Maren's church record can be found in the Brigham City, Utah church records, film #25810. It lists Maren Larsen, daughter of Lars Nielsen and Anna Hansen, born 29 July 1840 in Denmark, baptized (re-baptism) 25 Oct 1863.
Her father Lars Nielsen's farm in Monge was Gedderbrogård, located at Møngevej 39 Vejby. After Lars, Maren, Jorgen, Niels and Inger emigrated to America, the daughter Sidse Larsen and her husband Lars Nielsen took over the farm operation.
Maren Larsen's name is often written Maren Nielsen because of name traditions in the United States where she immigrated. Larsdatter is the correct surname she was born with. The reason for the confusion in her name is that in the early 1850's in Denmark, a law was passed that said patronymics (using the father's given name plus "sen" for son, or "datter" for daughter) was to end, so children began carrying the father's surname instead. Therefore the children of Hans Jensen and Maren Larsen were named Jensen. Maren was the daughter of Lars Nielsen, but she was born before the law took effect so she would have been named, in the official records, as Maren Larsdatter. But when she came to the USA with her father, Lars Nielsen, she being identified as a daughter of his was called Maren Nielsen. She then married a man with the surname of Jorgensen, but he "Americanized" that surname to Johnson. Although she lived with this Jens/James Jorgensen/Johnson for many years, it was a troubled marriage and her children buried her with her first married surname.
LDS BAPTISM: in Denmark, by Thomas Anderson; confirmed by Hans Anderson.
BURIAL: Maren Larsen Jensen and one of her sons are buried in the Weston cemetery; their plot is in the center of the west end, near a small cedar bush. It is reported that Maren purchased eight adjoining lots in the Weston cemetery.
BIOGRAPHY: Maren Larsen Jensen left her husband in Denmark and came to America with her children after being converted to the LDS Church. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth to her daughter, Anna Marie, on the Nebraska plains.
There were two sons born to Maren Larsen and James Larsen Johnson.
CENSUS 1845 -- Frederiksborg, Holbo, Vejby, Mønge, , Gaard,
Name Age Marital status Position in household Occupation Birth place
Lars Nielsen 55 Gift Gaardmand Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Ane Hansdatter 48 Gift hans Kone Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Kirsten Jørgensdatter 19 Ugift Deres Børn Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Maren Larsdatter 15 Ugift Deres Børn Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Jørgen Larsen 13 Ugift Deres Børn Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Niels Larsen 9 Ugift Deres Børn Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Niels Andersen 11 Ugift Pleiebørn Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Lars Jensen 7 Ugift Pleiebørn Her i Sognet [Vejby]
Anders Nielsen 17 Ugift Tjenestekarl Her i Sognet [Vejby]
CENSUS - 1860 Hillerod Kobsted (town), Frederiksborg Amt (county), Denmark available on www.arkivalieronline.dk opslang (page) 53
Hans Jensen, age 35, married, born Haarse(?)
Maren Jensen, age 30, his wife, born Monge
Hanne Jensen, age 7, their child, born Monge
Peder Jensen, age 4, their child, born Hillerod
CENSUS - 1870 Newton, Cache, Utah (filed with the Box Elder county, Utah census): James and Jonathan are found on the 1870 Utah census as chidlren of ages 4 and 2, along with Mary [Anne Marie Jensen] age 7 -- the children of James Lars Johnson and Mary [or Maren].
CENSUS -- 1880 Weston, Franklin, Idaho: James Johnson [or Jorgenson] age 63, a farmer; and his wife Mary [Maren Larsen] age 50. Both born in Denmark; son James, age 14, born in Utah; son Johnathan, age 12, born in Utah; daughter Anne Maria, age 17, born at Wyoming's Platte river.
CENSUS -- 1900 Weston, Oneida, Idaho: James [household 11] and John [household 10] are on the census as 34 and 32 years old. Maren [written as "Maran"], age 69, is listed as a widow, living with Johnathan's family. She reported having had 8 children, with 4 still living.
IMMIGRATION: Departed 23 April 1863 from Copenhagen, Denmark to England. Left Liverpool, England on 30 April 1863 (ship "John J. Boyd). Left Florence, Nebraska 6 July 1863. Their party was the "John R. Young Company of Scandinavian Saints." They arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on 12 Sep 1863. She settled in Brigham City, Utah but her father went to Hyrum with his daughter Bendte and her family. Traveling with Maren were her father Lars Nielsen (age 73); two brothers Neils Larsen (age 27) and Jorgen Larsen (age 31); two daughters Hanne Christine Jensen (age 10) and Anne Marie Jensen (born on the trail while in Wyoming); two sons Lars Peter Jensen (age 6) and Jens Andrew Jensen (age 2). Maren's sister Bendte and her husband Jens Rasmussen, with their children, were also in that company. LDS FH Film #025,696 "Emigration Records of the Scandinavian Mission" Record A 1854 - 1863. Copenhagen Conference.
CITIZENSHIP: According to the 1900 census for Weston, Idaho (FH Film #1240234) Maren had citizenship in the U.S. (certificate #186337) This citizenship record is still to be found.
RESEARCH DISCREPANCY: 11 April 2002 -- new evidence came to light that showed we had previously linked our Maren Larsen to the wrong Jens/James Jorgenson/Johnson. Jens Larsen Jorgensen (originally Jens Larsen in Denmark; son of Lars Jorgensen & Kirsten Jorgensen), who later changed his named to James Johnson, was sealed to Maren Larsen in the Endowment House July 1865. He had previously been sealed January 1865 in the Endowment House to Birthe Sophie Jensen (his wife, since 27 June 1842) from Denmark. This James Johnson (Jens Larsen/Jorgensen) was confused with James Johnson (Jens Jorgansen, born in Denmark to Jorgan Jorgensen and Ellen Jensen) who married Mary Nielsen. They resided in Brigham City, Utah and in Hyde Park, Cache, Utah. He was a High Priest and died in 1891; buried in Hyde Park. Our earlier records had been based on the recollection and notes of a woman who had a conversation with a man who was a contemporary of James Johnson and Maren Larsen in the late 1800s and there are many coicidental similarities between the two men and their wives, but they are not the same people.
SOURCES: Family records if Lera Jenkins Buttars
Family records of C.M. Christensen of Brigham City, Utah
Scandinavian immigration records of John J Boyd Co.
Family records of Maria Jensen Jenkins, and Veroka Nash
Information gathered by Elena Anderson from the census of 1855-1860
Life history of Maren Larsen called "Maren Nielsen" Copy in my book
of remembrance. It was written by her grand-daughter in 1958.
Headstone in the Weston, Idaho cemetery.
Census records for Utah and Idaho 1880, 1890 and 1900.
Census records 1840 for M'onge, Vejby, Frederiksborg, Denmark (FH Film #039138)
Census records 1845 for M'onge, Vejby, Frederiksborg, Denmark (FH Film #039228)
" Weston Ward LDS Records 1889 - 1907" microfilm #0007633
Webpage online: <http://www.angelfire.com/ut/gill> created by Francis C> Gill.
Written history of Birthe Nielsen/Larsen. Written by Dorothy Schimmelpfinnegar of Pleasant
View, Utah. Partial copy in possession of Lana Archibald of Garland, Utah.
Journal History, 12 Sep 1863, pg. 2-9 (Deseret News 13: 49, 64)
Journal of John R. Young, LDS Church Historical Dept.
Oral history of Veroka Goodsell Nash, a granddaughter.
Danish parish records
Ships passenger lists
