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| Old Richfield Church |
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| David Earl Shawcroft, Son of John and Annie |
The Life of David Earl Shawcroft
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| Richfield, Colorado 1884 |
Life Story as Told to His Son Wade Smith Shawcroft
I was born the l7th of June in the year 1887 at Richfield, Conejos, Colorado. My parents were John Shawcroft and Annie Maria Jensen. My father came from England on a boat and my mother came from Denmark. Mother was eleven weeks on the ocean when she came. There was a disease that broke out among the people on the boat and mother was the only child that survived.
Father was nine weeks crossing from England and thought at one time that they would never make it as the boat hit an iceberg and turned over on its side. But, finally, the boat turned back over and floated on. One person said that if there hadn’t been so many faithful saints on the boat it would never have made it.
There were six boys and four girls in our family. There were five brothers still living at the time of this writing and two sisters. They were all faithful in the church. My brother John also served twenty years in the Colorado State Legislature. All are living in the San Luis Valley. Their occupations are farming and stock raising. John,
Nathan, Hyrum and David all served as Bishops. John and Nathan were among the first pioneers. Lewis was the first boy born in Richfield.
As a boy I helped on the farm. I herded sheep, and gathered milk cows from the range. I remember one time my brother Frank and I went to get the cows. Our mother had just bought us a derby hat. We were just small boys and had to be helped on the horses. After we had ridden quite a ways out where there could be no one to help us on our horses, our hats blew off. We debated quite awhile as to whether or not we should get off and get the hats or just leave them there. We finally decided to just leave them there because we would have had to walk several miles on foot if we had gotten off.
There weren’t many fences then, just open range. At night we would tie up all the horses and cows in the stables. We would carry hay and put it in the mangers. Every day we had to clean the stables. We tied the stock up because there were no fences.
I have had many prayers answered. Many people say their prayers aren’t answered, but I could never say that about mine. I remember once on my mission we were traveling to go to a conference at Nauvoo. We had a long walk to make to catch a train. Before we crossed a marsh there was not a sign of a house. When we crossed the marsh, we saw a house about a mile and a half away, so we decided to go the other way and see if there wasn’t one alittle closer. We found one but only the lady was home. She told us that her husband had gone to a place up the road where a little boy had just died. She said if she hadn’t been alone she would have given us entertainment; but she was afraid if her husband came home and found strange men, he might not like it. We said okay and told her that we understood. We asked her if she knew where we could get entertainment. She said she could think of none since the house where her husband was had just had a death. We then thought of the house back up the road so we decided to go there. We knew it was either this house or outside for us that night. Before we knocked, we knelt and prayed that the people would make us welcome and would say come in and would entertain us for the night. We knocked and they said “come in” and the lady readily accepted us. The next morning her daughter played the piano for my companion who sang and we had an enjoyable time at this house. The mother said “I just don’t know why we asked you in last night. We are not in the habit and we never say come in when people knock at the door.” Also, she said that they were Roman Catholics and just couldn’t understand why they entertained us. This certainly was a testimony to us. The prayer had been answered so distinctly.
We had a good comfortable home in my youth. We were very economical and worked hard. We had no extravagances. My parents were pioneer people who came to the valley when there was nothing. The children helped in the support of the family. Mother made lots of our clothes. We used to take our wheat to a grist flour mill in Antonito so it could be made into flour. We made our own soap from lard that was rendered when we butchered.
My parents were very religious and we all attended meetings regularly when we were small. We spent all of our evenings at home. Apples were something unusual. Once in awhile the neighbors would come in and we would sing songs and recite and mostly just visit.
My education was very meager. My first teacher was Orland Funk. He had a heavy mustache and studied parts for plays. There was only one school teacher for everyone from Kindergarten to Adults. Some of my teachers were Iris Whitney, Jim Dyer, Walter Huffaker, and Mary Jensen. We only went to school in the late fall and would go only until Lincoln’s or Washington’s birthday. This was usually three months a year. When we stopped in February, we would go to work in the fields and oiling harnesses. In school we went over the same books every year. I went through four readers. I went to school off and on until I was thirteen and then the boys went into partnership and had to work. The books that we used from year to year were worn through where we had held our thumbs on the pages. We went over and over and over the same thing. There was not much order. People used to say if they went by the building where school was being held a roar could be heard. We were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar, some geography and a little history.
I was baptized the first of August 1895 by W. F. O. Behrman in the canal in Richfield. I was confirmed the same day by Ephraim Coombs.
During my courtship days I was Ward Clerk and had to attend meeting until 4:00 in the afternoon. I would then ride my horse to Manassa to see Martha. I would get there around 8:00 or 8:30 and could only stay until 10:00. We went to lots of dances and took lots of prizes for being the best dancers. Groceries were the prizes. I was afraid to ask Martha to marry me so I fasted and prayed two days before I could get up the courage to ask her. Then she said that she would with her father’s permission. I really dreaded asking her father’s permission. I finally went and found her father in bed reading with a coil lamp by his side. He listened attentively and said it would be all right with him; that we had his consent and good wishes. We were married the 9th of June 1909 in the Salt Lake Temple by John R. Windsor. This was about a month before I got my mission call. Martha’s father got married the same time we did. Also, my brother Lewis and his wife Clara went with us to receive their endowments. We went to Fountain Green for our honeymoon on the train from Salt Lake. When we got on the train to go back to Salt Lake, the conductor saw our tickets and said we were supposed to be on the train behind, so he stopped the train and let us out in the middle of the country. It was quite awhile before the next train came by and we had a time catching it.
The tragedies of my life were when we lost our two little girls. Our first one, Zina, died when she was three years old of diphtheria, and our sixth one, Lucy, died of intestinal flu when she was three years old. Another tragedy was when our son Amel, and son-in-law, Alden, were killed in an airplane crash.
I get the most joy out of reading church books and books about the gospel. My great ambition is to live to celebrate our golden wedding anniversary. I have raised an honorable family and feel that there is no sacrifice too great for the good of my children.
We have lived in several different houses. We lived in a brick house near Richfield for several months and then in a two story brick house in Richfield from 1912-1942. All of our children were born here in this two story house. The remainder of the time we have lived in our home on the Head Ranch seven and a half miles north of La Jara, Colorado.
I served in the Northern States Mission from 15 August 1909 to 5 May 1912.
Ordinations:
Deacon by Henry Behrman
Teacher by Henry W. Valentine 12 April 1908
Elder by Walter W. Huffaker 6 Mar 1909
Seventy by Hyrum M. Smith 26 Apr 1909
High Priest by James E. Talmage16 November 1912
Served as Bishop 16 November 1912 to March 1932
Patriarchal Blessing by James C. Berthelson 14 February 1899
Information received March 1957
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| Inside Borglum Monastery |
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| Borglum Denmark |
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| Windwill near Borglum Denmark |
Maria Jensen Shawcroft—Her Story
“There was a flower whose petals were faith, courage, love, service, Humility, work, sorrow, kindness, thrift and devotion-a flower Long gone, whose fragrance lingers on—and on—and on……" — Author Unknown
Ane Marie Jensen (Maria’s name is shown here as it appears in all of the Danish records. After coming to America, it was anglicized to Annie Maria (pronounced Ma-rye-yah).. Her brothers Jens and Anders became James and Andrew; her sister Ane became Annie, and her mother Maren became Mary. Most of the account of her life given herein will give her name as Maria, except in cases where quoted directly from Danish Records) was born on a farm near the village of Borglum in the County of Hjorring in Vendyssel, the most northerly province of Demnark. Since very olden time, Vendyssel has been inhabited by a tough and independent race of small farmers and fishermen called the Vendelboer. During the many centuries of Feudalism, Danish peasants were forbidden by stringent laws to move or travel from place to place. Thus, if a person was born in a certain place, all of his descendants were born, lived and died in that same place or within a very few miles of that place. Consequently, we can be certain that Ane Marie’s ancestors for many centuries lived in or near Borglum.
Although Borglum is a small village of about three hundred people, it is rich in the history of the hardy and liberty-loving people who dwelt there. The first building built in Borglum was a royal residence erected on Boel-Hill where the windmill now stands. Here came King Canute II in the year 1086 with his royal retinue. Being in want of money, he sent his men out to levy taxes from the population. These northern peasants, who had never before had to face such an impost, reacted strongly. They arose to a man, and armed with such simple weapons as they possessed, they chased King Canute and his followers down through Jutland and to the neighboring island of Funen. Here the king and his men took refuge in the Church of St. Alban at Odense. While kneeling in prayer before the high altar, the king was killed by a spear thrown in from outside through one of the church windows.
