Illustrated History of Hans Jørgensen,
Maren Kirstina (Kierstine, Kirstine) Pedersen [Pedersdatter],
Dorthea Christensen [Christensdatter],
and Families
by Dorthea Rebecca Frost Parent, Hansine Rebecca Jorgensen
Frost, Jens Hansen, and others
One year
after Erastus Snow,
a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, went to
Denmark to begin teaching the Mormon “message of truth” in that land, the word
came to the ears of Jens Hansen (born 1823), the second eldest son of Hans
Jørgensen and his second wife Maren Kirstine Pedersdatter
(Pedersen) who lived in Otterup parish, Odense, on the island of Fyn [Funen] in
Denmark.”
Erastus Snow, Jens Hansen, and the
Title Page of Mormons Bog—the First Danish Translation of the Book of
Mormon published in 1851
Jens
[also known as James] readily understood, liked and accepted what he was being
taught. He became the first of his family to join the Mormon Church, one of the
earliest converts in
Scandinavian Missionaries Needed Little
Encouragement to Preach the Bible and Book of Mormon
According
to Jens Hansen’s record: “After making a short visit to my relatives in
Soon,
Jens was ordained a Priest and called and set apart set apart to labor on a
local mission. Fired with enthusiasm, Jens Hansen embraced his first missionary
opportunity to deliver the glad message to his parents. They were very
poor, and Jens reports he “had to walk around the country selling cow hides and
clay ceramics to ease their burden.” He writes further: “My half brother,
Jørgen Jacobsen, who was older than I, was my companion but when he grew older
he felt ashamed, and thereafter I had to do this work alone and even beg people
to give me something to eat, which food I thereafter, when possible, brought
back home to my parents and smaller brothers and sisters. Several years passed
this way. Later on my father started slaughtering cattle, and I accompanied him
to the different cities as well as to the country selling the meat. In the
summer time I also had to work very hard cutting peat moss and helping my
parents the best way I could.”
In these days
butchers would hang their carcasses in a prominent place to entice people into
their shops and use peddler carts or wagons for deliveries. Whereas now we eat
meat within a few days of the animal being slaughtered, then it was the custom
to let the meat “hang” for several days or longer. This was said to improve the
flavor.
Sons Often Helped
Their Fathers in Butchering Work in the 19th Century
Typical European
Butcher Shop and Delivery Wagon
So one day when Hans Jørgensen looked up from
his butcher’s block to see Jens Hansen standing in the doorway, he had no idea
his son was about to change his life. The boy had come to talk about the New
Gospel he had heard at a Mormon missionary meeting. Shortly after that fateful
day, Hans’ friends were surprised to see him minus his pipe, and were quite
astounded upon visiting his house not to be offered liquor by way of
refreshment.
The
transition was not immediate however. When his son brought him the message of
the gospel, Hans Jørgensen was a jovial man of about fifty six years of age and
a butcher by trade. Times were not always good, as we read above and Jens
further notes that he himself went into business because of “the rather
straitened circumstances of my parents.” Hans was used to “hard physical
labor.” He was in the habit of using pipe tobacco, fond of tea and coffee (as
many of the early Saints did), and always had his toddy jug on the table at
meals and often between repasts. By 1851, however, Hans and family were in
fairly prosperous circumstances and he was quite content with his mode of
living. So when the principals and commandments of the new church were
explained to him it took sometime for Hans to accept. He knew he had much to
overcome if he was to give up all the habits his son was asking of him. But day
by day he and his wife Maren studied the scriptures and the literature made
available to them such as Mormons Bog (The Book of Mormon). The couple came to
agree that the church had much to offer them. Hans was so overcome that he
decided to accept the Word of Wisdom prohibitions against such products
literally. For he said, “If it is worth anything, it is worth every thing.”
