Hannah Månsdotter

Hannah Månsdotter was born Nov 3, 1829 in Brennestad, Sweden to Måns Pehrsson and Kjersti Kjerstena Andersdotter.

History

At a young age, Hannah was sent to Copenhagen, Denmark to become a painter and was later employed painting tablecloths.1 When Hannah was seven years old, missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints baptized her parents and were converted to the religion.2

Hannah's granddaughter relates how her grandparents met:

"Grandmother had come home from Copenhagen to spend the Christmas Holidays. They lived in a square house, built of blocks of peat, the door, as was customary, and was in two sections, upper and lower. A terrible storm was raging outside, and there came a loud knock on the door, and when Grandmother opened the upper half of the door, there stood a fine young man dressed in hunting togs, evidently a young man of higher class. He was a stranger whom she had never seen before. He had gone out hunting with friends and had become separated from the expedition, and was trying to find his way. With characteristic Swedish hospitality, he was invited into the house, warmed, and fed. Then they learned that he was one of the Christmas guests of the wealthy landowner, for whom her parents worked during the summer season, and whom this man found no trouble in locating, after being directed to the place that night.

"The next morning (Grandmother) Hannah, went to the wealthy landowners house where she had been engaged to assist with the work during the Christmas festivities.

"There again she met her Prince Charming, who began making love to her. At the twelfth night celebration, which climaxed the Christmas Festivities Pehr Monson’s (Manssen’s) engagement to a girl of his own rank, to whom as a child he had been betrothed, was to have been announced. But Pehr Monson (Manssen) announced his love for Hannah the pretty little peasant girl, instead of the girl of his own rank. For this Pehr Manssen became an outcast, disinherited, and was persecuted by his family, but still he remained true to the girl of his choice."1

The exact date as to when Pehr and Hannah were married is unknown. 

While working in Denmark, Hannah came home to prepare for the birth of their first child when she found Pehr dead. Pehr commented suicide on April 21, 1850. Ellen Persson Mansson was born on Sep 5 of the same year.1

Hannah continued to work in Denmark and her parents cared for Ellen while she was gone. The family made preparations to move to Utah on April 2, 1862. They bordered the Humbolt and sailed to New York City, New York. When they reached Florence, Nebraska, they joined the John R. Murdock Co. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Sep 28, 1862.2

The same year as the family entered the valley, Hannah met John Halgren and the two would marry on June 12, 1871 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sometime before their marriage, they moved to Richmond.2

Epilogue