PIONEER 1853-1854 Lauritz Nicolaisen Smith (1830 – 1924) &

Maren Kirstine Mikkelsdatter (1827 – 1923)

Lauritz Nicolaisen Smith Maren Kirstine Mikkelsdatter

Lauritz Nicolaisen Smith KWCP-L96

Birth 5 October 1830, Hjorring, Nordjylland, Denmark

Death 16 Jun 1924, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States

MARRIED: 5 February 1854 Atlantic Ocean, aboard the sailing ship “Jesse Munn”

Maren Kirstine Mikkelsdatter KWJJ-RCY

Birth 14 January 1827, Boller Mark, Taars Parish, Hjorring, Nordjylland, Denmark

Death 2 JAN 1923, Draper, S.L. Co. Utah

Hjørring Municipality is a municipality (Danish: kommune) in North Denmark Region on the west coast

of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark.

Hjørring, the administrative seat of Hjørring Municipality Region, Nordjylland, Denmark.

NOT SURE: Boller Mark, Taars Parish, Hjorring, Nordjylland, Denmark SHOWN AS Tårs, Hjørring,

Denmark on the map above.

The Danish national flag, the oldest national banner in the world, is a

white cross on a red field. Legend has it that the banner, called

Dannebrog, descended from the heavens in the midst of a battle between

the Danes and the Estonians on June 15, 1219.

Between 1820 and 1850, about 60 Danes got established each year in the United States. However, they

soon totaled to more than 375,000 Danes between 1820 and 1990; a vast majority of whom emigrated

between 1860 and 1930. The largest arrival

year for Danish emigration in United States

was 1882, when 11.618 new Danes settled in

the country.

The first significant wave of Danish

immigrants to America consisted mainly of

converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter Day Saints, who settled in United

States in 1850’s. They settled down in the

newly acquired state of Utah, which had been

under Mexican control until 1848. There were

about 17,000 such immigrants. Many of these

Danes settled in the small farming

communities of Sanpete and Sevier counties.

These continue to be the counties in the

United States with second and fifth largest

percentages of Danish Americans today, respectively.

Lauritz Smith Lauritz Smith was born Oct 5, 1830 to Nicolai Christensen Smidt and Karen Marie Christensen in

Hjorring, Hjorring Co., Denmark. He had two brothers, Thomas Christian Smith, born February 24,

1823 and Johannes Smith born December 27.

Father and sons worked as blacksmiths. At a very young age the sons apprenticed to learn the trade of

blacksmithing. This is how the name of Smith was started. Lauritz’s Grandfather’s name was Christen

Thomas, but because his (Lauritz) father became a blacksmith, his family name was changed to Smith,

and Lauritz, learning this trade, was also known as Lauritz Smith. In 1845 his father, Nicolai, died. The

oldest son, Thomas, assumed the family responsibilities, he and Johannes never married.

All religious meetings except Lutheran were strictly forbidden at that time.

As a young man he was required to serve in the army, and while serving he first heard about the

Mormon Church. Later he wrote, “I first heard the truth of the restored Gospel in the spring of 1851,

from my cousin Christian Peter Nielsen, and having accepted the first principles of truth, I was baptized

and confirmed on 11 August, 1851 by Jens Thompson.” He was ordained an Elder in 1852 and labored

with the local Elders during the winter of 1852-53 in the northeastern part of Wensyssel where he was

stationed with the Danish Army. He also traveled with President Willard Snow to Copenhagen for April

Conference. Lauritz was then transferred to Schlesvig-Holstein where he continued to labor as a local

missionary, as his time permitted.

When Lauritz was a young man, about age 25 or about 1854, he had a sweetheart, “Mary Khristina

Mickelson,” whose family had also joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, and were

making plans to make the trip to America and then to Utah. The very day Mary Khristina was to sail,

Lauritz came home from work tired and black with dirt. His mother handed him some clean clothes

before coming into the house. As he was doing this, he was thinking about his sweetheart. He was very

unhappy of her leaving and decided there was nothing or no reason to keep him in Denmark without her.

So he quickly changed into his clean clothing and without even returning home, left a note saying, “I have

gone to find a better place.” Leaving an impression that he had cast himself in the water.

He went to the ship that Mary Khristina was on, having no money or passport. He mingled with the

people and walked on the ship without anyone stopping or asking any questions to him. He made the

whole trip with the people just thinking of him as a paid legal passenger.

Maren Kirstine Mikkelsdatter Maren Kirstine was born January 14, 1827 in Hjorring, Denmark. She is the third of six children of

Mikkek Christensen and Margrethe Jensen. She was raised in a farming community and learned at a

young age to be a very hard worker, both in home making and field work. She with other members of her

family were taught the Gospel in their native land by the L.D.S. Missionaries. They accepted the truth of

the new religion and she gained a strong testimony of it and was always a very devout believer. Maren

Kirstine and her Parents were baptized during 1852. Then, during 1853 she, along with her Parents had

the opportunity to immigrate to Zion (Salt Lake City, Utah) with others from the LDS congregation in

Denmark.

