David R. Gunderson Collection - - - - - photos and stories from Mt. Pleasant, Utah

Restoration Project for Lundberg Post

2011-10-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

After (above)

Before

Dave Gunderson Restoration of Two Historic Photos

2011-10-28T01:39:00.000-07:00

We have such wonderful, thoughtful friends looking out for us.

Dave Gunderson took the two photos from our earlier post: http://mtpleasantpioneer.blogspot.com/2011/10/hazel-anderson-working-at-mt-pleasant.html

submitted by

Judy Malkiewicz about

the Progress Store and did his magic.

Before

7th Handcart Company ~ Written by C.C.A. Christensen~ Shared by David R. Gunderson

2011-10-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Folks,

While I was doing the research for the Gunderson Book, I listened to a conference commemorating the 150th anniversary of the ten Handcart Companies which crossed the plains during the 1850's . Pres. Boyd K. Packer gave the keynote talk which quoted from an article on the 7th handcart company. This article was written in Danish by C. C. A. Christensen and published in the late 1890 time frame. The article was translated into English during the 1980's and published is the Nebraska History Magazine.The article speaks of a young Norwegian woman who was crossing the plains in this Company with her blind mother. I knew instantly that he was speaking of Caroline Johnsen and her Mother Elizabeth.

On the following Monday morning, I called Pres. Packer's office to ask how I could get a copy of the article and his secretary agreed to send Pres. Packers own copy of the C. C. A. Christensen's article for our use.

David R. Gunderson

HandcartCrossing by CCA Christensen

By Handcart to Utah:

TheAccount of C. C. A. Christensen

Nebraska History Vol. 66, Number 4,Winter 1985

Translated from Danish by Richard L. Jensen

INTRODUCTION

Between1856 and 1860 approximately 3,000 Latter-day Saints made the overland journeyfrom Iowa City, Iowa, to Salt Lake City, Utah, carrying their provisions andbelongings in handcarts. This novel mode of travel was an attempt to helpemigrants with limited resources gather to Utah at a time

when. their church andits Perpetual Emigrating Fund had

incurred heavyindebtedness for teams and wagons in earlier years. Despite the tragedy of twoMormon handcart companies caught in the snow in late 1856, Brigham Young encouragedthe continuation of the handcart scheme, which was quite effective under favorable circumstances. By 1861another approach, using mostly teams andwagons from Utah. proved more satisfactory, and a colorful chapter in Americanpioneer transportation came to an end.

One of those whopulled a handcart in 1857 was Carl Christian Anton Christensen (1831-1912), aDanish immigrant. Christensen's reminiscences of the trek, much like his wellknown paintings of Mormon history, incorporate charmingly detailed vignettesinto the telling of the broader story.¹ Thus Christensen shares withthe reader a feeling for the nature of the human experience of crossing plainsand mountains with very limited resources. There are not more than a half dozendetailed accounts by participants of traveling by handcart, so Christensen's,published here in English translation for the first time, is significant. ²

Born in Copenhagen,Christensen was apprenticed to a decorative painter and was simultaneouslystudying at the. Royal Academy of Art when at the age of 18 in 1850, he wasconverted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

CCA Christensen 335

Eager to share hisnew-found faith with others, he was called in 1853 to serve as a proselytizingmissionary, first in Denmark and later that year in Norway.

Among many young Danish converts alsocalled to be missionaries were brothers Carl Christian Nikolai Dorius and JohanFrederik Ferdinand Dorius. They and Christensen became lifelong friends. In1857 they were released from missionary labors and given permission toemigrate to Utah-the fulfillment of a fond dream for most European Latter-daySaints in the 19th century. They emigrated with a large company ofScandinavian Latter-day Saints, including three

Norwegian girls whom thefriends planned to marry in Salt; Lake City. Christensen's narrative beginswith their departure from Norway in March 1857. From Liverpool, England, they.sailed for the United States April 25, 1857, aboard the American ship Westmnoreland.

The present account istranslated from writings of C. C. A.

Christensen publishedin the Salt Lake City Bikuben (The Beehive), a Latter-day Saint Danish-Norwegiannewspaper. I have attempted to amalgamate several separate accounts into one,because each contained useful information. In order to avoid too severelyfragmenting the narrative, I have retained a few overlapping details. In somecases I have divided long sentences andparagraphs for greater ease in reading. ³

THE REMINISCENCE

In the spring of 1857C. C. N. Dorius and his brother Ferdinand. . . were released from theirmissions with permission to emigrate. C. C. A. [Christensen] was given the sameprivilege and [C.] Dorius and the last-mentioned unmarked at Kristiania [now Oslo]directly for Hull [England], while F. Dorius and the emigrants left forCopenhagen. The current of our lives had now again merged, and now it took anentirely new direction. .

Having reachedLiverpool, we were able to see and talk with the renowned Apostle Orson Prattfor the first time.⁴

He received us with greatkindness; but with the dignity of his manner, the veneration his sermons andpamphlets had in

stilled in usincreased even further when we entered his actual

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presence. We attendeda meeting at which he spoke on the subject "The Patriarch Jacob blesseshis two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh" and illustrated his remarks"by laying his hands upon our heads as the two young men, with himself as thepatriarch. The feeling that thrilled both of us on this occasion was almostone of mixed joy and pride, and although we understood only a very littleEnglish, it still seems to me that at that time we caught the gist of theApostle's remarks !very well. . . t

Whenwe had finally come on board the ship

Westmoreland which was to take us across the Atlantic

Ocean, we and otherbrethren were counseled to marry before we left Liverpool Harbor. ⁵ All three of ushad with us our chosen maidens, intendingto enter into matrimony at the conclusion of the journey rather than at itsbeginning, but we ! found absolutely no reason to object, and thereforeall three [couples] were married that very hour by Elder John Kay, who

was at that time on amission in England. C. Dorius's bride, was Ellen G. Rolfsen from Risør. [C. C.A. Christensen's bride .

was Elise Rosalie Scheel ofFredrikshald.]⁶ .

The voyage across theocean, which took about five weeks, I proceeded without any unusual occurrences, and welanded at : Philadelphia on Pentecost, Sunday May 31, 1857]. Ourfirst view of the lovely landscape along the Delaware inspired us greatly.

[Christensen must havebeen inspired to an extent before

arriving in America.He composed the following poem while aboard the Westmoreland at sea. Inthe original Danish it has a marching rhythm.]

HANDCARTSONG FROM 1857

Come, brethren, let us all gladly

Go together to Salt Lake City,

And if we get tired, don't be faint-hearted; Spit inyour fist, and that's all there is to it.

We’re going to our beloved home,

Always forward. Dulidulidu.⁷

And if it seems a little hard, stilI we can take it.The handcart does feel strange and new,

It is true, from one view;

But every fellow in some way

Will take hold better every day

Till in the end it goes right neatly,

Doesn't it? Dulidulidu.

And even if it seems a little hard, we can take it.

So it goes, up and down,

More and more, for several weeks,

Till we get up on the mountain.

At its top we will stop.

There Salt Lake Valley we will see

Anda little snow-dulidulidu. .

The last tug was a little hard, but we could take it.

Then we go merrily down again; Come, my follower andfriend!

Our trip is now almost at an end.

We are free as a bee.

. Now we quickly hurryon

Toward our joyful home-dulidulidu

And even if it was a little hard,

We could take it.

Thejourney then continued by rail to Iowa City, which was the westernmost pointthe iron horse had reached, and there wewere to begin our honeymoon trip with handcarts. .

Atthe campground⁸ we encountered our first trials, in that we had togive up books which were bound and had been kept carefully for a long time,particularly our “Skandinaviske Stjerner” ["Scandinavian Stars"]⁹We were only allowed to take with us fifteen pounds in weight for each personwho was to travel with the handcarts, and that included our tinware for eating,bedding, and any clothing we did not wish to carry ourselves. Thus I rememberthat I sold my best trousers to a passing ox driver for twenty-five cents, andothers had to leave valuable articles behind at the campground without any compensation.Books were left there in large numbers, and their loss has been felt afterwardswith sorrow by others as well as myself.

Wewere given a returning missionary by the name of

[James P.] Park, anative of Scotland, as captain of the handcart company. The less said aboutthis unfortunate choice of a

338 Nebraska History

leader for such apeople as us, the better for him. We suffered greatly the first two or threehundred miles, traveling through the state of Iowa until we reached theMissouri River. The hot season of the year, frequent rain showers, almost'bottomless roads, exertion and diet to which we were unaccustomed, and theunreasonable, inconsiderate course of action pursued by our leader [Park],brought about much sickness and many deaths among us.¹⁰ But through all these trials. the brothers Dorius andI were, as before, always one another's inseparable, faithful helpers. Each ofus had a little part of the company to help organize. Then as afterwards, CarlDorius was the Samaritan among the sick; the encouraging, helpful friend andbrother to the despondent and the exhausted. That was no less true of his youngwife, and I must say the same of the other newly-married wives and of F. Dorius.

Afterwe were reorganized in Florence [Nebraska], and were given our well-knownDanish brother Christian Christiansen as our leader, things went much better.¹¹ The very weakest persons were left behind; we took anumber with us who were half exhausted. He[Christiansen] began with very short daily travel and walked the entire wayhimself in order to better be near at hand and to be able to assess the strengthof the people, rather than riding horseback like other captains. His gentle,fatherly treatment will never be forgotten by those whom he led across theplains and the mountains in 1857.

Ourtrain consisted of between thirty and forty handcarts. Each of these had anaverage of five persons and was loaded with what little bedding, tin eatingware, and other equipment was allowed¹² . . . . In addition to that, we were to have a couple ofhundred pounds of provisions in each handcart. Moreover, it was usuallynecessary for small children to ride in the handcart which the father, mother,and older brothers and sisters of the family pulled.

One of the people we had was a blindsister from Norway, who was about sixty years old, and she walked the wholeway. But she was always cheerful, and as she pushed the handcart her youngdaughter was helping to pull we could often hear her merry laughter when sheunexpectedly found herself wading through one or another of the many streams ofwater which were found along our way. "Now, Mother, we are about to crosssome water ,"we could her

C. C. A. Christensen

339

daughter warning her, “Is it deep?" or "Howdeep is it?" we heard her reply from the blind woman; and when theexplanation was satisfactory, she walked cheerfully out into the water.

Oneof the most difficult streams that we had to ford was Loup Fork, a tributary ofthe Platte River. At the time we crossed, it was very wide, and besides thatthe bottom was loose sand, which was constantly shifting. The sick and theblind woman were allowed to ride in one of our freight wagons, for we had threewagons drawn by mules, which carried our tents and cookware, and in extremeemergencies one or more of those who were sick or fatigued were allowed toride. But such a ride was an object of dread for most, for to be driven overrocky and uneven roads, and with only the tents under oneself, was for sickpeople usually only a means of increasing their suffering, and in some casesof hastening their death.

Atthe river mentioned above, Loup Fork, several interesting and almost amusingscenes also took place.

Alarge Indian encampment¹³ was located at that time right at thefording place, and several of the young girls were ferried across by sittingbehind a half-naked Indian on horseback, having to hold on to him around thewaist in order not to fall off. Those of the emigrants who dared to wade had tohold on to each other in order not to be carried downstream in the strongcurrent, and now and then the handcart also lost its footing and threatened toleave the company, at which time extra resources for rescue had to be utilized.But all went well, and not a thing was lost, nor was anyone hurt.

Earlyin the morning, generally, the children who could walk-some even under the ageof four-were sent ahead, accompanied by their sisters, partly to avoid thedust and partly to walk as far as possible before the burning sun and exhaustionwould make it necessary to put them. in the handcart.

Forme it is beyond all doubt that the angels of the Lord were with us, though theywere unseen, for we were walking defenseless in a long, spread-out row, in whatwas then the land of wild Indians, and many times we were among great herds ofbuffalo that could have totally annihilated us if they had been startled or forone reason or another had been led in the same direction we were traveling. Butthey seemed to be

340 NebraskaHistory

held at a suitabledistance the whole time, although they were often only a gunshot away.

