The Life of Lars Peder (Peter) Christensen (Peterson)

THE LIFE OF LARS PEDER CHRISTENSEN (PEDERSON)

Contributed By Chad Hansen · 2013-07-14 19:10:00 GMT+0000 (UTC) · 0 Comments

Written by N. Marcus Peterson (grandson) Lars (also spelled Laurs) Peder Christensen was born on November 27, 1825 in Fourholt, Albaek Sogan (Parish), Hjorring Amt (County), Denmark. He was the son of Christen Pedersen and Marie Lauren. His name was chosen to perpetuate the names of both his mother and father. Three children had preceded him in the family, but each had lived but a short time. The eldest, Peder, was born October 6, 1818 and died the same day. The next, Laurs Peder, was born September 24, 1820 and died on September 30, six days later. The third children was born on July 8, 1822 and died the same day. So, when Laurs was born, it was a happy time, and brought joy to his parents to know that they had an heir to carry on their name. Christen Pedersen, Laurs' Father, lived to see him married to Else Marie Jensen of Fourholt and to know that he had a posterity. Marie Laursen, his Mother, must have been pleased when her only child became the father of a whole family of "Laursens" since her father was Laurs Laursen. The Parish Register shows that Ane Marie, their first child, was born May 16, 1853 at 10 o'clock A.M.; Jens Christen Larsen was born December 12, 1854 at 3 o'clock A.M.; Maren was born June 12, 1856 at 4:00 P.M.; Niels Peter was born May 9, 1858 at 5:00 A.M.; Ole Christen was born June 24, 1859 at 4:00 P.M.; and Christen Larsen was born June 17, 1861 at 9:00 P.M.

These six children were born at the Family home, Fourholt. It was located on the south side of a large hill near a stream that ran into the North Sea near Vososo. After Laurs Peder and Else Marie were married on November 26, 1852, a series of events occurred which changed the lives of the family, and even changed the names of the members of the family. Else's widowed mother, Maren Mickelsen, married Ole Mickelsen. They accepted the Gospel when contacted by Latter-day Saint missionaries and prepared to leave for America. Else's only sister, Johanne Marie, was baptized into the Church in 1855 and left the next year for America with her mother and step-father. Johanne joined the "Hand Cart" Company to cross the plains, and Maren and Ole went with the Ox-Team Company. Maren died before reaching Salt Lake City, but Johanne made the difficult trip and latter married John Paternoster Squires. Else accepted the Gospel and was baptized on November 27, 1857, Laurs' birthday. This was a critical time for the young family. Where there had been perfect love and confidence between Laurs and his wife, there now was religious differences. He insisted that the children be baptized into the Lutheran Church at birth. He drove the Company to the Church at Albaek while Else stayed home to prepare the feast. Church members were severely persecuted in Denmark at this time. There was now bickering and contention to the point of almost causing a separation. But, on October 14, 1861, Laurs was baptized--he had finally seen the light. Before Laurs married, he had served in the Danish Army in the War of 1848 over the Schlechwich-Holstein Corridor. In his little diary he tells of the march from northern Jutland to the Prussian Border and return. (I enclose a translation in the Appendix. See page 12.) For his service he was awarded a medal by the King of Denmark, Frederick VII. Laurs' mother died on December 15, 1855, and his father on September 28, 1857, shortly before Else joined the Church. After Laurs joined the Church, they decided to make preparations to emigrate to America. By the first part of April 1862 he had sold his home and furniture, and they were ready to leave Denmark. Their neighbor, Hans Christensen, drove the family to Aalborg, a distance of 15 miles. From there, they went by boat to Hamburg, Germany. Other members of the LDS Church were emigrating to the United States at this time. Tragedy struck when they arrived in Hamburg on April 8, 1862. Little Maren took the measles and died on April 14--she was not quite six years old. Laurs had a coffin made, and the body of Maren (Mary) was placed in it; but there was not time for a burial. Her body was taken aboard the ship and buried at sea.

