seventy and called to fulfill a mission in Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 28 September 1890 and was assigned to labor on the isle of Bornholm in the Ålborg Conference. In Bornholm, he organized a choir and taught an English class (see “Life History of Thor C. Nielsen,” 1). After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 18 August 1892 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 316–17, 327). Upon returning home, he found “all well and happy to see me back safe” (“Life History of Thor C. Nielsen,” 1).

He received his endowment on 30 June 1893 and was sealed for eternity to Olivia Hansen, a young woman whom he had helped immigrate to America, in the Logan Temple (see “Life History of Thor C. Nielsen,” 1). He and his bride settled in Montpelier, Bear Lake County, Idaho. There Thor started the Nielsen Furniture Company (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:106). In Montpelier, he served as a chorister at both the ward and stake levels.

In 1904, accompanied by his wife and two children, he visited Scandinavia. After touring Sweden and Norway, he and his wife were called to labor as missionaries and choir leaders in Copenhagen. He was present at a missionary reunion on 3 January 1905 held in Copenhagen. Of this missionary reunion, he wrote, “Greatly enjoyed our missionary labors in Christiania and had just cause to feel that our labors here had been very successful” (“Life History of Thor C. Nielsen,” 1).

In 1909, he was ordained a high priest and called to be second counselor in the bishopric of the Montpelier Second Ward. Two years later, he was appointed first counselor. From 1911 to 1912, he represented Bear Lake County in the Idaho State Legislature (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:106).

In 1926, he moved to Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, where he was ordained and set apart as the bishop of the Long Beach Ward on 29 August 1927. He was released upon returning to Montpelier in 1931 (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:106). In 1936, following the death of his first wife, he returned to Long Beach. There, he enjoyed making grandfather clocks, painting pictures, and continuing to serve in the Church (see Muir, A Century of Mormon Activities in California, 2:288). Thor died in 1952 in Long Beach at age eighty.

Anton Nielson

(Anton Jensen)

1866–1958

Residence: Huntington, Emery Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 12 November 1892

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 25 October 1894

Name of departure ship: Rona

Birth date: 20 December 1866

Birthplace: Almind, Almind, Viborg, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Jens

Mother: Hansen, Ane Kirstina

Spouse: Lott, Sarah Mae

Marriage date: 4 August 1897

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 20 July 1958

Death place: Castle Dale, Emery Co., Utah

Burial place: Huntington, Emery Co., Utah

Anton came to America with his parents when he was six years old. They arrived in Utah on 24 July 1873. At age eight, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After his baptism, he and his family moved to Huntington, Emery County. As a youth, he enjoyed playing ball, horse racing, sleigh riding, and dancing (see Engle, “The Life of Anton Nielson—From Data Furnished by Himself,” 1). He received his endowment on 8 June 1882 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City (see FamilySearch).

In 1892, Anton was called to fulfill a mission to the southern states. He wrote, “I felt myself very much unqualified for such an undertaking, for I had not so much as an eighth-grade education.” At his father’s request, the call was changed to Scandinavia on 10 October 1892. Anton was set apart by John W. Taylor. He voyaged across the Atlantic aboard the steamer Arizona. Of his voyage, he wrote, “The ship rocked so that for two nights we were unable to sleep for fear of falling out of bed and hurting ourselves. The danger was so great that I tied one of the Brethren in bed.” He arrived in Copenhagen on 12 November 1892 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. In that conference, he visited relatives who “took me to theaters and did all they could to entertain me and show that I was welcome.” He also attempted to learn more about his ancestors: “We worked all day searching through the old church book to find the dead and make a list of them, so their names could be sent to the temple and work done for them” (Engle, “The Life of Anton Nielson—From Data Furnished by Himself,” 1–3).

After completing this mission, he received a letter from C. W. Sorensen, thanking him “for the zeal you have evidenced in spreading the truth” (correspondence from C. W. Sorenson, 22 September 1894). He departed from Copenhagen on 25 October 1894 aboard the steamer Rona with twenty-three emigrating Latter-day Saints bound for Zion (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 337). Aboard ship, he wrote:

Blew the wind merrily over the sea,

Singing and bringing bright visions to me

Dreams of the dear ones and fancies of love,

Bright was my heart as the stars were above. (Engle, “The Life of Anton Nielson—From Data Furnished by Himself,” 10)

Returning to the states, he was ordained a high priest and a bishop on 14 January 1906 by Rudger Clawson. Anton served as bishop of the Huntington Ward of the Emery Stake of Zion from 1906 to 1916 (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:462). There were one thousand one hundred people at one time in his ward. Of this experience, he penned, “Many a night I’ve come home late in the dark from some meeting or other official business and have even fallen in the ditch” (Engle, “The Life of Anton Nielson—From Data Furnished by Himself,” 11).

In 1917, he was appointed president of the YMMIA. He served in this calling for eight years. On 26 November 1921, he was elected mayor of Huntington City and reelected on 26 November 1923 (see Engle, “The Life of Anton Nielson—From Data Furnished by Himself,” 12). Anton died in 1958 in Castle Dale, Emery County, Utah, at age ninety-one.

Christian Nielson

(Christen Nielsen)

1832–1907

Residence: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 24 June 1885

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 12 August 1886

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 3 January 1832

Birthplace: Skræderdal, Hørmested, Hjørring, Denmark

Father: Christensen, Niels Christian

Mother: Christensdatter, Malene

Spouse: Nielsen, Kirstine Marie

Marriage date: 15 June 1856

Marriage place: Hjørring, Hjørring, Denmark

Death date: 19 September 1907

Death place: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Burial place: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Christian learned the trade of a miller before being inducted into the military in Denmark. His military assignment was to manage a commission store in Hjørring for eight years. During those years, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Immediately following his baptism, he was advanced to the rank of corporal and fought in the war between Denmark and Germany. After the war, he was ordained a teacher on 6 November 1864 and an elder on 5 March 1865. After these ordinations, he and his family immigrated to Utah in 1865.

They resided for seven years in Salt Lake County before settling in Pleasant Grove, Utah County. There, Christian was ordained a seventy on 30 March 1884 by William W. Taylor. One year later, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 24 June 1885 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. On this mission, he baptized fifteen converts. After completing the mission, he departed from Copenhagen aboard the steamer Bravo on 12 August 1886 as a leader of 131 emigrating Latter-day Saints (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 273, 275, 287, 292–93, 298).

