Johanne Marie Sandersdatter

Født 30 Jul 1835 Lildfrost Mark, Bredsten Sogn, Tørrild, Vejle

Død 28 Jun 1918 Washington County, Utah, USA

Dåb

Religion konverteret til den Mormonske trosretning

Fødsel 30 Jul 1835 Lildfrost Mark, Bredsten Sogn, Tørrild, Vejle

Udvandring 1857

Vielse/Ægteskab 29 Oct 1857 Tooele, Tooele County, Utah, USA

Død 28 Jun 1918 Washington County, Utah, USA

Begravelse 1 Jul 1918 Washington City Old, Washington County, Utah, USA

Johanne blev vaccineret 10. maj 1837.

Johannah crossed the Atlantic on the ship Westmoreland in 1857. Jacob Bastian and his 1. wife Gertrude were on the same ship and all three crossed the plains in the Christian Christiansen Company of that year. Gertrude died shortly after the company reached Salt Lake City so Jacob married Johannah on 29 October 1857. Johannah's death date is from her death certificate.

History of Johanna Marie Sander Bastian
· 18 juli 2013 · 0 Comments
There is a lovely land
Der er et yndigt land,
That proudly spreads her beeches
det står med brede bøge
Beside the Baltic strand.
nær salten østerstrand;
A land that curves in hill and dale,
det bugter sig i bakke, dal,
That men have named Old Denmark . . .
det hedder gamle Danmark . . .

. . . and Johanna Marie Sander was born here. She was one of nearly 17,000 Danish immigrants who were converts to the L.D.S. Church, heeding an urgent call to gather to 'Zion.' She and her family were baptized sometime in 1856.

Johanna's early life in Denmark is unknown, but her surroundings were filled with rivers, rolling hills, and a coastline with many narrow inlets and numerous harbors because it is surrounded by the sea.

Johanna was the daughter of Sander Andersen and Johanne Catrine Hansen born in Lildfrost, Bredsten, Vejle, Denmark. Johanna's surname was derived from the patronymic system which was based on the name of one's father which was a Denmark tradition. In most cases the given name of a father was used as a surname for each of the children. Hence, Sander Andersen, Johanna's father gave all his children the 'Sander' surname which they carried throughout their lives.

The Perpetual Emigration Fund and its contributions helped Johanna and her family, migrate to Utah. However, because these Saints were poor, they could not afford to pay for the whole family to migrate at the same time. Johanna was sent at the age of 20 years old with missionaries and others who were migrating the year of 1857.

It is unclear how Johanna reached Liverpool, but more than likely she boarded a steamer in Copenhagen which conveyed her to Liverpool, England where she joined the 504 Latter-Day Saints who were called the Mathias Cowley Emigration Company. This company boarded the U.S. 'Westmoreland' ship which was captained by Robert R. Duncan. The ship left Liverpool in April with 999 passengers, including the 504 Latter-Day Saints, and four returning missionaries.

Johanna's future husband, Jacob Sander Bastian, was also on the Westmoreland ship. 'The crossing was one of harmony and good feeling among the emigrants' wrote Camilla Dorthea Jacobsen Corbet who was also aboard. During the voyage an old man and two small children died, but five couples were married and a baby was born. Listed as one of the couples married aboard the ship was Jacob Bastian and Gertrude Petersen, Jacob's first wife.

Aboard the ship the saints were divided into four districts and followed a regiment of orders such as bedtime between 9 and 10 p.m. and rose at 5 a.m. in the morning. Prayers were held morning and evening and when possible at noon. Sunday's were occupied with fasting, prayers, and preaching. Schools were organized in each district for the purpose of giving the Scandinavian Saints instruction in English. A musical company was organized and the Saints frequently enjoyed themselves in the dance and other innocent diversions.

They arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after a 36-day trip across the Atlantic arriving on May 31, 1857.

Once they had arrived in Philadelphia arrangements for the journey of the company through the States were made and on June 2nd the emigrants continued by rail traveling via Baltimore, Maryland and Wheeling, West Virginia and arrived in Iowa City, Iowa July 9, 1857, the outfitting point for the Saints who crossed the plains in 1856 and 1857.

In Iowa City, the emigrants were taken to camps and it was determined 330 Scandinavian Saints would go by handcart, some would travel in wagons. They were allowed three days to prepare, but the most devastating news was when they learned that the fifteen pounds allowed per person was to cover everything, not just clothing as they had first thought, so feather beds, dishes, books, and clothing had to be left behind.