From very early times, the religious influence was strong in Borglum, and this influence is reflected many years later in the lives of Ane Marie and her people. About 1130, Borglum became a bishopric or Catholic headquarters for all of the county north of the Liim Fiord and remained so until the Reformation. Shortly after 1030, some friars of the Premonstratensian Order of the Catholic Church built a monastery there and started to erect an adjoining Cathedral of the Diocese. The original plans for this cathedral were monumental, but had to be curtailed for lack of money. The monastery buildings were erected on their present scale in the 13th and 14th centuries, and this became the principal monastery of the Premonstratensian Order in the north. The Bishops of Borglum had great power all through the middle Ages and were highly respected by the kings of Denmark. When King Christian Ill adopted the Protestant religion as the state religion of Denmark in the 1500's, he confiscated the monastery and it’s considerable properties along with all other property in Denmark owned by the Catholic Church. From 1536 to 1665, the King entrusted his interests in Borglum to several feudal noblemen. In this period both the church and the other monastery buildings fell greatly into decay, so that about 1600 a deputy of the King was authorized to demolish a part of the monastery in order to use the materials to repair the nave and aisles of the church. Other of the buildings were altered so as to provide suitable quarters for the kings when they visited Borglum. The monastery with its adjoining church eventually passed into private ownership. In the 1700's a prominent Danish architect, Laurids de Thurah, became the owner of this property, and it was he who restored the buildings to their present condition. He made some changes in the interiors and furnishings, but the outer walls are in the main the original ones from monastic times. This monastery, called the Borglum Kloster, is still privately owned and is operated as a tourist attraction. Because of its great antiquity, many people visit it each year, especially in the summer time. This monastery is located about one mile West of the village of Borglum and was a familiar landmark to Maria and her family.
Borglum has one other claim to fame. One of its native sons, Jens Moeller, emigrated to America where his two sons became noted American sculptors. Solon Borglum, the elder son, is noted for his sculptures of western, cowboy and Indian subjects. The younger son, Gutzon John Borglum, was the creator of the great stone faces of famous American on Mount Rushmore.
The village of Borglum lies about four and one-half miles from the ocean. Maria probably visited the town of Furreby, which was the coastal town nearest to Borglum. Vejby (pronounced Weibye), the home of Maria’s mother and other relatives, is very near to Borglum—just about one and one-half miles northeast of Borglum.
Demnark’s location, nearly surrounded by the sea, gives it a mild, damp coastal climate. For most of the year, rains and mists are frequent, but the annual average rainfall is moderate for a land constantly swept by winds from the North Sea. The geography books tell us that the soil of Denmark is made up of sand tossed by the sea and blown inland. Except for one small strip of land on farther north, the Danes have successfully, through hard work, anchored 250 miles of coastal dunes to the land by the roots of grasses and evergreens, and have made the country into a very fertile and productive land. Borglum and the surrounding area is a typical example of the efforts of a hard-working people to conquer the land for their use.
Maria’s father was Jens Jensen, a farmer. He is referred to in some records as Jens Jensen Loth (pronounced Lute in Danish). After much searching, we have come to the conclusion that loth was the name of the fann where Jens lived and worked, and this name was used to identify him from other men by the name of Jens Jensen. The patronymic system of surnames in use in Denmark up to 1860, whereby children were given the first name of their father plus “sen” (son) or “datter” (daughter) for their surnames, resulted in many people having the same names. To complicate matters, ninety percent of the common names used total about thirty-five names. Therefore, it was common to add an identifying name to the regular name for better identification. This name was usually the place where they lived, their occupation, or sometimes the name of the people they worked for. In 1860, when the Danish government passed a law requiring all Danes to take a fixed surname, many people kept these identifying names as their fixed surname. To our knowledge, Jens Jensen did not use the name Loth after coming to America, although his brother-in-law, Jens Christen Andersen Weibye, refers to him throughout his Journal as Jens Jensen Loth.
The exact location of Jens Jensen’s farm is unknown. In the history of Andrew Jensen, we find the following statement, “Our home was near the sea. My father leased a piece of land from the government. When I (Andrew) arrived at school age, I attended school but not as regular as I should have, as the school house was far away, and I was afraid to go through the woods”. Present day maps show very few wooded places near Borglum. The parish records of Borglum reveal that other people there had the identifying name of Loth also, and we are inclined to believe that Loth Farm was east or southeast of Borglum, possibly quite near to Vejby.
Maren Andersen, Maria’s mother, was Jens Jensen’s second wife. His first wife was Annie Svendsen. Jens Jensen was born at Tolstrup, which is a village six or seven miles south of Borglum. Of the four children born to Annie Svendsen Jensen, apparently the first three were born at Tolstrup, after which the family moved to Borglum and the fourth child was born there, as there is record of only the one birth in the Borglum Parish Register. Little is known of any of these children except Karen. When Maria was born, Jens and Caroline may have already established homes of their own. Karen, then seventeen years old, was living at home with her father and his second family. The youngest child was ten months old when his mother died. He may have died in infancy or while still a child, or there is a possibility that Annie Svendsen’s relatives took him to raise. At any rate there is no record of him with the Jensen family.
Annie Svendsen Jensen died on July 14, 1839 and six months later, on Jan. 23, 1839, Jens married Maren Andersen, age 26, of Vejby. Vejby is a very small village of about one-hundred people. lt still has a very old Lutheran Church which was built in the 16th Century. It was in this small church that Maren’s people worshiped, as they lived in Vejby for centuries. Maren’s brother, Jens Christen Andersen Weiby, wrote this in his Journal:
“My father, Anders Pedersen, was a very religious man. He died May 31, 1837 At the age of 67. My mother, Maren Nielsen, was born in Frustrop, Borglum, Logn. She died in Vejby May 1, 1839. Their children were Maren, born 15 July 1813, Sidsel Catherine born 7 Sept. 1815, Johanne Marie, born 5 Dec 1817, Niels Peter, born 16 Nov. 1819, Niels Jensen, born 28 May 1822, and Jens Christian born 26 Sept. 1824. My father’s parents were Peder Andersen Weibye and Karen Mathiasen. His grandparents were Anders Andersen Weibye and Sidsel Andersen Loth Weibye Logn. My father’s Brothers and sisters were Mathias, Christen, Sidsel and Ane. They all died Under seven years of age.”
At the time of her marriage to Jens Jensen, Maren Andersen was 26 years of age. He was 38. Consequently, at her marriage Maren became the step-mother of young Jens Age 10, Caroline Age 8, Karen Age 4 and Baby Jense about 1 year old.
In the Lutheran Church parish records for Borglum the births of Maren’s own children are recorded as follows: Jens born Jan. 10, 1841, Anne borne Jan. 20, 1843, Anders born Aug. 31, 1848 and Ane Marie born Oct. 15, 1852. It is interesting to not that the second child was registered at birth as Anne instead of Ane, the usual Danish name for Annie.
Since Maria was not a very talkative person, little is known of her childhood in Denmark. We can assume that she lived the usual happy, busy life of the children of that time. She learned to work, she learned and played along with her brothers and sisters and cousins. At an early age, she learned to herd and milk the cows, to make butter and cheese and to care for the dairy products. The Danish always had chickens and geese and she cared for these also. It was here that she learned the secrets of good cooking, which is a special talent ofthe Danish. She learned to sew and care for the house. It was in her childhood that she learned to be neighborly, a characteristic which lasted throughout her life. Friends and neighbors and relatives would meet together to quilt and sew, to eat and just to visit. If Maria went to school in Demnark, we have no knowledge of it. She learned to read and write, but possibly could have learned this in Utah. School attendance was required only of the boys in Demnark for many years. Maria dearly loved her sister Annie, who was nine years old at Maria’s birth.
Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came early to Demnark. Elder P.0. Hansen was the first, arriving in his native land on May 11, 1850. At the close of the year 1850 there were about 130 members in Demnark. J .C.A. Weibye recorded in his Journal, “Feb. 5, 1854, I went to Sejlstrup-Mark to Christian Sorensen’s and heard Mormonism preached for the first time by Lauritz Larsen and Jens Peter Jensen. I believed it and was baptized 16 Apr 1854.”
