Magnus & Mary Hansen Larsen ~ Index
Magnus Larsen was born 15 October 1817 at Langø, Præstø, Denmark and died 7 June 1894 at Mendon, Utah. His father, Lars Magnusen, a fisherman and a shoemaker by trade, was born in Sweden, and died in Denmark. His mother, Ane Kirsten Hansen was born in Denmark and died in Denmark. He had three brothers and five sisters. The sisters were Bodil, Sidse, Herene, Dorthea and Ane Marie and his brothers were Peder, Paul and Lars.
Maren Hansen Larsen (known in Utah as Mary Larsen) was born 8 August 1824 at Kalvehave, Præstø, Denmark and she died 5 May 1906 in Mendon, Utah. Her parents were Hans Andersen and Ane Marie Jensen. She had two sisters and a brother. The brother ran away to sea when he was sixteen years old and was never heard from again. Maren was born in a wealthy family, which made it doubly hard for a refined woman to endure the hardships during her life. Early in her life she went to work in the kitchen as a servant for a landlord and nobleman in Denmark and then the traveling on that long Mormon Pioneer trek to Utah, were stories of unbearable hardships at times.
Magnus and Maren were married 22 July 1844 in Denmark. Magnus was an average size man, pleasant, kind with a jolly congenial disposition, always kind and considerate of his family. Even to the last years in his life he carried his body erect and had a pleasing walking gait. He had dignity and a reserved countenance and consideration of others, no doubt a trait cultivated from his years of experience in the position he held as a valet to the nobleman he worked for, for nearly eighteen years. Never having worked as a farmer during these years of his Danish employment, he became a very good farmer after he came to Utah and his weaving was almost professional. One of their great teachings to their children was honesty and their dealings with others were the same. Some of the grandchildren recall pleasant memories in going to visit with the grandparents in Mendon and the freedom given the children to play in the barn and in the field. He had a grindstone on a frame that was a great amusement, as well as a curiosity, for it operated or ran similar to a bicycle. Other children recall grandfather's pride in riding his horse. No pictures was ever taken of grandfather.
Maren Larsen (called Mary in Utah) was a large framed woman and built rather plump. She was a very beautiful young girl and to her last days had a striking appearance. She had very sharp, attractive dark eyes. She was a most ambitious person and that energetic ability she carried to the last of her days. Having as a girl procured employment as a servant for a landlord, where she worked until the time the family left Denmark for Utah, her duties of employment was cooking. Her special duties were the preparing and caring and curing of the meats for the family as well as servants, as well as the bread and pastries. Her experiences and knowledge from this employment was an excelled art. After she came to Utah, her meals for the family were far superior to most of the foods of other pioneer families. She was very polite, but stern and cautious in talking, partly because of not being able to speak the English language fluently and she was most considerate of other persons. She lived very much in seclusion within her own home during her life, but her hospitably to members of the family and friends when they came was a joy, for her and all who came, and always exceptionally prepared foods were more than anticipated and her excellent art of cooking was enjoyed. She had a disposition of great determination, a trait that is an inheritance in the children and grandchildren. Late in life, Ane persuaded grandmother to have her picture taken, which shows her sweet face, her dress and the cute bonnet.
When grandmother came to Utah she had long black hair to her waist, but shortly she became practically bald with just a little twist at the nape of her neck, but she had pride and she always wore the cutest black lace caps with a fullness of lace around the face and the cap was tied under the chin. This was never taken off during the daytime. She had several caps, some that she wore when outdoors working and one for very best, but they were all made the same. Even when she would dress to go out, she had a larger bonnet made of a wire mesh and black lace and trimmed with a bunch of ribbon and of purple flowers on the top and one side, which she put on top of the little black lace cap she always wore. Gradually though her life, one tooth at a time was lost, but she still had one top tooth and one bottom tooth left in front when she passed away.
