Person:Niels Larsen (25)

Ancestral File submissions from: Blaine L. Jenkins of 4658 S. 250 W., Ogden, Utah 84405 Regan McFadden of 5335 N. 6000 W., Rexburg, Idaho 83440 Ina S. Larsen of 312 West 2nd South, Brigham City, Utah 84302

According to his gg-grandson, Ole Larsen <[email protected]> 5 March 2010: "I found out something in the churchbook from Valby, and send it to you, 4 pages. Niels and Johanne had 3 children, number one is my grandfather's mother, Laura Larsine Larsen; number three is not baptised - it says in the churchbook that the family were Mormons. So they must have become Mormons between child number two and child number tree. From my uncle (he was 89 years old when he told me some years back; he's dead now) I heard that his grandmother, Laura Larsine told him that she remembered she was sitting on a carriage or wagon on the trip to Copenhagen to emigrate. Her mother (Johanne) was very afraid for the big ship and the unknown future, so she went back with the children. Later when Niels had made a home in Utah, it was the plan that they should come over and join him. My uncle told me that they wrote some letters to each other. Something went wrong, I don't know what, but they must have known, that they never would meet again, because in 1866 and 1867 Johanne had a child with another man from Helsinge Tofte (it is in the neigborhood to Valby). Times was tough and hard at that time, especially for women with children, so I believe that there was some sort of marriage/agreement in that relationship. I will let you know if I find out more about this sad family story. The page in Valby churchbook 1867/68 shows the second son of Johanne and the man from Helsinge Tofte is baptised, Niels Peter Larsen. I was very glad to find it, because it says that the mother is, ex-madam on .......... ... Niels Larsen. I hope that it is the name on the farm I am looking for. The other son, Anders Larsen born 1866, I have not found yet. It must have been hard for all of them at that time."

Niels and Johanne's Story by Lana Archibald

In 1863 when our Danish ancestors came to Utah with the Mormon pioneers, our gg grandmother Maren Larsen came here with her elderly father, and two brothers. Maren and her brothers Niels and Jorgen were all in their late 20s. After they got to Utah, nothing much was known about Niels or what happened to him for about 140 years. Then this spring (February 2010), I got an email from a man in Denmark named Ole Larsen. Ole had seen my webpage with histories of our family on. He said he was the descendant of Niels, and told me that Niels had a wife Johanne and children in Denmark before he left. They joined the LDS Church and planned to emigrate on a large sailing ship. But the year before they left, two of their little children died of illnesses and were buried in Denmark. They had just one little girl left, and Johanne was in the early months of another pregnancy. When they got to Copenhagen to board the large ship, Johanne couldn't do it. We don't know if she was worried about going across the ocean, or had morning sickness and couldn't bear the thought of being on a swaying ship for weeks, or if she couldn't bear to leave the graves of her two children. Maybe it was a combination of all three reasons. For whatever reason, she decided she just could not go. But Niels had sold his farm. They had already spent most of the money for their tickets. They decided Niels would go on to America without them, and prepare a place -- then after the baby was born, Johanne and the two children would try to come join him. But it never happened. They never saw each other again. Niels and Johanne wrote letters back and forth for several years, then suddenly, Niels got a bowel infection and died in Brigham City, Utah. Johanne stayed in Denmark. And since there were no descendants in Utah, no one followed through on the genealogy. Johanne and the children were forgotten about. Niels was never sealed to his family. Ole Larsen, in his email, helped me to track down the pieces of information we needed to complete this family. We found their birth and death dates, and the names of all the children. Then I told Ole I wanted to "seal" the family together. Ole Larsen is not a member of the LDS Church. He only speaks broken English. He wrote back by email: "What is this sealing? What does that mean?" I responded by telling him about temples and the priesthood power that was restored to the earth so families could be sealed or united together beyond the grave. I also told him that I was sure Johanne and Niels would be very glad to finally be sealed to each other after all these years. Ole wrote back, "I approve what you plan to do [sealing Niels to Johanne and the kids]." In March 2010 we had the temple work done and sealed the family together. I'm sure Niels and Johanne are smiling.

Postnote: In December 1867, four years after Niels went to America, his wife Johanne gave birth to another son whom she named Niels Peter Larsen. His father was a man named Soren Larsen. There is also a record of a Niels Larsen married to a Margaret Grumstrup from Brigham City in June 1867. Three years later, in April 1870, Niels died in America. We cannot judge them from these events. It must have been very difficult being separated, not only for Niels trying to make a new home in a strange land, but for Johanne trying to support herself and two children alone. They were difficult times in both Denmark and the frontier of Utah.

_FSFTID: KWJF-ZBT

1. ↑ Parish register
   Vejby parish, Holbo district, Frederiksborg county, Denmark. Available online at http://www.arkivalieronline.dk Opslag 131.
2. ↑ Parish Records.
   Entry #3 on page 256 in notes for death of Johanne Larsen, wife of Niels Larsen who died 3 April 1870 in America, a Mormon.
3. ↑ Census 1870, U.S.
   FH Microfilm #865,236. Copy held at the Tremonton/Garland, Utah family history library. Mortality Schedule 2. Brigham City, Box Elder county, Territory of Utah. from family #114, Niels Larsen, age 34, white male born in Denmark, died in April 1870 from inflammation of bowels. He had been working as a plasterer. He was widowed.
4. ↑ The death record for Niels Larsen is recorded in the 1870 US Census, Mortality Schedule for Brigham City, Box Elder county, Utah Territory. It says Niels was Widowed and that he died in April. This matches up with the record in Denmark stating that Johanna Larsen's husband had died on 3 April 1870 in America. The 1870 Census mortality schedule also says Niels had been living with family #114 at the time of his death. Family #114 is Margaret Larsen, age 26, and another woman Anne Jensen, age 58 (possibly Margaret's mother?) Niels had been working as a plasterer. If Margaret Larsen was his wife, why did the schedule list him as a widower? Was it because he had been married before? See digital copy in possession of Lana Archibald.