Christian accepted a second mission call to Scandinavia in 1889. He arrived in Copenhagen on 29 May 1899 and was appointed to labor in the Trondhjem and Christiania (Norway) conferences (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 372, 376).

Beginning on 8 May 1890, he was called to preside over the Scandinavian meetings in Pleasant Grove. He suffered from depression after his wife died. He was found drowned in a pond on 19 September 1907. He was seventy-five years of age (see “Aged Man Drowns Himself in Pond,” Deseret News, 19 September 1907).

Jens Christian Nielson

(Jens Christian Nielsen)

1848–1926

Residence: Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 24 June 1885

Missionary labors: Copenhagen Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 30 May 1887

Name of departure ship: Argo

Birth date: 22 August 1848

Birthplace: Rønne, Bornholm, Denmark

Father: Nielson, Jens

Mother: Gønberg, Johanne Christine

Spouse: Fredericksen, Marine Margarethe

Marriage date: 21 June 1871

Marriage place: Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Spouse: Hansdatter, Ane Marie

Marriage date: 11 October 1874

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Frederiksen, Boline Christine

Marriage date: 13 March 1879

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Julia

Death date: 24 September 1926

Death place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Jens was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 19 August 1866. He immigrated with other Latter-day Saints to America on the Wisconsin from Liverpool on 28 June 1871 and arrived in New York City on 12 July 1871. By 1872, he was residing in Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah. In that community, he made furniture that was sold in the Brigham City co-op (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:106).

While residing in Brigham City, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1885. He arrived in Copenhagen on 24 June 1885 and was assigned to labor in the Copenhagen Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 30 May 1887 aboard the steamer Argo with 138 emigrating Latter-day Saints and ten other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 294–95, 302). Jens died in 1926 in Salt Lake City at age seventy-eight.

Lars Nielson

(Lars Jensen)

1849–1929

Residence: Fountain Green, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 14 September 1880

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 16 June 1882

Name of departure ship: Albano

Birth date: 3 May 1849

Birthplace: Vinge, Sønder Vinge, Viborg, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Jens

Mother: Larsdatter, Metta

Spouse: Christiansen, Marie (Mette) Mikkelene

Marriage date: 27 November 1871

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 27 January 1929

Death place: Fountain Green, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Fountain Green Cemetery, Fountain Green, Sanpete Co., Utah

At age eight, Lars first attended a Mormon meeting on Easter Sunday in 1857. He remembered hearing the congregation sing “O Israel, O Israel, in All you Abiding” (Seager, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 1). He and his family were baptized on 18 May 1857 and became the first family in Sønder Vinge to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see McRae, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 1).

Lars immigrated with his parents to America in 1859 aboard the William Tapscott. After arriving in New York Harbor on 14 May 1859, they traveled by rail to Florence, Douglas County, Nebraska. They then journeyed by ox train across the plains in the Captain R. F. Nelsen company to the Salt Lake Valley (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 530). Lars walked most of the way to the valley (see McRae, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 1–2).

He and his family settled in Spanish Fork, Utah County. They lived in a dugout for four years. During these years, they gained employment carding, spinning, and weaving cloth and carpets. In 1863, the family moved to Fountain Green, Sanpete County. Although Lars was only fifteen years old at the time, he had saved his money and was able to purchase one of the finest farms in Fountain Green. He attempted to protect his farm from Indian troubles during the Black Hawk War by serving guard duty and riding pony express. Years later he received twenty dollars a month for his service in that war (see McRae, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 2–3).

After the Indian troubles subsided, he enjoyed playing a saxophone in the Fountain Green band and working as secretary in the local co-op store (see McRae, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 3).

He was ordained an elder and was endowed on 27 November 1871 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 2:165; FamilySearch). Nine years later, he received a mission call to Scandinavia. He accepted the call, leaving his wife with four children, the oldest being eight years old. From 1880 to 1882, Lars presided over the Vejle Branch in the Århus Conference. During his presidency, thirty-six people were converted, fifteen of which were baptized by Lars (see McRae, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 4). After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen aboard the steamer Albano with 573 emigrating Latter-day Saints and fourteen other missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 251, 265).

Returning to Fountain Green, he was appointed a ward clerk and superintendent of the Sunday School. On 5 August 1884, he was ordained a seventy by Carl C. A. Christensen. He served for eight years as president of a seventies quorum (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 2:165). After being ordained a high priest on 9 December 1900 by Anton H. Lund, he served as a high counselor in the North Sanpete Stake for seventeen years and as a home missionary for twenty-five years (see McRae, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 4).

Lars was also active in civic affairs in Fountain Green. He served as a town trustee for six years, town president for four years, a justice of the peace for fourteen years, and a notary public for twenty-eight years (see McRae, “A History of Lars Nielson,” 4). He died in 1929 in Fountain Green at age seventy-nine.

Lars Peter Nielson

(Lars Pehrsson)

1835–1926

Residence: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 1 June 1878

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 30 August 1879

Name of departure ship: Albion

Birth date: 25 August 1835

Birthplace: Önnestad #3, Önnestad, Kristianstad, Sweden

Father: Nilsson, Pehr

Mother: Trulsdotter, Kjersti

Spouse: Lofvendahl, Mary Magdaline

Marriage date: 26 November 1861

Marriage place: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Death date: 25 June 1926

Death place: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Burial place: Provo Cemetery, Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Lars left Sweden in 1852 and moved to Copenhagen, where he was baptized on 8 November 1852. Soon after his baptism, he immigrated to America. He resided for four years in Alpine, Utah County, before settling in Provo, Utah County, in 1858. He is remembered as helping build the first road through Provo Canyon (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 174).

Lars accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1878. He arrived in Copenhagen on 1 June 1878 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference, principally in the Karlskrona, Christianstad, Ystad, and Hälsingborg branches. At each of these locations, his life was threatened by mobs (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 174). After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 30 August 1879 aboard the steamer Albion (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 307–8, 314).

On 6 June 1888, Lars again arrived in Copenhagen to serve a mission. At that time, he listed his residence as Ovid, Bear Lake County, Idaho. He was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Denmark Conference and later the Christiania Norway Conference. He sailed from Christiania on 25 April 1890 with Elder Ludvig Ehrnstrom and twenty-nine emigrating Latter-day Saints (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 307–8, 314).

