August Alfred Nilsson

He was born in Malmo, Sweden, August 31, 1852, son of Christen and Gertrude Larson Nilsson.

While he was quite young the family moved to Lund, Sweden, where he received his first schooling. His father was working in the carpenter trade and joined the L.D.S. Church when Alfred was three years of age. As he was very faithful in paying his tithes and offerings, it made it difficult for the family to exist and the children had to resort to begging from door to door for their bread, at times.

Alfred grew to be a bright, active child and as he always had a liking for plays and actors, he would often frequent the show places and would offer his services as errand boy to the actors. They, in turn, would allow him to watch the shows from the wings on the stage. Naturally he became more and more attached to an actor's life and he was happy indeed when they would put him on for some small part, where a boy was needed. His father did not like this, so he put him into a paint shop as an apprentice.

During this time he was taking part in the church and at 17 he was put in as a home missionary in Lund. Later he was called to perform a mission in the Goteborg brand (this is called Gottenburg now). It is the largest seaport in Sweden.

He was very diligent in his work there and was well thought of in the conference.

His love for the stage did not leave him, though, and when one of his actor friends, in Copenhagen, Denmark, wrote and offered him a job at the theater, he accepted it and went to Copenhagen to begin his acting career with a traveling troupe.

In 1876 he married Eliza Maria Hansen, in Copenhagen. He stayed with this troupe for some time and, naturally, gradually began to neglect his church duties and becoming more and more attached to his work. He was studying all this time under certain masters and when it was found that he possessed a fine tenor voice, he began, also to take singing lessons.

He was traveling now from place to place with the troupe and it happened only in the next two years that the troupe returned to Copenhagen and he could be with family. They than had one son, Harold.

The troupe finally arrived in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. While there he became acquainted with the actors at the Royal Theater and before long received a position there as opera singer.

He was rising higher and higher in the estimation of his audiences but neglected hearing from his family. In the meantime, his father immigrated to Utah and took Alfred's family with him--they had twin boys now, added to the family--Carl and Hans.

They settled in Sanpete Co. at first, then after the twin, Hans died there, Alfred's wife went to Salt Lake City, as she could better make her living there.

Apostle Anthone Lund, who was the president of the European Mission for years had met Alfred at the time he was in the Mission field and had taken a great fancy for him on one of his visits to Sweden. A few years later he again came to Sweden and when he came to Gottenburg he made inquiries of him. Hearing that he was at the Royal Theater in Stockholm he made a point of calling on him, when his duties took him to that city.

Alfred was very pleased to see him and the president made an appointment with him at the L.D.S. headquarters.

That evening they had a long conversation that caused Alfred to realize what he had done and becoming repentant in his soul he promised Brother Lund that he would leave his grand position and be ready to start for Utah when the president was leaving.

They landed in Utah in October 1884 and re rejoined his family and settled in Salt Lake City.

He was happy then to think that he had been able to leave the glamour of the stage and again be united with his family and begin to resume the work that he had forsaken.

He remarked that he felt that he, like the Apostle Paul of old, had much to make up for his actions during those years. He would read the life of Paul over and over and the tears of repentance would course down his cheeks as he walked the floor reading aloud. He still had great ambitions, but had to fall back on painting and paperhanging for a livelihood. For a while he also had some dramatic classes in Salt Lake City and put on quite a few plays in the Scandinavian languages, but there was not much money made in that line.

He was an excellent dramatist. He was a wonder at using the three dialects--Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian, equally well and was an expert at using the three languages fluently.

At some gatherings he would give a recitation called "Trasorma" (which means rags). In this selection he would change from the one language to the other, over and over and he used them all as well as any native would. He build a nice home in the Superior addition, North Salt Lake, but after the death of his wife in October 1894, he had to give up his home and moved to a homestead in the hills of South Bountiful.

In November 1896 he married Ann W. Backman. He took a very active part in the church in his latter years.

He was set apart as a teacher in the South Bountiful Sunday School I n March 1899. As a teacher in the District January 1900. As Superintendent of the Religion Class, January 28, 1900 and he was very active in all these position as long as his health would permit.

He performed much work in the Salt Lake Temple for friends and relatives from 1894-1896.

He sang tenor in the Tabernacle Choir for years and went to Chicago with the Choir on their Big Tour. He suffered from Brights Disease for two years and died at his home in Bountiful August 7, 1900 leaving his wife and four sons and three daughters. He had a very impressive funeral in the 14th Ward Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City.

The most prominent speaker was Apostle Anthone H. Lund. He eulogized his character and his faith and repentance. Hardly an eye was dry in the audience when he finished. The floral offerings were numerous and beautiful. His was an artistic mind--He loved everything that was beautiful.

Biography information by DeAnn Kay Lloyd as posted to Family Search.

"Sweden, Baptisms, 1611-1920"

Name: August Alfrid Christensson

Gender: Male  

Christening Date:  

Christening Place:  

Birth Date: 31 Aug 1852  

Birthplace: Bjärshög, Malmöhus, Sweden  

Death Date:  

Name Note:  

Race:  

Father's Name: Christen Nilsson  

Father's Birthplace:  

Father's Age:  

Mother's Name: Gertrud Larsdr  

Mother's Birthplace:  

Mother's Age:  

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I06523-6  

System Origin: Sweden-EASy  

GS Film number: 146257  

Reference ID: 

"Sweden, Baptisms, 1611-1920"

Name: August Alfrid Christensson

Gender: Male  

Christening Date: 05 Sep 1852  

Christening Place: Malmö, Malmöhus, Sweden  

Birth Date:  

Birthplace:  

Death Date:  

Name Note:  

Race:  

Father's Name: Christen Nilsson  

Father's Birthplace:  

Father's Age:  

Mother's Name: Gertrud Larsdotter  

Mother's Birthplace:  

Mother's Age:  

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I06171-8  

System Origin: Sweden-EASy  

GS Film number: 146258  

Reference ID: bok C11 p760 #198  

"Utah, Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946" Name: August Alfred Nilsson

Gender: Male  

Burial Date: 08 Aug 1900  

Burial Place: Salt Lake City, S.L., Utah  

Death Date: 07 Aug 1900  

Death Place: East Bountiful, Utah  

Age: 48  

Birth Date: 1852  

Birthplace: Luned, Sweden  

Occupation: Painter  

Race: White  

Marital Status: Married  

Spouse's Name:  

Father's Name:  

Father's Birthplace: Swedish  

Mother's Name:  

Mother's Birthplace: Swedish  

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B54927-8  

System Origin: Utah-EASy  

GS Film number: 26554  

Reference ID: pg126 dth #4783

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 14 2018, 11:18:06 UTC