Foreword

Soren Christian Christensen was my great-great-great-grandfather. I am descended from him through his son Niels. He was born in Aalborg, Denmark on 8 March 1817 and passed away in Brigham City, Utah, United States 28 June 1904 at the age of 87. His wife, Marie, was born on 17 November 1822 in Vinderslev, Denmark and passed away on 4 January 1896 at the age of 73, also in Brigham City.

They both joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Denmark, and then immigrated to Utah. This text is based on two documents, both of which can be found on the Family Search website provided in the citations. The first document is a biography written by Irving L. Christensen, a grandson of Soren and Marie. Because he was very young when his grandfather dies, the account is in turn based on discussions with people who knew Soren personally. The other is a very similar biography by an unknown author. It is more stylized in its language that Irving’s account, but the information is largely the same. While the two documents contain much overlap, there are a few key differences, and in cases where the dates were unclear or differed between the two documents, I chose the one that fit best with other genealogical data on Family Search.

I tried to keep all information as accurate as possible, although in cases where events were not detailed, I took some artistic liberty in constructing a compelling narrative by introducing thoughts and feelings that help to put those events in a personal context. Soren’s personality is based on the information provided, and all of Soren’s first-person commentary in my narrative is based on these assumptions.

Although the reader may or may not have any genealogical relationship with Soren Christensen, I hope that this narrative, in the style of scripture verses and employing some corresponding language, is both entertaining and informative, and that the reader might gain some appreciation for family history and the struggles, triumphs, and adventures that our ancestors experienced.

Caroline  Keel

Provo, Utah

4 December 2019

(FamilySearch)

The Book of Soren

Chapter 1

An account of Soren Christian Christensen; his homeland, family, birth, and army service.

1 I, Soren Christian Christensen, was born on the eight day of the third month, one thousand eight hundred and seventeen years after the birth of Christ in the Holy Land.

2 The place of my birth was the city of Aalborg^[1], in the kingdom of Denmark; the countryside of my northern homeland is one of lonely stretches with a touch of sadness; a barren country of sprawling heather and views that witness of God’s hand; nevertheless, the inhabitants thereof are of a hardy strain, and the city had known its people for a space of eight hundred years and more when I first knew it.

(“Aalborg Mølleplads”)^[2]

3 I, Soren, being born of goodly parents, namely Niels Christensen Gravlev and Karen Sorensdatter, was taught in the ways of righteousness and brought up in the Lutheran faith; nevertheless, I was a rambunctious child; seeking adventure, and often caught in mishaps and prone to wander; as we shall see, this was my life’s wont.

4 It came to pass that in my eighth year, a tempest arose by the sea^[3]; such an one as had not been known in memory; the fishes departed and there were many poor among us.

5 In my thirty and first year, there arose a conflict to the south, roundabout the land of Schleswig and Holstein^[4]; the Danes fought valiantly, myself among them, for possession of those lands which we considered to be rightfully ours;

6 The war lasted for the space of three years, in which many brave men were slain by the Germans; nevertheless, to my great joy, I was not among that number.

7 After much sorrow and bloodshed, the Danes at last obtained victory over the Germans; Schleswig was maintained as a Danish state; and this was done in the one thousand eight hundred and fifty-first year after the coming of Christ.

(“First Schleswig War.”)^[5]

8 Yea, the war continued, yet I found my service finished; thus I returned home and sought work and obtained it as a servant in the king’s household^[6], in the occupation of serving and waiting on the guests of the king; an activity in which my rebellious and fiery nature became manifest;

9 On one occasion, there arose a great feast, with much wine and merriment; yea, even the servants were asked to drink; and so I became drunk with wine; yea, so drunk that I was led to speak harsh truthful words to the head-servant and broke a bottle upon his head; and I did depart out of the land with great haste, for fear of the king’s wrath, and pursued by his police; and my friends did aid me in this measure.

Chapter 2

An account of Soren’s escape to Germany, of his general wanderings and professional development, and of his return to Denmark and subsequent marriage to Marie Kjerstine Anderson.

1 And it came to pass that I went south, flying by night, as it were; I crossed the southern border and became an inhabitant of the country whose army I had of late so vehemently opposed; by way of my hardy survivor’s nature, and natural curiosity, I was led to an old cobbler, in whose loft I was able to board and to whom I owe much in the way of gratitude; thus I was taught in the ways of the shoemaker’s trade; and there I remained for the space of several long months.

