Daughter of Jens Andersen and Bengta Svensen

Married Axel Christian Nielsen, 10 Sep 1884, Logan, Cache, Utah

Children - Samuel Solomon Nelson, Erastus Levi Nielsen, Sarah LaVon Nielsen, Hyrum Nielsen, Lilly May Nielsen, Walter Rudolf Nielsen, George Leonard Nelson, Ruby Josephine Nielsen, Gordon Theodore Nielsen

Married Robert Brighton Thornley, 3 Jan 1934, Smithfield, Cache, Utah

History - Betsy was born in a log cabin which her father had built, where her parents were living. They were among the first pioneers who settled in Smithfield.

After living in Smithfield for a few years her father and mother moved to Brigham City, Utah, as her father had obtained work there.

After living there a few years her parents sold their place and moved back to Cache Valley where they bought a farm three miles west of Smithfield, close to the Bear River. She would go with her father into the fields to help him load up the grain. They had cows and chickens. She milked three cows every morning and night. Her mother had a loom upon which she wove the material for all theirr clothing.

When she was 14 years old her parents were called by the Bishop of the Church to sell their farm and move to Arizona, to help to settle that country. They were told to take some cows with them. Betsy rode horseback to help drive the cows. They had a covered wagon and started on their journey. After they had traveled some distance south of St. George, Utah, they received reports that they couldn't cross the river, due to floods and the bridge being down. So the family decided to camp there a few weeks and wait to see if they could get across. But after waiting there still didn't seem to be any hope of getting into Arizona, so they decided to go up to Oregon.

They traveled a long distance in a pioneer manner up to The Dalles, on the northern border of Oregon.

In The Dalles, which is a small town on the Columbia River, it was not possible for her father to find a house to rent, as there were no houses for rent. So they had to live in two tents which her father put up, for a month or two. While they were there her father and brother, Andrew, rented a boat and caught large salmon every few days.

There was a terrible flood in the canyon where my folks were living. The snows were melting and the creek in the canyon overflowed its banks. Their house was filled with water and the canyon turned into a river. There was an attic in the house, and her folks all went up in the attic to stay where they prayed for the water to recede.

As soon as it was possible for her folks to get out of the canyon, we started on our journey back to Salt Lake City, Utah, which took about a month. After arriving in Salt Lake City her father found work, hauling materials for builders. He also hauled much of the granite stone from the canyon for the building of the Salt Lake Temple.

There was fine young man, Axel Christian Nieslsen, boarding at her parents' home and she met him there for the first time. A few weeks afterwards when she was visiting her parents she saw him again. At that time, he asked her if he could take her home, which he did. So he asked her a very serious question. He said "will you be my wife for this life and all eternity?" On her sixteenth birthday he gave her a solid gold band. Then they agreed that they should not be married until she was eighteen years old.

After their stay in Logan they returned to Salt Lake City and rented a little place close to where her parents lived. Her husband found work, building. He was a mason, having learned his trade in Denmark. He built their home on Third East between Third and Fourth South, in the Ninth Ward of Salt Lake City, where they lived for many years. A large house was also built back of their home which was used for rental purposes. After Axel's conversion to the Gospel in Denmark he served as a home missionary there for four years before coming to America.

Axel and Betsy met a girl about Betsy's age who was a convert from Denmark and they became very good friends. She came to visit them quite often. Her name was Anne Hansen. Since plural marriage was practiced at that time among many of the Latter-day Saints my Axel decided to take another wife. He chose Anne, which they knew was the right thing to do. Two lovely children were born to her.

In about the year 1909 or 1910, Axel was called to go on a mission to Denmark from the Ninth Ward. He was there for two years and Betsy had to send money to him to support his mission. He had helped to convert several people who came to this country. He then went to work for the Western Pacific Railroad for a few years. He passed away August 12, 1924. After that Betsy went to Los Angeles, California, with her daughter, LaVon.

A few years after Axel's death she married to Robert Thornley of Smithfield, Utah, and had two years of a very happy life there with him before he passed away. He was a fine man, one of the early pioneers, and a good Latter-day Saint.