Christine Johansen

Christine Johansen was born June 17, 1828 in Uvelse, Denmark to Johannes Adamsen and Ane Jorgensdatter.

Early Life

As a young girl, Christine was hired by a rich family as a maid. Along with her, the family married a young man by the name of Jens Hansen as a butler and handyman. Christine married Jens Hansen on May 6, 1855 in Copenhagen, Denmark. After their marriage, they started running a hardware store where Jens was an iron merchant. 

Difficult Conversion

As hired help, they employed a young girl by the name of Marie Rasmussen. She introduced Christine to missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Christine was converted. However, Jens forbade Christine to be associated with the Church. Christine disobeyed and was secretly baptized into the Church on Aug 16, 1861 and would sneak out to attend meetings.

At one point, Jens had discovered Christine's secret. He locked Christine in a room and was fed only bread and water until she would deny the gospel. It is not known how long this event happened. In 1865, Jen was called into the King's Army, as all young men were to do. On the first day, Jens marched many miles, got a blister, received blood poisoning, and died on May 4, 1865.

Trek West

After his death, Christine was determined to move to Utah and join the remaining Saints. They traveled from Denmark to Germany and sailed on the ship Kenilworth on May 25, 1866 from Hanberg, Germany to New York City, New York on July 16. 

They sailed on steamboats and traveled on trains to Wyoming, Nebraska. The family joined the Peter Nebeker Co. on Aug 7, 1866 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Sep 29. While traveling, her son Johan died after contacting Mountain Fever.

Life in Richmond

Soon after they arrived in Utah, Christine wanted to move her family to Cache Valley because it was where her missionaries were from. To get there, she hired a man named Jonas Halvorsen to take them there. Christin Johansen married Jonas Halverson on March 2, 1867 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1878, Jonas was called to serve a mission in Denmark, and Christine was tasked to care for her family by herself once again. After his return in 1880, they moved just south of Richmond.

Epilogue