Soren Lind Petersen 1835-1901 (click to enlarge)

Soren Lind Petersen and Anna Maria Nelsen Petersen - Part 1

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.