Caroline Petersen Renstrom (click to enlarge)

Caroline Petersen Renstrom
 
29 July 1864 - 16 July 1907
 
Spouse: Andrew P. Renstrom
 
Information taken from My Book of Remembrance by Miriam Renstrom Whitesides
 
Caroline's story begins in Denmark. Her father, Soren Lind Petersen, was born February 20, 1835, his father being Peder Johnsen and his mother Karen Jensen Lind. His birthplace was Fiestrup, Gutland, Denmark. His future wife, Anna Maria Nielsen, was also born in the year of 1835 on February 12th. Her father was Niels Jonassen, her mother Elizabeth Oldsdauer. Her birthplace was Elsinore, Fredersborg, Denmark. On April 29,1862 a daughter, Annie or Anne, was born to Anna; the father is unknown although Soren Lind adopted her after he and Anna were married.
 
In 1863 many converts left Denmark to come to America and Caroline's parents were among them. They sailed from Aarhus on April 30th. Their journey took them to Riel, Germany; Altona, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Grinisly, England and finally Liverpool, England. There six-hundred fifty-seven Saints were taken on board the steamship B.S. Kimball which set sail the 9th of May.
 
During the voyage four deaths and eight marriages occurred. Soren Lind and Anna were one of the couples married at that time. They arrived in New York and continued by train to Florence, Nebraska and from there, they pulled hand carts into Salt Lake Valley. They settled in Huntsville in the spring of 1864 and built a dugout home deep in the ground.
 
On July 29, 1864, Caroline was born in this dugout; she was one of the first three white children born in the valley - the other two being Captain Hunt's child and Rye Olsen. The family engaged in farming and livestock raising as did nearly everyone else in Ogden Valley. A sister, Emma Louise, was born on January 7, 1866. On February 7, 1868, Soren Lind Jr. was born. In 1869 (the same year the railroads met at Promontory Point) the family moved into a four-room frame house in the west part of town.
 
Soren married Katie Loftgreen in polygamy and the two families lived in harmony in this little home. Katie had three sons and one daughter – only one son and her daughter reaching maturity.
 
Caroline went to school and studied arithmetic, spelling, music, geography and reading. She stayed in school until she finished the 5th grade reader at approximately ten years of age. Since it required moving to Ogden to continue schooling, Caroline received no other formal education but she continued to teach herself so well that some years later she taught school while her husband was on a mission for the Church.
 
A younger sister, Matilda was born January 21, 1872.          

​In 1874 Soren, her father, was called on a mission to Norway and he served there for two years. During his absence Aunt Katie moved into a small home of her own. Before Soren left for his mission he had laid the foundation for a larger home and now Caroline's mother, Anna, with the help of two men, started to build the house. She carried bricks (fired locally in a kiln nearby) to the men and she earned what money she could by gleaning in the wheat fields and doing other work until finally the beautiful two story house with a balcony on both floors was completed.
 
In 1876 Soren was due in at Ogden train station from his mission, so Anna and her children dressed in their best clothes drove the horses and white topped buggy through the canyon to the station. Many immigrants were getting off the train and last came Soren, but not alone.           He turned and helped a strange woman down the steps: she was holding a baby in her arms. It was obvious to all watching that she was his wife - her existence was unknown to anyone waiting there. Caroline was twelve years of age and she was old enough to wonder about this shocking experience and to have some insight into what her mother was thinking and feeling on the shattering journey home.
 
The upstairs of the new house was converted into an area for the new wife, Louisa. During the ensuing years she had three sons and two daughters - the first son having been born in Norway.
 
The happy relationships within the family were shattered by the third wife and her family. All that followed was tragedy and unhappiness, at least for Anna and her children.
 
In 1877, some months after Soren arrived home from his mission, he converted the old four room house into a store and Caroline began clerking there at the age of thirteen years and continued on until her marriage. During these years she was very active in the ward in teaching positions, putting on theatricals and she was also ward organist for many years and sang as a soloist and in the choir. Recreation was limited but Church parties were enjoyed by all. Home dramatics were performed, sleigh rides were frequent and summer was filled with excitement due to the 4th and 24th and ball games, swimming in creeks, trips into the canyons and programs on every holiday.
 
