PEDERSEN, Elsie Christine

1853 - 1926  (73 years)  Submit Photo / Document

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• Name	PEDERSEN, Elsie Christine
  Birth	16 Apr 1853	Fredsted, Øster Starup, Vejle, Denmark
  Christening	16 Apr 1853	Øster Starup, Vejle, Denmark
  Gender	Female
  WAC	7 Jun 1869	EHOUS
  _TAG	Reviewed on FS
  Death	2 Aug 1926	Ephraim, Sanpete, Utah, United States
  Burial	4 Aug 1926	Ephraim, Sanpete, Utah, United States
  Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
  Person ID	I55672	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
  Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

  
  

  Family ID

  F27083

  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Father	PEDERSEN, Christian Jorgen ,   b. 23 Dec 1816
  Mother	JENSEN, Ann Elizabeth ,   b. 28 Sep 1819
  Family ID	F27084	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	CHRISTENSEN, Anders Christian ,   b. 31 Aug 1825, Stavn, Farstrup, Ålborg, Denmark Stavn, Farstrup, Ålborg, Denmarkd. 30 Jun 1907, Ephraim, Sanpete, Utah, United States (Age 81 years)
  Children	+ 1. CHRISTENSEN, James LaVar ,   b. 20 Jul 1892, Ephriam, Sanpete, Utah, United States Ephriam, Sanpete, Utah, United Statesd. 26 Jul 1967, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 75 years)
  Family ID	F24959	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

  
  

