History of Christian Martin Larsen and Caroline Hansen Larsen

The following is some history about Christian Martin Larsen and Caroline Hansen Larsen, the parents of Vina Naomi Larsen Webb. This account is given by Vina's sister Eda Esabeth Larsen Eatchel as found in the family history book, "Treasured Memories... Family Histories from the Families of Calvin Webb and Elva Bytheway Webb.

In 1860, May 8th my Father (Christian) was born in Glumso, Denmark to Lars Mortensen and Anna Knudsen. My Father, Christen Larsen, had two brothers Peder and Knud. Father was the youngest of three. He also had three half-sisters (they never came to America). Father came to America in 1874 when only fourteen years old. He came over with some L.D.S. missionaries. His mother thought he would be better off in this country where she thought the streats were paved with gold, and all the people were good. Little did she know what her baby had to go through before his oldest brother Peder found him. Papa was put off the train in Ogden, Utah. He didn't know anyone and couldn't speak the language. The missionaries had left him there alone and he didn't know here to go or what to do. While standing there wondering what he should do, a man came by that could talk Danish. He asked papa where he was going, when papa said he didn't know the man said, "You had better come with me for this is no place for you. There is not work here you can do.

So he took him to his farm at Bear River, where he found plenty of work for him to do with no pay. He became ill with a fever and couldn't work, but when he went to the table for something to eat, the man would say, "Sure you can eat, but you can't work." One day he broke a crust of bread that had run over the side of the pan after it was baked and ate it. He worried about it for days for fear the Lord wouldn't forgive him for stealing that crust of bread. When he brother Peder found him he took him back to Sanpete County where he had been working.

They had no money so they had to hitch rides when they could and walked the rest of the way; they had to beg for food from house to house as they walked along. They both got good jobs driving teams of horses pulling wagons of coal and wood. They saved their money so that they could send for their Mother and Father to come to America.

Finally they had enough and sent it to their Mother, but their Father wouldn't come over here for he thought all Utah people lived righteous lives. His Mother didn't come either but saved the money until she could come. His Father died soon after they sent the money. Hist father died February 23, 1878. His mother came and brought in place of his father two nephew whom they called little Pete and William. Six months after his mother came over, she died (October 1879). Just one year and eight months after her husband died.

Papa was away after a load of wood and she was buried before he got back. His brother would never show him where in the cemetery she was buried - somewhere in Holliday

My Mother's Father, Jacob Hansen was born 14 February 1827. His first wife, my grandmother, was Juliane Larsen, born 15 May 1820. They were married 5 April 1847. She died in Denmark 9 September 1874. My mother was only sixteen when her mother died, but she had been out working and making her own living for a couple of years. She used to tend babies while their mothers worked in the fields. My grandfather was a poor provider and didn't stay home with his family much of the time. His children were glad when he went away for they were afraid of him, and so was grandma. She told the children to stay out of his way. Grandma worked herself to death and died at the age of 54.

Grandfather came to Utah sometime later and married a second time. I don't know who he married, Mama never talked much about him. She never forgot how he treated grandma. But he and his second wife lived in Huntsville, Utah where he was called 'white pants Hansen' because he wore faded out pants most of the time in the mountains where he herd cattle for a living. One winters day while he and his wife was riding through Ogden Canyon their sleigh tipped over killing his wife instantly and left him a cripple.

One of Mama's sisters, Aunt Sine Neilsen, also lived in Huntsville and she moved in a small house next to him and took care of him until he died December 18, 1898.

Three years before I was born, Mama had five sisters and one brother. I had a chance to see all of them except Aunt Minnie, she died before I was born. In 1858 March 14th my mama (Caroline) was born in Horslet Rander Denmark, she was baptized March 10th, 1872 and came to Utah in her early twenties.

One of Mama's sister came over on the same ship Papa did, Their ship very near sank on their way over, they had to throw pigs and chickens and everything they could to save it. When Mama was on the ship coming over here, a man became very interested in her and wanted to marry her. She liked him very much but he was a polygamist. Already he had more than one wife and Mama didn't believe in that. But it still bothered her a lot so when she went to bed she prayed that the Lord would guider her the right way ant let her know what to do. And in her sleep she saw a young handsome man with dark brown eyes and black hair waiting for her at a distance. she took that as a sign for her to wait.

