Biography and Timeline
Immigration from Denmark
to America in the 1800s:
A Biography/Timeline for Jens Larsen, Maren Larsen,
and Birthe Sophie Jensen
with sources at the end
.
By Mark R. Johnson
email: [email protected]
November 27, 2003
James Lars Johnson and Maren Larsen are my great, great, grandparents
on my father’s side. James began life as Jens Larsen, but changed
his name after immigrating to America. The following biography is
my account of the lives of James, his first wife, Birthe, and Maren.
I. Jens Larsen
a. November 13, 1819: Jens
Larsen was born and Christened in Helsinge, Fredriksborg, Denmark.
Jens was the son of Lars Jorgensen and Kirsten Jensen. Jens was the
fifth of seven children.
b. 1834: Jens is confirmed in the
Lutheran Church at age 16. This confirmation record, as well as one
of his other siblings, lists his mother’s name as Kirsten Jensen.
Other records list his mother as Kirsten Jorgensen. Her father’s
given name was Jorgen.
c. 1842: Danish male children
were registered for the military at birth. At 23 years of age, Jens’
military record showed him as living in Helsingor. At this point
in his life, he is 5’6” tall.
II. Birthe Sophie Jensen (Jensdatter)
a. December 10, 1806: Birthe
Sophie Jensen was born in Esbonderup, Fredriksborg, Denmark (north of Copenhagen).
Birthe was a daughter of Jens Andersen and Kirstine Nielsen. Birthe’s
name has also been spelled Bertha. Sophie has also been spelled Sophia.
Given the Danish patronymics of the time, Birthe’s last name bared her
father’s first name plus “sen” or “datter”.
b. October 10, 1835: Birthe married
Niels Eriksen (b. September 19, 1802, Esbonderup) in Esbonderup.
Niels was a son of Erik Pedersen and Maren Mortensen, all of Esbonderup.
c. Niels and Birthe parented Magdelena
(b. March 18, 1837), Charlotte Marie (b. April 24, 1840) and Nicoline (b.
March 24, 1842).
d. August 15, 1841: Niels died
in Esbonderup, leaving Birthe with two daughters and two months pregnant
with Nicoline.
III. The Marriage of Jens and Birthe
a. June 27, 1842: Jens, a
bachelor, married Birthe after the birth of Nicoline. Jens was 23
years old, while Birthe was 36.
b. Jens and Birthe parented Anne Kirstine
(b. August 19, 1843 and Christened October 8, 1843, in Helsingor) and Adam
Gotlieb Jens Christian (b. January 16, 1846 and Christened April 13, 1846).
Adam’s name was impressive, but cumbersome.
c. According to local accounts,
Jens appeared to be more interested in Birthe’s inherited estate.
d. “Widows who became heirs to estates
were not long without husbands in Denmark. Women were considered
neither mentally nor physically capable of conducting their own financial
affairs. The best thing they could do, for themselves and their children,
was to accept the protection of a competent male. Because it was
far easier to marry property then to earn it, there was plentitude of candidates
for each lady’s hand.” – Dorothy J. Schimmelpfenning, from the biography
of Hans Peter Jensen.
e. Overnight, Jens became a land
owner, husband and father to three stepdaughters.
f. August 8, 1853:
Jens and Birthe were baptized as a member of the LDS Church. Immediately
thereafter, the family became targets for persecution from members of the
Lutheran church. This was nothing new to the converts.
g. After falling under the cloud
of bigotry and persecution, Jens and Birthe decided to immigrate to America
as part of a group of Scandinavian Mormon converts heading to Zion.
