A Life Sketch of Andrew Hendrickson and Maria Carlsdotter Gaddaby Patsy Hendrickson Great-granddaughter of Andrew and Maria 1

FINLAND

Finland, the home of our Hendrickson ancestors, is a harsh land. Winters are long, snowy, and cold; summers are warm, sunny, and very beautiful – but they are also short. In northern Finland, the land of the midnight sun, daylight can last for twenty-four hours between the middle of May and the end of July; but there are fifty days in the winter of near constant night. In the south, daylight in winter lasts only six hours.

The country covers just over 130,000 square miles with more than 60,000 inland lakes and 80,000 islands along its rocky shores.2 Much of the land is a flat, low lying plateau which drops to a lower plain along the south and west coasts. However the rugged coastline makes navigation difficult. There are mountains in the north; forests of pine, spruce, and fir cover two thirds of the land. Not surprisingly,most of the country’s industry and trade are based on forest products.

The people of Finland have become very disciplined and careful with their resources. Their idea of a good life stresses improving both mind and body.

1Enlarged from a sketch inherited from Mary Hendrickson Rassmussen with her permission.2Wikipedia gives the number of 188,000 lakes and 179,000 islands, though some are only a number of acres in size. (cited 24 January 2014)

Finland Vasa Province

Finland has been ruled by other countries for much of its history. Sweden controlled it for several thousand years. Then following a series of wars, Russia gained control in 1809. Russia controlled Finland during the entire time Andrew and Maria lived there. During most of the years when Russia ruled, the people lived in relative peace. The Russian government did not intrude in the people’s daily lives, nor did they impose the Russian language or system of laws on the people. Nearly every household however displayed a likeness of the Russian Czar in a prominent place in their homes.

The main ruling influences among the citizens in the farms and villages of Finland was actually the State Church which was Lutheran. Nearly everyone was Lutheran – at least in name. And if they weren’t Lutheran, they paid taxes to support the church anyway, and they were baptized, married, and buried by the church.

The country was divided politically into provinces. Vasa, the province where our ancestors lived was on the western side of the country bordering the Gulf of Bothnia. This neck of water was all that separated Finland from Sweden. Vasa was primarily a Swedish speaking region. There were few cities or large towns in the early days. Much of the land was still run by a system of villages and farms, and people were often identified in written records by their farm name. The towns Kronoby (Kruunupyy in Finnish) and Korsholm (Mustasaari in Finnish), where Andrew and Maria grew up, were close to the coastline.

ANDERS

Anders’ birth was recorded as July 1, 1841 in the Kronoby parish records, at a farm called Nynäs.3 He was the fourth child and third son born to Henrik Henriksson Näse and Brita Simonsdotter Riska. He was christened the day he was born. Like most of Finland’s people, the Henriksson family was Lutheran, and Anders’ parents made sure their children received the proper church sacraments. Anders’ father was listed as a bonde (farmer), which indicates he owned a small plot of land.

The children who had already been born into the Henriksson household when Anders joined the family were:

Maria, born January 8, 1835. She died 9 June 1835. (1 day old) Henrik, born October 3, 1836 Simon born July 5, 1839

3 It is not known why Anders is listed as a Nynäs since the family was actually from the farm of Näse, but there were some Nynäses at the christening – possibly relatives. Maybe the family was there, maybe the name is a mistake.

Vasa Province of Finland

Andes never knew his older sister since she died so soon after she was born. His two older brothers grew up with him, and married in the early 1860s.

After Anders’ birth, his parents had four more children, two of whom died as children. They were: Anna Brita born September 25, 1843 Greta born October 17, 1845. Johannes born May 16, 1848. He died July 5 1850. (2 yrs old) Johannes born September 22, 1850. He died December 2, 1857. (7 years old)

Between 1841 when Anders was born and 1843 when Anna Brita was born, Henrik and Maria were reduced from being bonde to torpare which meant they lost their land and became renters or sharecroppers. Torpare were considered quite low on the economic scale. One Swedish immigrant historian wrote of torpare that on many estates they were “much worse off than slaves on many plantations and more liable to be mistreated, indeed, more enslaved than the latter.”4 Though the writer wrote of Swedish torpare, those in Finland’s faced similar challenges.

Only a few days after Anders’ ninth birthday, he lost his younger brother Johannes to pneumonia. At around 9 years of age, Anders took his first communion in the Lutheran Church. All members of the family seemed to take communion regularly, though they all missed taking it the year after their father Henrik died.

In 1851, when he was 14 or 15 years old, Anders’ oldest brother Henrik left home for Veteli, a town notfar from Kronoby. His father was probably suffering with consumption at the time, and the family may have needed more income. Shortly after Henrik left however, on February 22, 1852, Henrik, Anders’ father, died of consumption. His father’s death left hs mother a widow for the second time at the age of 37. Maria’s first husband Anders Andersson Lönnbäck had died of typhoid fever in July of 1832, a month after their marriage. They had a son Anders, born in December of that year who died in January1833 at one month of age.

Anders was 10 years old when his father died. Having his older brother Simon at home to share in the work probably lightened his load some, but Simon was only 12. And in the middle of the winter with few amenities, with illnesses, and several family deaths in so short a time, a great deal of sacrifice musthave required of every family member.

Henrik, Jr. returned home from Vertili at some point, because the records show him leaving Kronoby a second time in 1859, this time for Purmo where he married and started his family.

In 1857, Anders’ youngest brother, the second one named Johannes, died of measles. So by the time he was sixteen years old, Anders had lost his father and two of his four younger siblings. Even for a stoic people, all these sicknesses and deaths must have been difficult.

On top of the problems the family already experienced, a general famine hit the country beginning in the early 1860s that lasted for nearly a decade. The famine resulted from several years of poor harvests.One source reads: “By 1862 it was bad; the summer was unusually cold and frosts came very early in the fall. Those early frosts damaged a great deal of the crops. 1863 and 1864 were only average, so very few could pay back the loans they had to take out in 1862. The summer of 1865 was cold enough

4Barton, H. Arnold, Letters from the Promised Land: Swedes in America, Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota Press, 1975. p. 320, endnote 50. Quoting Rosalie Roos.

that on the night of June 18 there was still frost in the entire northern part of Finland, followed by three 'freezy' nights in a row at the end of August. This destroyed the potato plants and caused severe damageto the crop. The next winter there were crowds of beggars to be seen on the roads coming from the northern and middle parts of the country.”5

Family story confirm the record above. Anders told family how the harsh conditions, depressed economy and lack of jobs prompted him to leave Kronoby to find work. He told his children of seeing aman lying dead beside the road with grass in his mouth. This scene may have happened any time between the early 1860s and 1871 on one of Andres’ trips between Kronoby and Vasa. It appears he traveled back and forth more than once.

No records show Anders leaving Kronoby early, but he probably went into the Vasa area in the early 1860s since he and Maria married late in November of 1863. Vasa was a perfect place to go for work, being one of the most populated areas of the province it held the promise of more employment and wasfurther south where the climate was milder. The Kronoby parish records don’t show him leaving Kronoby to Vasa until July of 1871. By that time he was leaving there with a wife and a son. He was listed as a backstruk in that record which meant he was even lower class than a torpare. He probably lived in a lean-to and had no land at all.

Six years before Anders left Kronoby for good, on July 8, 1865, his mother Brita Simonsdotter Näse, a torpare and a widow, married for the third time in that parish. This time she married Alexander Westerberg, a retired soldier and a widower with three living children. Brita was 50 and Alexander wasalmost 41.6 Anders and his two brothers were married and starting their own family by then. As for his two sisters, they were still single and living at home. Anna Brita left for Himango in December of that year (1865), where she stayed for a time.7

MARIA

Anders was barely two years old when his future wife Maria was born on the July 7, 1843. That is a frivolous detail since the two of them lived more than 65 miles apart. Her parents lived in the village ofSmedsby in Korsholm parish (Mustasaari in Finnish) in the province of Vasa. Korsholm was larger and more populated than Kronoby, lying on the outskirts of the city of Vasa and near the sea.