When she got to Utah she got a job as a maid for one of John Taylor's wives, I don't know which one, but it was the last one, for I remember asking her which one of his wives he lied the best. She said he was good to all of them but they all had their different jobs to do - one looked after the children, one was over the hired help, another was their teacher. I can't remember anything else except she said he spent most of his time with his last wife while Mama was working there. I said that was to be understood as she was the youngest and most beautiful. Mama said that wasn't so for he had many beautiful wives, some very intelligent. So I didn't get any further on that subject.

One Sunday Mama was invited out to her sisters for dinner, Aunt Karen, we always called her Aunt Carrie. She had married Papa's brother Uncle Knud. There is where Mama met Papa, as soon as she saw him she knew she was going to marry him for he was the young man she saw in her dream coming over on the ship. After she had gone back to work she wondered how she would meet him again for they lived so far apart. But she hadn't long to wait, for one day as she was washing dishes she looked out of the window and saw him going by, she hurried and slipped off her apron, ran around the block and met him, pretending she was just going to the store. They spent a few minutes talking together then Papa asked her for a date that night. What a wonderful night that was for Papa to ask her if she would marry him, and of course she happily consented.

Papa had got a new job away from his brothers and he needed a wife. Two weeks after they first met they were married and moved to Taylorsville. It truly was love at first tight. Mama was 25 and Papa was 23 that was the 28th of April 1883. On February 6th, 1884 their first child a daughter was born she was named Julia Caroline after Mama, her name was Caroline Julia. They lived in Taylorsville only a short time, then they moved to Hunter. A year later a son was born whom was named Chris after Papa, his name was Christian M. Larsen Little Chris lived only six months when he took sick and died. The day he took sick was at the funeral of Uncle Pete's first wife. Mama and Papa and children were riding with Uncle Pete in his big buggy to the cemetery when a load of hay crossed the road in front of them causing them to stop which upset Mama very much for in those days they believed that the next one to die in the family would be one from the carriage that had to stop. Uncle Pete said to her, "You don't need to worry for nothing could happen to a great big healthy baby like him." But the baby was buried two weeks later.

July 31, 1886 another daughter was born. They named her Anna Rebekah or (Rebecca). She died when only 29. "How I loved her." In 1888, they moved to Bluffdale and another daughter was born July 7, 1888. They named her Mary Nora. She had ten children: Albert, Chris, Louis, Mildred, Beatrice, Minnie, Phillis, Marvin, Ray, and Marion. In 1890, the 3rd of April along came another girl who was nammed Minnie after one of Mama's sisters who had died giving birth to one of her children a few weeks earlier. They both died. That was very hard on poor Mama. Two years later she had another baby a little boy born dead. What a disappointment to my parents. Both little boys were gone. Just one year and two days later on the 25th of July 1893 another baby was born, a beautiful healthy boy. What joy for that household. They named him Martin Sylvester. What a blessing he was to the family and we all loved him dearly. He had six children: Elmer, Rosa, Byard, Lola, Donna, and Fern.

He served as Bishop for 8 years in the Bluffdale Ward. Everyone loved him. Two years later, another baby girl was born on the 4th of July 1895. She was named Esther Venelia. She had nine children. The last was twins - a boy and a girl. There was: Marjorie, Ruth, Velma, Leo, Arlene, Elbert, Allie, Duane, and Dorthy. Then the 27th of March 1897 another baby girl was born. They named her Keziah Bethlea. She had five children and three step children. They were: Dale, Harold James, Her children was Beth, Glen, Vaughn, Mary, and Earl. September 5th, 1899 another girl was born. They named her Vina Naomi. She had eight Children: Wilbert, Naomi, Calvin, Caroline, Reed, Allen, Beverly, and Tamera. Just when they thought they had run out of baby material here I came bouncing along weighing 13 pounds nearly killing my poor mother. They took one good look at me and said, "This is it. No more." and it was no more children They named me Eda Esabeth born November 23, 1901.