On the side table by the window and grandmother's rocking chair was a large brown leather bible, printed in Danish. The cover and pages were well worn with use, for early in the morning, grandfather read a passage from the scriptures before the day's work was begun. The religious spirt was kept even though long ago, the family had discontinued to attend the church meetings or gatherings.
From inquiry amongst grandchildren, stories of their life in Denmark and in Utah, or incidents about the family joining the Mormon church are so few. From the L.D.S. church branch records, film 8534, Pt. 4 F Denmark 29, we find that in Kalahave, on 6 April 1857, Magnus Larsen and wife Maren Larsen were baptized and confirmed by N. Nielsen, as members of the L.D.S. church. On the second day of August, 1857, Ane Marie (Mary Larsen Benson Peterson), a daughter, and Larsine (Sene Larsen Munk), a daughter, were baptized by A. Jensen and confirmed by L. Erikson, as members of the L.D.S. church. Also, a sister, Dorthea, was baptized in 1861 by C. Jensen and confirmed by M. Larsen and records show immigrated in April, 1862. We ponder here, but no doubt the record M. Larsen could be our Magnus Larsen. Gradually, Magnus' brothers and sisters were baptized and became members of the L.D.S. church. Joining the L.D.S. church brought much unrest and troubles among associates, friends, families and workers, that were not Mormons. Then came the desire to go to America. One of the greats thoughts of going to America was the information that there was free land, which was a great inducement. When grandpa and grandma talked to their landlord about leaving their employments, the landlord was very interested and told them he could agree with the possibilities in America for their larger family, and that their children would have one more advantages than their parents in Denmark, but he discovered their plans to go to Utah. He told them of great inducements and projects in Wisconsin. Grandmother told of his description of every young girl being married into polygamy after reaching Utah.
In April 1863, the family were packed, ready to leave their home in Denmark for America. During the night before their departure in the morning, one of the twins, an infant, died and the death left no time for the family to prepare for the bay's burial and friends were kind enough to take this responsibility for a sad burial. Had the family stayed just long enough for the burial, they would not have been able to get their train and reach their destination in Hamburg, Germany for the sailing of the ship. Other members of the Larsen family and their children sailed later.
The genealogical records show that the Magnus Larsen family listed on this voyage are:
- Magnus Larsen~ age 45 years, father.
- Maren Larsen~ age 41 years, mother.
- Larsenas Larsen~ age 15 years, daughter.
- Ane Kirstines Larsen~ age 12 years, daughter.
- Sophie Larsen~ age 9 years, daughter.
- Frederiks Larsen~ age 7 years, son.
- Amalies Larsen~ age infant, daughter.
They left Sjæland, Denmark, for Hamburg, Germany to sail for America. The record also shows that Magnus sisters, Dorthea and Ane Marie were with this group.
From the mission records, the History of Scandinavian Mission, by Andrew Jensen, page 166, the story of the sailing is: On Monday, 21 April 1862, the ship Athena sailed from Hamburg, Germany, with 484 emigrants on the ship. In two weeks the ship had covered half the distance, and then the ship stood still. The temperature of the air and water was 80º and conditions became almost unbearable. Adults and children became very ill. The drinking water became foul and stringy. With an overcrowded ship, the air was foul, filthy and unsanitary. The food each day became less and rations lower and less, thirty-three children and several adults were buried at sea. Measles and other diseases raged and to the sorrow of the Larsen family, the twin Amelie passed away and was buried at sea. Very sad moments from grandmother Larsen, came when she would relate the deaths of her twins.
Along with much illness, diarrhea was raging and the captain ordered for the very ill, oatmeal porridge for the morning meal, rice at noon and sago porridge at night. Rations were gone or low and the dried beans that were cooked were not cleaned and plenty of mud was amongst them to eat. Many days prayers were offered of thanks to Him to hold destiny in his hands. Finally the ship began moving, and on June 7th, they arrived in New York.
