James (Jens) Larson 

James was born July 7, 1835, at Foerlev (Frejlev, Laaland), Denmark, son of Lars Jensen and Maren Petersen (there were eight children, four of whom died very small); his father and brother were baptized into the Mormon Church on May 15, 1853, by Elder Knute Brown. The family came to America on the ship Benjamin Adams the following year. The father and a sister, Metta, died of cholera on the Mississippi River. Only Niels, who later took the name of Jensen and the mother, who in Utah married Niels Jensen, were still with the party on its arrival to Salt Lake City, in Perry Olson’s Company, October 5, 1854. James, after having worked for some time on the Denmark-Hamburg railway, at that time under construction, sailed for America on a three-masted German schooner, May 4, 1852. He landed in New York City August 24 of the same year. His first job, which lasted for several months, was on the Saulte Ste. Marie Canal, in Canada, constructed between 1852-5. Later he moved to Wisconsin, and there became owner of 240 acres of land twelve miles from Sparta, which he finally sold. 

 On May 23, 1864, he enlisted at Deleran, Wisconsin, for 100 days service as a private in A.J. Cheney’s company, F, 40th Regt., Wisconsin Infantry, to serve in the Civil War under General Fullock. He was discharged September 21, 1864, with the Company. He reinlisted February 13, 1865, at Deleran, for one year, K, 49th Regt, Wisconsin Infantry. He was discharged November 8, 1865, with his Company.  

Immediately after his discharge, the veteran moved to Utah, driving a wagon in Billie Lewis’ freight outfit for his ride. He was married March 26, 1867, at Logan, Utah, to Annie Sorensen, fifteen years his junior, and in Cache Valley became the owner of two farms. In 1876, however, thinking of moving to the Oregon country, he sold out and crossed the mountains into Malad Valley, but he got no further on account of war scares with the Indians. From Tom Roland he bought the relinquishment right on a farm in Lower St. John, a suburb of Malad City. There he and his wife spent the remainder of their life and reared a large family. In the fall of 1912 he moved to Salt Lake City for the winter. There he died on January 11, 1913, of pneumonia contracted in a poorly heated hotel. He was brought back to St. John for internment. 

Anna Sorensen 

Anna was born June 14, 1850, somewhere in Denmark. Her father was Lars Sorensen and Lars was born either December 13, 1814, at Tverste, Denmark or September 13, and christened at Bjengby in October 1814. Lars parents were Soren Sorensen and Annie Nelson. Anna’s mother was Maren Kersten Petersen, whose parents were Peter Hansen Menholt and Mitta Andersen. Anna may have been born at Hosnab, Denmark, as her sister Antomina (Mrs. Peter Neils Garff), now of Salt Lake City, was born at Hosnab, May 5, 1859. The parents were either truck gardeners or tavern keepers, or both.They joined the Church in Denmark. Father and mother separated, and the latter, with Soren, Antomina, and Annie, left Denmark for America, sailing from Liverpool May 16, 1861, on the packet ship Monarch of the Sea, which reached New York on July 19th. They probably reached Salt Lake City on September 22, 1861, in Captain S.A. Woolley’s company. 

Anna suffered with typhoid during most of the trip across the plains. She did not fully gain consciousness till the next spring when the apple blossoms were just coming out, in Salt Lake City. For a time she worked for Brigham Young, Jr. In 1864, the family moved to Logan, where they lived on a small farm. There Anna spent two years working for a Mrs. Frederickson, till she met and married James Larson.  

Anna’s mother was baptized a Mormon on December 26, 1860, married the second time in Utah, about 1862, becoming the wife, in polygamy, of a Mr. Peterson of Draper. She had been born August 19, 1820, and had married Lars Sorensen, first husband, in 1843, by whom she had had four sons and three daughters. One son died at the age of eight. Lars Sorensen later came to America and was baptized November 2, 1871 in Logan. On November 9, 1881, he married again to the widow Ane Marie Andersen, born at Arauby, Hjorring. She was 46 and he was 67. On November 9, 1889, he moved to Dingle Bell, Bear Lake County, Idaho. His second wife died at Sandy in 1905.  

Anna Sorensen Larson, who lived in Malad, Idaho, after 1876, died there on January 31, 1931, and was interred at the St. John cemetery.