Severene Christensdatter Simonsen

Born 6 May 1864 in Denmark to Christen Simonsen and Anne Katrine Nielsdatter
Married James Peter Olsen 12 March 1885 in Ephraim
Severene-Raymond-Earl
Died 13 April 1940 in Emery
Buried in Emery

1880 Census
1910 Census
1920 Census
1930 Census

Here is a link to the migration record for Severine.

Autobiography
Written in 1936

I, Severene Simonsen Olsen was born September 6, 1864 in Borum, Denmark. My Father’s name is Christen Simonsen, born in Foldby, Denmark, June 9, 1830. My Mother’s name is Ane Catrine Nielsen, born at Borum, April 14, 1832. My oldest sister is Johannah Simonsen Sorensen, born in Denmark, 1856 - March 1st. My sister Neilsrine Simonsen Gerstrom was born in Denmark, 1859. My oldest brother, Jens Simonsen was born in Denmark, June 9, 1862. A brother, Marinus Simonsen was born in Aarhus, Denmark, May 22, . A Sister, Anina Simonsen Pettey was born in Aarhus, Denmark, January 19,1841.

My husband’s name is James Peter Olsen, born in Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah, March 12, 1862. We were married at Ephraim, 1885, by C. C. N. Dorious, Bishop; endowed at Manti Temple 26th of June, 1889. Our children are: Ethel Johanna Olsen, born at Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah March 10, 1886. James Elmer Olsen, born at Manti, Utah, December 23, 1889. Raymond Peter Olsen, born at Emery, Emery County, Utah, 6th of July, 1892. Afton C. Olsen, born at Emery, Emery County, Utah, August 23, 1895. Nellie May Olsen Neilsen, born at Emery, Emery County, Utah, May 16, 1898. George Q. Olsen, born at Emery, Emery County, Utah, November 24, 1900. Ida Jean Olsen, born at Emery, Emery County, Utah, April 10, 1903. Alonzo Olsen born at Emery, Emery County, Utah, October 9, 1905.

My first recollection of my childhood, I remember when my youngest sister was born, we lived upstairs in the house where the Saints held their meetings (Borups Gade No. 14). I remember how glad I was when Sunday came. We would go to meeting and listen to the Elders from Zion; how happy we were how good we all felt toward all the Saints. At Christmas time the Elders would have a Christmas tree in the meeting hall, and all the Saints would be there and how we enjoyed each others company. On the 24th of July we would all go out in a big grove and have a program of song and readings and speeches and play games. I can remember how my Mother would join in the games, I can see her now in the long, long ago. I remember my Father, when he would come home from his work; he would clean up and go out in the country as a missionary and hold meetings in the branches near by, he would walk 3 and 4 miles. This would be in the evening and come back the same night; some of the Saints would go along.

One thing I remember was when payday came he got his money in a silver role all done up like a spool of thread. He worked in a railroad workshop, cleaning and fixing boilers, he had that job all the time we were there. The first thing he would do when he came home was to take out the tithing and paid that every month. It has stayed with me, I will never forget it, I have taught it to my children. I can remember when the missionaries came to our house after Father and Mother had joined the church, my oldest sister hired out and had not been home since they were baptized; the Elders were there, she asked Mother who those men were, Mother said that they were Mormon missionaries, she said if that’s who they are, I will soon stop up my ears, I don’t want to hear them. She went into another room, but it was not long after, till she joined the Church too and was faithful to the last. I started school when I was 5 years old and I learned to knit stockings then. I went to the public school until I was eleven.

When I migrated to Utah, my sister was 5 years old (Anina) and I was eleven. We two alone. That was the last year I could go for half price, Father had enough money to send the two of us. Our oldest sister had migrated and we went to her home in Ephraim; she had married there. Her husband came to New York Station for us, that was as far as the train went in 1876. Uncle John said when he first saw us I was standing holding her by the hand, he thought we were little girls to send so far alone, but we were happy to get to Zion, and I have always remained that way. I can see Mother and my oldest brother as the ship left dear old Denmark, waving their handkerchiefs to us, Mother crying, but we did not cry, I don’t remember any of us crying any of the time.

