HISTORY of JEPPA HANS JEPPSON

Matta Hansson, a young widow, met and married Hans Jeppson of Kyrkokoping. They lived in Trelleborg, Sweden, Trelleborg; a rugged seaport town, a center of commerce, whose doors opened into the Baltic Sea,' was the medium through which produce from the land went out and merchandise from the world came back to the inland cities. It was also the birthplace and childhood home of Jeppa Hans Jeppson."

This Northern Country is noted as a land of wonderous beauty, of long days, of twilight nights, balmy sea breezes, and singing birds. In winter there were rigorous sports; skating, sleighing, fishing through the ice. Sturdy forebears and this invigorating country produced handsome, hardy men, with sky blue eyes and blond hair; big fellows, fully equipped to meet the challenge of living, and living in this rugged land was for the strong in heart.

Jeppa Hans Jeppson, the first child of Hans Jeppson and Matta Hansson was born on the 13th of November 1832. In 1845, when Jeppa was thirteen years of age, his father died. Jeppa did not have very many years of home life as a child because his mother also passed away. Jeppa along with his brothers and sisters were orphaned; but here in this Northern Country it was the necessary custom for children to support themselves early in life.

Jeppa found work in a Tavern, and for a time, he enjoyed meeting people and learning new things. One day two Mormon Elders stoppped at the Tavern, and asked to stay the night, which they did after receiving permission. The next morning they left early, but hatred for them lingered there. In the Spring the same two Elders came back. One of the Elders was an older man with a beard, and the other was younger, about twenty-two. Jeppa wondered why they were hated so much by some of the people. He decided to question them,.and they talked far into the night. They seemed to be such good Christian Gentlemen. They told about the Bible and the Book of Mormon. All of it was good doctrine like Jesus taught. These men refused to drink strong wine; saying that it is not good for man. Jeppa was so happy with the new truths he had learned. He wished to share them with a girl in whom he was interested. She would not listen, and she turned her back on him. He was broken hearted, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had entered his heart, and this was a new way of life.

There was a compulsory draft law in effect in Sweden and Jeppa was appointed to be one of the King's Guard in Sweden. This was very much against his wishes. He decided to leave. He went to Norway, Germany, and Denmark. He learned the trade of cabinetmaker, which enabled him to earn a good living."

In the City of Copenhagen, he saw two Mormon Elders preaching the Gospel to some people on the sidewalk. Some rough men were making trouble for them. Jeppa felt the injustice of this and drove them off. Again Jeppa talked to the Elders, and this time the talk lasted all through the night. He knew what they said to be true. On the 21st of April 1853, he was baptized by O. C. Olsen, and confirmed the following day by Christian J. Larsen. He was also ordained a teacher and appointed to labor among the Saints in Copenhagen." On the 6th of October 1853, he was ordained a Priest and called on a Mission to Sweden. At a Conference held in the city of Malmo, Sweden, he was sent to labor in Goteborg and vicinity." He was the first Latter Day Saint Missionary to labor in that part of Sweden. He traveled alone on foot to and from Goteborg doing missionary work along the road. He returned to Copenhagen towards the close of 1853, and was released from further missionary labors and permitted to imigrate to Zion. There was a call for expert tradesmen to help build Zion. Jeppa was a trained cabinetmaker. His services were also needed as an interpreter. In his early travels he had learned to speak Norweigen and some German and Danish." "

On Monday 26th of December 1853, Jeppa sailed with a company of Scandinavian Saints consisting of more than 200 souls. They left Copenhagen Denmark on the steamship "Eideren" bound for Utah, under the leadership of Hans Peder Olsen, who had labored about ten months on the Island of Bornholm. These emigrants traveled by way of Kiel, Gluckstad and Hull to Liverpool, where they arrived the 9th of January 1854. Here they were compelled to wait nearly two weeks during which time the greater portion of the children were attacked by a fever, resulting in the death of twenty two of the little ones.

On the 22nd of January 1854 the emigrants went on board the Benjiman Adams, and sailed from Liverpool an the 28th with 384 Saints on board. Eight people died during the voyage, and were buried at sea. They landed in New Orleans the 22nd of March 1854.

A young woman from Ostfold, Norway was in the Company. Her name was Gunniel Marie Hansen. Unity of purpose made all these people friends, but Gunniel and Jeppa became special friends.

On the 25th of March the Company continued the journey from New Orleans by the Steamboat L. M. Kennet and arrived in St. Louis Missouri on the 3rd of April. During the passage up the river considerable sickness prevailed and fourteen of the emigrants died. From St. Louis where many members of the church resided at that time the emigrants continued the journey up the river. They arrived in Kansas City the 10th of April. A few days later they were joined there by the company which had crossed the Atlantic in the Jesse Munn.