After returning to Provo, Lars was ordained a high priest on 10 February 1898 (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 174). He died in 1926 in Provo at age ninety.

Mads Nielson

(Mads Rasmussen)

1842–99

Residence: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 14 April 1890

Missionary labors: Copenhagen Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 29 October 1891

Name of departure ship: Volo

Birth date: 23 May 1842

Birthplace: Gjerlev Mark, Gjerlev, Sorø, Denmark

Father: Nielsen, Rasmus

Mother: Hansdatter, Dorthea

Spouse: Allred, Ellen Aurelia

Marriage date: 22 October 1866

Marriage place: Circleville, Piute Co., Utah

Death date: 9 March 1899

Death place: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Mads and his parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 18 November 1854 (see FamilySearch). In December 1854, they boarded a vessel bound for America. After safely arriving in the States, they crossed the plains in Captain Olsen’s ox train company. By October 1854, they resided in Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 502).

In 1865, the family moved to Circle Valley. In 1867, due to Indian disturbances in the area, Mads and his extended family returned to Ephraim. By 1872, they were residing Spring City, Sanpete County. In that city, Mads owned 192 acres of farmland (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 502).

On 7 August 1884, he was selected as one of the presidents of the Eightieth Quorum of the Seventy. Six years later, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 14 April 1890 and was assigned to labor in the Copenhagen Conference. He presided over a branch on the isle of Bornholm. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 29 October 1891 aboard the steamer Volo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 316, 319).

Returning to Spring City, he served on the city council for a short time before his death in 1899 at age fifty-six (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 502).

Mons Nielson

(Måns Nilsson)

1834–1923

Residence: Ephraim, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 30 September 1879

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 20 June 1881

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 19 December 1834

Birthplace: Fårabäck, Södra Sallerup, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Månsson, Nils

Mother: Swensdotter, Boel

Spouse: Pehrson, Marie

Marriage date: about 1858

Marriage place: Sweden

Spouse: Jensen, Johanna Froyd

Marriage date: 10 November 1866

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Nielson (Nilsson), Bengta

Marriage date: about 1881

Spouse: Tolberg, Annetta

Marriage date: about 1881

Death date: 2 April 1923

Death place: Ephraim, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Ephraim, Sanpete Co., Utah

From age twenty to age twenty-four, Mons participated in the Swedish military. The next seven years, he worked for the railroad, during which time he broke his leg in 1860. While convalescing, he investigated The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and accepted the gospel. Desiring to be with other Latter-day Saints in America, he emigrated in 1862. He crossed the plains in Captain John Van Cott’s pioneer company. After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, he settled in Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah (see Nilson, “History of Mons Nielson,” 1).

By 1864, he was residing in Circleville, Piute County, Utah. There he endured hardship and persecution from hostile Indians. Mons fought in the Black Hawk War with the hope of protecting settlers in Ephraim (see Nilson, “History of Mons Nielson,” 1).

He accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1879 while living in Ephraim. He arrived in Copenhagen on 30 September 1879 and was assigned to labor as a traveling elder in the Skåne Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 20 June 1881 as one of the leaders of 147 emigrating Latter-day Saints aboard the steamer Cato (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 238–39, 255).

Returning to Utah, he faced difficult times. On 16 September 1888 he was sentenced to four months in prison and to pay a two-hundred-dollar fine for unlawful cohabitation. He was discharged from the penitentiary on 5 February 1889 (see Jenson, LDS Church Chronology, 16 September 1888; 5 February 1889).

After his discharge, he served in the Ephraim North Ward bishopric. He helped erect school houses, the tabernacle, and the Snow Academy. In addition, he owned a seventy-acre farm and raised two thousand six hundred sheep (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 332).

Mons died in 1923 in Ephraim at age eighty-eight after being bedfast for four days. At the time of his death, his posterity believed that he was the oldest Scandinavian missionary in Utah (see Nilson, “History of Mons Nielson,” 2).

Nils Matts Nielson

(Nils Mattsson)

1853–1917

Residence: Sandy, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 10 May 1891

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 30 March 1893

Birth date: 5 August 1853

Birthplace: Vanneberg, Trolle-Ljungby, Kristianstad, Sweden

Father: Svensson, Matts

Mother: Andersdotter, Elna

Spouse: Bunderson (Swenson), Anna

Marriage date: 1876

Spouse: Jarvis, Emily Jane

Marriage date: 3 July 1884

Death date: 25 November 1917

Death place: Sandy, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Burial place: Sandy Cemetery, Sandy, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Nils was the eldest child of Matts and Elna Svensson. He didn’t attend school because he had to help on the farm. He became an apprentice wheelwright. The family was introduced to the gospel by missionaries in the 1860s. Nils was baptized on 31 July 1870. The family saved enough money to send Nils to America. He worked for three years and sent the money to Sweden. With this money and the amount his father collected from selling all his possessions, the whole family was able to come to America in 1876. They settled in Sandy, Salt Lake County, Utah, on the west side of State Street. He soon acquired a farm and built a five-room house. He is also credited with building the towers of the Assembly Hall located on Temple Square (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 2:680; correspondence from Dixie Hepworth, 20 August 2001).

Seven years before accepting a mission call to Scandinavia, Nils was ordained a seventy. He fulfilled a mission to Sweden from 1891 to 1893, laboring in the Skåne Conference. Returning to Sandy, he served as a Sunday School superintendent for twenty-five years and a ward teacher. He was also secretary of the Ninety-third Quorum of the Seventy until being selected as a president of that quorum on 1 April 1900. He was ordained a high priest in 1910 by Robert Elwood (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 2:680).

Niels died at his home in 1917 in Sandy at age sixty-four (see “Niels M. Nielsen, Respected Citizen, Passes Away,” Deseret News, 26 November 1917).

Christian H. Nilson

(Kristen Nilsson)

1827–1900

Residence: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 4 May 1883

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 28 May 1885

Birth date: 29 August 1827

Birthplace: Hög, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Bengtsson, Nils

Mother: Mårtensdotter, Elna

Spouse: Larsdotter, Gertrude

Marriage date: 5 September 1852

Marriage place: Malmöhus, Sweden

Spouse: Clemmenson, Lisa Cecilia

Marriage date: 29 August 1888

Marriage place: Manti, Sanpete Co., Utah

Spouse: Erickson, Anna

Death date: 2 April 1900

Death place: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Christian was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Nils Andersen on 13 October 1855 in the city of Lund, Malmöhus County, Sweden. He was a member that branch until 25 April 1861 when he left. It is possible he immigrated to Utah after that (see Lund Branch Records, FHL film #0082941, items 18–21).