They were all good to us, there were two sisters to look after us but sometimes they forgot about us. But we got along fine. We had a good time on the ship, there were a lot of little girls of our own age. We would play games in a circle and sing like ring-around-a-rosey, but it was in Danish and the captain would stand on the bridge and laugh loud at us; he enjoyed it as much as we did. He learned to say the words when we would play it, and we would laugh at him. We only missed one meal all the way; we were used to being on the water from home. I remember when the waiters would carry the trays from the first class dining room to the kitchen, we would be through with our dinner, and would watch him. He would tell us to get our plate and would give us lots of good things to eat. We sure were glad for it because we were hungry.

One night the whistles blew all night and they would not let any one get on deck, there was such a thick fog. But outside of the fog, we did not have any trouble. The day we should have arrived at Castle Garden it burned to the ground so we were lucky we were one day late. When we passed there the next day it was a black mass of ruins. I remember crossing the Plains, we saw piles of bones as high as a house, all along the railroad track and just as white as snow. One place there were two apple trees, they were still green but they looked good to us.

I remember when we first saw the mountains, how grand they looked to us. There was a fire on one. We had never seen anything like that before, it was in the evening and they did look high. That night robbers got on the train, but the conductors locked all the cars where the passengers were, so we weren’t bothered, but it frightened us plenty. I remember when we got to Ogden, the mountains looked like icebergs. When we got to Salt Lake City we camped in the tithing yard in a big barn; they tell me that is where the Hotel Utah now stands–what a contrast. This summer I was in the Hotel Utah, I thought about how it was 60 years ago, what a change time has brought–how time goes and we go with it. At last we got to Ephraim, how glad we were to see our sister and her home and baby and husband.

We were at my sister’s house for one year, then Mother and our youngest brother came to Utah. By that time Father had earned enough money to send them. That summer Mother and I gleaned in the fields, we gleaned wheat enough after it was thrashed to make 16 bushels of wheat for bread, and bought an old stove for 8 dollars in wheat, and enough to feed one pig and our little flock of chickens. How proud we were over it all; we were out in the field when we hear about President Brigham Young dying, I thought then I would never see him again. I had stood in Ephraim not long before with the Sunday School on a bridge when he was going to the meeting house and he had shaken hands with us; we surely felt bad and what a grand man he was to us all.

When Mother had been here one year, Father and my oldest brother came to Utah, they had then made enough money to pay their immigration costs, so we were all here but one sister, she did not want to come. We were glad to have Father and brother here, we all rejoiced over it, but our joy did not last long. Shortly after Father came, Mother took sick and died. I was just 13 years old and I had to do for us all, but we got along fine until Father married again, then I had to shift for myself.

I stayed with my sister again, and hired out when I had a chance, I did that until I was married and got a home of my own. I would get 50 cents for a week’s work and 25 cents for a big washing and would have to carry the water for 2 or 3 blocks. When a girl hired out she would do the washing, chop the wood, milk the cows, feed the stock and pigs, and when a woman was confined she would tend the baby too after the granny left. My sisters and I would help in the field–rake hay, load and stack it, shuck grain, rake it into bundles, load it and stack it. I always told them I could not bind it, or thought I did not want to learn, so I got out of that. After we were through for the day we would take the oxen and horses up into the hills and go after wood. So I learned lots of things after I came to Utah, but I did not mind. Uncle John was good to us, always satisfied with my work and I liked to work for him.

In the year, 1885, I was married to James Peter Olsen in Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah, by C. C. N. Dorious. We lived there a little more than one year, Ethel Johanna, our first child was born there the 10th of March, 1886. The next May we moved to Manti on their (Olsen’s) farm. Here Ethel died fromScarletina, she was 3 years and 3 months old, our first great sorrow. Six months after, Elmer was born - December 23, 1889. Grandma Olsen was a widow, so the boys took care of the farm, it was here that we built our first home; oh how happy we were in our nice little home of sawed logs, where James Elmer was born the 23rd of December, 1889.

We stayed here until 1891, then we moved to Castle Valley; in traveling through the canyon, I would carry Elmer in one arm and a big rock in the other hand to put under the wheel when the horses would stop to rest. The hills were so steep and rough, but we did not complain, I was still happy - we were all together, going to a new home. I am still glad to be here and have never wanted to leave. I love Emery and its people, although I have had many sorrows here I am still trying to think it is all for the best. It is good for us all to say "Thy will oh Lord, not mine be done." We have now lived here from 1891 until 1936, and I am still glad I am in Emery. We moved up to brother Rasmus Johnsen’s little granary and lived there till we got a little house built on our lot in tow, where we are still living.

