1 No. 2016-13: A History of Mads Peter Rasmussen Born: 8 October 1836, Tillerup, Randers County, Denmark Marr: Karen Sorensen Pedersen; they met and married while on the ship William Tapscott which landed at Castle Garden, New York Died: 24 July 1887 at the age of 51, Vernal, Utah Parents: Rasmus Sorensen Basse, and Mette Katrine Pedersen Smed Morgan D.U.P. Picture No. 2017-5; Metadata No. 010B.-Accompanying History obtained from FamilySearch.org. A History of Mads Peter Rasmussen. This history was first written by his daughters, Annie, Amanda, and Alice from family records, Church and Archive statistics, and their personal remembrances of their father. Additional facts and corrections by Annie (Clark) Burgendorf, granddaughter, Janeen Christensen and Wilma Jephson both great, great granddaughters. Mads Peter Rasmussen was born at Tillerup, Randers County Denmark, on 8 October 1836. His parents were Rasmus Sorensen Basse, and Mette Katrine Pedersen Smed, both of whom were descended from a long line of Danish nobility, both Basse and Smed being family titles. The title Basse means wild boar, and the Coat of arms is the Wild Boar. Mads Peter was the third child of a family of five, four boys and one girl. The oldest brother, Soren, died in infancy. His next brother was also named Soren. Little is known of Mads Peter’s life in Denmark, except that his father was a large land owner and a successful miller. Young Peter seemed to have a strong desire for adventure and a love of the sea. Also, that his mother constantly impressed upon his mind the fact that he must shun liquors and strong drink because his father had wrecked his life by becoming addicted to liquor. At the time that young Mads Peter was growing up all young men in Denmark, between the ages of 18 and 21 were required to serve in the Army. Mads Peter did not fancy life in the army, so he ran away and became a seaman to escape the army. He loved the sea and at the age of 21 or 22. Mads Peter had heard some Mormon Missionaries teaching their religion on the ship where he was serving and he was impressed by their message. He took some of their literature and studied it. No doubt he had other contacts with Mormon Missionaries, at any rate he was baptized in Denmark, 27 March 1857, probably while he was on shore leave from his ship. Mads Peter was First Mate on the ship “William Tapscott”, which sailed from Liverpool, England on 2 April, 1859. Among the passengers on the “William Tapscott”, were some Mormon converts from Denmark and some missionaries who had been in Denmark. Elder Robert Francis Neslen was completing his missionary service in 1859; part of that mission was in England and Scotland. He and his wife accompanied the large company of European Saints, sailed for America aboard the William Tapscott, which was a triple-decked, square-rigged ship. Under the presidency of Elder Robert F. Neslen and his counselors, Henry H. Harris and George Rowley, the 725 Saints were organized into five English and Swiss wards occupying one side of the ship and five Scandinavian 084 2 wards the other side. Each ward had a presiding elder responsible for cleanliness and good order. Despite the fact that nine languages were spoken, there were harmonious feelings and unity among the Saints. It was a pleasant and successful voyage. Morning and evening prayers were held, as well as regular religious services. Entertainment consisted of: singing, instrumental music, games, and dancing. Peter attended the meetings. Karen Sorensen Pedersen was born in at Bjergene, Aarhus, Denmark; her father was Soren Pedersen. In the rural areas of Denmark it was customary to give children a surname that identified their father by his given name. Karen traveled to America using the surname Sorensen. However, upon entry to America her surname should have been recorded as Pedersen. (Later family members Americanized their name to Petersen or Peterson.) She as well as Mads Peter Rasmussen had been raised on family farms in Denmark, were christened into the State Church of Denmark, the Lutheran Church, soon after their births. She too was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), after being taught by LDS Missionaries. Karen Sorensen was a passenger was on the William Tapscott with her destination being listed as Utah. It is not known if Karen and Mads Peter knew each other in Denmark previously, but they met and married while at sea. Thirty-three days after departure the William Tapscott landed at Castle Garden, New York on 14 May 1859. There was only one death, but two births and nineteen weddings were recorded. From there they traveled by railroad and steamboat via New York (Albany), Illinois (Chicago and Quincy), and Missouri (Hannibal and St. Joseph) to the outfitting place at Florence in Nebraska Territory. Mads Peter must have had some money when he came to America for he purchased his own ox-team and outfit which they used as they crossed the plains in Captain Robert F. Nelson’s ox-team Company which was known as the European Independent Company. It consisted of 380 individuals and 56 wagons. This main portion of the company began its journey June 23-26th from the outfitting post at Florence, Nebraska (now Omaha). At one point Mads Peter and other men were sent back to the Missouri River to bring other saints who had no way of getting to Utah. While camped one night on the Missouri River, one of his oxen was stolen by the Indians. They crossed the river in an attempt to recover the stolen ox. There they came upon another company of saints who had seen the Indians with the ox and recovered it. This would have been the Edward Stevenson Company (1859) which departed from Florence, three days after Captain Robert F. Neslen’s Company. There Mads Peter met Dr. Harvey C. Hullinger who was in the Edward Stevenson’s Company. They began a friendship that lasted the rest of their lives. Captain Neslen Company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, on 15 September 1859 just a few hours before Captain Edward Stevenson’s Company. There were four deaths, two births and one marriage during the trip. They lost thirty head of cattle; otherwise they met with no accidents worthy of note. The company was composed principally of people from the States, though' there were a few from South Africa, Scotland and Wales. Arrivals from the Plains," Deseret News [Weekly], 21 Sept. 1859, 228 085 3 After arriving they stayed for some time in Salt Lake City; then Karen and Mads Peter moved to Centerville in Davis County, Utah which had been founded ten years earlier. It was there in 1860 that Laura Rasmussen (who died a few months after birth) and in 1862 that Peter Rasmussen were born. In 1863 or 1864 Karen’s parents, Soren Pedersen and Ane Margrethe (Baltzardatter), and Karen’s younger siblings, Baltasar, Mette, Peder, and Ane, arrived from Denmark and settled in Richville, Utah. Richville was located in the Wasatch Mountains, where fish and game were plentiful. As only one canyon provided access into the valley, in 1855 a few men made a road with the tools of the time, such as shovels, picks, crowbars, and horse drawn plows. It was then that many of the Scandinavian and English immigrants began homesteading. Dugouts with sod roofs and dirt floors were customary at that time. The winters were long and cold with an average of 60 inches of snow. In 1863 the first schoolhouse or meetinghouse was built. The first gristmill (grain mill) was built three years later. In the period between 1862 and 1864, Karen and Mads Peter moved to Richville, Morgan County. Karen was able to associate with her family again and it was there that their daughter Mary Catherine was born in 1864. During the time they lived in Richville, Mads Peter also furnished money for several other LDS saints in Denmark or Sweden to immigrate to Utah. Mads Peter also persuaded his parents, Rasmus Sorensen and Mette Katrine Pedersen, and his brother, Soren, to emigrate from Denmark. They came to Richville, joined the Church, and lived there until Mads Peter’s mother died in November of 1865. Then his father and brother who had not been too staunch in the faith went to Montana and became large cattle owners, who made a business of importing longhorn cattle from Texas into Montana. He never saw them again and the family, lost track of them. After a few years Karen and Mads Peter had saved enough money that they managed to purchase a farm shortly before the birth of their fourth child, George Henry, on 8 September 1866. This farm was in the small Mormon farming town of Farmington, Davis County, Utah, located between the Wasatch Mountains, and the Great Salt Lake. Farmington had Utah’s first courthouse, a two-story adobe building, which was built between1854 and 1855. It was used for town meetings, court sessions, and church services. When Mads and Karen moved there the town had about 400 residents. It also had a log school building and several mills, and a mud wall partially surrounded the town. A fine new meetinghouse had been built in 1862-64, of fieldstone. Mads Peter and Karen Rasmussen had a small adobe house, which, according to one of their sons, was warmer than the log homes that many people in Utah lived in at that time. The adobe was air tight, being made from mud bricks that were mixed from clay and straw, and then dried in the sun for days, until they hardened. Being a diligent and hard worker, Mads Peter managed to purchase or trade for some livestock, including a few cattle and horses. Life appeared to be going well for the young family, until 1869 when Karen found out that she was expecting twins. Unfortunately, at this time, Karen and Mads Peter apparently had a quarrel, which broke up their marriage. 