Married Christine Pedersdatter 22 April 1837 in Denmark
Christian-Lars-Peter-Afton
Died 19 August 1862 in Denmark
I, Nellie Rex Christiansen Christensen, a great granddaughter of Christian Johansen Christofferson - will attempt to write a brief history of my Paternal Great Grandfather, Christian Johansen Christoffersen, (Confirmation Record) - as Christian Johansen Christiansen, (Branch Record). and as Christian Hansen (Military Record.)
He was the son of Dorthea Nielsen and Christoffer (surname not known) - may have been Christiansen as shown for son on Branch Records. Christian was born the 9th of Dec 1811 in Fuglsbolle, Svendborg, Denmark - and died 19, Aug. 1862, at Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark at the age 50 years 8 months and 4 days. Buried at Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark. We learned from our Danish genealogist John Christiansen (no relative) that the Mother Dorthea Nielsen who was a daughter of Niels Hans Ryman and Hanna Christine Danielsen - was courted by a Sea Captain or Seaman who returned to Sea duty and never returned. As the Danish always used the first or given name and added "sen" - we feel his Father's name must have been Christoffer; hence the surname being Christoffersen on the early records for the son.
The Mother Dorthea Nielsen was born in 1791 at Longelse, Svendborg, Denmark and died in between 1815-1820. Christian was raised by great aunt Hanna Ryemann. His mother Dorthea was never married to the Sea Captain as far as we can determine. The Father probably never knew about the son. We have never learned about his boyhood except his belief in the Bible Scriptures. The Church (Lutheran) where records were kept of his family burned down and the records were destroyed. (Our genealogist found this out.) Someday we hope someone may be able to search farther on his records, somehow.
When Christian was a young man he met and married Christiana Petersen on April 22, 1837 at Bostrup, Langeland, Svendborg, Denmark (Christiana Petersen). Her parents were Peder Hansen and Anna Marie Lisbet Larsen. Her father Peder Hansen lived to be 95 years old and when he was 94 he walked 12 miles a day. When visiting friends he would card wool. (No wonder I love to crochet or do sewing when I watch T.V., I've inherited this attribute.) When Christian was a young man he worked on a big estate that belonged to another man. He tended 8 acres and lived in two rooms. The cattle were stabled on one side adjacent to the living quarters. Later other families lived in the same house - probably workers on this same Estate. A few years after this Christian and family moved to another parish (Harrested, Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark) where they had more land to work.
They always worked hard to make a living for themselves and families. They had seven children eventually. Namely Peter Christiansen born 30 Jan. 1835 at Fabeck, Bostrup Denmark. Niels Christiansen born 13 June 1838 at Harrested, Soro, Denmark. Hanne Marie Christiansen was born 8 May 1840 at Harrested, Soro, Denmark. Lars Hans Christiansen was born 6 Mar. 1844 at Harrested, Soro, Denmark. (He was my grandfather - Nellie's.) Jens Christiansen born 19 May 1846 at Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark. Hans Christiansen born 20 Jan. 1849 at Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark. Marie Dorthea born 8 May 1852, (On some records her Surname is listed as Christoffersen and others as Christiansen.) at Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark. The reason these children went by name Christiansen is because of custom in Denmark and Norway they always used as a surname the given name of the Father and added "sen". This is called patronymics. At one time the Father and some sons talked about sailing around the Cape of Good Hope into California, U. S. A. during the Gold Strike there. This never materialized due to health problems.
All the family were Lutherans by religion and spent much time reading and studying the Bible. The eldest son Peter told his life story to his daughter Mary Smith is his latter life and told about a time in his life when "he says he was always religiously inclined, and was an ardent Bible student." "The Bible was used as a text book in School." "He became so well versed that the Priest wanted him to become a minister, as he could answer many questions." When he was fifteen years old, he was confirmed by the Pastor. "He offered him a years support in college if he would become a Minister." "This the Father Christian would not let him do, as he could not afford to help him otherwise" Peter also told his daughter Mary Smith of Thornton, Idaho - about his brother Lars Hans Christiansen (my grandfather) had studied (some time later) for the Lutheran Ministry for about 3 years, when he came in contact with the "Mormon Missionaries".
