Martha Jensen Johnson

By Helen Johnson Carlson, April 2006

Birth: 20 January 1874, Goshen, Utah, Utah Mother: Cecelia Jenson Father: Hans Jensen Marriage: 30 April 1894, Santaquin, Utah, Utah Spouse: John Carl Johnson Death: 21 June 1949, Ogden, Weber, Utah

Martha Jensen, born 20 January 1874, in Goshen, Utah, was the fourth child of Cecelia and Hans Jensen. Hans was a polygamist. His second wife, Maren, gave birth to a son, Johanas, twelve hours later, on the 21 January 1874. Johanas passed away in July of that same year. All indications suggest that there was a little friction between the two families, probably because Cecelia couldnt overcome the hurt from Hans taking a second wife. Im sure they were civil but I think they kept their distance. Marthas mother, Cecelia Jenson was, also, known as Sissa Pehrsdotter or Sidse Jonsson, depending on what record you are looking at. She was born, 28 February 1848, at S. Sallarup, Malmo, Sweden. She came to America with the Skane Conference, on the William Tapscott, in April of 1859. They arrived in New York, 13 May 1859. Cecelia was 11 years old at that time. Marthas Father, Hans Jensen was born, 10 April 1842 at Frobjerg, Orte, Odence, Denmark on the Island of Fyn. He migrated to America in 1865 and went directly to Salt Lake City; where he met and married Cecelia Jenson, 2 Mar 1866. Marthas two older brothers were born in Salt Lake City; Waldemar born, 1 June 1867, and Hans born, 3 Apr 1869. Hans married his second wife, Maren Larsen, the day she arrived from Denmark, 11 October 1870. In May1871, Hans took his family to Goshen, Utah, to help build that settlement, at the request of Brigham Young. As far as we know, there is no written history for Martha, but in 1939, in order to become a member of the Daughter of the Utah Pioneers; she wrote a short sketch about her Father. This sketch gives us a small glimpse of Martha, herself. You can sense the admiration and pride she has for her father and her mother as well, as she recalls and records her memories. You can visualize her growing up with a tight net family, learning to work hard, to provide the needs of the family and the community. She writes about her father being crippled and on crutches and yet he accomplishes so many things. He is a tailor by trade but he goes on to provide molasses, mould brick and farm the land. In the wintertime, wrote Martha, her parents washed the wool shaved from the sheep; corded it, spun it into yarn and wove it into cloth. Then they would cut and sew clothes for the men and boys. They, also, colored and spun yarn for other people. When there was a death in the community, they prepared them for burial. There were plenty of chores for everyone to do, including Martha. It wasnt all work and no play. Martha recalls many sociable times. Dancing was a favorite activity. Different families would give a house party. Marthas father was always on hand, with his accordion, to provide music for those who enjoyed dancing. There were very sad times, also. When Martha was nine years old, her twelve-year-old brother, Jacob, froze to death, in a sheep camp. A sheep camp was like a covered wagon, 1

perhaps better equipped, which the shepherds lived in. Jacob may have been there, watching over the sheep by himself. We dont have that information. At any rate, it was a tragic event. In 1887, she had two brothers die, of diphtheria, just five days apart. May, 31,1887, Jens passed away. He was eleven years old. Hans died on 5 June 1887, at the age of eighteen. Another constant challenge was the persecution over the polygamy issue. The antiMormons and the U.S. Territorial Government were extremely active in enforcing their law against polygamy between 1885 and 1890. Marthas Father was one of those incarcerated. He was jailed for two years; came home to both wives and so they jailed him again. This time he was released after less than six months. He came home; got his second wife, Maren, and her family and left for Wyoming. There was undoubtedly some feeling of rejection along with the lonely feeling, in the absence of her Father. Martha gave birth to a son, John Sylvester, 9 May 1891. She was 17 years old. The legend is that John Carl Johnson arrived in Utah, in 1892, met Martha and her son, John, and they got married, 30 April 1894, in Santaquin, Utah. Martha and John made a good pair. They were both healthy, industrious, hard working and had good moral values. Thus their children were fortunate to be born, in a home, where these virtues were lived and taught. However, their first two children did not have the opportunity to grow up in their home. Aaron Jesse Charles was born November 9,1895. He died one year and 16 days later, on Christmas day, December 25,1896. They had this beautiful verse printed on his headstone. A little flower of love, that blossomed but to die, Transplanted now above, to blossom with God on high. Not quite a year later, 22 August 1897, Martha gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Eva Christine. She only remained with them a few days. They buried her along side her brother, in the Santaquin cemetery, August 25,1897. Her epitaph reads: Sleep on sweet babe and take thy rest. God called thee home; He thought it best. They must have taken great comfort in their son, John, who was now six years old. Marie Johnson Lamb relates that her Grandmother, Martha Johnson, told her the following experience: John was assumed to be a deaf and mute child. When he was about seven years old, Martha and John journeyed to the Manti Temple to be married and have their children sealed to them. They, also, had a bottle of olive oil consecrated, at the temple, to bring home with them. On the way home, when they camped for the night, John fussed with an earache. Not having any medication, Martha heated some of the oil and poured it in his ear. He said; Mother! Thats hot. It frightened her. Those were his first words. It was a miracle. October 1897, was the temple trip spoken about in the last paragraph. This was a very special occasion. Several members of their families participated. Marthas brother, Waldemar and his wife, Selma, who was Johns sister received their endowments and were sealed as was Johns brother Victor and his wife, Ellen. We have temple index cards from the Manti Temple with the date of October 20,1897 for these completed ordinances. There may have been others that we havent checked on. Manti Temple is at least 50 miles from Santaquin. The roads were not paved. They would have traveled in covered wagons. It probably took several days for this excursion. It must have been planned to take place after the harvest and before the cold and winter set in. No doubt it was a welcome diversion from their everyday life as well as being a spiritual and comforting experience.