086 4 While precise reasons are uncertain family traditions of the descendants of Mads Peter’s later wives indicate that Mads Peter was fond of practical jokes. One day, as Karen was rounding the corner of their home, Mads Peter tossed milk from a bucket, into Karen’s face. Whether intentional or not, Karen was so upset, that she left Mads Peter, moving in with her parents. Karen took the younger children, Mary Catrena, 5, and George Henry, 2½, with her. Being the oldest, Peter who was then7, stayed with his father. Soon after, the twins, Annie Margaret, and Joseph Soren, were born, on 7 May 1869. In late 1869 or early 1870 a divorce was granted. Mads Peter gave Karen their home in Richville, a team of oxen, some cattle and other property. He kept the team of horses and the property in Farmington. Karen met a kind man named John Cheney. Karen married John as a plural wife, in Richville, Morgan, Utah, in 1871. Karen bore him a son, David Cheney, and a daughter named and Achia Cheney. Church records indicate that John Cheney was baptized when he 12 years old. His parents, Elijah and Achsa Cheney were baptized members of the LDS Church on 9 February 1832, after being taught the gospel by Elder Jared Carter. Following his baptism Elijah was immediately ordained an Elder. In the winter of 1833, Elijah, was invited by his friend and neighbor, Zera Pulsipher, to serve a brief, spontaneous mission, and taught the gospel to several, including Wilford Woodruff (who later became an LDS Apostle, and Prophet of the Church). Elijah and Achsa Cheney and their family moved to Kirtland, Ohio, in 1835, where Elijah met the Prophet Joseph Smith, and helped in the construction of the Kirtland LDS Temple. When Elijah and Achsa came west to the Salt Lake Valley, their children seemed to travel separately. The fourth child, Zacheus Cheney, joined the Mormon Battalion, and came west in 1847. John Cheney, the seventh child came west in 1849. The youngest, Joseph Thompson Cheney, came west in 1850. In regard to his stepfather, George Henry said, “Mr. Cheney was very good to us children, and was anxious to see us get ahead." John made certain that his children attended school. John was also kind to Karen. Once, when she had been ill, he rode on horseback to a distant town, to purchase a half pound of rice, for her, just because she thought she might like some. In the meantime, Mads Peter was very broken up over this separation and prayed very earnestly to the Lord to know what to do. He saw in a dream a woman whom he was told he should marry. He had never seen this woman before. But one day, when he was selling some produce at a hotel, he saw her; she was Anna Gerdrude Claesson who happened to be working at the hotel. He immediately told her that she was to be his wife and that it had been shown to him in a dream. She had just emigrated from Sweden. At first she thought the customs in this new country was very strange. But she soon came to believe, as he did, that it was the right thing for them to do. They were married 25 January 1870 in the Salt Lake Endowment House. Mads Peter and Anna Gerdrud lived in Farmington the remainder of the winter and then moved to Montpelier, Bear Lake County, Idaho, taking their cattle and equipment with them, securing land and building a home. This proved to be fine country for farming and 087 5 raising cattle; so the family prospered and expanded their possessions. Peter always lived with his father, Mads Peter, and his wife Anna. Anna said that it was this boy more than anyone else who helped her to overcome her loneliness and homesickness for her native Sweden. Anna Gerdrud and Mads Peter’s oldest child, Annie Maria was born 8 October 1870 in the nearby village of Ovid, Bear Lake, Idaho. Mads Peter had taken Anna there as there was no medical service in Montpelier, Idaho. Anna Gerdrud also wanted to be with people who spoke her own tongue. Their children, Amanda, Albertina, Albert, Amos, Agnes, and Hyrum were all born in Montpelier. It was through Mads Peter’s efforts and with money furnished by him that Anna Gerdrude’s widowed sister and her three children, daughters, were able to immigrate to Utah. A tragedy occurred to Mads and Karen, and their new families, in April 1872 in Montpelier, Idaho. Mads Peter was planning to take a trip