Fra https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KWN2-DQP:
(James Hansen, half brother of Cecelia who also joined the Church in 1852 and immigrated in 1868--her husband died in Bornholm, but 3 sons came to Brigham City 3 years later. Her daugher married Peter Romer (her step-cousin.) Caroline Cathrine Jensen Romer, James' younger sister joined the Church in 1881 after her son, Mathias heard the missionaries on the street and also came to Brigham City in 1881. So three children of Ellen Kirsten Hansdatter joined the LDS Church. Two in the 1850's and one in 1881.)
James Hansen (Jens Hansen Jensen)
Contributed By Barbara Holm • 5 October 2013 • 1 Comment
written by an unknown grandchild
James Hansen was born July 2, 1827 in the settlement of Aaker on the island of Bornholm off the coast of Denmark. He was the second son of Ellen Kirstine Hansen and her second husband Jens Mortensen. As he grew, he was taught how to manage and operate the family farm and dairy operation. Their education was reading the Bible. However, he became an expert in financing and as a producer of foods. When he was very young, his sister Johanne married a wealthy land owner named Muller and James accepted a position as first hired man on the Muller estate; a very coveted and honored position to hold in those days.
Working for this same sister was a little peasant girl, Anne Catherine Madsen, a lovely, kind girl who had been working for the family for ten years. She became a friend to James and after a courtship of five years, they were married in the Lutheran Church on April 6, 1851. While they were courting, James made Anne a present of a lamb which Anne cared for. Each year as the lamb grew, Anne sheared and kept the wool until she had enough to spin and make into black and white cloth. Anne took this cloth to her brother who was a tailor by trade, and he made a suit of it for James to be married in.
About a year after their marriage, the Latter-Day Saint missionaries came to Bornholm. Many joined the church and among them was Cecelia, the sister of James, and two of his wife's cousins, Christopher and Jeppa Folkman. Through their influence, James and his wife were converted and baptized January 15th, 1853. It was extremely cold and it was necessary to break the ice to baptize the saints.
James labored as a home missionary until the following December. By this time, James and Anne had two children, Christian born August 18, 1851 and four weeks after they were baptized, a daughter Caroline, born February 27, 1853. Jens and his two sisters were the only ones in the family to join the church. The others were very bitter toward it. This caused James to lose his job as foreman and also to be disinherited by his parents.
In later years when his sons went back to Denmark to preach the gospel, the sons were made welcome as guests, but not as missionaries.
In December 1853, James and his wife Anne and their two children left the land of their birth, their families, property and estates, and started for America in a company of 200 saints with Hans Peter Olsen in charge. They sailed on the steamship 'Eidersen.' The company was forced to wait at Liverpool, England where many of the children died of fever. They sailed to America on the 'Benjamin Adams' and they arrived in New Orleans on March 22, 1854. From there, they traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis and from there to Kansas City.
Jackson County, Missouri had been selected as an outfitting place for the saints who crossed the plains that year. After the arrival of the Jessie Munns Company, two companies were organized for the journey across the plains. Hans Peter Olsen was chosen as the leader of the company. Christian J. Larsen was chaplain, Bent Nielsen as wagon master, James Hansen as camp captain, and Peter P. Thompson as captain of the guard. The company consisted of 64 wagons. These were divided into six smaller companies.
The journey began on June 15, 1854. They traveled a new and shorter route than previous companies had done. After traveling about twenty miles, the company stopped because all the wagons were too heavily loaded. Fifty more oxen had to be brought before they could go on. Of all the emigrant companies who crossed the plains that year, the Scandinavians suffered the most sickness. Cholera was the disease that killed so many. Of the 680 persons who had left Copenhagen only 500 reached Salt Lake City on October 5th, 1854.
After resting a few days in Salt Lake City the company journeyed to Brigham City. In Brigham James' first home was a dugout on the corner north of the tabernacle block. He shared this home with a family named Keller. Later he built a log room over the cellar. In this home two more children were born— Erastus Peter on December 1, 1855 and Annie Kathrine on December 30, 1857.