IV. Birthe’s Voyage to America
a. September 1854: Birthe
embarked from Copenhagen for England on the ship Semplede with four of
her children, Charlotte Marie, Nicoline, Anne Kirstine, and Adam.
b. In the Copenhagen Conference of 1854,
Birthe’s family fare totaled of $246. They paid $100 on September
31, 1854 and the balance of $146 on October 30, 1854.
c. Jens and one daughter, Magdelina,
stayed behind to sell the farm for a “good” price and would join Birthe
and the other children later. Jens had seen too many Mormons get
very little for their land because they had to meet a deadline.
d. Delayed by a harrowing voyage and
near shipwreck in a terrible storm, Birthe and her children arrived in
Hull, England. From there, the immigrants traveled by train to Liverpool.
e. After more weeks waiting for
the next ship to America, Birthe and family boarded the James Nesmith,
an ancient, decrepit sailing vessel.
f. January 12, 1855:
After several failed attempts to sail, the ocean voyage finally began.
g. February 23, 1855: Enduring
fierce storms, broken topsail, disease and near starvation, they finally
disembarked in New Orleans, and beginning the journey to Winter Quarters,
near Omaha, Nebraska.
V. Jens is Reunited With Birthe in
Nebraska
a. The sale of his inherited farm
had brought Jens a good price, so he had enough money for the journey westward.
b. Magdelena, now 18 years old, did not
follow the family, but instead remained in Denmark.
c. 1855: Jens rejoined his
family in Weston, Missouri, about 12 miles southeast of Atchison, across
the river. They moved on to Florence, Nebraska, where the family
lived and farmed for two years. Florence was near Winter Quarters,
Nebraska, an outpost for the immigrants migrating west.
d. September 1856: Anne Kirstine
was baptized as a member of the LDS church.
e. 1857: Winter Quarters
was incorporated as Omaha, Nebraska.
f. 1857: The family
joined a passing Mormon emigrant company, either the Matthias Cowley Handcart
Company, or the Christensen Scandinavian Wagon Company, and 15 year old
Nicoline walked across the plains.
g. September 13, 1857: Both
companies arrived the same day in Salt Lake City.
h. Jens Larsen Jorgensen:
Shortly after arriving in Utah, Jens Larsen added his father’s sir name
to his own, changing it to Jens Larsen Jorgensen.
i. At the recommendation
of Lorenzo Snow, Jens and Birthe took their family north to settle with
other Danish migrants in Brigham City.
VI. Polygamy In Utah
a. November 6, 1859: Nicoline
became the seventh plural wife of Hans Peter Jensen (b. April 23, 1815,
in Lille, Hogested, Holbo, Denmark). Hans was the son of Jens Pedersen
Persen and Kirsten Hansen Tidstead. Hans, age 44, and Nicoline, age
17, were married at the home of Brigham Young in Salt Lake City.
They became the parents of ten children.
b. January 5, 1860: Anne Kirstine
became the third plural wife of James Morgan Keller (b. April 6, 1827,
in Klemensker, Bornholm, Denmark). James was the son of Jens Mogensen
Kjoller and Annike Jorgensen. James, age 33, and Anne Kirstine, age
17) were married in the office of LDS President Brigham Young.
c. January 12, 1861: Jens
and Birthe became the grandparents to James and Anne’s first child, Sophia
Caroline. Sophia was in honor of Anne’s mother.
d. James and Anne Kirstine Keller eventually
became the parents of 14 children.
e. October 24, 1861: Adam
Gotlieb Jens Christian was baptized as member of the LDS Church.
f. Jens Larsen Jorgensen
did not object to this new concept of polygamy as much as Birthe did.
Afterall, he now had two less mouths to feed after the marriage of his
daughters.
g. 1865: Would polygamy work
for Jens? Birthe was now 59 years old and many other men were taking
younger women for their plural wives.
h. January 28, 1865: Jens
and Birthe had their wedding sealed in the LDS Endowment House, Salt Lake
City, Utah.
i. Jens later deserted
Birthe and her family for a polygamous marriage.
j. September 11, 1881:
Birthe died and was buried in Brigham City, Cache, County, Utah.
