Gustave Hilmer Backman

(Gustaf Hilmer Backman)

1864–1931

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

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 2 November 1886

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 27 September 1888

Birth date: 18 May 1864

Birthplace: Karl Johan-Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

Father: Backman, Samuel Christian

Mother: Andersdotter, Anna Johanna

Spouse: Pollard, Grace Bailey

Marriage date: 25 June 1890

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

Death date: 22 November 1931

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

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

Gustave’s parents joined the Church before he was born, as evidenced by a note in the Lutheran Church records saying, “Parents are Mormon—child was not christened.” Gustave received a common school education in Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden. He immigrated with his parents to America in 1877 and completed his education at the University of Deseret in Salt Lake City (see Men of Affairs in the State of Utah: A Newspaper Reference Work, 3:30).

Two years later, Gustave accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 2 November 1886 and was assigned to labor at the Göteborg Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 27 September 1888 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 299–300, 306).

Returning to Salt Lake City, Gustave studied law through the Sprague Correspondence System. Subsequently, he became a law apprentice with the firm of Goodwin & VanPelt. He was admitted to the state bar to practice law in March 1899. He distinguished himself as an attorney in real estate and probate law in Salt Lake City. His firm eventually became known as G. H. Backman & Sons Abstract Company (see Alter, Utah, the Storied Domain 1:64; Warrum, Utah Since Statehood, 376).

Civically, he served his community as a deputy city recorder from 1888 to 1892 and as a county recorder from 1892 to 1895 and from 1897 to 1899. In 1900, he was the private secretary of Congressman William King in Washington DC (see “Dies after Long Career in Salt Lake,” Deseret News, 25 November 1931).

Gustave was a member of the Woodmen of the World, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Salt Lake City Commercial Club, and the Kiwanis Club (see Warrum, Utah Since Statehood, 376).

He is remembered as an avid horticulturist with a special fondness for growing three hundred varieties of iris. He arose early in the morning so that he could spend three or four hours in his garden before going to work (see Alter, Utah, the Storied Domain, 1:65–66). He died in 1931 at his home located at 205 North 700 West in Salt Lake City at age sixty-seven (see “Dies after Long Career in Salt Lake,” Deseret News, 25 November 1931).

William Jacob Backman

1868–1943

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

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 15 March 1892

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 7 September 1893

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 10 July 1868

Birthplace: Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

Father: Backman, Samuel Christian

Mother: Andersdotter, Anna Johanna

Spouse: Gill, Edith Louise

Marriage date: 26 November 1890

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

Death date: 17 September 1943

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

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

William recalled, “My earliest recollection was associated with religion, being one of the first children born in Sweden who was not baptized by the Priest of the State Church while an infant.” His parents, being of the Mormon faith, refused to let the Lutheran priest baptize him. As a result, his birth was not recorded on official records in Sweden. This led to a problem when he was seven years old. Government officials refused to let him enter school because he did not legally or religiously exist (see Backman, “Thinks and Things,” A-3).

William recalled feeling sad because his parents belonged to an unpopular faith. Then in 1877 William was sent by his parents to America in the company of a returning missionary. He arrived in Salt Lake City on 6 October 1877 and lived with the Aaron Jacobson family until his parents emigrated the next spring (see Backman, “Thinks and Things,” A-3).

In 1879 he was hired to work in the mountain areas of Utah. In the mountains, he found “people that could do some pretty tall swearing and I was quite an apt pupil. I also did some stealing during this time, . . . at times I used to wonder if I wasn’t heading straight for the lower regions.” Trying to ease his conscience, he read the Book of Mormon—”the first book of any consequence I had ever read,” he wrote. He struggled with his testimony for years and in 1890 “began to have grave doubts about the holiness of church work in general” (“Reminiscences of William J. Backman,” 1).

“After getting married I paid no more tithing. I needed all the money myself and I was slowly beginning to think that churches were only in existence for the same reason that any other business exists namely to get people to give you some of their money,” he wrote (Backman, “Thinks and Things,” A-4).

Despite this attitude, in the fall of 1891, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 15 March 1892 and was assigned to labor at the Göteborg Conference. “I flatter myself that I did tolerably well at preaching but I was not much of a hand at making a house to house canvass,” he wrote. After being in Scandinavia for a year, he concluded that none of the missionaries “had any more testimony of the truth of the gospel than I had and I didn’t have any. Still I went on preaching and praying by habit then and I guess I would have continued all my life if nothing happened to wake me up.” He concluded to go home early from his mission. “While I didn’t want to do anymore work for the Mormon Church I had no desire to do anything against it” (Backman, “Thinks and Things,” A-6–A-8). He departed from Copenhagen aboard the steamer Bravo on 7 September 1893 (Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 327, 333).

Returning home proved difficult. “I have sometimes wished I could find something to take the place of attending religious service, some way of meeting your friends and neighbors, and shaking hands with them,” he penned (Backman, “Thinks and Things,” A-8). In summarizing his life he wrote, “I have been very lazy all my life. Have worked hard sometimes after I’d get started but I think it was mostly so as to get through quick so I could sit down. . . . Have never had a great desire to shine though I’m only human and my vanity has been tickled at times but I usually feel that real greatness costs too much, same as great wealth” (Reminisces of William J. Backman, 1; Backman, “Thinks and Things,” A-3). He wrote in his diary, “If I have had my day and can’t pick up and make a good showing any more the world will still have my boys to reckon with” (Diary of William J. Backman). William died in 1943 in Salt Lake City at age seventy-five.