• Notes

  On April 16, 1853 in Storrup, Denmark, my mother Elsie Christine Pedersen was born. She was the second of three daughters born to Christian And Elizabeth Pedersen. The older sister was nine years older, and the younger one three years younger than mother. Grandfather was a merchant, and one of the happiest memories of mother's life was that of their beautiful home and place of business, which was one large building. When mother was a small child a terrible sickness came over her, which baffled the doctor. When the fever began to subside terrible sores came all over her head, face, and neck, which settled in her eyes causing total blindness. Grandfather spared nothing in getting the best help from far and near, but they all said the eyes are closed never to open again. About this time the Mormon Elders came to their city and grandfather began attending their meetings, unbeknown to his family. He knew they had the truth so talked to grandmother about it. She was very much opposed at first but finally consented to them holding a meeting at their home. After the first meeting, their doors were thrown open to the missionaries at any time. They, in due time, joined the church, and through faith and prayer their daughter's sight was restored. Her eyes were again open but a small place in the outer corner of each eye was left closed and deep scars remained in her neck. It seemed they were there as proof that the testimony she bore in later life was true. After it was known that they had joined the church they were persecuted severely y everyone. It became so serious that they were compelled to take mother and her sister from school. They began making preparations to go to Zion, but through hatred, people would not buy their property so they were forced to suffer great losses, leaving much behind, and barely getting enough to pay the expenses of the journey. Yet, they were happy to know they were leaving for Zion. They were six weeks on the ocean. The sea was very rough and stormy, making the trip a very dangerous one. To their great horror a large whale swam alongside the ship for days. The saints fasted and prayed and after the third day it was seen no more. They remained in the states just long enough to make the necessary preparation for their trip across the plains. This was a long tiresome trip. Mother and her older sister walked all the way. Mother was then nine and her sister Jensina, eighteen. They settled in Sanpete County, made a dugout and were living quite comfortably, when the Indians drove them out. They went south as far as Richfield, Severe County, and then back to Sanpete where they made their permanent home. While living at Richfield, a neighbor and his wife and daughter were going on a trip for provisions and asked grandma if Jensina might go along. At first it was decided that she should go, but the morning they were to leave grandmother changed his mind. These people and their daughter left, but were found later brutally murdered by the Indians. When mother was but sixteen she became the third wife of James Olsen. To them were born two girls and four boys. Brother Olsen was called on a mission. While in the mission field he became sick and was released and sent home, dying soon after. This left mother with five children, one having passed away before his father's death. The oldest son, Lehi, went out to work and the oldest daughter, Sarah, went to live with her grandparents. Mother moved across the river to a little colony of saints who had settled there where she had a position teaching school. Here her three children took down with diphtheria. Her little son, Lorenzo, died. Mother was alone to care for his dead body. After she had washed it, she went to a little shack a few feet away from the small home in which she lived, nailed up the windows and laid the body of her dead boy out there. A neighbor, who had lost his wife, came to her rescue. He went to town, got the coffin and necessary clothes and brought them to her. She dressed her dead boy, put him in his coffin, put the coffin in the outside box, nailed it up, scalded it with boiling water and this good neighbor took it to the cemetary and buried it. Her other two children, Daniel and Elizabeth, were seriously ill, but recovered. This friend later became her husband. To them were born five children. The first, a pair of twins-- me, and a little boy they called Alma Jerome, who died four hours after birth. The next children were James Lavar, Violet Jean, and Calvin J. Mother was a kind and loving mother to father's children by his first wife. There were five, but three were married and another married soon. But the one son remained single and mother was always kind and good to him. He and her children by her first husband had a good home until they married and made homes for themselves. Sarah, the oldest daughter died when a girl of twenty. Mother and father made a happy, congenial home for 18 years until he was called in death leaving mother a widow again with four children to care for. I was, at that time, seventeen--the others younger. Two years after father's death, I married and in four years came home to mother, a widow with a little girl, Fern, then thirteen months old. Mother took us in and shared with us all she had. I went to work in the library, with mother caring for my baby. Shortly after I married again, mother's youngest son enlisted in the army and went away to war. In 1919 mother sold her home, farm, and all she owned to go to Salt Lake City and keep house for her son, Kan, whose wife died leaving him with five little children. She stayed there three and one-half years. From then on she lived with first one and then another of her children. She came to live with us in Magna in 1923, staying there a year. She went home to visit her daughter and her sister. She became ill and was never able to return to us. Mother had been sick for eight months with heart trouble and dropsy. One Sunday her sister Maria came to see her after Sunday school. Mother said, "how are you Maria" as she entered the room. Well, she replied, "I'm sick. If I gave up to my feelings I'd go home and go to bed and never get up again. You've been sick a long time, but I'll bet you I die first." Mother said, "that may all be, but what do you say if we die together and get in the same grave." Maria said, "NO, that I won't. I am big and I want a grave to myself." So they joked, not thinking this was their last earthly visit--for Aunt Maria went home and she never got up again. Two days from that day she died. Owing to mother's weak condition, they decided not to tell her of her sister's death, but our cousin Andrew Hansen said, "No, she would never forgive us. I will tell her." When he came to her with the sad news of the death of her only sister, mother said, "Well, she was the lucky one this time. She said she would go first." She then sat in her chair with the hot house catalogue in her lap and ordered the flowers she thought the nicest for her sister. She had the words "sister" in gold letters put on the ribbon and closed her eyes in death the next day, August 2, 1926, just 26 hours after the death of her sister. It is hard to part with one's mother, yet it was a beautiful thing to see two sisters, one 70 and the other 73, go together. They had a double funeral. The flowers were many and beautiful, being two of each piece. They were loved by all who knew them. The tabernacle was packed to the doors with people from far and near. July 15, 1931, our baby brother, Calvin J., passed away. Now we are six--three sons and three daughters, to cherish the memory of so dear a mother. Also, 26 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. The day before her death, the Bishop and his counselors had been to administer to Aunt Maria, who was awfully sick. They thought they would come over to see mother while they were together and administer to her also. Mother asked them if it wasn't soon fast Sunday. The one counselor said, "It is fast Sunday today Grandma." She answered, "Well, I can't even keep track of the time, but I must pay my tithing and fast offering." My sister gave her her purse, and she gave the Bishop the money saying, "here you are Bishop. You know I want to be square with the Lord." I would that my faith could be as hers was, for I know many a time she paid tithing with her last cent. Mother was very saving and thrifty and very neat in her personal appearance. While with me may times she get a block away from home on her way to Sunday School or meeting and return because she saw a little dust on her shoes or she had forgotten her gloves. Her mother died about 1893 and her father about five years later. Her sister died in the spring of 1918. All three sisters were widows several years. Mother received great joy in her Patriarchal Blessing, reading it whenever she felt blue or disheartened. It told her she would live as long as she herself so desired and she did. She was ready to go when the call came. Mother worked in the Relief Society most of her adult life She was head teacher for a great many years. She stayed with the sick and helped prepare many bodies for burial. She was ready at the first call to go to anyone's aid. In her later years, she worked a lot in the Manti and Salt Lake Temples. Mother read the scriptures every day and enjoyed them. She also enjoyed doing hand work--mostly knitting, crocheting, and the old style net work. She took many prizes on her work in the county fair held each year at Manti. BLESSED IS HER MEMORY Note: When I wished to join the organization known as the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, I ran up against a problem. I had to have a history. So I put my memory to task and did my best writing one. Theodocia C. Larsen