Ole NIELSEN

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Ole NIELSEN

Born: 09/17/1817 Felstar, Denmark,
Died: / /
Submitted by: Sharon Allred Jessop 05/29/2003

OLE NIELSEN 1817-1892

Ole Nielsen was born September 17, 1817 in Felstar, Denmark. Ole was a fisherman and he and his family were converted and baptized by missionaries in 1853. The baptism was performed secretly at night in a nearby stream, due to the threat of mob violence against the Mormons in the area. Two days later, as Ole was doing his chores, two men overpowered him and whipped him severely. Believing him to be dead the attackers buried him in a barnyard manure pile and fled. But Ole was not dead and regaining consciousness freed himself from the manure pile and made his way home. With difficulty and considerable effort he fully recovered. This experience and anti Mormon attitude of the time convinced the family that they would have to leave their native country and travel to America to be with the saints in Zion if they were to find peace.

They saved and planned and finally made the trip from Copenhagen April 18, 1857, on the steamship "L.N. Hvidt" to Britain: and from Liverpool, April 25, on the "Westmoreland." Aboard the ship were 504 converts and four returning missionaries. Mathias Cowley was in charge of the company.' The company arrived at Philadelphia May 31st and camped at Iowa city on June 9th.

Years later Olavia (or Olevia) who was six at the time tells of remembering seeing her grandmother wringing her hands and crying bitterly as they were leaving Denmark, "Oh, Ole, my son, you are faking your young family among those wicked, wicked Mormons. "
The Scandinavian hand cart company consisted of about 330 converts and was equipped with 66 hand carts and 4 mule?drawn wagons under the direction of James P. Park. The company consisting of mostly Danish converts left for the Salt Lake Valley after 3 days of preparation. All who were able were forced to walk.

Olavia, who walked the whole trip, related several experiences along the way: She said the captain complained of the wagons being too heavily loaded with bedding and other belongings. He finally had the women empty their feather beds which were lavishly filled with goose down and so full they stood on end. She said she could never forget the mountain of feathers that were left behind on the prairie.

She remembered and instance of a child dying on the journey and a brother taking the seat of his wagon and making a casket as best he could for the burial. When camp was made that night, the child Is mother was missing The father turned back in search of his wife and found her heart broken, beside her child's grave, weeping.

Upon reaching Devils Gate, Ole became very ill and was obliged to ride the balance of the way to the Valley in the baggage wagon. Olavia tells how her father would reach from the back of the wagon and lift the smaller children into the back to save wear and tear and rest their little feet.

Interestingly the company journeyed along the Platte River with Johnson's Army traveling on the opposite side. The Saints felt somewhat disturbed by the Army's presence. After a short time however; one of the men from the army crossed ova and brought the immigrants a quarter of beef, which greatly helped their diminishing food supply and served to allay their fears.

The company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in October. Mother Nielsen (Caroline) was among those who walked the many weary miles from Iowa City, and three weeks after she arrived, gave birth to a little son they named John.

The Nielsen family settled in Southern Utah.

Taken from family history "The Legacy of Edward Warren Allred" - Wallace P. Allred, editor

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