Christian Thomsen Balle

(Søren Christian Thomsen)

1849–1923

Residence: Mayfield, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 28 September 1886

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 30 May 1887

Name of departure ship: Argo

Birth date: 23 November 1849

Birthplace: Nygade, Vor Frue-Ålborg, Ålborg, Denmark

Father: Balle, Jens Thomsen

Mother: Pedersdatter, Inger Kirstine

Spouse: Thustrup, Emma C. Eugenie

Marriage date: 5 June 1876

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

Death date: 13 October 1923

Death place: Fremont, Wayne Co., Utah

Burial place: Wayne Co., Utah

Christian and his parents emigrated from Denmark in December 1853 and arrived in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1854. They resided in the city until April 1860 when they moved to Ephraim, Sanpete County. In Ephraim, Christian herded cows and helped his father on the family farm. When the Black Hawk War broke out in 1865, he enrolled in Peter Isaksen’s infantry company before transferring to a cavalry unit. In a skirmish with the Indians, his horse was shot from under him. He was discharged from the military on 1 November 1867 (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 3:304).

In 1877 Christian moved to Mayfield, Sanpete County. He served as president of the ward YMMIA for five years and as a counselor for two years (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 3:304). Then in July 1886, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 28 September 1886 and was assigned to labor in the Ålborg Conference. During the mission, he served as president of the Frederikshavn Branch (Hjørring County). Leaving the mission early due to illness, Christian departed from Copenhagen on 30 May 1887 aboard the steamer Argo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 299–300, 306).

After returning to Utah, he served as a home missionary, a president of a Quorum of the Seventy, and an assistant superintendent of the local Sunday School. For ten years he supported his family as a forest ranger and supervisor on the Fish Lake Forest Reserve. He was bishop of the Fremont Ward from 1907 to 1919. His biographer said of him, “Bishop Balle is universally known for his honesty, integrity and fidelity to the work of the Lord” (Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 3:304). Christian died in 1923 at Fremont, Wayne County, Utah, at age seventy-three.

Gearson Sander Bastian

1860–1934

Residence: Washington, Washington Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 20 June 1888

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 24 April 1890

Name of departure ship: Cameo

Birth date: 1 July 1860

Birthplace: Moroni, Sanpete Co., Utah

Father: Bastian, Jacob

Mother: Sander, Johanne Marie

Spouse: Paxman, Emily Susanna

Marriage date: 3 April 1885

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

Spouse: Bramwell, Sofronia Tucker

Marriage date: 15 December 1930

Death date: 8 November 1934

Death place: Riverton, Salt Lake Co., Utah

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

At age eight, Gearson was baptized on 5 November 1868 in Washington County, Utah. Due to his father’s poor health, he was employed on farms and in mining camps in his youth to provide for his family (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:344).

By age twenty, he had attended school only a short time. Then in 1881 he enrolled in the Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah County. Karl G. Maeser, an eminent professor at the academy, took a personal interest in the education of Gearson, helping to make up for his previous educational gap (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:344).

In 1884, he was elected to the city council of Washington, Washington County. He served in that position for two years until he sold his interest in Washington to acquire the Horse Valley Ranch in Loa, Wayne County. It was while in the negotiation process for the ranch that he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:344).

He arrived in Copenhagen on 20 June 1888 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference. During the mission, he presided over the Randers Branch. Although he had a difficult time learning the Danish language, he preached the gospel plainly in one meeting for an hour and fifteen minutes by the power of God (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:345). He departed from Copenhagen on 24 April 1890 aboard the steamer Cameo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 307, 313–14).

After returning to Utah, he labored as a home missionary in the Sevier Stake. He also served as first counselor in the bishopric of the Loa ward until being chosen as first counselor in the presidency of the Wayne Stake. His biographer said of him, “His greatest ambition in life is to honor his calling in the priesthood” (Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:346). Gearson died in 1934 in Riverton, Salt Lake County, at age seventy-four.

John August Beckstrand

1865–1951

Residence: Meadow, Millard Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 30 April 1889

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 28 May 1891

Birth date: 19 March 1865

Birthplace: Deseret, Millard Co., Utah

Father: Beckstrand, Elias August

Mother: Heglund, Anna Sophia

Spouse: Stott, Mary Elizabeth

Marriage date: November 1892

Marriage place: Manti, Sanpete Co., Utah

Death date: 16 April 1951

Death place: Fillmore, Millard Co., Utah

Burial place: Meadow, Millard Co., Utah

In 1869, John moved with his parents from Deseret, Millard County, Utah, to Meadow, Millard County. He was baptized four years later in Millard by William H. Stott. At age fourteen, he was ordained an elder and received his endowment in the St. George Temple (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 3:312).

John obtained a common school education in Meadow and afterward attended the LDS Church Academy in Fillmore (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 3:312). While residing in Meadow, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 30 April 1889 and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. `After serving a successful mission, John departed from Copenhagen on 28 May 1891 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 310, 318).

Returning to Utah, he served as superintendent of the YMMIA of the Millard Stake for ten years and as a president of the Forty-second Quorum of the Seventy. He was ordained a high priest on 20 November 1899 by Francis M. Lyman. After this ordination, John served as first counselor to President Orvil L. Thompson of the Millard Stake until being ordained a bishop on 31 January 1909. At that time he was sustained as bishop of the Meadow Ward. During these years of Church service, he supported his family as a farmer and stock raiser. John also became a successful businessman in Millard County (see Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 3:312–13). He died in 1951 in Fillmore, Millard County, at age eighty-six.