This was the seventh handcart company captained by Christian Christensen consisting of 330 souls, with 68 handcarts, 3 wagons and 10 mules. This company began its journey about June 15th and was accompanied by the ox-train company named the Matthias Cowley Company which consisted of 198 souls, 31 wagons, 122 oxen and 28 cows.

The Handcart Song
Ye saints who dwell on Europe's shore
Prepare yourselves for many more,
To leave behind your native land,
For sure God's judgments are at hand.
For you must cross the raging main
Before the promised land you gain,
And with the faithful make a start,
To cross the plains with your handcart

Chorus
For some must push and some must pull,
As we go marching up the hill;
So merrily on the way we go
Until we reach the Valley-o.

Across prairies and mountains, rivers and deserts, creaked their fragile vehicles, motored by muscle and fueled with blood. Their journey was not an easy one even though there were only some six deaths in this handcart company. They were wrought with the problems of enough food, insects and snakes were a problem, the climate and change of food also made for sickness among these emigrants, plus the burden of pushing or pulling a handcart through the Rocky Mountain ranges where groups used ropes and hard muscle to achieve these high peaks and ranges. Fortunately for Johanna she arrived safe and well in Salt Lake City September 13, 1857.

Johanna Marie married Jacob Sander Bastian October 29, 1857 just 47 days after they arrived in the Salt lake Valley. It was by unfortunate circumstances for Jacob Sander Bastian, that the wife he had married on board the ship, Gertrude Petersen died just 12 days after arriving in the valley.

L.D.S. Church records show they lived in Lehi and Moroni. In Lehi their first child and son was born and carried his father's same name Jacob Sander Bastian. In Moroni, Jacob being a carpenter helped build the first meeting house and they had a second son and named him Gearson Sander Bastian.

Then Johanna and Jacob were called to Washington, Utah to the 'Cotton Mission' where they were original pioneers of 1861. This is where the rest of their ten children were born, Gertrude Johanna who died at 10 months, Catrine Maria whom they called Trena, Margen Olivia who also died an infant at 25 months, Karen Melvina, Emma Johanna, Julia Jacobenia, Bastian Soren, and Ludvig Alminda whom they called Alma.

It was also in 1861 that Johanna became a sister wife when Jacob began practicing polygamy. He married Christina Hansen, together they had 13 children. Then in 1867 he married Metta Marie Sander, possibly a sister to Johanna, but this information needs to be verified. With Marie he fathered nine children.

The two groups of Church members who were called to go to Washington County to colonize, had the specific assignment to 'grow cotton.' Most of the church members called to the Cotton Mission were from the south because they knew how to grow cotton and they took with them their motto, and that is where they get the nickname 'Utah's Dixie.'

Because the Civil War was raging in the east, Brigham Young new they would have to supply their own cotton for clothing. Construction of the cotton mill began in 1865. The mill served as a plant to process cotton and was a place for residents to gather and exchange goods. The cotton mill was a symbol of unity and gave hope and encouragement to the Saints. For Johanna and her sister wives with their large families, the cotton mill was a big part of their income. Johanna raised a large garden and sold vegetables and fruit to families who lived in Silver Reef, a little mining town. When their girls were old enough they went to work at the cotton mill. Johanna arranged her produce and went to the cotton mill each day to sell it in the summer, in the fall they dried the fruit.

Two other important projects were taking place in the area during this time - construction of the St. George L.D.S. Tabernacle in 1863, then in 1871 work began on the St. George L.D.S. Temple. There is no doubt that Johanna and her family helped in the completion of these two important projects.

Johanna's husband Jacob owned three separate lots in Washington City, one for each of his wives, and built homes for each on the three separate lots. In June of 1888 he was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $300 for practicing polygamy and was released in December.

Jacob was instrumental in the effort to control the Virgin River building dams along the river but in one incident he lost a pair of good working horses that drowned in the river, and was paid $160 in credit for the team he lost.

Johanna's husband loved good animals and always had good horses. One day he was returning from St. George with two of his wives in the buggy. He was challenged to a horse race by Joseph Prince. Needless to say, the wives had a bumpy ride with skirts and petticoats over their heads, and he won!

Johanna Marie Sander Bastian lived the rest of her life in Washington City, and died at the age of 83 on June 27, 1918. Jacob Sander Bastian died at the age of 89 on April 25, 1924 and is buried in the Washington Cemetery along with his three wives.