Anna Maria Nelsen Petersen and Soren Lind Petersen (click to enlarge)

Soren Lind Petersen 1835-1901 (click to enlarge)

Soren Lind Petersen and Anna Maria Nelsen Petersen

Information taken from My Book of Remembrance by Miriam Renstrom Whitesides.
Submitted by Jane Renstrom.
 
Soren Lind Petersen 1835-1901 Anna Maria Nelsen 1835-1887
Related Child: Caroline Petersen Renstrom
 
Soren Lind Petersen was born February 20, 1835, to F. Peder Johnsen (1 Jan 1797-) and Karen Jensen L married (7 Feb 1803-) in the city of Faisirup, suburb of Aarhus, Denmark. Aarhus is the oldest city in Denmark and full of historical buildings there of the 13th and 14th century. Gutland is also a land of forests and lakes. Soren was in school when the Grundivig system of education was in use. This system taught the whole person and stressed that a boy should be a good son, neighbor, citizen and eventually a parent. In the Manual Arts training, he learned the shoemaker trade. While Jefferson Hunt was colonizing Huntsville in Utah, in Denmark, Soren Lind Petersen was baptized at the 25 years of age in 1860. He was president of the Aarhus Branch for three years.

Peder Johnsen and Karen Jensen Lind Children:
Ellen Kirstine Pedersen b 26 Jun 1822 d 7 Jan 1896
Ane Pedersen b 18 Apr 1824 Jens Pedersen b I Mar 1826
Mette Kirstine Pedersen b 11 May 1828 Johanne Christine Pedersen b 7 Aug 1830
Christine Elizabeth Sophia Pedersen b I Oct 1832
Soren Lind Pedersen b 20 Feb 1835 d 25 Nov 1901, m Anna Nielsen
Christian Pedersen b 16 Apr 1837

Anna Maria Nielsen was born February 12, 1835 to Niels Jonassen (b 1796 d 21 Nov 1841) and Anne Elizabeth Oldsdatter (b about 1806 d 10 Jan 1846) in Helsinge (Elsinor) Denmark. In this city stand many picturesque buildings including Kronbor & the castle made famous as the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

There were seven children in the Nielsen family - five boys and two girls - Anna being the fifth child. She early learned the three R's in school. She also was the recipient of the form of education called the Grundtvig system. She studied poetry, literature, religion and the arts. She also learned combing, carding and spinning of wool. She was baptized as a member of the Church August 4, 1861. She had an -illegitimate child born in 1862 when she was 27 years old.

Niels Jonassen and Anne Elizabeth Oldsdatter Children:
Jonas Nielsen b 31 Oct 1826, d 1906
Lars Peter Nielsen b27 Aug 1829, d 1864 Jorgen Nielsen b 29 Jun 1831, died as a child Rasmus Nielsen b 29 Jun 1833
Ane or Anna Maria Nielsen b 12 Feb 1835, d 3 Dec 1887 married Soren Lind Petersen
Karen Nielsen b 30 Nov 1837
Jorgen Nielsen b 15 Sep 1838, d 1864

In the 1860's hundreds of converts left their homes in Denmark for America. From Aarhus on April 30th both Soren and Anna sailed to Reil, Germany, from there they traveled by train to Altona, Germany, boarded another ship for Hamburg and sailed to Grinisly, England arriving May 3rd They stayed there together in a large building until May 6th. Converts had left from other places and now all met and by rail traveled to Liverpool. There were about 657 Saints taken on board the steam ship the B.S. Kimball (their daughter Matilda Petersen says steamship John J. Boyd) on May 9, 1863.

They were under the direction of W.W. Cluff Co. A President was appointed by Elder George Q. Cannon to preside over the entire ship. Seven districts were formed with a president and a captain of guard over each. They sailed on the 9th of May. On board during the voyage there were four deaths and eight marriages. Soren Lind Petersen and Anna Maria Nielsen were one of the couples, they met each other, on route, fell in love and happily faced the uncertain future together. They were married between May 9th and June 12, 1863.

