John Christian Larsen

John Christian Larsen Sr. was born Jan 13, 1855 in West Weber, Utah to Christain John and Barabara Jensine Dorthea Olsen Larsen. John is a Pioneer of Cove and the first Bishop of the Cove Ward.

History

"The house [I grew up in] was made by driving stakes in the ground and then the willows were woven in and out to make the walls. The roof was of dirt. From Weber we moved to Spring City, (Ephraim)... We lived in a log house and it was so cold the bread would freeze as hard as ice in the house. The furniture was very crude. The bed was three poles fastened to the wall and then braided across with rawhide."

When John was 10, he was a Black Hawk War bugler. John was raised on a farm. In 1868, the Larsen family moved to Logan, Utah. While in Logan, John participated in the construction of the railroad, building the road in Logan Canyon, and building the foundation of the Logan Temple.

"I remember being in church in the Second Ward at Logan. Pretty, brown-eyed Susannah Titensor came into the church. This thought came to me, 'that pretty little girl is going to be my wife.' I took her home from church, and she did become my wife. I didnt sleep much that night. We were married by William Preston at his home Feb 7, 1877..."

"In 1881, we moved to Cove,... to a farm and built a three room house. Threre was nothing on the place but sage brush and snakes. I never saw so many snakes. Through hardship and plenty of work, we made a beautiful modern country home..."

Bishop of Cove Ward

"I was ordained a high priest and Bishop of Cove Ward on Nov 27, 1882 by William B. Preston. I was then 27 years old. I felt a great responsibility placed upon me. I served as Bishop of Cove 34.5 years. My first councilors were Andrew Allen and Edward Kingsford, and later John Esklenson and then later, Joseph Allen and Alma Hendricks. I did the first day's work on the Cove Meeting House."

John holds the record for the longest-serving Bishop in Richmond and Cove, of 35 years. The following tribute was written when John was released as Bishop in 1917. The author is not known:

"Winning the commendation and esteem of all, he possessed sufficient power to hold the attention of seemingly every congregation which he attempted to address. ... As a servant of the people, none can deny that he was ever willing to come to their call in sickness by day or by night to minister to their loved ones. ...In all propositions, for the benefit of the Ward he has given his loyal support..." 

Family

John Christian Larsen married Susannah Titensor on Feb 7, 1877 in Logan, Utah. John entered the practice of polygamy on Nov 24, 1881 by marrying Mary Ellen Titensor and Emma Jane Howland on April 27, 1887. John had 15 children with 12 living to adulthood.

Due to his practice of polygamy, John was constantly hunted by officers to arrest him.

"One day I was in the stable which was near the road, when two officers drove up. I had no time to hide. I lay flat in the manger. They collared my oldest son and passed the stable and went on to the house by they never searched the stable."

"One day my councilor and I were sitting by the window at my desk working on the ward books. Once I looked up and there were the two officers. I know they had seen me, but not my councilor. Luckily we both were beards. I jumped up and rushed up stairs. He slipped into my chair. I barley made the top of the stairs when they entered. I didn't have time to go through my little trap door into the closet I had for hiding. They addressed my counselor saying, 'This is Mr. Larsen I suppose.' He answered by saying, 'No, I am his clerk.'

"I finally have myself up, had a mock trial and paid $300..."

Epilogue