Anne Poulsdatter

Born (christened) 16 Mar 1800 to Kirsten Hansdatter and Poul Andersen
Married Nis Christensen 20 April 1831 in Denmark
Anne-Hans-Norman-Howard
Died in 1888

All this comes from a history Forthilda Iverson Funk wrote about her mother, Ane Dorthe Nisdatter (Anna Nisson Iverson). Ane Dorthe was Nis and Anne’s oldest daughter. I’m just going to quote directly from the history because the beginning has a lot about Nis and Anne.


Anna Dortea Nisson Iverson was born May 13, 1835, in Vium, Hemmet, Denmark. She was the daughter of Nis Christensen and Anna Poulsdatter. When she was about ten months old and in the nurse’s care, she fell and injured her hip. She cried a great deal, but her injury was unnoticed until she was old enough to walk. She was very slow in learning to walk and limped on one leg. There were no doctors in the town to help her overcome her affliction. As she grew, it was discovered that she could not run or play games or do heavy work such as milking, making cheese, cleaning the barns, and field work as was the custom of Scandinavian girls. Her father and mother felt very badly that Anna Dortea was not strong and active like the other children. She was especially loved and tenderly cared for and every consideration was shown her by her parents, three brothers and one sister.

They decided that Anna Dortea should have as good an education as could be had at that time. She became an apt student and a beautiful penman. The family belonged to the Lutheran Church, and so she memorized many chapters and quotations from the Bible which caused the pastor to be especially attracted to her. She also learned dressmaking and millinery. Her house and home life were very beautiful.

Her father owned a large farm or estate which required much help besides that of the family. Her brothers learned other trades besides the farming, one of which was basket making.

Anna Dortea’s father had houses built for his workers on his farm and she often took her sewing and would visit with these families. It was in one of these homes that she learned of Mormonism. The Missionaries had come to this home and preached the Gospel. At one time when she was visiting, the missionaries were there and talked of the Gospel to her. Anna told her parents about this new religion. She became very interested and after study and prayer, she believed that it was the truth. She told her parents that she would like to become a member of the Church. They replied that it was a very serious thing, but she was old enough to know and to decide for herself. One of the missionaries whom she knew well from learning of the Gospel came to her home and talked to her parents about her baptism. They again stated that if she wanted to have it done, and if that would make her happy, that they would consent. She was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints in 1857.

Real sorrow came when they wanted to emigrate to America. Her father had taken it for granted that the missionary and Anna Dortea were to be married at that time, which was not their intention. He offered them deeds to a home and land in Denmark, but Anna Dortea was determined to go to Zion, so her father gave her the money to take her there. There were many converts of the Church and all were anxious to emigrate and go to Zion in order that they might be with other members of the Church.

When the minister of the Lutheran Church learned of Anna’s Conversion and baptism, he was very much concerned and came to talk to her father and asked him not to let her have the money to emigrate. He told all kinds of stories about the Mormons. Anna’s father told the minister that he had told Anna that she could have the money and that he would not go back on his word.

Her parents knew nothing of America, excepting that it was a new country and had to he pioneered. This meant that their daughter would have hardships that she had never known and would be very far away from those that loved her so very much.



Later on Forthilda writes that “Anna wrote her parents in Denmark as often as she could, but it was not an easy task. Stamps and paper were difficult to get, and the chance of getting to Salt Lake to buy them were rare. The mail had to be forwarded by missionaries and it was sometimes months between letters.”

Forthilda also mentions Anna’s two brother who came to the US (Hans is our ancestor):

Anna Dortea had one brother, Neils, that was very bitter towards the Mormons, and the thoughts of them taking his idolized sister away made him more bitter. After she had gone, he had an accident which injured his leg and kept him confined to the house for weeks. He read and studied some of the literature she had left and was almost converted. His bitterness against the Mormons vanished and he had a strong desire to go to America to be among the Saints and to see for himself how his sister was getting along. He left home and came to America and shortly after arriving he joined the Church. Later he married a fine girl. To Anna it was a great comfort to have him near. He also wrote letters home which were a comfort to his parents and they would wear them out reading them over and over again. Later another brother, Hans, came to America and joined the Church and also married a Mormon girl.