on horseback to the town of Ovid, on business. As part of his trip, Mads Peter would be required to cross a stream in the area, which at that time of year, could be swollen into a fast-moving river from the runoff of melting snow pouring down from the surrounding mountains. After Mads Peter had left home, Anne Gerdrude, feeling anxious for Mads Peter’s safety, asked Peter who was now age 9½, to take one of the family’s other horses, and follow after his father, as far as the stream, and then return home, to report on his father’s well-being and put her mind at ease. George Henry who was then 5½ later recalled: “Father was part way across the outlet when he turned and saw that Peter was following him across.” Young Peter’s horse entered into the stream, before Mads Peter could stop him. The horse, struggling through the current lunged forward, throwing young Peter into the swift water. “Father went back and swam after him, but the water being so swift, it took Peter under.” The swift water, muddied by silt that was racing with the current, soon swept Peter out of view. Mads Peter searched frantically, but to no avail. Friends and neighbors were sought for help, but the boy’s body could not be found until nine days afterward. This was a very sad loss to both Mads Peter’s family, and Karen’s. The young Peter was buried in Ovid, Bear Lake, Idaho in April 1872. John Cheney passed away in Richville, Morgan, Utah Territory, on 15 March 1875. George Henry, age 8½ at his stepfather’s death, helped his mother as much as he could by cutting and hauling firewood for her. He also worked for neighbors, doing chores on their farms, to earn a little money. Only a few months after John Cheney’s death, Karen’s mother also died; Ane Margrethe, age 69, died on 27 December 1875, in Richville, Morgan County, Utah, and was buried in the Porterville Cemetery. Karen’s parents had probably been a help and a support to Karen, after her divorce, and prior to their deaths. But her brothers, Baltasar and Peder Petersen, still lived nearby, with their wives and families. They likely helped their sister, Karen, when they could. In 1876 it was decided that George Henry, age 10, should move to Montpelier to live with his father, Mads Peter, and his wives, Anne Gertrude, and Anna Maria, and their families. Karen and her other children remained in Richville. 088 6 George Henry attended the small town school in Montpelier, Idaho. “I was in the third reader. School was not graded then as it is today. I never got through the fourth reader.” George Henry helped his father, Mads Peter, to feed cattle and to cut the ice of Bear Lake, during the winter months, and storing it. Then he would sell the ice to towns in the area during the warmer months. George Henry also worked in his father’s blacksmith shop. At one time Mads Peter and a Mr. Odicert located a salt spring at the head of Crow Creek, Idaho. They made a claim and built a cabin and obtained some metal and made a boiler. They vaporized the water from the salt springs and extracted the salt from it. It was good fine salt. It was 75 miles to the nearest railroad which was located at Evanston, Wyoming. So they peddled their salt out at Bear Lake Valley. They sold it for about 75 cents per 100 lbs. George Henry helped harvest the salt from the salty natural spring, bag and sell and haul it to St. Charles. Mads Peter and Mr. Odicert didn’t stay long in that business; both sold their claim to the Coop Store and from then on it went by the name of the Coop Salt Works. In 1878 Karen married a man by the name of Nielsen (first name unknown) who was a non-member. George Henry helped her move her things to Wilson Lane, Weber County, Utah where they were to live. On 12 September 1878, Karen’s daughter Mary married Arthur B. Clark without Nielsen’s consent and he ordered them to stay away. Karen, her children and Mr. Nielsen lived in a sod hut about 12 x 14 ft. The walls were made of salt grass sod. Nielsen had made this hut to live in while he was building their new home. He used a straw and mud mortar to fill in the holes between the sods. Unfortunately, as time went on, Karen found that Mr. Nielsen disliked her children, and mistreated them. George Henry said, “Then Mr. Nielsen started to sell mother’s cattle and property without mother’s consent.” A friend of Mads Peter visited them and found that Karen and the children were being very cruelly treated so he sent word to Mads Peter saying, ‘Rasmussen, if you think anything of your children you had better go and get them’, which he did at once. Mads Peter saw a lawyer and Mr. Nielsen was not allowed to sell any more of Karen’s property. Mother and Nielsen