They settled on the good ship, Franklin, about the 15th of April. There were 413 emigrants on board. The Captain was Robert Murray. Their leader was Bishop C. A. Madsen (see Footnote 1, page 9), later of Gunnison, with his two counselors. The emigrants brought the measles on board the ship and in a short time about forty persons were stricken with the disease. Little Christen died on Sunday May 4th at 1:00 P.M.; and Ole Christian followed a week later. All through the sorrow, the emigrants had their meetings, gatherings, and dancing. The deck was mopped three times each week, and the ship was disinfected by burning tar twice during the trip. The weather in general was good, although there was some rain about mid-ocean. on Thursday morning, May 29th, they landed in New York Harbor, having been on the ocean for six weeks. During this six weeks, the call to arise was sounded at five in the morning; prayer was at seven, and evening prayer at 8:30 P.M. Bishop Madsen and his two counselors, J. C. A. Weiby and L. Larsen were in charge. They divided the group into eight Companies with the following leaders: J. C. Thorpe, J. C. Kornem, Niels Mortensen, L. P. Fjelsted, C. P. Bjorreguard, J. C. S. Frost, F. Larsen, and J. Anderson. J. F. Mortensen was appointed to look after their belongings. Anton H. Lund acted as interpreter, and C. Anderson looked after the baggage weights. In New York they boarded a Transport Boat and prepared to land with the thrill of knowing that their first destination had been reached; but at the bridge of Castle Garden they were stopped due to the fact that several of the immigrants were still ill with the measles. They all had to go back to the ship and remain for two more nights. Then, eighteen persons who were still ill, were transported to a hospital, and the rest were permitted to land at Castle Garden on May 31st. There they were received by C. C. Rich, John Van Cott, and others.

A number of the immigrants did not have the means to continue the journey; but through the kindness of those who did have funds, the poorer people were helped along. They boarded the train at nine o'clock that evening, and were in Albany the next morning, June 1st. From there, they continued their journey by rail, via Syracuse, Rochester, Niagara Falls, Windsor, Detroit, and Chicago. Then, on through Quincy, Illinois. from there, they went by boat to Hannibal, Missouri. Then, by rail to st. Joseph; arriving on June 6th. The next day they were crowded on to a boat where they were very uncomfortable for three days until they landed at Florence, Missouri on Monday June 9th at 10:00 P.M. Here, they met three other companies that had sailed at about the same time as they. The next day, they pitched their tents just north of Florence. Here they bought wagons, oxen, cows, stoves, cooking utensils, and other necessary things for the journey over the Plains. Some of the poorer people traveled with the teams provided by the Church. Many things happened to test the faith of these Saints. Some of them apostatized and left the Company. They remained at Florence for several weeks. Just before leaving, a very heavy tornado struck. Two men were killed, and Joseph W. Young was knocked unconscious by a wagon-box falling on him. Others were hurt; but their journey across the Plains commenced that day, 7 July 1862. Laurs had a yoke of oxen and a yoke of cows which could be used when needed. He was in partnership with another man who had a yoke of oxen and a wagon. When needed, they could hitch up three yoke of animals. During the long trek across the plains, the three children often walked behind the wagon. They were on the way nearly 80 days, arriving in the valley on September 23rd. They had been about six months on the journey. Sixty-two of the Company had died from exposure and illness; others died soon after reaching Utah. Soon after they reached Salt Lake City, Lars took his family to settle in Pleasant Grove, Utah in a rented room. There is nothing in the record to show why Else did not remain with her sister, Johanne, who lived in Salt Lake City. Else gave birth to her seventh child on October 9th and died a week later on October 17th. The long journey had been too strenuous for her. The hardships had taken their toll, and at the age of twenty-nine she found rest in the new land. Only her family and close friends mourned her passing. She was buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery. The new baby, Else Marie, lived but 32 days, and died on November 10, 1862. She was buried by her mother's side in the cemetery.