Christian and his wife Celia were residing in Spring City, Sanpete County, Utah, when the 1880 U. S. Census was taken. He was a carpenter by trade (see FHL film #1255338, 436 C). He accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1883. He arrived in Copenhagen on 4 May 1883 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen in May 1885 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 273).

He returned to Spring City, where he died following a brief illness in 1900 at age seventy-two. He was a “respected citizen and lived and died a faithful Latter-day Saint” (“Christian Nilsson,” Deseret Evening News, 4 April 1900).

Lars Lofvendahl Nilson

1864–1933

Residence: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 2 May 1890

Missionary labors: Stockholm and Göteborg conferences

Departure date from Copenhagen: 12 May 1892

Birth date: 1 October 1864

Birthplace: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Father: Nelson, Lars Peter

Mother: Lofvendahl, Mary Magdaline

Spouse: Nelson, Eliza

Marriage date: 16 March 1890

Marriage place: Manti Temple, Manti, Sanpete Co., Utah

Death date: 15 September 1933

Death place: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Burial place: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

On 3 November 1872, Lars was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He received his schooling at the Brigham Young Academy (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 174).

He was ordained a seventy on 10 January 1890, just prior to his mission call to Scandinavia. He labored in the Stockholm Conference in the Uppsala and Norrland branches. Later he was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference, principally in the Trollhättan Branch (Älvborg County) (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 46, 317). On this mission, he baptized many, held hundreds of meetings, and sold thousands of gospel tracts (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 174). He departed from Copenhagen on 12 May 1892 with sixty-four emigrating Latter-day Saints and other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 325).

Upon returning to Provo, Lars was appointed a city recorder, clerk for the Utah Stake high council, an elected member of the Provo city council, and president of the city council in January 1900 (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 174). He served as bishop of the Provo Second Ward from 1902 to 1929. He died in 1933 in Provo at age sixty-eight (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:658).

Olaus T. Nilson

(Olaus Nilsson)

1843–1917

Residence: Heber City, Wasatch Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 8 November 1887

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 17 October 1889

Name of departure ship: Cameo

Birth date: 12 September 1843

Birthplace: Tyfta Mark, Stenkyrka, Göteborg, Sweden

Father: Olsson, Nils

Mother: Jönsdotter, Helena

Spouse: Danielsdotter, Anna Sara

Marriage date: 1868

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Sorensen, Maggie S.

Death date: 12 June 1917

Death place: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Burial place: Pleasant Grove, Utah Co., Utah

Olaus was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Surte, Sweden, by Carl J. Johnson. He became a member of the Göteborg Sweden Branch, where he was ordained a priest on 24 April 1866. In that same year, he immigrated to Utah (see Göteborg Branch Records, Book 3590, FHL #0082939, item 9, 5).

From 1869 through 1874, Olaus and his family resided in Salt Lake City. He was ordained in that city to the office a seventy on 22 March 1872. By the fall of 1875, the Nilson family was residing in the Heber East Ward boundaries (Wasatch County, Utah).

While a resident of Heber City, Utah, Olaus accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1887. He arrived in Copenhagen on 8 November 1887 and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. He departed from Copenhagen aboard the steamer Cameo after an honorable mission (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, pp. 304, 310).

Olaus returned to his home in Heber City after his mission. Toward the end of his life, he made a move. He is recorded as “removed to Pleasant Grove 29 April 1915” (Heber East Ward Records, 1901–1903, libr #24890, entry #410–411, FHL #0026026).

Olaus died in Pleasant Grove on 12 June 1917 at age seventy-four (see Pedigree Resource File—Olaus T. Nilsson submitted by Beverly Sawyer, 1577 N. 8600 S., West Jordan, Utah 84088).

Peter Nilson

(Pehr Nilsson)

1840–1927

Residence: Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 29 November 1879

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 20 June 1881

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 18 November 1840

Birthplace: Kvesarum, Södra Rörum, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Nilsson, Nils

Mother: Jonsdotter, Boel

Spouse: Tufvedotter, Svenborg

Marriage date: 12 October 1862

Marriage place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Spouse: Hansen, Rasmina Olsen

Marriage date: 13 March 1875

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Jonsson, Kersti

Marriage date: 29 November 1883

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 11 November 1927

Death place: Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Smithfield Cemetery, Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Peter’s parents were poor, which necessitated his finding work in his early youth. By age ten, he was working as a shepherd and had little opportunity for schooling. He and his parents were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 14 May 1854. In 1855, his parents sold the family home and went to Copenhagen. His father worked as a bricklayer before the family departed from Scandinavia bound for America (see Geary, “Peter [Pehr] Nilson,” 1).

They arrived in New York Harbor on 28 February 1856. They then traveled to Iowa, where they remained until 1859. They crossed the plains in the James S. Brown pioneer company, arriving on 29 August 1859 in the Salt Lake Valley (see Geary, “Peter [Pehr] Nilson,” 2–3).

By 1860, Peter and his family were living in a log house on the south side of 200 South and Main Street in Smithfield, Cache County. Scandinavian meetings were often held in their home. Peter supported his family by working on a twenty-acre farm and hauling rock. He hauled the first loads of rock used to build the Salt Lake Tabernacle (see Geary, “Peter [Pehr] Nilson,” 4).

Twelve years after receiving his endowment on 17 November 1862, he joined the United Order of Smithfield. His participation in that order ended when he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1879. He arrived in Copenhagen on 29 November 1879 after a stormy voyage. “I was not very well at sea, but I was not in bed,” he wrote. Once in Copenhagen, he was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. In that conference, he visited with relatives: “I was welcomed. . . . They were very talkative and good people.” Of the Scandinavian Latter-day Saints, he penned, “The brothers and sisters in the gospel are very good and kind and helpful” (Nilsson, “Missionary Journal of Peter Nilsson: Missionary to the Scandinavian Mission”).