The family came by rail from New York City to the Mississippi River, then went up the river on a boat to Florence, Nebraska and it was crowded, dirty and had poor food. The journey to here had been long and trying, with still many miles before reaching Salt Lake City. Prayers of encouragement were the life that kept them going and on June 18th they arrived in Florence, Nebraska. Church teams were provided to haul their worldly goods and provisions from Nebraska to Utah, but the family had to walk. This was the most hazardous and most discouraging trial they had encountered. The walking was strenuous for the healthy and strong, but the weaker and the smaller children suffered much, some were too weak to walk the distance each day. Fredrick was given a ride part of the time and Sene, with the whooping cough, had special privileges if unable to walk further. The hardships of the long, tiresome journey, the heat, the dust-storms, the poor food which was rationed daily, the scarcity of water and the continual outdoor camping, will never be retold, along with the silent discouragement were almost more than this refined mother and father and their children many times could endure, but from some of the stories handed down, grandfather always remained pleasant and uncomplaining, which was the great encouragement to all. This silent endurance is a trait found amongst some of the children. At last the company arrived in Salt Lake City, about 24 September, 1862. To date, who the captain of their company was has not been found of record, but often Ola N. Liljenquist's name was mentioned and his picture hung on grandmothers walls, along with that of Erastus Snow and were her pride.
Teamsters from the church were sent from Cache Valley into Salt Lake City to help the immigrants to their assigned destinations. No further information is available at this time for us to know how these assignments were made and by whom. A great part of the Danish group were sent to Sanpete County, some to Hyrum, Utah, some to Providence, Utah, and some to Clarkston, Utah. Mads Hansen of Providence was one of the converts who lived in Providence. When the Larsen's reached Florence, grandfather borrowed $75.00 from Mads Hansen to help complete the trip, so we realize here that the Larsen's were almost desperate before ending their journey. Mads Hansen loaned money to many of the Saints. In early years, Mads Hansen came to visit the family, along with Ola N. Liljenquist from Hyrum, Utah.
Hans J. Munk of Logan, Utah was the teamster assigned to help the Larsen family from Salt Lake City in October, 1862, arriving in Brigham City, where Magnus got work on the farm of the Kundson family, threshing grain. No threshing machines were available at this time, it was all hand work. Grandmother often told of going into the grain fields to glean or gather the grain left on the sides and corners and in the swales. This grain was ground at a flour mill for their flour. The stay at the Knudson's was about a year when they came to Mendon, Utah. Sena did not remain with the family, but came on to Logan with Hans J. Munk to his home to assist in the housework. Also at this time the greatest problem of the family was housing and food. In later years, members of the family have expressed gratitude for the food provided and especially the good bread and molasses, instead of the beans cooked with mud in them. Hans J. Munk's wife, Petri Nele, was ill and had two small children, and Sena lived with them for two years and then married Hans J. Munk in polygamy.
Three more children were born to the Larsen family after they settled in Mendon, making a family of twelve children born to this couple. They were:
- Peter Larsen~ born 2 December 1863, died 2 May 1956, married Charlotte Ann Longstroth.
- Andrew Larsen~ born 1867, died 1878.
- Magnus Larsen~ born 2 December 1871, died 12 May 1921, married Sarah Jane (Sally) Gardner. Magnus was killed in a railroad accident.
When first coming to Mendon they lived in the circle, or stockade, built on the public square. The Larsen family was assigned a building lot for their home to be built, in Mendon and it was located the half block north of of the public square on the street running north and south and on the east side of the street on the east street from the church. As soon as possible, three log rooms were built, all in a row, on the southwest corner of the lot. One room had a rough wooden floor and the other two had dirt floors. Only one door and it was on the east side of the building and each room had one small window. The roof of the house was covered with sod.