Iremember a certain sister who came up one morning when the tents were beingpacked up, with something in her apron. Upon inspection it proved to be alittle person who had come to the world the previous evening. The mother hadwalked with her handcart all day the previous day, and she thought she wouldalso walk as far that day as she could, but she was prevented from doing thatand rode for a few days. Both the mother and the child are still alive andliving in Monroe, Sevier County, Utah.

Wealso had "the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together. . . ,¹⁴ all representedin our traveling company, for we had a girl who had a wooden leg. And oddlyenough, these persons made it all the way to their destination, while manyyounger persons marked our path with their graves, without as much as anameboard, except where there happened to be a bleached buffalo skull. Yet themood was, overall, cheerful and jovial, and very seldom were complaints ordispleasure heard from anyone, even when sickness or death had invaded thefamily.

Wewere only poorly supplied with provisions when we left Florence and had athousand miles of wilderness to cover before we could expect any more. Thelittle smoked pork, dried beef, and sugar, coffee, salt, and other seasoningwith which we were furnished lasted only about three weeks in most cases, andafter that there was naturally flour, flour, flour, and only flour to eat. Withthis .they baked bread, cooked porridge, gruel, soup, coffee, pancakes, andseveral other nice dishes, but still it was just flour, flour, and flour; andat one point the flour was scarce, too. ¹⁵ We only shotone buffalo, and this happened almost like a miracle, for it had lagged behindthe rest of the herd. We dared not attack the great herd under ourcircumstances at that time.

Oursupplies were intended to be as few as possible, for the weight of theprovisions had to be considered, and the hard daily toil increased ourappetite, rather than decreasing it, except in cases of illness. Therefore, asit said in one of our songs of encouragement from those days:

Surely,it was hard. and often we got very tired/

Butthe carts, with our appetite,/

Soon became light./

Andyes, the road was long,/

Butthere was merry joking, jests, and song/

Whenwe made camp.

CCAChristensen 341

But the Camp in the evening was not anabsolute resting place for the tired pilgrims, for then it was a matter ofpreparing a meal from the sparse provisions that we had brought with us… We also baked our bread in kettles we hadbrought along.¹⁶ Thiswas women’s work and sometimes took till past midnight, for each had to waitfor the other to use the dutch oven. Themen fetched water and gathered fuel; where firewood could be found. Otherwisethe women and

children helped gatherdried “Ko-kasser”¹⁷ as we call them in Danish, since on the greatplains along the Platt River there was enough of that kind, from the abundantbuffalo herds which existed there at that time. After that the men had to do guard duty for four or five hours everyfourth day and then begin the hike anew, after breakfast was prepared andconsumed.

One nice trait characterized these people,both young and old, namely that their prayers and thanksgivings were heldregularly every morning and evening. The train started moving at about 6:30.The vanguard of the procession consisted of the few cows which some of thosewith more means had bought from farmers along the way. The small boys drovethem as far ahead of the company as was possible with tolerable safety, for youmust remember that we were in the land of the Indians, and one could not alwaysdepend upon them for his life. ¹⁸ Besides that, we had the great herds of wild buffaloaround us for many days, and if they had been alarmed and charged, that wouldhave been the end for us, us: just as we could have been swept away by atornado But the Lord held his handover our defenseless emigrant company, and we were not molested by either wildpeople or wild animals.

One of the most important questions everymorning, which we usually asked our leader -we called him captain- was: “Howfar is it to water today?" For he had a book which gave the distance and otherinformation about the rout, particularly with regard to water and grass forthe emigrants’ draft animals.¹⁹ Only onesingle night did our captain make a mistake with the directions, and we foundit necessary to stop when darkness fell without water. Then some of thebrethren had to go back several miles to get water for their crying littleones. But as soon as daybreak came we broke camp and found water a few milesfurther along our way and soon forgot the privation of that night.

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Nebraska History

Although it was atrial and involved many hardships, there were still also now and then bothinteresting and happy scenes as well as comical scenes on the way. Our costumeswould look fine at one of out so-called “Hard Times Balls." Our hats, orwhat might once have been called hats, assumed the most grotesque shapes,seeing that the sun, wind, and rain had the superior force. The ladies' skirtsand the men's trousers hung in irregular trimmings, and the foot coveringsproportional to the rest, with or without bottoms. Our faces were gray from thedust, which sometimes prevented us from seeing the vanguard; our noses with theskin hanging in patches, especially on those who had as much nose as I have;and almost every lower lip covered with a piece of cloth or paper because ofits chapped condition, which made it difficult to speak and particularly tosmile or laugh.

Bedding was oftenaltered to become everyday clothing, and a gentleman with trousers sewn frombed ticking was no curiosity in those days.. Nor were the ladies so particularabout whether their skirts could hide their poor footwear, if indeed they werewell enough off to own a pair of shoes, for there were many who had none; butthe Scandinavians managed well with wooden shoes in those days.

A very old man, whohad completely lost his sense of smell, came into camp one day, after the restof us had things somewhat in order, with a skunk which he counted on cookingfor soup. This almost made the rest of us leave. He had killed it with his caneand knew nothing about its peculiar means of defense.

We had with us atailor who was getting along in years, but who did not therefore think any theless of his own charm but

wanted to try his luckwith one of our Norwegian sisters. There were two who pleased him, but the onewas married, and she let him continue with his mistake for some time, to theamusement of those of us who were in on the matter.

At the same time wewere traveling as peaceful emigrants to Utah, a considerable military force wasalso on the way to Utah. But providentially they never came near us, in thatthey marched along the other side of the Platte River, where we

could see them, andtheir weapons shone in the sun. They were sent out by the government tosuppress a supposed rebellion which did not exist at all in Utah.²⁰As they

C. C. A. Christensen

343

amounted to severalthousand men, large trains of provisions and fat stock were also sent out fortheir use, and most of these traveled on the same side of the river as we did.But we had no further inconvenience from them other than the dust they raised.One morning after we had been without any sort of meat for several weeks, wepassed a large, fat ox, which they had left behind because one of their heavilyloaded wagons had run over one of its feet and crushed it.

Aswe stood looking at the poor animal, the leader of the provision train to whichit belonged came back, and in a" coarse yet half-friendly tone he said,"You people can have that ox; I suppose you might need a littlemeat.” Again we saw in this instance,the Lord's care for us. We got the ox butchered and divided the meat amongourselves, but that was.

not so easily done,for we did not even have a decent ax in the, whole company, for almost everything that was heavy had to be left atthe campground at Iowa City.

Sincewe had a butcher with us, the art of supplying us with fresh meat was turnedover to him, but unfortunately he was accustomed to hitting cattle on theforehead. The ax he had brought was, like everything else, of the lightestkind, and the poor animal merely shook its head at his blows. Then came amighty hunter. In all probability he had belonged to the militia in the townfrom which he came, and so he shot it through the nose. But finally another,luckier Ninuod came

and felled the animalwith his shot and put an end to its suffering.

Therelay [at the campground near Iowa City] heaps of

handsomelybound books, good warm clothes, and much else of value, of which we deeply feltthe loss wnen we reached Utah, But greatest of all was the loss of many dearrelatives and friends, who died along the way, in a sense as voluntary martyrsfor their faith in the gathering to this land. ²¹

Perhaps many would have suffered an even worse fate ifPresident Brigham Young had, not established provision stations where flourcould be obtained, and the first of these stations was about 400 miles east of Salt Lake City.²² Afterwards we were met by wagons with flour and fruit, whichbenefited us greatly, but particularly since these wagons picked up the weakestand sickest among us and thus lightening considerably the responsibility forthe rest of us.

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Nonebut those who have experienced such a trial of patience, faith, and endurancecan form an idea of what it meant to pull a handcart, which frequently eventhreatened to collapse because of the extreme heat and lack of humidity, whichcould cause the [wood of the] cart to split and thus deprive them of the lastmeans they possessed to bring with them their absolute necessities.

Alongthe way lay the skeletons of worn-out oxen, but these heroes and heroinesendured. . . . With their lips half eaten up by saleratus dust,²³and clothed in rags, with almost bottomless shoes on. their feet, yet theygreeted with songs of delight the rising sun which let them see Salt Lake Cityfor the first time.

Whatchanges have taken place since that time In less than one week our emigrantsare now brought here from the Atlantic coast, where they disembark after a fewdays pleasant ocean voyage by steamship, while we in those days were tumbledabout by sailing ships for several weeks, uncertain of the time when we couldexpect to see the promised land. And then the journey by land over the great,empty plains and high mountains on foot, poorly supplied with food andclothing-in short, subjected to almost every deprivation that people could bearand endure, and that for all of thirteen weeks.²⁴.

Onecan perhaps form a vague idea of our feelings when we finally stopped here inthis city and were met by kind brothers and sisters, many of whom broughtcakes, milk, and other things that for us were so much needed.

Itwas a Sunday, and with the Danish flag on the lead handcart we marched to ourlast resting place as far as this journey was concerned. . . . . . . . . A few dayslater; all these pilgrims had disappeared from their last camping place, havingfound shelter and hospitality among the Saints in Zion.

Sincethat time I have traveled back and forth several times across these mountainsand plains, but never have I seen people more patient and devoted to God thanthose with whom I faced these trying circumstances in the year 1857.

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NOTES

1. Jane Dillenberger, "Mormonismand American Religious Art,” Sunstone 3 (May-June 1978),pp. 13-17.Richard L. Jensen and Richard G. Oman, C. C. A. Christensen (1831-1912):Mormon Immigrant Artist (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints, 1984). Carl Carmer, “A Panorama of Mormon Lire,” Art inAmerica (May-June 1970), pp.52-65.

2. Other accounts of Mormonstraveling by handcart in the 1850s are

published in LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen, Handcartsto Zion (Glendale, California: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1960; reprint,1981). Additional information is found in Leonard J. Arrington and RebeccaCornwall, Rescue of the 1856 Handcart Companies (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young

University Press,1981).

3.This amalgamated account is taken from the following sources:

C.C. A. Christensen, “.C. C. N. Dorius,” Salt Lake City Bikuben, March

22,1894.

Christensen, “Haandkarre-Sang fra 1857” [“Handcart Songfrom 1857"],

SaltLake City Bikuben, September 23, 1896.

Christensen, “Erindringer fra 1857" ["Memoriesof 1857"], Salt Lake City

Bikuben,October 1,8, 1903.

Christensen, "Over Praerierne" [“Across thePrairies”], SaltLake City

Bikuben, September8, 1910. .

Christensen correspondence, Salt Lake City Bikuben, September15, 1904.

Christensen, “Et Mindeblad til afdode Soster Laura A.Larsen" ["A Page

in Memory of Deceased Sister Laura A. Larsen"], SaltLake City Bikuben,February 20, 1902.

4. Orson Pratt was thenpresiding over Latter-day Saint affairs in Europe and was concurrentlypresident of the Church's British Mission. At least four of Pratt's popularreligious tracts had been published in Danish translation by the timeChristensen and his friends visited Liverpool, and several of his sermons hadappeared in the Scandinavian Mission periodical.

5. The Westmoreland leftLiverpool April 25, 1857, with 544 Mormon passengers on board. Conway B. Sonne,Saints on the Seas: A Maritime History of Mormon Migration 1830-1890 (SaltLake City: -University of Utah Press, 1983), p. 152.

6. Risor and Fredrikshald, onopposite shores of Oslofjord, were among the first towns in Norway proselytizedby Latter-day Saints. Fredrikshald has since been renamed Halden.

7.“Dulidulidu" was apparently intended to suggest the trill of a fife.