One episode Caroline would never forget happened while she was alone in the store clerking. An Indian man and woman came hurriedly into the store and looked over the bolts of material finally selecting a red flannel and buying several yards. The man handed the material to the woman and she went outside, crossed the street and crouched down on the big town ditch bank. While Caroline waited further on the man, she watched through the window and soon saw the woman rise up from the bank with a baby in her arms. The woman then came back into the store, the bundle of red flar.net in her arms and proudly held it up for Caroline to see the new baby lying snugly and warm inside.
 
In 1883 the new $111000 chapel was dedicated. This was used for many years and was a great asset to the community. In 1887
 
Caroline's mother, Anna, died at the age of fifty-two. She had not been well for several years. After her death, the families changed floors, Aunt Louisa taking over the main part leaving Caroline and her brothers and sisters upstairs. Often she and her brother, Adam, would go to a dance and arriving home late, would be locked out of the house.
 
Caroline was small, had gray eyes and brown hair which she pulled back in a bun. She was kind, considerate, gentle and a true diplomat. She never did wear glasses, but later in life she had false teeth. She was very popular with everyone in the valley.
 
Now Andrew Pehrson Renstrom met and began to court Caroline. He was a little older than she having been born in Sweden on December 30, 1857; he and his mother and grandmother and several brothers and sisters had come from Sweden in 1873. He lived with his mother and worked at farming and odd jobs. On June 27, 1888 Caroline and Andrew were married in the Logan Temple; they traveled there via horse and buggy, probably by way of Liberty, over the pass into Cache Valley.
 
After their wedding they lived with his mother in her little cottage. On June 23rd, 1889 a little girl, Moiselle, was born in Grandma Erickson's home and later in that year Andrew went on his second mission to Sweden. Caroline supported herself and her baby by teaching school in the Rock schoolhouse, In 1892 Andrew returned from Sweden, bought three lots from Bishop Hammond and built a house just west of the hotel on the corner and they moved into it just before Carol was born on May 23, 1892.
 
In 1893 Caroline became president of the Primary and Andrew became counselor to Bishop McKay. As president of the Primary she was responsible for the teachers and the children and lessons. Also she planned many picnics in Winter's Grove complete with fried chicken, potato salad, sandwiches, ice cream and cookies and many ,other activities. One time when Bishop McKay visited the Primary, Caroline handed out sacks of candy with ten pieces in each sack to each child. The teachers gave the sacks to the child and then had each child march by Bishop McKay and hand him out one piece of candy; this was to help teach the principle of tithing.
 
Andrew continued farming and raising livestock. He eventually owned two farms, Perry Farm and Spring Creek. He belonged to a co-op farm south of town and was co-owner with Bishop McKay of a threshing machine and fanning mill. Caroline's duties were within the house -- those of cooking, washing, sewing and generally looking after children, husband and mother-in-law. Grandmother Erickson lived at their home as did Aunt Matilda, Caroline's sister, when she was not at school.
 
On October 12, 1895 Miriam was born in an upstairs bedroom. The next year Utah was given statehood. In 1898. an exciting event happened1 a robber came and stayed one night at their place. After he was captured, he asked permission to give the four children a silver dollar apiece and this request was granted. In November 1998, a baby John, was born but he only lived a few hours. In 1899 a baby girl, Eva, was born who only lived a few hours.  In November 7,. 1900 a. baby boy was born and Caroline remarked, "I can't lose this one, I have paid my tenth in babies." The four children stood around her bed discussing what to name the little boy.  Miriam had been the baby of the family for five years so they paid attention to her when she asked to have him called Aunt Mattie or Aunt Tillie.
 
When they explained that ·those were girls' names she said, "Then let's call him George Washington," and Andrew answered, "Why not?" So, George received his name.
 
The holidays that year marked the end of the 19th century thus ushering in the 20th, Santa Claus came as usual and a happy party was held. But the big event was New Year's Eve. For that Andrew had spent weeks caring candle holders for all the front room windows. That night candles were placed into the holders and lighted and all the family tramped outside to look back at the shining house. The church and the schoolhouse bells tolled and 1901 was born.
 
That year in November, Grandfather Petersen died at his home. Caroline had been tending to him, but the night before his passing she came home so tired Andrew sent her to bed. During the night Andrew walked down to Grandfather Soren' s house and knocked on the door. The knock was ignored so he peeped through the bottom opening of the blind and saw Uncle Joe - one of the third wives’ sons, looking through the desk. In the morning Soren was dead, Caroline and her brothers-and sisters wondered ever after it he had been given an extra amount laudanum to hasten his death. There is no proof of that but much bitterness ensued from the fact that the third wife's children received the bulk of the estate; Katie's children scarcely any and Anna's children a little but nothing to equal the amount left Louisa's. Caroline's experience with polygamy was bad.
 
