Married Rasmus Olsen 26 May 1873 in Copenhagen
Annie-Mary-Howard
Died 8 August 1923 in Blackfoot, Idaho
Buried in Preston
The following is based on information from Kay May, a grandson of Ane, and historical records.
Ane Kjerstine Pedersdatter was born 26 January 1846 in Thorstholm, Sengeløse parish, Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the youngest of nine children and family tradition says she was from a wealthy family of farmers in Thorstholm. Three of her siblings died young and her brother Anders died when he was 31.
Her parents both died when she was about 20. She had been working as a servant in the home of farmer Rasmus Andersen in Vadsby, and in 1867 she moved to Copenhagen. While in Copenhagen she met some Mormon missionaries and was baptized 17 July 1870. She married Rasmus Olsen who was also a member of the Church in Copenhagen on 26 May 1873.
Two of her brothers, Peder and Hans, also joined the Church and left for Utah at about the time Ane married Rasmus. It appears that Peder married twice when he was older, but didn't have any children. If you know of an earlier marriage or any children, I would be interested to hear from you in the comments. Hans married Maria Jensen and settled in Mink Creek, Idaho, a few years before Ane and Rasmus moved there.
Ane and Rasmus had three children while they were still living in Denmark. Ole Peder was born in 1874, Maren Sophia in 1877, and Bodil Johanna in 1879. Bodil Johanna was always known as Hannah. In 1879 the family immigrated to the US on the "Wyoming." They traveled by train to Ogden and then went to Mink Creek where Hans and Maria Pedersen were living, although they don't seem to have been in Mink Creek by 1880, and I can't find them on the 1880 census.
Five more children were born in Mink Creek: Juliana Lorraine (Julia) in 1881, Anne Marie (Mary) in 1883, Christina Margaret in 1886, Elizabeth Petrena (Lizzie) in 1888, and Henry Lawrence in 1891. Ane and Rasmus were sealed in the Logan Temple in 1887.
Unfortunately, this is where Ane and Rasmus's story becomes difficult. Ole Peter ran away from home when he was about 15 and went to Washington. It appears that the family never heard from him again. Ane suffered from mental illness although I don't know anything about her symptoms or how long she had been affected before going to the mental hospital. Her children said that she would leave the house, wandering in the hills, and it was difficult to get her to come home. They worried about rattlesnakes and Ane wasn't able to do much at home. She was admitted to the Idaho Insane Asylum in Blackfoot in the summer of 1892 when Maren, the oldest child still at home, was 15, and Henry was only about 14 months.
Ane lived the rest of her life, nearly 31 years, in the asylum. The asylum was fairly new at that time, having been built in about 1886. In 1900 there were about 130 inmates. It is still a mental hopital today.
I don't know how much contact Ane had with her family after she was admitted to the hospital. Her children had some serious struggles after she left which are detailed further in Rasmus's history. I am in the process of getting more information about Ane's life at the asylum. I also hope to get a better photo of Ane.
Ane was buried in Preston. She was known as Ane or Annie or Anna in various records and her tombstone says Anna.
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