The heating and cooking were done from a fireplace built of large rocks built in one of the rooms. Later a fireplace was built in the room where the loom for weaving was located. The fuel was wood that was hauled from the slopes of the mountains west of town. Some of the logs for the building were brought out of Blacksmith Fork Canyon. One of these rooms was all used for storage of their dry firewood, their grain, flour and provisions. Some years later a better log house was built. It had two large rooms, and large windows on the west, north, and south side of the house and doors both east and west. The first log cabins were torn down and used to build a stable for the horses, a breezeway and a stable for the cows and the remaining logs were the foundation for the old granary. The log houses were chinked with clay mixture, to keep the cold from coming in. The new log house was later covered with a siding that made it warmer and improved the looks. Later a room was built away from the house and it was called the summer house. It had a dirt floor, but packed down until it was almost like cement. Here the messy work of the home was done, when it was not too cold. Most of the foods were cooked there in the summer. All the water had to be heated in boilers or large containers for the washings, the killing of animals and the bathing. Later, another addition of a summer kitchen was built just east of the home with a platform between and on the same level as the home. A large cellar was dug just south of the home. It was sod covered and the steps leading down were flat stones laid on top of the earth carved steps. Shelves were made where the milk was set in a pan for the cream to rise for the butter. Barrels contained the malt made beer to ripen. Bins contained the salt meat that was not hidden in the grain bins.
Grandfather and grandmother and uncle Fred lived in this two room building until they passed away. Mary came about a year after they came to Mendon and she went to Logan to work. In a short time the three girls, Mary, Sena and Sophia had married into polygamy.
Some time later, through some dishonest acts of some of the jealous residents of Mendon (some were neighbors) and through disagreement with some of the church leaders and community chief leaders, the family about 1876 became very discouraged and ceased all activities in the L.D.S. church. A family barrier with many members of the family, church leaders and community leaders exists to the present time. At this time of the disagreements, Lars Larsen and his family left Cache Valley and intended to go to Oregon, but en route settled in the Twin Falls country, at a place then called Rock Creek. Grandmother said that Magnus wanted to go too, but she said No,
she had traveled far enough.
About 1892 grandfather Larsen, when chopping wood, had a chip fly into his face and eye and the eye was so badly injured he was taken to Logan, a three or four hour drive by team and bad roads, to a doctor. Dr. Ormsby operated on the eye and it was so badly damaged it had to be removed. The operation was very painful, no anesthetic was available and grandfather was tied down to the operating table with several men there to help hold his body during the operation. Some strong liquor was drunk to kill the pain. Grandfather stayed at Mary's for some time before coming home. The accident and the shock of the operation were too great, he never recovered, and from then on he became very weak physically and unable to perform any manual labor around the place. Peter, his son, often told how very white the color of his face grew worse and worse and no strength was returning to his body. After the eye healed he never complained of pain anywhere in his body, only that he was just so tired, until he passed away in the summer of (4 June) 1894.
After grandfathers passing away, grandmother and Uncle Fred lived together. Grandmother was still very ambitious and energetic, with lots of determination, doing her own housework and very saving, taking care that no waste be made in food, produce, or money. She always had a good sized vegetable garden, which she cared for after the plowing was done. She had her herb garden which she rearranged each year and the rhubarb, gooseberry and raspberry bushes, she watched that the children did not take too many. She enjoyed making her beer weakly, a duty she learned while in Denmark. Even to the end she was anxious that the cellar shelves be filled with the fruits, preserves and pickles for the winter and the barrels with the salted sausages, rolled meats and the hams and shoulders of the pigs. Always a winter pit was dug to put the potatoes, carrots, cabbage heads in, that were too much for the cellar to hold, for during the winter months, she made soups of many varieties with the meats and vegetables.
She milked her own cows, sometimes two or three and cared for the milk, butter and cottage cheese. She made her own bread and cookies and the most determination was shown at the time in the fall when the killing of the pigs and the caring for the meats and sausages began. She was in her eightieth year when an eye trouble began, thought to be cataracts on both eyes, but later developing into cancer and then she had to cease with most of her work. Some of the grandchildren from Christine's family and some from Sophia's family would come at intervals to assist in the household duties. The slow, creeping disease was most painful to the end.