The Johnson families were farmers. They had to be, in order to supply food and other essentials for the family. Farmers, in those days, meant you had to have a lot more skills than planting and harvesting crops. Of course, if you were exceptionally skilled in a particular area, you could trade services with your neighbor. Neighbors were always helping each other. Wives took care of the familys health, meals, clothing, bedding, cleaning, yard, garden or whatever she could do. The milk from the cow had to be run through a separator in order to have cream for coffee, butter and etc. She saved fat from the pork and made soap; saved the scraps from the meals to feed the pigs, dogs or chickens; and bottled bushels and bushels of food for the winter. They had root cellars for potatoes, carrots, apples and other things, which would store well and provide for their needs. Sundays were usually different. Animals were fed and basic chores had to be done but then it became a time for visiting relatives and friends until evening when the cows had to be milked and the animals fed again. Martha always seemed to have something, on hand, to serve family and visitors. There was plenty of bottled fruit and jam, home made bread, fresh churned butter and fresh real honey. Oh Yes! They couldnt do without their coffee. It was available anytime they wanted it, along with sugar cookies. When Martha baked cookies she really baked a lot of them in fact she actually had a small wooden barrel to store the dozens of cookies she would make at one time. Most of them were just plain sugar cookies but a lot, of them, she filled with raisins or mince- meat. She put the filling between two unbaked sugar cookies, pressed together around the edge, prior to baking them. Another family delight was Marthas delicious rice pudding or her bread pudding (made from dry bread scraps) was equally tasty. The pudding was made in a huge pan, baked and then stored in the warming oven, of the wood cook stove, until eaten. It didnt have to be stored long. Supper or a snack after supper could easily finish it off. By chance, if some was left, it could be stored out-side, in the cooler. The cooler was kind of a box with shelves. It was made out of wood and screen, with burlap draped over the top and down all four sides. It was placed in a cool place where they could keep the burlap wet. The evaporation made it cool inside the box. Here they stored their milk, butter and etc. Martha gave birth to Ervin Dewey, August 30,1898 and to Merlin Robert, January 18,1900. John was now nine years old and had two little brothers. When Marthas brother, Waldemar, was called on a mission to Denmark, he asked John to run his farm while he was gone. His farm was in Goshen and had irrigation. Martha and Johns farm did not. Therefore, they left their farm in Santaquin and moved their family to Goshen. 3

First they moved to Alberta, called Goshen Slant, up along the railroad and then they moved to Goshen Bend about three miles out of Goshen. They bought an old schoolhouse and converted it into a pretty nice home. Pete Lundgren was born, December, 29,1903, while they were living there. In the fall of 1904, Martha started Ervin in the first grade. During the year, the

Merlin

Pete

Ernest

Ethan

Ervin

This picture indicates the care and pride Martha passed on to her boys

decision was made to move back to Santaquin. Ervin finished the school year in Santaquin. Martha and John had three more sons, born in Santaquin. Ethan Aldin was born 24 April 1906, Ernest Henry, 17 March 1911 and Rex Gerald, 25 October 1915. The farm was a good place to raise their seven sons. Martha and John were hard workers and with the cooperation of their children they accomplished so very much. As the sons grew they were more and more help. They not only planted and harvested hay and grain but they grew big vegetable gardens and large orchards of fruit. When the boys were old enough, they peddled the fruit in towns all around the area. If someone needed fruit and didnt have money they bartered for what ever they had. Sometimes they got something they had no use for. In this case, they would take it anyway; add it to the inventory on their wagon and sell or trade it to someone else along the route.