Maria was the first child of Carl Fredrik Fredriksson Gädda (also listed in various records as Gedda or Åhls), and Lovisa Eriksdotter Norrgård. Carl Fredrick was 22 years old and Lovisa was 24 at the time of her birth. By that time, farm names in that area had often become part of the surname or had replacesthe patronymic name altogether.8

Maria’s parents were identified as bonde or farm folk, and they were Lutherans like Anders’ family. Maria was baptized on July 9, 1843 in Smedsby. Her birth was followed by that of 5 other children,

5“Finnish Famine of 1860s.” Translated by Helena & Markus Levlin. Published by Medlemsblad för Levälä Släktförening. Levälä Sukuseuran Jäsenlehti, February 1985, No. 7, SFHS Newsletter 1993, Vol. 2, No. 1.6Alexander Westerberg was born 30 July 1823 in Kronoby. He married Lisa Henriksdotter 26 November 1843 in Kronoby. They had 9 children, 6 of whom died in childhood. Lisa died 9 Julk 1863.7Greta stayed with her mother and stepfather and moved with them in 1865. Anna Brita, still unmarried, left Himango for Gamla Karleby in 1870, Perhaps she was going to be with her mother, but she does not show up in their household.8For quite a time in the Finnish records, the people seemed to be experimenting with surnames. As they moved from farm tofarm, they might pick up a new farm name, or they may continue to be identified with the farm they came from. Sometimes the patronymic name would be dropped. Sometimes a person would pick up a military name which may or may not be used by other members of the family.

three girls and two boys. Only she and her sister Sophia lived to maturity. Her brothers and sisters were:

Sophia born May 19, 1845Johannes, born May 26, 1847. He died May 5, 1853 of “fever” shortly before his sixth birthdayUlrika, born October 1, 1850. She died Mar 27, 1856 on “n.feber,” probably nervfeber or

typhoid (5 years old)Johannes, born October 1, 1853. He died December 10, 1853 of an unknown cause (2 months

old)Amanda, born December 1, 1856. She died August 30, 1857 of an unknown cause (8 months

old)(Coincidentally Maria and Anders each had two younger brothers named Johannes who died as babies.)

When Maria was born, her father was listed as a farmer a bonde. But by the time Sofia was born two years later, he was a tenant farmer or a torpare, renting the land like Anders’ father was when he died. By 1856 when Maria’s sister Ulrica died, Carl Fredrik had become a soldier and had taken on the military name Åhls (which means eel) as his surname instead of Gädda (which means pike). Perhaps hebecame a soldier thinking it would bring in more money, or provide a more steady income for the struggling family. Perhaps military service was required of him by the Russian government that ruled the country. In 1857, at Amanda’s death, Carl Fredrik was listed in the village of Klemetsö in Vasa parish as a marksman, again under the surname Åhls. Family story says he was a policeman.

Between the ages of nine and thirteen Maria experienced the deaths of her two brothers and two of her three sisters. How difficult that must have been when the first to die was her 6 year-old brother Johannes who died in 1853. Then less than nine months later the second Johannes died as a baby of twomonths. In 1856 and '57 two more siblings died, five year-old Ulrica and eight month-old Amanda. It’s hard to say which death was the hardest to a young girl. Was it the first one? Was it the younger sister? Or was it the two babies?

In 1863 Carl Fredrik moved his family from Korsholm to nearby Vasa where he worked as a stone mason. About the time they moved there, Anders also moved from Kronoby to Vasa.

ANDRES AND MARIA MEET, MARRY, AND BEGIN THEIR FAMILY

How and when Anders and Maria met is still a question. But it was most likely in the town of Vasa andin 1863 between the month of February when Maria’s family moved there and November when they married.

Andrew was not a very large man. He was about five foot seven, weighing about one hundred forty pounds. He wore a mustache as long as any of his family could remember. Maria was taller than him by several inches and weighed about one hundred seventy pounds. She was an attractive woman with medium complexion, and medium brown hair. Andrew especially loved her eyes.

He described his courtship to his family which was typical of the courtships in Finland. He said that when he visited Maria, she would entertain him in her bedroom. She would have her room prepared nicely, and the two of them would spend the night there. This style of courtship sounded very foreign

and risky to his American descendents But when asked why this was done, Andrew replied, “It was not wrong, that’s the way we did it. If you don’t think wrong, you don’t do wrong.”9

Maria and Anders were married on November 29, 1863 in the town of Vasa. If theirs was a typical peasant wedding, the festivities would have lasted three days with much eating, dancing, and drinking. The room where the ceremony took place was decorated elaborately with fringed sheets, silk shawls, mirrors and sconces. The day of the wedding, Maria’s hair would have been “plaited [braided] hard, with a crown about 30 centimeters high, which was decorated with tinsel and sewn to her hair.”10 Musicwas a big part of the festivities. “People sang good-luck songs, songs at mealtimes and songs toasting the bridal couple. The guests sang, the bride sang, the bridegroom sang, and time and again a single singer would strike up a song.”11 There was also lots of fiddle music. Maria’s wedding dress would have been practical and versatile. After the wedding it would have become a hous dress.

After their marriage, the couple continued to live in Vasa for a while, still suffering because of the famine. It appears, however that they stayed connected with Kronoby until 1871 when the family’s records are transferred to Vasa/Mustasaari. The economy was very depressed; many people in Finland died from starvation or from the harsh conditions they faced. The “farmless” were hit hardest by the famine. Towns south of Vasa fared better than those to the north of it. The weather did not temper until after 1868. That was the year Anders and Maria moved to Sweden in hopes of bettering their situation.

Alexander, the first of Anders and Maria's children was born 13 September 1864 in Nicolaistad, Finland, which was the name for Vasa under Russian rule.12 His birth was recorded in Kronoby, not in Vasa.13 Alexander died seven and a half months later on 1 May 1865 and was buried in Finland.

Maria’s only sister married John (Johan) Berg 24 June 1866 in Vasa. He was 27, she had just turned 21.He was the oldest son of Johan Anders Andersson Berg and Anna Beata Isaksdotter Smedman.

Anders and Maria were childless for two years after Alexander died. Then John Alfred was born 5 June1867 in Vasa.14 He was born with a crippled foot, some family called it a club foot, which required him to have a special shoe made for it during his entire life.

While John Alfred was small, Anders and Maria decided to move to Sweden where more work was available. On September 11, 1868, Anders obtained a visa to leave the country. He went to Sweden alone. He was a carpenter by trade, and family story says he was also a shipbuilder. He must have found work because he sent for Maria a few months later. She got a visa for herself and John Alfred

9 While visiting the Brage Museum in Vasa, Patsy Hendrickson who authored this history learned more about the a peasantscourtship and wedding. The girls' bedrooms were decorated with her handiwork to show what a good catch she was. If she didn’t feel she had enough of her own items to show, she might borrow from friends. The beaus did spend the night in the girl’s bedroom. As for the sleeping arrangements, the couple slept in the same bed with a board between them. A young man was invited in to sit at the foot of the bed to see that no hanky-panky took place and to teach him the courtship ritual.10 http://www.elisanet.fi/vasa.brage/brollop/index_eng.htm cited 2 August 2013.11 http://www.elisanet.fi/vasa.brage/brollop/index_eng.htm cited 2 August 201312 Information on Alexander and other children who were born and died in Scandinavia have come from the Salt Lake Temple sealing film 1239613. Those sealings were done in 1910 while Andrew was still alive or from the Finnish parish records. Still looking for official christening records in Finland parishes. Alexander’s death doesn’t appear in the Vasa deaths.13 Alexander was born and died before Anders’ mother married her third husband named Alexander. Did the two people have the same name by design or by coincidence? Andrew and Maria did use some family names with their later children and some of the names they used had no family connection.14Still looking for John Alfred’s christening record in Finland.

June 19, 1868. She was listed as a carpenter’s wife. As far as we know, Anders and Maria were the first members in either family to move away from Finland. This must have been quite a decision for them.

The economic situation in Sweden was not much better than in Finland. From a history of that time we read:

“The crops in certain parts of Sweden failed in 1868, there was famine and great distress the following year especially in the peasantry in several country districts…..The people in many places had only water to use with their “moss bread.” The night previous to writing his letter Elder Larson [S.J. Larson a local elder laboring in Småland] was denied lodging on account of the scarcity of food. But when he told the people he would do without food, if he could be sheltered, he was permitted to stay for the night. The next morning he tried at another place to buy a little food, but the housewife said, “We have only five loaves which we have made with hazel buds mixed with a little rye meal.” Elder Larson asked her to sell him one of them, but she said she could not afford to sell any of her scanty supply. Elder Larson then went to another place and succeeded in obtaining two kinds of bread, one made from barley chaff and a little rye meal, and the other from heather and a little rye meal. The people told Elder Larson that they had made bread from a kind of moss called “lav,” but they dared not eat it because it made them sick…..The people even made bread from grinding bones; nothing but absolute starvation could induce them to eat such food.”15

ANDERS AND MARIA JOIN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

The famine, unemployment, scarcity, and need that drove Anders and Maria into Sweden, were the very circumstances that led them to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Andrew told family members later in his life that he would never have joined the Church if he had stayed in Finland. As it was, shortly after moving to Sweden they were introduced to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the missionaries who taught them was Carl Carlgren a Swede from Fellingsbro, Sweden.

