TAKEN FROM LIVY OLSEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY (Son to Maren & Frederick Olsen)""My parents in whose care I was joined the Handcart company at Florence, Iowa. I am not sure of the date of leaving Florence, but belive it was about April 1, 1857. We left Florence with the intention of reaching Fort Ephraim, Utah, where a brother of my mother's lived. Love for the teachings of the Church of Latter-day Saints was the reason for their journey. We arrived in Salt Lake City, in the fall of 1857.
The leader of our company was Chris Christensen. Our method of travel was by a handcart pulled by my father, which contained not only all our food and supplies, but was also the baby buggy in which I took my long ride across the country to Utah. . . . Some of the most vivid memories I have of our journey across the plains are certain stories related to me by my father...It was necessary to eliminate all weight possible in making up loads for the handcarts, and as a result cooking equipment was kept down to the absolute essentials; one skillet was assigned to the use of nine families; under these regulations each family were alloted a specified amount of time, amounting to so many minutes; at the expiration of their allotted time they would have to surrender the skillet to the next in turn regardless of the fact that their bread was still not baked; as a result many times the handcart families would eat bread hardened on the outside and dough in the middle. I was six months old baby at this time; my mother had spent two of these months on a sailing vessel in the voyage from her home country the constant strain of foot travel had so depleted her strength that her milk dried up; in my hunger I would keep up a low whimper instead of crying; my father would stand this as long as he could and would stop and feed me, which he would do by making a roll of half baked dough and pushing it down my throat with his finger. At this time my mother's health had become so bad that she could not keep up with the hand carts and she was left to come as fast as she could, and many times at camping time she would be behind the company as much as a mile. It would be necessary for my father to retrace his steps and assist her to camp often carrying her in his arms." Maren, died from the effects of asthma, after a lingering illness that lasted ten years. She was Relief Society President in Ferron but resigned from the position because of her health. She had followed her husband to the ends of the earth (for that is how Emery County was described at that time) and had buried 6 of her 10 children. But all was for her love and faith of God.
The leader of our company was Chris Christensen. Our method of travel was by a handcart pulled by my father, which contained not only all our food and supplies, but was also the baby buggy in which I took my long ride across the country to Utah. . . . Some of the most vivid memories I have of our journey across the plains are certain stories related to me by my father...It was necessary to eliminate all weight possible in making up loads for the handcarts, and as a result cooking equipment was kept down to the absolute essentials; one skillet was assigned to the use of nine families; under these regulations each family were alloted a specified amount of time, amounting to so many minutes; at the expiration of their allotted time they would have to surrender the skillet to the next in turn regardless of the fact that their bread was still not baked; as a result many times the handcart families would eat bread hardened on the outside and dough in the middle. I was six months old baby at this time; my mother had spent two of these months on a sailing vessel in the voyage from her home country the constant strain of foot travel had so depleted her strength that her milk dried up; in my hunger I would keep up a low whimper instead of crying; my father would stand this as long as he could and would stop and feed me, which he would do by making a roll of half baked dough and pushing it down my throat with his finger. At this time my mother's health had become so bad that she could not keep up with the hand carts and she was left to come as fast as she could, and many times at camping time she would be behind the company as much as a mile. It would be necessary for my father to retrace his steps and assist her to camp often carrying her in his arms." Maren, died from the effects of asthma, after a lingering illness that lasted ten years. She was Relief Society President in Ferron but resigned from the position because of her health. She had followed her husband to the ends of the earth (for that is how Emery County was described at that time) and had buried 6 of her 10 children. But all was for her love and faith of God.
TAKEN FROM LIVY OLSEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY (Son to Maren & Frederick Olsen)""My parents in whose care I was joined the Handcart company at Florence, Iowa. I am not sure of the date of leaving Florence, but belive it was about April 1, 1857. We left Florence with the intention of reaching Fort Ephraim, Utah, where a brother of my mother's lived. Love for the teachings of the Church of Latter-day Saints was the reason for their journey. We arrived in Salt Lake City, in the fall of 1857.
The leader of our company was Chris Christensen. Our method of travel was by a handcart pulled by my father, which contained not only all our food and supplies, but was also the baby buggy in which I took my long ride across the country to Utah. . . . Some of the most vivid memories I have of our journey across the plains are certain stories related to me by my father...It was necessary to eliminate all weight possible in making up loads for the handcarts, and as a result cooking equipment was kept down to the absolute essentials; one skillet was assigned to the use of nine families; under these regulations each family were alloted a specified amount of time, amounting to so many minutes; at the expiration of their allotted time they would have to surrender the skillet to the next in turn regardless of the fact that their bread was still not baked; as a result many times the handcart families would eat bread hardened on the outside and dough in the middle. I was six months old baby at this time; my mother had spent two of these months on a sailing vessel in the voyage from her home country the constant strain of foot travel had so depleted her strength that her milk dried up; in my hunger I would keep up a low whimper instead of crying; my father would stand this as long as he could and would stop and feed me, which he would do by making a roll of half baked dough and pushing it down my throat with his finger. At this time my mother's health had become so bad that she could not keep up with the hand carts and she was left to come as fast as she could, and many times at camping time she would be behind the company as much as a mile. It would be necessary for my father to retrace his steps and assist her to camp often carrying her in his arms." Maren, died from the effects of asthma, after a lingering illness that lasted ten years. She was Relief Society President in Ferron but resigned from the position because of her health. She had followed her husband to the ends of the earth (for that is how Emery County was described at that time) and had buried 6 of her 10 children. But all was for her love and faith of God.
The leader of our company was Chris Christensen. Our method of travel was by a handcart pulled by my father, which contained not only all our food and supplies, but was also the baby buggy in which I took my long ride across the country to Utah. . . . Some of the most vivid memories I have of our journey across the plains are certain stories related to me by my father...It was necessary to eliminate all weight possible in making up loads for the handcarts, and as a result cooking equipment was kept down to the absolute essentials; one skillet was assigned to the use of nine families; under these regulations each family were alloted a specified amount of time, amounting to so many minutes; at the expiration of their allotted time they would have to surrender the skillet to the next in turn regardless of the fact that their bread was still not baked; as a result many times the handcart families would eat bread hardened on the outside and dough in the middle. I was six months old baby at this time; my mother had spent two of these months on a sailing vessel in the voyage from her home country the constant strain of foot travel had so depleted her strength that her milk dried up; in my hunger I would keep up a low whimper instead of crying; my father would stand this as long as he could and would stop and feed me, which he would do by making a roll of half baked dough and pushing it down my throat with his finger. At this time my mother's health had become so bad that she could not keep up with the hand carts and she was left to come as fast as she could, and many times at camping time she would be behind the company as much as a mile. It would be necessary for my father to retrace his steps and assist her to camp often carrying her in his arms." Maren, died from the effects of asthma, after a lingering illness that lasted ten years. She was Relief Society President in Ferron but resigned from the position because of her health. She had followed her husband to the ends of the earth (for that is how Emery County was described at that time) and had buried 6 of her 10 children. But all was for her love and faith of God.
Inscription
We miss thy kind and willing hand, dear mother thy fond and earnest care, our home is dark without thee, we miss thee everywhere
Family Members
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See more Olsen or Justdatter memorials in:
- Ferron City Cemetery Olsen or Justdatter
- Ferron Olsen or Justdatter
- Emery County Olsen or Justdatter
- Utah Olsen or Justdatter
- USA Olsen or Justdatter
- Find a Grave Olsen or Justdatter
Records on Ancestry
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