8. The stagingarea for the handcart trek was on the banks of Clear Creek, three miles west ofIowa City, in present-day Coralville, Iowa. See Stanley B. Kimball, Discovering Mormon Trails: New York to California1831-1868

(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1979), p. 36. .

9. SkandinaviensStjerne [The Star of Scandinavia] was the Latter-day

Saintmission periodical for Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

10. Christensen explains elsewhere that Park"could not understand our language, nor have any 'particular sympathy forthose who were tired, sick, or dissatisfied as a result of the new andunaccustomed circumstances’

C. C. A. Christensen

347

- C. C. A. Christensen,“Erindringer fra 1857” ['Memories of 1857"], Salt Lake City Bikuben, October1, 1903.

11.The replacement of Christiansen for Parkat Florence was a rather unusual occurrence among a people known for theirsubmission to officially appointed leadership. It must have been the result ofcomplaints by the Scandinavians to Latter-day Saint authorities at Florence,although the process is not well documented. Christiansen had emigrated to Utahearlier had presided over Scandinavian Latter-day Saints in the Midwest in1856-1857 and was preparing to return to Utah with an ox-team party when he wascalled upon to assist the handcart emigrants.

12. A. Milton Musser, who assisted withChurch emigration arrangements at Florence, reported that the Scandinaviancompany left there with 68 handcarts and about 330 persons. Musser to WilliamAppleby, July 16, 1957, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 19,p. 620. Thus Christensen's estimate of the number of persons per handcart wasaccurate, while his recollection of the number of persons and handcarts in thecompany apparently was not.

13. Undoubtedly a Pawnee village. During1857 the Pawnee ceded other lands to the United States and moved severalvillages to this vicinity.

14. Jeremiah 31:8.

15. Christensen wrote elsewhere, "Ourdiet was . . . very monotonous, but

our appetite gave it seasoning, so that we ate oftenand much, and yet were .always hungry.” Christensen, “C. C. N. Dorius,” SaltLake City Bikuben,

March 22, 1894. .

16. They baked their bread "withoutyeast or baking powder”. Christensen, "Et Mindeblad til Afdode SosterLaura A. Larsen" [“A Page in Memory of Deceased Sister Laura A.Larsen"], Salt Lake City Bikuben, February 20, 1902.

17. Buffalo or cow chips are thecorresponding American terms, denoting dried animal dung used as fuel. InChristensen's painting on the cover of this issue of Nebraska History, awoman in the foreground is gathering buffalo chips.

18. In an insightful. examinationof emigrant-Indian relations along the westward trails, John D. Unruh, Jr.,indicates that the threat posed to travelers by Indians was often grosslyexaggerated, but that depredations were more common by the mid-1850s thanbefore. He finds that relatively few emigrants were killed by Indians east ofSouth Pass. Unruh, The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and theTrans-Mississippi West, 1840-60 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press,1979), pp. 156-200.

19. Probably WilliamClayton, The Latter-day Saints' Emigrants' Guide (St. Louis: RepublicanSteam Power Press-Chambers & Knapp, 1848). See also William Clayton, TheLatter-day Saints' Emigrants' Guide, ed. Stanley B. Kimball (Gerald,Missouri: Patrice Press, 1983). .

20. In response tocomplaints from federally appointed officials and a

former mail contractor, theadministration of James Buchanan sent troops to Utah under General AlbertSidney Johnston-as it was claimed-to restore federal authority over theterritory. For a discussion of the entire episode, see Norman F.Furniss, The Mormon Conflict, 1850-1859 (New Haven: YaleUniversity Press, 1960).

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21.James Jensen, another Danish immigrant in the same handcart company, statedthat one out of every ten in the group died enroute. J. M. Tanner, BiographicalSketch. of James Jensen (Salt Lake City, 1911), p. 40.

22. The aid station mentioned was at Deer Creek, present-dayGlenrock,

Wyoming.

23. Aerated sodium bicarbonate. Perhaps Christensen was alsoremembering alkali dust.

24.Before the adoption of steam transportation, Latter-day Saint immigrants fromEurope took from three to five months to reach Utah. In 1869 the first companyof Latter-day Saint immigrants to use both steamship and the newly completedtranscontinental railroad traveled from Liverpool to Ogden, Utah in 24 days. By1877 the entire trip took as little as 17 days. See Richard L. Jensen, "SteamingThrough: Arrangements for Mormon Emigration from Europe, 1869-1887”, Journalof Mormon History (1982):21

A list of the members of the 7th Handcart Co follows:

(The number shown in parentheses next to each name is the age of the pioneer at the time of the journey.)

Christian Christiansen Company (1857)
	Anderson, Andrea Catherine Johanne (5)
	Anderson, Charles Augustus (11)
	Anderson, Christina Boletta (3)
	Anderson, Gustave (37)
	Anderson, Jens Christian (36)
	Anderson, Josephine Brighamina (1)
	Anderson, Lauritz Peter (7)
	Anderson, Maren Thorstensen (36)
	Anderson, Margaret Nielsen Christiansen (27)
	Aragerup, N. (Unknown)
	Bastian, Gertrude Pedersen (22)
	Bastian, Jacob Sander (22)
	Brothersen, Anne (1)
	Brothersen, Bohne [or Bolin] (6)
	Brothersen, Christian (46)
	Brothersen, Diantha (9)
	Brothersen, Else Mortensen (31)
	Brothersen, Hans (7)
	Brothersen, Martin (4)
	Christensen, Anders Christian (48)
	Christensen, Andrea (1)
	Christensen, Anna Margretta (20)
	Christensen, Carl Christian Anthon (25)
	Christensen, Caroline (3)
	Christensen, Christiana Jeppedatter (23)
	Christensen, Christina [or Christiana] (infant)
	Christensen, Eliza Rosalia Sternhjem Harby (22)
	Christensen, Lars Christian (25)
	Christensen, Mads (32)
	Christensen, Maren Johanne Jensen (30)
	Christensen, Nils (25)
	Christensen, Peter Christian (18)
	Christensen, Rasmus Peter (infant)
	Christensen, Sophia Marie Pedersen (43)
	Christiansen, Ane Margrethe (51)
	Christiansen, Christian (32)
	Christiansen, Christian Nielson (38)
	Christiansen, Karen Marie (14)
	Dorius, Carl Christian Nikolai (27)
	Dorius, Ellen Gurinda Rolfson (20)
	Dorius, John Frederick Ferdinand (25)
	Dorius, Karen Frantzen (22)
	Eggertsen, Simon Peter (31)
	Erickson, Kersten (20)
	Erickson, Kersten Christensen (50)
	Erickson, Marcus (48)
	Folkman, George Jorgen Christopher (64)
	Folkman, Jens Peter (28)
	Folkman, Matilda Kristina Funk (20)
	Frantzen, John (20)
	Frantzen, Lars (45)
	Frantzen, Martha Maria Johansen (44)
	Garff, Christian Nielsen (9)
	Garff, Decan Westmoreland (infant)
	Garff, Josephine Patrine (2)
	Garff, Lauritz Nielsen (4)
	Garff, Marie Jacobsen (36)
	Garff, Niels Jorgensen (46)
	Garff, Peter Nielsen (14)
	Gibb, Hanna Eugenia (3)
	Gibb, Mica Martine Cathrine Margrethe Pedersen (23)
	Gottfredson, Hans James (8)
	Gottfredson, Jens (47)
	Gottfredson, Jens Peter (11)
	Gottfredson, Joseph Smith (4)
	Gottfredson, Karen Marie Meilhede Pedersen (28)
	Gottfredson, Mette Christine (6)
	Gottfredson, Platine Plattina (Infant)
	Green, C. Christina (Unknown)
	Green, William (50)
	Gudmundsen, Gudmund (32)
	Hakanson, Anna (18)
	Hakanson, Elsa (22)
	Handberg, Johanna Christina (18)
	Hansen, Anne Margretha Ohlsen (37)
	Hansen, Bertha Maria (34)
	Hansen, Christian Hans (19)
	Hansen, Embreth (37)
	Hansen, Erastusina (2)
	Hansen, Frederik (12)
	Hansen, Hans (45)
	Hansen, Hans (9)
	Hansen, Jens Martin (infant)
	Hansen, Maren Christina (5)
	Hansen, Maria (7)
	Hansen, Oliver (5)
	Hansen, Peter (Unknown)
	Holm, Jens Neilson (39)
	Holm, Margaret Christina Ipson (39)
	Holm, Margaret Christine (13)
	Hultberg, Anders (3)
	Hultberg, Anna Catrina (7)
	Hultberg, Christopher (35)
	Hultberg, Karna (36)
	Jacobsen, Camilla Dorothy (16)
	Jacobsen, Lars (23)
	Jacobsen, Marie Ingeborg Olsen (51)
	Jacobsen, Olavus (12)
	Jacobsen, Soren (26)
	Jensen, Anders (50)
	Jensen, Ane (10)
	Jensen, Annie Christine Rasmussen (47)
	Jensen, Christiane (19)
	Jensen, Hans (40)
	Jensen, Jacob Hansen (11)
	Jensen, Jacob Johann Heidemann (4)
	Jensen, James (16)
	Jensen, Jens (27)
	Jensen, Jens Martin (infant)
	Jensen, Karen (13)
	Jensen, Mads (35)
	Jensen, Maren Jacobsen Heidemann (32)
	Jensen, Maren Sophia Christensen (16)
	Jensen, Maria Sophia (1)
	Jensen, Mary Ann (15)
	Jensen, Peter M. (6)
	Jensen, Sidsie Marie Jacobsen (42)
	Jensen, Sophie (1)
	Jensen, Soren Peter (6)
	Johnson, Caroline Cecilia (23)
	Johnson, James H. (20)
	Johnson, Maria Elisabeth Hendrichsen (54)
	Just, Christian A. (11)
	Just, Hyrum Pedersen (infant)
	Just, Jens Pedersen (8)
	Just, Joseph Petersen (3)
	Just, Karen Marie Christensen (34)
	Just, Nels Andersen (10)
	Just, Peter Anderson (40)
	Karlson, Britta Anderson (36)
	Karlson, Claus Herman (7)
	Karlson, Lars (43)
	Larson, Andrew [or Anders] (38)
	Larson, Anna M. Thompson (29)
	Larson, Anna [or Hannah] (7)
	Larson, Caroline Anderson [or Caroline Andrews] (44)
	Larson, Lauritz (23)
	Larson, Lewis [or Lorens] (10)
	Larson, Mary Christine (5)
	Laurentzen [Lund], [Mrs.] (Unknown)
	Liljenquist, Ola Nilsson (31)
	Lublin, Heinman Magnus (9)
	Lublin, Hyrum (Infant)
	Lublin, Johanna Kirstine Christensen (37)
	Lublin, Kate (15)
	Lublin, Samuel (40)
	Madsen, Bertha Hansen Daniel (50)
	Madsen, Niels Peter (51)
	Mickelsen, Mary Ann (15)
	Mickelson, Anna Catherine Hansen (45)
	Mickelson, Jens (49)
	Mickelson, Martha (13)
	Mortensen, Diedrick (51)
	Mortensen, Elsie Catherine (6)
	Mortensen, James (10)
	Mortensen, Johanne (12)
	Mortensen, Maren Jensdatter (52)
	Nelson, Catherine Jensen (24)
	Nelson, Nels Christian (29)
	Nielsen, Mette Kirsten (72)
	Olsen, Andrew (13)
	Olsen, Ane Andersen (33)
	Olsen, Caroline Karen Marie (11)
	Olsen, Caroline Margaret [or Karna Margaret] (33)
	Olsen, Caroline Olevia (3)
	Olsen, Christine (22)
	Olsen, Frederick (32)
	Olsen, Ludvig Just [Livy] (infant)
	Olsen, Maren Justesdatter (35)
	Olsen, Nicoline (21)
	Olsen, Ole (6)
	Olsen, Ole Christopher (32)
	Olsen, Peter (35)
	Park, James Pollock (35)
	Pedersen, Christiana (22)
	Rasmussen, Bertha Maria (15)
	Rasmussen, Elizabeth (38)
	Rasmussen, Rasmina M. (16)
	Rasmussen, Rasmus (9)
	Rolfsen, Gertrude Maria (27)
	Rolfsen, Gertrude Maria Wroldsen (58)
	Rudd, Lorenzo Dow (27)
	Salisbury, Oke [or O. K. ] (20)
	Sorensen, Anders (7)
	Sorensen, Anna (30)
	Sorensen, Anna Maria (3)
	Sorensen, Kirsten Pedersen (38)
	Sorensen, Morten (28)
	Sorensen, Niels (33)
	Sorensen, Niels (34)
	Sorenson, Anna Marie Andersen (33)
	Sorenson, Iowa (Infant)
	Sorenson, Juliane Marie (infant)
	Thomasen, Inger Andrea (28)
	Thomasen, Johanne (32)
	, Karen (Unknown)

Building of St. George Temple Work was commenced on the St. George Temple, March II. 1873 (with new pictures attached submitted by David R. Gunderson)

2011-09-08T04:29:00.000-07:00

Building of St. George Temple Work was commenced on the St.

