TITLE PAGE PIONEER (in full) Maren Kirsten Jensen BIR TH (date and place) 11 March 1837 Lanstrick Jutland, Denmark PARENTS Soren Jensen Karen Anderson DEATH DATE AND PLACE 13 April 1917 NAME OF PERSON(S) MARRIED Neil Christian Jensen AND DATE YEAR ARRIVED IN UTAH 24 Sept 1861 NAME OF COMPANY Samuel A. Woolly ARRIVING WITH HISTORY WROTE BY WHOM & DATE Colleen Barth, Feb 14, 1986 WHO FILED HISTORY 1155 W Stoddard Lane THEIR ADDRESS Morgan, Utah, 84050 CAMP SUBMITTING HISTORY Mt Joy Camp CAMP HISTORIAN Larene Preece HER ADDRESS RFD #100 COUNTY Morgan, Utah 84050 COUNTY HISTORIAN Dena C. Rich HER ADDRESS 1266 n Morgan Valley Dr., Morgan, Utah SOURCE OF INFORMATION & PAGE NUMBERS: done 2006 MAREN KIRSTEN JENSEN Born 11 March 1837 at Lonstruk, Jutland, Denmark This daughter of the Danish peasantry grew to young womanhood in a community where everyone worked so they could eat and have a roof over their heads. To work was considered part of life; it was honorable; it was necessary. The village church was also a very real and important part of life. Here babies were christened, adolescents were confirmed and baptised and young couples were married and started on the most serious and responsible part of their lives. Later on their funeral sermon was to be preached in this same building and they were buried in the adjacent church yard. It has been this way for a long, long time. However, not everyone attended the church services and there were some among those that did attend who did not wholly agree with the doctrines advocated by the preacher. The Danish were notably independent in their thinking. And so when the first Mormon Elders came from America with their message of a new revelation and a gospel that was different in many ways - and still agreed substantially with their bibles. There were some in every parish who were willing to listen, Maren Kirsten JENSEN was one of these. She attended their meetings. Here she experienced a feeling of friendliness which existed among those who believed. She felt the influence and peace of the spirit of the Lord. She heard the moving testimonies of confirming miracles in the lives of her neighbors. Sometimes the Elders would talk of Zion, a place in America where the chosen of the Lord were to dwell together in righteousness. It was easy for Maren to hope and to believe in Zion while attending, these meetings. Surely where there were a great many people with the same feeling, the same unity, and the same love for each other as existed here - that would be a wonderful place to live. And Zion was to be in America. Before the Elders came Maren had heard of America as a land of opportunity where there was a challenge and a reward for all and especially for the young people who were willing and able to work. Now if she went there she could be among those whose hearts had been touched and whose lives had been changed by the gospel message. And might there not be some young men among them of about her own age? The Elders were urging all converts to gather to Zion at once. The church, now in a new country needed more people; the world calamities which the bible had predicted would come to pass and the latter days were near at hand; there would be a shipload of converts leaving for America in the Spring. She decided to go, But how? Maren had worked some as a dressmaker. She sold her sewing machine and everything else she owned. This would barely pay the fare. Later she was able to arrange to work for a family of saints on the way for her board. MAHEN KIRSTEN JENSEN (continued) When it became known that Maren JENSEN had been baptised into the Mormon church the peaceful world she had lived in was never the same. Former friends avoided her. The attitude of the townpeople varied from pity to ridicule. The paster called and urged her to repent. At first her parents were shocked. When She announced her plans to go to America they were heartbroken. But Maren had made up her mind. On the day of her departure they were there to wave a last goodbye. As the ship got under way someone called out "Goodbye - There goes Denmark." On May 16th, 1861 at Liverpool they boarded the "Monarch of the Sea" for the promised land. They arrived in New York a month later. Those in charge decided to charter a train of cattle cars for the trip to Omaha. These cars were immediately available and the cost would be less. The roadbed was rough; the cars had no springs; the toilet facilities were negligible and they were croweded. Everyone was relieved and grateful when that part of the journey was ended. But Maren's troubles had not ended. At Omaha the family of saints purchased equipment and livestock with which to cross the plains. There were a few milk cows - It became Maren's duty, after trudging over the rough terrain of the plains all day to seperate these cows from the common herd and milk them. This She disliked very much. She was fearful of the cattle and she had never before learned to milk. The plains Journey was not altogether unpleasant. In the same company was a young man also by the name of JENSEN (Niels Christian). No doubt he helped her with some of her chores. It was surely not by accident that they both landed in Morgan Valley in September. They were married a few days after arriving. Their home that first year was a covered wagon. Their first child, Mary, was born in that same wagon box the following June in very unfavorable circumstances. For weeks previous it had rained almost continually. Their improvised bed was wet most of the time. Maren became desperately ill. The baby was born prematruely. But the sisters of the settlement were very kind and no doubt their devoted skillful help saved the lives of both the mother and the child. By the beginning of the next year Niels had arranged to purchase one of the town lots and on it had established a Coopers Shop. His wife and child were living quite comfortably in a sort of cellar or dugout. As the years went by more children came; more property was acquired. But the pioneer life was always streneous and at times very difficult. They grew old before their time. Maren became crippled with arthritis - a result of a wagon box days. Sometimes she would admit that Zion had not proved itself to be all that she had hoped for. But she always was true to the faith which she had accepted. Through out all this time Maren rarely mentioned her girlhood days back in old Denmark and so far as it is known she never corresponded with any of the loved ones whom she had left behind. It is as though the curtain on that stage of her life had been run down on that day so long ago when someone called out from the deck of the moving ship "Goodbye - There goes Denmark". On April 13th, 1917 she died and was buried up on the hill which overlooks the village where she tried so long -and so hard - to realize the Zion of her girlhood dreams.