The ship arrived at New York on the 13th of June, after two days’ retention they were allowed to go ashore. Continued their travels, by train, to Albany and then on to Florence, Nebraska. Two children, not theirs, died and were buried on the way.
 
After Anna Marie's death the Petersen home had a fire that destroyed valuable information on the trek westward. The following quote comes from Matilda Petersen: "Thought missing their main company, when they arrived in Florence, Nebraska June 12, 1863, they chose to pull a hand cart across the plains in preference to delay." There were occasions when emigrant companies comprised both handcarts and wagons.
 
A quote from Andrew Jensen, Church Historian concerns some of the typical experiences people had crossing the plains:
"The journey was successful but somewhat monotonous and most of the travelers were glad to see the wagons drawn up to form the corral and rest their weary feet' but the young people loved to sing and dance and were quiet only at the call of the horn. Prayer was offered and thanks given to the Almighty for His guidance. On the 16th of August we found a buffalo skull, telling us that a company of 50 wagons had experienced a frightful stampede resulting in three persons being killed and several injured. The same day an extended prairie fire, which had started from one of our campfires, spread rapidly, fanned by a high wind. It was a great sight to see the flames travel over the hills for many miles, while a herd of antelope, frightened by the blazing fires, sought refuge among our cattle. We tried to stop them but most escaped unharmed."
 
The Scandinavians that came to Utah this year numbered 1,458, some of them arrived as late as October 15th the last train that year.

They stayed with friends in Salt Lake City until the spring of 1864 at which time they moved to Huntsville. In Huntsville, Soren built a 'dug-out' into an earthen bank that had a roof of wood and sod just north of where the third church house stood. When it rained pans caught the cold drizzling water and in winter the dug-out was often covered by snow. Had it not been for the smoking chimney and the cut-out opening to the door, visitors arriving by sleigh would have driven over it. On July 29th, in this dug out, their first daughter, Caroline, was born July 29, 1864. Caroline was one of the first three white children born in the valley. The others were Captain Hunt's child and Rye Olsen.
 
“In 1864, Huntsville was beginning to grow by leaps and bounds. A number of Scandinavians migrated here through the influence of Soren L. Petersen, who went back to Denmark as a missionary. ...

In his history of Utah, Tullidge wrote that by 1877 two-thirds of the population of Huntsville were Scandinavians; the rest were English and Scottish. It was customary with the Danish people to have the women milk the cows and tend the chickens and the men do the heavier work.

Swedish people also found the Huntsville community to their liking." (Page 67 Newey)

Children of Soren and Anna are:
Ann b 29 Apr 1862 (adopted by Soren) married Coe Kilgore
Caroline b 29 Jul 1864, d 16 Jul 1907 married Andrew P. Renstrom Emma Louise b 7 Jan1866, d 5 Jun 1908 married Charles W. Wright Soren Lind. Jr. b 7 Feb 1868, d 22 May 1899 m Margaret Dallimore Adam Lind b 2 Mar1870, d 29 Mar 1930 m Anna Matilda Peterson Mary Elizabeth b 2 Mar 1870, d Jul 1870
Matilda b 21 Jan 1872, d 17 Apr 1950, unmarried
Stillborn 1879

To keep history in perspective, President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth the next year of April 1865. This news was slow to reach the Valley and caused mourning by all.

A history of Huntsville written by D.D. McKay he told many wonderful stories including the following. "Farming and livestock raising were the big industries of the Valley. Each evening a telltale dust appeared on the lanes leading back to town announcing the fact that the cow herd was on its way home from the surrounding farms. At the same time teams with the farmers could be seen following the herds, dusty and tired they hustled home, horses must be unharnessed, watered and fed, cows milked and fed, calves and pigs fed before supper, everyone tired and hungry. So as soon as the chores were done and supper over the coal lamp extinguished, the sleeping town became quiet and peaceful." (McKay)

In 1869 Soren married Katie Lofgreen in polygamy and they had three sons and one daughter.