Jens’
narrative continues: “We next visited my parents, who received us with joy, and
held several well attended meetings [with my parents present, and there they
heard more about the gospel]. My father had dreamt a long, long time before
this that I should be a savior to his family, but had never understood the
meaning thereof. One evening, after I had addressed a large gathering, my
father went into his garden, where he bent his knees and in earnest prayer
pleaded with the Lord to give him understanding and discernment, as to whether
the message which I was proclaiming was from God. When he again entered the
house, the sign was given him, which caused his whole body to shake terribly,
and he felt unworthy to enter the room in which I was sitting. With trembling
voice and tear-drenched eyes he now requested me to baptize him, which request
was granted that same evening [
Early
Mormon Baptisms Were by Immersion in Nearby Rivers and Lakes
Hans
Starts a Family
Hans Jørgensen was born on
When he was 27 years old, Hans Jørgensen
married Maren Kirstine (Kirstina, Kierstine) Pedersdatter [Pedersen] on
According to Mike St. Claire (mike@saintclair.org), Maren previously
had a son Jørgen, born in 1815. The father was Jacob Jørgensen, but he and
Maren were not married. “As I understand it, Jørgen was a son of Jens' mother
and was incorporated into the family when Hans Jorgensen married Maren. I
have no idea whether this Jacob and Hans were related in some fashion, or what
became of Jacob. What I do know is that all of the children of Jørgen
carried the surname of Jacobsen during and after their emigration to
In any event, Hans and Maren took care of
eight children while living in
Jørgen Jacobson, born
Jens
Hansen, born
Lars
(twin) Hansen, born 1825 in Trostrup
Ane
Marie (twin) Hansdatter, born 1825 in Trostrup
Jørgen
Peter Hansen, born
Peter
Hansen, born
Neils
Hansen, born
Hans
Hansen, born
Today,
it is easy to forget the hardships and persecutions that early church members
like Grandfather Jørgensen and his family had to face. But face persecutions
and temptations they did! In his Biography,
Jens Hansen relates what happened to the family:
“Meanwhile
a spirit of persecution began to make itself felt in the neighborhood, and the
rabble banded themselves together for the purpose of doing us harm. One evening
when we, as was our custom, had held a meeting at my father’s house, the place
was surrounded by a big crowd of drunken men, armed with clubs, who said that a
certain priest had promised them money if they would give us a good threshing.
One of the mob with a cudgel in his hand started for me, but I and Elder
[William] Andersen succeeded in slipping through the door and escaped through
the field. My parents, who remained in the house, became now the objects for
derision by the mob; they wrote with chalk on my father’s back, and subjected
him to a great deal of banter, but otherwise did him no bodily harm. The
persecutors thereupon ran out of the house for the purpose of finding me and my
companion; we had hidden ourselves in a ditch behind a fence. Here we lay
listening to their awful cursings and declarations that they would not return
to their homes before they had killed us. We humbly prayed to the Lord that he
would strike them with blindness, which literally happened, inasmuch as they
did not find us, although they were searching for us until
Later
Jens’ brother, Jørgen Peter Hansen, was “attacked by an evil spirit” which had
to be commanded out by the power of the priesthood. He relates: “One
day, while on the way to my father’s house, I was, without knowing the reason,
influenced to vigorously hasten my steps. But I had hardly entered the door
before I knew the cause. My brother, Jørgen Peter, had been attacked by an evil
spirit, under whose influence he was shaking in his whole body without
cessation, and my mother was very much distressed over the occurrence. I stood
awhile and observed him closely, and meditated on what the cause could possibly
be for his hideous occurrence. I was impressed with the thought that he might
have committed himself in some manner, and thus given the evil one an
opportunity to attack him. After a short conversation with him, he admitted to
me that when the priest had asked him if he had been baptized, he had answered
‘no’. I mildly rebuked him, and then, as I had already been ordained an Elder,
laid my hands on his head and commanded the evil one in the name of Jesus to
leave him, which he immediately did. When we thus saw the power of God made
manifest, the same as in the olden days, it made us very happy, for this the
Lord be praised and honored. I continued my activities
with great success and became an instrument in the hand of God to bring many to
acknowledge the truth….”