After hearing their message and their testimonies of its truthfulness, he believed and was soon baptized in 1862. (My Aunt and I tried to find the exact date of his baptism, but were not successful.) (We do know he was the first to be converted in the family as his brothers have mentioned this several times.) The Father Christian Johansen Christofferson seemed to be failing in health and his son Lars Hans was anxious that he should receive the truth also. Therefore he took a Book of Mormon and went to see his Father and Mother. It took Christian only one day and one night to read the Book of Mormon after being told about the Missionaries. The Father was truly convinced of its truthfulness and was baptized on 3rd June 1862, into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Lars Hans was baptized November 19, 1862. The eldest son Peter became very concerned when he heard his Father had joined the `Mormons'. Let me quote here the exact words Peter wrote in his Biography given to me by his daughter Mary Smith.
It was the taunting words of the Village gossip that caused me to stop plowing that pleasant day in the Spring of 1861 or (62) and hastened to my father's home. "Hey Peter Christiansen" she called when in my plowing I came near to the Village street. "You wouldn't be holding your head so high or think yourself so great if you knew what I know about your parents." Plainly I heard her, waved a greeting and went on hurrying to get away from her voice. Along the fence she followed chuckling. Soon she called again "Oh, you may make it appear that you can't hear me or care, but other people know that your father and mother are very friendly with the Mormons." Determinedly I went on up the field from her amused laughter and loud taunting voice. I was not going to let her know that her words had disturbed me or that I paid any attention to her foolish gossip. But as soon as she was out of sight I went to the house calling to my wife to hurry and dress as we were going to visit my Mother and Father. Plainly she showed her surprise that I would quit plowing in the early afternoon and go visiting. My best team was rapidly hooked to our carriage, and as we drove along the pleasant road, I told my wife what I had heard. Arriving at my parents house Christian Johansen and Christiana Petersen Christoffersen's home, we were greeted pleasantly. In a little while my mother had taken my wife to the kitchen to prepare a nice meal, for we must have the best when we came visiting. Silence reigned in my fathers sick room. Now that I was here, how was I to ask the hated question. Father turned and with a quizzical look asked, "What is it my son? What has brought you here this busy day?" "Is it true that you and Mother have become Mormons?" "Yes," he replied. "Why, oh why have you taken such a foolish step?" My father who was very ill turned and pointed to a book that lay on the table, said "I am too tired to answer your question son, but stay with me tonight and read that book and I believe the answer will be given to you." We stayed and when all was quiet and my father asleep, I picked up the book and read the title - "The Book of Mormon" - and began reading. When early morning light began to fill the room, I turned to my father and saw that he was awake and watching me. I laid the book down trying to appear uninterested. In answer to his query, "Well how did you like the reading?" I answered "Oh it is good as a history of many battles."
(I, Nellie, did not get the rest of this account as Dwinna Bennett (Peter's granddaughter) had misplaced the rest of the account and we never went back to see if they'd found it at her home in Pocatello. I had read it before.) Peter sometime later joined the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The Lars Hans Family Book says Dec. 29, 1862. Christian Johansen Christoffersen passed away on the 19 Aug 1862 and is buried in Slots-Bjergby Soro, Denmark. His widow Christiana (Christine) as she was called, remarried on Mar. 13, 1863 to Hans Olson in Denmark. Later she and her husband and other family members came to America and settled in Hyrum, Utah where her four sons - Peter, Lars Hans, Jens and Hans were living having come to America earlier. Peter and Hans came in 1863 - Lars Hans came in 1864 after going on a mission while living in Denmark. Jens came in 1864 - all settling in Hyrum, Utah. Marie Dorthea did come with her Mother Christiana as she was a young teenager at home when her Mother and Stepfather Hans Olson came to America. (Just an interesting note here - Hans Olson became the Father of Mrs. William Bickmore who lived in Downey, Idaho for many years - (by his 3rd wife). Christiana had died in 1884 - 6th of Nov. in Hyrum, Cache, Utah) Two children, Niels Christiansen and Hanna Christiansen never came to America or even joined the L. D. S. Church. Niels (2nd son) was in the military in Denmark and Hanna Marie (eldest daughter) was married and living with her husband Hans Christian Jensen, in Denmark. They had 5 children and they were all born by Aug 1864.