The Aalborg Conference of the Danish Mission was organized in Nov. 1851 and consisted of all of the saints residing in the northern part of the Jutland peninsula. At that time there were four branches, Aalborg, Bronderslev, Frederickshaven, and Hjorring. However, the Church grew so fast in northern Demnark, that on Aug. 14, 1852 the northern part of the conference was removed from Aalborg and the Vendsyssel Conference was organized. Prior to the large emigration in 1862, there were about seven-hundred members in the Vendsyssel Conference. In the Encyclopedic History of the Church by Andrew Jensen, Church Historian, the statement is made, “No province in America or Europe has in comparison to area and number of inhabitants yielded so much good material to the Church as has the little province of Vendsyssel”. Vejby was on of twenty-seven branches of the Church in the Vendsyssel Conference.
Uncle Weibye, after his conversion, was a zealous missionary, but it was several years before his sister Maren and her family were converted. The dates of their baptism were all different with the exception of Jens and Jens Jr., who were baptized at the same time. Perhaps, all members of the family had independent spirits with minds of their own as exemplified by Andrew, who states in his history, “When I was between eleven and 12 years old my parents, brothers and sisters accepted the Gospel and were baptized, but I refused to be baptized as I did not believe in it. After hearing the Gospel explained many times by the Elders who came to our home, I finally accepted the Gospel and was baptized by Elder Chute Brown. It being the dead of winter and very cold, I cut the ice so that I could be baptized.”
The sequence of the baptism dates of the Jensen family shows that the women of the family joined the Church first, just as in the Shawcroft family. The dates are as follows: Karen baptized 21 Oct 1855 Age 20; Maren baptized 26 Feb 1857 Age 44; Ane baptized 14 Dec 1857 Age 14; Ane Marie baptized 13 Apr. 1861 Age 9; Jens Sr. Baptized 10 Nov. 1861 Age 60; Jens Jr. Baptized 10 Nov 1861 Age 20; Anders baptized 29 Jan 1862 Age 14.
In the year 1862, Uncle Weibye wrote in his journal, “In this eight years the following of my relatives were baptized. 1. My sister Maren and her husband Jens Jensen and their five children who were Karen, Jens, Ane, Anders, and Ane Marie. 2. My sister Sidsel Catherine and her four children. 3. My sister Karen, her husband and children. We were 24 baptized in Demnark. Others are baptized in Utah.” Obviously, either he erred in writing this or a mistake was made in copying as he had no sister by the name of Karen. In a prior entry, he listed his sisters as Maren, Sidsel Catherine and Johanne Marie.
Nowhere in uncle Weibye’s journal does he mention that the Saints of the Vejby Branch were mistreated because of joining the Church. There must have been some intolerance shown them, but their primary reason for wanting to emigrate to America was to join and be with the other Saints in Utah. From Uncle Weibye’s journal we read, “In 1862, 210 emigrants from Vendyssel Conference left to go to Zion. I went to Copenhagen to get American Gold for $28,000 Danish Dollard. The 1st of April we were released and allowed to emigrate the same spring for which I was very glad. 323 emigrated and went to Zion, but some of them died on the journey to Zion”.
The presidency of the Scandinavian Mission had made a contract with a Mr. Robert M. Sloman of Hamburg, Germany to carry the Latter-day Saints from the port of Hamburg to New York. For several months, the preparations for the large emigration had been going on in the different conferences throughout Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The emigrating Saints from the Jutland Conferences in Denmark Went directly by land to Hamburg. Most of the others gathered at Copenhagen by land and sea, and from there made their way to Hamburg in different companies. Upon arriving in Hamburg, the saints found four ships anchored in the Elbe River off Hamburg awaiting their arrival, the “Electra”, the “Athenia”, the “Humboldt” and the “Franklin”. The “Humboldt” carrying 323 emigrating Saints was the first ship to leave on April 9, 1862, a Wednesday. On Tuesday April 15, 1862, the ship “Franklin” sailed from Hamburg with 413 emigrants, nearly all from the Aalborg and Vendyssel Conferences. This group included Maria and all 413 emigrants, nearly all from the Aalborg and Vendyssel Conferences. This group included Maria and all of her relatives who left Demnark at that time. Captain Robert Murray was captain of the ship and the Saints were in charge of Elder Christian A. Madsen, an elder returning home from his mission. He chose Jens C.A. Weibye and Lauritz Larsen as counselors. On board the ship, the company was organized into 8 districts with the following brethren as presidents: Jens C. Thorpe, Jens Christensen Kornum (great grandfather of Monte B. Comum) Niels Mortensen (Lynge), Lars P. Fjeldsted, C. P. Booregaard, C. S. Frost, Thomas Larsen and Jens Andersen. Jens F. Mortensen was appointed baggage master and Anthon H. Lund interpreter. Chr. Andersen was made Captain of the guard.
Uncle Weibye gives this account of the journey to Hamburg: “Sunday, April 6, 1862 we left Vendyssel. April 3 we left Kiel by rail and arrived in Altoona at 2PM. Late in the day we embarked in ship “the Franklin” for America. On Tuesday the 15th of Apr. We sailed from Hamburg and came to Cuxhaven April 18 where we waited for a good wind till Monday the 21st, when we sailed again and got into the British Channel on Monday the 28th.”
In the book History of the Scandinavian Mission by Andrew Jensen, Church Historian, the following is given by J.C.A. Weibye:
“We went on board the “Franklin” in the evening of Tuesday and I was appointed to locate the emigrants in their bunks below deck. These bunks (illegible) in number were so wide that three persons easily could have room in one of them side by side. After getting our baggage in order, we received our rations and provisions. These consisted of beef, pork, peas, beans, potatoes, pearl barley, rice, prunes, syrup, vinegar, pepper, coffee, tea, sugar, butter, rye bread, sea biscuits, water, flower, salted herring, salt and oil (for the lamps). We lighted 11 lanterns every night, 6 of which belonged to the ship and 5 to the emigrants. We hired an extra cook in Hamburg for 90 rigsdaler, and besides him two of our brethren served as assistant cooks. We thus had our dinners nicely cooked in about the following routine, viz, Sunday we had sweet soup, Monday, pea soup; Tuesday and Wednesday, rice; Thursday, pea soup; Friday, Barley mush, and Saturday, herring and potatoes. Some of the emigrants carried the measles with them from home and the disease soon spread to all parts of the ship, so that no less than 40 persons, mostly children, were attacked at once. Many of the emigrants were also suffering with diarrhea, which caused very much weakness of body. We lost the appetite for sea biscuits, but learned to soak them in water or tea from 8 to 12 hours, which softened them so that they could become more palatable. The sick were served twice a day with porridge made from barley rice or sago, and almost every day pancakes could be had by the hundreds for the sick who could not eat the “hard tack” (sea biscuits). Wheat bread was also baked for some of the old people. We held a council meeting every night, and the sanitary conditions of the ship’s apartments were attended to with great care. Three times a week the decks were washed and twice a week the ship was thoroughly fumigated by burning tar. A spirit of peace prevailed and very few difficulties occurred. The Captain and crew were good-natured and obliging, and so were the cooks, who even served the sick when they were not on duty.
We held at times meetings of worship on the upper and lower decks, and every morning at 5 o’clock the signal for rising was given by the clarionet or accordion. At 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. a similar signal was sounded calling the Saints to assemble in their several districts for prayer. Most everyday we amused ourselves a short time by dancing on the deck to music played by some of our brethren or a member of the crew. We could thus have had an enjoyable time, had it not been for the sorrow occasioned by the many sick and dying among us on account of the measles. Up to this date (May 27) 3 adults and 43 children have died, nearly all from measles. During the last few days the chicken pox has also broken out among us and four cases have already developed. We have had head winds most of the time, otherwise we could have been in New York before now, for the “Franklin” is a first-class ship. We have been very little troubled with sea-sickness.”
Fortunately, Maria and her brothers and sisters escaped the measles, which must have been a particularly virulent form. Uncle Weibye’s two children, Anemine and Petreane Magretha both contracted the disease, but survived the voyage. However, Anemine, weakened by sickness, never completely recovered and died when they reached Hannibal, Missouri. How heart-breaking it must have been for this group of Saints to lose so many of their young children at sea.