VII. Maren Larsen (Larsdatter)
a. August 5, 1829: Before
her birth, Maren’s father, Lars Nielsen’s first wife, Maren Larsdatter,
died at age 48 in Monge, Vejby, Fredriksborg, Denmark. Lars was left
with six children to raise: Inger, age 6, Bendte, age 12, Laurine,
age 10, Sidse, age 8, Ingelborg, age 6, and Kirsten, age 3.
b. April 30, 1830: Lars married
Ane Hansen. Lars is 40 and Ane is 32. It is unclear if Ane
is already pregnant with the unborn Maren.
c. July 29, 1830: Maren Larsen
was born to Lars and Ane in Monge, Fredriksborg, Denmark.
d. Lars and Ane would have three more
children together, Jorgen “John” (b. March 27, 1832), Bodil Kirstine (b.
July 22, 1834), and Niels (b. March 23, 1836).
e. Maren Larsen's name is often
written Maren Nielsen because of name traditions in the United States where
she immigrated. Larsen or Larsdatter is the correct surname according
to Danish patronymics. The reason for the confusion in her name is
that in the early 1850's in Denmark, a law was passed that patronymics
(using the father's first name for the last name of the children) was to
end so that children would carry the father's last name. Therefore
the children of Hans Jensen and Maren Larsen (born after 1850) were named
Jensen. Maren was the daughter of Lars Nielsen, but she was born
before the law took effect, so she would be named, and was in the official
records, Maren Larsen. But when she came to the U.S. with her father
Lars Nielsen, she, being identified as a daughter of his, was called Maren
Nielsen.
f. March 2, 1853: At
age 23, Maren married her first husband, Hans Jensen, in Hillerod, Fredriksborg,
Denmark.. Hans (b. August 6, 1825), was the son of Jens Madsen and
Pernille Hansen, of Vejby, Fredriksborg, Denmark. Since her first
marriage was to Hans Jensen, she was also identified as Maren Larsen Jensen
at times.
g. Hans and Maren parented four
children, two sons and two daughters. They were Hannah Christina (b. August
24, 1853), Lars Peter (b. August 7, 1857), James Anders (b. August 4, 1861),
and Anna Marie (b. August 9, 1863).
h. At some time in the very early
part of their married life, Maren and Hans became acquainted with the Elders
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
i. April 21, 1862:
Maren was baptized in the LDS Church. The seeds sown by the Elders
found fertile ground in the heart of Maren; and although Hans could not
understand or appreciate the gospel, the Elders were fed and entertained
in their home many times. It was said that Maren prepared food for
the Elders at any time of the day or night, and the Elders always felt
welcome in her home.
j. As time went on, Maren
became imbued with the spirit of the gospel and the desire to go to Zion.
Hans, however, remained very indifferent. He would not join the Church
as Maren did. To Maren, the light of the gospel, the Elders, and the desire
to be with the Saints in America meant more to her than worldly goods.
So to her came the great task of choosing between husband and home or the
new truths that had come to mean so much to her. Because the spirit of
the gospel was awakened in her, she left her husband, home, and friends
and prepared for the journey to America. Maren was pregnant at the time.
k. Early 1863. After the couple
split up, Hans decided to go search for gold in Australia.
l. Maren's father,
Lars Nielsen, and two brothers, Neils Larsen and Jorgen Larsen, also embraced
the gospel. Her mother had died before. Along with her relatives,
Maren and her three young children, ages 10, 6, and 2, and one on the way,
joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and prepared to
make the journey to the New World.
m. April 23, 1863: They left Copenhagen,
Denmark on a steamship with a company of Danish Saints. They were
on the water a day and a night before arriving in Kiel, Germany.
n. From there they traveled in
a sailing vessel to Grimby, England and from there by rail to Liverpool.
Liverpool was a major embarkation point for many of the European Saints.
o. At Liverpool they boarded a sailing
vessel, the John J. Boyd, in preparation for the voyage across the Atlantic.