These
events, as can be imagined, affected the family quite powerfully. Family
descendants had always believed that in abandoning his old customs, Hans
Jørgensen began a new life and never till the day of his death did he go back
to his old habits. This is true, but grandfather Jørgensen was still human and
one time requested his own excommunication! According, once again, to Jens
Hansen’s Biography:
“While
the work made headway and many were baptized, there were some who fell away and
lost their faith. Even my own father
permitted himself to be influenced by evil rumors to such an extent that he on
a certain occasion requested to be excommunicated. This naturally caused me
great sorrow, but I withdrew to a secluded spot and prayed humbly to the Lord
in my father’s behalf, which had the desired effect. After having thus three
times invoked the Lord’s help, my father became a changed man. I found him with
a blissful smile on his countenance and a perfect satisfaction in his soul, and
he together with my mother continued to
be faithful to the day of their death.” [Biography of Elder Jens Hansen, page 10, emphasis added.]
The
baptism of Hans and good wife Maren was more than a simple religious ordinance.
Rather the experience was so life changing that they literally abandoned their
old customs and began a new life. Their faith soon led them to give up their
home and business, friends and country when the couple decided to leave their
native land to join with the Saints in
Steamers
were rarely used in those days, especially by the poorer classes of emigrants.
So the new Mormons from
The Departure
from
The
sailing vessel was carvel-built with three masts, one deck, a round stern, a
standing bowsprit, and a figurehead of a man. However, storms and contrary
winds kept the vessel anchored in the river
Finally
on
In
the long difficult trip that lasted over two months the poor accommodations and
food were too much for Maren Kirstina, who was in delicate health. She was ill
during much of the voyage and died after crossing the
A New Land, a New Start, a Second
Family
Hans
must have been extremely discouraged over losing his wife and companion after
traveling so far and only completing a half of their journey. He was now
apparently alone with the Saints as they continued on up the
After
they were ready to start, Hans Jørgensen, along with most of the other saints
in the company, turned over the remainder of their money to Forsgren as Captain
of the wagon company for safe keeping and to have it exchanged for American
currency. But according to the story passed down in our family, Forsgren never
returned any of the funds, which was a terribly hard blow to the faith of those
who had placed so much trust in him. Whether theft or not, it was certainly a
severe financial loss to Hans. He later reported the matter to the authorities
in
John Erik Forsgren in Later Years
Hans
Jørgensen was advised to remarry. As walked beside his ox team toward
Early Mormon Emigrants Take a Mid-day Rest
Along the Prairie
The
Romance of Hans Jørgensen and Dorthea Christensen
“Two shall come from lands apart,
And find each the way to the other’s heart;
For miles and mountains cannot hide
The two fate christened Groom and Bride.”
Let
us turn our attention to another person in the emigrant company with cheerful
heart and vigorous tread. Along the trail, there was a group of girls who
started out every morning ahead of the company. When they neared the
Young
Mormon Women Searching for Fuel to Use at the Evening Campfire—Their Aprons
Would Hold Gathered Loose Sticks and Dried “
Young Dorthea Christensen in
Dorthea
Christensen [Christensdatter], our heroine, was born in Lem-Ramsing, Viborg, [
While
still a young girl, Dorthea was given the task of tending her father’s geese
and sheep. While waiting for the animals to graze their fill and be staked out
in another place, the girl learned to embroider on net cloth. This kind of work
she loved above all things, and her children remember her accounts of the
pretty flowers she sewed while the sheep bells tinkled around her, and how once
upon seeing a sample of such a piece of net embroidery, tears came to her faded
eyes remembering her childhood.
Young Dorthea Must Have Enjoyed Being with the Geese and Sheep
Dreams
of Growing Up
Her
mother was left a widow while the children were small. Consequently they had a
poor chance for education and were obliged to go out to work as soon as
possible. Mary Ann, the oldest daughter, was hired by a well-to-do farmer by
the name of Niels Hansen where she had to milk the cows, work in the fields,
spin and card wool and help with the housework. She remained there eight years.
When
she left to get married, Mary Ann had been so faithful that Mr. Hansen came to
hire her younger sister, Dorthea, as a replacement. Her annual wages were fixed
at ten dollars cash, two pairs of wooden shoes, five pounds of wool with which
to make clothes and stockings, and two suits of underwear which she herself had
made from homespun flax.
