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Show Page 14 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume VI, Issue V June 15, 2002 Early Settlers of Huntsville On September 3, 1812 Erik Pehrson was born in Ramsjo, Uppsala, Sweden to Pehr Eriksson. In this beautiful land of forests and lakes, his childhood and married life was an industrious and happy one, even though the country was troubled with many samll wars. Sweden at this time war ruled by King Gustaves IV whose wife was a sisterin-law of Grand Duke Alexander of Russia, and therefore under the influence of that troubled country. Bonaparte was very active, and Sweden was one of the few countries to defy him. On April 20, 1820, Catharine Christina Anderson was born in Ramsjo to Ander Erickson and Margareta Olson, or Person. The two families were neighbors. The young girl and boy were friends long before they were sweethearts. On Novemeber 2, 1839, Eric and Catharine were married in the Lutheran Church. He was 27, and she was 19. He worked as a farmer and auctioneer in Bjorklinge, Ransjo, and Viksta. He owned several pieces of farmland, and his desire was to leave a farm to each child. On November 3, 1870, Erik Pehrson died, just three years before the family came to America, and before they were introduced to the gospel. He is buried in Bjorklinge. Elder Erngreen, a former resident of Sweden, came to Uppsala as a Mormon missionary. He was received into the homes of members of the family, and he and other elders were given room and board, and so the family was taught the gospel. Many of them were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, after which, neighbors and friends turned against them. They were mistreated, and many times when church meetings were held in their home, rocks were thrown through the windows. They began preparations to immigrate to Utah. Erik and Catharine’s son Peter was 22 years old when he sailed alone to America to look the country over, and send back a report to those waiting in Sweden. His reports were favorable, and so the little group sold their belongings, and prepared for the long journey to Zion. The matriarch of the group was Margareta Olson, Catharine’s mother. She was a widow as was Catharine. Five of Catharine and Erik’s children also came. Margareta had two other daughters who also came with their families. Besides the two other families, the Berlins and Tangreens also came with 6:00 a.m. 6:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. 9:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Wake Up Call Registration for Mini-Marathon Mini-Marathon Begins Breakfast in the park Flag Raising Ceremony F - 16s Fly Over Parade Patriotic Band Program - in the Park Game Booths Begin Entertainment on Theater platform Patriotic Program in LDS Church 12:00 a.m. Auction on Theater platform 1:30 p.m. Entertainment resumes 3:00 p.m. Junior Rodeo 6:30 p.m. Melodrama 8:00 p.m. Music / Dance in the Park 10:00 p.m. FIREWORKS! For more information contact: Auction Doug Taylor/Chad McKay Booths Star Primm Entertainment Linda Burton Food/Breakfast Kent Wangsgard Hamburgers Mike Engstrom Fireworks Donations Rod Layton Games Leslie Stitt Melodrama Chris Bair Pat Songer Mini-Mini Marathon Vern Iverson Parade Lisa McKay Patriotic Program Marilyn Froerer Rodeo Jill Gurnsey them, bringing the total of the group to about thirty people. They sailed from Sweden to Copenhagen across the Baltic Sea, through the straight of Cattegat and Spagerrack across the North Sea, which was very rough, and landed at Hull, England. They took the train to Liverpool, and left that port on the steamship, either Nevada or Wyoming. There were 426 people aboard; 396 from Scandinavia, 26 from England, and 2 from Holland. They were on the Atlantic 12 days, landing in New York on July 6, 1873, and arriving in Salt Lake City by train on July 17. They went to Huntsville a few days later. Because their journey from New York was by train, they were not designated as pioneers. (The transcontinental train was connected in 1869 in Corrine.) Catharine made her home in a small two-room frame house, while her mother Margareta made her home with the Danielsons. Margareta was one of Note: Information taken from “My Book of Remembrance” by Miriam Renstrom Whitesides. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS is interested in collecting and printing historical stories and biographies. Please contact Jeannie Wendell at 745-2879 or Shanna Francis at 745-2688 if you have stories of this nature. You may also mail copies of them to: OGDEN VALLEY NEWS PO BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 Thank you for your contributions. 745-3434 745-3441 745-2440 745-2664 745-3031 745-4012 745-3627 745-3826 745-0641 745-4032 745-2284 745-3054 the many in town who worked in the silk industry. That accounts for the many mulberry trees in many of the towns in Utah. Of Erik and Catharine’s four children who came to America, only one stayed in Huntsville—Andrew, who married Caroline Petersen. After Andrew married, Catharine lived with him and his family. She gave Andrew the money to buy a farm, and he was reimbursed that way. She lived in one front room with a corner closed in for a small kitchen. The children all loved her, and visited her often, begging her for some of her food, especially the gruel she made. She broke her hip at age 82, and was tenderly cared for by her son and daughter-in-law. She died at that home one year later on May 25, 1903 Financing Available |