Westport now a part of Kansas City, Jackson County Missouri had been selected as the outfitting place for the Saints who crossed the Plains, and the Scandinavian emigrants made their encampment near Westport, a short distance south of the Missouri River. The two companies were amalgamated and organized for the journey across the plains. Hans Peder Olsen was wagon master. From ten to twelve persons, four oxen, and two cows were assigned to a wagon. Just before the company left, Orson Pratt of the Council of the Twelve advanced enough money to purchase fifty more oxen, which greatly helped them safely through to Salt Lake Valley. Much hardship and a number of deaths were mute testimony of the cost to these people, who had left their native lands, to find a home where they could worship God and serve Him."

A common goal and mutual understanding held the group together. It was absolutely necessary that they help and comfort one another. Mutual respect ripened into deep friendship. In Wyoming one of the rivers was flooding its banks. The four-yoke ox team on one of the wagons was flounderin6 in the muddy water. Jeppa went to the rescue. An ox threw it's head and caught him in the chest knocking the breath out of him. The current carried him down to a bend in the river where Gunniel succeeded in getting a rope to him and saving his life.

They arrived at their destination the 5th of October- 1854. Jeppa and Gunniel had successfully completed a long journey. They had reached Zion; they were in love and they wanted to continue through life together. Just six days after reaching Salt Lake they were married the Ilth of October 1854." On the 29th of October 1855 they were sealed together for time and eternity in the Endowment House.;

In the Spring of 1855 they were one of fifty families called by President Brigham Young to go with Lorenzo Snow to the mouth of Box Elder Canyon where they established the settlement of Brigham City. ' This became his home for the rest of his life, and he labored faithfully and true for the upbuiiding of the Kingdom of God. Jeppa Hans Jeppson came to Brigham City, a young man, vital and vigorous, hard working and immediately became prominently identified with the growth and development of the community.

On the 27th of January 1865 he married Christina Peterson, a young girl from Sweden who had been living and working in his home. In addition to the public work he did, Jeppa maintained two homes; one down on the farm where Christina lived and the other one on Main Street where Gunniel lived. Gunniel was the mother of ten children, and Christina had fourteen children. There were sixteen sons and eight daughters. Six of them died in childhood. The two women helped each other through illness and difficulties and they were friends. They maintained family confidence and mutual respect which still exists today.

Box Elder County records describe the Jeppa Jeppson farm North and West of Brigham City, warrant #16828. Title is recorded in the Registrars office at Salt Lake City, Utah under the date of 21st of May 1869."

When Wards were formed, Jeppa Jeppson became presiding Elder of the Brigham City Second Ward. He continued in that position until Box Elder Stake was organized in 1877. He was called by President Brigham Young as First counselor to Lewis Wight to visit all Priests in the Church area from Salt Lake City North in all the settlements in the Church. This work was done during the winter months for two years. He was active all his life in the Church. He served as Ward Teacher, as First counselor to Ola N. Stohl in the Scandinavian Organization, and as a member of the Box Elder Stake High Council until after the turn of the century. In 1884 he was called by the First Presidency to fill a mission to Scandinavia, where he served until May 1886. After returning home he acted as counselor to Charles Kelly in the Presidency of the High Priests Quorum in Box Elder Stake. He was released in 1388, at the time of the uprising against polygamy. He also filled a home Mission.

The period from 1880 to 1890 was a time of bitter persecution for those who lived in polygamy. Only about two and a half percent of the Church membership ever practiced plural marriage. Most of these folks lived honorable lives, building for generations of the future with hopes of an Eternity in a realm where aspirations and dreams might find fulfillment. Jeppa says of this period: "I was hounded and driven from pillar to post by U. S. Deputy Marshals for about three years and finally lodged in prison. I served a term in the Utah State Penitentiary from the 13th of October 1888 to 26th of February, 1889.

His public work for the City and county embraced many offices. When Brigham City was established he was made Water Master and subsequently Supervisor of all Water Masters in the County. He served as Janitor and Police of Public Buildings. For this work he received $1.00 per month which he gave to a widow for giving special attention to the Judge's office. He was also County Road Supervisor, and as such it was his duty to build and maintain public roads. He with the help of his boys worked on the Canyon road and made it passable. He planned and graded Forest Street. This work was done the hard way, without the aid of machinery. He had only a team of horses, a scraper, and a wagon. He was lauded by the governor,' and it was called a "Herculeian task."' He planted trees on both sides of the street and built a bridge over the North pond.

He owned shares in the first Woolen Mills and the first Flour Mill in Brigham City. He planned and helped to build the first Brigham City Tabernacle."' (it is burned down now but, some of the rock walls were preserved and used in the new building)

He had the great satisfaction of seeing his children grow up to be honored and useful members in society, actively taking part in all the movements of progress instituted for personal and public welfare. His decendants are scattered from New York to California and even into foreign countries. His missionary posterity, both boys and girls have declared the Gospel to tens of thousands and testified of its truthfulness in many lands and places, and each year they continue this work and increase in number.

