Eddie Mathias Jacobson/Sarah Delilah Anderson Genealogy

Vol. 2, No. 1 - July 2005
Prepared by

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

The Life of Peter Anderson

Anders Peter Anderson was born the year that the Saints arrived first in the Salt Lake Valley. He lived for almost 85 years, experiencing much and serving greatly, both family and the Kingdom of God. I will not attempt to give a full history here, but there is a copy of his autobiography on the genealogy web pages.
He was born in Denmark, the first of three children. His father died within a few weeks of their family arriving in Utah, when Peter was not quite 7 years old. By that time he had experienced much difficulty, especially through the traveling from Denmark to Utah. One narrative of the journey gives some detail of the trip. Peter doesn't mention much of this in his history so I am including it here. It is from "Narratives of the Emigration from the Scandinavian Mission 1852-1868from excerpts of the History of the Scandinavian Mission, by Andrew Jenson." Peter had barely turned 6 when it began:
"Pres. John Van Cott accompanied the emigrants as far as England, and during his absence from Scandinavia Elder Peter 0. Hansen took temporary charge of the mission. By way of Kiel, Gluckstadt, and Hull, the emigrants reached Liverpool, England in safety on Dec. 28th, and on the first day of January, 1854, they went on board the ship Jesse Munn," which had been chartered by the presidency in Liverpool for the transportation of the Scandinavian Saints, and also a few German Saints, which swelled the total number of souls to 333. The company sailed from Liverpool Jan. 3, 1854, and after a prosperous voyage, arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi River, Jan. 16th. During the voyage twelve of the emigrants died, namely, two adults and ten children. Three couples were married. On Monday, Feb. 20th, the "Jesse Munn arrived at New Orleans, where Chr. J. and Svend Larsen made a contract for the further transportation of the company to St. Louis, Missouri, and on Saturday, Jan. 25th, the river journey to that city was commenced. Owing to unusual low water in the Mississippi the passage was slow and tedious, which, in connection with the change of climate and difference in the mode of living, caused cholera of a very malignant type to break out among the emigrants, resulting in an unusual number of deaths. After arriving in St. Louis, March 11th, houses were rented for the temporary occupation of the emigrants who tarried there about a month until the next company of Scandinavian emigrants, under the direction of Hans Peter Olsen (Piercy) arrived. During the stay in St. Louis sickness continued among the Saints and many more died of the cholera.
"... After the arrival of the "Jesse Munn" company from St. Louis, ... two companies were amalgamated and organized for thejourney across the Plains, May 9th. Hans Peter Olsen was chosen leader of the amalgamated company and Christian J. Larsen as chaplain, while Bent Nielsen was chosen wagon master, Jens Hansen camp captain and Peter P. Thomsen captain of the guard. The company, which consisted of sixty nine wagons, was divided into six smaller compares with ten or twelve wagons and a captain in each company. To each wagon were attached four oxen and two cows. There were also in the company a number of reserve oxen. From ten to twelve persons were assigned to each wagon. Elders Carl Capson, Anders Andersen, Peter Beckstrom, Jens Jorgensen Anders W. Winberg and Valentine Valentinsen were appointed captains of the six divisions. Oxen, wagons, tents and other traveling equipment which the emigrants bought in St. Louis and Kansas City or vicinity, cost more than had been expected, on account of which a number of the emigrants ran short of means all were unable to furnish a full outfit. The more well-to-do, however, among whom we might mention Bro. Bent Nielsen from Sjaelland and Peter P. Thomsen from Falster, contributed freely of their means, 80 that none were left in the States through lack of money. Toward the close of May, another camping place was chosen about eight miles west of Kansas City, from which place the emigrants commenced their long journey over the Plains on Thursday, June 15, 1854. This company of emigrants traveled over a new but shorter road than previous companies had done. After traveling about twenty miles from Kansas City, a halt was called because nearly all the teams were too heavily loaded, owing to the fact that the emigrants had taken too much baggage along, contrary to instructions or counsel given. At the suggestion of Bro. Olsen some of the brethren went to Leavenworth City, about thirty miles from the camping place, to consult Apostle Orson Pratt, who, in his capacity of emigration agent, had located temporarily in said city. Elder Pratt advanced the company sufficient money to buy fifty oxen, after which the journey was continued. A few days journey west of Fort Kearney the company, on the 5th of August, met Apostle Erastus Snow and other Elders from the Valley who had been called on missions to the States. Elder Snow held a meeting with the Scandinavian Saints and addressed them in their own language, which caused great rejoicing in the camp. Of all the emigrant companies, who this year crossed the Plains, the Scandinavians suffered the most with sickness (cholera), and during their temporary sojourn at the camping place near Westport, as well as on the steamboats, fatalities were more numerous. Scores fell as victims of the dreadful disease and many of the Saints were compelled to bury their relatives and friends without coffins on the desolate plains. So great was the mortality among them that of the 680 souls who had left Copenhagen the previous winter only about 500 reached their destination The others succumbed to the sickness and hardships of the journey. The survivors reached Salt Lake City, Oct. 5, 1854."
We do not have record of Peter's baptism, but assume it was a year or so later, probably in Fillmore, since the family lived there a while. With his father Jens' passing, Peter was the "man of the house" and none of them really understood English very well, if at all. John Lovell was asked to take care of the family. He married Ane, Peter's mother, when Peter was a little more than 9 years old, so John Lovell raised Peter. They moved to Deseret a few years later where they were pioneers in a desolate place. It was also a dangerous place because of the Indians there. He says that his half brother, Brigham, was born there in 1861, being "the first white baby born. The saints built the Deseret Fort there and the hostilities worsened with the Blackhawk war beginning in around 1865. Peter served in that war for a couple of years, earning a pension for his service.
Things were difficult in Deseret and the family moved to a settlement on Oak Creek, later called Oak City in 1868. Shortly after coming to Oak Creek, Peter went with some other young men on a long journey to Promontory, Utah where they worked for a short time on the railroad immediately preceding the completion of the transcontinental railroad with the Golden Spike. At that time, they turned around and went back home. What is amazing is that they walked the whole way, to and from northern Utah, a total of about 520 miles.