Persecution from police led Peter to pen, “[God] has protected me up to this moment and I thank him daily.” He traveled much throughout the mission and although forbidden to preach, he did not desist. He not only shared the gospel but sought occasions to find his family genealogy (see Nilsson, “Missionary Journal of Peter Nilsson: Missionary to the Scandinavian Mission”). After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 20 June 1881 aboard the steamer Cato as a leader of 147 emigrating Latter-day Saints (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 238–39, 255). Upon arriving home, Peter found all well.

A letter from President John Taylor in 1887 called him on a second mission to Scandinavia. He traveled with fifty-three elders aboard the Wisconsin to England. He arrived in Copenhagen on 14 June 1887 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 304–5, 310). Again he visited family, shared the gospel, and looked for family genealogy. He served in the Kristianstad and Halmstad (Malmöhus County) branches. This mission proved difficult: “I became sick. . . . I had started to be white from freezing so much. . . . I have never seen such a cold winter in all my life and many have been freezing to death” (Nilsson, “Missionary Journal of Peter Nilsson: Missionary to the Scandinavian Mission”). After completing his second mission, he boarded the steamer Milo on 30 May 1889 and began his journey back to Utah.

In Utah he was faced with many problems. In 1891, while homesteading a farm near the Bear River, he was arrested for unlawful cohabitation. On 28 November 1891 he was found guilty. He was confined to a penitentiary for six months before being discharged on 28 April 1892 (see Geary, “Peter [Pehr] Nilson,” 7). When he was released, Peter moved to Franklin, Franklin County, Idaho. There, on 17 January 1904 he was ordained a high priest (see Geary, “Peter [Pehr] Nilson,” 9). He died in 1927 in Smithfield at age eighty-six.

Samuel Peter Nilson

1863–1945

Residence: Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 4 May 1883

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 15 June 1885

Name of departure ship: Panther

Birth date: 13 July 1863

Birthplace: Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Father: Nilson, Peter

Mother: Tufvesdotter, Svenborg

Spouse: Miles, Loretta Lucinda

Marriage date: 9 October 1885

Marriage place: Logan Temple, Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Death date: 5 October 1945

Death place: Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Smithfield Cemetery, Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Samuel’s parents joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sweden and immigrated to America before his birth. They settled in Smithfield, Cache County, Utah, in 1870. One of Samuel’s earliest memories was meeting Martin Harris, a witness of the Book of Mormon. After conversing with him, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 7 September 1871 by Seth Langton. His favorite childhood memory was reading chapters in the Book of Mormon with his grandparents. He also remembered helping his grandfather cut grain in the fields (see Smith, “Life Sketch of Samuel Peter Nilson,” 1).

An accident happened in his youth while chopping wood in a canyon. An ax glanced his left foot, and his toe had to be amputated. It took months before he regained strength in his leg (see “Samuel Peter Nilson, A Sketch of My Life,” 2). He claimed his leg became stronger after elders administered to him (see Smith, “Life Sketch of Samuel Peter Nilson,” 1).

In 1883, Samuel, while a resident of Smithfield, accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. En route to the mission, he stopped in Salt Lake City to receive his endowment on 5 April 1883 (see FamilySearch). As he traveled on various steamers to the mission field, he recalled, “I never was so sick and I thought I was sure going to die. All were up on deck on hands and knees ‘heaving up Jona.’” He arrived in Copenhagen on 4 May 1883 and met the mission president. At that time, Samuel was wearing a silk handkerchief around his neck. The president immediately untied it and said, “You must wear a white collar” (Smith, “Life Sketch of Samuel Peter Nilson,” 3).

After being in the mission headquarters for only a few hours, he boarded a small steamer for Malmö, Sweden, as he had been assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. He served in the Vingåker Branch (Södermanland County) but felt hampered in this service for he did not know the Swedish language. On the mission, his leg caused him so many problems that “I cried. I thought that if I did not get better I would have to ask the president for my release.” At a conference held in Göteborg, the elders anointed his leg. “From that time I began to get better until I had fully regained my strength in that leg. . . . It was the first time in my life that I witnessed the power of God in the healing of the sick” (“Samuel Peter Nilson, A Sketch of My Life,” 3–4)

Samuel labored in the Jonköping Branch (Jonköping) for eighteen months and baptized thirty-four converts. “They all remained true to the church, except one, a young man of about thirty,” he wrote (“Samuel Peter Nilson, A Sketch of my Life,” 17). After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 15 June 1885 aboard the Panther with 273 emigrating Latter-day Saints and several other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 290).

After arriving in Utah, he married his sweetheart, Loretta Miles. They resided in Logan, Cache County, where Samuel became a cattle rancher and farmer. In 1900, he accepted a call to work in the Logan Temple, which he did for two years. After asking for a release, he lamented, “that was about the worst thing I ever did when I quit the temple” (“Samuel Peter Nilson, A Sketch of My Life,” 9).

In 1916, he accepted a second mission call to Sweden that was issued by Joseph Fielding Smith. He was assigned to be president of the Skåne Conference. During his mission, the epidemic flu of 1918 ran rampant throughout Sweden. He wrote of administering too many of the Saints during this time and of much preaching as “we were short of Elders.” The last six months of his mission was devoted to genealogical research (see “Samuel Peter Nilson, A Sketch of My Life,” 13–16).

He returned to Utah in 1920. His biographer wrote of him, “He was a great student of the Book of Mormon, having committed many passages to memory.” He was a widower for eight years until his death at the home of his daughter, Fern, in 1945. He was age eighty-two at the time. Fern wrote of him, “He was kind hearted, humble and sincere, a hard worker and a very religious man who feared the Lord” (“Samuel Peter Nilson, A Sketch of My Life,” 10).

Mathias Brock Nilsson

(Mathias Nilsson)

1829–1926

Residence: Tooele, Tooele Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 28 May 1872

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 18 June 1874

Name of departure ship: Milo (Humber)

Birth date: 8 March 1829

Birthplace: Västra Vemmenhög, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Svensson, Nils

Mother: Brock, Lena Maria

Spouse: Chappelle (Woodward), Caroline (div)

Marriage date: 6 September 1859

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Larsen, Hannah Catherine

Marriage date: 1878

Marriage place: Utah

Spouse: Lundmark, Hedvig

Marriage date: 31 January 1878

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 8 May 1926

Death place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Burial place: Tooele, Tooele Co., Utah

On 1 July 1856, Mathias was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Denmark. He labored as a local missionary in Sweden and presided over the Gothenborg (Göteborg) Branch until immigrating to America (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 175). In 1859, he pushed and pulled a handcart across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. Once in the valley, he earned the needed funds to help his parents immigrate to America (see History of Tooele County, 550).