The main method for introducing people to the gospel at that time was at the workplace since missionaries were not allowed to proselyte or distribute tracts openly in Sweden. In 1867 a mission leader in Stockholm, Sweden. wrote the following to the mission’s headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark:

“A dissenter [in Sweden] has no right in law or by the constitution to worship any hour when the State Church, which is Lutheran, shall be holding services. …Instead of having constitutional or legal; guarantees…for furthering our work…our Elders are liable at any time to be taken up and imprisoned at the instigation of the priests.

“Our only safe and certain mode [for spreading the gospel], hitherto, has been for some Elder, a mechanic, to obtain employment in the place where it was designed to introduce the gospel, and thus while employed at his work, disseminate the revealed truth among the hands, until, without let or hindrance from the enemy, a branch was organized, and the fire once kindled soon won its widening way. In this manner, mostly, have the 38 brancheswhich compose the four conferences in Sweden been built up, and which besides those who have immigrated, now number about 1600 members….This appears the only prudent method [for our elders].” Franklin D. Richards 6 Feb 1867 - from Stockholm.16

Anders and Maria must have been ready to hear the gospel when it was presented to them. They were baptized on December 27, 1869 by Carl August Carlgren, fairly soon after arriving in Sweden. Carl was born the same year as Anders and had been a member of the Church since 1863.

15Jensen, Andrew. History of the Scandinavian Mission. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1927, p. 20316Jensen, Andrew. P. 197

After their baptism, Anders and Maria became members of the Sundsvall Branch, and for 7½ years were faithful members there; then they left for the United States.

Once the young couple cast their lot with the Church, their circumstances may not have improved – they still faced poverty and hard work, and an unknown future – but their attitudes and views of life were changed forever. They had new strength to cope with their challenges now; new knowledge to answer their questions. They had made covenants; they had a new standard for judging right and wrong. Things that had once been “the way things are,” could now be seen as changeable, temporary, blessings in disguise, consequences, or just plain wrong. Their Church membership gave them a new identity as children of God, new friends, and a long-range view on life.

Elder John Anderson, a Mormon missionary laboring in Sweden during the years Anders and Maria were there

“remarked that drunkenness, immorality, and vice of every description were increasing among the lower classes of the people, and though times had been good for some years in Sweden, hundreds of families were suffering from cold and hunger. The middle classes had apparently become very religious and many of them were joining the Methodists, Baptists, and other sects, separating themselves from the State Church or Lutheran Church. The upper class were drifting into infidelity very fast, and society generally presented a sad picture.” 17

All the time the Henrikssons lived in Sweden and worshiped there, they received most of their MormonChurch literature and some of their instruction in Danish, not Swedish. This may have presented some challenges and misunderstandings. The Scandinavian Conference published a magazine for the saints with information, news and policies, but no translation into Swedish was made until 1877. The first Swedish Book of Mormon was not published until 1878. By then the Hendricksons were living in Utah.

In October of 1869, Anders and Maria’s brother-in-law John Berg, the husband of Maria’s sister immigrated to Sweden. In June of 1871 Sofia joined him. Eventually Maria’s mother Lovisa Eriksdotter Norrgård came to Sweden too after her husband died in 1880.

After joining the Mormon Church, and while living in Sweden, Anders and Maria had three daughters born to them. They were:

Maria Andriettha (Andritta), born October 21, 1870. She died of meningitis on 9 October 1874 (justweeks before her fourth birthday).18

Amanda Sophia, born June 18, 1873. She died of an intestinal problem on 18 October 1874 (just over 1 year old). 19

Helena Louisa, born 31 July 1875.

Harsh weather conditions continued to plague the Scandinavian people periodically. A description of these conditions is contained in the Scandinavian Mission History:

“The beginning of the year 1871 the winter was very hard in Scandinavia and the traffic, both by railroad and steamship, was for a time obstructed on account of snow and ice. Even the ice boats were at times unable to get

17Jensen, Andrew. P. 22418Sverige. Statistiska Centralbyrån (Västnorrlands län), Utdrag ur ministerialböcker, födda, vigda, döda, 1860-1920. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1988), FHL film 201335.19Statistiska Centralbyrån (Västnorrlands län), Utdrag ur ministerialböcker, födda, vigda, döda, 1860-1920. (Salt Lake City:Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1988), FHL film 201335.

across the straits between Sjælland, Fyen, and Jutland. In consequence of the great lack of employment for the laboring class, much distress was experienced; also among the poorer saints there was much suffering.”20

Anders and Maria and their extended family may have been some of the “poorer saints” spoken of since they came from Finland hoping for work and a better life.

It appears that Anders and Maria returned to Finland in 1871 with their son John Alfred to close out business, to do missionary work, or to visit family. They are listed in the Kronoby parish records leaving the parish for Vasa and Mustasaari on July 15, 1871. Maria Andrietta was not with them. The record lists them as backstruk, which places them in poverty as well as in a low social standing, withoutproperty and without assets. They were probably living in a very small house there. If they had still been Lutheran, they would have been relegated to a part of the church during services reserved for the lowest class which was far from comfortable.21

This record of them leaving Kronoby is quite confusing. By 1871, the family had not only left

Kronoby, but they had left Mustasaari as well. They were no longer Lutheran, and had been living in Sweden for about three years. Perhaps Anders left with the hope of returning soon or the word of his

20Jensen, Andrew. P. 20721“Muuttaneet 1828-1880” Suomen Kirkko. Kruunupyyn Seurakunta, Kirkonkirjat, 1607-1890. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949). FHL film 67030 item 1.

Illustration 1: Maria and Andrew with Helena and JohnAlfred

new whereabouts didn’t get properly recorded. Whatever the reason, the parish record leaves us with multiple questions.

Anders and Maria undoubtedly talked with their family in Finland about their new-found faith. Maybe the families listened at this time, maybe they did not. Though none of them Anders' people joined the Church, we do know that the first missionaries to Finland visited Kronoby and stayed with some of Andres’ family.

In 1873 Anders and Maria may have attended a conference held in Stockholm. From a report of the conference we read:

15 May 1873 Erastus Snow held a meeting in Stockholm. “We had three meetings on Saturday, two on Sunday and two on Monday, and an excellent spirit prevailed. There were representatives from high up in Sweden and a few persons from Finland. [Italics added] The Elders and saints seemed devoted and earnest and full of the Holy Ghost….I found myself quite awkward among those who spoke Swedish; yet most of them could understand what was spoken in Danish at several of the meetings, and although the Swedish is quite different, they have been in the habit of hearing Elders preach in Danish so much that most of them said they could understand.”22

Our Hendricksons could have been among them as “persons from Finland.” The following year in 1874, there was a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark which Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith, presidentof the European Mission, attended. According to the record Elder Smith arrived in Copenhagen May 21, 1874 accompanied by Elders Geo. F. Gibbs and Junius F. Wells. They held a conference there May 23rd and 24th, “where they enjoyed their association with the saints and strangers and gave the active Priesthood valuable instruction. The remarks of the English-speaking brethren were translated into Danish. The visitors left Copenhagen May 29th to return to England.” Anders likely went to that conference, because it was reported that people from Finland were there too.

In October of 1874, the two daughters of Anders and Maria, Maria Andrietta and Amanda Sofia, died nine days apart. Maria, who was soon to be four, died on October 9 of meningitis; and Amanda, who was 16 months, died on October 18 of a painful bowel problem called “tramkatarr.”23 The girls were buried in Sundsvall, there in Sweden.24

At a Church conference held in Stockholm in October 1875, the first missionaries were called to Finland. They were two Swedish brothers, Carl August and John E. Sundström.25 Our family would have been fairly familiar with the Sundström brothers. In a missionary journal written by Carl he tells of visiting Sundsvall, Sweden a number of times beginning in June 1874 as part of his missionary labors.

