Life of James Frederick Hansen

Upon being asked to write a history of his life Grandpa Hansen proceeded as follows: "I, James F. Hansen, son of Kirsten Jensen and Hans Hansen, was born at Hillestone, Maribo, Denmark, April 14, 1858. My father died when I was three, so I remember very little of him. My mother was a widow for five years, or until the spring of 1867 when she married Nels Sorensen. Then we moved to Blands. My stepfather was very kind to me. I had to work from the time I was seven to help my parents, because we were very poor. On the 1st of May 1872, I left home for good, that is, with the consent of my parents. On the 24 of September 1875 I joined the Mormon Church. I had previously been a Lutheran. In 1876 I was called to travel as a missionary. On July 5, 1880 I started for Utah arriving in Logan July 29th. On January 19, 1881 together with my best girl, Laura P. Sorensen, went to Salt Lake City and were married in the Endowment House the next day."

Here the story ends so we shall add to it from incidents he told us. Grandpa's stepfather was a fisherman. He often told us of fishing in Denmark. He said that when a storm was coming, the men would hurry to their hooks if they were catching eel; otherwise the eel would twist their heads off and that was all they would find. When his stepfather was told that James was to join the Mormon Church he said, "If he never does anything worse than that, he won't be so bad." But when his mother considered joining, he asked her to please not. The mother and three daughters later came to North Dakota, but never joined the church. While James was on his mission he met Laura Sorensen. She was sick in bed at the time. He had the impression that this girl would be his future wife, and this proved correct. James would have been inducted into the army had he remained in Denmark, but after joining the Church, the desire to come to Utah was uppermost in his mind. With his future wife, her parents, her sister and this sister's sweetheart, they set out for Utah. When James arrived in Logan, he had but five cents, but he had learned to work at an early age, so he was not long in finding a job. He was first employed as night watchman at Thatcher Milling Co. One night a boss came to check on him and found no one there, but upon investigation found that he had been given special permission to go and get married. The only chance of making money was to work on the railroad and James was owing part on his immigration and was anxious to get that paid, so he left his young bride and went to Montana. While he was gone Laura worked on a dairy and was able to buy a few things to begin housekeeping when her husband returned. They settled first at Richmond at a place where the South Ward Chapel now stands. There was a number of Danish people there that he had brought into the Church that loved and respected him, and he was very happy among them but there was no land to take up and he had no money to buy. Again he went to Montana and worked on the railroad. When he returned Hans Funk had been called to move to Newton and be Bishop. The Hansens, along with several other Danish families, moved with him. For a number of years James worked for Bishop Funk in the daytime, and did his own work at night. He farmed, bought and sold veal, and later opened a milk route from Newton to Smithfield. There were many Danish families at Newton. They delighted to meet together, speak in their native tongue, and enjoy the dishes and customs they had known in the old country. James Hansen was a very hospitable man. The crowd was never too large, and there was always food for the "stranger within his gates." In the winter of 1890 he was called with Thomas Godfrey to fill a home mission. They traveled all over Cache Valley.

He was Superintendent of the Newton Sunday School for many years. He always attended church and required the members of his family to do the same, even if it became necessary to sit by some who failed to enjoy the lengthy sessions. Later he was called to be an officiator in the Logan Temple, the work of his life he loved most. He filled this calling faithfully for twenty-four years without pay. Often he traveled with horse and buggy back and forth from Newton sixteen miles each way, and he was never known to be late. During this time his wife died leaving eight children, two sons preceded her in death. He later married Elizabeth Christensen, and moved to Logan where he could continue his temple work without the strain of travel. Even after his release he continued on at his beloved temple. Brother Noble said of him, "He could officiate in any part we asked him: all we needed to do was raise a finger and Brother Hansen was there." The work was never tiresome to him, and he often bore his testimony that he got along just as well or better than he did before his call when he spent his entire time making a living. James F. Hansen was an honest man. No debt was ever too small to be overlooked. He was a punctual man. Six o'clock winter or summer was time to get up, and twelve o'clock sharp was dinner time. He was an orderly man. No tool was ever left out of place, and his wood was cut a uniform length and piled in neat rows in his basement. He liked high-spirited horses and was nicknamed "Lightning Hansen" by his friends by his fast driving. He died as he lived, in a hurry. A pitchfork accidentally caught with a jackson fork full of hay was hurled against him, piercing a main artery to his heart. The end came peacefully with the desire of his heart, to pass on without suffering.