The account from the History of the Scandinavian Mission continues: “On Thursday, May 29th” in the forenoon, the “Franklin” arrived in New York. The emigrants were placed on a transport steamer to be landed at Castle Garden, but on arriving at the wharf, they were not permitted to go ashore, because of some cases of measles yet existing. After 18 of the sick had been taken into the hospital, the rest were returned to the “Franklin” and there remained on board two more nights and a day. Finally, on May 31st they were landed at Castle Garden, where they were met by Elders Chas. C. Rich, John VanCott and other brethren. A part of the emigrants did not have means to carry them further on their way to Zion than New York, but through the generosity of some of the Saints who were more fortunate, a sufficient sum was raised to take all of these poor Saints along, and with rejoicing, the journey was resumed, leaving New York May 31 at 9 P.M. by extra railway train to Albany, where they arrived the next morning June 1st. From there the journey was continued by train via Syracuse, Rochester, Niagara, Windsor, Detroit and Chicago to Quincy, Ill. And thence by steamboat across the Mississippi to Hannibal, Mo. And again by train to St. Joseph, Mo., where they arrived June 6. The following day they boarded the steamboat “Westwind” and left St. Joseph at 10 P.M. after having spend the “Day of Pentecost” in a way that was anything but pleasure (as there was very poor and crowded accomodations for so many people in this comparatively small vessel). The company arrived in Florence, Nebraska on Monday, June 9th at 10 o’clock P.M. Hans C. Hansen’s company which crossed the ocean on the “Humboldt”, arrived there a Week before. Among the persons who died in the “Franklin” Company during the voyage on the sea was Bro. Jens Andersen from Veddum (Aalborg Conference, Denmark), who with his own means has assisted 60 or 70 poor Saints to emigrate. He died on the North Sea on the 25th of April soon after the ship left Cuxhaven. On the way from New York to Florence, 2 children died, of whom one was the 15 month-old daughter (Anemine) of Jens C.A. Weibye. Eleven persons (4 adults and 7 children) died on the Plains, making in all 62 of the “Franklin” Company who died between Hamburg and Salt Lake City.” (That was about 15% of the total company.)” on Tuesday June 10th the emigrants pitched their tents a short distance north of Florence, and the necessary purchases of oxen, wagons, cows, etc. were attended to”
In the Church Immigration Records we find the following record:
Jens Jensen: age 60 Farmer
Total: $1,665.00
Passage: $237.00
Team & Wagon: $540.00
Livestock: $90 (2 cows)
Exch $786
Total $1665
Maren: age 48
Jens: age 21
Ane: age 19
Anders: age 13
Ane Marie: age 9
Livestock—4 sheep
Nowhere in the immigration records are we able to find where Karen Jensen came to America. According to the family group record, she became the plural wife of Uncle Weibye, but no date of the marriage is given. Her endowment is shown as Dec. 5, 1863, and if this is correct, she must have married the year after the Jensens came to America. From the time they left Denmark, we have no further information about the family’s connection with Karen.
Uncle Weibye says in his Journal: “I had 1/2 wagon with Jens C. Christensen Peel and each of us had two oxen. We were nine persons to the wagon. The company numbered 264 persons with 45 wagons of which 5 were drawn by 12 horses and 40 wagons were drawn by 175 oxen. Besides this we had 2 riding horses, 99 cows, 37 heifers and 7 calves. We were very lucky on this long journey of 1000 miles as the company did not lose over 10 head of cattle.”
According to the record shown on the preceding page, Jens Jensen had sufficient means to purchase his own wagon and team and other livestock. He had money left over after his purchases were made so he arrived in Utah with some funds, indicating that, although he was not wealthy, through thrift and hard work, he had accumulated some savings for the trip.
“Those who crossed the plains by the Church teams were organized into messes to receive their provisions from the commissary of the Company. A few of the emigrants had become apostates on the way and remained in the states. Among these were a blacksmith, J.P. Jacobsen, and Lauritz Larsen from Hojen, Christopher Thompson from Gaardholt, Vendyssel and others with their families. The rest of the emigrants remained in camp for several weeks (Uncle Weibyy says they left on July 14) it being over 5 weeks they spent at Florence before beginning the journey across the plains. A few days before the Company left camp, Florence and vicinity were visited by a terrible tornado, accompanied by rain, thunder and lightening, by which 2 of the brethren were killed and Elder Jos. W. Young received seven wounds from a wagon-box which blew down upon him. After the accident, he was carried to a place of safety in an unconscious condition, but recovered after awhile. The tents and wagon covers of the Company were badly torn and shattered on that occasion.”
The only record of the remainder of the journey is in the Journal of Uncle Weibye as follows: “On Aug. 25 Sister Thomine Thomas age 20 died. This was the only death between Florence and Salt Lake City in our Company. We had fine weather all the time except a couple of days after starting and a couple of days at Fort Bridger. Traveling from Florence, Nebraska to Salt Lake City from July 14 to Sept. 23 we made the following distances: (Distances are given from starting place-Florence, Nebraska.) July 14— 3 ½ miles — Little Paper Creek; July 16–19 ½ miles — Elkhorn River; July 17 — 31 ½ miles — Platte Bluff; July 18 — 46 miles — To Island in Platt River; Jul2 20 — 80 miles — Soup Creek and Ferry; July 22 — 81 miles — Over Soup Creek Ferry; July 27 — 158 miles — Week River; July 30 — 211 miles — Elm Creek; July 31 — 221 miles — Buffalo Creek; Aug. 1 — 230 miles — Willow Lake; Aug 2 — 251 miles — Wide Dry Creek; Aug. 3 — 276 miles — Skunk Creek; Aug. 4 — 290 miles — Wide Deep Creek; Aug. 5 — 316 miles — Sandy Bluffs West Post; Aug 6 — 330 miles — Bluffs Spring; Aug 7 —342 miles — Rattlesnake Creek; Aug. 8 — 360 miles — Sandy Bluffs East Post; Aug. 9 — 379 miles — Sandhill Creek; Aug. 10 — 403 miles — Cobblehills West Post; Aug. 11 — 422 miles — Low Sandy Bluffs West Post; Aug. 12 — 442 miles — Chimney Rock; Aug 13 — 462 miles — Schott Bluffs; Aug. 16 — 512 miles — Fort Laramy (Fort Laramie); Aug. 19 — 544 miles — Alder Clump; Aug. 27 — 629 miles — Upper Platt Bridge; Aug. 29 — 639 miles — Mineral Springs and Lake; Aug. 30 — 659 miles-Small Creek; Aug. 31 — 679 miles-Devils Gate; Sept. 1 — 696 miles — Sage Creek; Sep. 2 — 720 miles — The Two Ridges; Sept. 3 — 735 miles — Ford of Sweetwater No. Five; Sept. 5 — 761 miles-Willow Creek; Sept. 6 — 778 miles — Pacific Creek; Sept. 7 — 803 miles — Little Sandy; Sep. 8, 9 — 826 miles — Big Sandy; Sept.10 — 836 miles — Green River; Sept. 11 — 851 miles — Blacks Fort; Sept. 14 — 886 miles — Fort Bridger; Sept. 16 — 904 miles — Summit (7315 elevation); Sept. 17 — 917 miles — Bear River; Sept.18 — 940 miles — Echo Canyon; Sept 19 — 955 miles — Weber River; Sept. 21 — 981 miles — Silver Creek; Sept. 22 — 994 miles — Parley’s Canyon; Sept. 23 — 1004 miles — Salt Lake City “We passed on the north side of the Platte River all the time. We saw some Indians in Omaha (the first Indians I ever saw) and now and then some between Florence and Salt Lake City, but they were all friendly.”
“We stayed in our tents in the Eighth Ward Camp — ground the first night in Salt Lake, while most of the Company left in the afternoon and went out of the city each their own way. I had the pleasure to have some of my relatives with me, namely my sister Maren and her husband; Jens Jensen Loth and four children; Jens, Ane, Anders and Ane Marie, which all were baptized; my sister Sidsel and four children and others. It is a source of much joy to us that we are so many of our relatives here in Zion.”
