Archie Earl Buchanan/Florene Davis Genealogy

Vol. 2, No. 3 - September 2004

Prepared by

Joseph F. Buchanan
7472 Silver Circle
West Jordan, UT 84084
(801) 566-1083
joseph.buchananutah.edu

Sorensen Research

History of Hans Hendrik Sorensen

I am glad to have studied about the life and ancestry of Hans Sorensen (pictured at the left). He made some great sacrifices in his life to support his family and his membership in the church. Since he came to Utah after 1869, he is not designated as an official "pioneer" (defined as saints who arrived before the completion of the railroad to Utah on May 10, 1869). Here are a few points about his life. As part of this I include a history of his life written by one of his grandchildren. Hans was born in Kragerup, Orslev, Holbaek, Denmark on Sept. 30, 1825. He joined the church in 1858, 14 years before he emigrated to Utah, remaining in Denmark despite great persecution and hardship, yet giving his strength to the support of the church in Denmark, especially in the Aarhus area. He and his son, Anders Wilhelm (William) came to America on the ship "Nevada" on 28 June 1872. His wife and three other children came over in preceding years.

History of Hans Hendrik Sorensen, written by his granddaughter, Anna Delila Buchanan Poole

My Grandfather, Hans Hendrik Sorensen, was born September 30, 1825, at Orslev, Holbaek, Denmark. He and his family heard the Gospel for the first time in the winter of 1857, just shortly after it had been introduced in that county. At Christmas time the ice was broken with an ax so they could be baptized. They were living at the time at Shalau (Shagels), near the city of Copenhagen. In about 1860 they moved to Jutland (Jyland) thinking they could get away from persecution, but as the Church grew, persecution grew with it, so the Sorensen family endured much those first years.

Hans Hendrik Sorensen was ordained to the office of Elder and he worked and preached faithfully in his native land for many years. He was a stone cutter and mason by trade. In Denmark it was hard to get rock for building purposes, consequently he had to go into the woods and dig deep to find rock, or go in a boat out into the ocean and draw the rocks up out of the water.

In the year 1865 or 1866 the family was living about four miles from the city of Aarhus, close to the beautiful woods. The Elders came often to the Sorensen home and were always welcome. Finally the Elders prevailed on the family to move into the city of Aarhus and live at the Church headquarters there. This they did and grandmother kept house and cooked for the Elders faithfully and well for five years. Grandfather was faithful to his callings in the Church. The entire family enjoyed the sweet spirit of the Gospel, although some of the members had to leave home to work to help make a living for the family.

In the year 1868, Maria Sorensen, a daughter, emigrated to Utah, and in 1869 she married Peter Christensen, whose mother lived in Salina, Utah.

In the year 1870 [actually 23 June 1871], Grandmother Anne Marie Nielsen Sorensen and daughter Caroline Sophia [pictured to the right] and son Parley P. Sorensen emigrated to Utah. They came over on the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Grandmother hired out to do housework to help earn money so Grandfather and his son William (Anders Wilhelm), could come to America. In (about July) 1871 [actually 1872, see above] Hans Hendrik Sorensen and son William, reached Utah. It was a happy family reunion, but it carried a note of sadness, because son S. Peter Sorensen had not joined the Church and did not care to leave Denmark to come to Utah. During the first years that followed the immigration Grandfather Sorensen worked on the Salt Lake Temple at the trade he had learned so well in his native land, that of stonecutter.

Later the family moved to Richfield, Utah and grandfather built the old stone grist mill as well as several other buildings erected at that time. Then the family moved to Glenwood and he built two grist mills in that town. He also built the old Peterson home and many others of the fine old substantial stone homes of Glenwood.

Grandfather entered into the principle of plural marriage when he was quite advanced in years. His second wife was Matilda Torgersen. They raised a family of three girls and three boys.

Grandfather moved several times after leaving Glenwood: Aurora, Koosharem, Kings Meadow Utah and Bunkerville, Nevada. While living in Bunkerville he had a partial stroke. He served a term in jail for obeying the law of plural marriage, and it can truthfully be said that he died a martyr to his religion, as his death was caused by being subject to exposure and hardship while being held in prison.