2 And I lived happily for a time; nevertheless, I grew restless, and took up arms once again – hammer and nail and leather were my weapons, contained in a cobbler’s grip, and thus armed, I departed out of that town in search of another.

3 And it came to pass, that as I wandered, I encountered an optician requiring an assistant; and I was once again able to learn, while at that same time keeping a roof over my head;

4 Yea, I added to my armory; I carried now the tools to make spectacles for those in need of vision; and thus I made a living; and the situation remained such for the space of several years, during which time I acquired a fair profit and much self-respect.

5 In time, I felt a longing to return to Aalborg, on the chance that perhaps I had been forgiven of my previous misbehavior and could live in relative safety and comfort, now equipped with the means by which to support myself; and yet, as we shall see, relative safety and comfort were destined to always remain to me exactly that: relative, and open to interpretation. Stability is an enemy to the adventurer’s soul.

6 For behold, I did return to Aalborg with caution equal to the haste with which I had left it, and was greeted by many friends, the same who had helped me in my sudden escape, and many of whom would remain my allies and informants with regard to the activities of the royal police, by whom I was still wanted.

 7 For better or for worse, many a fine evening was spent in the tavern with my hale companions; and due to my energetic and naturally bold disposition, and my fondness for drink, I became a known customer; nevertheless, on account of my friends’ loyalty and good natures, my identity remained somewhat hidden to those who desired my capture;

8 And lo and behold, it came not to pass, but to stay, the greatest good fortune of my days, and one that has been my truest friend and brightest light in the darkness of the climes in which I have wandered, second only to Christ Himself.

9 Yea, and thus it was that I met Marie Kjerstine Anderson, dark-haired and dark-eyed daughter of Anders Rasmussen and Maren Jensen, and who was of a small stature and a mighty heart; I pursued that fair spirit who won my heart so soundly, whom I loved above all others; and she knew it, and I knew it, and the Lord knew it; to our exceedingly great joy, it came to pass that we were married; and this was done on the fifteenth day of the eleventh month in the one thousand eight hundred and fiftieth year since the coming of Christ.

10 Verily, it was the meeting of night and day, of fire and ice; I have seen many things in my life, and witnessed many miracles; nevertheless, I do believe that that cool-natured, level-headed, logical, long-suffering, loving angel’s choice to love one so irresponsible and impetuous as I was perhaps the greatest of them all.

(FamilySearch)

Chapter 3

An account of the birth of Soren and Marie’s firstborn, Karen, and Soren’s various adventures abroad.

1 It came to pass that on the first day of the tenth month, we were blessed with the birth of a lovely girl-child, called Karen Marie, in the eighteen hundred and fifty-first year since the coming of Christ; she was christened in the Lutheran church in the city of Vinderslev^[7].

2 During the space of the early years of our marriage, I was obliged by my status as a criminal to flee the country regularly, and was regrettably absent for the space of several months or a year; I fled into the borders of the lands roundabout, including Norway, Sweden, and Germany.

3 Behold, I spent a year, summer and winter, in the land of the midnight sun with the Laplanders, in their own tongue called Sámi ^[8]. They live and die by their beloved reindeer herds, and are hardy dwellers of a northern country, beautiful and harsh; my time with them was longer than I intended, owing to the freezing of nearby ports in the frigid winter months; nevertheless, I shall never forget their kindness and hospitality to a stranger such as I.

4 I dwelt also with the coal miners in Spitsbergen, and isle of the far northern ocean,  east of Greenland and north of Norway; it is a rugged distant land of mountains and ice and lights in the sky, and arctic bears of great stature; nevertheless, I have never known such good cheer and hard work to exist together in one place.

(“Editors.”)^[9]

5 And in all these adventures I continued to ply my trade as cobbler and optician, and participated somewhat in the activities of the inhabitants of those lands roundabout in which I so often took residence in the years following my marriage.

6 Although much afflicted by weariness of body and of soul, and concern for the welfare of my family in Denmark, I could not be bereaved of adventure; yea, my freedom depended on my being absent, in order that I remain free from the police.

(Lane)^[10]

Chapter 4

An account of the Christensen family’s surprising and eventful conversion to the Mormon religion.