George Temple, March II. 1873; as in the past, the citizens of Mt. Pleasant
readily responded to the call. Those at home donated liberally and on December
2nd. the following men and boys left their homes to perform labor on the temple:
Lars Rasmussen, Christian Christensen, Hans Hansen, Soren Jacobsen, Chris Peel,
August Nelson, William Olson, Jacob Jensen, Hans Davidson, Olaf Rosenlof, Thomas
Coates, Christian Madsen, Thomas Fuller, Andrew Rolph, Abraham Day, Ezra Day,
James C. Christensen, Joseph Burton, Fred Mauritz Petersen, Nels Syndergaard,
Frank Keller, with Andrew Madsen (Harbro), Jake Bohne, Bennett Monk and Peter
Rasmussen as teamsters. The four last named soon returned to Mt. Pleasant, while
the others remained until during the spring of 1874. At the present writing,
1939. the only two of the entire party now living are Andrew Rolph and William
Olson. At the time the party left Mt. Pleasant, they were instructed by the
bishop to apply to the bishops of the Wards for shelter and supplies while
camping; however, at Indian Creek or Pine Dug Way they encountered a very severe
blizzard, and after vainly endeavoring to travel on, were compelled to camp in
the open without any shelter whatsoever, and for a time feared they would all
perish. Finally, December 14th, after having traveled in a heavy, blinding
snowstorm most of the way, they reached St. George safely. January 4th, four
loads of sup plies were taken to them by James Larsen, Sylvester Barton, Soren
Hansen Jacobsen, and Christopher Johnson. taken from
History of Mt Pleasant by Hilda Madsen

Photo Restored by David R. Gunderson

2011-08-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Mt. Pleasant Fort 1859 ~ Thomas W. Woodbury with Google ~ Layout by Walter Woodbury

2011-06-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

Taken from David R. Gunderson's book "Journey of Faith", page 45-47.

Building of the Fort Walls

On 6 May a letter was received from Brigham Young reminding the settlers of the need to build a fort for their protection and on 13 May 1859, President Ivie called a meeting for the purpose of discussing the building of the fort wall, and as to what methods to pursue. Finally, four men were called to supervise the construction of the wall. Jahu Cox was allotted the north side, Thomas Woolsey Sr. the west side, W. S. Seeley, the south side, and John Tidwell Sr., the east side. The above named captains divided the brethren into four groups, after which they were organized into companies of ten, with a captain over each ten, and work commenced immediately with rapid progress. The following statement is made in Andrew Madsen's Journal: "During the month of June, we were kept very busy in attending to our crops and the building of the large fort wall." 10 July, Apostle George A. Smith and Amasa Lyman visited the settlement to organize the Saints on Pleasant Creek into an ecclesiastical ward. William Stuart Seeley was chosen and ordained Bishop and the name Mount Pleasant Branch was adopted for the colony, giving credit to its pleasant location, beautiful mountains, fields and surroundings”. Work continued on the fort wall until 18 July 1959, when it was completed, and it had the distinction of being the finest fort in Sanpete County. Erick would have worked in building this important structure and lived within it for some time. When Caroline and the family arrived, they all would have lived within the fort for some time.

Description of the Finished Fort:
The fort enclosed the block later known as the Tithing Yard. 26 rods by 26 rods (429’ X 429’), enclosing about five and one-half acres3 of ground, between Main Street and First North, and State Street and First East." "It was made according to instructions and was built of native rock, taken from the surface or dug out of the ground." "It was laid with mud mortar." "The wall was 12 feet high, four feet wide at the bottom, tapering to about two feet at the top. To allow the maneuvers of the Indians to be watched from the fort, the wall was built with port holes every 16 feet. and about seven feet from the ground. The holes were about two feet wide on the inside, about four inches wide on the outside and about 18 inches high." "Later the inside of the wall was utilized for one wall in the erection of houses, 16 feet square, with one port hole in the middle of the outside wall of each house." "There was a flat roofed house in the northwest corner of the fort upon which guards could stand and view the country."

"There were two large gates, one in the center of the north wall, and one in the center of the south wall, with a small gate adjoining it, giving a thoroughfare in passing. These openings had heavy wooden gates. Small entrances were in the east and in the west walls, which made it convenient, as they were not always obliged to use the same entrance." "The water supply was obtained from Pleasant Creek, which passed almost parallel east and west through the center of the fort. A large bridge was erected over the stream." "All corrals for the cattle were built on the north, just outside the fort, leaving a road-way between." At this time Mount Pleasant was a thriving community of about eight hundred inhabitants, with about 1200 acres of ground under cultivation.

SYNOPSIS OF THE FUNERAL SERVICES OF BROTHEIR SHOWMAN DOYLE LONGSDORF

2011-06-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Our Pioneer of the Month

Held in North Ward L. D. S. Chapel--Mt. Pleasant, Utah--Sat. 12 of January 1935

Opening Song – “Cast Thy Bread Upon The Water”

Choir with. duet by Miss Eva Beck and Fred Webb.

*************************

Opening Prayer -- J. Fred Staker

Our Father who art in Heaven, we thy children have assembled ourselves here to pay our last respect to out Dear Brother Langsdorf. We are indeed thankful for having had such a capable man in our midst. We realize, Father, that he has been a faithful servant, and we shall miss him. We pray our Lord, that at this time we may have strength to carry on the work which has been begun. Bless those who shall miss him most that they my have strength. We do pray for the Madsen family who have been called upon to mourn so often during the last few months.. Blessed by the Name of the Lord, will thou bestow thy blessings this day upon those who are caused to mourn, that they may be strengthened. We likewise pray for those who will sing for us and take other parts at these services. Bless all those who are caused to mourn--Even so, Amen.

*************************

Song by Quartet--"Come Unto Me" – Ina L. Jones;.Mr. George Squires,

Mrs. Alta Jensen, and Bishop A. L. Peterson.

*************************

Remarks by Bishop John R. Graham

My dear Brothers, Sisters, and Friends:

In the parting of Showman Longsdorf, I feel, for one, that I have indeed lost a true friend. This man was an honest friend to me. When things were not going good, when sorrow, troubles and trials overtook me, this man visited my home week after week and asked if there was anything they could do for us. These are the kind of friends we need. I have had the acquaintance with this man for 35 years when he was active in public affair, and I want to tell of this man in business. He was honest, and came up to the standard.

Later on I was associated. with Showman Longsdorf on the Board of Education of North Sanpete High School District for eight years. He with the other members of the board worked for the welfare of the boys and girls. He was always wondering what he could do for the advancement of the district. Not only for this district, but for boys and girls everywhere. I want to say too; in regard to the tax-payers of this district he had their interest at heart. I have enjoyed the association of this man and I know most of the 77 years of his life have been crowded with thought and labors of many usefu1 things You know that he has been active in many capacities--he has been a community man.

He and his good wife have always been for the advancement of this community. We know that without him there will be a gap in our hearts. He has lived to a good old age, yet the time of parting seems sad, so my dear Brothers and. Sisters we must look to the future. We have that hope beyond, when some time we again shall enjoy the association of this man.

We pray our Father to bless the widow, Sister Langsdorf, that she may be able to carryon as before, and also bless all the Madsen family.

In the Name of Jesus Amen

*****************

Remarks By Bishop Byron Carter (Helper, Utah)

My Dear Brothers and Sisters:

When I left home this morning to come to your town, I came with no thought of being called upon to speak. Sister Hilda asked me to say a word here to day, so, you understand my condition. I have not prepared a talk. I want to say this, that I appreciate this honor which has been given me. I appreciate Showman and my having known him, and I might say as Robert Ingersol said after delivering a talk for his brother – “Here lies a man” --I take it that you all understand what Mr. Ingersol meant.

This man has lived a life that entitled him to something more than mere mortal life. It involves something more than just existing. It would be difficult to go through every good this. this man has done. I have tried to set for myself a guide that when I die, I go with the love and respect that this man has. It means something to us to have men such as this man in our community. This is what I have thought I would like, if I could, to be as perfect in this life as Mr. Langsdorf. I would like to learn to like the things our Father likes, as he did. I would like to develop the things he appreciates. I would like to lay stress on life. I believe if you follow that rule you will develop something that will be in itself a great thing. I sometimes think I am too tolerant. I believe that in the shaping of my life, I should learn that I can't tolerate all things.

I have noticed in Showman many things which I appreciate, the same as others have done. He had this .fine quality--He loved honesty, and there is no praise in my soul high enough for this man. He hated hypocrisy. He particularly seemed to hate men who were hypocrites in religion. He could not tolerate the men that pretended to be something that they were not. I wonder sometimes what our Father does think of hypocrisy in church; people who come to church and upon leaving break the rules of religion.

Mr. Longsdorf had a place in his heart for friendship, the more friends the better he felt. I do not think he ever lost a friend. That is a fine thing for anyone to develop. Is that extreme? No, that is the careful man May it be said of us, as of him, -- "Here lies a man"--May God bless us now at this time – Amen.

*************************

Vacal Solo.-"Sing Me To Sleep" Clarice Olson, with

Violin obbligato by Elson Jones, and

Piano accompaniment by Aaron Jones

*************************

Remarks by Superintendent A. E. Jones (?)

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, and friends:

I don't know who chose the songs today, but it was some one who knew Mr. Longsdorf, because they chose such beautiful appropriate songs. Everyone knows Brother Longsdorf did cast bread upon the waters, speaking of North Sanpete High Schoo1 in particular. Mr. Graham has stated to us that Mr. Longsdorf was elected to the schoo1 board in 1924 and held this office for eight years. So you people can see what we thought of him. When Mr. Longsdorf was elected he knew what a task was before him. He knew that his hours would be full. The first thing he did was to check upon all of the buildings. He checked up, fixed, and made everything comfortable for the students and teachers.

From the very day be was elected the school people knew something had happened At the tine Mr. Longsdorf was elected we were working for a foot ball campus. Mr. Longsdorf came and checked upon the situation and through out his whole office he devoted his time and energy in improving our surroundings.

We were ready to quit, and many said, "It can't be done," Mr. Langsdorf saw the condition, and said" It can be done," and he did it. How did he do it? He reached down in his own pocket, and worked too.

We started work on the campus on the west side, removing earth and boulders by the ton. When we reached the east side we approached a task that seemed impossible. A wall of rock and earth about 5 ft. high faced us, but with his determination to do and with his financial aid we leveled the "well. We had fences to be taken down, and trees to be removed. If anything was needed in the line of implements, such as picks, bars, or anything, he went over to his store and got what was needed.

That is not all, after everything was done on the campus, he reached down in his own pocket and gave us $100.00 to break up all the rock on the campus, and then have it hauled away. Citizens cooperated with labor and helped haul the rocks away, but he used his own money.