This ship was a square-rigger, three-decker with a square stern, round
tuck, and billethead. It weighed 1311 tons and was 195 feet by 38 feet
by 28 feet and was built in 1855 by S.G. Bogart at New York City, New York.
p. April 30, 1963: They were addressed
by Apostle George Q. Cannon on the eve before setting sail from Liverpool.
q. Maren’s trip, like so many of other
members of her faith, was long and arduous. As the trip progressed,
the emigrants received, every seven days, a ration for each person consisting
of one and one-half pounds of beef, three pounds of potatoes, three pounds
of oatmeal, one-fourth pound of tea, two ounces of pepper, two ounces of
mustard, one-half pint of vinegar and a quantity of English sea biscuits.
Besides this, the sick received wine, milk, sago, sugar, and soup from
the Captain's kitchen. The sanitary conditions on board were very good.
Only four or five died at sea during the passage. The passengers were made
up of Saints from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, making a total of 767.
r. May 21, 1863: The
monotony of the trip was broken by seeing eight mighty icebergs. Five whales
were also seen about the ship sending water like springing fountains high
into the air.
s. June 1, 1863: The ship
arrived at Castle Garden, New York, on Sunday, after some thirty-one days
on the water.
t. Maren was granted Citizenship
#186337.
u. That same evening, their journey
was continued by rail to Albany, New York, and across Northern New York
State. The train passed by Palmyra, site of so much of the early history
of the Church. The passengers were permitted to see, from a distance, the
locations of Joseph Smith's boyhood home, the Sacred Grove, and the Hill
Cumorah. Their train then followed the route from Canada to Detroit to
Chicago to Quincy, Illinois. By boat they traveled to Hannibal, Missouri
and thence by rail to St. Joseph. There they boarded a boat again and journeyed
up the Missouri River to Florence, Nebraska.
v. June 11, 1863: Maren and
her family arrived in Florence with all reported well. One month
was spent in preparation for the trek across the plains.
w. July 6, 1863: Maren and her three
children, Hanna Christina, Lars Peter, and James Andrew, left Winter Quarters
in Florence, Nebraska, to cross the plains to Utah. Maren, still pregnant
with Anna Marie, began the great walk. The journey from Winter Quarters
was taken in wagens drawn by oxen. This method was of necessity laborious
and slow, full of dramatic incidents and may hardships.
x. They had joined the John R.
Young Company, which was composed mostly of Scandinavians. Captain Young
related in his journal how hard it was to communicate at first with this
company and how unused to handling the oxen these Saints were. He mentioned
they made only five miles the first day; but that every day after that
these faithful people learned quickly until, at the end of the first week,
they were making twenty-five miles a day. He said they were very humble
and cooperative.
y. Though in her last months of
pregnancy, she walked most of the 1100 miles to Utah all the while carrying
two year old Andrew on her back. Their journey was prosperous and
uneventful except for a cattle stampede near a popular camping spot called
Ash Hollow in what is now Nebraska.
z. The following is an account
of the event as recorded in the journal of Captain John R. Young:
"All went well, as I desired, until we reached the summit of the last ridge.
From there we had a mile of downhill grade to the creek. I glanced back
and could see the line of white, covered wagons following each other like
birds of passage, moving in orderly columns to a warmer clime. A feeling
of joy filled my bosom, for I felt that the labors of the day would end
in peace. I spurred my horse and galloped rapidly to the front to select
the best spot on which to form my camp.
aa. “Crossing the creek and ascending the bench a few rods
to the west, I turned and looked back just in time to see two Indians ride
from the head of a hollow on our left. As they rushed past the rear of
the train, they gave their wild, blood-curdling war-whoop. As quick as
lightning an alarm seemed to flash from one end of the train to the other,
and every team rushed wildly down the hill.
bb. “My pen is too weak to describe the heart-rending scene that
followed the fearful rushing of the wild, stampeding cattle. Wagons were
jolted against wagons with such force that the inmates were thrown out
to be run over and trampled under foot by other mad teams following in
their rear. On they came, tearing blindly in any direction that their crazy
fear led them. Wagons were embedded in the mire of the creek, and the tongues
jerked out. At last they began to scatter, and then stopped.
cc. “Children ran instinctively to their parents for protection.