1 And it came to pass that upon returning from one of my tours abroad, whilst I tarried by my friends in the tavern, there arose a great commotion from out-of-doors; we exited the tavern and looked out into the street;

2 And I beheld the source of the commotion; namely, two young men were being assaulted most fiercely by a set of other men, who attacked them mercilessly with punches and blows; the number of attackers was much greater than those taking the beating.

3 Yea, I beheld that this was not a fair fight, and, as was my wont, I saw a need and I filled it; taking the side of the underdogs, I entered the fray and commenced to dispense punches of my own and received them in return; and several of my staunch comrades joined me in this endeavor.

4 Alas, it came to pass, that as we made such a great commotion in the street, the police were swiftly notified of the riot and I and the two young men were arrested and taken into custody, where we lingered together for the space of a day in the jail.

5 Being of a highly social nature myself, I was pleased to find that the two young men were nevertheless in high spirits and prone to much conversation. It transpired that they were American missionaries of a new religion which had only recently reached Denmark^[11].

6 Over the course of that night and throughout the following day, they taught me of their doctrines and history; they taught me of angels and visions and of a boy named Joseph Smith who saw God the Father and His Son;

7 I learned of baptism, not the Lutheran kind of a new covenant; and baptism for others, and that there is not one heaven and hell but degrees of glory, as they called them;

8 And they gave me a book written by ancient prophets; and when they read from it, I felt something so strong that I had never felt it before. They said it was the Spirit of God, and this was truth.

9 And it came to pass that when I was released from prison the following day – and I was very fortunately not understood at that time to be the wanted criminal of the Royal Palace – I rushed home straightaway and told Marie everything that had transpired since my leaving the house the previous evening.

10 Lo and behold, she had had her own experience whilst I was absent: She had been informed by a neighbor of the fight and my trouble, and learned that I was in jail; nevertheless, this grievous news did somehow not upset her, and she felt light-hearted to the point of singing throughout the day, and then reproached herself for joy in the face of such dismal circumstances; which circumstances were specifically, a young child, no money, and an absent criminal husband.

11 Nevertheless, she felt a marked inner happiness of unknown origin.

12 When I returned and told her of my spiritual conversion and desire to be baptized into the Mormon faith, she related to me her own feelings of the day previous and asked when she could meet with these missionaries.

13 And it came to pass that I repented of my bad habits and was baptized on the twenty and second day of the fifth month, and Marie was baptized on the eighth day of the eighth month. And all this happened in the eighteen hundred and fifty and third year after the coming of Christ.

(FamilySearch)

Chapter 5

An account of the birth of Soren and Marie’s other children and the family’s eventual migration to the Utah; Soren’s adventures in America.

1 After the happy event of our conversion, we were blessed with the birth of two more children; namely, Melvine^[12], in the eighteen hundred  and fifty and fourth year; and Niels Christian, called often simply “Chris^[13],” in the eighteen hundred and sixty and third year after the coming of Christ.

2 My children grew up with exceptional speed, or so it seemed to me, and in the eighteen hundred and sixty and eighth year, my daughter Karen Marie married Carl Bernhardt Olsen^[14] in Copenhagen and left for America soon thereafter.

3 And it came to pass that Marie and I did seek to answer the call of the Saints, and thus I departed as well, ahead of my wife and remaining children; I arrived in Brigham City in the state of Utah in the ninth month of the eighteen hundred and sixty and ninth year; determined to become a true part of the country which I had made my home I sought citizenship beginning the day following my arrival in Utah, and from that moment exercised my civil duty through voting in every election that came.^[15]

(“S/S Minnesota, Guion Line.”)^[16]

4 Marie, Melvine, and Niels boarded a ship which was called the Minnesota, bound for this new country, on the twenty and eighth day of the sixth month of the eighteen hundred and seventy and first year after the coming of Christ. Upon their arrival in Brigham City there was much rejoicing.

5 Nevertheless, our parting from our dear land of Danmark^[17] was most bittersweet; it is ever so hard to leave that which is a part of your soul; although I confess that some might accuse me of having few sentiments with regard to that country, seeing as I was gone from it so often, it is yet a beloved place to me; indeed, I fought for it and loved it as well as it loved me.

6 And it came to pass that I never did return to Denmark, but with my family embraced the new adventures that came with a new world. And my son Chris did return to Denmark as a servant of the Lord many years thereafter, and brought many souls to Christ, in the which I could take no greater joy^[18].

7 Our house was on Main Street, although in time I and some of my children filed for a homestead on the lower Bear River; but no matter where I was, Marie remained at the house in Brigham City and performed the daily hard work of tending a cow and some chickens, and she sold milk, butter, and eggs.