Nils Benson

(Nils Nilsson)

1846–1923

Residence: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 6 June 1892

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 3 May 1894

Name of departure ship: Milo

Birth date: 23 August 1846

Birthplace: Öringe, Veinge, Halland, Sweden

Father: Bengtsson, Nils Sr.

Mother: Johansdotter, Johanna

Spouse: Kofford, Philindia Eldredge

Marriage date: 18 December 1870

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

Spouse: Works, Mary Ann Angell

Marriage date: 26 June 1890

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

Death date: 2 November 1923

Death place: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Spring City Cemetery, Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Nils came from a line of tall, strong men. One of his relatives was considered a giant. He had only three months of formal schooling. On the advice of his father, Nils investigated Mormonism. He was then baptized and immigrated to Utah. He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley with the Joseph Horne company on 30 September 1862 (see History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah, 487–88; “History of Nels Benson, 1846–1923,” 1–2).

He settled in Sandy, Salt Lake County, Utah, on twenty acres. He then moved to Sanpete County, settling in Spring City. In this area, he became prosperous and owned eighty acres. He was very kind to his wife who had become an invalid when a wagon wheel crushed a portion of her head. She suffered much from seizures and could not be left alone (see “History of Nels Benson, 1846–1923,” 3).

Nils accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1892. He arrived in Copenhagen on 6 June 1892 and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. He enjoyed his mission and was instrumental in a number of conversions. After serving a successful mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 3 May 1894 aboard the steamer Milo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 125, 238–39, 257–58, 448).

Nils served for forty-two years as a Sunday School teacher. He was a Black Hawk War veteran, having fought in several battles as a minuteman. He also assisted in making the first canals, wagon roads, and telegraph lines in the Spring City area (see “History of Nels Benson, 1846–1923,” 4–5). While in this area of Utah, he learned English and some Indian dialect. He was a president of the Eightieth Quorum of the Seventy. He was also president of the local YMMIA for eight years and a member of the Spring City Council for twenty years.

At age seventy-seven, he was still doing most of his own farm work when a horse bolted and threw him from a wagon. The wagon landed on his chest and killed him. His last words as he saw his wife were “Mama, I’m afraid I am done for!” (“History of Nels Benson, 1846–1923,” 5).

Johan Ludvig Berg

1823–95

Residence: Show Low, Navajo Co., Arizona

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 19 August 1885

Missionary labors: Copenhagen Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 18 August 1887

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 30 November 1823

Birthplace: Fødselstiftelsen-Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Father: Berg, John

Mother: Petersen, Caroline

Spouse: Larsdatter, Karen Larsen (Caroline)

Marriage date: 12 May 1844

Marriage place: Solbjærg, Holbæk, Denmark

Spouse: Poulsen, Annie Andersen

Marriage date: 13 March 1879

Death date: 25 January 1895

Death place: Denmark

Johan’s early life was probably filled with hardship, as indicated by his being born in a hospital for unwed mothers in Copenhagen. At his marriage in 1844 he was listed as “Johan Ludvig Kjøbenhavn <Copenhagen>, also known as Berg” (Par Reg Solbjærg Fiche 6060018 #3, 65). At a relatively young age, he began raising his family. He eventually found the gospel and was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 28 May 1866 in Solberg, Denmark, by P. N. Hemmert (see Svendstrup LDS Branch Records 0041947, Item 17, 518).

Johan immigrated to America aboard the Idaho with his wife Karen in June 1874 (see European Emigration Card Index). By 1880, he and his family were residing in American Fork, Utah County, Utah. At that time, Johan worked as a tailor and his wife worked as a housekeeper (see Utah Federal Census, 1880). By 1885, he and his family had moved to Show Low, Navajo County, Arizona, where he was active in the local high priests quorum.

While residing in Show Low, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 19 August 1885 and was assigned to labor in the Copenhagen Conference. On this mission, he was “cutoff for adultery” (LDS Membership Card Index #415445). He departed from Copenhagen on 18 August 1887 aboard the steamer Bravo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 294, 303).

Johan returned to Show Low for only a brief season. By 1890, he was employed as a tailor at 219 East 4th South in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County (see Utah Directory, 1890: Salt Lake City). He returned to Denmark, where he was rebaptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 15 October 1893 at Suserop. As recorded in the LDS branch records of Southwest Sjælland, Johan died in his native land on 25 January 1895 at age seventy-one (Svendstrup LDS Branch Records 041947, Item 12, 3).

John Berg

(Johannes Johansson Berg)

1843–1916

Residence: Santaquin, Utah Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 9 December 1887

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 12 September 1889

Name of departure ship: Milo

Birth date: 31 December 1839

Birthplace: Toby, Mustasaari, Vaasa, Finland

Father: Berg, Johan Anders Andersson

Mother: Smedman, Anna Maria Isaksdotter

Spouse: Jedda, Sophia

Marriage place: Finland

Death date: 21 January 1916

Death place: Murray, Salt Lake Co., Utah

John immigrated to the United States in 1879. He settled in Santaquin, Utah County. His wife, Sophia Jedda, died on 18 December 1886. She was sealed to him posthumously on 4 November 1887 in the Logan Temple. He then accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 9 December 1887 and was assigned to labor in the Stockholm Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 12 September 1889 aboard the steamer Milo with forty-two emigrating Latter-day Saints and other returning missionaries (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 304, 310).