The eldest son of Christian and Christiana,(1) Peter Christiansen left for America April 30, 1863, accompanied by his 1st wife Ane Petersen and four children Elizabeth, Lars Peter, Hannah, and Hans Peter - a brother Hans Christiansen 14 years old, and possible brother Jens Christiansen 17 years old, as well as his brother Lars Han's fiancee Anna Sophia Rassmussen. Jens came to America in April 1864 immediately after his brother, Lars, baptized him into the LDS Church. They were with a large company of Saints enroute for Utah. In Utah Peter married in polygamy 2nd wife Maren Olson 2, July 1864 (a single lady who came with Peter's family from Denmark.), 3rd wife Ane Marie Hansen on 25 May 1867 in Utah. (2)Niels Christiansen married Ingerbore Jorgensen Kaae on 6 Feb. 1866 in Denmark. They had only one child Anna Christiansen. Niels died in June 1870 in Denmark. His wife died one year later. (3)Hanna Marie C. married Hans Christian Jensen on 17, July 1858. He died (no date) and she married a Mr. Poulsen - they had one son Charles. (I have a Photo of her and Poulsen and son Charles, but we don't have dates to have him sealed to Mother). Hanna Marie died 30 July 1912 in Denmark. (4)Lars Hans Christiansen came to America (after fulfilling a mission) in 1864 and married Anna Sophia Rasmussen on 30 Dec. 1865 in in Hyrum, Utah. He married Annie Dorthea Sorensen 26 April 1874 in polygamy. (5) Jens Christiansen came to America and married Martha Ericksen 23 May 1870 - died 9 Feb. 1907 in Hyrum Utah. (6) Hans Christiansen came to America - married Ane Marie Poulsen 29 Nov 1867 - He died 22 June 1879 at Hyrum, Utah. (7) Marie Dorthea Christoffersen came to America - married Jens Dragsted 17, Aug 1870 - and later to Wilhelm Andersen - She died in July, 1923 in Utah. (4) Lars Hans Christiansen (my grandfather) died on 25 April 1904 in Hyrum, Utah at age 60.
Addendum
Additional new information has been found on the life of Christian J. Christoffersen since the previous history was written. The LDS Church records in Denmark shows Christian's birth date as 9 Dec 1811. We believe this date to be correct and the previous date of 15 Dec 1811 is not the birth date but the date he was christened in the Lutheran Church. The first Parish Record found was when Christian was Confirmed in the church in the Fuglsbolle Parish in 1826, at age 14. At that time his guardian was Hanna Ryemann, who is a sister of Christian's grandfather, Niels Hansen Ryemann (Ryman). Therefore, we believe he was raised by his Great Aunt Hanna Ryemann.
The Military Levying Rolls are taken every three years in Denmark for all males. It shows their age, where they lived, and the name of their parent(s). The first entry Christian appears on is in 1812 before the age of 1, living in Fuglsbolle, only parent listed is Dorothea Nielsdatter. He is also listed in Fuglsbolle in 1815, 1821, and 1824. The record shows he moved to Skrobelev on Langeland Island where he resides in 1827, 1830, 1833, and 1836. In 1837 he moved to Sludstrup in Soro County where he was found in 1839 and 1842. The record in 1842 in Sludstrup has a line through the name Christian Hansen and written below it is Christian Johansen Christoffersen. In 1844 his residence changes to Slots Bjergby when he was age 33. This is the last military record we found.
In Denmark the census records jump from 1801 to 1834 with none taken in between. On the 1834 census it shows Christian living on a farm in Bostrup, Langeland Island, as an unmarried worker with ten people living on the farm. This entry is recorded in the Lars Hans Christiansen Book on page 5. The master of the farm is Anders Rasmussen, age 43, his wife, five children, a grandmother, and two unmarried workers with Christian being one of them. There is a marriage record in the same town, Bostrup, of Christian to Christiana Pedersen, age 28, on 22 April 1837. The Bostrup Parish records show that Christian and Christiana left the parish and moved to Harrested on 25 April 1837, only three days after they were married.
The country of Denmark is made up of many islands between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The two main islands where our ancestors lived between 1800 and 1863 are Langeland and Sjaelland. Langeland is a small, long, and narrow island about 20 miles long and 3 miles wide. It is a short distance southeast of the island of Fyn (Odense). Further to the northeast is the island of Sjaelland, which is a large island with the capitol of Copenhagen on the east coast. On the southwest side of the island is the county of Soro, where the family lived between 1835-1864. The island of Langeland was in Tranekaer County prior to 1807 and in Svendborg County after 1807.
In Peter Christiansen's Life History, compiled by David Barkdull, is more information about their family life in Denmark. The next five paragraphs are a direct quote from that life history.
"When Peter was born, his parents were living in Faebaek, on the Island of Langelands. Peter's parents had seven children, Peter being the oldest. Their first home had only two living rooms for the entire family to live in. Like most farm houses in those days, the farm animals were stabled in the house but in another section. In addition, two other families lived in the house. Peter's father was a hard working man. He farmed eight acres of land. The farm on which they lived was part of the estate of a rich landlord. They lived in Faebaek for a few years after Peter was born. By 1838, Christian had moved the family to Harrested on the island of Sjaelland. While living in Harrested, three more children were born to Christian and Christiane. Two boys and a girl. Niels, born 13 June 1838, Lars Hans born 6 March 1844, and Hanna Marie born 8 May 1840.