I feel that he would have gone long before, had he not had his ambition to help the school work, and the hope to see his work completed. He did things that the rest of us thought hopeless.

Our school doesn't think of Mr. Longsdorf as Mr. Longsdorf but as "The Grand Old Man" who made possible for us the campus which now bears his name "Longsdorf Field." How many of us can build a monument to our name such as he did?

We are proud of our Longsdorf Field and we know that great satisfaction came to him .for the wonderful work he did in giving it to us. His work was varied and complete in every respect. He built walks, copings and tried to make things so that we would have a nicer place to live.

We must not forget the work of his splendid wife and helpmate. At early dawn you could see this couple at work on the unsightly corners of our campus digging and planting so as to make North Sanpete a more beautiful place. They worked together planting trees, shrubs, and flowers, and lawn, all the time planning for every improvement possible.

His work for North Sanpete was unselfish as is clearly shown when we see that the time he was in office he spent almost all he was given for his services as a school board member, on our campus to improve it and make it more beautiful.

I feel honored that Mrs. Longsdorf would give me a few minutes time at the funeral services of this grand Old Man, and I hope that the many good qualities that he possessed my act as a beacon light to as in our future lives.

I ask it in Jesus Name Amen.

*************************

Remarks of Henry P. Olson

My Dear Brothers and. Sisters:

People have come here from all over in honor of Mr. Longsdorf and his wonderful work in our community. Many people know him for his great work. He came here with the energy of meeting disappointment. He worked in this line unti1 he made good.

When I first knew Brother Longsdorf, he lived down in a home of Clinis Ericksen, five blocks west of State Street. You all know that before his illness he did business with almost every man in Mt. Pleasant, not only in Mt. Pleasant, but towns around. He did not hear anyone say anything, but that their business with him was satisfactory. His one aim was to be honest. He was known for his honesty and his ambition.

I have met people in the last year who have informed me of traits of character of Mr. Longsdorf that very few people possess. I would like you to know about some things.

He had power even above that of the ordinary man. I was told by three different persons who knew of Showman's help in time of distress, and brought help to those who were unfortunate. He took baskets of things to people and left it on their door-step so they would not know who brought it, and the neighbors would see him leave without being seen by the unfortunates. He also would give things to people through other people or in an indirect way. I feel my brothers and sisters, he did the right thing at the right time. I have been acquainted with him in business, I have called upon him for donation, and Showman Longsdorf, until the depression, was one of the best donators.

His wife has written some memories of his life as related by him. I have read them and you should read them. Today, while transacting some business with a man, I gave this copy to his wife to read, and when she returned it, she too had tears in her eyes, and she told me of many kind deeds Showman and his partner, Mr. Mauck, had done for her father, when many years ago, she had been very ill.

May God bless us this day, in behalf of the family. I desire to thank all who have contributed and comforted during the sickness and distress.

We desire to, thank all who have come here this day, and those who have taken part on the program.

In Jesus Name--Amen.

*************************

Choir sang--"God Be With You Till We Meet Again."

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Closing Prayer by S. M. Nielson

In closing of the services, our Father, as we adjourn, may we apply what we have heard here, in our own lives. may we continue to see the things which are outstanding in his life. Comfort the wife in her loneliness, may You help her to go through life.Go with us our Father, to our homes and help those who go to the cemetery .Go with those who have come from afar that they may get back safely

We ask these blessings in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

*************************

The Grave dedication by Pres. Daniel Rasmussen.

Our Father Who art in Heaven, we are gathered beside the open grave into which has been deposited the mortal remains of our friend and brother S. D. Longsdorf. On the authority of the Holy Priesthood which I bear, I dedicate this spot of ground as the final resting place for the earthly part of him whose spirit has returned to Thee.

I pray that this spot of earth may be sanctified as the final resting place for these remains and that they may rennin here in peace undisturbed by the elements or ruthless bands until that day when the trumpet shall sound and the dead both small and great shall be called forth by the power to receive the reward of their deeds done in the body.

This I do in the Name of Jesus Christ—Amen.

Pall Bearers were: Carl Rabback, James Smith, William Reta, Ray Hardy, George Ruff, and Lawrence Johnson of Provo, member of the B. P. O. E. 849 Provo of which Mr. Longsdorf was a member, his number being 209.

Tribute Letters to Showman D, Longsdorf

Tribute to my friend Showman D. Longsdorf

In 1891 I had the pleasure of meeting Showman, as he was known to all, and a long friendship grew, which has lasted thru the rest of our lives. In 1897 we formed a partnership and located in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, and I was there nearly two years, but the business did not come up to my liking so l withdrew and returned to. Salt Lake, but he stayed and won out.

In all of our dealings, everything was always the most congenial. His word was his honor, and his honor was his ward. Every act and deal was of the most moral thought.

Sometimes in the late year of 1920 I saw one of his old friends, L. W. Dittman (Louie) from Wichita, Kansas; about the first thing he asked me was, "How is Showman?" We both knew Dittman well, I told him he was in Mt. Pleasant and had made good. “Good”, he said, “I am glad, I knew he would make good because it was in him, I am glad he won.” And I, too am glad he won.

Now, Louie like Showman, is in the Great Beyond. There are only a few of the "old bunch of the 1890 left: W. S. Foster, Billy Siefert, Billy Gastride and myself of Salt Lake, George Algen of Los Angeles, W. A.Wilkins of Glendale, Calif. and George Haverstia of Montana. There were many others, but time has made its changes.

A man with a character,. Carl R. Mauck (Signed)

a character without a defect 460 E. 3^rd South

Salt Lake City, Utah

I saw in to-night's News the account of Showman’s passing, while I had partly expected it, yet it is with sadness I give up my esteemed friend. I have always appreciated his friendship. The better I knew him and the more I saw his kindly acts and good judgment the more I respected and loved him. In all the times I have been in Mt. Pleasant, I have felt the trip was more pleasant when I had a few minutes with him, when I taught there we had our daily exchange of stories.

Sincerely, P. C. Peterson, Jr. (Signed)

Ephraim, Utah

Jan. 11, 1935

I have just read of the death of Showman, I knew he was sick of course, -but I did not know it was so serious. I just can’t properly express my sorrow upon learning of the deathof' my friend. I have known Showman nearly 40 years, and at thirty of those years did business with him, and enjoyed his friendship. I never knew a more honest, honorable upright man in every sense of the word. His word was his bond and I never heard of him betraying a trust. There are few men whom I have loved as I did Showman. I will miss him, even though we have been separated for the past several years. But I will cherish his memory, and take a lot of pleasure in remembering our most pleasant associations in the years past.

Your friend,

J. Morgan Johnson (Signed)

2426 E. - - - 7

Jan. 12, 1935

Showman Doyle Longsdorf ~ Pioneer of the Month ~ June 2011

2011-06-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

MEMORIES of Showman Doyle Longsdorf (1857 – 1935)

I, Showman Doyle Longsdorff, was born in Churchtown,. Pa. April 12, 1857. My parents were Augustus Emanuel Longsdorff, born July 7, 1834, died, January 21, 1898, aged 64 years; and Catherine Elizabeth Wonderly' (Wundelich) born February 18,1829, died August 13, 1907, aged 68 years. Of my father’s family I have very little record. My grandfather, Michael Longsdorff and my grandmother, Mary Hannon Longsdorff, lived in Churahtown Pa. My grandfather at one time owned a great many acres of rich farm and timber land in the eastern part of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and at one time he was sheriff of the county. I have heard my mother tell that at that time there was a law that everything, even a baby’s cradle, could be sold for debt.

Through grandfather’s generosity while serving as sheriff and by signing notes for people, he lost practically all, and. very 1ittle was left for the family. He donated to the city of Kingston, Pennsylvania the plot of ground used for their cemetery.

My father had a brother Dr. Adam G. Longsdorff of Wichita, Kansas. Prior to locating there,

he had served as a state senator in' Maryland There was Showman Doyle Longsdorf

also a. brother Harmon who moved to Ohio and one George

of Pennsylvania. A sister Elizabeth whom we called Aunt Betsey who married Jacob Kline and lived in Camp Rill Pennsylvania; and Aunt Louise, whose first husband was named Doyle for whom I was named. After his death

she married Josiah Helligas, who served as a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature 1856-1858, from Montgomery County, Pa..and there was a sister Mary L. Cook also of Pennsylvania.

The name Wonderly is derived from Wunderlich and earliest records of this name are found in the records of Kotelen, Germany in 1848. One Hans Wunderlich, who had his name translated into French, calling himself Mervieleus. Some of his descendants continued to use this translation while others resumed the name of Wunderlich.. Johannes Wunderlich, my great, great, great, great grandfather, was born in 1700, died in 1760. His wife, Anna Barbara Densler, my great, great, great, great grandmother, was born in 1702 and died in 1765. Records from then on are published in a volume called, “Genealogy of the Wunderlich Family in America" This record shows that members of this family held many important positions of trust in Germany, France, Switzerland, and America..

My parents had ten children.
They were:
Showman Doyle Longsdorf Born April 12, 1857

Died January 9, 1935

Ella Louise Longsdorff Born Deoember 4, 1858

Died January 29, 1931

Michael Herbert Longsdorff Born August 30, Died 1860

Emma Jane Longsdorff Born July 19, Died1863

Flora May Longsdorff Born November 17, Died 1865

Berties Lerene Longsdorff Born Apri1 28, 1868

George Wonderly Longsdorff Born December 3, 1870
Died March 22, 1873

Elizabeth Bell Longsdorff Born July 3, 1873

William Landen Longsdorff Born July 13, 1876

Alice Longsdorff Born March 12, 1879

Died April 8, 1879

As I was the first child, they undoubtedly thought me a wonder and I was named in honor of the family's minister ------ Showman , and an uncle, Doyle. As I was very young I had not any say in the matter.

My father was a shoemaker by trade; then being a shoemaker meant a maker of shoes, as most all boots and shoes were hand-made. In those days, factory-made shoes were very few. Father was a real artist in his line and took real pride in turning out fine work. He received $20.00 a pair for boots. One of his customers was Captain Addison Moore who had married our cousin, Elizabeth Kline, a daughter of Aunt Betsey. The last pair of boots he made for the Captain was in 1886, just before he left Pennsylvania for Kansas.

Although father worked steadily and fast, be could hardly support his large family. I remember when I was four or five years old I contracted a very severe case of smallpox, my face and hands were solid scabs. I remember people coming to the window and looking at me. There was at that time a photo taken of me showing the horrible condition I was in. I had contracted the disease from my father who had had it in a mild form. He in turn had contracted it from a corpse whom he prepared for burial.

I remember my father as being strict, expecting the children to be respectful and obedient. We could sometimes work mother, but when father told us to do a thing we did it. When we were at play on the street and he wanted us, he would give a shrill whistle, and believe me we would immediately go to him

I remember every night my mother would gather her children to her and we would kneel about her knees and say our prayers. It is something I often think about. During the rebellion (Civil War) my father, although not called to serve, was drafted, and as my mother was unable to care for her brood, the children were sent to relatives. Emma went to live with Aunt Louise Helligas, Ella to live with Uncle Strauck and I with grandfather Wunderlich. Michael Herbert was the baby at that time.

My grandparents were very religious and lived their religion. They would not allow any work whatever to be done on Sunday. .Al1 preparation for that day was made on Saturday. Every day we held a prayer in the morning. Blessing at noon and singing of hymns or reading from the Bible at night. On Sunday we would attend Sunday School, then a sermon, home for dinner and to feed the stock and back to church again for evening service. Every Wednesday night we attended prayer meeting. We never beard an oath or a smutty word at his house

After three or four years I returned home, but E11a and Emma stayed with the Aunts until they were married. Ella married Harry Gardner who for years was a carpenter instructor in the Carlyle Indian School. Emma married his brother, Ben Gardner, who held some church positions. I remember a while after I came home, Herbert and I decided we wanted to visit with Emma at Aunt Louise's, a distance of about ten miles. One Saturday, we rode there with a market team; after we arrived Aunt Louise was scolding about something, and it struck us we were not very welcome. Although; we had intended to stay over Sunday, we hoofed it back home very early in the morning. Oar father thought this a big joke and .made a great deal of sport of it.

