Nils Nilsson Gyllenskog

History

Nils' father was in the military service of his country and his mother died while he was a child. Nils was sent to school and graduated as a skilled painter, all graduates were required to paint a master piece. The subject of his painting was a beautiful woman. Graduates also received a new name. When he was granted his mastership papers, he chose a name that was extinct, but had once belonged to a famous and aristocratic family: Gyllen—meaning golden, and skog—meaning forest. To make a living he worked as an interior decorator also mixing and grinding paints, as well as painting.

Nils and Hanna were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ and were baptized in Sandby Sweden, 16 Dec 1954. Hanna understood the gospel as soon as she heard it as something she had been waiting for. The missionaries and members were persecuted and ridiculed and dared not openly declare their faith. At one time when the persecution was severe that Hanna hide a missionary under the mattress in the bed so when the hosue was searched he wasn't found.

Nils and Hanna decided to emigrate to America, so they could live their religion and that their children might enjoy religious liberty. They sold their home, but had difficulty in collecting the money, it delayed their departure and then there wasn't enough to take the olders girls, so Nils and Hanna left that they might take the children on half-fare rate, so after the children visited their parents they returned to their work and Nils and Hanna four children then left Sweden for America. It took six weeks to cross the ocean on the sailing ship Humbolt, and another six weeks to reach the place where ox-teams and walking was the mode of transportation. With the exception of the youngest child Theodore who was five and a half years old, the family all walked to Utah. They came in the Peter Nebeker's company. It took sixteen weeks to cross the plains. They all enjoyed good health with the exception of the daughter Christine who was scalded with hot coffee and nearly died from infection. On arriving in Salt Lake City, 29 Sep 1866, they continued their journey to Smithfield Utah, reaching there about 18 Oct 1866.

The first few years pioneering Cache Valley were very hard, their first home was a rented dugout but was soon followed by a susbstantial frame house of four large rooms, with hall, porches, basement and cellar made of adobes and flagstone, the floor of the front porch and the walks were also composed of flagstone.

In pioneering every one worked to obtain enough to live on, all helped in the fields without complaint, sowing grain by hand and using the sickel for harvesting and binding the grain by hand. Nils took up a quarter section of farm land, and with his young sons and wife helping him, he was able to take up other work that he was expert at besides his painting profession, such as plastering and paper hanging.

A few years after coming to Smithfield, Nils married Celia Anderson, a young crippled orphan girl. She was a faithful and dutiful wife and he provided a good home for her and her five children. Nils suffered in the persecution that the polygamists had to endure. Nils was imprisoned in the Utah State Penitentiary from October 31, 1887 to January 31, 1888.

Nils was a very quick, active, hardworking man, always anxious to do his part for the good of the church, city and its people, his children had the same pinciples in view and raised good families.

Source: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18104988