John and Martha built a brick home with a large living room and a large bedroom downstairs. In the attic above, they had two more bedrooms. Adjoining the brick structure was the kitchen, constructed of lumber. Separate from the house and further back in the yard but not, too, far from the kitchen was the summer kitchen or shanty, which was used during the summer to cook in. This kept the heat and the mess out of the house during the canning season, soap making and such as that. There was no plumbing (running water or sewer) of any kind. That came years later, when Martha was around seventy-five years old. The front yard was hedged with beautiful bushes usually carefully cut and groomed. The perimeter of the front yard was also adorned with enough locust trees to provide shade from the summer sun. All around the house were a variety of flowers including roses, snowballs and lilacs. There were plenty of peonies and other beautiful blooms ready to cut for Memorial Day. These were often shared with neighbors and in-laws. On the lawn, in front of the house, they planted a walnut tree. After it grew to maturity, it provided walnuts for the whole family and anyone else that happened to want some. Many happy, contented hours were spent with family, cracking and eating these delicious walnut meats. This magnificent tree, also, protected large Sunday gatherings of family, relatives, neighbors and friends, from the hot sun. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends from their old country, all enjoyed the cool atmosphere along with the comradeships, homemade ice cream and cookies. It was a fun place for all ages, from the youngest to the oldest. This was a weekly event all summer long. No one had an official invitation but everyone knew they were welcome. Often someone showed up with a musical instrument to add to the entertainment.As different members of the group had to depart Martha would load them up with boxes of fruits and vegetables to take home for their family. Winter was a different story. Not as many gathered but they did gather. Martha always prepared food. It was not fancy but it was filling and tasty. The wives and children (when they were young) gathered in the living room and shared family experiences while the men gathered in the kitchen, with their coffee, and argued about whatever they could find to argue about. Ha! Unless someone brought in some wine and then they joined the women and passed around the wine. Ervins wife and children did not accept the wine and their choice was respected. Martha and Johns home accommodated, not only their family, but also, many others over the years. Among the others, was a music teacher named Alvin Waltslegger, who traded music lessons for his board and room. He taught Rex, the youngest son, to play the Hawaiian guitar. Another frequent guest was a man who delighted the grandchildren with his magic tricks, like hiding money in the collars of their shirts. He, also, played his accordion and mouth organ at the same time. This man could very well have been one of Marthas brothers. 5

Martha had 25 grandchildren. John married Chloe Yancy in 1917. They had two children. Merlin married Pearl Jackson in 1925. They had two children. Ervin married Leila Morgan in 1926. They had five children. Pete married Ada Sidwell in 1927. They had eight children. Ethan married Thelma Christensen in 1932. They had six children. Ernest married Lucille Kinder in 1931. They had five children. Rex married Mae Simmons in 1940 and they had five children. These were all young families during the depression. Accumulated contagious diseases accompanied financial problems, as the grandchildren entered the public schools. Leila, Ervins wife, had two children with whooping cough, at the same time. Martha offered her assistance. To start with, the kitchen was heated until it was uncomfortably warm. The round tin tub was brought in and the children were wrapped in a warm blanket with their feet in a mustard foot bath. When she figured they had been there long enough they were put in a warm bed with a mustard plaster on their chest. That had to be watched so that their skin did not get burnt. When she took off the mustard plaster, she put on a Denver-Mud Polis. This was made, out of an old sheet, like a vest put on backwards. The Denver-Mud mixture was spread on the vest to fit over the chest. They had to wear this until spring, along with some kind of a nut, threaded on a string. They were, also, given a hot toddy (a mixture of liquor, hot water and sugar). Martha was an expert at braiding hair. Every strand was tightly and precisely woven in so that it looked beautiful and it didnt work loose while playing or engaging in other activities. She used the hair collected in the brush to tie the braids. She wore her own hair neatly braided and wound around on the back of her head to form a bun. Martha was deeply respected by her sons. Ervin moved from Nephi to Ogden around 1943, during World War 11. Shortly after, he was able to sell his Nephi property. He chose to put the proceeds into remodeling his mothers home, so that she could have running water and a bathroom. John, Marthas husband suffered a stroke around 1945 and passed away the 21st of June 1949. After her husband passed away, Martha lived with her son, Ervin and his family a good part of the time. They were good to her and their only complaint was that they had to keep their socks away from her because if she found the least little hole; she mended it. Darning socks was something she could still do and she was anxious to be useful. The only problem, she made such big, uncomfortable darns: they could wear blisters on their feet. Martha passed away on the 18th of January 1959, in Ogden, Utah, while living with Ervin and Leila. She is buried in Santaquin with her husband John and their two babies, Aaron Jesse and Eva Christine. Her home went to Ethan and his family. It was later sold to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. A chapel was built on the property and serves as the Stake Center at the present time.

Martha W/sons:Rex, Earnest, Ethan, Pete, Merlin, Ervin, John

Martha and John during the 1940 s

Ada, Pearl, Leila, Thelma, Lucille, Martha W/daughter-in-laws abt1949