Who knows the affect her passing had on Lars and on Johanne, Else's sister, who lived with her husband, John Paternoster Squires in Salt Lake City. Three years later, Johanne named her fourth child, Alice Marie, for her sister. Then after two more years, she gave birth to a boy; but the baby and Johanne both died. She was thirty-two. Another sad obituary! Now, Lars was told that he should marry another wife to care for his children. He married Maren Andersen of Voer, Denmark, who was nine years his senior on 8 December 1862. Lars and his family moved from the room near the meeting house, where Else had died, into two rooms which he rented from a Mr. Reynolds. Here they lived for the winter. In the spring of 1863, he built a cellar where they lived until summer. Then he built an adobe house in the west part of Pleasant Grove, on the road to American Fork. They lived there until the next spring when they moved to Richfield in a covered wagon drawn by two oxen, Tom and Jerry. They also had two cows, Red and Roan, which they had brought across the plains. In the summer of 1863, George A. Smith, a member of the Quorum of The Twelve, then a resident of Provo, called upon G. W. Bean to take a small company of men and explore Sevier Valley for the purpose of settlement. If they found it favorable, about fifty families would be called from Provo to found a colony. The Company began their journey on July 15, 1863. It consisted of G. W. Bean, John W. Turner, Bishop William Fausett, Silas Smith, Marion Smith, and Abraham Holliday. They went by way of Gunnison and there met the colorful character, Barney (Elijah Ward), a mountaineer who had joined the Mormon religion. He had reared a family by a Shoshone squaw. He informed the party that they were going into the finest country for wintering stock in Utah. The party pushed eagerly on to the salt creek at Salina; they crossed the Sevier River to a large spring near the present town of Redmond; and continued to the present site of Richfield, where it was decided themain settlement should be established. On the way back to Provo, the Company stopped in Spring City, where they told Orson Hyde of their journey and of Elder Smith's proposed settlement in Sevier Valley. Orson told the exploration party that no one was to settle in the Sanpete-Sevier district without first discussing the move with him, as he was in charge of the district. On his return to Provo, Elder Bean made his report to Apostle Smith, and informed him of the claims of Apostle Hyde. The matter was then referred to the First Presidency, and it was decided that Elder Orson Hyde had the responsibility of settling Sanpete and Sevier Valleys. In was not long until a company was sent by Brigham Young, under the direction of Orson Hyde, to settle the part of the Valley now known as Richfield. In December, 1863, nine men taken mostly from Sanpete County, journeyed to Richfield. They were Albert Lewis, Nelson Higgins, Andrew Poulsen, Hans Hansen, George Ogilvie, C. O. Hansen, August Nielsen, Judge Smith, and Mr. Glenn. They reached Richfield January 6, 1864. The season was very cold and travelling conditions were slow. Orson Hyde now called by letter about thirty families to settle Warm Springs, as Richfield was then called. Later it was called Omni after the Book of Mormon prophet. The first of these families began to arrive March 13, 1864. Among them was Lars Peter Peterson and family. (His name had been changed by the immigration authorities from Christensen to Peterson.) They moved in with N. M. Petersen and his family in their cellar. The first dwellings were dug-outs, made by digging a cellar, placing a willow and dirt roof over the excavation, and forming steps in the soil leading to the entrance. There were no windows or doors, just a cloth hung at the entrance to keep out some of the cold. As soon as the family arrived, they were given a plat of five acres of land. The first thing to do was to clear the land and prepare it for planting. They had to raise the food to sustain them through the following winter. Next, they had to build a suitable shelter of their own.