One of the greatest memories I have of my grandmother, for I was about eleven years old when she died, was her dark dresses, made of a heavy coarse looking material. The waist was a bask fitted type buttoning down the front with pretty buttons and the skirt was full, gathered at the waist and came almost to the ground.
Her square-toed, low heeled shoes were black, with a look of comfort. She had a pocket in the side of the skirt, that a little kerchief stuck out and when we were real small, it was her delight and ours too, to let us retrieve one of those round white hot peppermint candy drops. She always had just enough drops there for the grandchildren that came and then a cookie and a glass of beer for my mother or my father. She always wore a waist tied apron, very full around that almost covered the skirt. It was long, almost to the bottom of her dress and it had pockets at the sides. Most of the aprons were small blue and white checkered and some had some crisscross stitch pasterns on the hemlines.
To me now, when I recall the times we would sit and visit or when we would be seated around the table with the boys (Pete, my father and Uncle Fred, sometimes Aunt Christine) the conversation would be a wonderful record for today. The grandmother and the boys always conversed in Danish. The grandchildren sometimes did not understand the Danish and then some one would repeat, but when the children spoke or Pete and Fred would converse with each other it was in English. Grandmother talking in Danish and we children talking in English, but we did not know it could be otherwise.
One of the recollections of stories told by grandmother was about her step-father that came. He lived in a little dugout made on the northwest corner of this same lot. It was built several steps down into the ground and had a sod covered roof. There was a trap door at the top of the steps. There was a chimney built up on the roof. That winter was extremely cold and an abundance of snow came and everybody was snowed in. When grandmother looked out she could see smoke coming out the chimney, but he would have to wait until the family could shovel themselves out and make a path to shovel the step-father out. He was much horrified and panicky, before the trap door could be opened. He left in the early spring for Denmark and I cannot recall, but he never wrote other members there and wrote but a time or so after he returned to his native land.
Mary came a year later and it was a great joy when she was with them, but the greatest thoughts were for food, so Mary went to Logan to work in the home of Apostle Ezra T. Benson. Later she was married to Apostle Benson, as his last and seventh wife. One of the passengers on the same ship with Mary was James Anderson of the Logan sixth ward. He was a friend of the family and he was known to us by the name of Temple Jim Anderson.
A story I liked to hear grandmother tell was when grandfather worked for the nobleman. The lady and the nobleman had gone away, leaving grandfather to watch the children. In the hall was a tall mirror. The children brought the goat into the room to let him see himself and to their delight he went right through the glass. A sad plight for the children and grandpa.
Grandfather and grandmother did not leave a fortune of wealth to their children, but the refined culture they had lived in Denmark and brought with them to the wild, pioneer life they all had to live, that inheritance will not be lost, for their teachings to their children have been taught to the grandchildren.
Appreciation and thanks to the many persons assisting in writing this sketch: Viva and Oliver Munk; George Anderson; Lee Peterson: Ann L. Everton and Lillian Larsen's sketch which is made a part of this. L.D.S. genealogical research records; History of the Scandinavian Mission, by Andrew Jensen; Notes taken when my father came for a visit; and my own recollections as I ran away from home to sit on the footstool by my grandmother.
Life Sketch
Father worked for a wealthy land-lord near Copenhagen for eighteen years as a valet. This landlord owned a vast tract of land, a stable of Arabian horses and deer in a park. When he drove out to socials, father went along. Usually four stallions were hitched to the carriage. Sometimes he became intoxicated and father would help him to bed.
Mother worked at the same place. The land-lady was very generous with the servants. She always ordered some of the extras at the socials to be given to the servants. Mother prepared meals for the guests and made beer for the servants.
After father and mother were married, they were granted a life lease on a small tract of land, enough to provide a living for them and a small family, but they could see no inducement for their children, so after joining the L.D.S. church, they decided on coming to America. All the family except Mary came together. Mary came the next year. She had hired to a neighbor and the people would not release her. Father and family emigrated in 1862. Sene, Sophia and Fredrick. One child was buried in the ocean. Eleven weeks were spent on the Atlantic. They rode the railroad from New York to Council Bluffs.