On September 7 of that year while visiting Sundsvall, he “wrote a letter for a sister, [and] sent it to Finland.” Then on December 13 when he was again in Sundsvall he “administered to a Sister Hindrickson.” Both of these entries likely refer to our Maria since she appears to be the only woman member from Finland in the branch at that time and the only Sister Hindrickson [sic] there as well.26

22Jensen, Andrew. P. 213-21423Tramkatarr in one as young as Amanda could have been caused from eating food that was not suited for children.24Sverige. Statistiska Centralbyrån (Västnorrlands län). Utdrag ur ministerialböcker, födda, vigda, döda, 1860-1920. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1988) FHL film 201335.25Carl’s oldest son later married Andrew’s daughter.26Sundstrom, Carl August. My Diary 1846-1876,” (unpublished manuscript: translated and compiled by Joseph W. Holden, 1954). P. 16, 18.

Perhaps in the December blessing she was still needing comfort following the recent deaths of her two children.

In 1875, John Berg and Sofia, Maria’s sister and brother-in-law joined the Church. Sofia joined in January, John in September. They had come to Sundsvall in October of 1869.

The Sundstrom brothers began their mission to Finland in October of 1875. On the 25 th of that monthJohn wrote:

25th --Went at 8 o'clock in the morning, on Ship Gustaf Wasa, to Finland. Had to open a mission field there. Arrived there the 26th, 11 o'clock in the morning to Nikolais Town [Vasa, Finland].“26th--Was met by Family Barg (Berg) that lived in Sundsvall. They were here visiting their parents. We got rooms with a Tombstone Inscription-maker, C. Ahl Klamitso. (Maria's father). 29th--Went for a walk with Brother Barg to visit his parents and relatives in Toby in Mustasare County.30th--Had the joy of having the first meeting and to preach in Finland. The meeting was in Toby Town in Mustasare County at a Widow Anna Biata Barg’s.31st--Had another good meeting in Toby. Joy and peace. 27

The Ahls with whom the Elders stayed their first night were Maria and Sophia’s parents, though the name is misspelled in the transcript. The Barg family “that lived in Sundsvall” were the Bergs, John and Sophia, Maria’s sister and brother-in-law. John was a convert of just over a month when he introduced the missionaries to his family in Toby. The Widow Anna Biata Barg where the first meeting was held was John’s mother. Members of the Berg family were among the first converts in Finland.

Doubtless Anders and Maria were pleased to see missionaries go into Finland. Not only did they send missionaries to their parents’ home, but they also sent them to Kronoby where members of Anders’ family still lived.

The Sundstrom brothers were soon joined by other missionaries, but Mormon preachers were not well received either by the state church or by the government of Finland. This made it hard for the ordinary citizens to be taught. Three months into his mission Carl Sundstrom wrote this in his diary:

[1875 Jan] 11th --Had visit from the Lutheran Priest, named Back. He forbade us to preach our Religionabout Christ’s Restored Gospel.12th--Had the same visit from the same Priest. He said the Book of Mormon was a lie and false. We werealso false. . . .16th--Our landlord was called to another Lutheran Priest named Wigeljus and was told not to let us staythere. We got ready to go to Toby…[Feb] 5th--Was called to the Priest Wigeljus. He forbid us to explain our belief. The Priest was very angry.

Some missionary experiences were recorded in the Scandinavian mission history also illustrate the difficulties faced by the early missionaries:

[The missionaries] at once proceeded to their field of labor, and notwithstanding the great opposition they encountered on account of the strong arm of the law against unpopular sectarianism, they succeeded in holdingseveral meetings. Before long, however, a Lutheran priest was on their track, forbidding them to preach and hold meetings. In order to keep within the limitations of the law, the brethren had to remain seated while preaching and thus bear testimony of the truth of the gospel to their invited friends, This mode of procedure went very well after they got used to it, and hearers generally listened with great interest to the explanations ofthe principles of the gospel by the Elders. In the course of the summer four persons were baptized in the

27Sundstrom Carl August. P. 23

vicinity of St. Nikolaistad. The first baptisms were performed on May 7, 1876. Some time afterwards a small branch was organized in Finland….”28

Excerpts from a letter written by Elder Axel Tullgren at Nikolaistad [Vasa] 19 Dec 1876 to President Ola N. Liljenquist in Copenhagen also describe the religious climate at the time and the challenges the missionaries faced:

“The people are in a very low and ignorant condition as to religion…for there are not many sects here; the only one of consequence is the Baptist church….We made ourselves well known among the people where we went.” A sister arranged a meeting for them, but the sister’s cousin informed her priest of the meeting. “This man, together with the doctor, then came and endeavored to disturb us, and two days later the governor sent two policemen to bring us before him. He received us in a very rough and impolite manner and forbade us to preach, telling the police to watch us, He went so far as to threaten to have us arrested and sent to Siberia….There is no religious liberty here, and the law is so rigid, that we dare not sell tracts for fear of beingarrested

Elder Olof A.T. Forsell of the Stockholm Conference “spent part of his time in Finland, from which country hewas banished by the Russian government.”29

Anders and Maria were active members of the Sundsvall branch, though there is no record of anypositions they held or activities they participated in. The records do show that Anders was ordained an Elder in the priesthood while he lived there. .

THE HENDRICKSON FAMILY COMES TO AMERICA

The greatest desire of those who joined the Church in other lands was to emigrate and join the saints in Utah Territory. Since many of the converts in Sweden were from the poorer class, gathering the money needed to go to America was difficult. Though it was beyond the reach of most of the members, emigration was made possible through donations of Scandinavian saints who had emigrated earlier. A fund was kept at the mission offices in Copenhagen, Denmark to help the saints from all over Scandinavia to emigrate. How the leaders decided who should receive the funds was not explained. Buteach year two companies consisting of hundreds of Scandinavians left for America.

In 1869, traveling to Salt Lake became simpler with the completion of the transcontinental railroad which went through Utah. There was a stop in Ogden from which a spur was soon added that went into Salt Lake City. Though travel was simplified and made more comfortable, it also became more expensive. Saints had to pay for the rail journey all the way to Utah, not just to Iowa City where they were met by teams and wagons. So for a time, emigrating companies were smaller.

By 1877 when Anders and Maria were able to make the trip, Mormon immigration had become quite organized. All European immigrants were funneled into Liverpool, England, where the British Mission handled the transportation on to Utah. Scandinavian members gathered in Copenhagen, and traveled together, first to Hull, England, then to Liverpool. In Liverpool, the passengers were divided into companies, each company supervised by a presiding elder. Presiding elders were usually missionaries returning to the States.

After seven years as members of the Church. Anders and Maria were finally gathering to Zion. The journey must have still been a leap of faith for them. However they undoubtedly made the trip with

28Jensen, Andrew. P. 227.29Jensen, Andrew. P. 227.

great excitement. The family was leaving behind their homeland, three children buried in two countries,and all their family save their two living children John Alfred and Helena. They were going to a land where the language was different and the customs would be new.

Thankfully they would not be completely lost or alone when they arrived. One who had gone before was Carl Carlgren, who had taught and baptized them. He had emigrated in August of 1870 and settled in Santaquin, Utah. He encouraged the Hendricksons to join him there. The town had a sizable Scandinavian population who would surely welcome them and help them adjust to the new country.

They were booked with the first company of Scandinavian saints for that year. On the passenger list from Copenhagen to Hull, England, Anders was listed as 36 years of age and a miller by trade. This probably meant he was a carpenter, the profession he followed after he arrived in Utah. Maria, his wife was 34, Johan was 10½ and Helena 2. Their last place of residence was listed as Stockholm.30

Maria was six or seven months pregnant when their journey began in Sweden. Traveling with two-year old Helena in that condition must have had its challenges. John Alfred undoubtedly helped, but with hiscrippled foot, he may have been limited in his ability to follow her everywhere. They probably arrived early so they would not miss their connection with the ship “Argo” which left Copenhagen at 6:30 p.m.on June 21. On the morning of the third day, they arrived at the port of Hull, England. The following day they went across England to Liverpool by rail. At Liverpool they were joined by saints from other European countries, got organized, and crossed the ocean on the ship “Wisconsin.”

The following accounts are given of their trip from Copenhagen to New York harbor on the steamships the “Argo” and the “Wisconsin”

“The first company of the season’s emigration from Scandinavia sailed from Copenhagen, June 21, 1877, in twosteamships, namely the “Argo” and the “Pacific.” There were 471 souls of emigrants and eight returning missionaries….For several days prior to the departure the emigrating saints had gathered in Copenhagen from

30Passport to paradise : the Copenhagen "Mormon" passenger lists. Compiled and indexed by Shauna C. Anderson, et. al. (West Jordan, Utah : Genealogical Services (Utah), c2000). FHL Book 973 W3a v. 1 p. 169.

the different conferences, and the Elders who had emigration affairs in hand were very busy at the mission office, making their arrangements. The emigrating saints seemed very satisfied and happy in saying good-bye tothe lands of their nativity, to gather with the people of God in the Valleys of the Mountains. The embarkation of the saints took place without accident or the least disturbance.