The Indians were a problem. They came, not begging for food, but demanding it. Many times the children went to bed hungry because the Indians had come demanding the pot of stew and ate all of it. By 1865 Indian troubles were so bad that it was decided that a Fort had to be built and families moved into it for protection. Each family that owned a lot was asked to build a rod of wall to be 3 1/2 feet wide at the base, 12 feet high, and 12 inches wide at the top. That would make a wall around one city block. Many families from the outlying settlements had to move to Richfield and lie there for protection. (The name "Richfield" was now chosen because of the rich soil.) The young children that were assigned to herding the animals were in constant danger from the Indian raids that were made on those herds. Men had to carry guns while working in the fields. In July 1866 the trouble was so bad that 50 men were sent with Daniel H. Wells to help guard against the Indians. Many scalpings and killings and much destruction and theft of stock took place. On March 21, 1867 Jens Peter Petersen, his wife, Amalia and Mary Smith were killed by the Indians. Soon came the decision from President Young that Richfield should be evacuated. In utter despair the people completely abandoned Sevier Valley by the latter part of April. All the inhabitants moved to Sanpete. Lars decided to go to Ft. Ephraim. Two hundred wagons arrived from Sanpete to assist in the evacuation. Lars lived in Niels Andersen's cellar during the first winter. The next summer, he made adobes and built a two-room home on South Main Street. Here they lived until the Black Hawk War was ended and peace was reached with the Indians. On August 3, 1867, Lars' daughter, Anne Marie, was married to Jens L. Petersen in the Salt Lake Endowment House. They moved to St. Joseph, Nevada. In the meantime, Lars and his deceased wife, Else, were sealed for time and all eternity by W. Woodruff in the Salt Lake Endowment House on November 5, 1866 with Maren acting as proxy for Else. (See Book D, page 655, #8974.) In the summer of 1870 they obtained permission from President Brigham Young to return to their former home in Richfield. But their troubles were not over. A small company arrived in Richfield on November 5, but very little work was attempted during the winter. It was very cold and long. Guards were stationed around the cattle at night. In the early spring of 1871 Lars and his 16 year old son, Jim, returned to Richfield to make preparations for the return of the rest of the family. Lars' 13 year old son, Niels, records, "I had just finished school for that year. Patriarch Poul Paulsen and his brother, Chris, stayed overnight at our home in Ephraim. They were on their way back to the Sevier Valley and they told me that they would take me with them if I would help them drive their stock to Richfield. It took us three days to make the journey. My father and brother were already there when I arrived. I remember that whole valley was covered with sage brush and willows."