In 1892 Raymond was born in our other new home, here I had my first experience in the Lord hearing and answering prayers. Ray was a babe about 3 months old and got the croup real bad, the lady that was doctoring him had just given him some coal oil, that was a remedy they used then, as he got it I saw a flame of gas or fire come out of his mouth and he went right off and was just like he was dead for quite a while. I knew Bishop George Petty was building a house one block away so I said I would go and get him to come and administer to Ray. I knew if I could get him he would come too, so I went; but it seemed like I went miles before I got back. He came and layed his hands on his head and prayed for him, and just as soon as Brother Petty raised his hands off from Ray’s head he gave a little cry and came too, oh how happy I was, and I knew then that God does hear and answer prayers. I have had many testimonies to this effect since.

In 1895 we lived out on our homestead on the school-section, there Afton was born, August 23, 1895. We lived there every summer and moved back to town for the winter. In 1898, Nellie May was born in town, we moved back on the homestead when she was 2 weeks old. In 1900 George Q. was born in town. In 1895 Afton was born, Stine Larsen Sorensen stayed to our house till Afton was 2 weeks old.


Memories of Severene from Earl Olsen

Little Danish gal. She was a very good cook, she made the best dumplings in the world. She just had a special touch in cooking. Danish dumpling recipe follows:

1 cup flour
Milk
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
Soup of choice

Combine flour, salt, and enough milk to make soft dough. Place in greased frying pan. Stir until dough is soft and will come out of pan. Add to the eggs. Beat well. Drop by teaspoons into boiling soup. Let cook 10 minutes. Serve.

We would always have Chicken Dumpling Soup on Christmas Eve at her house, while we waited for Santa.

Naomi (Olsen Candland–Uncle Elmer’s oldest daughter) and I would sit by the fireplace in grandma’s house and listen while she’d tell stories.

We would also play hide and seek, and Grandma would hide me from Naomi by putting me under her skirts. Naomi would not know where I was. In those days they wore lots of long skirts.

She was very staunch in the gospel–true blue. After Grandpa Olsen died, she became a worker in the Manti Temple. She said that she had to keep up with Grandpa Olsen.

Their first two girls died. She would not speak Danish. She would not speak a word. She would say, “O hutta” once in a while. English was her language. We tried to get her to talk Danish, but she wouldn’t do it.

She was even tempered. She always tried to be in the back ground. She was an excellent support to Grandpa.

Came over into country two at a time. Kids came first to an older sister in Ephraim–they all came to Ephraim. Then six years later (after the children came) the parents came. The mother died six months after coming to America. Grandma Severene had to be the mother of the family because she was the oldest. She was only in her mid-teen years.

She was only 11 years when she came to America with her five (5) year-old sister.

One of Grandpa Earl’s favorite memories of Grandma Olsen is that they would go there and get something good to eat and get to listen to a story or two from her. She lived in Emery all the time while raising her family. Jean, the oldest was buried in Ephraim, then Uncle Elmer, then my dad, Raymond Peter Olsen.We would go to Manti each summer for a couple of weeks to visit family there.

The first winter that Grandma and Grandpa (Severene and James Peter) were in Emery they lived in the corner of Rasmus Johnson’s granary. They lived there until they built their log house with two rooms. I can’t imagine how they got along in the back of that granary. They homesteaded a farm and lived in a log cabin. They were living there when Grandpa was called to go to the Manti Temple for a mission in doing ordinance work. (See story in Earl’s history)

There is a ditch there which the farmers use and which Grandpa Peter built. It is still today known as the Pete Olsen ditch and is still there.

They were very well respected in the community. Grandpa Peter Olsen farmed and made money on bees. He sold honey all over the country. He also raised alfalfa seed all over the country. He even had a few cattle. I could not figure out why he did not get into more cattle. He was a very good worker and made a comfortable living for his family.

He was a counselor in the Bishopric for 26 years–to Bishop Brinkerhoff. Every person liked Grandpa Olsen. He was quiet and bashful, but he enjoyed talking to people and got to where he was comfortable with people. This is an Olsen trait–the quiet manner.