Jeppa Hans Jeppson was a true Latter Day Saint; true to God; and true to his convictions. He devoted his life to the service of and Community he adopted, and te he loved, which is his own. On a summer day in August, 1916 Jeppa ate his breakfast and went for a walk. Somehow he fell striking his head on the pavement. He never regained consciousness. A few days later, on the 12th of August 1916 he passed peacefully away at his home on North Main Street in Brigham City. He was eighty four years of age," and he had successfully completed another long journey. The full complete life of a true Latter Day Saint is a beautiful thing to behold.

Thora Jeppson Spilker

References Where Information and Verification Might Be Obtained

See map of Sweden.

"The Scandinavian people practiced a system of name giving whereby the child takes his father's first name for his last name. Jeppa's father's name was Hans Jeppson, according to the practice of patronymics his son or daughter would be Hans son or Hans daughter. For Jeppa the christening records of the Lutheran Church read; Jeppe Jepthe Hansson. When he came to America, Jeppe called himself Jeppe Hans Jeppsson. In the archive record, where he is listed as a child with his parents, the record reads: Jeppe (Jepthe) Hansson Jeppsson. This record shows that Jeppe and Jepthe were given names with Hansson as the Sir name. Hansson was the father's first name and according to the patronymic system it was his last name. Jeppsson is underlined to show that it was the name used in life. A Swedish e on the end of a name has the sound of a, and double s to show parental relationship is not in use here, so he became known in life as: Jeppa Hans Jeppson.


"This information was taken from Royal Jeppson's, History of my Grandfather 'Sketch of the life of Jeppa Jeppson by Lorenzo Jeppson 9 Feb. 1901. "Utah 7, Scandinavian Church History by Andrew Jensen, 6 Oct. 1853 also Page 88 26 Dec. 1853. "Family and archive records. 'Endowment House records. "Brigham City ward records as follows. F. Utah B 2 pts 4. F Utah B 2 pts 9. F Utah 20 pts 2. "Biographical Encyclopedia Volume 1 by Andrew Jensen. Note this Biographical Sketch was written by Jeppa Jeppson himself.

Brigham City History with list of Sextons.


Jeppson, Jeppa, a High Councilor, and first counselor to Ola N. Stohl in the presidency of the Scandinavian meetings, in the Box Elder Stake of Zion, is the son of Hans Jeppson and Martha Hanson, and was born Nov. 13, 1832, in Trelleborg, Malmohus lan, Sweden; he went to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1848, and there learned the trade of a cabinetmaker, and embraced the gospel, being baptized April 21, 1853, by O. C. Olsen, and confirmed the following day by Christian J. Larsen. Soon afterwards he was ordained a Teacher and appointed to labor among the Saints in Copenhagen. Oct. 6, 1853, he was ordained a Priest and called on a mission to Sweden. At a conference held in Malmo, Sweden, he was sent to labor in Gothenburg and vicinity, being the first Latter-day Saint missionary to labor in that part of Sweden. Traveling on foot all alone to and from Gothenburg, he did missionary work along the road. Returning to Copenhagen toward the close of 1853, he was released from further missionary labors and permitted to emigrate to Zion, as his services were needed as an interpreter with a company of Saints which left Copenhagen in December, 1853, under the direction of Hans Peter Olsen. On the road he acted as Teacher among the Saints, and arrived in Salt Lake City, Oct. 5. 1854. Having married Gunild Marie Hansen, a Norwegian girl, he located at Brigham City, being one of the fifty families called to settle at that place under the direction of Lorenzo Snow. This has been his home ever since, and here he has from that time until the present labored faithfully and true for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God. Among the many local positions which he has filled with credit and honor to himself and all concerned, it may be mentioned that he has labored as Ward teacher, counselor in the presidency of the Priests' quorum, water master, janitor, and police of public buildings, etc. He was ordained an Elder in 1855, and a High Priest Nov. 25, 1856, by Lorenzo Snow, and for many years he acted as a counselor to Charles Kelley in the presidency of the High Priests' quorum in the Box Elder Stake. In 1884-86 he filled a mission to Scandinavia, his field of labor being his native land, Sweden. [p.396] After his return home he was chosen and set apart as a High Councilor in the Box Elder Stake, which position he still holds. In April, 1899, he was set apart as first counselor to Elder Ola N. Stohl in the presidency of the Scandinavian meetings in Brigham City. In regard to his family affairs Elder Jeppson writes: "I married Gunild Marie Hansen Oct. 11, 1854, and Christina Persson, in January, 1865. They are both still living. By my first wife I have had ten children, of whom seven are now alive; by my second wife I have had fourteen children, of whom eleven are alive. Thus I have 18 living children; also 61 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. During the late raid on polygamists, I was hounded and driven from pillar to post by U. S. deputy marshals for about three years and finally lodged in prison. I served a term in the Utah Penitentiary from Oct. 13, 1888, to Feb. 26. 1889." Elder Jeppson is indeed a veteran in the Church, being numbered among the most faithful of its Elders. He has trained his large posterity in the fear of the Lord, and has already seen four of his sons fill foreign missions.