Many times, at LDS Church general conference Caroline and Andrew would journey down the canyon by buggy and team and from there to Salt Lake City by train.
 
On May 25, 1903, Grandmother Erickson, Andrew's mother, died at the home. Before that time she had broken her hip and was thus an invalid. This was quite a burden to both Caroline and Andrew, but Andrew was always very kind and helpful to his mother. On April 29th of the same year, Erma was born and Caroline thought she was her prettiest baby. She did not go to the hospital to have her babies, nor did she see a doctor very often, However her last two babies were delivered by a doctor from Ogden. Her health began to fail following this birth and nothing the doctors prescribed seemed to help.
 
During 1902 and 1903 Caroline was president of the M.I.A. She loved to sponsor plays and operettas and the last one she put on was called "The Thief of Time."
 
In 1905 Andrew was confirmed as Bishop succeeding Bishop McKay. He was released from this position in 1908, after Caroline's death.
 
There was much work to be done on the farm and one of the hardest times was during threshing. A large group of men, about 20, traveled with the thresher and the women had to supply huge meals. The bed ticks were filled with fresh clean straw after the threshing. Though Andrew was stern and rather difficult to live with, Caroline smoothed the way for her children. There was an organ in the home and eventually a piano was purchased. Caroline was an accomplished musician. In the living room there was a six-foot book case filled with books for both she and Andrew read and taught their children that good books were an important part of life.
 
In 1907 Gladys was born January 11th and from that birth Caroline never did recover, Gladys was tended by a second cousin, Mary Berlin Johnson. Caroline was given steam baths at a mineral resort and once was even operated on for suspected tumor.
 
The last day of her life (15th of July for she died in the early hours of the 16th) she spent with her family at home. She spent most of the day sitting in an easy chair. Arnold was working outside with his father. Carol and Moiselle did the washing, cooking and cleaning. Andrew lingered by her side. The younger children were in and out, Once she sobbed and asked Miriam to rub her feet which she did. After dinner, Andrew took her for a ride in the surrey. During the night Andrew and Moiselle stayed with her and in the early morning hours all the family was called to her bedside where they listened to her breathing come slower and slower and then stop. Her last words were, "Poor Papa." George looked outside and said, "Look out the window, the sun is coming up." Andrew answered, "Our sun is gone." The sad funeral was held on Saturday and there were numerous flowers from Salt Lake, Ogden and Huntsville. Andrew had built the coffin and also a heavy pine wood outer coffin soaked in tar. So Caroline died at the age of nearly forty-three years after living a very full and useful, although short life.
 
Her children remembered always the words of instruction she gave them on the last day of her life.
 
On March 2, 1870, Adam Lind was born. His twin Mary Elizabeth died either April or July of the same year. On January 21, 1872, Matilda was born. The last child was born stillborn in June of 1879; the sex of that child is unknown.
 
Anne Petersen b 29 Apr 1862 d - m Coe Kilgore 
Caroline Petersen b 29 Jul 1864 d 16 Jul 1907 m Andrew Pehrson Renstrom
Emma Louise Petersen b 7 Jan 1866 d 5 Jun 1908 m Charles William Wright
Soren Lind Petersen, Jr. b 7 Feb 1868 d 22 May 1899 m Margaret Dallimore
Adam Lind Petersen b 2 Mar 1870 d 29 Mar 1930 m Anna Matilda Peterson
Mary Elizabeth Petersen b 2 Mar 1870 d April or July 1870 
Matilda Petersen b 21 Jan 1872 d 17 Apr 1950 Stillborn Petersen b Jun 1879
 
Soren married Katie Loftgreen in polygamy and the two families lived in harmony in this little home. Katie (born 10 Nov 1842 in Sweden and died 11 Nov 1923 in Huntsville) had three sons and one daughter.

Josephine "Phenie" was born December 22, 1870, married Oscar Harris and had twelve children
Joseph was born about 1871 and died as an infant
David was born March 13, 1875, and was killed as a young man in a logging accident
​Hyrum was born October 15, 1881, was a sheepherder and never married.