Mathias lived most of his life in Tooele, Tooele County, Utah. There, he was ordained a seventy on 9 May 1860. Soon after the ordination, he served as an early mediator between the Indians and settlers in Skull Valley (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 175).

In 1872 he entered the hotel business. He served twice as mayor of Tooele (1887–91) and two terms as a city councilman (see History of Tooele County, 550).

His responsibilities in Tooele halted when he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1872. He arrived in Copenhagen on 28 May 1872 and was assigned to labor as president of the Stockholm Conference. During his presidency, he was visited by Elder Erastus Snow. He departed from Copenhagen on 18 June 1874 with 703 emigrating Latter-day Saints and four other missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 213, 219, 484).

After returning to Tooele, he was ordained a high priest and set apart as a high councilor in the Tooele Stake on 18 March 1882. He also served as a record keeper, tithing clerk, and secretary of Church books (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 175). He died in 1926 in Tooele at age ninety-seven.

Ola Nilsson

(Ola Olasson)

1836–1917

Residence: Millville, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 20 November 1878

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 5 July 1880

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 3 April 1836

Birthplace: Östra Odarslöv, Odarslöv, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Nilsson, Ola

Mother: Larsdotter, Karna

Spouse: Olson (Jenson), Elsa

Marriage date: 29 November 1867

Marriage place: Utah

Spouse: Nilson, Karna (Carrie)

Marriage date: 21 October 1876

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 5 December 1917

Death place: Millville, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Millville, Cache Co., Utah

Ola grew to manhood in a poor family and out of necessity started herding pigs and geese at age nine. He learned about Mormonism when Latter-day Saint missionaries came to his home. He and some other boys planned to interrupt a Mormon meeting but instead of causing a disruption, Ola accepted their message. He was baptized on 4 February 1864 by Peter Nilson. He was the only child in his family to join with Mormonism. Family members were angry with him for his religious choice (see Nielson, “History of Ola Nielson [Nilsson],” 1).

In fall 1865, Ola left Sweden to begin his voyage to Zion. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Wyoming to reach New York Harbor. From there he traveled by train to Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, and then by ox team to Zion. He arrived in Salt Lake City in December 1865 (see Nielson, “History of Ola Nielson [Nilsson],” 1–2).

He settled in Millville, Cache Valley. At that time, all he owned were the clothes he wore and what he could carry in his red handkerchief. Through working for others and saving, he was able to buy a city lot. He built a log house on that lot for his first wife, Elsa Olson (see Nielson, “History of Ola Nielson [Nilsson],” 2). Ola and Elsa never had children. But he did have thirteen children with his second wife, twelve of which lived to adulthood.

Ola received his endowment on 29 November 1867 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City (see FamilySearch). He is remembered as fighting in the Indian Wars and helping emigrant families come to Utah before accepting a mission call to Scandinavia (see “History of Ola Nilson,” 2).

He arrived in Copenhagen on 20 November 1878 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference. He spent much of his mission in Hälsingborg, Malmöhus (see Nielson, “History of Ola Nielson [Nilsson],” 3). After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 5 July 1880 aboard the steamer Cato with 346 emigrating Latter-day Saints and other missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 235–36, 244).

He returned to Millville and began farming, claiming, “Work was a blessing.” He often said, “When I can’t work anymore, I hope I can die.” Due to his great capacity for work and an inherent desire to save, he was able to purchase an organ and a piano (see Nielson, “History of Ola Nielson [Nilsson],” 5).

By 1891, he was stricken with sciatic rheumatism. The sciatic problem caused him so much pain that his “screams were heard a block away.” Ola died in 1917 in Millville at age eighty-one. His biographer said of him, “He was loved and respected by all who knew him, especially for his cheerful disposition” (Nielson, “History of Ola Nielson [Nilsson],” 4).

Swen Ole Nilsson

(Sven Olasson)

1854–1936

Residence: Fairview, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 1 December 1885

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 8 April 1886

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 1 January 1854

Birthplace: No. 4 Håslöv, Gustaf Adolf, Kristianstad, Sweden

Father: Nilsson, Ola

Mother: Nilsdotter, Pernilla

Spouse: Atkin, Rachael Violet

Marriage date: 14 February 1878

Marriage place: St. George, Washington Co., Utah

Spouse: Poulson, Jennie

Marriage date: 4 June 1902

Marriage place: Manti, Sanpete Co., Utah

Death date: 10 June 1936

Death place: Provo, Utah Co., Utah

Burial place: Fairview, Sanpete Co., Utah

A year after his birth, his parents moved to Denmark. At age seven, Swen was working in a chicory factory for three cents for a half day’s work. He attended school the other half of the day (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 376).

In 1863, he and his mother, brother, and sister immigrated to America. They lived for a few years in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete County, Utah, until relocating in Fairview, Sanpete County. In that community, Swen was baptized in September 1867 by Mads Anderson. Following his baptism, he herded, farmed, and attended school when possible until age seventeen. Then he began driving teams to Pioche, Lincoln County, Nevada (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 376).

It was not long before he returned to Fairview to form a partnership with his brother Lars. They acquired one thousand two hundred acres. In 1879, he and his brother built a sawmill in Dry Creek Canyon. In 1885, they opened a general store and carried stock worth twelve to fifteen thousand dollars. In addition to this “first-class” country store, they bought and shipped sheep, cattle, and grain, and imported Cotswold sheep. Prosperity attended this partnership. Swen became superintendent of the Fairview creamery and a member of the Fairview city council (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 376). He interrupted his financial success in Fairview to accept a mission call to Scandinavia in 1885. He arrived in Copenhagen on 1 December 1885 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference. Unexpected poor health led to his early release from the mission (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 376). He departed from Copenhagen on 8 April 1886 aboard the steamer Bravo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 294–95).

Back in Utah, his health improved, as did his prosperous circumstances. He formed the firm of Swen & Lars Nielson—merchants and farmers. He was an ardent Republican, chairman of the county committee, and a member of the state committee. He served as chairman of the county commissioners and was nominated to run for the legislature. He was not elected to the legislature (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 376).

