| Description |
Hand-written diary of James Miller Christensen (name changed from Jens Moller Christensen). Document contains memoirs from 1846 to 1904 and diary entries from 1904 to 1914. Christensen provides information about his childhood in Denmark, conversion to Mormonism, mission service, emigration to the United States, and overland migration to Utah with the Leonard G. Rice Company in 1867. Later memoirs contain information about his experience with plural marriage and advice he received from Brigham Young regarding the practice of the United Order in Moroni, Utah, and handling business affairs. Throughout the account, he provides information detailing his farming and ranching enterprises. In 1904, Christensen records his travel east to preside over the Scandinavian Mission, and, while en-route, he describes his stops at the Louisiana Fair Exposition and Nauvoo, Illiniois. Thereafter, the bulk of the diary contains information pertaining to the day-to-day affairs of presiding over the Scandinavian Mission. |
| Biographical/Historical Note |
James Miller Christensen was born in Denmark, converted to Mormonism, and migrated to Utah with the Leonard G. Rice Company in 1867. He settled in Moroni, Utah, where he farmed, ranched, practiced polygamy, and participated in a failed attempt at the United Order. By 1893, Christensen and both of his wives had moved to Salt Lake City. He served three missions to Scandinavia and, during the final, presided over the Scandinavian Mission. |
| OCR Text |
Show 9, 1867, Guard, in Snow, Wife sick, Arrival to death, and 1 child was born the same night. We had great Storms, Thunder, lightning & Rain, on the Plains, was laid up once in 3 days in a swamp. without fuel & mud all around ankle deep, in the Mountains we had Snow. I stood guard nearly every 2nd night, & unfortunatly mostly had the last from 12 to days 7 am, thus getting little rest. one night Indians got to our herd & only by very promt action did we avoid a scattering of the Cattle & a fight. I was out that night & never forget it, nor when I stod & walked in Snow up to the Knees in the night while the Cattle left browsed. we had lost many of them from drinking poisend Watter in Alkali pools. Plains were srewn with dead Cattle from other Companies as well, so there was a stink often unbearable. In the latter part of Sept. my Wife took sick & was sick for 6 weeks, a long time unconcious, on the 5 of Oct. we arrived in Salt Lake City tired but not discurraged, I attended the 1st Meeting held in the Large Tabernackle Oct 6th my sister Katrine was with us & was also sick, we had camped abt 4 miles out of the City on the Church 10, no food, Church help, no Place to live, left on Street, go South, first abode Farm, & it was a meadow, and as it rained, our bed laid in Watter, we had no Money & out of Provision. The Company was mostly well to do people, so the Church took little notice of us, our Captain having left us ahead with many due many, (he was latter cut of the Church) When it was learned that several of us was in need, the Tithing Office sent provision in plenty. We were intending to go south, (my Wife having relatives in Manti.) because it was not posible to get a place to stay. I could get work, but no house of any discription to live in, and as the Teams going south had gone & the Team I came with across the plains was going with, We were just left on the street on state road about the 8 ward square without shelter or to know what to do. I will here say that myself & a friend Peter Hendriksen had gone 2 deep to hunt a place without succeeding, finely a Gentile by Name Wes Brewer whos Wife I knew. picked us up and we went with them South to Moroni Sampete Co. here I met an old friend Jeppe Andersen. Here also were houses scarce, my first abode was an old adobie house without Window or dor. & only part flor, outside of town |