“December 22, 1853, the first emigrant company of the season, three hundred strong, set sail from

Copenhagen on board the steamship 'Slevig'” Then by way of Kiel, Gluckstadt and Hull the emigrants

reached Liverpool England on 28 December 1853, and on 1 January 1854 they went on board the ship

Jesse Munn.” PASSENGER LIST NOT AVAILABLE

MORMON IMMIGRATION http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/Search/showDetails/db:MM_MII/t:voyage/id:191/keywords:from+Denmark+on+Decemb

er+10%2C+1853

Ship Name: Jesse Munn

Departure: 3 Jan 1854 from Liverpool

Arrival: 20 Feb 1854 at New Orleans, LA

Jesse Munn, 333 Souls. This company of Saint, 333 Souls, were all from the Scandinavian Mission

(Denmark & Germany)

PASSENGER ABOARD “Jese Munn”

http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/Search/showDetails/db:MM_MII/t:passenger/id:9698/keywords:fro

m+Denmark+on+December+10%2C+1853

FATHER Christensen, Michel

Last Name: CHRISTENSEN, First Name: Michel, Age: 59

Origin: Heden, Weneberg, Sogn, Denmark

MOTHER Christensen, Margrete

Last Name: CHRISTENSEN, First Name: Margrete, Age: 61 (Maiden Name: Jensen)

Origin: Taars, Denmark

DAUGHTER Christensen, Maren Christine [Maren Kirstine Mikkelsdatter]

Last Name: Christensen, First Name: Maren Christine, Age: 26 (Mikkelsdotter)

Origin: Bollermark, Taars, Sogn, Denmark

In Denmark children’s last name are taken from their father’s first name.

In England and U.S.A. the children’s last name is the same as the father’s last name.

The U.S.A. standard was applied when recording the ships roster.

This conflicts with other accounts. Another ship’s roster shows Maren Christensen (Age 28) [? Maren

Kirstine Mikkelsdatter] sailing aboard the ship “Benjamin Adams” which sailed from Liverpool, U, K. on

28 Jan 1854 and arrived at New Orleans, LA 22 Mar 1854. HOWEVER her parents do not appear on

this roster. http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/Search/showDetails/db:MM_MII/t:passenger/id:92316/keywords:1854+Benjamin+Adams

While traveling to America on board the ship, Lauritz and Mary Khristina were married on February 5,

1854. When the ship reached New Orleans, he (Lauritz) went off in the same way, no one paying any

attention at all to him or his lack of a passport.

On Monday February 20th, 1854, the Jesse Munn arrived at New Orleans. Further transportation of the

company to St. Louis was arranged and on Saturday the twenty-fifth, the river journey was commenced.

Owing to unusual low water in the river, the passage was slow, and tedious, which in connection with the

change of climate and difference in the mode of living, caused cholera of a very malignant type to break

out among the emigrants, resulting in an unusual number of deaths

Cholera is an infection in the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms

are profuse, watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking water or eating food

that has been contaminated. The severity of the diarrhea and vomiting can lead to rapid dehydration and

electrolyte imbalance, and death in some cases.

After the arrival in St. Louis on the 11 March 1854, houses were rented for the temporary occupation of

the emigrants, who tarried there about a month, until the next company of Scandinavian emigrants

arrived. During the stay in St. Louis, sickness continued amongst the Saints, and many more died of the

cholera.

MORMON PIONEER OVERLAND TRAVEL

http://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/companyDetail?companyId=227

Hans Peter Olsen Company

About 550 individuals and 69 wagons were in the company when it began its journey from the

outfitting post at Westport, Missouri. Averaging 8 people per wagon

Departure: Westport, Missouri, 15 June 1854

Arrival: Salt Lake City, Utah, 5 October 1854

Name Age Birth Date Death Date

Smith, Lauritz Nicholaisen 23 5 October 1830 16 June 1924

Smith, Maren Kirstine Mikkelsen 27 14 January 1827 2 January 1923

Believe that Maren Kirstine’s parents traveled with them; however they are not shown on the roster.

The route from Westport, Kansas to Salt Lake City, Utah looked something like

While starting across the plains, Lauritz became crippled with arthritis and rheumatism so bad that he

had to ride in the wagon all the way to Utah, while Mary Khristina walked and drove the wagon.

When they arrived in Salt Lake City, Lauritz skilled as a blacksmith, they were sent to Willow Creek

(Draper, UT) because the new community was in need of a blacksmith. The first year in Draper, they had

a very hard time finding enough food to eat, so Lauritz went up on the Sand Hills near Draper and

caught himself a hare. Taking the hare, he then walked the 40 miles to Salt Lake City tithing house and

traded the hare for some flour for his family.

Maren’s Father, Mikkel passed away, Dec 1854, shortly after arriving at SLC.

Her mother lived with them at Draper, Utah until she passed away 27 JAN 1879.

Find A Grave: Lauritz Nicolaisen Smith

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=98265789

Find A Grave Maren Kirstine Mikkelsdatter Smith

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10474868

Your tombstone stands neglected and alone.

The name and date are chiseled out on polished, marbled stone.

It reaches out to all who care. It is too late to mourn.

You did not know that I exist. You died and I was born.

Yet each of us are cells of you in flesh, in blood, in bone.

Our heart contracts and beats a pulse entirely not our own.

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled so many years ago.

Spreads out among the ones you left who would have loved you so.

I wonder as you lived and loved, I wonder if you knew

That someday I would find this spot and come to visit you.

Prepared by J.E. Anderson for Aunts Rayola Smith (1916-2006) AND Ruth Garfield (1928-2006)

Great Grand Daughters of:

Lauritz Nicolaisen Smith (1830 – 1924) & Maren Kirstine Mikkelsdatter (1827 – 1923)

AND

Great Great Grand Daughters of:

Nicolai Christensen Smidt 1794-1845 & Karen Marie CHRISTENSEN 1794-1866

ADDITION INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR LIVES REFER TO:

FAMILY TREE > MEMORIES > DOCUMENTS

Lauritz & Mary Smth Contributed By slbrowse

FAMILY TREE > MEMORIES > STORIES

Biography of Lauritz Nicolaisen Smith Contributed By MaryMoore

The Story of Lauritz Smith Contributed By KarrieSweat

Lauritz Nicolaisen (Smidt) Smith Contributed By Ronald L. Holt

Mary Kirstine Mikkelson Contributed By Ronald L. Holt