The greater part of the emigrants went on board the “Argo…. About 6:30 p.m. the “Argo” steamed out of the harbor and was soon afterwards followed by the ”Pacific.” After a successful voyage across the North Sea, both ships arrived safely in Hull, England, on June 24th, the “Argo” at 9:00 a.m. and the “Pacific” at 8:00 p.m. The emigrants landed the following day (June 25th) and proceeded at once by railroad to Liverpool, where they boarded the steamship “Wisconsin,” together with a number of British, German, Swiss, and Dutch Saints. Bishop John Rowberry was appointed captain of the whole company, while Elder Erik F. Banting was continuedas captain of the Scandinavian emigrants. The [“Wisconsin”] sailed from Liverpool June 27th, and arrived in New York, July 7th.”31

John Rowberrry wrote a letter back to the President of the British Mission when the “Wisconsin” landed at New York in which he said:

New York, July 7th, 1877.President Joseph F. Smith.

Dear Brother,--I drop a few lines to inform you of our safe arrival in New York. We left Queenstown at 9 o'clock on the morning of the 8th instant, going out on a very smooth sea, a more joyful or happier set of people I think never left that harbor; it continued thus until late in the evening when the sea began to roll in heavy swells, causing the ship to rock considerably. You have been enough at sea to imagine the consequence of a thousand landsmen unaccustomed to marine life being tossed to and fro on the waves. This continued about twenty-four hours, when the sick began gradually to recover and resume their former cheerfulness with very few exceptions. Sister [Sarah] Pendrey has been very sick indeed, and is even now quite low. The elders appointed by you to assist me as well as the other returning missionaries, have been very energetic in keeping the Saints alive, and in the spirit of union; it is no small matter to keep a good understanding where there are so many nationalities and languages, but through the blessing of God we have been enabled to do so, to my knowledge not a jar or misunderstanding has occurred throughout the voyage. Captain Forsyth, the purser, thedoctor, and in fact all the officers have been very kind, doing all in their power that would contribute to the convenience and comfort of our emigrants; and extending to us every courtesy and privilege that could be desired. We have now landed and are on the rails preparatory for going to the mountains. …

John Rowberry, per R.S.W.

One of the passengers who traveled from Hull to Salt Lake with the Hendricksons was Carl Carquist from Denmark. Of the journey he wrote:

. . . as we passed along the Swedish Coast we sang together the songs of Zion with much rejoicing. . .

England we found to be a very pretty country, there were lots of new things to see, and the time went very fast. During our two day stay in Liverpool we were assigned to our places on the big ocean steamer and secured us our mattresses and pillows, etc. which the emigrants in those days furnished themselves with. . . . .

There were nearly a thousand emigrants of all nationalities on the boat. We had a pleasant trip with very little seasickness and arrived in New York as near as I could figure out, 7 minutes past 7 in the morning, on the 7th day of the 7th month, year 1877. As I put my foot on the American soil, I cannot describe the wonderful feeling which came over me. To think that I had arrived in the land of Joseph, the land of liberty, the land of Zion, the land upon which Adam dwelt, the land to which Christ shall come in the last day to set up his kingdom, the land from which God's word is proclaimed to all the earth!32

31Jensen, Andrew. P. 229-23032Carlquist, Carl A. Autobiography ,. (CHL Ms 5463, pp. 9 - 12 )

From these writings it appears that the trip to the Valley was one of anticipation and joy, filled with music and harmony despite the many languages and cultures. Overall it was also a smooth journey.

Anders had smoked a pipe during his mature years. As he and his family were crossing the ocean, he went to the deck of the ship and threw his pipe into the ocean, never to smoke a pipe again. He figured if he was coming to live among the saints, he did not want the bad habit.

From New York the journey of the saints continued by rail westward the same day, passing through Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Chicago, until the emigrants arrived safe and well in Ogden and Salt Lake City, July 14th.. Carl Carlquist of Denmark wrote this of his arrival in Salt Lake: “It was rather early in the morning on the 15th day of July when the word at last went around that the next station would be Salt Lake City. Everybody in the long train were getting their handbags and other belongings together, and I took mine, a handbag that I had myself made of mattress cloth.” 33

Upon their arrival in Salt Lake, the Scandinavian emigrants were given a reception by their fellow-countrymen who had prepared a supper for them in the large hall in which the Scandinavian meetings were held. Then the immigrants were on their own.

Perhaps Carl Carlgren met them in Salt Lakeand brought them to Santaquin, since it was hewho had encouraged the Hendricksons to settlethere. Carl was now married, and had startedhis family in Santaquin.

The group likely made the trip in a horse-drawnwagon over the narrow dirt roads thatconnected the Salt Lake with Santaquin at thetime. The 65 miles journey probably took themore part of the day. The hardest section of thetrip would have been the narrow windingstretch around the mountain that divided SaltLake and Utah Counties. If they did traveltogether, they had a lot of news to share fromboth sides of the ocean. Carl would havewanted updates from Sundsvall and theHendricksons would be anxious to learn whatlay ahead for them in Santaquin.

For 10-year old John Alfred the trip wasprobably long and boring. Maria being nearly 8months pregnant must have been quiteuncomfortable. Keeping track of two-year oldHelena and keeping her occupied may haveadded more worries. In spite of theinconveniences, perhaps Maria was pleased thather next child would be born in America andamong the saints.

33Ibid

August and Alma

THE HENDRICKSONS BECOME AMERICANS

When Andrew arrived in Santaquin, it was a thriving community of some 275 families. About a hundred were Scandinavian families who lived on the northeast end of town. They would visit back and forth, and their whole social life was centered around each other. Carl and his family lived only twodoors away from the one Andrew settled in.34 This no doubt helped Andrew and Maria adjust to their new country.

On August 23, 1877, a month after arriving in Utah, Maria gave birth to a son whom they named Carl Andrew. Maria and Andrew now had a child who was born an American citizen! The name Carl could have been in honor of Carl Carlgren, but it could also have been to in memory of Maria’s father Carl Fredrik

Andrew went to work on the stretch of the Rio Grande Railroad that ran through Spanish Fork Canyon.He would stay and work for the week, coming home on weekends. He worked with men from Springville, Utah. They wanted him to move there, but Maria would not move. She loved her home and her Swedish-speaking friends in Santaquin.

During the next nine years, four more children were born into the family. The first of them was August Moroni born 31 December 1879.

In 1881, Andrew helped his brother-in-law John Berg toimmigrate. John arrived in America in July of that year.He settled in Santaquin and brought his wife Sofia andher mother Louisa Norrgård over the next year.

In December 7 of that year another son was born; theynamed him Alma Henry. Henry was a family name,perhaps Alma was for the Book of Mormon prophet.

On 8 May 1884, Andrew and Maria went Salt Lake to theEndowment House to receive their endowments and to besealed to each for time and eternity. The Carlgren familymay have had some influence in the timing of this trip.They had moved to Salt Lake shortly before, and it’spossible they even provided a place to stay for whoevermade the trip.

This is another trip that Maria made when she wasexpecting a child, though she was not so close to deliverythis time. Their next child was not born until six monthslater. This child was named Arthur Fredrick. He was bornNovember 24, 1884.

341880 United Stated Census. Utah, Utah County, Santaquin. ED 85 p. 17B

Helena and Annie

Almost two years after the birth of Arthur, the tenth and last child was born. Anna Cecilia was the nameshe was given, but she went by the name Annie. Annie was born 20 October 1886. When she was born, Maria was then 43, Andrew was 45, John Alfred was 11, Helena 9, August was almost 7, Alma almost 5, and Arthur soon to be 2.

Two months after Annie’s birth, Maria’s sister and only living sibling Sofia died in Santaquin on December 15, 1886. Family stories say she died in childbirth or with complications from a pregnancy. She had no children.