My parents did not tell us much about their early lives. Grandfather was a Swede, a large raw-boned man. He did a days work and at evenings would mend footwear for other people. I do not know what his occupation was. Grandmother must have died early as I can not remember father telling about her.
Mother's folks had a home and on it was an orchard. She very often told us of dreams in which she worked in it. Her father died while she was quite young and her step-father was very abusive to the children. One brother came to the southern states during the Civil War, but they never heard of him afterwards.
Fredrick was too weak to walk far at a time, so a place was made for him in the wagon with their belongings. Father, mother and three sisters (Larsene, Christina and Sophia) walked from Omaha, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, Utah. The farm implements brought along were a steel plow, without handles or beam and a set of steel harrow teeth. They drove a cow for milk. The L.D.S. church sent men and teams from Utah to bring these immigrants to Salt Lake City. About the first I remember was the neighbor's children with whom we played. The Gardners, west across the street and the Westover's, who lived on the lot just south of our home. Here are some of the names, Albert, Brigham and Emma Gardner, William, John and Mary Ellen Westover.
Like all boys we had stick horses which we rode. We had home made clay marbles and a few glass ones. In the summer time all were barefooted. Each wore homespun clothing. When winter came some were not too well protected form the cold. I remember John Westover coming out to slide on the ice with no hat, coat or shoes. When his feet got cold, he would stand on a small block of wood with one foot and hold the other up like a chicken.
As time went on the next step was school. Adam C. Smyth, an educated Englishman, taught school in the east part of the old rock church house (the new addition was built later). I first attended school here. Some of the names of the first grade students were Shumway, Shelton, Gardner, Hill and Baker. My attendance was not for the first of the year. Each autumn and spring, my parents would have me tend the sheep and cows until they were taken to the town herd. The sheep of the town were all put in one herd and a man hired to look after them during the summer months. The cows were herded by each owner, herding one day for each cow. Jasper Lemmon supervised the herding. Later, as the cows increased, there was a herd for the people of the south and one for the people of the north.
Later on the hills were homesteaded and every section with odd numbers was bought from the Union Pacific Railroad Company and the lands were fenced for pastures. The old rock meeting house was protected by a rock wall for protection from the Indians. Our first fuel was wood. No coal was to be had until the Utah Northern was built. Wood was obtained from the nearby mountains.
Our first home consisted of three log cabins, two for living quarters and one for a granary. All three joined at the ends, with dirt roofs. One room had a lumber floor, the others a dirt floor. They were located just south of the present residence. In the room having a bare floor was a fireplace with a flat stone in front for a hearth where most of the cooking was done. A homemade loom on which father wove our clothing and part of our bedding. One bed, a flour bin and some benches for chairs. The beds were homemade, short posts. Rawhide strips pulled tight, lengthwise and crosswise for springs and straw filled ticks formed the foundation.
The room having the board floor contained two beds, one heater and benches. Each room had one window. Entrance was on the east side of the cabin with the dirt floor. Doors and flooring were made from hand-sawed lumber Hinges of the doors were wooden. After the sheep were sheared, the wool was washed and taken to the carding mill at Logan. Mother and the girls, Christina and Sophia would spin the bats into skeins of yarn. Then the loom would be harnessed and weaving commenced. Most of the work was done during the winter. A man by the name of Soren Mortisen was a tailor. He spent a few days at our home cutting and fitting. All the sewing was by hand.
At holiday time we had social meals with the Jensens and Uncle Lars Larsen. Each family in their turn would invite the other two families for dinner and supper at their respective homes. In the evening Uncle Lars played his violin, Hans Jensen in an able voice, would sing and there was dancing of the old time waltz, polka and schottische. Sometimes the Larsen's and Rasmusen's of Clarkston, Utah would come see us and we visited them at least once a year. Once some of the Clarkston folks visited us and they crossed the Bear River on the ice and returned the same. This was near where Cache Junction is now located.