separated. She didn’t have any children by him. Mads Peter took Karen and the children back to Montpelier. Karen wanted him to take her back. This, both wives consented to. He loved her dearly, and wanted to take her back but the Church authorities there said that Karen had forfeited her right to be his wife and if he took her back they would both be excommunicated from the Church. So Mads Peter provided for her and the children, but held his membership in the Church, above his love. She did not forgive him for this for many years, and by that time he was dead. Karen consented to go to Bear Lake to live so Mads Peter could help look after their children. He rented a house for her a short distance from where he lived. She lived there one summer and winter and then moved back to Richville. Since Karen had rented out her farm before leaving, upon her return, it was still inhabited by the renters. Karen looked for another home to rent, hoping that the rent from her farm would pay her living expenses, although it did not. Karen began to weave carpets for a living. 089 7 George Henry, now age 13 or 14, went to stay with his mother for a visit, to help her out. He was frustrated to find that the renters were cheating his mother out of her share of the crops harvested from her farm. They were also not taking good care of the property, and it was getting run down, until it wasn’t producing. Hardworking teenager, George Henry Rasmussen, had been working for the railroad, and saving up his money, these past few years. To demonstrate the great love and care that he, had for his mother, George Henry used his money, and bought 30 acres of his mother, Karen’s 50 acre farm, to give her an income. Then, George Henry built himself a 2-room house on his purchased land, and dug a well. He then dug his mother, Karen, a well. He farmed his mother’s ground, along with his own, and rebuilt the soil until it could produce again. He also cut and hauled firewood for her and provided her with fresh deer meat. Karen died on July 10, 1908 in Morgan, Morgan County and Utah and was buried at the South Morgan Cemetery. Her headstone reads Karen Cheney. Another person who immigrated through the contributions of Mads Peter Rasmussen was Anna Maria (Mary) Christina Peterson or Ahlgreen. (Mary did not remember her birth father and used the surname of her stepfather—Ahlgreen). She was taught the gospel by missionaries serving in Sweden and was baptized when she was thirteen after receiving permission from her parents. Mary wove cloth and worked with a seamstress sewing clothes. When she was eighteen she got her parents’ consent to go to Utah in America. Mads Peter Rasmussen also sponsored the immigrants after they arrived in Utah until they found work and a place to live. So he met Mary in Salt Lake City and took her to Montpelier, Idaho where he was living. Mary worked in his home for his wife Anna and also for some of the neighbors. With the consent and approval of his wife Anna, Mary became his third wife on 24 November 1873. The following are the children of Mads Peter and Mary: John, David, Alma, Emily, Willard and Elizabeth; Willard and Elizabeth were twins. Mads Peter did much to build the community of Montpelier and liked it very much but the climate did not agree with him. His health became very poor, and in the summer of 1883 the doctor told him that another winter in Bear Lake might cost him his life. He suffered from rheumatism which was turning to dropsy and his heart was bad. So he sold or traded his land and homes for what he could get out of them and loaded his two families into two wagon groups with what belongings they could take with them. He secured the service of one Chris Johnson to drive the cattle, and started for Arizona in September. The children of both families were small. Annie Maria, (Anna’s oldest child) although not quite thirteen years old drove one of the outfits which consisted of two covered wagons fastened together by a trailer-tongue, and drawn by four head of horses. Mary and her children rode in the wagons driven by Annie Maria. Mads Peter drove a similar outfit in which his wife, Anna, and the rest of their children rode. The hired man drove the cattle with the older boy’s help. The roads were very poor and they had great difficulty on the way. On one occasion the horses That Annie Marie was driving became frightened of a train and the wagon was near to being tipped over in a deep ravine. She had Emily and the twins with her; she threw Emily out of the wagon and into some 090 8 sagebrush so as to get her out of danger and not break any bones, then she jumped from the wagon with the twins in each arm. But the wagon