After her death, her husband John moved to Murray, an area some 10 miles south of Salt Lake City andabout 60 miles north of Santaquin.. There he lived for nearly 30 years, much of it in relative poverty. It doesn’t appear that he kept much contact with his Santaquin in-laws. In fact Andrew didn’t feel John was a good husband. So maybe the families parted on poor terms. When John died in 1916, Andrew was asked to put up the money to bring his body to be buried in Santaquin.35

Andrew and Maria built a home for their family in Santaquin; they also owned a farm about three milesnorth of Santaquin (going through the fields) in what became known as West Mountain. The farmland was purchased to provide work for his growing family of boys. There they raised mostly hay and grainssuch as wheat and barley. They also kept their horses there. The land was operated as a dry farm which was dependent on rainfall to make it produce. In a good year it would produce a mere 30 bushelsof wheat.36

Andrew built a two room log house on the West Mountain property so his family would have a place tostay when they were too busy to go back to Santaquin. This area was quite primitive at that time with coyotes, bobcats, skunks and other kinds of animals and snakes. A story is told that when Arthur was about seven years old, he went to the farm with his bother Alma. Arthur crawled into a culvert to chasea skunk out the other end. As the skunk came out, Arthur’s brother shot it, causing all the scent to go back into the culvert where Arthur was. Arthur had to wear his stinking clothes back to Santaquin, making him very ill from the smell. His mother smelled him coming. She had him take off his clothing, and she buried them.

At some unidentified point family story says a baby girl by the name of Irene Westring was brought by her father to Andrew and Maria to take care of. If Maria was involved, it had to be before she died in 1903. Irene’s mother supposedly had died leaving the father without anyone to care for her while he was away working. He asked if they’d take care of her, which they did for several years until her father remarried and came for her. It was hard to let her go after loving and caring for her that many years. 37

35Utah State Death certificate. Image online At Utah State Archives site, http://www.archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/20842.htm. His death place is given as Murray and his burial place as Santaquin. John died 21 January 1916. In Murray censuses John was listed as a day laborer. In his obituary he was called a “recluse” who was found dead in his “hovel.” The obituary appeared in several Utah newspapers on January 28, 1916. See Utah Digital Newspapers at http://digitalnewspapers.org/. According to family story John had no means and one among his acquaintances in Murray to bury him. His gravesite in Santaquin has not been identified.36After canals were built to irrigate the crops in the 1940s or so, the crop yield more than doubled.37 Mary Rasmussen’s narrative read “a baby girl by the name of Irene Westring was brought by her father to Andrew and Maria to take care of.” However, looking at census records there is no Irene Westring. There are Westrings living in Benjamin in the 1920 census, but none that quite fit the story. A Julius Westring in Hinckley, Millard County in 1900 had a daughter Annie born 1884 – the same year as Andrew and Maria’s son Arthur. Could it gave been her? Annie was born in 1891. In the 1900 Census she is living with her father and grandmother.

The leaders of the Church encouraged saints who immigrated to become citizens of the United States asquickly as possible. Utah Territory was viewed as a rebellious area because of the polygamy issue and because Mormons were viewed as being so overly loyal to their Church, leaders wanted to show that their members were also loyal to the country. Andrew became a United States citizen April 6, 1887 at the District Court in Provo. He probably wasn’t affected much by the federal government’s restrictive measures on Mormons in the territory though, since he never practiced polygamy.

Sadness came to the Hendrickson home in 1888 when John Alfred, who had been crippled from birth, had an accident. He had gone up Santaquin Canyon to get timber. He was helping to load a long pole, loading his end too quickly. As the other man put his end on the wagon, the end Alfred had loaded swung and hit him, breaking his back. There wasn’t any way at that time to repair the vertebrae so it healed leaving him even more crippled than before. He was 21 at the time.

Sometime after 1889, Lovisa Norrgård left the United States and returned to Finland. Where exactly she returned to is not known, but it was probably the Mustasaari-Vasa area where she had come from. The family said she was not happy in the United States and she missed her old country. No records have been found to verify when she left, where she went, or exactly when she died. Did she stay active in the Church? Was there a Church to go to in Finland yet that was close enough to where she lived? In November of 1888, at the age of 70, she went to the Manti Temple and received her endowments. Did she remain faithful to those temple covenants in Finland?38

In 1891 the family experienced another tragedy when Carl Andrew, whom they called Charlie, was just fourteen years old. He and three friends went to meet another friend. At that time the railroad was beingbuilt near the West Mountain family farm, and as it had reached a place that was called the Gap, workers had had to blast out some rock to go through it. The cans had been left behind with a small amount of blasting powder in each can. The boys had gone to the place after the workers had left it. They found the leftover powder and put it in their pockets. As they were returning to Sanaquin, they found a plank, and decided to put the powder on the plank in a line. Charlie was at the end of the plank as one of the boys set the powder on fire. It quickly followed the line of fire, and when it got to the end,it caused the powder in Charlie’s pockets to explode, setting his clothes on fire. The boys rolled him in a puddle of water and mud to put the fire out. They returned to Santaquin with Charlie only wearing a vest one of the boys had put on him. He died shortly afterward on 10 August 1891. What a horrible death, and what a shock for the family. Charlie's brother Arthur told of seeing his brother on fire. He was About 6 at the time. Even in his old age, he would tear up as he spoke of it.39

Andrew kept busy farming, shearing sheep, and doing carpentry work. He and his sons raised hay, grain and alfalfa – doing dry farming because there was no irrigation until after Andrew left the farm. Machinery for farming was fairly crude until after World War I. Andrew had a method of constructing buildings out of railroad ties without using any nails. It was a skill he learned in the Old Country. The way he would join the ties at the corners with spikes is a lost art. One of these buildings still stands on the George W. LeBaron Sr.’s property more than a hundred years later, and it is as strong as it ever was.

38 There are a few other questions that remain about Lovisa. Why did she not have the sealing to her husband performed when she went to the Manti Temple for her endowment? And why did she wait until her husband died to join the Mormon Church.39 Story as told by Carl's brother Arthur.

A history written ofthe early people ofSantaquin statesthat Andrew builtsection housesalong the UnionPacific Railroad,helped construct theschool house, theSecond WardChapel, the Miner’sUnion Hall, andmany homes inSantaquin andEureka.

Andrew was veryparticular ineverything he did.His hay stacks hadto be just right,every forkful fittingperfectly. Hisbuildings wereconstructed to last. And he was a perfectionist at shearing sheep. He had many horses that he took pridein. He kept them on the land at West Mountain. His sons liked to ride them and race them. He never fedthe horses hay in a trough. Instead he mixed straw and fine chaff and scattered it in small piles around the field so his animals were never bunched together. He commented that that is why he never lost a horse as other farmers did.

Andrew was inventive, a prime example of the old Finnish proverb which says, “If you want something, make it.” When grasshoppers infested their crops, he built a ‘cricket catcher” that his horseswould pull. After scooping up quantities of grasshoppers in the catcher, he and his boys would put themin sacks take them into town and get paid 10-15 cents for each bushel they brought in. He worked quickly and walked with a characteristically determined step.

THE CHILDREN LEAVE HOME

Within an eight-year period beginning in 1902 and ending in 1910 all the children in Andrew’s family married except John Alfred, and four family members of the family died.

Helena was first; she married Carl John Hyrum Sundstorm 15 January 1902 in the Salt Lake Temple. The family really liked Carl. He was quite a large person in contrast to Helena who was very petite. Hewas from Union, a little town by Murray, Utah. Carl was the son of Carl August Sundström who first introduced the gospel into Finland. He was nearly six years younger than his bride. After their marriagethey remained in Santaquin and lived near the Hendricksons.. Perhaps her help was needed in Andrew'shome to care for her mother/

Shed built by Andrew in Santaquin, Utah

A little over a year after Helena's marriage, on 17 April 1903, Maria died. She had been troubled with acough since she was nine years old.40 She was 59 years old, and she died without seeing a single grandchild. She was survived by her husband, six children ranging from the ages of 16 to 35, and one son-in-law. She had always stayed close to home, loved and cared for her family, and enjoyed her friends.

Maria never really learned to speak English, but she understood it. She wanted her children to remember the Swedish language, so only Swedish was spoken at home. Unfortunately, since the children never learned to read the language, they did not retain much of it. Arthur taught some of his grandchildren a few Swedish phrases, but he admitted he could not carry on a conversation in that language. Andrew learned English well, but always spoke with an accent. At times he was taken advantage of because of his accent. His wages were not always those agreed upon, and he did not always get the jobs he might have had. But there is no indication that he used those slights as an excuseto do less than his best.

After Maria’s death, Annie, and Helena who lived nearby, helped their dad and brothers keep order in the family home. On 11 July 1906 Alma Henry married Ruth Broadbent of Santaquin at the courthouse in Salt Lake City.He was 24 and she was 17. Ruth’s mother signed the marriage application and vouched that her daughter was of age to marry without parental consent though the legal age was really 18.