In groups they wandered from their teams avoiding them as though they had
become beasts of terror to them. I rode to my brother, and directed him
to the selected camping place. He unhitched his team, and driving the oxen
some distance away, unyoked to right ox and turned his head toward the
off one's tail, then yoked it again. In this shape, as long as yoke and
tows held, there was no danger of stampeding.
dd. “The movement was like a revelation to the people and they
now took hope. I rode from wagon to wagon directing their movements, and
checking noise and confusion. By sundown, the camp was formed and the cattle
secured, the guards placed, and fires lighted. Then I turned my attention
to the wounded ones. I had but little knowledge of surgery; but all eyes
were turned to me. With a prayer for God's blessings to attend my efforts,
I sewed up gaping flesh wounds. Providentially no bones were broken but
there were two lovely women and one man who needed no help of mine. Loving
hands smoothed the tangled hair and closed the eyes of the dead, and loving
lips kissed the pale brows. Then white sheets were spread over them, and
they were left to rest. On the morrow, on the near hillside, we dug their
graves, and out of the dear old family chests, coffins were made. Then
a venerable man, in workman's garb, spoke sweet words of comfort; 'blessed
are the dead who died in the Lord.'
ee. “And whether they rest on prairie wild, or sleep in
the city's polished sepulchers, it matters not, so God's will is done.
In the resurrection morn, they shall come forth clothed with life and immortality."
ff. August 9, 1863: While still
on the trail, in what is now Wyoming, Anna Marie was born. Maren
was allowed to ride in the wagon for three days, after which she resumed
walking. This time she carried James Andrew on her back and the baby in
her arms.
gg. September 12, 1863: The company arrived in the
valley of the Great Salt Lake where they rested for two days.
hh. September 14, 1863: Maren continued on to Brigham
City where she and her little family were to make their home.
ii. Upon arriving in Brigham City,
she found her sacrifices and trials had only begun. She was forced
to work wherever and whenever possible in order to provide for her family.
One of her tasks was to go to the fields and bind wheat into sheaves. Because
of her work, her children were entrusted to the care of neighbors and friends.
One of her greatest sorrows came when she learned that her children were
often abused and mistreated.
jj. Later in 1863: Jens Larsen
Jorgensen became acquainted with Maren showed interest in getting to know
her better.
VIII. The Marriage of Jens and Maren
a. July 29, 1865: Jens Larsen
Jorgensen traveled with Maren to Salt Lake City where they were sealed
together in a polygamous marriage at the LDS Endowment House. This
was only six months after Jens had been sealed with Birthe at the same
Endowment House (January 28, 1865).
b. James Lars Johnson: Shortly
before the birth of their first child, Jens Americanized his name, changing
it from Jens Larsen Jorgensen to James Lars Johnson. The Anglicized
version of Jens = James; Jorgensen = Johnson.
c. It has been suggested that Jens
changed his name due to the persecution against those living the law of
plural marriages. However, other accounts suggested that James like
to use his different names often, maybe as his mood changed from day to
day.
d. This marriage proved to be stressful
to Maren, as Jens would not permit Maren’s four children to live in his
home. Maren was forced to place them in different homes in Brigham
City. Her son Andrew went to live with a family named Jensen.
Here he was finally adopted and lived the remainder of his life with his
new family.
e. Maria was placed with a family
who proved to be very cruel to her. They would force food down her
throat and lock her in a dark cellar for hours at a time until the neighbors
complained. Maren finally took her away.
f. Hannah Christine went
to work.for people who gave her the cooking and bread-making to do.