Obviously Jens Jensen and family left Salt Lake City soon after arriving and went south to Moroni, while Uncle Weibye and his family and possibly Sidsel and her children remained in Salt Lake City. Uncle Weibye mentions digging carrots for Pres. Brigham Young. Also, while tailoring (his trade) he received $1.00 and board per day.
From the time they left Salt Lake City, we have little written information about the Jensen family. Delmar W. Jensen, son of Andrew says, “Father’s folks lived in the southwest part of Moroni, what we called “the bottoms” on the west side of the road in a little adobe house.” Since they arrived in Moroni in September, it was too late for any farming, so their attention was toward finding a place to live and obtaining feed for the livestock. As Jens had his own wagon and team, the family probably fared better than many of the pioneer families of that time. They had cows to milk, and with their inherent Danish thrift, managed to get along. As in other pioneer towns, people were good to help one another and thus they all got along somehow.
Tragedy struck the family about nine months later-on June 28, 1863—when Maren passed away. Details of her death are unknown. She was only fifty years old, but the hardships of the long journey from Denmark, and the rigors of pioneer life also took its toll. Her children were all living at home at the time of her death. Maria and the other children loved and missed their gentle mother very much. The love they had for her is shown in the fact that all of them later named their firstborn daughters “Mary” in honor of their mother. Jens’ first daughter was Mary Catherine, Andrew’s was Mary Rosellia, Maria’s was Mary Maralda, and Annie’s first girl, who died before age two, was Mary Ann. Annie also named her second daughter Mary.
From the time that Maria was a baby, she and Annie were always very close and now, comforting each other in their grief, they became closer than ever. Annie cared for the household with eleven-year old Maria helping as she could.
Uncle Weibye’s Journal contains only two more references to the Jensen family. He wrote, “On the 17th of Oct. 1863 I started with my family from Salt Lake City (this was after Maren’s death) to go to Jens Jensen Loths in Moroni, where we arrived Oct. 21. On Oct. 23 we started with Jens Jensen Loth Jr. for Gunnison, Utah where I built a nice cellar 21' by 16', the first dwelling I have built”. In 1864 Uncle Weibye moved to Manti so then was much closer to the Jensens. On March 15, 1865 he records, “I exchanged cows with Jens Jensen, my muley cow for a red-brockle faced on, which was a good milk cow.” Apparently, Uncle Weibye had quit the tailoring trade, as he mentions farming on shares at Manti.
Not long after Maren’s death—we are unable to find the date—Jens Jensen married a woman by the name of Mary Jacobsen. Jens was age 62 when Maren died. Little is know about this woman, but from available information, Mary Jacobsen was a strong-willed woman, for whom her step-children had little affection. Delmar Jensen states that his family told this. “An old lady came and got Grandpa Jensen to marry her. Once she struck Aunt Annie Agaard over the head with a strap with a buckle on it and knocked her down. Once, Grandpa bought a cow and somebody told her for fun that the cow did not have any front teeth on the uppers so she made Grandpa take the cow back. Father must not have liked her as he would not put her name in the family history.”
If Maria was ever mistreated in any way by her step-mother, no one ever knew of it, as she was not one to speak ill of others. In fact, Maria’s sweet and gentle nature and her quiet way, endeared her to all who knew her.
Maria and the rest of the family soon became a part of the church, social and working life of Moroni. Still very much a pioneer settlement, there was work for everyone. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone else in town. Being young when she arrived in America, Maria quickly and easily learned to speak English for there were many English converts living in Moroni and she had opportunity to use the language frequently. She probably attended school in Moroni.
When the Jensens first came to Moroni, there was a young man living there by the name of Andrew Aagard, who was also an immigrant convert to the Church from Denmark, although he had come to America in 1860, two years before the Jensen family came. The Jensens became acquainted with him, but he moved to Fountain Green in 1863. Fountain Green is a little less than ten miles north of Moroni. It is said that he went to Fountain Green with nothing and quickly became one of the hardest working and most enterprising young man there. He was a farmer, raised sheep, had stock in the first cooperative store, had stock in the first flour mill and later the first roller mill there. In later years, he bought his own general store. He thrived on work, and was a colorful and interesting person. How he found time to court Annie Jensen in Moroni is a mystery, but he must have, as they were married on March 15, 1865. The story is told that Andrew rode horseback to Moroni, married Annie, returned by horseback to Fountain Green that evening and took another girl to a dance there that night.
Maria was thirteen years old when Annie married. There are several version of her circumstances following Annie’s marriage. Some say that she went to live in Fountain Green with Annie soon after the marriage. Others say that she went for a visit with Annie and stayed on permanently. It is definitely known that she spent a good deal of the time during her teenage years in Fountain Green with Annie and her family.
Nowhere could Maria have been happier than with her beloved sister. Apparently, she got along well with Andrew Aagard too, for she was a hard worker and paid well for her keep. Many years later, when some of the folks from Richfield went back to Fountain Green to visit Annie, Andrew remarked; “How do you folks find time to visit? Don’t you have any work to do or anything to eat in Colorado?” lf Andrew was lacking in hospitality, Annie more than made up for it as she was a kind, generous and warm-hearted person. It is probably Annie’s influence that made Maria the same kind of person. Delmar Jensen, Andrew’s youngest son, remarked, “Aunt Annie Aagard was a kindly little old lady. The children would take stray cats to her and she would give them a nickel for each one. Once, my brother Frank and I went to Fountain Green and she gave us each a lamb, Frank a white one and me a black one.” While living with Annie, Maria helped with the house work, milked cows, helped with the garden, cared for the children and made herself useful at all times. She found time to attend school and to participate in church activities and socials. She dearly loved Annie’s six little girls, who were born before Maria married. Annie’s first child was Mary Ann, born in the spring of 1866—then Mary, bom Sept. 1867. Little Mary Ann died when Mary was about four months old, and Maria mourned the little girl as her own. Ane Christena was born in 1869. The next little girl was Caroline Maria, born in 1871, but she lived only six months. Ellen Maria came in 1872 and little Hannah Catherine on June 6, 1873. Maria lavished love and tender care on these children, and helped Annie greatly as the six little girls had been born very close together.
In 1868, Maria’s elder brother James married Christena Miller and they moved to Fountain Green and established their home there. All of James’ children—James P., Mary and Caroline were born in Fountain Green. Maria and Annie were very happy to have their brother close by.
There was a lot of excitement in Fountain Green and Moroni when the Black Hawk War began in l866. Things got so bad that many people abandoned their homes in Fountain Green and moved temporarily to Moroni, which was larger and better fortified. Annie, Maria and James were fortunate in having relatives in Moroni who helped them out during this trying time. A fort was built at Fountain Green in the fall of 1866, and most of the residents moved back, although harassment by the Indians continued for six years. People had to be constantly on guard to protect their homes and livestock. Andrew, still in his teens when the war started, served as a minuteman. Andrew Aagard also served as a minute man. In Fountain Green, Maria became acquainted with the Shawcroft family. The family had been converted in England and emigrated to Utah in 1864. She first knew the girls, Ruth, Sally and Harriet, as Ruth was just a year older than Maria and the others a little younger. Through them, she met their brothers, John and Frederick, and their parents, William and Ann Hunt Shawcroft. William was crippled and Frederick still very young, so John was the main support of the family. He was very hard-working and ambitious. He farmed during the summer months and freighted in the winter—often traveling long distances from Fountain Green. At one time he had a business partnership with Richard Crowther, son of Thomas Crowther, getting out logs from the canyons, which they sold to the settlers for use in building their homes. Since Maria was not a very talkative person, little is known of her courtship by John Shawcroft. Obviously, she admired the sterling qualities he exhibited in being a hard worker, faithful in the gospel, and his kindness and loving care of his mother and crippled father. John, too, must have admired Maria for her good nature, her kindness to everyone, her gracious hospitality and industriousness. In February l874, they traveled by wagon to Salt Lake City, where they were married in the Endowment House on Feb. 9, 1874, thus insuring that all of their children would be born in the covenant. While in Salt Lake City, they made purchases for their new home together, and returned as soon as possible to Fountain Green. Their home was a small frame house, which they later added to. It was not fine, but Maria made into a warm and comfortable home. She was twenty-two years old at the time of her marriage and John was twenty-seven. Andrew had married the year before in Moroni to Christena Christensen. Since James’ wife and Andrew’s wife were both named Christena, Andrew’s wife was always called “Aunt Steenie to Moroni” to better identify her from James’ wife, who was also called “Aunt Steenie”. Maria was the only one of her family who did not marry someone of Danish descent.