In a mass meeting held in March 1871, Lars was appointed to represent Plot "B" of the town of Richfield. Peace treaties were signed with the treacherous Indians in 1871. During the summer, great swarms of grasshoppers swooped down on the grain fields and gardens. The settlers were near starvation but the little group of fifteen families struggled through. They made their own clothes--their trousers were of buckskin or canvas. Hats were braided of reeds or straw. They dug their canals by spading or with homemade plows. The crops that year were at total loss but the people did not allow themselves to become discouraged. By careful planning and diligent care they managed to eke out a living with their meager amount of supplies. In the end, it proved to be the turning point for the people of Richfield. Brigham Young sent his oldest son, Joseph, to live among the people of Richfield. On July 24, 1872 a parade was held and a program followed at the bowery. William Baker sang the "Star Spangled Banner." The United Order was organized in Richfield on April 19, 1874--it lasted three years. At this time Lars returned to Salt Lake City to be sealed to his wife, Maren, in the Salt Lake Endowment House July 15, 1874. Maren Andersen (Thomsen, Peterson) was born May 5, 1816 in Voer, Hjorring, Denmark. Lars was sealed to Martha Marie Nielsen of Syndal, Hjorring, Denmark by D. H. Wells on August 17, 1874. Martha was born October 4, 1843 and had been baptized March 6, 1856. She had two children, Olena and Charles Peder Christian Mogensen; they were adopted by Lars and sealed to him in the St. George Temple December 10, 1880.Maren died October 16, 1876 and was buried in the old Richfield Cemetery. She and Lars had no children. On June 13, 1877 he married Mette Petersen in the St. George Temple. His eldest son, Jens (Jim), married Ruth Jean Rio Baker January 15, 1878. In the winter of 1880 Lars and his wife, Martha, and their children all drove to St. George (175 miles) to do temple work for their dead. Niels tells the story: "The snow was very deep. Our trip lasted about six weeks. Our company consisted of three teams. In my wagon was William Haywood and his wife (Aunt Jane's grandparents), Father and Martha, her children (Olena and Charley), my sister, and her two-year old baby (Joseph), my brother, Jim, his wife and her mother." Lars had built a home on the corner of Main and Center Street on their return to Richfield from Ephraim. He also provided a home for Martha on First South and First East Street and a little house in the back of the lot for Mette, his fourth wife. It is said his home was open to a host of people. He was friendly and hospitable and his wives were excellent cooks. Young people from the nearby towns lived with them while attending the Stake Academy. Conference vistors put their teams in his corral and fed from his hay stack. There was always a good meal prepared by Martha--no one made soup with Danish dumplings as good as hers. Latter-day Saint Church authorities stopped at their home on the way to St. George or Arizona. One time a little boy name George Albert Smith was with a group going south. He found a pair of Lars' wooden shoes and could not resist dancing a jig in them. Maren was 46 years old when Lars married her. She had not children of her own but she taught the other children to read and write and disciplined them well. There was an opportunity for the children to attend the schools during the short winter season. Lars' first grandchild was born to his daughter Anne in St. Joseph, Nevada. She was named Alice Marie. Jens and Anne returned to Richfield where their other children were born. In 1882 Lars' youngest son, Niels, started to build a rock house. Naturally Lars was there to help him. They hauled the rock and laid the walls up to the top of the windows that fall. Then Niels received a letter from Box "B", a call to go on a mission to Denmark. Tuesday, Oct. 3, 1882 they left together in an open wagon to drive to Nephi to meet the train. It was windy and cold. They slept by theside of a wheat stack in Redmond the first night. It started to rain as they continued the next day. The second night they slept in their wet clothes. They arrived in Juab the third day about noon. Here Lars bid his son "Goodbye" as Niels boarded the train. Then he returned to Richfield with the wagon. During the next two years they corresponded once a month. Lars heard the news of his relatives who were still in Denmark. He sent what money he could to his son in the mission field. He continued to work on Niels' rock house. He planted trees and improved the surroundings of the property at Third East and First South. He obviously knew how to build a house since he had built adobe homes in Pleasant Grove, Ephraim and Richfield. On July 3, 1884 he met his son on his return from Denmark at Cedar Ridge, a few miles north of Richfield. They were back in Richfield at 10:00 P.M. The next day, July 4th, there was a Homecoming Party in the evening! During the next year, Niels, and Lars' two adopted children were with him caring for the farm and doing the family chores. Then, his adopted daughter, Olena Marie, married Lars James Larson in the St. George Temple on December 17, 1885. She was seventeen. This left the two boys at home. The following spring, Niels hitched up his team and wagon and drove to Oakley, Idaho. There he picked up Augusta Johnson and drove to Logan where they were married in the Logan Temple on April 21, 1886. Niels and Augusta returned to Richfield to live in the rock house he had built. They were close to Lars for the rest of his life. They frequently had dinner together and in times of sorrow they comforted each other. On Wednesday January 20, 1887, a grandchild was born dead. Lars helped dig the grave where the child was buried the next day. Jim must have appreciated the closeness of his father. Lars often helped his boys load or unload the freight they hauled to earn a few dollars to supplement their farm income. They worked together on their farms. When they needed, they could combine their three teams of horses to do their farm work. Most of the time, he was well and healthy during these years. Niels mentions his being ill on occasion but nothing of a serious nature. In 1892, they took a trip together on business. They hauled wood together. Niels always addressed him as "Father." On November 27, 1895 he was seventy years old. His children joined together and bought him a pair of Sunday shoes. The following day they had Thanksgiving dinner at his home. The Family Circle was well represented and "they had a good time together." On April 21, 1900 Mette died in Richfield. There is a brief entry in the record of Niels Peter Peterson to that effect. The next day Lars purchased a lot in the Richfield City Cemetery and he and Niels dug Mette's grave. She was buried on April 24, 1900. The deed for the lot is dated May 10 and is lot 14, block 22, section 2, plat A, Richfield City Cemetery. The plot shows Lars, Mette and Martha buried on the left side of the lot. (See Footnote 2, page 10.) On August 14, 1906, Lars died in his home in Richfield. The obituary stated, "A well-known citizen and one of the first settlers in this valley passed to his reward Tuesday morning. Mr. Peterson had been gradually failing for a year or more past, and for the past six months had been bedfast nearly all the time. Beginning with the first year that settlement was attempted in Sevier County, Mr. Peterson became a resident of Richfield, but his family was taken to Ephraim during the Indian troubles from 1867 to 1871. The deceased was a native of Denmark. He was married when 27 years of age. He was a soldier under King Frederick VII in the three years war with Germany from 1848 to 1850. Mr. Peterson held some ecclesiastical positions in times past, and was one of the directors of the old Co-op Store. He lived a busy and useful life and has a host of old-time friends. He leaves three children, two adopted children, a number of grandchildren (32) and several great-grandchildren (100--without the adopted ones). He was a councilor to N.M. Peterson and Secretary and Treasurer of the Immigration Fund."