He returned to Utah and settled in Murray, Salt Lake County. John was known as a recluse at age seventy-three was found dead by neighbors in a little hovel in which he had lived in Murray Second Ward on 21 January 1916 (see “Recluse Is Found Dead,” Herald-Republican, 22 January 1916). The coroner believed that he had been dead for two hours. His case was investigated, and it was determined that he died from natural causes. His body was taken to the S. M. Taylor Undertaking Parlor, and word was sent to relatives in Santaquin (see “John Berg Found Dead in His Home,” Deseret News, 22 January 1916).

John Edward Berg

(Johann Edvard Gundersen)

1859–1929

Residence: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 23 August 1890

Missionary labors: Christiania Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 1 July 1892

Birth date: 30 August 1859

Birthplace: Bakmolen, Lade, Sør Trøndelag, Norway

Father: Berg, Gunder Eriksen

Mother: Jakobsdatter, Ellen

Spouse: Paulsen (Poulsen), Anna Eriksen

Marriage date: 21 July 1881

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

Death date: 28 May 1929

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

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

John was baptized on 7 August 1872 and endowed on 21 July 1881 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City (FamilySearch). He resided in Logan, Cache County, Utah, where he worked as a wood patternmaker. While residing in Logan, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1890. He arrived in Copenhagen on 23 August 1890 and was assigned to labor in the Christiania Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 1 July 1892 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 317, 327).

Returning to Utah, he established his residency in Salt Lake City at 323 West 4th South. John died in 1929 in Salt Lake City at age sixty-nine. His funeral was held in the Salt Lake Twenty-second Ward chapel (see “Berg,” Salt Lake Tribune, 1 June 1929).

Niels Bergeson

(Nils Börjesson)

1840–1925

Residence: Lewiston, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 28 October 1890

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 18 August 1892

Birth date: 29 February 1840

Birthplace: Flundroröe, Glumslöv, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Nilsson, Börje

Mother: Pålsdotter, Karna

Spouse: Jensen, Oliva Matilda

Marriage date: 4 April 1863

Marriage place: Ordrup, Copenhagen, Denmark

Spouse: Petterson, Anna Maria

Marriage date: 14 February 1894

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

Spouse: Svenson, Amalia Kristina

Marriage date: 15 January 1908

Marriage place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Death date: 12 June 1925

Death place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

When Niels was a child, his father left the country to look for work. Niels was left in the care of relatives, who abandoned him. He lived in a rat-infested cabin in Ordrup, Denmark, and subsisted on milkweed and peas gleaned from the fields. As an adult, Niels married and obtained work as a gardener mowing lawns in Bernstorff for King Christian IX of Denmark (see Evans and Evans, “Biography of Niels Bergeson,” 1–2).

It was while working for the king that Niels read the Book of Mormon. He was baptized on 14 January 1867 by P. A. Nelson. This action led his wife to call a priest and officers of the law, hoping to make him renounce his new religion. At the investigation, Niels declared, “I will not renounce my faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ and if my wife is determined to have a divorce, I shall have to submit.” His wife began to cry, and they went home together. She was baptized in December 1868 by Niels (see Evans and Evans, “Biography of Niels Bergeson,” 3).

In June 1870, he and his wife and three children immigrated to America aboard the Nevada. After arriving in America, they obtained passage on the first emigrant train to reach Utah after the golden spike was struck. They settled in Logan, Cache County, where Niels worked in the mines, cut and stacked hay, and cut timber. His wife worked as a housekeeper (see Evans and Evans, “Biography of Niels Bergeson,” 5–6).

In 1873, Niels and his family moved to Lewiston, Cache County, and homesteaded eighty acres. They lived in a dugout for three years while Niels worked for the railroad. Family members worked the family farm to help them get ahead (see Evans and Evans, “Biography of Niels Bergeson,” 7).

In 1890, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 28 October 1890 and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. During the mission he journeyed to Bernstorff and persuaded the son of King Christian IX, the Royal Prince Frederick, to look into the banishment of LDS elders from Denmark (see Evans and Evans, “Biography of Niels Bergeson,” 9). He departed from Copenhagen on 18 August 1892 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, [author: check page #s] 336–17, 326).

When he entered into plural marriage, his first wife divorced him. He resided with his young wife in Millard County on a Church farm called “Abraham.” He was not successful in Millard, so he moved to East Jordan and then to North Logan, where he acquired a twenty-three-acre farm. He did not reap the success he had hoped for at these locations (see Evans and Evans, “Biography of Niels Bergeson,” 9–10).

An accident on the ice resulted in an injury that hunched his back and required him to use a cane during his later years. Niels died in June 1925 in Logan at age eighty-five (see Evans and Evans, “Biography of Niels Bergeson,” 11).

Carl Magnus Bergstrom

(Carl Magnusson)

1843–91

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

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 20 November 1878

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 5 July 1880

Name of departure ship: Leo (Cato)

Birth date: 7 December 1843

Birthplace: Hyltarp, Svedala, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Svensson, Magnus

Mother: Svensdotter, Boel

Spouse: Olson, Sophia

Marriage date: 5 January 1882

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

Death date: 6 March 1891

Death place: Brigham City, Box Elder Co., Utah

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

Carl, a resident of Salt Lake City, accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 20 November 1878 and was assigned to labor in the Stockholm Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 5 July 1880 with 346 emigrating Latter-day Saints (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 235–36, 244).

Carl died in 1891 in Brigham City, Box Elder County, at age forty-eight. His funeral service was held in the Brigham City Eleventh Ward chapel (see “Funeral Notice,” Deseret News, 8 March 1891).