As we were a large family, it was necessary for us to get out and hustle as soon as we could. I had very little schooling, As soon as I was through with one job, someone else was there with another. I was about twelve years old when I got my first steady job. I worked for Will Loose on his farm, living with his family. My wages were turned into our family. I get out of it a suit of clothes a year and in the late summer I wore cotton trousers made by my mother and I went barefoot until mighty near winter. Father was too busy making shoes for others to make shoes far his children.

When I was about 19 years old, my uncle, Dr. Adam J. Longsdorff, who was visiting in Pennsylvania, asked me how I would like to go west and work on his farm and that suited me. I went to Wichita and worked there for several years. Soon after I arrived my uncle took me to a play featuring "Belle Golden". I was 19 years old and it was the first show I had ever attended. I 1aughed so heartily that the audience laughed at me instead of the play, but it, being the first I had ever seen, it naturally was the funniest. I remember we burned a great deal of corn there on the farm for fuel because it was cheaper and handier than getting coal. At that time, it was eighteen cents a bushel.

My uncle did not seem to have much use for General George B. McClellihan. He claimed he could have ended the Civil War sooner had he cared, yet I remember my father, who belonged to the Drum and Fife Corps, had marched and paraded for McClellihan when he ran for President of’ the United States and was defeated by Abraham Lincoln -- so that was just the difference of opinion. My uncle bad a good practice. I remember during the Scarlet Fever epidemic he had fifty or more cases and it kept him going day end night. One night a call came for him and I beard him say to Aunt Maggie, "Tell them I just can't go," but after a while he said no, I had better go; I know the younger Dr.'s won't so I must." He then hitched up his two little ponies and drove away in his especially made light buggy. Sometimes his calls would take him twenty or thirty miles away. He always carried matches with him, so in case of a large prairie fire he would have a chance to back fire and get away. In his younger days, he, as was the custom, wore a long beard. It was dark brown and silky, so long he would wrap it about his neck and tie it as a muffler.

He and Uncle ------ Doyle some years before had traded in Negroes. They, at that tine, were bought and sold and branded with a hot iron as were cattle. Uncle Doyle died, and Uncle Adam, although not a religious man, claimed Uncle Doyle carne to him and said, "Adam, don't buy any more negroes”, and Uncle Adam did not buy any more negroes. Those he had were freed but some refused to leave saying that it was as good a home as they needed.

My uncle wanted to educate my brother, Herbert, to be a doctor to take up his practice, as he felt he was getting old--too old to attend to it. He sent him to a medical school for two years and one day Herbert said he didn't want to be a doctor. Uncle did not argue with him, only said it was up to him, Herbert then quit school and got a position in a grocery store.

During the winter of 1878 or 79, Cousin Louise, Uncle Adam's only daughter and I made a trip to Pennsylvania--my first trip back. We laughed after about an experience there. Father bad two hogs in a pen fattening for winter; they got out and Sister Flora and I were running after them to get them back in the pen. One hog got caught between the double gate and Flora caught it by the tail. I called to ber to hold on until I could get there but, with the hog pulling one way and: Flora the other, the hog got trough. the gate and when he did, Flora fell backward with most of the pigs tail held tightly in her hands. After this, we had a great deal of sport with her about pulling the pig's tail.

My father had obtained a good position in charge of a boy's dormitory in a large school and had been comfortably located, but the lure of the West was with him and he and the :family came to Wichita to live. Sister Flora, in the meantime bad married a man named Warren Stiteler' and was living in Virginia. He, after some years, died, leaving her with six children. She later married J. Holmes Moore. Cousin Louise had first married a captain in the army from whom she had later separated. uncle Add had taken a great fancy to her daughter, Annie, and bad insisted on adopting her, so she was always known as Annie Longsdorff. She, cousin Louise, later married a man named Long. This marriage was also a failure, as he proved to be a worthless sort of a fellow. It was during the time he was on Uncle Add's (Adam’s) farm, and I thought perhaps I was not .needed there, that I decided to get some other kind of work.

I went to Arkansas City, Kansas to work for John Kronert, Retail Grocery Company, but there was excitement about cowboys and cattle and I got it into my head that I wanted to be a cowboy. This caused my mother considerable worry for she thought I was not strong enough for that kind of life, and Indians and cowboys meant nothing but danger to the easterner. I still wanted to be a cowboy, so I went to the Indian Territory--not Oklahoma. While there, I developed a bad case of typhoid fever through drinking impure slewey and stale water. They took me back to Wichita to my Uncle Add (Dr. Longsdorff) . I remember he held me in his arms, and I beard him say, "I am afraid he won't last until morning." But I fooled them, and after a while I was looking for a job again.

I knew I could always go back; places where I had formerly worked, so I went back to Scott Corbett, one of my, places. He said he could not pay me what he should, but I wanted something to do and I told him to never mind the price, just so I could live. He hired at a price named, but always paid me extra. After a while I went back to John Kronert Grocery Company in Arkansas City.

Cousin Louise had been in a number of runaway accidents and was in very poor health. She spent a great deal of time at Geuda Springs, Kansas and other health resorts. She had beard a great deal about the curing powers of the Great Salt Lake, Utah and was very anxious to try it. Uncle Add wrote me at Arkansas City, asking me to go with her to Utah.

Her daughter Annie had married George Amborn in December 1886 and my sister had married Birdie had married Dr Levi Cook on June 1, 1887. My brother, Herbert, had married Elizabeth Homer, May 1887.

Louise and I came to Utah early in the fall of 1887.. The first place we lived was 555 South West Temple in part of Heber C. Clyde’s place and we had a hard time getting along. I would ask for a position and they ask if I was a member of the church, and as I was not, there did not seem to be an opening for me. Finally I presented to Mr. Cartright, at D. & R. G. a letter of introduction from his brother in Arkansas City. When I was given this letter, I thought I would not use it, but I needed work and was given a job trucking and unloading freight. I had not been used to such heavy work and it was hard on me yet I held the job for about a year and a half. We then moved te Seventh South, and from there to South Temple. Here we made acquaintance of one of Brigham Young’s daughters--I do not remember her name--who lived across the street and did us many good turns.

We moved to 200 East, Second south, and Louise, although ill, with the help of Tina Lund, of Mt. Pleasant, Utah, run a bearding house. One good friend I'll never forget was the Bishop of Bountiful, Brother Ashby. He sold vegetables and many a time he left with us the unsold stock, which was a great help to us. I thought him one of the finest men I had ever known.

I quit the D. & R. G. and get a job with Applegate and Busby Commission Co. and later. I worked for E. G. Hines Commission House for several years. My cousin died November 19, 1891 and her body was sent to Wichita for burial. Tina Lund was still with us and helped a lot at this time. Also Bishop Ashby again befriended us in helping to get the body prepared for shipment. There was no undertaker at that time.

There was a watch maker who boarded with us who did a great deal to help us. Brigham Young’s daughter was there also. A Mr. Empy who was connected with Clark Eldredge Co. proved a mighty good friend to me too. I had gotten acquainted with him some years before. He was taking subscriptions at that time for the Salt Lake Temple which was twelve feet high, when I came to Utah. The rock, for this foundation had been hauled by ox team. I told him I had no job and not much money but I wanted to give $1.00, enough to say I helped build the Mormon Temple.

There was a time while I was delivering for Hines Commission Co. that I thought I knew just about everyone in Salt Lake City. My parents wrote me that Elizabeth wanted to marry a man by the name of O. J. Riley. This man the folks did not like very well, but Elizabeth later however, married him in spite of their objection, and he proved to be a very fine type. He was some years later killed in a Railroad accident in Perry, Oklahoma. She afterwards married a man by the name of Wageok. Uncle Add died August 3, 1893 and his wife, Aunt Maggie, died October 27, 1894.

George Haverstic, a cousin of mime and Carl Mauck were working for Hines at the time I was. I often heard them talking about Sanpete County buying calves etc. Mauck had been in the county and bad been told that it was the best in the state. He and Haverstic started out with a team. They were only gone a half a day when they gave up the trip and returned to Salt Lake. Mauck still wanted to go. He then talked to me and I told him if he wanted to go I would go with him, but if he stepped I would go on. He then went to Cash Co. and bought a team and we had a buggy fixed to order, suitable for buying calves, eggs, etc., and we started out, by way of Thistle. He with the team and I on my bicycle. It had been raining and the roads were holy terrors. We arrived at Mt. Pleasant on September 1897. I remember it was rainy and I waited under a shade tree by R. Whittaker’s until Mauck arrived with the team. I did net think then that later I would marry and live across the street. There was no snow that year until February and then we got a foot or more in one night.

We rented a house of Clinis Ericksen on West highway towards Spring City, 5th west --north, near James Monson’s.. Amasa Aldrich was postmaster. Joseph Monsen was city marshal, and lived near us. One day I borrowed a whee1 barrow from him, when I returned it 1 put it, as I had been taught, where I got it. Joe said that was new to him as usually they would have to go for things loaned out.

Mauck would visit neighboring towns with the team and I on my bicycle would go towards Richfield, sometimes to Richfield in a day. I often made the trip to Mayfield and Gunnison for lunch and back home again at night.

The roads were rough and dusty. We stored eggs in the basement of Madsen's

Store building on Main and State Street and did a good business. We had been here about one and one half years when Mauck decided that he would return to Sale Lake, as business had not been what he had expected, so we divided up. (A strange thing happened; we bad brought a pint of whiskey with us, and we still had it. Carl asked what to do with it and I said, "Take it back. I don't want any of it. So back to Salt Lake it went.)

After a while George Haverstio came and was a partner for a year; then he returned to Salt Lake City, then to Idaho and back to his home in Missouri. I then, in about 1899, formed a partnership with Neil M. Madsen. About 1900 he moved to Scofield. Some time after this A, C. Madsen and I became partners in the implement business, known as Madsen & Longsdorff, and did a good business until the depression started in 1931.

My own business was known as S. D. Longsdorff Produce Co. In the year 1906 I thought a great deal about my mother and one day I told Grandpa Madsen (Andrew Madsen) about it and he said, "Showman if I felt like that about it, I would go back and see her." I decided then and there that I would.

The following Feb., 1907, I closed up my business and went to Pa. to see my mother and sisters, Emma and Ella and Flora. Mother had gone there, after my father's death in Wichita, to live with the girls. I first went to Carlyle to Ella's and as mother and Emma would not be there until Saturday morning, I went to Virginia to see my sister, Flora.

Saturday morning we were at the market right by the railroad and Emma and mother arrived. They did not notice me at all. Emma said, "Where is that big brother of mine, asleep?" Ella replied “I guess so.” on the way home in the bus I sat right by them. I bumped up against them and tried to get them to notice me but they wouldn't. I couldn’t wait any longer so I said, "How, are you, mother?" They almost went thru the top of the bus. But it was 28 years since we had seen each other, so was it any wonder? I had a very enjoyable trip and saw a number of old acquaintances, among them, Newton Meyers and the Cockly Brothers. We had been boys in the same town and played Halloween tricks together. I stepped up to Newton Meyers who was running a restaurant in Machanicburg and said, “remember me when you were a bad fellow," he replied with astonishment, "I don't remember you at all." When I asked him if he ever knew a Showman Longsdorff, he fell all over me. The local papers had quite a write up concerning my visit after so many years absence. My mother died the fo1lowing Aug. 13^th.

