Otto Alfred Harrison
Compiled by his daughter, Merettie
Otto Alfred Harrison was born January 5, 1880, in Sandy City, Utah, the son of Peter Bengtson Harrison and Christena Neilson. His father and mother came from Sweden on the same boat in 1876. They were married in Salt Lake City in 1877. Otto's father's name was Bengston in Sweden, and he changed it to Harrison after coming to America.
Peter and Christena had four children: three boys and one girl. The girl was the oldest child and died while only a baby. After her death, Christena adopted a little girl named Anna. Anna married Carl Burg. Otto was the oldest of the boys. His brothers were Peter William Harrison and Joseph Richard Harrison.
Otto's father died when he was three years old. Later his mother married Paul L. Olson, and they had a family of nine children. In order of age they were: George, Albert, Ellen Peterson, Charles, Ethel Lindberg, James (who died as a baby), Lillie Williamson, Gertrude (who died as a baby), and Viole Kjelstrom. Mr. Olson had one daughter by a previous marriage (Lena) who later married an Anglesey, making 15 children. He also had had another daughter but she had died previously, as a baby or small child.
In 1890, at the age of ten, Otto came with his mother and stepfather to Star Valley. He rode the lead horse and it was a long, hard journey. The family settled first in Afton and later moved to Osmond. In Osmond, they lived about one-half mile down the Fairview land, on the south side of the road. The family suffered the many hardships and the hard winters in Star Valley along with other early settlers. Otto, being the oldest child, accepted the res-ponsibility of helping and guiding his loved ones.
Otto started working away from home at an early age. His first job was working at a dairy owned by Tom Wilson, on the place just a wee bit north and west of the Osmond church house. They had a large barrel churn, which was fixed in a ditch, and the running water turned the churn. Otto received 25 cents a day for his wages.
Otto received a wonderful Patriarchal Blessing while still a young boy. Brother K. H. Brown gave it in Swedish. Otto was ordained to the different offices in the Priest-hood. He attended Priesthood and other meetings in the evenings at Afton for some time after moving to Osmond. Fast Meeting was held on Thursdays.
Otto attended school in Osmond. He liked school very much and was especially good in arithmetic. Most of the schoolwork was done on slates.
In 1901, Osmond became a ward. In 1902, Otto was ordained a High Priest and became a second counselor to Bishop Andrew Neilson at the age of 22 and not yet married.
At the age of 23, Otto fell in love with and married Fannie Chivers Henderson, another early comer to Star Valley. They were married on August 29, 1903, and they were sealed in the Logan Temple on February 4, 1904. They had a family of nine children—six boys and three girls. In order of birth they were Almon Leroy, Leslie Alfred, Albon Otto, Merettie Irene Leavitt, Alta Fannie Hillstead, Dona Lucile Hoopes, Doral B., who died a short while after he was born, Ernest Edwin, and Thede Max. Ernest had a genetic condition and was sickly from soon after birth for the rest of his life. Almon married Mary Chadwick, Leslie married Maurine Tippetts, Albon married Dora Leavitt, and Thede married Helen Fisher.
Otto and Fannie lived for a while at Smoot and for a short time at Grover. At Grover, Otto worked for Covey and Blaney on a ranch. While there the house burned down, burning everything they owned except the clothes they had on, which was not much as it was night time. The house belonged to Covey and Blaney, but all the furniture and furnishings were the Harrison's. So, they then moved back to Osmond. Otto owned two ranches in Osmond: one south and west of the Osmond Church, and one about a mile further south, both on the west side of the road.
Otto was released as Bishop's counselor when he moved to Grover in 1909. After his return to Osmond, he was called on a mission to Sweden. He never hesitated, but sold the place up south and prepared to go. He left for his labors on February 15, 1913, leaving his wife to carry on through many hardships with five children, all under the age of ten. She often said she was glad they were small so she always knew where they were.
Fannie went with Otto as far as Montpelier, which was quite a trip in those days. It took Otto just one month to reach Sweden. He labored there at a time when the missionaries were greatly persecuted. He was called out of Sweden because of conditions developing before World War I. He had two months left and was sent to Tennessee to finish his mission. He was called home from there because of the death of his mother.
Otto was called as Bishop of the Osmond Ward in 1915, which position he held and honorably filled until his release in 1936, having served for 21 ½ years. This made a total of 29 ½ years of service in the Bishopric. Besides this he filled many other offices in the church and community.
In 1916, the family built a new home, one of the finest in the valley at that time. They were very happy for it after all the old houses they had lived in.
Otto was always a hard worker, willing to do his share and more. He sheared sheep for many years every spring. This was done with hand clippers and was very hard work. Otto became one of the best and fastest shearers, sometimes doing over 200 head a day. Besides this, he and the boys took care of two ranches, he having bought another one north and east of the Church house. It was estimated that he sheared close to one million sheep in his lifetime.