Only the daughter married and had children. They are:
Josephine born 1870
David born 1875
Joseph born 1881 (died shortly after birth) Hyrum born 1883

At this time (1869) Soren built a four-room frame house in the West Side of town and later a large brick two story home replaced it. The two families lived in harmony.

In 1874 Soren went on a mission to Norway. He was First Traveling Elder and later President of Christiana Conference. He returned after the usual two years. There was no language barrier as the Norwegian and Danish languages are similar. During his absence Katie moved to her own small home, a two-room log cabin and attic reached by a ladder, situated in the southeast part of town where she was raised. Miriam Renstrom Whiteside often spoke of what, "a pleasure it was for me to visit her there, the Jong kitchen held, besides the usual kitchen furniture, a weaving loom, a big cumbersome loom and quoting from the dictionary. 'A loom is a frame or machine for interlacing at right two or more sets of thread or yarn to form a cloth such as bedspreads, shawls, blankets, and carpets.' She was cheerful, kind, hardworking and shamefully neglected after the deaths of her husband and my mother. Her daughter, Aunt Phenie, married and moved away to Garland with her husband. She became the mother of twelve children."
 
The foundation for a big home was laid when Soren Lind left for his mission and now Anna supervised the building of a large home for her and her children. Anna gleaned wheat fields, raked hay and did other work in order to pay the carpenter, bricklayer, etc. She finally finished the beautiful two-story house with a balcony on both floors.

On the day of Soren's return, occupying the new home, all in readiness to welcome her husband home, Anna dressed herself and five children in their Sunday clothes, hitched up the horses to a white topped buggy and drove through the canyon, a two-hour drive, down to the Railroad station in Ogden. Excitement and anticipation ran high in the waiting crowd, the wonderful train steamed in, smoke spiraling from the hand-stoked boiler, bells jangling and with screeching of brakes reluctantly stepped from its long, arduous pull across the nation.
 
Down the steps a large number of immigrants descended, heavily laden with boxes, baggage and anxiety; it took quite some time to help them in the depot to wait or meet their relatives and friends and receive orders on where to go in this new world. Last of all came Soren Lind, but not alone; he turned around without one glance at the crowd and solicitously helped strange woman holding a baby in her arms down the steps. it was so terribly obvious to all watching she was a wife, a polygamous wife, her existence unknown to anyone waiting there.

The shock was devastating to Anna, and on the return trip home she and her children sat miserably silent on the back seat, while her husband was driving home, had his new wife and her son sitting beside him. Caroline was 12 years old, old enough to wonder about and feel this shattering journey and realize the unhappiness ahead for all of them. How true was her intuition.

A home for Louisa (the new wife) was established by converting the upstairs area of the lovely new house for the intruding family. The relationship in the years following was , tragically, unhappy. A story came from across the seas that Louisa had left a husband there.

Louisa was born in Norway September 11, 1841, and died in Huntsville January 11, 1908. Her children were Joseph Lind born July 15, 1876, in Norway, and the following born in Huntsville:
Alma Lind born 1880
Olga Louisa born 1883
Kanute Thomas born 1886
Ella born 1888

Soren converted his old four-room house into a store and Caroline began clerking there at the young age of 13 years and continued on until her marriage. Soren Lind managed the store for many years. This was called a Co-op store. He was President of the Seventies Quorum in Huntsville, 1st Counselor in Huntsville Ward. He was a promoter of the telephone line from Ogden to Huntsville and the only telephone in town for many years was in his store. Soren and Anna contributed to the building of a new chapel dedicated in 1883. In 1886 he was arrested for plural marriage, but the case was dismissed.

The incident was recorded by Matilda- Soren Lind's _______ child.
 