By this time Mama was forty three years old. She had worked hard all her life, or as long as she could. We all worked hard to help take some of the heavy load off their shoulders. Papa having only one son and living on a farm, it wasn't easy, but all of we girls worked out in the field just as though we were boys. The only time I remember my brother milking any cows was when one of them were a kicker and we were afraid of her. He would either milk it or tie up her legs so she couldn't kick. One morning when I was milking, the cow in the back of me kicked me and knocked me clear across the barn. My brother came and carried me up to the house. I didn't milk for a few days after that but I carried the print of the cows foot in my back for a long time. I often wonder if that is the reason my back is in such poor condition today.

When I was three years old my sister Julia came come to tell us she was going to get married, she had been working for my Uncle Pete in Hunter. There she met and fell in love with a wonderful young man Lewis Rushton. He was very religious and a hard-working young man. They were married in the Temple September 14, 1904. My parents gave them a big wedding supper, a lot of friends and relatives were there. All I can remember was a long table covered with food, and my Uncle Pete singing Danish songs. They made their home in Hunter and lived there for the rest of their lives. On the following July a baby was born. Oh what a great day that was the first grandchild and a boy at that. They named him Edward. I loved that boy from the day he was born right up to this day seventy one years later. He turned out to be one of the most honest, pleasant, and generous man I ever knew. He has a heart of gold. Anyone who needed help Edward was there to give and always with a smile. A couple of years later a baby girl came. They named her Caroline after my mother. I was about five years old now. my sisters Rebecca and Nora had gone to Salt Lake to work. The others were in school.

I was a lonesome little kid with no one to play with so Mama told me I could bring the cat in to play with. That was a happy day for I loved cats. Papa didn't agree with Mama for the thought cats belonged outside, but Mama won him over to her side of thinking and the cat stayed in. I trained the cat to lay down with my doll and sleep. It never left the doll until I told it that it could go.

The following summer my Mother's health failed and she would have fainting spells and fall wherever she happened to be. And she was never one to stay in the house when there was work outside to do. Too bad you never knew my mother. So it was my job to follow Mama wherever she went so if she fainted I could run for help. This frightened me very much for mama was now 48 years old, and I knew she would die when she was fifty, that was real old to me in those days. But, it just happened to be middle aged women's sickness, change of life. Papa and Mama use to take long walks around their farm on Sunday afternoons. I loved to go with them. Sometimes we would go down to the river. It is called Jordan River. It ran through the lower end of the farm. It was a beautiful place to go with lots of trees and even apple trees and wild plum by the riverside and lots of green grass grew there. We use to sit there and rest while Mama and Papa talked about business. Sometimes we walked upon the other end of the farm where there were hills and vales and pasture land for the cows. Our home was built just below the hills. A canal ran along the side of the road just above our home. Below the house there was a long hay barn there with the horse and cow barns behind it. There was a garage on the north of it with a room in it for the pig feed. Papa always had lots of pigs. There was a big silo on the south end. Mama had a beautiful vegetable garden every summer. She planted and watered it taking very good care of it. We girls used to do all the weeding for her.

Above the canal and just below the hills Mama had her chicken and turkey coops. I used to make little playhouses lining up rocks side by side and marking off room with them too. Sometimes my sister Vina would play with me. She would have her own house too. One day when we were playing I looked over the other hill where papa had fenced it off for pasture for the calfs. We saw a tiny little calf nursing on one of the bigger calves. We ran down and told Papa on of the calves had a baby calf. He didn't believe me until he went and saw for himself. He carried the tiny calf down in his arms with the little mother running after him. Papa said she would never make a good milk cow. but she turned out to be one of the best milkers, and I got the big praise for seeing it first. Mama used to put fishing lines in the canal and tie them to stakes on the bank. One day when she was looking to see if she had caught a fish, the bank caved in and Mama went into the canal head first and couldn't get out. I ran for my brother and he and a neighbor pulled her out.