Alma was the second of Andrew and Maria’s children to marry, but he was the first to give them a grandchild. Andrew was 65 years old at the time his first grandchild was born. The child, a girl born February 2, 1907, was named TorzaRuth. Alma and Ruth eventually became the parents of ten children, seven of whom lived to maturity.

Alma would have loved to remain in Santaquin as a farmer, but he could not afford to do so. Sometimeafter 1910 and before 1920 he moved his family to Eureka, Utah, where he worked in the mines.41

On April 10, 1907, two months afterRuth gave birth to Torza, Helena gave birth to her first and only child, a girl who was named Marie Edna. The baby died the day she was born. Andrew was listed as the undertaker for the child. A week later on April 17, Helena died of Bright’s disease, a severe kidney

40 Family information passed down by Arthur.

West Mountain farm with Arthur, son Elmon, and grandsonShirl

condition often associated with childbirth. Her death occurred four years to the day after the death of her mother. She was thirty two years old. What sadness Helena’s and baby Maria’s deaths must have brought to the family. It may have cast a somber shadow over the normal birth of Alma’s daughter.

Carl Sundstrom married again the following year to a Santaquin girl, Jenny Borgeson. Carl and Jenny stayed in Santaquin a few more years then they moved to Salt Lake City where Carl worked at the copper smelter for many years.42 Andrew’s children did not maintain much contact with the Sundstrom family after that. Carl and Jenny had ten children, seven of whom lived to maturity. Jenny died in April 1923, soon after the birth of her last baby just as Helena had done.43

Anna (or Annie) continued to care for the family home in Santaquin for a few more years after her mother and Helena passed away. She married Lee Shepherd Montague in December 29, 1909, at the courthouse in Provo, Utah. Lee was from Payson, and he worked at various jobs over the years. He began as a farmer, later he was a sheepman, and in the 1940s he worked as a constructor of sewers. Oneof his nephews remembers him working at Kegley Quarry about five miles southwest of Payson where dolomite was excavated and for the refining of steel.

Annie and Lee continued to live with Andrew for a time. In 1910 they were in his household; in 1920 they are still in Santaquin, though it is hard to tell whether they were still with Andrew. He was listed with the wrong family in that census, and it’s hard to tell where he’s supposed to be. By 1930 the Shepherds were in their own home on the east side of Payson.

Annie of all the children appears to have been less refined than other women. Perhaps it was because she was still a teenager when her mother died and she was mostly around her older brothers, or perhapsit was because she was the youngest in the family. Though it is said that she kept a clean house, cookedwell, and always had a treat for nieces and nephews who dropped in during breaks from school, her language was said to be course and on the crude side and that she used swear words freely. As for Lee, he was often seen loitering on the street corners or playing pool in the local pool hall.

Annie and Lee had one son, Lloyd Andrew born in 1911 while they were still living in Andrew’s home.Lloyd fell from a tree as a child, and his cousins say he was “not quite right” after that. His voice was high and nasal, and his conversation disconnected. He lived at home much of his life. But sometime after 1940 when the census was taken, he was placed in an institution in Provo where he died in 1961.

August Moroni married Jennie Johnson of Santaquin on 18 May 1910 in the Salt Lake Temple. This was about five months after Annie married. When they went to the temple, Andrew and John Alfred went too, and Andrew had John Alfred and his four deceased children sealed to himself and Maria. The family also did endowments and baptisms for Andrew’s parents and some of his brothers. Because these records contained the death dates of his family members, we assume that Andrew kept some contact with his family in Finland after he left. Those dates are not all correct however.

Less than three months after Andrew had his older children sealed to him, on August 7, 1910, John Alfred died. Family story says he went out to shut the door of the chicken coop for the night and fell and broke his neck. The family had been tearing down a shed and lumber was lying on the ground. As he returned to the house, he tripped and fell over a piece wood. Also in the family story, he and Irene, the young girl who lived with them, were home alone. Irene wondered why he had not returned and

41 1920 U.S Federal Census. Juab County42 U.S. Censuses Utah, Salt Lake County for several years.43 Utah State Death Certificates online at http://www.archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/20842.htm

went outside and found him. His sudden death brought shock and sadness again to the family. He was only forty-three years of age, but had certainly had plenty of trials in his lifetime.44 Whether the family story is true or not. The death certificate lists the cause of death as a heart problem.45

Later that year, on November 10, 1910, Arthur married Edna LeBaron of Santaquin in Provo, Utah. They lived with Andrew for a while when they were first married.

With the children all on their own, Andrew decided to divide his property. His big items were his home in Santaquin and the farm in West Mountain. He built a room on the back of his house for himself before he gave the rest of his home to his children. He wanted Arthur to have it, but Art said it should go to Al because Al was older. So Al got the house and Arthur got the farm. Al lived there for a while until his daughter got severely burned. Her medical bills were high and he found he did not have enough land to farm to pay the bills. He then went to work in the mines at Eureka and Park City. Anna and Lee took the home for a while until they moved to Payson. So August and his family ultimately inherited the house.

Arthur settled on the West Mountain farm in 1914, and began to make improvements. Andrew loved to come to the farm and help build the out buildings. He would stay with Art and Edna for extended periods of time while he helped. The first log house they built was a crude two-room structure. In the winter, snow would blow through the spaces between the logs and cover the family in their sleep. The house wasn’t improved until about 1919. By then Arthur had five children.

Andrew continued to raise a garden and care for the fruit trees on his Santaquin property. He never accumulated much wealth, but when family came to visit him, he would always find some treat for them from the orchard or garden. Even in winter he would dig into the apple bin in the cellar looking for the best apples to share, though the best might already be withered.

World War I which lasted from 1914-1918 touched the lives of the family lightly. The three living sons were in their 30s, all married and living in Santaquin at the time. Technically they were too old to serveas soldiers and their children were too young. But when the call came for all males 18-45 years of age to register for the draft, Andrew's family did so. August, Alma, and Arthur registered at the draft board in Provo on September 12, 1918. Annie’s husband Lee also registered that day. Each said that he was a self- employed farmer and that he was of medium height and build and had brown or light hair and gray or blue eyes.46

Andrew was a very thoughtful, generous person. Olive Greenhalgh, a sister-in-law to Arthur tells of herdaughter Velda being so ill they did not think she would live. She would not eat a thing and was growing weaker by the day. Andrew would pass their home as he walked to town, and he would alwaysstop and ask how the little girl was doing. One day he brought two pretty, red, polished apples, and saidto give them to the little girl. Velda looked at them for a while and then wanted to taste one. From then on she began to eat, and soon she fully recovered.

Andrew always walked every place he went, and kept in very good physical condition. His granddaughter, LaNeta tells of him going along the railroad tracks picking up coal. He would fill two large bags with the coal, put one bag on each shoulder and carry them home. All the men on the trains

44 Undocumented story from the original history written by Mary H. Rasnussen 45 Utah State Death certificate. Image online At Utah State Archives site, http://www.archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/20842.htm. 46 World War I Draft Registration Cards available at Ancestry.com

knew him, and would wave to him and push off extra coal for him. His grandson, Elmon recalls when the railroad crews would replace the railroad ties, Andrew would carry the old ties, one on each shoulder about one mile to their home. He used those ties in building sheds and other outbuildings. He was unbelievably strong for a small man.

LaNeta felt a special kinship with her grandfather. He talked with her and teased. He said he really liked being with her because she looked most like Maria of all his offspring.

Elmon vividly remembers a time when he was six or seven years old that Andrew reached down and put his hand on his head, saying to Arthur, “Dis is a gud boy Art.” After that Elmon never wanted to disappoint his grandpa.

Edna told how Andrew always liked a hot drink for his breakfast, usually coffee when he stayed with her and Arthur. She would make him some each morning. One morning, after attending stake conference where the Word of Wisdom was preached, he told her not to make him any coffee that morning, and that he would tell her when to make it for him again. He never asked for it again as long as he lived. This must have been a major sacrifice for him since coffee drinking was likely a large partof his life. Finns are well known for their coffee consumption. In 1830's a coffee pot boiled in almost every cottage in West-Finland where our Hendricksons came from.47

Andrew loved being at Arthur’s home, and was always very complimentary about any food or care he was given when staying with them. He especially appreciated Edna's bread which he loved with sugar;and the butter she gave him was a luxury he did not always get elsewhere. Another food he ate, that came with him from the Old Country was “clabber,” which is simply soured, curdled milk made from milk that is unpasteurized.