Grandfather and his two wives were buried in Aurora, Utah.
[End of Anna Delilah Poole's history]

Hans' brother Jorgen also joined the church and his family came to America in 1872. Hans had five children, mentioned in the history above. Even though his son, Soren Peter refused to be part of the church, Soren Peter's daughter Sophia Christene, came to America and was married in the Manti Temple in 1906. She died in Glenwood in 1953.

When Hans' children were grown he married again starting another family through plural marriage to Matilda (Evensen) Torgersen. He had six children in that family, the last one, Alma, born in 1891 when Hans was 66 years old. Hans died a year and a half later on April 6th 1893, the very day that the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated, a temple which benefited by Hans' stone cutting talents.

Even though he only lived to be 67, he suffered and accomplished much and left a great heritage for us to cherish and follow.

References Concerning Emigration From Denmark to America

(place, date and reference follow each group listed)

   name                     age             occupation          from
  
   Jens Knudsen              26             Farmer              Sloth 
   Ane Sorensen              47                                 Munkebjerg 
   Caroline Sophie Sorensen  11                                 Torbegom 
   Peder Parley Sorensen      4                                 Molsgaard 
    [Aarhus Conf. 23 Jun 1871, Emig.S.M.- film 025696]


   Hans Sorensen             46             Stone Cutter        Aarhuus 
   Anders Wilhelm Sorensen   17                                 Aarhuus 
    [Aarhus Conf. 28 Jun 1872 on "Nevada", Emig.S.M.- film 025696]


   Jorgen Sorensen           56             Lab                 Kragerup
        (Hans' brother)
   Karen Sorensen            56                                 Sonderod 
   Mette Marie Sorensen      18                                 Love 
    [Copenhagen Conf. 30 Aug 1872 on "Minnesota", Emig.S.M.- film 025696]

Genealogical Research on the Sorensen Line

I reviewed the microfilms of the parish records for the Sorensen line and was not able to find much new information. I did find and copy some of the records that show our ancestors. I did find a little additional information and did a little temple work. In one place I found reference to Niels Bendsen as the father of Anne Nielsen (Anne Nielsen is the grandmother of Ane Nielsen, wife of Hans Hendrik Sorensen). I could not find a specific record that tied Anne Nielsen to Niels Bendsen, but her age shown in the 1805 Danish census puts her birth in 1767 or 1768. The only Anne born in that time with a father named Niels is an Anne born to Niels Bendsen, christened on 20 December 1767. It is definitely possible that this is our ancestor, so I went on that assumption and include Anne in my records as being the daughter of Niels Bendsen and Birthe Hansdatter. I also found another child of this couple, a son named Hans, christened on July 3, 1762. My wife and I were proxy to do the work for the members of this family, all accomplished on September 17th of this year in the Salt Lake Temple.

Not much is available in the records before this time. I will continue to look for some more information, but do not expect to come up with much more. Here are the specific details of this family (I am including a family group sheet in the printed version of this newsletter that I am mailing out):

Niels Bendsen, b. abt 1740, of Stenmagle, Soro, Demnark
Birthe Hansdatter, b. abt 1742, of Stenmagle, Soro, Denmark
married before 1762, of Stenmagle, Soro, Denmark
SON: Hans Nielsen, chr. 3 Jul 1762, Assentorp, Stenmagle, Soro, Denmark
DAUGHTER: Anne Nielsen, chr. 20 Dec 1767, Assentorp, Stenmagle, Soro, Denmark

Research Notes:

Film 0052558 (was GS 9768 pt 1) I found record for Anne, daughter of Niels Bendsen and Berthe Hansdatter 1768. It is listed as 4 Adv 1768 (The parish records begin the year 1768 (actually 1767) just before 4 Adv, which is the last Sunday before Christmas, 1967 which was Dec 20). I also found Hans, son of Niels Bendsen and Birthe HansD. born 3 July 1762 in Assentrop, Stenmagle.
I did not find any other children for Niels Bendsen and Birthe Hansdatter in the time span of the records which go from 1760 to 1780.
I searched burial records for the same time period (1760-1777) and no record of deaths of any of these were found.
No record of marriage was found for Niels Bendsen between 1760 and 1763, though he shows up as a witness in marriage 13 Apr 1764 for Karl Christen Jensen. [end of notes]