WIVES AND FAMILY OF LARS PEDER PETERSON (CHRISTENSEN) On 26 November 1852, Lars married Else Marie Jensen in the little church at Albaek, Hjorring, Denmark. Else was the daughter of Jens Thorsen and Maren Mickelsen, born 11 February 1833. They lived in the family home at Fourholt until they emigrated to the United States of America in 1862. Else died 17 October 1862 in Pleasant Grove, Utah soon after their arrival there. They had seven children, six of whom were born at the family home in Denmark and the seventh born in Pleasant Grove, Utah. On 8 December 1862, he married Maren Andersen in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was the daughter of Anders Thompsen and Anne Larsen, born 5 May 1816 in Venesyssel, Voer, Hjorring, Denmark. They moved to Richfield, Utah in the Spring of 1864. Maren died there on 16 October 1876 and was buried in the old cemetery. They had no children. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Endowment House on 15 July 1874. On 17 August 1874, Lars married Martha Marie Nielsen (Mogensen) in Salt Lake City, Utah and was sealed to her in the Salt Lake Endowment House. She was the daughter of Niels Pedersen and Maren Jensen, born 4 October 1843 in Syndal, Hjorring, Denmark. They lived in Richfield, Utah; she died 15 February 192. Lars adopted her two children, Olena Maria and Charles Peder Christian. On 13 June 1877, he married Mette Petersen in the St. George Temple. She was the daughter of Peter Nielsen and Maren Jensen, born in Emb, Hjorring, Denmark in May 1810 (christened 11 June). She lived in Richfield, Utah until she died on 21 April 1900. She was buried in the Richfield Cemetery on 24 April 1900. It is of interest to know that when Lars was sealed to his wife, Else, on November 1866, it was Maren who acted as proxy for her. It was not until July 15, 1874 that they returned to the Salt Lake Endowment House and Maren was sealed to him. On August 17th, a month later he was married to Martha by Daniel H. Wells in the Endowment House. Later, they drove to St. George and Martha's children were sealed to Lars. Niels describes this journey during the winter of 1880 in his JournaI it can be found in the Historical Archives of the LDS Church in Salt Lake.

In the meantime, Lars and Mette were married in St. George by John D. McAllister on 13 June 1877. William Carter and S.S. Adams were the witnesses. (See entry #285 on that date.) It seems that all three wives had been married in Denmark. Maren was married to Peder Michel Jensen, Martha to Frederik Christian Peder Mogensen and Mette to Jens Nielsen (Smed). On March 21, 1889, they went to the Manti Temple and did the temple work for my grandparents, Johannes Backlund and Christina Olsson. An error was made in Christina's name and she is listed as Christina Larsen, Larsson being her father's name. At that time my grandparents' family were adopted into the family of Daniel H. Wells, who was present on the occasion. Also, Mette Pedersen and her children were adopted to Pres. Brigham Young and family. The correct sealings to their families has been performed. REFERENCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As a primary source of information for this sketch of the life of Lars Peter Peterson (Christensen), I am indebted to the diary of my Father, Niels Peter Peterson. He kept a daily record of events during much of his life. Also, there are portions of the life of Lars Peter Peterson recorded in his little diary.