James obeyed the commandments of the Lord given through the leaders of the church and married a second wife. Her name was Karen Margaret Steffensen. Margaret was a little woman. She was of a high strung nervous temperament and very affectionate. Her children were very dear to her. She had five children, two died in infancy. When everything was becoming encouraging, they were notified that Johnson's Army was coming to Utah. James moved south with the rest of the saints, locating at Lehi, where they lived for a short time until they were instructed to return to their home in Brigham. Happy were they upon their arrival to see what was barren waste at their departure, now a field of growing grain. James then took up land two miles north of Brigham and his entire time during work days was spent in tilling the soil and producing food.
He moved the little log room from town to the farm and built an adobe room in its place which was a luxury indeed! The two wives were very congenial with each other and moved back and forth from the farm to town and from town to the farm. During the years that followed, these families with the other settlers, suffered the trials and hardships incident to pioneering. They ate sego lily bulbs, wild onions, and frozen cattle. They were fighting the crickets to save their crops. The dark clouds did not hang over them continually, however, and soon James Hansen became one of the most successful farmers in the county. It is said that he never ate his breakfast after the sun came up, signifying that he was an early riser.
Out of his means he sent money back to Bornholm so many of the saints could come to America, including his sister Cecelia, who had been instrumental in bringing him into the Church. He believed in paying an honest tithing and was abundantly blessed. President Lorenzo Snow, then stake president, often came to Grandfather for help for the poor. On one occasion he said, 'Brother Hansen, I have asked for so much I am ashamed to ask for more.' He then told him, 'Because of your generosity, I give you a promise that neither you nor your families shall ever want for bread.' They never did.
His second wife, Margaret, died in 1869 leaving three small children. On March 28, 1870, James married a third wife Botilda (Matilda Bengtsson Jonsson), a native of Sweden. She was a striking personality and made a splendid wife. She raised the three motherless children of Margaret's and nine of her own. They were married in the Endowment House at Salt Lake City.
In the same year, September 5, 1870, Margaret Grumstrup (Larsen) was sealed to James in the Endowment House. She was a young widow and was alone in Utah. Having no one to take care of all her property, she asked James to marry her.
In 1873 James was called on a mission to Denmark. He was assigned to the Copenhagen Conference. While there he met his fifth wife. She was the daughter of Martin Rasmus Peterson and Metta Marie Hansson. She was christened Chiersta, but she did not like it and changed her name to Christina. She was my grandmother. Christina asked grandfather to help her immigrate her father and brother to Utah. He did, and she later worked for him in Utah to pay back the debt. James arrived home from his mission July 5, 1874.
The other wives agreed that James should marry Christina. James was 52 years of age and Christina was 29 years of age or 22 years younger. James and Christina were married in the St. George Temple. Another wife was sent to chaperon the couple until they were married. They traveled in a wagon from Brigham to St. George. It was the only temple built at the time. The Endowment House had been taken down. Returning, James gave each of his wives a farm and all they could produce from it.
James was sent to prison for six months February 14, 1888 to August 1888. He was fined 100 dollars and promised to obey the law. Many Mormon polygamists served terms so they would be free from the law, having served their punishment for disobeying the law before it was tested in the Supreme Court of the United States.
In the month of October 1895, he was stricken with paralysis, losing his speech and the use of his right side at the age of 68. He was moved to Christina's home. He improved during the winter. While on a trip to the temple, he regained his speech. He lived until July 19, 1896 when he was stricken again and died. He was 69 years of age when he died. Christina was 46 years of age and my father was eight. His youngest child Alfreda, my father's sister was five years of age. James had five families of children totaling 43. He is buried in the Brigham City, Utah Cemetery along with three of his wives, my father and mother and some of my father's brothers, sisters, and half brothers and sisters. His patriarchal blessing told him he would receive eternal life in the worlds to come and have great joy in his posterity.
COMMENTS:
• ButterfieldRichardD1
13 October 2013
The author's father, being eight years of age and the brother of Alfreda (five), must then be Isaac Martell Hansen, son of Christina Rasmusson Peterson. The author of this story, would then be, most likely, Wayne S. Hansen.
NB! Hvilke af Jens' 5 koner der er mor til hvilke af børnene er usikkert fra 1858 og frem. Inden da må det være hans 1. kone der var moderen. Resten af børnene står derfor som født af andre efter bedste evne, selv om jeg ikke ved om det er tilfældet.
NB! Utah became a state in 1896.