Maria’s first child, a son, was bom Dec. 13, 1874 and was named John William for his father and grandfather Shawcroft. Less than a month later, Annie’s first son Andrew James, was born. The two sisters enjoyed their babies together since this was Maria’s first baby and Annie’s first little boy after having six girls in a row. Now Maria was busier than ever caring for her home and family, helping John’s parents who lived nearby, and being neighborly and helpful to all who needed any assistance. If any of the relatives or neighbors were ill, Maria always appeared with food or help. John was away a lot of the time with his freighting business, so it was up to Maria to keep everything running smoothly at home—milking and feeding the cows, caring for the garden, sewing and cooking for herself and others, and doing such work as she could for the Church. It was a familiar sight to see her milking a cow with a baby or small child on her knee. Sometimes, the relatives from Moroni came to spend a day or two, or Annie, Maria and James would travel to Moroni to visit their folks there.
Mary Maralda, Maria’s second child, was born Oct. 25, 1876. Annie had another little boy, Niels Peter, just about a month before Mary Maralda was born, so again Maria and Annie had babies about the same time. Two more children were born to Maria in Fountain Green—James Nathan, born Jan. 30, 1879—named for Maria’s father, Jens Jensen, and Joseph Hyrum, born Jan. l, 1881, who was named for John’s twin brothers who had died soon after birth. Annie also had two more children—Serena Christine and John Edward. John Edward was Annie’s last child. It is interesting to note that Annie and Maria each had ten children.
On Jan, 29, 1880, Jens Jensen passed away in Moroni and was buried in the Moroni Cemetery beside his second wife, Maren. He was seventy-nine at the time of his death. Details of his last illness and death are unknown. Age seventy-nine at that time was considered old, so no doubt the hard pioneer life was a factor in his life span. All of the Jensen children were saddened at their father’s passing.
After Jens Jensen’s death, John, along with some others from Sanpete County, received a call from the President of the Church, John Taylor, to go to Colorado to help colonize converts to the Church from the Southern States. The call was received with mixed feeling by John and Maria, as they were making progress in Fountain Green and dreaded the contemplation of starting all over again in a new and unknown place. John did not want to accept the call, but left the decision up to Maria. With her usual faith and quiet courage, she said, “We have to go.”
Preparation for the removal to Colorado began in 1881 although they did not leave until about the 20th of July in 1882. Thor N. Peterson, also a resident of Fountain Green, was also called to go to Colorado, but he left earlier to arrange for the land and look over the situation. lt was he who wrote back and told the Shawcrofts to bring cattle if they could.
It was a sad parting for Maria and Annie, who had been so close for such a long time. It was also sad to leave their other relatives and friends both in Moroni and Fountain Green. One consolation to Maria was the fact that her brother James (Jens), his wife, Aunt Steenie and their children, James, Mary and Caroline went with them to Colorado. Details of the journey are given in the Shawcroft Family History and will not be repeated here, except to note that the accident which happened not far from Fountain Green when their wagon tipped over, upset Maria a great deal, and she remained nervous and fearful for the safety of her family throughout the entire trip. How relieved Maria must have been when the journey was completed for it was a long hard trip. After spending a few days in Manassa, the party went on to where Thor Peterson and two other families were camped about one mile east of where Richfield now is. These three families had been there since early spring awaiting the arrival of the others from Utah. The settlers camped in tents at the same place, but it was decided to make the town of Richfield one mile west of their camp. They drew plans for the town and assigned the different lots, and immediately afterward, the men left for the western mountains to bring out logs for cabins. Here John’s experience at logging in Fountain Green was invaluable, as they were able to get out logs for all homes and a meetinghouse before cold Weather came. lt must have been a pleasant fall for them to accomplish so much work.
Supplies for the settlement were purchased at Alamosa. This was a long trip by wagon which usually took all day. It was especially bad in winter time. They heated bricks to take with them for the trip to Alamosa, but had no way of keeping warm for the return trip. Water was a big problem in early Richfield as they were not aware of artesian water and used surface wells from which water was drawn up in buckets. There was a small spring just north of town which supplied drinking water, but the well water was very alkaline. The men spent that first winter clearing the land, and the women spent their time in making their homes as livable as possible.
Maria’s home was a three-room cabin—larger than most. She and her family lived in this cabin from the fall of 1882 until 1891, when the brick house was completed. Here in this cabin, four more children were bom—Lewis Edward on May 10, 1883, Andrew Franklin on May 24, 1885, David Earl on June 17, 1887, and Sarah Ann on June 24, 1889. In addition to her large family, John’s mother came from Utah in 1884 after the death of her husband, and she lived with them in this cabin. Also, Maria’s niece, Mary Aagard, made a long visit to Colorado, and she lived with the Shawcroft family. The story is told that Mary wanted to marry Sanford Holman of Fountain Green, but for some reason her father objected, so she left home and came to stay with her Aunt Maria. Mary was a popular and much-loved addition to the family and the community. We do not know how long she stayed, but records of the Richfield Ward show that she was secretary ot Y.W.M.I.A. in 1886. She dated several young men, among them Swen Peterson, son of Thor N. Peterson. It was thought that she was engaged to Swen and went back to Utah to prepare for the marriage, but there she took up again with her first love, Sanford Holman, and married him. They came to Colorado and lived at Eastdale for a time, but later moved to Manassa. After her marriage, she was always affectionately known as “Mary San” as there were several other Marys in the family. We marvel at the way this large family could live comfortably in that small log home.
Besides all of the work involved in caring for her large family, Maria was a diligent Church worker. The Richfield Branch of the Manassa Ward was organized Feb. 3, 1883 with Thor Peterson as presiding elder. Richfield was made a ward in June of that same year with Thor Peterson as Bishop and Milton H. Evans and Jens Jensen as his counselors. They served until 1887 when the Ward was discontinued because so many people moved to Sanford on account of the poor water. It was a branch of the Sanford Ward with Ephraim Coombs as presiding elder, and then in 1891 it was again made a ward with Ephraim Coombs, W.F.O. Behrman and Peter N. Guymon as Bishopric. During all of this time Maria served in many ward auxiliary offices. She was president of the Branch Relief Society from 1887 to 1891. When the ward was reorganized in 1891, she was again made president of the Relief Society, serving this time until Jan. 4, 1894. On April 1, 1897 she was again made president of the Relief Society which office she held to the close of the century. She was the first president of the Y.L.M.I.A. which was organized on Jan. 12, 1886. She held this office until 1888. One of the jobs the Relief Society ladies had was to make the burial clothes and line the coffins for the deceased. Also, they spent a great deal of time staying with and helping the sick. It was the custom to “sit up” with the sick at night and also to “sit up” all night at the home where someone had died. There were no morticians, so burial took place very soon after a death.
The brick home of John and Maria was finished in 1891. Shortly after moving into it, a daughter, Ruth Ella, was born to them on May 10, 1891. Maria Pearl, Maria’s last child was born on Aug. 2, 1893. It was a bitter blow to Maria that Pearl was not a normal child, and her remaining days were filled with great sorrow of her unfortunate child. We know that her daytime thoughts were filled with concern for Pearl, and how many must have been the sleepless hours she spent at night worrying about her child. She lavished love and care on Pearl. As Pearl grew up, she attended school and was able to learn many things. Whenever Pearl wanted anything or wanted to do something, her mother either said “Yes” or “Well—we will see”. She never said “no” to Pearl.
In January of 1901, Maria received word that Andrew was very ill at his home in Moroni. He had been a prominent citizen there for many years. He owned a good farm, was a city councilman for several years and served four terms as mayor of Moroni. He also worked in the Church, having been a counselor in the bishopric and officer in both the Sunday School and M.I.A. He was also a business man being Vice President of the Coop. Store in Moroni at the time of his death. His friends and family prayed for him day after day, but one day he called several of the brethren to him and said, “Brothers, do not pray for me any longer—my time has come.” The night before he died, he told those who were sitting with him that he was conversing with the brethren on the other side. On Feb. 22, 1901 he passed away and the following day, his youngest child, Delmar was three years old. We have been unable to find out the nature of his illness, or whether Maria went home for his funeral. We do know that she made some trips back to Utah, but it is believed these trips were later. Certainly, she mourned deeply the passing of her younger brother, who was fifty-three years old at his death.