If she burned the bread or let it run over into the oven, that was her
portion to eat. They used sagebrush for fire material, which made
either a quick flash fire or it went out. If she burned the breakfast
hot cakes that was also her portion. When Hannah grew to womanhood,
she took her little sister, Maria, and raised her.
g. In the meantime, James and Maren
parented two sons.
h. April 17, 1866: James
Loris was born in Willow Creek (Willard), Utah.
i. February 23, 1868:
Jonathan Jay was born in Brigham City.
j. 1870: After maintaining
two households in Brigham City for five years, James abandoned Birthe and
moved Maren and the two boys to Newton, Utah, where he farmed the land.
k. Weston, Idaho, LDS Ward membership
records indicated that James, Maren and family came from Three Mile, Utah,
which was linked to the Brigham City Post Office.
l. 1870 Census (Newton,
Cache County, Utah): James Lars Johnson is listed as a farmer, along
with Mary (Maren), age 40, James Jr., age 4, Jonathan, age 2, and Mary
(Anne Marie), age 7.
m. July 25, 1870: Maren’s daughter, Hannah
Christine married Alfred Goodsell.
n. 1871: Jens experienced
another year of unsuccessful wheat farming. Crickets were as thick
as flies in a tannery. According to the “History of Weston”, by Lars
Fredrickson, there was not much wheat raised this year. But several
farmers were fortunate enough to raise a load of oats and sell it to the
freighters in Corinne, Utah, also known as Sin City. Those who were
successful in selling their oats earned enough money to buy a stove and
a pair of shoes, or something else they needed for the balance. Money
was in short supply.
o. 1880 Census (Weston, Franklin, Idaho):
Again, James and family change their names. James Johnson is listed
as James “Larsen”, as a farmer, age 63, along with wife, “Mary” Larsen,
age 50, both born in Denmark. “Jimmy” Larsen is listed as age 14,
and Jonathan Larsen, age 12, both born in Utah. Daughter, Anne Maria
Larsen, is listed as age 17, born in Wyoming by the Platt River.
p. September 11, 1881, The Passing of
Birthe Sophie Larsen: Birthe died and was buried in Brigham, Cache,
Utah on this date. Although the Birthe’s headstone is in the Brigham
City cemetery, the cemetery records were burned in a fire.
q. October 12, 1882: Maren’s daughter,
Anne Marie, married John Jenkins, of Newton, Utah as his third wife at
the LDS Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
r. April 10, 1884:
Idaho landowner records show that James L. Jorgensen obtained 80 acres
of land just over the Idaho border from Cornish, Utah (Homestead Certificate
of Registration #266, Application #87). The property sits to the
west side of the highway, all the way to the mountain.
s. April 15, 1884: Maren’s
son, Jens Anders, married Christine Olsen in Brigham City, Utah.
t. March 4, 1885: James
filed the Homestead Certificate of Registration.
u. July 22, 1885: James and
Maren sold 27 acres to Hans C. Hansen for $125. Interestingly, James
signed as Jens Lars Jorgensen and Maren signed her mark with an “X”, even
though she could read and write.
v. May 1886: Jonathan was
baptized as a member of the LDS Church.
w. At some point during this period, Maren’s
adult children took her from Jens and the stressful life they led together.
The children helped Maren move back to Newton, Utah where she lived for
some time before moving back to Weston, Idaho.
x. June 17, 1888: Maren’s
daughter, Hannah Christine Goodsell, died in childbirth, leaving husband,
Alfred, with nine children to raise.
y. Maren took the newborn son,
Clarence Edmond Goodsell, and raised him. She would sit up in bed
and rock Clarence when he cried and sing to him while tears streamed down
her cheeks.
z. May 1, 1889: Jonathan
married Harriet Elizabeth Campbell in the LDS Temple, in Logan, Utah.
Harriet was the daughter of Adam Rightenbark Campbell and Bethania Emma
Brewer. Jonathan was 21 and Harriet was 17. Jonathan and Harriet
became the parents of 13 children.
aa. October 5, 1889: The 27 acre parcel that was
purchased by Hans C. Hansen on July 22, 1885 was recorded as a warranty
deed this date.
bb. January 10, 1894: James Jr. married Mary Elvira Marston
in Weston, Franklin, Idaho. Mary was the daughter of Charles Marston
and Marietta Dees. James Jr. was 27 and Mary was 16. They became
the parents of 10 children.
cc. May 5, 1897: Maren’s son, Jens Anders, died in
Brigham City.