He moved to Provo, Utah County, in 1919. There he opened a shoe store, which he operated for six years. During those years, he became a member of the Provo Elks Lodge. He died in 1936 in Provo at age eighty-two. His funeral services were held in the Provo Masonic temple (see Swen O. Neilson Passes Away,” Mount Pleasant Pyramid, 12 June 1936).

Karl Hyrum P. Nordberg

(Carl Pettersson or Jönsson)

1856–1933

Residence: Lewiston, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 2 November 1886

Missionary labors: Göteborg and Stockholm onferences

Departure date from Copenhagen: 30 May 1889

Name of departure ship: Milo

Birth date: 5 November 1856

Birthplace: Axeltorp, Everöd, Kristianstad, Sweden

Father: Jönsson, Petter Olaf

Mother: Olsdotter, Elsa

Spouse: Andersson, Kristina Beatta

Marriage date: 6 December 1883

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 9 September 1933

Death place: West Jordan, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Burial place: West Jordan, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Karl became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1876. Four years later, he had migrated to America and was residing in Salt Lake City. While a resident of Lewiston, Cache County, Utah, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1886. Karl arrived in Copenhagen on 2 November 1886 and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. He was later called as president of the Stockholm Conference from 1887 to 1889. He departed from Copenhagen aboard the steamer Milo on 30 May 1889. With him on the steamer were 239 emigrating Latter-day Saints and twelve other missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 299–300, 309, 484).

He returned to Utah, where he died of infirmities incident to age in 1933 at his home in West Jordan, Salt Lake County. He was seventy-six years old. His funeral services were held in the West Jordan meetinghouse (see “Karl H. Nordberg,” Salt Lake Tribune, 10 September 1933).

Ola Jonsson Nordberg

(Ola Pettersson or Jönsson)

1865–1933

Residence: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 14 June 1887

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 8 August 1889

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 30 October 1865

Birthplace: Axeltorp, Everöd, Kristianstad, Sweden

Father: Jönsson, Peter

Mother: Olsdotter, Elsa

Spouse: Anderson, Emma

Marriage date: 13 October 1892

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 26 April 1933

Death place: Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Smithfield, Cache Co., Utah

Ola, a resident of Logan, Cache County, Utah, accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1887. He arrived in Copenhagen on 14 June 1887 and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 8 August 1889 aboard the steamer Bravo with 150 emigrating Latter-day Saints and other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 301, 305, 309).

He died at his home in Smithfield on 26 April 1933 at age sixty-seven. Funeral services were held at the Smithfield First Ward chapel. He had been a resident of Smithfield for nineteen years (see “Ola Jonsson Nordberg,” Deseret News, 28 April 1933).

Olaus Johanson Nordstrand

(Olaus Johansen)

1833–1922

Residence: South Cottonwood, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 6 November 1882

Missionary labors: Christiania Conference

Birth date: 17 November 1833

Birthplace: Nærsnæseje, Røyken, Buskerud, Norway

Father: Olsen (Heggum), Johan

Mother: Olsdatter, Karen (Winnes)

Spouse: Amundsen, Anna Helena Dyresen

Marriage date: 9 September 1863

Marriage place: Echo Canyon, Weber Co., Utah

Spouse: Thomasen, Paulina

Marriage date: 13 January 1867

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Larsen, Marin

Marriage date: 15 July 1880

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Johnson, Helena Anne

Marriage date: 12 February 1919

Death date: 22 March 1922

Death place: East Midvale, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Burial place: Murray City Cemetery, Murray, Salt Lake Co., Utah

At age nine, Olaus entered the fishing trade with his father. By age fifteen, he had left home to become a sailor. After six years on the seas, he was commissioned to be a captain. He basically lived on the sea until he was twenty-nine years old. “I wanted to become known along the whole Norwegian coast, so that I someday . . . could get a vessel of my own or be the captain of one that belonged to somebody else.” He wrote that “the last two years of my sailing I sailed as a recognized pilot” (“Olaus Johnson Record—taken from the personal writings of Olaus Johnson Nordstrand,” 54).

In his absence, his parents and sister joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon learning of their baptisms, Olaus began to investigate Mormonism. It took him two years to accept the gospel: “The biggest reason for this is that I had a severe habit of using tobacco,” he penned. After he quit his smoking habit, he wrote, “I have always given thanks to my Heavenly Father because He gave me strength to give it up for good.” He was baptized in fall 1862 in Drammen by Elder Torgersen (see “Olaus Johnson Record—taken from the personal writings of Olaus Johnson Nordstrand,” 54).

Olaus left the sea to sell scriptures and bear his testimony. He immigrated to America in 1863 and wrote that the 765 Latter-day Saint emigrants aboard ship were “wandering home toward that beautiful Zion in the west.” While the ship was on the Atlantic Ocean, he was assigned to be a “watchman aboard, to ensure that nothing was stolen from the Saints. Once in America, he and fellow travelers took “long detours at times to avoid battlefields [Civil War] although we could hear the cannons roar.” Just before they reached the Salt Lake Valley, Olaus married Anna Amundsen (see “Olaus Johnson Record—taken from the personal writings of Olaus Johnson Nordstrand,” 66–70).

The newlyweds settled in South Cottonwood, Salt Lake County, Utah. Later, they moved to West Jordan, Salt Lake County, and Mill Creek, Salt Lake County, before moving to the Bear River Valley. At each of these residences, Olaus worked as a carpenter, mason, and farmer. He struggled in each locale to have a bountiful harvest. Yet he wrote, “We were happy with the hope in our hearts that we. . . . had obeyed the Gospel and had promises waiting that, based on obedience, all things would be given to us if we were faithful” (“Olaus Johnson Record—taken from the personal writings of Olaus Johnson Nordstrand,” 70–71).

He accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1882. He left Salt Lake City with sixty-one other missionaries called to serve in Europe. He arrived in Copenhagen on 6 November 1882 and was assigned to labor in the Christiania Conference. He served in the Arendal Branch (Aust Agder County). He was disappointed to not find “genealogy of my parent’s families . . . [and] promised myself that as soon as I could afford it, I would come back to my Fatherland to seek out my genealogy” (“Olaus Johnson Record—taken from the personal writings of Olaus Johnson Nordstrand,” 75). After completing this mission, he departed from Norway and joined the Saints from Denmark in Liverpool aboard the steamer Wyoming (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 268, 279).

