Anna Christena Brown

This life sketch is taken from "Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude" of the "International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers" (Volume I, A to E, pg. 379).

Anna Christina Larsen Brown

Birthdate: 12 Jan 1851, Follenslev, Holback, Denmark Death: 7 Sept 1937, Mt Pleasant, Sanpete co., Utah Parents: Peder Larsen and Sidse Pedersen Eriksen Pioneer: 1 Oct 1866, Daniel S. Rawlings Wagon Train (This is incorrect due to the manifest. She came with her family on the Peter Nebeker Co., 30 Sep 1866) Spouse: Hans Jorgen Brown Married 20 Apr 1867, Salt Lake Endowment House Death of Spouse: 4 November 1912, Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah

Children:

Caroline Christina, 23 May 1870 (died at age 1) Anna Dorothea, 11 Oct 1872 Hans George, 2 May 1876 Mary 15 Feb 1879 (died at age 5) Eliza Cecilia, 20 Feb 1882 Elnora Catherina, 30 Dec 1885 Andrew Mickel, 29 Nov 1888 Joseph Emilias, 17 Mar 1892

Anna Christina spent her early childhood in Denmark. When missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to their town and taught the family the gospel, they joined the Church and made the decision to leave their native land to join with the Saints in Utah.

Christina's parents took their family of seven children aboard a steamer for Keil, Germany, on May 21, 1866. Then they took a train from Hamburg, Germany, and boarded the sailing ship, "Kenilworth," and sailed on May 23, 1866. Their voyage had a treacherous beginning to the forceful winds. After a long eight weeks on the Atlantic Ocean, they landed at Castle Garden, New York.

From there, they continued on a freight steamer to New haven, Connecticut, and then went by railroad through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and up to Montreal Canada. From there they had to travel on dirty freight and cattle cars. The train was derailed and they had to be ferried to Port Huron in Michigan. They obtained better railroad cars and traveled on to Quincy, Illinois.

After several more changes in transportation, they finally arrived in Wyoming, Nebraska, where they joined the Daniel S. Rawlings Wagon Company and continued their trip across the plains of Utah. They arrived on 1 Oct. 1866.

Shortly after they arrived, the hardships of the journey proved to be too much for her mother and she died. This left Anna Christina to help her father with her five siblings until she remarried and took his family to Richfield, Utah. Anna Christina went to Mt. Pleasant and met Hans Jorgen Brown. She was married to him as his second wife in the Salt Lake Endowment House on April 20, 1867. Hans built a separate home for her on the same lot as his first wife lived on. Since Han's first wife, Anna was childless, Anna Christina gave her the care and keeping of her three oldest children.

Anna Christina had the experience of leaving Utah with her husband so he could avoid being arrested for practicing polygamy. They lived in Sanford, Conejos, Colorado, about four years. This is where her two youngest children were born. They returned to Mt. Pleasant after this danger was over. She would go to work in the fields next to her husband when it was necessary. She was always a hard worker. She died at the age of eighty-six.

Source: Familysearch