IX. The Passing of James and
Maren
a. Apparent Death of James Larsen
Jorgensen Johnson: Given that James sold 27 acres on July 22, 1885
and Maren was listed as a widow on June 2, 1900, it appears that James
passed away during this period. However there are no records of his
date of death or burial.
b. June 2, 1900 Census (Weston, Oneida
County, Idaho): Maren is listed as a widow, age 69, living with son,
Jonathan, his wife, and five children. Clarence Goodsell is not listed.
Maren reported a citizenship number and the ability to read and write.
Her other son, James Loris, lived next door with his wife and children.
Jonathan owned his home. James rented his. Both were
listed as farmers.
c. Maren lived most of the remainder
of her life in Weston. In her last days she went to live with her
daughter, Marie Jenkins, in Newton, Utah.
d. Marie also cared for another elderly
widower, who though had become undependable both physically and mentally
and needed constant attention. However, rather than see him sent
away to some charitable institution, Marie consented to care for him in
exchange for a minor real estate consideration. Although a long shot,
could James have survived to this date?
e. February 9, 1906, The Passing
of Maren Nielsen Larsen Jensen Jorgensen Johnson: Maren died and
was buried in the Weston Cemetery (Weston, Franklin, Idaho), where she
had purchased 8 lots earlier. Maren and one of her sons are buried
in the Weston cemetery; their plot is in the center of the west end, near
a small cedar bush. Since there are only two headstones on the eight
lots purchased by Maren, one wonders if James is buried here without a
marker.
f. Maren was the mother of
eight children, fours sons and four daughters. At the time of her death,
she had forty-three grandchildren. She was remembered as having very
retiring disposition, and had no desire to appear in public. She was very
unassuming but cheerful. Her home was always open to the sick, the poor,
and the needy. Many were the hours she spent in giving encouragement, consolation
and comfort to those who came. No person ever left her home hungry, and
many were the times she was known to have crossed the street carrying food
to a neighbor child whom she felt was being neglected. Her life was one
of complete charity for those around her; and she was widely sought by
her friends and neighbors.
g. November 1910: Maren’s
son, Lars Peter Jensen, who never married, died and was buried in Weston,
next to his mother.
X. Real Estate Affidavit on
Record
a. December 10, 1921: An
affidavit was prepared by James R. Hansen, son of Hans C. Hansen, testifying
he was personally acquainted with James L. Jorgensen, who sold part of
his original homestead to the senior Hansen on July 22, 1885, as recorded
on October 5, 1889. Hansen testified that he knew the said James
L. Jorgensen to be the same identical person as Jens Lars Jorgensen who
signed over the deed to Mr. Hansen. James Hansen further testified
that he knew the said Maren Jorgensen to be the wife of the said Jens Lars
Jorgensen at the time of execution of the warranty deed.
b. December 12, 1921: The affidavit
was filed on this date.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sources:
1. “Chronology of Jens Larsen”, obtained from Marie Jolley
2. “The Tangled Web”, obtained from Marie Jolley
3. “Timeline of Maren Larsen’s Life”, by Lana Archibald
4. “A Copy of the Life History of Maren Larsen”, by Veroke Goodsell
Nash and Elnora Nielsen Merrill, January 31, 1958, Weston, Idaho
5. “Life Sketch of Anna Marie Jensen Jenkins”, obtained from Mr. and
Mrs. Parker, Newton, Utah
6. Family History of Alvin Willard Nichols and Eve (Eva) Susannah Jensen
Nichols, http://porterpicketthistory.homestead.com/files/History_Alvin_W.__and_Eve__Eva__Jensen_Nichols.htm
7. “Our Family Tree”, the Gill Family, http://www.angelfire.com/ut/gill/frame5.html
8. “Biography of Hans Peter Jensen.”, by Dorothy J. Schimmelpfenning
9. “History of Weston”, by Lars Fredrickson
10. LDS Church records, http://www.familysearch.org
11. 1870 Census, Utah Territory
12. 1880 Census, Weston, Idaho
13. 1900 Census, Oneida Co., Idaho
14. Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com
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