Rasmus Berntson

1833–1903

Residence: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 14 September 1880

Missionary labors: Göteborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 28 August 1882

Name of departure ship: Argo

Birth date: 12 October 1833

Birthplace: Klefshage, Ljung, Göteborg, Sweden

Father: Mårtensson, Berndt

Mother: Johansdotter, Anna

Spouse: Lundberg, Laura Christina

Marriage date: 22 December 1861

Marriage place: Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

Spouse: Hansen, Christine

Marriage date: 25 May 1867

Marriage place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Death date: 8 August 1903

Death place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Burial place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Rasmus was baptized on 10 October 1856 in Sweden. Soon after his baptism, he converted the Lundberg family, including his future wife, to his new faith. They all immigrated to America and arrived in Salt Lake City on 31 October 1862. Rasmus was endowed on 7 March 1863 in the Endowment House (see Bernston, “History of Laura Lundberg,” 1).

He and his wife, Laura Lundberg, settled in Logan, Cache County. They attended the Logan Fourth Ward. Rasmus supported his family by working as a cabinetmaker. Family members recall that he built a casket for his father-in-law (see Bernston, “History of Laura Lundberg,” 1).

In 1880 Rasmus accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 14 September 1880, and was assigned to labor in the Göteborg Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 28 August 1882 aboard the steamer Argo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 250–51, 265). He died in 1903 in Logan at age sixty-nine.

James Christian Berthelson

(Jens Christiansen)

1858–1929

Residence: Sanford, Conejos Co., Colorado

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 2 May 1890

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 14 April 1892

Birth date: 14 June 1858

Birthplace: Voel, Skanderborg, Denmark

Father: Berthelsen, Christian

Mother: Sørensdatter, Ane (Anna)

Spouse: Jensen, Mary (Maren)

Marriage date: 14 August 1877

Spouse: Gylling, Botilda Marie

Marriage date: 16 December 1893

Marriage place: Manassa, Conejos Co., Colorado

Death date: 3 June 1929

Death place: Penrose, Park Co., Wyoming

Burial place: Penrose, Park Co., Wyoming

James’s father was a potter by trade. James’s childhood was much like that of any peasant child of his day in Denmark. He started school at age seven and ended seven years later. Of his schooling, he said, “I would usually cry every morning when my dear mother would take me to school and I would sing at nights when I returned, glad that school had closed for another day” (Mangus and Mangus, “Biography of Patriarch James C. Berthelson,” 1).

At age fourteen he was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. At that time his father presented him with a pipe as he was now considered old enough to smoke, chew, and drink. At age seventeen he heard a Mormon elder preach. In writing of the Mormon elder, he said, “His words were like a story I had read long ago” (Mangus and Mangus, “Biography of Patriarch James C. Berthelson,” 1).

James left Denmark in 1877 after marrying his sweetheart. He and his bride immigrated to America aboard the Wyoming and then traveled to Salt Lake City by train. At the time of their arrival, he and his wife had ten cents between them. They settled in Ephraim, Sanpete County, for a few years. Then in 1882, at age twenty-six, James was called to lead a company of Saints to the San Luis Valley in Colorado. The company traveled six hundred miles over trackless deserts to reach their destination (see Mangus and Mangus, “Biography of Patriarch James C. Berthelson,” 2).

While a resident of Sanford, Conejos County, Colorado, James accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 2 May 1890 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference. He departed from Copenhagen on 14 April 1892 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 316–18).

After returning to Colorado, his wife became very ill and died from the effects of a fire. He prayed to the Lord in her behalf and received a heavenly messenger that told him that the Lord loved and blessed him. Subsequently, he was ordained a patriarch in Manassa, Conejos County, Colorado, in 1895 (see Mangus and Mangus, “Biography of Patriarch James C. Berthelson,” 3).

Nine years later, he moved from Manassa to the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming. He was lured to the area by advertisements that spoke of “lush lands for the taking.” Unfortunately, he found conditions very primitive. Nevertheless, he stayed in the Basin. During his years of residency, he was a trustee of the local school and a postmaster of Penrose, Park County, for fifteen years (see Mangus, “Patriarch James C. Berthelson, ‘The Man,’” 1; Mangus and Mangus, “Biography of Patriarch James C. Berthelson,” 3).

James died of Rocky Mountain fever after a ten-day illness in 1929 at Penrose at age seventy. A biographer wrote of him, “His unfailing source of happiness was his love for his family, his neighbors, and his trust in God” (Mangus, “Patriarch James C. Berthelson, ‘The Man,’” 1).

Gustave Westman Blomquist

(Gustaf Larsson Blomquist)

1865–1952

Residence: Richfield, Sevier Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 14 June 1887

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 29 September 1887

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 15 October 1865

Birthplace: Torp, Lundby, Västmanland, Sweden

Father: Blomquist, Lars Ersson

Mother: Westerberg, Anna Christina

Spouse: Salisbury, Amanda Melinda

Marriage date: 21 March 1889

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

Death date: 15 August 1952

Death place: Richfield, Sevier Co., Utah

Burial place: Richfield, Sevier Co., Utah

In 1872, Gustave immigrated to the United States. He was residing in Richfield, Sevier County, Utah, when he was set apart by Franklin D. Richards for a mission to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 14 June 1887 and was assigned to labor in the Stockholm Conference. He wrote in his missionary journal, “Be earnest in thy calling, Whatever it may be, Time’s sands are ever falling, And will not wait for thee” (“Missionary Journal of Gustave Westman Blomquist,” 22). He served principally in the area of Sundsvall. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 29 September 1887 aboard the steamer Bravo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 303–4).