8 Despite my new surroundings, wanderlust manifested as a chronic disease by which I was constantly afflicted; thus I took up my trade once more and departed out of Brigham City; my travels took me to Preston, Idaho; St. George, Utah; and California, among other parts.

9 In can be seen, trouble was fated to be my constant companion. In once instance as I traveled among the western mining camps, a thief caught sight of my instruments within my satchel and mistook it for gold and silver; thus believing, he seized it from my grasp and proceeded to make off with it;

10 Naturally, I resisted; the thief cried out for help, attempting to make it appear as if it were I robbing him; the local officer of the law, Marshall Dillon, being a sensible soul, questioned each of us and inquired after the contents of the bag; I answered that is contained my instruments; the thief, his life savings; and thus was the dispute settled; to the delight of all, the guilty man was subsequently run out of town.

11 My last tour took me all the way to New Orleans, where there came a widespread bout of yellow fever, and an accompanying quarantine, in which I was unfortunately caught; when the quarantine was lifted, I found I had run out of personal funds; compelled as I was, I sent word to my wife and son, requesting financial assistance so that I might return home; Niels sent me the money, with the demand that I come home and stay there, taking on the duties of a responsible husband, father, and provider. Evidently he felt that I neglected those roles for too long.

12 I willingly complied, and thus it came to pass that I remained in Utah with my family for the remainder of my days, and enjoyed my time.

Chapter 6

A brief account of Soren’s final years.

1 It was with much sorrow that I bid farewell to my dear wife Marie, who departed this world on the fourth day of the first month in the eighteen hundred ninety and sixth year; and I am ever so grateful for the great comfort that I receive from the Spirit, and from my knowledge of the Gospel of Christ; without which all would be darkness;

2 And from that point hence, I resided with my son Niels and his wife, Christine^[19].

3 Met with both dismay and resignation, my eyesight gradually failed until I could no longer ply my trade or read; nevertheless, I could walk about safely and see people and objects; my daughter-in-law Christine would graciously read the Danish newspaper Bea Kuben to me; in this way, I felt that I maintained a connection with my mother country.

4 On account of my naturally social nature, I fortunately had many friends and acquaintances who made me often welcome in their homes and in their company, and for this I owe them much; were it not for their goodwill I would have been afflicted with loneliness for the remainder of my days.

5 And it came to pass that when my grandson was about the age of five years, and I being of a great age, we would together take the cows to the pasture each morning and retrieve them each evening; on account of the gate being quite high, Romeo, being yet of a small stature, could not accomplish it alone; and thus we became good friends.

6 It is now the nineteen hundredth and fourth year after the coming of our Lord, and I grow old; the weight of my human frailties and mistakes weighs upon me; nevertheless, I have faith in Jesus Christ, and I am blessed with the good company of my friends and family; my son yet serves in the land that I left so long ago; indeed, Denmark is but a memory.

7 I look forward to that day when I may be reunited with my beloved Marie, and that day that I might look upon the face of the Son of God; and invite all to partake of that fountain of joy from which I have been so privileged to drink, that source of all life, which is the Gospel of Christ. I now I make my parting. Until we meet again, farvel^[20].

Works Cited

“Aalborg.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aalborg.

“Aalborg Mølleplads - 1001 Fortællinger Om Danmark.” Aalborg Mølleplads - 1001 Fortællinger Om Danmark, http://www.kulturarv.dk/1001fortaellinger/da_DK/aalborg-moelleplads/images.

Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Spitsbergen.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Apr. 2017, https://www.britannica.com/place/Spitsbergen.

FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWJV-GRY.

“First Schleswig War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Sept. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Schleswig_War.

Lane, Jim. “Christen Dalsgaard.” Christen Dalsgaard, 14 Dec. 2013, https://art-now-and-then.blogspot.com/2013/12/christen-dalsgaard.html.

 “S/S Minnesota, Guion Line.” Norway-Heritage, http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=minne. 

“The History of Aalborg.” The History of Aalborg - Aalborg University, https://web.archive.org/web/20140201210950/http://www.en.ses.aau.dk/Admission/New Student Service/The History of Aalborg/.

Www.alabur.dk, https://web.archive.org/web/20110903144833/http://www.alabur.dk/Om_Alabur.htm. Accessed 2 Dec 2019.