Descendants of August’s family do not have the tender stories that Arthur’s descendants do. Perhaps thefact they shared the same house made a difference. Or it may have been that August's older girls were nearing their teen years and expected things their grandfather didn't deliver. Perhaps Andrew tried to discipline August’s children. For whatever reason, one of Andrew’s great-grandchildren from Sadie's (Sarah's) family said, “Our mother hated her Grandpa.” Did she have specifics to add? None that she could remember. So we can only speculate. One thing Arthur’s wife Edna recalled was that August’s wife Jenny limited the butter and sugar he could have and it disappointed him.

In later years, Andrew was plagued with poor eyesight. There were times when he would come to the West Mountain farm along the railroad track and walk several miles past it before he realized he had gone too far.

Andrew remained a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his life. He advanced through the priesthood offices of elder, seventy and high priest during his adult life. In most of the priesthood meeting minutes, he is listed as being in attendance, and in some he said prayers.48

He was concerned about his extended family in his later years enough to subscribe to a genealogical publication created by the Church. In addition to attending to the sealings for his wife and children, he did some temple work for other family members. This temple work was primarily done in 1884 and

47 Information available at several websites. For example, “Coffee as a Finnish Institution” by Taija Ojaniemi, a research paper, Spring 2010 (US) at http://www15.uta.fi/FAST/FIN/GEN/to-coffe.html. 48 Seventies Minuted for LDS Nebo Stake (Utah) on microfilm at Church History Library (Salt Lake City)

1910. Genealogical work for the family was carried on by his son, Arthur in the 1950's to 60s after all Arthur's brothers and sisters were gone.

Andrew kept active until the time of his death. The day before his death he seemed to be well. He was alone when he died on November 12, 1926. August’s family was away for the night. The next morning when they came to his room, he had died. He was eighty five years old and had been widowed for morethan 23 years.

He was survived by one daughter, three sons, and nineteen living grandchildren. His wife and six of hischildren preceded him in death.

Three years after Andrew’s death, Alma Henry died on October 1, 1929 following a mine accident. Alma was 48 years of age. August Moroni died the following year, on June 1, 1930 of cancer at age 50, Anna Cecilia died August 28, 1944 of cerebral hemorrhage at age 57. Arthur Fredrick lived nearly 40 more years after his last sibling died. He he died October 31, 1983, a month shy of his 99th birthday. Andrew, Maria, Helena, Carl, Alfred, August, Alma, and Arthur are buried in the Santaquin Cemetery. Anna is buried in the Payson Cemetery.

Andrew was sealed to his parents 27 August 1953 in the Salt Lake Temple and Maria was sealed to hers on 29 June 1955 also in Salt Lake.

What a heritage Andrew and Maria left for their posterity. Through their courage, determination, heartaches and sacrifices, they made the world a better place for each one of us. They certainly left a name to be proud of. Andrew is described in the book about Santaquin and its settlers as honest, industrious, conservative and devout.

THE CHILDREN GRANDCHILDREN OF ANDREW AND MARIAHENDRICKSON

Alexander (1864-1865) Born and died in Finland No children

John Alfred (1867-1910) Born in Finland died in SantaquinNot married

Maria Andrietha (1870-1874) Born and died in Sweden

Amanda Sofia (1873-1874) Born and died in Sweden

Children of Helena Louisa Hendrickson (1875-1907) and Carl John Hyrum SundstromEdna Marie born and died 10 April 1907

Carl Andrew (1877-1891) born and died in Santaquin, Utah Children of August Moroni Hendrickson (1879-1930) and Jennie Johnson

Sarah Marie born 7 June 1912 Ira Ward born 16 July 1913Ora Elaine born 24 November 1917Reva Usslear born 10 September 1925.

Children of Alma Henry Hendrickson (1881-1929) and Ruth Broadbent Torza Ruth born 12 February 1907Alma Wayne, born 25 October 1908Devere born 16 September 1910 (died at two months)Bernice born 2 February 1912Sarah born 16 June 1913 (died at 5 months)Ellis James born 8 December 1914Byron Max born 4 February 1917Zoella born 4 May 1918a Baby girl born and died 25 June 1924Maurine born 3 June 1925.

Children of Arthur Fredrick Hendrickson (1884-1983) and Edna LeBaron Arthur LeMar born 9 July 1911LaNeta born 27 October 1912George Welton born 15 March 1914Rulon Andrew born 26 December 1916Elmon Jay born 11 August 1919Ross Karl born 10 April 1924Milton Dale born 4 November, 1926Mary Edna born 7 December 1928.

Children of Anna Cecelia Hendrickson (1886-1944) and Lee Shepherd MontagueLloyd Andrew born 23 August 1911

Semi-complete List of Sources

Ancestral File. Salt Lake City: Intellectual reserve, 2000.Barton, H. Arnold, Letters from the Promised Land: Swedes in America, Minneapolis, Minn.:

University of Minnesota Press, 1975. “Chronology of Finnish History” Virtual Finland website sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

in Helsinki, Finland. “Finnish Famine of 1860s.” Translated by Helena & Markus Levlin. Published by Medlemsblad för

Levälä Släktförening. Levälä Sukuseuran Jäsenlehti, February 1985, No. 7, SFHS Newsletter 1993, Vol. 2, No. 1.

Internet International Genealogical Index. (Salt Lake City: Intellectual reserve, 2006) Ordinance records verified here and also from original microfilms of temple records for Endowment House and Salt Lake Temple.

Jensen, Andrew. History of the Scandinavian Mission. (Salt Lake City: Desseret News Press, 1927) (FHL book 948 K2j)

Kruunupyy (Kronoby), Finland. Church Records. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah 1949).(FHL films 67028-30) Baptism, marriage, death, clerical surveys, move in and out records.

Mustasaari (Korsholm), Finland. Church Records. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949). (FHL films 67314-15.

Nebo Stake (Utah) Seventies records at the LDS Church History Library, Salt Lake CityNew York Passenger Lists. (Ancestry.com internet site) (Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com., 2006)Passport to Paradise : the Copenhagen "Mormon" passenger lists. Compiled, translated and indexed

by Shauna C. Anderson, Ruth Ellen Maness, Susan Easton Black. (West Jordan, Utah: GenealogicalServices, 2000. ) (FHL book 973 W3a)

Santaquin (Utah) Ward Records. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1950.) (FHL film 27323)

Santaquin through the Years 1856-1956 by Elma Fowkes. [S.l. s.n., 1956]Sonne: Conway B. Ships, saints and mariners : a maritime encyclopedia of Mormon migration, 1830-

1890. (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987). (FHL book 973 W2ss)Sundstrom, Carl August. “My Diary 1846-1876: an account of the day-to-day services of Carl August

Sundstrom as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” Translated diary compiled by Joseph W.. Holden, 1954. (Copy in possession of Patsy Hendrickson, writer of this history)

Svenska kyrkan. Sundsvalls stadsförsamling. Kyrkoböcker, 1714-1911. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah 1951) (FHL film 453221)

Sundsvall (Sweden) Branch records. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1951-2.) (FHL film 82946 items 2-5)

Sverige. Statistiska Centralbyrån (Västnorrlands län. Utdrag ur ministerialböcker, födda, vigda, döda, 1860-1920. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1988) (FHL film 201335)

Taped interview of Arthur Hendrickson by Steven Hendrickson a grand nephew in 1976 when Arthur was 93 years old.

United States Federal Population Schedules for 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930, 1940. (Ancestry.com internet site) (Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com., 2006)

Utah County Naturalization Index 1860-1989. (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989). (FHL film 1643989 item 1)

Utah, World War I Selective Service System draft registration cards, 1917-1918. . (Ancestry.com internet site) Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com., 2006

Vaasa Passports 1818-1920. Helsinki : Valtionarkisto, 1986. (FHL film 1406033)

Websites

Brage Open-Air Museum near Vasa website - http://www.elisanet.fi/vasa.brage/index_eng.htm. - This site highlights the museum outside Vasa, depicting many aspects if early farm life among the peasants.

HisKi Project - http://hiski.genealogia.fi/historia/indexe.htm - indexes many parish records of Finland. Use the “history books” link. Especially helpful for Kronoby/

Swedish Finn Historical Society - http://finlander.genealogia.fi/sfhswiki/index.php/Home_Page - This website was created in 1991 by a group of Swedish Finna in Washington State to gather and preserve the emigration history of Swedish Finns across the world, to connect Swedish Finns to their roots in Finland, and to honor our cultural heritage.