Perhaps
it would be interesting to relate what work was required of her in return. She
would rise very early and milk the cows while the housewife got breakfast. Then
while the men got their teams ready she would help with the housework and be
ready to go with the men into the fields and work until
The
willing, cheerful girl was liked by all the Hansen family, and by one of the
rich farmer’s tall sons, Hans Christen [Christian] Hansen. They became very
good friends. In fact, he liked Dorthea so well that he asked her to marry him.
Love can be found under all sets of circumstances. Yet after Hans Christen
Hansen and Dorthea Christensen became sweethearts and announced their
engagement something unexpected happened. In the end, another “Hans” of whom as
yet she had not heard was to claim her hand.
One
night Dorthea one night accepted an invitation to attend a meeting of a new
church in the area, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She came
away with a great deal to think about and enjoyed the spirit very much. She
went again a number of times and was soon converted to the gospel. When she
explained to her lover the strange and beautiful feeling the words of the
missionaries awakened in her, she was troubled to find him displeased and
angry. Her sweetheart tried hard to persuade her to give up the faith, but all
in vain. His father also sought to sway her by promising that if she would stay
and marry his son, they would be given the farm. This was a difficult decision
for Dorthea as the ownership of a complete farm was worth a great deal of money
and would have meant security for life. But she was convinced that the message
was from God. So a short time later she chose the Mormon Gospel instead of the
ring her recalcitrant lover wished to give her, and was baptized on
The
promise of rich Mr. Hansen to give them all his lands and cattle if Dorthea
would marry his son ultimately could not tempt her, and she sailed for
Dorthea
and her family arrived in
Having
saved enough money to pay her transportation on the water, Dorthea succeeded in
getting her belongings hauled across the plains by tending Niels Christensen’s
wife and children. (This family later settled in
The
company of 294 souls and 34 wagons departed Keokuk on
The
Mormon Camp at
Unfortunately
we do not have their personal record of the journey, having to rely on the
observations of the unknown diarist of the Forsgren Emigrant Company.
However, it is interesting to note that Jens Hansen left
“After
seven weeks we landed at
View
Along the
“The
cholera broke out in our camp after our arrival in
The
Trail West Posed Many Difficulties for the Emigrant Pioneers
“My
brother Peder Hansen got sick and died in June. We arrived soon after to the
regular used road that took us by
“To
this point the prairie has been level plains, but now it became more rocky and
mountainous. We passed the peculiar rock formation named Chimney Rock.”
Rocky
Hills and Mountains Loomed After the Plains; Chimney Rock is in Western
Nebraska
Wagons
Circled at
“We
came later by Independence Rock, and soon after we reached the very unusual rock
formation, formed by nature called the Devil’s Gate. It is a great rock
formation that is divided all the way through making an opening for the sweet
water river to go on its merry way.”
Devil’s
Gate in Wyoming was a Major Landmark on the Trail
“There
was in whole days many wonders of nature to see, which thrilled one’s every
sight. And especially Echo Canyon which we also came through. It is very narrow
and through runs a good stream. The road is partly dugout or cut out of the
banks of that stream. When one looks to the right it is like some ancient
buildings or ruins.”
“The
color of the rock formations are red, yellow and grey, and among them the ever beautiful
cedar trees besides many types of trees, which gives it all a very romantic and
interesting sight. I feel and understand by all of
this, partly the greatness and power of the Lord by viewing his handy work.” [Biography of Elder
Jens Hansen.]
Reaching
Example
of Sod Dugout Home Typical of the Period
They lived
there (in what later became the Salt Lake Fifth Ward) for several years. Hans’s
first job was to help with the digging for the first foundation of the
Jens
reports there was soon a joyous reunion of father and son: “We
crossed the large and smaller mountains and entered in through
Brigham
Young Was a Dynamic Leader
Jens
Hansen had supervised his parents’ departure from
Hans
and Dorthea Start a Family
Hans
and Dorthea were blessed with their first child not long after the reunion, a
son they named Jacob who was born in