Returning to Richfield, he served as a ward clerk for many years. He was also superintendent of the Sunday School at the ward and stake levels and president of the YMMIA. He served as a high councilor for twenty years and as a home missionary for twenty-seven years (see Warnock, Sevier Stake Memories, 441). Gustave died in 1952 in Richfield at age eighty-six.

Andrew Gustav Bolander

(Anders Gustav Bolander)

1860–1951

Residence: Ogden, Weber Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 12 November 1892

Missionary labors: Skåne and Göteborg Conferences

Departure date from Copenhagen: 11 November 1894

Name of departure ship: Rona

Birth date: 24 April 1860

Birthplace: Mosemarken, Åsted, Hjørring, Denmark

Father: Bolander, Gustav

Mother: Andersdatter, Anna Katrina

Spouse: Kihlstrom, Mathilda

Marriage date: 20 December 1888

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

Spouse: Crane, Anna Edith

Marriage date: 8 October 1896

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

Death date: 2 May 1951

Death place: Ogden, Weber Co., Utah

Burial place: Ogden, Weber Co., Utah

Andrew was raised in the Danish countryside. When Andrew was young, his father decided that he was too weak and short of stature to follow any trade but that of a tailor. Therefore, he apprenticed Andrew to a traveling tailor. Andrew traveled with his master from farm to farm throughout Denmark for many years (see Davison, “Andrew Gustav Bolander,” 1).

On one of his travels, he learned of men from America preaching Mormonism. He attended their meeting, only to discover the meeting was broken up by hecklers, which included his father. He was angry with his father and after a bitter quarrel decided to attend more meetings. He was baptized on 11 September 1881 (see Davison, “Andrew Gustav Bolander,” 1).

After his baptism, Andrew began the migration process to America. He journeyed to Germany first and then worked his way to England. He worked as a tailor in England before acquiring needed funds to continue his journey to America. He eventually arrived by train in Salt Lake City. By 1888 Andrew had located in Ogden, Weber County, Utah (see Davison, “Andrew Gustav Bolander,” 2).

Four years later, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 12 November 1892 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne and Göteborg Conferences. During this mission he visited his aging parents. After serving an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 11 November 1894 aboard the steamer Rona (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 328–29).

When he arrived in Ogden, he found that his wife was dying from tuberculosis. Within a few months, he was left alone with a child. His testimony of the gospel was not shaken by these family problems (see Davison, “Andrew Gustav Bolander,” 2).

In 1900, he moved to Salt Lake City. From 1905 to 1906, he resided in Bingham, Salt Lake County. One year later, he returned to Ogden. He was a member of the Ogden Fifteenth Ward, where he was active in the high priests group. He served for many years as a ward teacher and was known for his genealogical work. His biographer said of him, “His testimony [was] never failing and [grew] more strong as the years went by” (Davison, “Andrew Gustav Bolander,” 2). Andrew died of causes incident to age in 1951 at a family residence located at 132 West 2nd Street in Ogden. At the time he was ninety-one.

Lars Magnus Bood

(Lars Magnus Jonasson Bod)

1841–1913

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

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 4 May 1883

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 11 June 1885

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 20 May 1841

Birthplace: Bodette, Frykerud, Värmland, Sweden

Father: Bod, Jonas Olsson

Mother: Magnusdotter, Stina

Spouse: Carlson, Sophia

Marriage date: 4 November 1872

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

Spouse: Pehrson, Christina Maria

Marriage date: 1 March 1875

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

Spouse: Ellstrom, Beda Maria

Marriage date: 14 August 1885

Marriage place: Logan, Cache Co., Utah

Death date: 15 September 1913

Death place: Antelope, Bonneville Co., Idaho

Burial place: Burton Cemetery, Burton, Madison Co., Idaho

In 1883, Lars, a resident of Salt Lake City, accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 4 May 1883 and was assigned to labor in the Stockholm Conference. After serving an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 11 June 1885 aboard the steamer Bravo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 273–74).

In the 1900 United States Federal Census, Lars was listed in the Rexburg, Fremont County Precinct, as a farmer. In the 1910 United States Federal Census, he was listed as a farmer in the Independence, Fremont County Precinct.

Lars died in 1913 at Antelope, Bonneville County, Idaho, at age seventy-two.

Rasmus Borgquist

(Rasmus Pehrsson)

1842–96

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

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 8 November 1884

Missionary labors: Skåne Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 21 June 1886

Name of departure ship: Otto

Birth date: 24 December 1842

Birthplace: Lyngbysletten, Lyngby, Malmöhus, Sweden

Father: Hansson (Borg), Pehr

Mother: Jonsdotter, Ingar

Spouse: Jonsson (Nilsson), Anna Cecilia

Marriage date: 5 November 1866

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

Spouse: Svahn (Swan), Ulrika

Marriage date: 7 December 1882

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

Spouse: Henrickson, Elna

Spouse: Lundie, Mathilda

Death date: 23 August 1896

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

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

Rasmus grew to manhood in a home that had a main room, a kitchen, and a veranda. Although his father was a good tradesman and worked hard, wages were low and the family lived in poverty (see “Autobiographical Sketch by Rasmus Borgquist,” 3–4).

In 1856, Mormon missionaries taught the gospel to Rasmus and his family. He accepted baptism and a call to serve a local mission. Some of his family members immigrated to Utah, but he was unable to join them until 1865 after he had completed his home mission (see “Autobiographical Sketch by Rasmus Borgquist,” 4–5).