Peter and Martha Anderson family: front - Peter Edwin (Eddie), Martha Ann, Joseph Elmer, Anders Peter, Sylvia Alice (Alice), Standing - Sarah Delilah, John Lee (Lee), Agnes Eleanor, George Hyrum. (Picture probably taken around 1907)

[Note: more pictures can be found at http://emjacobson.buchananspot.com in the pictures area.] Back at Oak City, Peter built his home and married Martha Ann, a daughter of John Lovell and his first wife. After about 7 years of marriage and six children (the last two being twin girls that died as infants), Peter was called to be the Bishop of Oak City, a calling he would hold for 27 years. A few years later, he married Annie Lyman as a plural wife. In his two families, Peter had 17 children, nine children with Martha and 8 with Annie.
Peter was involved in merchant work, running a sawmill, mining for lead and was involved in helping to set up irrigation for the beginning of the town of Delta.
In his later years, shortly after his 67th birthday in 1949, Peter was ordained a patriarch. Among the blessings he gave, we have the text of the blessings he gave to his daughter Delilah and granddaughter Arvilla. His wives preceded him in death, Martha in 1919 and Annie in 1921. He lived another 11 years staying with his oldest son, Eddie.

The autobiography and history of Anders Peter Anderson can be found on the web at:http://emjacobson.buchananspot.com/histories/APAnderson.html

Anders Peter Anderson Timeline

The family history web site is: http://emjacobson.buchananspot.comSome recent items of note on the family history web page: - More pictures of the Peter Anderson family can be found in the pictures area. - A note book listing donations and work done on the Manti Temple between 1878 and 1886 (two pages only, the rest of the book is blank). This book appears to be a record kept by John Lovell and/or Peter Anderson. - A note book containing the minutes of the Oak City Ward Young Men/Young Ladies organization in 1903/1904. All of the book has been scanned into the computer and will eventually be on the family history pages. I hope to make a transcription of the whole thing eventually. The pages were scanned by Lynn Buchanan and will be added in the next few weeks. A little bit is there now.