History of

Mary Hansen (Johnson)

Page 1 of 1

Mother was born on December 11, 1861 in Aleso, Odence County, Denmark. She was the fifth child of Ole and Marie Hansen, who were the proud parents of nine children, four boys and five girls.

Grandfather Hansen being an honest laboring man was consequently of very poor circumstances. It therefore became necessary for the children to get practical lessons in thrift, industry and economy at a very early age. One winter when work was very scarce, Grandfather worked for a farmer, threshing for his board and two and a half bushels of rye. At times it became necessary for Grandmother to go out into the grain fields to harvest the crop in order that they might supply the very necessary requirements of their many children. We can easily see where Mother acquired her abundant supply of ambition.

When Mother was five years of age, her parents heard the call of the Master and joined the Latter-day Saints church, no doubt at the sacrifice of some of their friends, for we know how the world looked at those who cast their lot with the Mormons at that time. No sooner were they baptized than their desire to go to Zion became their aim. So two years later, after saving and the selling of their little home, it was possible for Grandmother and the four smaller children to come. Mother was seven years old at this time and she crocheted a shawl that she wore on the trip. From her early childhood she was of a sickly nature. When she went to school in the old country, it became necessary for her sister to carry her home. Grandfather and the older children emigrated the following year on money that Grandmother had borrowed.

The first year after Mother came to this country she went to school for three weeks, the funds for which were provided by her school teacher. At another time Grandfather sold wood enough to the school to allow her five weeks of schooling. The first work Mother did outside of the home was for a lady who was to pay her a calico apron for three weeks work and the apron was made from a discarded skirt. She had the privilege of only three months of school altogether. Most of her education was received in her study at the Sunday School lessons. She used to win prizes for being able to spell all the words in the lesson.

Mother´s early life in Smithfield where she lived was quiet and uneventful, but filled with hard work. She learned to spin at the age of fourteen and spun all the yarn used in the making of their clothes, and at the age of sixteen did the weaving as well. Mother first met our father (James Christian Johnson), as a young man when he came to their home to visit her father when she was about thirteen years old. She remembered that this young man had a pair of beautiful gauntlet gloves that were all beaded. She didn’t pay much attention to him at the time as he was eight years older than she. A few years later when he was courting her, she being of an independent nature was like all precious things, hard to obtain, but the match once made was a perfect one, I believe.

She was small in stature and had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and weighed 95 pounds.

They were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on April 9, 1880. The first summer she went with him to Montana railroading and cooked for the construction gang, but she was not strong enough to stand that kind of life. In 1884 they built a little house on the old homestead in Logan at 91 West 6^th North, on land that father had purchased earlier and they decided to take up farming which proved very successful and always provided a good living for them and their family during their entire married life. Later on when the need arose, rooms were added to the house until it had five large rooms downstairs and three large bedrooms upstairs. Ten children were born to these worthy parents, seven girls and three boys: Mary Jane, Hilda Marie, Amy Luella, Leah Amelia, James Clarence, Mable Alvira, Oliver Guy, Pearl Geneva, Clara Estella , Milton Leroy. This choice Spirit of our Heavenly Father gave us birth even though her health was always poor, never grumbled or felt to despair of her burden. With her loving, humble nature, she perhaps instilled a portion into each of us. With her full testimony of the divinity of God’s Latter Day Work, she reared each of us with a love of God in our heart. Mother loved to see her children active in the work of the Lord, and one of the joys of her life was that all of her eight living children had been married in the Temple.

She was queen in her home and always made everyone welcome there. She was an excellent seamstress and made her own children’s clothes and for some of her Grandchildren. She did a lot of knitting and crocheting. There was nothing that she enjoyed more than having friends and relatives come to visit. I am sure that she cooked many a meal that she never tasted. You couldn’t coax her to take anything that she didn’t think was for her good, but she loved seeing others eat and always had plenty of food on hand. Her pantry was well stocked with milk, homemade butter and bread, cream, cheese, etc. The cellar was filled with bottled fruit, jars of Pottawattamie and Blue Plum jam, cured hams, bacon, rollepilse, sausage, potatoes, apples, cabbage etc. All her life she had the whole family including the many grandchildren come home for Christmas Eve Supper and festivities in the big house. We always had the traditional menu, which included oyster soup, baked ham, potato salad and cabbage salad, rolls and cream puffs.

Mother´s health was better during her later years than when she was raising her children. She always suffered a lot from migraine headaches. She was able to take care of her home up until the time she died. The day before she died she was crocheting lace for a sheet and pillowcases for one of her granddaughters. She died during the night of the 27^th day of February 1942 at the age of 80 years, leaving her husband and eight living children. her favorite song "Love At Home" was sung at her funeral which was held in the 9th Ward Chapel in Logan, Utah March 1, 1942. One of their Danish friends, Brother Marinus Falslev of Benson Ward, who was one of the speakers said in his talk: " I called at their home just last Thursday and was talking to sister Johnson. While I was there we planned a little party and she was just as happy as could be in helping us plan this party. She liked us to come to their home and to have a good time and enjoy ourselves. We made plans for our party and it was set for this week. The last thing sister Johnson told me when I left their home Thursday was, "Oh, how thankful I am that our children are around us and that they are so good to us. I can hardly express my thanks to the Lord for permitting us to have them so close around us." I shook her hand as I was leaving and made mention that her hand was so cold. She said, "I can’t hardly stand this winter. It is so hard on my feet and legs. My blood is lazy and won’t go through my system as fast as it should." I bade her good-bye. The next morning about 6 o’clock the phone rang. I was out to the barn at the time and my wife came out there with the message that Sister Johnson was dead. She had gone to bed about 9 o’clock that night before, feeling as well as usual. During the night she complained that she had a headache and that she couldn’t get her breath. Brother Johnson got up to take care of her, as he always did, and she died in his arms.

First part written by Mable J. Stokes.

Revised and completed by Clara J. Berntson, January 1946.