In 1844, when Peter was nine years old, his father again moved the family. This time, it was not as long a move as the one from Faebaek had been, because they were moving to the small village of Slots Bjergby about one and a half miles away. In Slots Bjergby, Peter's father Christian, had twice as much land to work as he had in Harrested. Even though this meant more work for Christian, the family was better off because of the added income he was able to earn. Christian was a very religious and God fearing man. He was a diligent student of the Bible and would gather his family together for regular scripture reading and prayer.
In 1862, Mormon Elders, missionaries, were preaching their new gospel to the people in the area. Most people didn't accept or even want to hear what the Mormon Elders had to say. Many stories were going around about these strange ministers. Many said they had come from America to try to lure them to their secret places in the mountains. However, Peter's parents became interested in what these men of God were preaching and invited them to their home."
From Peter's history is two paragraphs about when Peter learned his parents had joined the Mormon Church. Nellie quotes Peter in Christian Christoffersen's life history. At the point where Nellie says she did not get the rest of this account because Dwinna Bennett had misplaced it, a complete copy of Peter's life history gave us the missing part as follows:
"Later, the Mormon Elders visited Peter and his family who had become interested in this new religion, the "restored gospel" of Jesus Christ. The Elders left tracts with the Christiansen family which they read and studied and prayed about. Peter's brother Hans, had also been deeply impressed by what the Mormon Elders had been teaching. So on 29 Dec 1862, Peter, Anne and Hans were all baptized into the Mormon Church." This is the end of the quotes from Peter's Life History.
In the Slots-Bjergby Parish Records are birth records for the three youngest children of Christian Christoffersen who are Jens, Hans, and Marie Dorthea Christiansen. The date of births was the same as on the Family Group Sheet. There is confirmation records on Jens and Hans on this film, but Marie Dorthea was too young (11) before they left Slots-Bjergby and came to America. We found a death record on Christian Johansen Christoffersen at age 50. The date of death is 22 Aug 1862 and the burial date is 27 Aug 1862. This date is a little different than we previously had recorded, which was 19 Aug 1862. Vaughn says the births and confirmations for Niels, Hanne Marie, and Lars Hans Christiansen are in the Sludstrup Parish Records.
On the film of the Probate Records in Soro County in 1852-1865, are three different places in the records that refers to Christian Johansen Christoffersen. On the date of 4 Sep 1862 there is a short paragraph with 12 lines that mentions his name. On the date 24 Sep 1862 is a second paragraph of 10 lines that mentions Christine Pedersen and Christian Johansen Christoffersen. On the date 11 Feb 1863 is the complete probate records containing all the numbers and signatures. It lists all of Christian Johansen Christoffersen's children and at the end of the last page is the following signatures: Christiane Pedersen, Peder Christiansen, Niels Christiansen, Lars Hansen Christiansen, Hans Christian Jensen (Husband of Hanne Marie Christiansen), Jens Pedersen Hansen (Vaughn determined this was the sheriff).
The following section is about Dorthea Nielsen, who was the mother of Christian Johansen Christoffersen.
We have been unable to find a birth or death record on Dorothea Nielsen, mother of Christian Johansen Christoffersen. On the 1801 census records for the island of Langeland, we found the family of Dorothea Nielsen in the town of Longelse, but Dorothea (at age 10) was not listed with the family. Her father, mother and two younger sisters were listed. We have been unable to find out where Dorothea Nielsen was living when the 1801 census was taken. It could have been with her aunt, Hanne Ryemann who raised Christian Christoffersen, but this has not been found on the 1801 census.
On the Fuglsbolle Parish Records in 1815 we found a birth record for a Daniel Jorgensen. The mother is listed as Dorthea Nielsdatter Rymann of Fuglsbolle and the father is Jorgen Hansen of Tullebolle. The record says they were unmarried and Dorthea's two sisters, Karen and Kirsten are listed as witnesses. This information seems to indicate that Dorothea did not die in 1811 or 1812 as believed. We also found the boys death record in 1820 at the age of 4 1/2 years. The death record has another lady as the mother, but the Parish Index shows the birth and death records as being the same person. The mother listed is Dorthe Kirstine Rasmus Datter. Vaughn
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