Maria’s older brother, Jens, who had come with them from Utah, built a brick home in Richfield just a block north of Maria’s home. Jens, always called Uncle Jim, was a hard worker, and was active in all of the affairs of the church and community. As previously stated, he was a counselor in the first Bishopric of Richfield Ward. He became ill early in 1905, and must have been bedfast for a time as the neighbors and relatives tell of going every night to “sit up” with him. Here again, we do not know the nature of his illness, but Jens was sixty-four when he died on March 26, 1905. Thus Maria lost both of her brothers within about four years. After Jens’ death, Aunt Steenie continued to live in their home in Richfield for several years, but she finally sold it to David E. Shawcroft and moved to Sanford to be near her children, James P. Jensen, Caroline Valentine and Mary Olsen. Uncle Jim and Aunt Steenie are both buried in the Sanford Cemetery.
Perhaps there is no better way of knowing of Maria’s character and later life than from the knowledge or those still living who knew her best. Uncle Lewis E. Shawcroft states, “I am now ninety-three years old, and I cannot remember very well anymore, especially of the time we lived in the log house. It was a three—room house. I was very bashful as a child. Mother always had a lot of company or else she was visiting somewhere. Whenever we went visiting, I would cling to her begging continually, “Let’s go home—let’s go home.” When visitors came to our house, I would crawl under the bed and stay there. Mother always handed food to me under the bed, never forgetting that I was there. The most memorable event of my early life was the time I got a pitchfork for Christmas. It was my job to fork hay to the cows and horses, but the regular pitchforks were too big for me. This was a little pitchfork—just right for me. I really loved that pitchfork. My brothers liked it too as they would offer to do my chores in order to get to use it.”
Aunt Sarah Holman, now 89 years old, but of keen memory and intellect, has these reminiscences of her mother: ‘Mother was the kindest, most patient person who ever lived. Father would lose his temper at times, but mother never did. She never scolded. “Ah shucks” was her usual expression when provoked. I was just two years old when we moved into the brick house, so I don’t remember living in the log house, but I remember seeing it standing across the street. Mother was always busy. When anyone died, it was her special job to make the shoes for burial. I can remember mother having three quilts up in quilting frames at the same time—one in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in her big front bedroom. The ladies who came to quilt would stay all day. Mother served them a big meal at noon and then a lunch late in the afternoon before they went home. She talked Danish only when some of the older Danish ladies came to visit—said she had forgotten the language and could not speak it well anymore. She always made tapioca and coffee for the older Danish ladies, because that was what they liked. There were always lots of children at our house—I think Gerald just about lived with us when he was a boy. We girls would go often to stay all night at Uncle Fred’s or Aunt Harriet’s, or their children would come and stay with us. We slept cross-wise of the bed—four or five to a bed. I remember well the many people who came to our house to eat dinner after attending Sacrament Meeting on Sunday afternoon. I can just see the big platters of ham and roast beef and other good food that mother prepared for them. We children always had to wait until the grown-ups ate. Everyone was mother’s friend, but I think Polly “Al” Guymon was her very special friend. I recall when we had threshers in the fall, they threshed for a month and mother would fix the crew of four or five men, besides her own family, three meals a day. One time father and mother went in the buggy to Alamosa on New Year’s Day, and mother nearly froze coming home. Father said he drove the horses the hardest he ever had that day. Father had a sheep-herder named Pacheco who camped out in a tent near the sheep. One night a blizzard came up, and mother could not rest until she made father go out and bring Pacheco in where she made him a bed for the night. After we got artesian water in Richfield, father built a well house where the water ran in a big well box-there wasn’t water in the brick house when it was built. One time mother went to Ojo Caliente with some friends, and while she was gone father had the water piped into the house and had a sink and bathroom put in. Mother was so surprised and happy over this. I can remember mother leaving at night many times, to go sit up with someone who was ill. One night she was leaving to sit up with Mary Olsen and I said to her, “Mother” why do you have to go. Can’t you stay home tonight?” She replied, “Sometime you might need some help.” “ That’s the way she was-always thinking of others.”
Howard Shawcroft, living across the street from Grandma remembers these incidents: “When I was only eight or nine years old, it was often that we would all go up to the mountains, sometimes to do Work or sometimes just for an outing with the entire family. Of course, the only way to travel was by covered wagon. It wasn’t a very comfortable ride, but we always wanted to go and had a good time. The road up, what is called Dry Canyon was pretty rough and rocky. Whenever we got to a stretch of road along a side hill, Grandma would always want to get out of the wagon, so we would have to walk until the road became more level. She never could forget that experience when left Fountain Green and the wagon tipped over. Grandma never talked much about their coming to the Valley. She seemed to take it as a matter of course. Grandpa liked to tell of their experiences and we always enjoyed hearing him talk. Many, many times we children, after playing, would go into her house and she would go at once and get some of her good home made bread, pour cream over it and sprinkle sugar on it for us to take out under the trees and eat. Bread with cream and sugar is still one of my favorite dishes. It used to be the practice of holding what was called “Religion Classes” once a week after school was dismissed—something like the primary or mutual that we have now. For several years, Grandma and Aunt Ruth had the assignment of teaching these classes. Grandma was truly a wonderful woman.”
Another of the older grandchildren, Grace Hutchins had these memories of life with Grandma: “One of my earliest memories of both Grandma and Grandpa was the respect that people had for them, young and old. They were always called Uncle John and Aunt Maria even by people who were not related. They were hard working people and were so kind and helpful to all. Whenever we asked for “a piece” Grandma would fix us that special treat that Howard mentioned, or bread, butter and jelly, or sometimes ginger cookies or jelly roll. All of her food tasted so good. Grandpa built a big swing north of the brick house. On Sunday all of the young people of the community would gather there. Grandma would make cocoa and sandwiches or cake and cookies for the entire group. She always had cake or cookies or pies on hand. We grandchildren were usually in the way, but we were never told that we were. The Danish women from Sanford would come to visit and they greeted Grandma like a sister. She would talk Danish to them, and always served them lunch. Whenever visitors came from Utah, they always stayed at Grandma’s. They would visit other places during the day, but always came back for supper and to spend the night. Grandma entertained the church visitors who came to the ward. She always invited them to dinner and sometimes they stayed overnight. I remember that Aunt Annie Aagard once came for a visit. After spending a few days with Grandma, Grandma and Grandpa took her over to Eastdale where she visited with her daughter, Mary “San”’ Holman for awhile. When the visit was over, the Holmans brought her back to Grandma’s where she stayed a few more days before going back to Utah. While she was there, relatives and friends would gather in the evening to visit and have a sociable time together and Grandma would always serve them lunch. Grandma was so wonderful to Pearl, and to Horace, whose mother died when he was very small. She was also good, as was all of her family, to great grandma Shawcroft. I can’t remember of any of them ever saying an unkind word to great grandma. Grandma was a good cook, not only of Danish food, but also English food—to please Grandpa—and also American food. Grandpa liked good food. At hog butchering time, Grandma would wash the intestines until they were clean and then she would stuff them with sausage and bake pork pies for Grandpa. He also liked a dish called “Pigeon Pie”. Andrew Hensen from Sanford, would often stop at Grandma’s on his way home from La Jara, always managing to get there just at supper time. He was a big talker, and after supper he would start in and spin yarns until everyone was completely worn out. One by one the family would slip out and go to bed, leaving Grandma to listen to his stories. Finally, when she could stay awake no longer, she would say, “Andrew, go put your horse in the bam and go upstairs to bed.” She was too kind to tell him to go home. Grandma had courage, for it must have taken a lot to leave a comfortable home to come out here in a covered wagon. She had worries too, but she was never too worried about her own problems or too busy to help others.”