This year my father was arrested for having yielded obedience to the principle of plural marriage. An incident in my life in connection with an arrest I shall never forget. It was in the days when th4e United States Deputy Marshals were raiding the homes of polygamous families. At four o-clock in the morning six of these habitual inebriates surrounded our home in Huntsville. They demanded admittance by loud knocking at he front door and shouting in shrill voices, 'We are U.S. Deputy Marshals, open this door.'

My brother Adam and I heard the confusion and trembling in our hearts jumped out of bed, dressed quickly and ran out of the back door toward the meadow below the hill.

Here by the barn stood our favorite horse. Adam jumped on her back calling to me to hurry and ride behind him. But I was not as fleet as he and jogged along as best I could. Looking backward I saw one close by and he yelled, 'Stop, stop or I'll shoot you.' He did shoot at me once or twice, at me or in the air I didn't know for I fell in right to the ground. he picked me up and upon discovering that I was a young child he profaned loudly, cuffed my ears and said, 'You are not the one I'm looking for kid, stay here and eat grass.'

Later my father, because of his conduct, caused him to be dismissed as a United States Deputy Marshal.

In 1877 Church Historian Andrew Jenson wrote, "Yesterday I took a trip to Huntsville. The inhabitants number about 800. Many are hardy Norsemen, inured to toil and hardships and by their industry have brought the soil under cultivation and made it yield food for man and beast. They have a rock school house 52 X 40 feet with day and Sunday Schools in session, well attended and conducted by efficient instructors. In the two winters of  77 and 78 diphtheria continued on more or less for 18 months during which several children died. To add to this calamity grasshoppers appeared and destroyed the crops."

Soren's children remember his helping provide for many happy hours of home life and of recreation. Music was in the home as Caroline and Emma could both play the organ. Soren and Adam could play flute, guitar and accordion.

Anna's children remember her for the excellent dinners she was famous for. She also participated in many church and civic affairs. Soren and Anna's daughter, Matilda, remembers her mother sending her on Saturdays with a basket filled with food which she took to the poor and needy.
At Anna's funeral one of the beneficiaries of her help rose and asked permission to express gratitude for such bounty so freely bestowed.

Matilda wrote this poem in memory of her parents and home.

THE OLD HOMESTEAD
How oft in my dreams I tread a path
Where the sweet scented lilacs grow.
Or gaze through the night from a farmhouse door
At the heavens with stars aglow.
 
I hear in fancy the babbling brook
That sings in the meadow ravine.
And nothing in life can compensate
For the loss of that cherished scene.
 
And again in the gorgeous musings,
Into other scenes I whirl,
As glories of the dear old home
Before my watchful eyes unfurl.
 
I see in the vision my mother
Sitting in her low cushioned armchair,
And as she smiles above her knitting,
Her face to me is saintly fair.
 
And viewing it I see my father reading,
From a book upon his knee (methinks the Bible)
And again I hear him praying,
As he used to pray for me.
 
I see the sweet and smiling faces,
Of Carrie, Emma. Adam, Anna and Soren,
They, like lighted shrines of incense,
The alter fires of home adorn.
 
I awaken, the dream departs, the vision falls,
And memory flows with a lava tide,
Mother and family - my soul cries out for you,
But no answer comes - the little group have died.
 
Home - that hallowed word is ne'er forgot,
No matter where I roam,
For the tenderest feelings of the heart
Are cherished round my girlhood home.
 
Anna succumbed to an attack of typhoid fever at her home on December. 3,1887. Soren died also at home on 25 November 1901.
This history was written by Miriam Renstrom Whitesides with additions from Matilda Petersen's histories presented for DUP Camp Hollywood, County LA, State California, April 14, 1945.
 
Notes for story of Soren Lind Petersen
Christian also owned a sawmill where he was later killed. Soren L. Petersen, who owned a small store in the West End of town, bought Christian's property and built a two-story store with dance hall on the upper level. After Soren's death the store was operated by his sons Adam, Alma and Joseph L. Petersen