After his mission, he resided with his family in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete County, Utah, before venturing to Salt Lake City to find work. In Salt Lake, he not only found work as a shoemaker but also found Anna Jonsson, whom he had baptized in Sweden. Anna and Rasmus were married in 1866 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City (see “Autobiographical Sketch by Rasmus Borgquist,” 5).

They resided in the Salt Lake Tenth Ward. Rasmus worked for the railroad and as a shoemaker to support himself and his bride. He wrote of his employment, “I may perhaps be able to come out of my hard conditions and be able to pay my debts and my tithing and get a home in Zion” (“Autobiographical Sketch by Rasmus Borgquist,” 5).

At the time of his mission call to Scandinavia, Rasmus was working as a stonecutter on the Salt Lake Temple. He temporarily left his wife and four children at home to accept the call. He arrived in Copenhagen on 8 November 1884 and was assigned to labor in the Skåne Conference. He served in the districts in which he had relatives and friends. He obtained a lot of genealogical information on this mission before departing from Copenhagen on 21 June 1886 aboard the steamer Otto (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 282–83, 297).

Rasmus died in 1896 of consumption at age fifty-three. Family members believed this illness was “contracted in his work on the temple.” Before his death, he wrote “Rules for General Behavior” and “The Persecutions of the Saints” (see “Autobiographical Sketch of Rasmus Borgquist,” 6).

Niels Hendrick Borresen

(Niels Henrik Børresen)

1826–1916

Residence: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 1 September 1881

Missionary labors: Christiania Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 11 May 1883

Name of departure ship: Bravo

Birth date: 2 August 1826

Birthplace: Skovhuse, Øster Egesborg, Præstø, Denmark

Father: Børresen, Peder Christian

Mother: Jørgensdatter, Else Maren

Spouse: Nielsen, Johanne Marie

Marriage date: 31 October 1851

Marriage place: Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Spouse: Evensen, Anniken Johanne

Marriage date: 7 February 1864

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

Spouse: Anderson, Anna Matilda

Marriage date: 5 August 1880

Marriage place: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Death date: 9 March 1916

Death place: Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Spring City Cemetery, Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah

Although he was the son of a schoolteacher, Niels still had to fight in the German-Danish War. He was honored with a Danebrogsorden and received an annual pension from the Danish government for his military service. His wife, Johanne Nielsen, worked as a cook for the Danish army. They were married at the end of the war (see Pioneer Pathways: Pioneers of Sanpete County, 210).

Niels and his wife were converted to Mormonism in 1853. On 24 December 1853, they immigrated to America aboard the Benjamin Adams with about eight hundred other Latter-day Saints. Aboard the ship, his daughter took sick and died. She was buried in the Atlantic Ocean in February 1854 (see Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, 1:317).

Niels and his wife arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in October 1854 with an ox-drawn wagon. They resided in the Salt Lake area before moving to Spanish Fork, Utah County, where Niels built the first log cabin in town. He fought in the Walker Indian War and received a medal for fighting in the Black Hawk War (see Carter, Treasures of Pioneer History, 5:460).

After troubles with the Indians subsided, he and his family settled in Pleasant Grove, Utah County, where Niels helped build an adobe fort. In that community, he worked as a horticulturist (see Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, 1:317–18).

In 1860, he moved his family to Spring City, Sanpete County. While residing in Spring City, he was a horticulturist and miller and also accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 1 September 1881 and was assigned to labor in the Christiania Conference. After completing an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 11 May 1883 aboard the steamer Bravo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 262–63, 269).

Returning to Utah, Niels was sentenced in a court of law for polygamy and imprisoned after being found guilty (see Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, 1:318). He died in 1916 in Spring City at age eighty-nine.

Jacob Joseph Anderson Broman

(Jakob Nilsson)

1837–1925

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

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 20 July 1891

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 13 October 1892

Birth date: 11 November 1837

Birthplace: Gammelstad, Kila, Södermanland, Sweden

Father: Andersson, Nils

Mother: Magnusdotter, Caisa

Spouse: Olsson, Maria

Marriage date: February 1862

Spouse: Stenquist, Ingeborg

Marriage date: 16 June 1893

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

Spouse: Glada, Louisa Charlotta

Spouse: Pauline

Marriage date: 16 June 1893

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

Death date: 11 April 1925

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

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

Jacob emigrated from Sweden to America and settled in the Salt Lake Valley. While a resident of Salt Lake City, he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1891. He arrived in Copenhagen on 20 July 1891 and was assigned to labor in the Stockholm Conference. After completing this mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 13 October 1892 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 319, 321).

He died at his home at 920 West 2nd South in Salt Lake City at age eighty-seven. He had only been ill one week (see “Aged Man Dies,” Salt Lake Tribune, 12 April 1925). He was survived by his wife and eight children (see “Funeral Services for J. Broman Wednesday,” Salt Lake Tribune, 14 April 1925).

Hans Jorgen Brown (Bruun)

(Hans Jørgensen)

1838–1912

Residence: Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 12 September 1882

Missionary labors: Århus Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 25 August 1884

Name of departure ship: Panther

Birth date: 1 July 1838

Birthplace: Lysemose, Hårby, Odense, Denmark

Father: Jørgensen, Jørgen

Mother: Hansdatter, Maren

Spouse: Neilson, Anna Amelia

Marriage date: 13 April 1862

Marriage place: aboard ship

Spouse: Larsen, Ane Kirstine

Marriage date: 20 April 1867

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

Death date: 4 November 1912

Death place: Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah

Burial place: Mount Pleasant City Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah

Hans was baptized on 1 June 1857. Two months later he was ordained a priest. He labored as a local missionary for four years in Denmark. During those years, he presided over the Middelfart Branch. On his mission he had responsibility for four branches in the Odense Conference (see “Hans Jorgen Brown,” 1).