Maud McDaniel Hostetter, who perhaps lived closer to Maria than any of the other grandchildren relates, “after the accidental death of my father, my brother Roy, mother and I lived with Grandpa and Grandma Shawcroft, so my earliest memories are of them. Though I missed not having a father, they and my mother were truly wonderful to me. Grandma soothed my hurts, was kind and patient and understood people. She always knew when we children were hungry. Nothing ever tasted so good as her bread with cream and sugar. I think the tramps who came to her door must have passed the word along that she would give a good meal, because there were a lot of them. Grandma was not known for style or fashion. Her hair was always neatly combed from a center part, back from her face into a bun at the back. She always wore plain colors, usually dark, plainly sewn, of ankle length with long sleeves and a high neck. Occasionally, she wore a white blouse for Sunday best. Sunday was the Sabbath, a day to worship and attend Church. Most of the time company came for dinner after meeting. Grandma was a good cook and everyone who came was given a delicious meal. She always said that she was a plain cook, not a fancy one, but her cooking always was good. It is said that she used cream where a recipe called for milk, making the food unusually rich and tasty. If unexpected visitors dropped in there was always a can of salmon, some ham or cheese on hand to help make a “spur of the moment” meal. When Danish guests came we children would listen and giggle about the strange words we could not understand. When we begged Grandma to talk Danish to us, she wouldn’t. Once in a while we could persuade her to sing a little song we called “Ding Donsk a lilla Mand (little man). Unlike Grandpa, who enjoyed talking about his youth, Grandma never told stories or experiences. She wasn’t much of a talker, and always hated to hear people brag. She never raised her voice in anger or gossiped or criticized others. More than likely she would come to the defense of anyone being criticized. How I remember the good times we had, the happy visits with friends and neighbors-the fun at Christmas with caroling and good Danish beer. Innumerable were the visits Grandma made to the sick and grieving—always taking along Danish sweet soup or a kettle of chicken soup and dumplings. Especially during the winter months, after supper we would sit around the table and Grandma would read to us—the sermons, articles and stories from the “Women’s Exponent” (later the Relief Society Magazine), the Liahona and the Young Women’s Journal (later the Era). To me some of those stories were the best I have ever listened to, and I enjoyed them very much. Once a cattle buyer came in a car—something new to us. We children gathered around the vehicle and Grandma came out to make sure we didn’t harm it in any way. The man asked us if we would like to ride in it, so we and Grandma piled in. Grandma’s face shown with pleasure on that—our first automobile ride. Grandma’s patience and devotion to Pearl were reflected in the loving care she gave her all of her efforts to make Pearl’s life as full and happy as possible. As I slept in the room next to hers, I knew always that there was deep concern and worry about how Pearl would get along when Grandma could no longer care for her. After prayers were said and the lights were out, I often heard her give a slight moan as she muttered, “Pearl, poor Pearl”—as if an added prayer. Grandma was devoted to Grandpa too and he expected her to be at his beck and call all of the time. One time he went fishing for several days, but returned home a day earlier than expected and Grandma had gone over to Aunt Ella’s for the day. He was very upset because she was not there to greet him. Grandma was truly a woman of courage, understanding—always upholding right and loyal to her family, friends and the Church. Her testimony was unwavering and her faith strong. Truly, she obeyed those first two great commandments that we love our Heavenly Father and our fellow men. What a heritage is ours to be descended from such a noble woman. I am thankful for her, that l could live with her and be so close to her. I know she will have a royal heavenly crown.”
Sorrowfully, Maria received the word of her beloved sister Annie’s death on July 19, 1920. Annie was then seventy-seven years old, which was old for that time, and perhaps old age more than other reason had caused her death. She had sorrows too, as both of her sons preceded her in death, Andrew just a few months before she died. Mary ‘San”, now living in Manassa, went to Fountain Green for her mother’s funeral. While there she became ill, and upon arriving home her conditions worsened, and she passed away on Aug. 26th—just a little over a month after her mother’s death. Dear Mary “San”—always so warm and friendly, always so much a part of Maria’s life—was sadly missed by Maria. Now, Maria was the last surviving member of her family who had come on that long trek from Denmark.
On the 7th of August l922, Maria and her children and grandchildren received a great shock when John Shawcroft passed away suddenly while on an outing at the La Jara Reservoir. It was especially hard for the family as John was the first one of the immediate family to die. He was such a vital, active man and was so much a leader and patriarch of his family that it seemed unbelievable that he was gone. In the years following his death, life for Maria began to slow down. Harriet and her family had moved to Utah, and the only ones left of the early Richfield settlers were Ephraim and Ruth Coombs and Frederick and Polly Shawcroft, and of these Ruth died just a few years after John. Nearly all of the older Danish people who were Maria’s friends were gone. In those years, she remained active for Pearl’s sake. She and Pearl attended Church together, visited neighbors and those of the family who lived out of Richfield, and went shopping together, both in Alamosa and La Jara. The big dinners with a lot of company dwindled to occasional family gatherings. Maria was seventy years old when John died, and every day she seemed to age a little more. With John’s passing, somehow a vital spark had gone out of her life, but Pearl was her incentive to carry on. How she dreaded the thought of having to leave Pearl. Maria was greatly interested in the activities and accomplishments of her grandchildren, who were growing up, marrying, going on missions and to college, and making lives for themselves. Maralda’s children married, but Maralda stayed on with her mother and Pearl for most of the time. Sarah was also there some of the time. Ella came frequently, but her growing family at Sanford took a lot of her time.
Maria contracted pneumonia in the early spring of 1930. Few elderly people survived pneumonia in those days, but Maria fought desperately for her life with every gasping breath. She lay at death’s door for over fifteen days, propped up with pillows as she was unable to breathe lying down. Her family was in constant attendance, all taking turns in sitting up with her day and night. A nurse was hired to help with her care. Some said that it always took the Jensens a long time to die. Most knew that she was fighting to live because she did not want to leave Pearl. Her mind wandered in her illness and she would mutter, sometimes clearly and sometimes not. Once she cried out, “There’s Karen—there’s Caroline.” Were these the two half-sisters who had been a part of her early childhood, and was she now seeing them in the world beyond? We like to think that was so, as Maria had great faith that somewhere all of her family would be together again. On April 10, 1930, Maria’s weakened heart gave out, and she passed away at the age of about seventy-seven and one-half years. Many of her loved ones were at her bedside at her passing. The little church at Richfield was filled to overflowing with the many friends and relatives who had known and loved Maria in her lifetime. Naturally, it was Pearl who mourned her most. What a joyful reunion it must have been when Pearl joined her fifteen years later—a Pearl perfect and unmarred by the imperfections of this mortal life. At Maria’s passing something warm and gentle went out of our lives—and something strong too—unmatched strength of character, faith and love. Maria followed the admonition of Alma, “Never be weary of good works”, and We are certain, as promised in her patriarchal blessing that the Lord has approved of her labors here and in the hereafter, and that truly, she must have received that glad and Welcome word, “True and faithful thou hast been—Enter into my rest and enjoy the fruits of thy labor.”
Compiled June 1976 by Gladys Shawcroft
Sources of Information
1. Journal of Jens Christensen Andersen Weibye on file at Church Historian’s Office.
2. Encyclopedic History of the Church by Andrew Jensen
3. History of the Scandinavian Mission by Andrew Jensen
4. Records of Richfield Ward and Richfield Branch on file at Church Historian’s Office.
5. Richfield Ward Record of Members 1884-1948 (GS Film no. 1431)
6. Fotmtain Green Ward Record of Members 1860-1941 (GS Film No 6291 Pt. 2)
7. LDS Scandinavian Emigration Records (GS Film No. 6185 Pt. 1)
8. Vendyssel District Record of Members 1852-1763 (GS Film no. 8551 Pt. 15)
9. Borglum, Hjorring LuthemChurch parish Records (GS Film 9001 Pt. 2.)
10. History of Andrew Jensen, Written by Delmar W. Jensen. 236 Canyon Rd. SLC, Utah
11. Histo;y of Sanpete and Emery Counties by W.H. Lever 1898 (GS Film No. 22124.)
12. Moroni Ward Record of Members Early to 1910 (G.S. Film No. 6418 Pt. 1)
13. L.D.S. Biographical Encyclopedia by Andrew Jensen (Vol. I.)
14. Peer K. Kristensen, Springville, Utah.
15. Ejner Holtegaard Andersen, Postmaster, Borglum Demnark (Ostergade 3-9760 Vra)
16. Lewis E. Shawcroft, Sarah Holman, Maud Hostetter, Grace Hutchins, Howard Shawcroft.