In 1909 when the Pioneer Monument was dedicated, my sister Bird and her husband Dr. Levi Cook of Nevada, Missouri, visited me. I went to Fairview and rode with them to Mt. Pleasant on the train. The first thing Dr. Cook said to me was, “How in the World did you find your way down here?” In 1915 Bird, again with sister Elizabeth and her daughter, Helene, came and we enjoyed about six weeks together.

.About this time I joined the Provo. Elks Lodge, 849, my number being 209, I have been paid member ever since. I had joined the A.O.U.W. Lodge - while in

Wichita but I had not been able to keep that up.

I had one of the first automobiles in Mt. Pleasant. I think it was the third, Dr. A Lundberg having the first, F. C. Jensen purchased a Cadillac and I a Case, which I named "Betsy". It was a large gray machine with a left hand drive, and I surely did get the wear out of it. Many people had their first automobile ride in it, and enjoyed them, although the roads were rough, rutty, and rocky. I still have it. In 1927, I purchased a Buick and called it "Lindy" in honor of Lindberg's flight over seas. Hilda Madsen and I were married October 7, 1919.

In January 1922 we left for a trip to Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma to visit my brothers. Herbert at Kansas, and Will at Wichita, my sister Birdie at Nevada, Mo., and. Elizabeth at Ponca, Okla. I also saw a number of old acquaintances.

I had received my father's violin and I bad much enjoyment playing it, both in Salt Lake City and Mt. Pleasant. I later purchased a better one and Dr. E. G. Mills, Irwin StansfieId and myself often played at private dances, as well as Missionary parties at Mountainville, and with. others .we had floats in parades, and took part in other public affairs. I also played second violin in John E. Larsen's orchestra at dances in Mt. Pleasant - Opera House. Most always for fun.

A cracker Jack baseball team was organized, with some professional players imported. They played several years. I acted as manager and we had a great deal of sport out of it.

Mt. Pleasant Baseball Team 1903

Back Row L to R: Carlos Gundrson, J.W. Boyden, Showman Longsdorf,

L.P. Nelson, ........ Hall (import), Jens Gunderson,

Front Row, L to R; ...........Thomas, Andrew Peterson, ..........Hopkins,

William Hansen, J.W. Cherry.

In 1924 I was elected a member of the North Sanpete School District. At that time Louis A. Peterson was Supt. of North Sanpete Schools. He moved to Logan not so long after and A. E. Jones was made Supt. Members of the board at that time were John R. Graham, Fairview, President, C. A. Larsen, Spring City; Darrel Rasmussen, Moroni, and Fred Smith, Fountain Green, with John S. Blain, Spring City as clerk and Louis L. Nielsen, Ft. Green as tytreasurer. I was very anxious to get certain needed improvements taken care of, and with the splendid cooperation of the board members, Supt. Petersen, Supt. Jones, the faculty, and citizens, I feel that a great work was accomplished. At the

Hamilton School a lot of half dead trees were removed and ones planted, grounds were beautified, and shrubs were planted.

At N. S. H. S. a number of trees were removed and a lot of new ones planted as well as shrubs, roses and more lawn. The old boot jack fence was removed. The grounds prior to this had been used to a large extent as a pasture. But the greatest job was making a foot-ball field on the campus, where it was said "it could not be done," as the plot on the east side of' the N. S. H. School building was a rocky hill, but with splendid co-operation it was moved. Men were set to work digging out the rocks. One party was paid $100.00 for breaking them up. There was a great deal of dynamite used and the blasts were numerous and loud. Blasting out the rocks, which seemed to multiply and grow overnight, volunteer citizens, free of charge, supervised by Wm. L. Madsen, hauled the hundreds of loads of rocks to the crusher and back again for foundation of walks, etc. I spent most of my time there for about two years, and donated my first year’s wages of $ 300.00 and more towards the work, just how much I cannot say.

My cousin's daughter, Nadine Haverstic, was emp- Hilda & Showman in a Skit or Play

loyed as a`teacher at Ft. Green School for a short time,

and that seeded to make me feel a little nearer to my relations.

My sister, Birdie, and her husband, Dr. Cook, visited me again in 1932, staying with us several weeks. I often think of Bishop Ashby of Bountiful. He, when I was down and out, used to encourage me by saying I would yet live to see the day when I would have a good business and surplus to comfortably take care of me. I did; there was a time when I had a wonderful business, shipping produce by the carloads and hundreds of cases of eggs, 100 or 200 cases each week. I candled them all and only sold first class stock. Never once was I complained against.

Then came the break in my health and the first failing in my eyesight. I have often thought of our neighbor, Dick Whittaker, when his eyesight failed him, I did not realize at that time what it meant not to be able to see. I had health. I enjoyed work and I enjoyed life.

I have had many severe sick spells, met the depression, lost in the banks that have closed and savings companies that have failed, but nothing to me compares with the loss of my eye-sight, which failed me in 1931.

Dictated November

20, 21, 22, 1934

Showman Doyle Longsdorff Died January 9, 1935

in Mt. Pleasant, Utah.

Showman’s Case. He named her “Betsy”. This photo was made in front

of the Longsdorf-Madsen family home on 3^rdNorth and State Street

North Sanpete High School

Obituary of S. D. Longsdorf

Death Certificate of Showman Doyle Longsdorf

Christian Brothersen and His Family ~ Pioneers of the Month ~ May 2011

2011-05-01T01:12:00.000-07:00

The Life Sketch of Christian Brotherson and His Family

The life sketch of Christen Brothersen (Brodersen) is presented in two parts. The first part focuses on the family’s early life in Denmark and their emigration to America. The second part focuses on their life in their new homeland.

Part 1: Focuses on Life in Denmark and the Family’s Emigration

Christian Brothersen was born, 14 June 1811 at Idrstrup, Maribo, Denmark. a son of Bohne Brothersen and Anne Margrette Rasmussen. At the age of thirty-five years, he married, Anne Mortensen on 13 February 1846. Anne was born 3 February 1824, a daughter of Martin Jensen Menboe and Dorthea Knudsen. Three children were born to Christian and Anne in

Denmark

: Dorthea was born 19 Dec. 1847; Hans on 15 Feb 1849; Bohne on 4 April 1851.

A sorrowful event occurred in this family when Bone was an infant of only a few weeks of age. The mother, Anne Mortensen Brothersen. passed away on 26 May 1851. Mainly out of symphony for her sister’s children; Elsie Mortensen went into the Brothersen home, married Christian and cared for the children. It seems that Christian was a wealthy man. When missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints visited his home and brought the message of the restored gospel, the father embraced it with all his heart, as did Elsie. Quick preparations were made and this family planned on going to Zion. Two children were born to Christian and Elsie; Martin, who was born 30 May 1853, at (Faister?) and Ane who born on 8 Jan. 1856.

Map showing the location of Idestrup, Denmark, the home ofChristian Brotherson

The following year, 1857, this family joined a company of emigrants and sailed to

America

. Hans was Seven and Martin was only three years of age at the time. (Reference -pp 401- 403 Vol. 6. "Heart Throbs of the West" a History of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.) The company journeyed westward immediately. At Iowa City, Iowa, they became a part of an Overland Emigration Company and were outfitted there and were bound for Utah, beyond the plains.

There were 330 people, 3 wagons, and 68 handcarts with which to make the journey. The journey was hazardous and eventful. The leader also walked and tried to keep up the spirits of his people. On13 September 1857, the company arrived in Utah, with a division of the United States Army hot on its heels. They with many others, moved southward from the Salt Lake Valley into Sanpete

Brothersens on the Passenger List of the Westmoreland (1857)

(Family Members are Indicated by Arrows)

Christian Brothersen settled his family at Fort Ephraim where the settlers from Springtown, or the Allred Settlement, had fled for protection from the Indians. They remained there until early in 1859, when

Christian went to Mount Pleasant to assist in the building of the fort. This was completed in July of 1859. Like many others, the family lived in dugouts, until log or adobe houses could be built.

After moving to Mt. Pleasant, the Brotherson family went through a period when they had only a small bit of wheat for food which they kept in one corner of the room. Each day, Christian would prey that they could make the food last until they could get more. The Lord did bless them and the food did last so that the family did have something to eat.

Martin moved to Indianola to plant and cultivate crops. They also had cattle and sheep. Those were the days that tried their soul, Hans, Martin, and Christian Brotherson and other members of the family stood guard against Indians led by Chief Black Hawk from April 1865 until a treaty of peace was signed in Mt. Pleasant at Bishop Seeley’s home in 1872.

A close up map of the location of Idestrup, Denmark

Part 2: Focuses on their Life in Utah

BIOGRAPHY OF CHRISTIAN BROTHERSEN (BRODERSEN)
by Ila Brotherson Tidwell

My great grandfather, Christian Brotherson, was one of the noble pioneers who entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1857. He it was, who gave to our family our pioneer heritage, a gift for which should be forever grateful and thankful. It is a great challenge to us as his posterity to achieve through our own efforts. We must improve and build upon the faith, standards and ideals he so valiantly preserved for us. It was he who looked beyond his own time; he had the foresight and vision. He saw the necessity of freedom. He accepted the restored gospel of Jesus Christ when missionaries came to his door. It was his soul who first accepted the principles and truths that has been a guiding star for us to follow. It was he who had the faith and courage to want to establish a new home and new way of life for his family and posterity.

Christian Brotherson was not only a pioneer, he also helped to conquer this western land and make it a frontier civilization. In doing this, he gave us a land of freedom in which to live. He gave us the opportunity to live under the protection of the Stars and Stripes of

America

. It is a glorious privilege and blessing to live in a land, where by our own choice, selection and work, determine our progress and status in life. He also represented the vision, faith, culture and strength of our ancestors in the Old Country of Idestrup, Maribo, Denmark.

He was born 14 June 1811. One record says Idestrup the other says Veggerlose, Maribo, Denmark. His father's name was Bohne Broderson Magnesson. He came from Germany as a German Soldier to

Denmark

. He married Ann Margrethe Rasmussen. They had a family of ten children. The first four were boys and the last six were girls. Christian was the second son. This is all we know of his childhood.

Grandfather married Ann Mortensen in

Denmark

on 13 February 1846, he, being thirty-five years old and Ann only twenty-two. There were three children born to this couple. Dorthes Brotherson, born 18 December 1846; Hans Brotherson, born 15 February 1849; Bohne Brotherson, born 3 April 1851. From what we can get from memories handed down---the young mother had complications from the last childbirth. When the little son, Bohne, was only six weeks old, his mother, Ann, died. This was 26 May 1851. She left three small children under four years of age to the care of her husband, Christian. The family was very fortunate in having Ann's younger sister, Elsie. She came into their home and cared for this new baby, a little girl four, and a small boy of two. This was a handful for Elsie, but she loved and wanted to care for her sister's children.

This presents a sad beginning in the life of Christian Brotherson. He did not loose the desire to care for his babies even though his heart was broken at the loss of his sweetheart in the beautiful years of their youth. Those who know grandfather, lived with him, those who lived near him and those who remember him now, tell us he was a devoted and kind father from the very beginning. He was now forty years old and had always had responsibilities on his shoulders. It hadn't been too easy living in a family of twelve children. Each one must take his share of the load. Great grandfather, being old when he was married, had accumulated much. He was prepared to stand on his own two feet. We have a tithing receipt given him in

Denmark

in 1857 for 349.00. That was a big tithing to be paid in the Old Country at one time. This tithing receipt is really very valuable. There aren't many in keeping. It was issued before they counted money in Krones. Money was then rigs dollars. I took this tithing receipt to Johanna Madsen, who is from

Denmark

She said we should have it put in a museum so people could see it. It was among the first tithing receipts given in

Denmark

Maybe it was the feeling of loyalty and responsibility for the children of her sister; we hope it was love for both the children and their father that prompted Elsie to become a mother to Christian’s three small children. They were married on March 19, 1852 in

Denmark

These children were very fortunate in having a second mother come into their home to help care for them. But as the story unfolds, Great Grandfather Christian had more dark clouds on the horizon as well as sunshine.