Hans and his mother immigrated to the United States in 1862. While crossing the ocean, Hans married Anna Amelia Mickelson. They came to the Salt Lake Valley with the John Murdock ox company (see Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, 1:379).

In 1882 he accepted a mission call to Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 12 September 1882 and was assigned to labor in the Århus Conference. He served principally in the Randers and Odense Branches. He departed from Copenhagen on 25 August 1884 aboard the steamer Panther (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 267–68).

Hans is remembered as one of the leading pioneers in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete County. He helped build the fort and farm one hundred acres. In addition, he was a stockholder in the Fairview Co-op Store, the New Roller Mills, and the Co-op Sheep Herding Institution. He served as vice president of the Twin Creek and City Creek Reservoir Company and as the head watermaster of City Creek for fifteen years. He was also a member of the city council of Mount Pleasant from 1895 to97 and later served as city marshal. He served in the home militia as a lieutenant in the Indian wars (see “Hans Jorgen Brown,” 2).

Hans was one of the presidents of the Sixty-sixth Quorum of the Seventy. Sometime between 1886 and 1893, Hans was forced to temporarily leave behind Anna Amelia and his three eldest children at home in Mount Pleasant while he fled with his plural wife Ane Kirstine and their baby to Sanford, Conejos County, Colorado. His hurried flight was due to government legislation against plural marriage. After the signing of the Manifesto, he was reunited with his family in Mount Pleasant (see “Hans Jorgen Brown,” 2). Hans died in 1912 in Mount Pleasant at age seventy-four.

Kanute H. Brown

(Knud Hansen Bruun)

1821–1910

Residence: Nephi, Juab Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 1875

Missionary labors: Ålborg Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 13 September 1877

Name of departure ship: Argo

Birth date: 31 December 1821

Birthplace: Brøns, Tønder, Denmark

Father: Bruun, Villard Pedersen

Mother: Knudsdatter, Anna

Spouse: Schroder, Selmez Maria

Spouse: Jensen, Nicolina Kristina

Death date: 3 March 1910

Death place: Nephi, Juab Co., Utah

Burial place: Nephi, Juab Co., Utah

Knud was baptized on 17 August 1850 by George P. Dykes. After his baptism, he labored as a local missionary in Denmark. On the island of Falster (Maribo County), he was beaten and nearly killed for preaching Mormonism. He escaped his persecutors by immigrating to Utah in 1853 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 8, 10, 20, 27, 39–41, 46).

Knud served two additional missions in Scandinavia. He arrived in Copenhagen on 3 September 1860 and was assigned to labor in the Fredericia Conference as president of the Fredericia Branch (Vejle County). After serving an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen aboard the steamer Aurora on 23 April 1863 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 150–51, 153).

Knud’s second mission began in 1875 when he was assigned to labor in the Fyen Conference (Odense and Svendborg Counties). He served as president of the Ålborg Conference, 1876–77. He departed from Copenhagen on 13 September 1877 aboard the steamer Argo (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 170, 174).

Knud died in 1910 in Nephi, Juab County, Utah, at age eighty-nine. Previous to his death, he was very feeble yet apparently in good health. He had lived in Nephi for nearly forty years and was at one time a member of the stake presidency. He was survived by one son. The deceased was always fervent in the spirit and a devout member of his church (see “Funeral Services of K. H. Brown,” Juab County Times, 11 March 1910).

Eric Olaf Bylund

(Eric Olofsson)

1840–95

Residence: Santaquin, Utah Co., Utah

Arrival date in Copenhagen: 12 September 1879

Missionary labors: Stockholm Conference

Departure date from Copenhagen: 20 June 1881

Name of departure ship: Cato (Hero)

Birth date: 10 January 1840

Birthplace: Byn, Ås, Jämtland, Sweden

Father: Ersson, Olof

Mother: Olsdotter, Agneta

Spouse: Hagen, Jacobina Oleson

Marriage date: 25 January 1869

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

Death date: 22 December 1895

Death place: Santaquin, Utah Co., Utah

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

Eric was baptized on 8 June 1862. Two years later, he immigrated to America aboard the Monarch of the Sea with 974 other Latter-day Saints. After arriving in the New York Harbor, he journeyed to Nebraska and joined the independent wagon train of Captain John Smith to cross the plains. Eric arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 1 October 1864 (see “Eric Olaf Bylund [Erson],” 1).

In the valley, he received his endowment on 25 January 1869 in the Endowment House. He and his wife and family lived in Salt Lake City before settling in Santaquin, Utah County. In Santaquin, Eric homesteaded 180 acres known as Cedar Hollow. He also worked as a miner in central Eureka, Utah County, and in the railroad industry in Colten, Utah County (see “Eric Olaf Bylund [Erson],” 1–2).

Eric accepted a mission call to Scandinavia in 1879. He sold his oxen to fund his mission. His wife ironed clothing to support their five children. He arrived in Copenhagen on 12 September 1879 and was assigned to labor in the Stockholm Conference. After serving an honorable mission, he departed from Copenhagen on 20 June 1881 (see Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission, 238–39, 255).

Returning to Santaquin, he and his son planted a row of cottonwood trees that became a landmark in the community (see “Eric Olaf Bylund [Erson],” 2). Eric died in 1895 in Santaquin at age fifty-five.