Otto was a religious man, devoted to the church and his family. He was a wonderful father, always setting a good example for his children, and always proud of their accomplish-ments. He didn't send us to church - he took us.
He was a good provider for his family. He had a smokehouse where he cured his own meat, hauled wood from the canyon nearby and always had a large garden and milk cows.
Every fall his cellar was full of fruits and vegetables, his shed was full of wood, a large bin was full of flour, and his meat was ready for winter.
Many nights I remember Mother and us kids standing out in the dark and cold, listening for him to come from the canyon - worried for fear he may have been hurt. We could hear him whistling, or singing, as soon as he reached the mouth of the canyon.
In the year 1941, Otto underwent a serious operation for ulcers, in Salt Lake City, from which he never fully recovered, and work was very hard for him after that, but he still carried on.
On July 11, 1948, he was stricken with an illness and was taken to the hospital in Afton. All that loving hands could do for him was done, but surrounded by his loved ones, he passed away on Thursday afternoon, July 22, 1948, after much suffering. Before his death, he was uncon-scious and seemed to be communicating with his brother Joe, who had passed on before, and making an appointment for four o'clock, which was the exact time that he died.
Funeral services were held July 25, 1948, in the Osmond Ward Chapel, which he had done much to help build and maintain. The building was not large enough to accommodate the large crowd of friends and relatives who came to pay their last respects. The floral offerings were profuse and beautiful. One speaker said that Otto was a capable leader or a willing fol-lower; another said he was quiet and retiring and at the time of his call as Bishop had felt in-capable of the responsibility.
At the time of his passing, Otto was Secretary of the Osmond group of High Priests, and a Ward Teacher.
Interment was in the Afton Cemetery.
Otto A. Harrison Missionary Journal
August 26, 1913
I and my companion were out in the country tracting. A big over grown man ask me if I was an agent. I told him no, I was a missionary. He said he knew all about that and the best thing I could do was to get out of the country if we didn’t want to get martyred for rottenness. All the people we met that day seemed mean.
Sept. 15 – The detectives came and got my companion and put him in jail for twenty three days to serve out a fine of two hundred Kronars for preaching the truth.
Jonkoping, (Sweden), Sept. 30, (19)14:
30 – I got the sad news that we must get ready and leave Sweden at once. And after getting every thing in order in Jonkoping and turned the books and every thing that belonged to that branch to a local elder, Emil Henrikson, we packed our trunks and then spent a little short time bidding the saints and our friends goodby. They had a party and presented us Elders with some very nice presents.
Oct 3 – Having sent our trunks to the R.R.S. [railroad station] and getting them checked for Goteborg the train was to leave at 1:00 P.M. But at 11:30 we got wind that the Detectives were on my trail, I being fined with a 100 Kronar. They were going to stop me from leaving the City without paying my fine, but instead of taking any chances I and my companion concluded to hire an automobile out of town 10 miles out to a little station. When we got there and the auto went back, we found out that the train didn’t stop, to our surprise. When the train came sailing by there were some of our friends and saints on board with their arms full of flowers and best regards from the saints and friends. After waiting there four hours we got a train for Goteborg, arrived there at 9 P.M.
4 – I left Goteborg at 3:00 P.M. by train to Helsingborg and ferry from there to Denmark and landed in Kopenhagen (Copenhagen) 10:45 P.M.
5 – After getting our tickets for Liverpool I was presented with my release, leaving Kopenhagen at 8 P.M. on a Ship named Aalborg and landed in Aalborg at 7 A.M. Leaving Aalborg at 4 P.M. on the Ship N J Fjord, going up along the coast of Norway and up around Scotland.
6 – Out on the North Sea I had the privilege of seeing four whales. We had hot water and bread and butter at 8 A.M., and then at 11 A.M. we had a good breakfast of different kinds of meat and potatoes. Then at 4 P.M. we had dinner, different kinds of fish. Then at 8 P.M. we had hot water and bread and butter again.
7-8 – I was out on the North Sea.
9 – I was along the coast of Scotland.
10 – Landed in Liverpool.
11 – Went to Sunday School and meeting at L.P. (Liverpool)
13 – I got my appointment and was transferred from the Swedish Mission to the Southern States Mission in the U.S.A. on account of the war in Europe.
14 – I went on board the steamship Adriatic on the White Star Line, third class.
15 – Landed at Queenstown at 7 A.M. and took on board mail and passengers. Left there at 4 P.M.
Transcribed by Darlene H. Jones, 10 July 1997. Corrections were made in spelling and punctuation.