did not tip over. By the time they reached Ashley Valley, now Vernal, Uintah Co., Utah, the weather was getting cold and their youngest boy Willard, a baby, was very ill. His mother, Mary, pleaded with Mads Peter to stay until Willard was better as she feared she would have to bury him in the desert. Mads Peter was too ill to go on, so they decided to stay there for the winter. That particular winter was mild with little or no snow and it was a good country for cattle. Mads Peter’s health had improved by spring so he decided to stay. There he bought land, built homes for his families and stayed. Here the rest of the family was born and lived until they grew to adulthood. After Mads Peter moved to Vernal he spent much of his time away from home, tending his cattle and freighting between there and Salt Lake City. He continued his freighting even after he was not able to pull his own brakes. Mike Sessions freighted with Mads Peter. When Mads Peter was not able to pull his own brakes they tied a long rope to his brake and Mr. Sessions operated them from his wagon. Mr. Sessions said he was a fine man and had lots of grit. Mary (Mads Peter’s 2nd wife) and her children lived in a house belonging to the Bartlett’s until Mads Peter got one built for them. Sister Bartlett later told his daughter, Alice: “Your father was a good man and lived his religion.” He provided well for his families and was very concerned about the care of his animals. When he got so that he could not walk he would go on his hand and knees out to see how his horses and other animals were getting along. Annie, his daughter, described her father as being about five feet eleven inches tall, slight of build, weighing about 160 pounds. He had light brown wavy hair, a fair skin and very blue eyes. He was very tidy about his wardrobe. He wore a good grade of wool work clothes, the best work shirts that could be obtained, and discarded them before they were shabby. He detested wearing the thin proper dress shirt with a stiff front and a very stiff collar, only on Sundays and very special occasions would he tolerate such a shirt or a dress coat. He was a good business man and a good manager and so honest, his word was considered as good as his bond. He was generous to the poor, but almost intolerant to shiftlessness. He always provided well for his families and wanted them to have the best of everything available, but expected them to take care of things and work. His daughter said he expected strict obedience by his children but he was proud of any special accomplishments they showed. He was very appreciative of his wife, Anna’s good housekeeping. Her house was always neat and tidy, so were her children. She kept her husband’s clothes in good condition. She was a good manager and a good cook. His daughter Amanda remembered that Anna wove the cloth and made her father an overcoat. Jessie Morrell Goodrich told Mads Peter’s daughter, Alice, “That after her own father died, Mads Peter came and knocked on their door and when it was opened he just poured out seamless sacks full of fresh apples onto the floor”. Jessie said “We children just stood and looked. We didn’t know what to do until Brother Rasmussen said, ‘Don’t 091 9 you children like apples?’ We said we did. He then said ‘Then eat some.’ There were no apples grown there at that time and they were a very rare luxury.” Mads Peter was a firm believer in the principles of the Gospel and was obedient to those in authority over him. He taught his children to comply with the requirements made of them and to keep the commandments of the Lord. He prized his membership in the Church above all else, and met every requirement made of him to the best of his ability and did all in his power to bring the gospel light to others. His mother’s teachings and his loyalty to her made him a strict observer of the Word of Wisdom. He was very strict on the observance of family prayers, and the payment of tithes and of meeting his obligations and keeping his name above reproach. He believed in taking his problems to the Lord in prayer and taught his children to do this also. Mads Peter held the office of a Seventy at the time of his death. He died in Vernal Utah 24 July 1887 at the age of 51. Dr. Hullinger, whom Mads Peter met while crossing the plains, later settled in Vernal and was the only doctor in that vicinity for many years. It was Dr. Hullinger who treated Mads Peter Rasmussen during his final illness. We the descendants of Mads Peter Rasmussen should surely appreciate the heritage he has bequeathed us and live to the best of our ability to be worthy to live by his example. We should be proud to have such an ancestor. 092