During the time, or shortly after he married Elsie, while they were still on their honeymoon, missionaries from

America

, representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints, (Mormons as they were called) knocked at their door. Christian said in his own words, "I know from the first, their message was true." Erastus Snow brought the gospel to these Scandinavian people. Maybe it was he who knocked at Great Grandfather's door. However, he and his wife, Elsie, soon become loyal converts to the Mormon faith. There were two children born to this union.

Their first, a baby boy, was born 14 May 1853. They named him Martin after his Maternal Grandfather. On January 8, 1856, a little girl came to bless their home. They named her Ann. (Her home was where the Pioneer Relic Hall now stands in Mt. Pleasant, Utah).

After the Restored Gospel had come into their lives, their ideals and ambitions were to come to

America

. When their little boy, Martin, was only five; their baby girl only eighteen months old, they decided to come to

America

This was a big sacrifice in those days, as well as a blessing. They had to part with friends and relatives, home and it's comforts, worldly possessions, all for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the desire to worship God in a new world. Their ideals as parents were high education, culture, patriotism, and freedom was the pattern of their lives, the desire for their children.

They were patriotic and loyal to the Church they loved so much. Great Grandfather was a well to do man in

Denmark

. He had servants who helped care for household and did much of his work. When he was almost ready to come to America, he hired a man by the name of Hyrum Arnoldsen to help him and his family to

America

. He paid his way to this new land.

They sailed on the Westmoreland, from Liverpool, 25 April 1857. The leader of their company was Matrthias Cowley. There were some 544 souls who come to

America

on this ship.

They landed in Philadelphia. It was only two months since they had left their home in the Old Country. On 15 June 1857 they were prepared to begin their trek across the plains to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

They joined the 7^th Handcart Company under the leadership of Christian Christiansen. (Interesting to me was this notation. He was the first Elder ordained in Scandinavia. This was done by Erastis Snow in 1851.)

There was much to be done in preparation for the journey to Zion. The conditions they had left in their homeland were heart rendering---friendly relationships and family ties were often broken. Fathers, Mothers, sisters and brothers became almost strangers. Many showed enmity towards their loved ones, who had embraced Mormonism. With sad and broken hearts, but with the testimony burning in their soul, they faced another new experience different than crossing the water. Now they must pull a handcart across the plains. These activities were carried out with joy and anticipation.

There were 330 souls in this company, three wagons, and 68 handcarts. Rightly, it was named the "Christian Christiansen Handcart Company". In one these handcarts were all their possessions. Christian had a family of five children, his wife, himself and a hired man. He had a baby of two who had to ride or be carried and a little boy almost five. I have heard him (Martin) tell many times how he walked all the way, or most of the way, barefoot. His feet were so callused that he could step on prickly pares and not even flinch. He told how happy he was when his mother would pull the handcart and his daddy would carry him a little way. He also told of how his father would hold him at night until he went to sleep. He also told how he liked to see the campfire at night, hear them sing, climb on his daddy's lap and go to sleep.

They built fires only once in a while because the Indians were beginning to attack the Saints. In fact the first attack they had by Indians was in 1857.

The weary travelers moved slowly every day, stopping only long enough to eat and sleep. Behind them was the Johnson Army. They preferred to keep out of their way. But one afternoon some supply wagons that were ahead of the army caught up with the handcart company. They moved slowly pulling the handcarts and so many walking. The army had a lame oxen. They told the pioneers they could have half if they would dress it by the next evening. During the night a heavy rainstorm made the roads so muddy the army wagons mired deep in the mud and moved very slowly. The Saints pulled their light carts out of the ruts and moved on, soon leaving the army wagons far behind. The Saints had all the oxen. That night they camped near a large stream of water. The Indians helped the women and children across the stream. The Saints didn't ever see Johnson's Army again.

They had many hardships but I feel my Great Grandfather was really blessed. He and all his family reached their destination.

Here is one experience Grandpa told that happened while coming across the plains. A little girl that was the same age as baby Ann died. They had nothing to bury her in, so they wrapped her little body in a blanket, put her head in a brass kettle to keep the dirt from her face and placed her in a lonely grave. These were the heart-rending experiences that tested their faith. Sometimes they felt they couldn't carry on.

One of the abilities that God gave us when he created us was the ability to see ahead, the vision to do today what will be best for us tomorrow. Great Grandfather's faith was really tested.

Besides the hardships they endured crossing the plains, he could see every day he was loosing his wife's love. For reasons we do not know, she became the object of another man's desire to covet a lovely woman. Great Grandfather was very kind and understanding with her. He loved her very much. He needed her to help rear their children. His oldest girl was only nine years old. He had a baby only two and three other children. They all needed a mother's love and tender care. Christian told her this, "If you are dissatisfied, I will not prevent your leaving." He must have been a good man with an understanding heart. The man who took his wife was none other than the man whom Great Grandfather had hired to help him while crossing the plains. He had paid his way and in return Mr. Arnoldsen took his wife. We can't find if Great Grandfather took his wife with him into the settlement at Ephraim or if when they reached the Great Salt Lake Valley she went with this other man.

They reached the valley on Sunday, 13 September 1857. They lacked two days of being three months crossing the plains. When they had finished their journey over, in fear of Johnson's Army, most of the company was sent by the church leaders to Ephraim. The tired souls struggled on to Fort Ephraim. There Christian housed his family in a cellar or dug-out until the spring of 1859.

I have read from history that trail of the Saints, who went to Ephraim, could be followed by blood on the snow. The first winter they almost starved. Grandfather Martin tells of the winter of 1858 when they only had a little mound of wheat, in a corner to last until the next harvest. His father would raise his hands, close his eyes and pray to the Father in Heaven to bless this little bit of food that it would last them. Martin, only a boy, testified that it seemed to not diminish very fast and it lasted so that these faithful pioneers could subsist until the weeds began to grow in the spring and they could dig roots to eat.

My heart aches for Great Grandfather Christian with the sadness that he must carry in his heart alone. He had five children under ten years of age whom he must love, instruct, feed and care for. He must be a mother and father to them. What his faith and courage must have been. We owe him so much.

In the spring of 1859 he came among the first settlers to what they called Hamilton Settlement. He helped to build the stone fort. His name appears on the Pioneer Monument erected in honor of the first settlers. He took up land and built his first home in

America

. It was on the corner just south of where Alton Brotherson now lives. He lived in a cellar or dug-out until he and his boys finished their first home in Hamilton Settlement which later became Mt. Pleasant.

They lived here until the children all married. Then Christian moved to the north part of town. This was in his declining years. They say even then Great Grandfather's home was the play ground for all the neighborhood children. He always had lump sugar, raisins, or candy to give to them. Sometimes when he didn't have these, he would give them an egg and let them take it to the store and get what they would like. Many people of Mt. Pleasant have told me Christian always wore a long beard, and it was white as long as they could remember. If the children loved to play around his door, I think the story of his life and what he was has been pictured.

After his wife, Elsie, had gone with the hired man, they settled in Ft. Green. Later, they moved to Moroni where they made their home. Great Grandmother Elsie regretted what she had done before very long. She wanted her children but her new husband did not. She would come and get the children and have them one or two days. She still loved them and realized she had made a mistake. When they were with her, her new husband was mean to them.

One time, when Martin, my grandfather, was only seven, he was going from Mt. Pleasant with Arnoldsen to see his mother. They got to what we all know as Fiddler's Green. Later it was known as Riverside Park. (It was a dance hall, race track, and swimming pool). A nice place at one time but it was rather wild and was disbanded. They said they called it "A place between Heaven and Hell".

Arnoldsen stopped the wagon and told Martin to get out. He said he was going to stop and water and rest the horses. So the little fellow climbed down from the wagon. The man hurriedly whipped the horses to a run and drove away. The child was astounded when he realized he was left alone and it was getting dark. He was all alone, the Indians were real ferocious. He might get lost or even perish in the darkness of the night. He sadly thought, "What shall I do, go home to Dad or go on to see Mother?" He quickly made up his mind and began to run after the wagon. He thought, "If I can just stay far enough behind so he doesn't see me but I can see the dust of the wagon, I wont' be afraid."

After separating from his step-father, he fairly flew. He began to tire after he had followed a trail out through the fields and over the hill for a long way. It was a shorter way. He said, "I prayed in my heart as I ran faster and faster that the Lord would help me get to my mother first. I did get to Mother before he did and told her what he had done." Grandfather tells of how his mother took him in her arms and cried like her heart would break. "You must go back and live always with your father. He is a good man and will always be good to you." When Arnoldsen arrived, he was surprised to see the boy and also angry. He made Martin go to bed without any super. Great Grandmother sent him home the next day with a friend as I remember. I do remember what his father said to him when he returned, "My little Mart, I felt I should never have let you go after you had gone."

On another occasion when Martin was helping Arnoldsen haul hay, he was pitching the hay on the wagon and I felt impressed to move. He looked up just in time to dodge a pitch fork. The man had aimed it at his head.

Martin tells this story about his boyhood also. "I went for a walk up in the hills. I was sitting on a big rock, I felt the presence of someone, I knew not whom. I knew I was being watched, likely by Indians. What should I do? Suddenly, I began singing loudly, so I could be heard by anyone nearby. The fear left me; I was not molested or harmed, for which I was thankful."

Great Grandfather Christian probably loved or had a great deal of respect for Elsie. He always knew how she was and when she needed help. Grandfather said, "My father often took her flour, meat, fruit and other foods and clothing for her and her children." She had a real hard life and many times didn't know which way to turn. Her husband lived in polygamy. He had four wives. It was hard for him to care for all in those days.

Great Grandmother was a beautiful woman. She had light brown hair with beautiful dark blue eyes. She was slender and average height; had a pleasing disposition but was quiet. Sometime in her life she hurt her shoulder. Some say it was from her helping pull the handcart across the plains. We don't know. But we do know her one shoulder drooped and hurt all her life.

She was sealed to Arnoldsen in the old endowment house in Salt Lake City on 16 August 1862. She told Christian many times she wished she could break that sealing.

She didn't want Arnoldsen. Christian[1] evidently wanted his first wife because he went and had her sealed to him 19 September 1889. His children were married at this time and so they made the choice of who they would be sealed to. My Grandfather, Martin Brotherson said, "I want my father." He was sealed to his father and his mother's sister, Ann, Christian's first wife. Christian died on 9 August 1893. He was buried in Mt. Pleasant City Cemetery. Christian was 82 years old when he died. Elsie was 67 years old when she died. He lived a year and four months after she passed away.

A picture of the Hans Brotherson family circa 1901

Soon after the Death of Hans Brotherson
Background: Hans Brotherson .(In Picture Frame)

Back Row (Left to right)t: Parley [Parley Pratt], Tina [Clementine], Francis [Francis], Boone [Bohney], Lora [Lorenza Christine], Hans [Hans}, Chris [Christian],

Middle Row (Left to right): Orsen [Orson Hyde], Rakkie, [Fredrickka], Rhea [Maria], Maggie [Annie Margaret], Grandma Frederikka [Frederickka Andrea], Nels [Nels Douglas]

Front Row: Floyd [Ferdnand Floyd] on the left, Vernon [Vernon Hamlet] and Heneretta [Heneritta] on the right.

A Portrait Picture of Hans Brotherson

[1] Christian Brothersen (Brodersen) was endowed in the Salt Lake Endowment House on 8 July 1865.

1903 Baseball Team Photo Restored by David R. Gunderson

2011-04-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

Before and After ~ Many Thanks to David R. Gunderson

2011-03-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

I sent the above picture to our friend David as a joke, thinking it would be too hard a challenge for him to restore this photo of his Aunt Hilda and her friend Eva. He fooled me. We are so thankful to have so many talented friends out there.

David has done a number of other restorations for us. Sincere thanks to you Dave. Kathy