He returned to the Salt Lake Valley, where he and his younger brother started a small merchandise store. Although business was good, “people began to complain that they were charged more than what goods they received.” As a result, customers lost confidence in the store and it failed. Adding to his woes, Olaus was pursued by officers of the law in 1885 for violating laws against polygamy. He went to great lengths to keep from being captured, even going to San Francisco. In San Francisco he became ill and concluded that he would “rather go back to my home.” He was captured and arrested on 1 August 1887 and spent six months in the penitentiary and was fined $181, “which I got out of by sitting in prison one month longer” (“Olaus Johnson Record—taken from the personal writings of Olaus Johnson Nordstrand,” 77, 79–82).

Olaus received a second mission call to Scandinavia in 1896. He spoke with the brethren about his poor circumstances, but was led to understand “that there was no way to get out of it.” Thus, he got ready to leave. He arrived in Copenhagen on 26 April 1897 and was assigned to labor in the Christiania Conference. He served as the leader of the Larvik Branch (Vestfold County). His missionary ventures varied, but his joy among the Saints was always evident. However, he was summoned before the police on the charge that he was not preaching Christianity, and if he did not desist he would be fined or punished. He was forbidden to “speak again in the city of Larvik.” These were difficult times, but he continued to preach in other areas until his mission ended (see “Olaus Johnson Record—taken from the personal writings of Olaus Johnson Nordstrand,” 82–94). He departed from Scandinavia on 10 November 1898 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 361–62, 366).

He returned to Utah and made furniture for his grandchildren and children. “He spent much time in his older years in his chair, sitting in the shade in front of his house at 6714 South State Street. He slept on a couch and put cheese cloth over his face to keep the flies off in the summer” (Despain, “Memories about Grandfather Olaus Johnson and Grandmother Anna Helena Amundsen Johnson,” 114). He died in 1922 in East Midvale, Salt Lake County, at age eighty-eight.

Anders Gustave Nygren

(Anders Gustaf Nygren)

1845–1923

Residence: Grantsville, Tooele Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 28 September 1886

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 19 July 1888

Name of departure ship: Cato

Birth date: 11 July 1845

Birthplace: Kilaqvarn, Kila, Värmland, Sweden

Father: Nygren, Johan

Mother: Andersdotter, Sara Kajsa

Spouse: Erickson, Selma

Marriage date: 21 October 1876

Marriage place: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Spouse: Hanson, Maria Petronella

Marriage date: 21 December 1915

Death date: 19 February 1923

Death place: Grantsville, Tooele Co., Utah

Burial place: Grantsville, Tooele Co., Utah

On 18 July 1868, Anders was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John Anderson Quist. He immigrated to America in 1869 and located in Grantsville, Tooele County, Utah (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 180).

Anders accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1886. He arrived in Copenhagen on 28 September 1886 and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. He served in the Trollhättan Branch (Älvsborg County) for thirteen months and later in the Västervik Branch (Kalmar County). On this mission, he held seventy meetings, baptized six converts, and traveled one thousand six hundred miles on foot (see Lund, Scandinavian Jubilee Album, 180). After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 19 July 1888 aboard the steamer Cato with 113 emigrating Latter-day Saints and two other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 299–300, 306).

He died on 19 February 1923 from the effects of having his feet frozen in February 1922. He was a member of the high priests quorum of the Tooele Stake at the time of his death. Funeral services were held in the First Ward chapel in Grantsville. He was a sheep raiser and farmer and had lived in the Grantsville for fifty-three years (see “Death of A. G. Nygren,” Tooele Transcript, 23 February 1923).

Carl Nyman

1847–1931

Residence: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 21 March 1891

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 1 February 1893

Birth date: 11 March 1847

Birthplace: Bergsgården, Stora Kopparberg, Kopparberg, Sweden

Father: Nyman, Anders

Mother: Qvarnström, Sarah (Carlsson)

Spouse: Loving (Hansen), Albertina Axelina

Marriage date: 11 January 1870

Marriage place: Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah

Death date: 19 August 1931

Death place: North Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Logan City Cemetery, Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Carl Nyman was baptized on 21 August 1862 at “Fahlun,” a year after his father, Anders, embraced the gospel on 21 May 1861 (see Scandinavian Mission Index Fiche 6060482 #246). At that time, his father was a wealthy farmer and fisherman. He sold his farm and valuables to have the means to take his family to America in the spring of 1863. They sailed from Sweden to Copenhagen and then crossed the North Sea to England. In April 1863, they departed from England and crossed the Atlantic in the BS Kimball with 684 emigrating Latter-day Saints. After arriving in the United States, they joined the John R. Murdock ox train company to cross the plains. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 29 August 1863 (see Smith, “Carl Nyman, Pioneer of 1863,” 1).

The family settled in Logan, Cache County, Utah. They lived in a dugout the first winter. To help support his family, Carl worked in the Logan Canyon cutting logs. He also labored shearing, weaving, and spinning sheep wool. At age eighteen, he joined the Utah volunteers as a minuteman to ward off Indian attacks. In 1868, he helped bring Mormon emigrants from Winter Quarters, Douglas County, Nebraska, to the valley. Among those he helped was Albertina Loving, whom he later married (see Smith, “Carl Nyman, Pioneer of 1863,” 2).

The newlyweds settled in Logan, Cache County, where Carl purchased a lot for twenty-five bushels of wheat. He is credited with digging the first canal from Logan Canyon to Greenville and the first irrigation ditch on his farm. He built railroad grade for the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Point. He was one of the first directors of the Irrigation Company and a local school trustee. He is remembered for hauling rock from the Logan Canyon for the construction of the Logan Temple and tabernacle (see Smith, “Carl Nyman, Pioneer of 1863,” 2–3).

In 1891, Carl accepted a mission call to Sweden. At the time, he was the father of eleven children. He arrived in Copenhagen on 21 March 1891 and was assigned to labor in the Stockholm Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 1 February 1893 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 319, 321, 333).

After the death of his wife, Albertina, in 1925, Carl lived alone until his demise. He died in 1931 at the family home in Logan at age eighty-four (see Smith, “Carl Nyman, Pioneer of 1863,” 3). At that time, his daughter Annie reported that he had been “a very firm and stern man. He expected the children to be seen and not heard” (“Life of Annie Elizabeth Nyman,” 1).