COPIED FROM HIS OWN AND SONS HANDWRITING FROM FAMILY RECORDS IN POSESSION OF
KARL JOSEPHSON'S FATHER:"Father was born the 14th day of Aprin 1824, at
Lingo Soken, Jonkoping (ung) Choping Lane. Swd.
My Father Was Born 1788 in Hillatufta.
My Mother Was Born 13 of august 1797. at Jaftera.
My Pearants moved to Haga Wer at Cole Mine.--
I maid my home There Till 1846. With my Pearents
Then I moved to Malina Sweden and learned my trade.--
Then I moved to Copenhagen Where I Lived For 8 years.
I was Babtised For The Remision of My Sins on The
4th Day of July 1858. at Copenhagen Denmark.
John Barian Strool Babtised me and Nels
Holemsted confirmed me. I was called on my mission
on the 24th of May 1859. by Wederborg. I Labored
as a Missionary For 4 years in Sweden. Then Left my native home
For Zion 1863.Why did Anders Magnus take the surname JOSEPHSON, instead of
NILSSON, as did his brothers and sisters?
Anna ANDERSON (AKESSO 3rd-Grt-GMother
MY STORY ANNA AKESSON JOSEPHSON:
There were many beautiful streams near Treda the place of my birth and my home
until 1862 or 3, one of these was near my home. We would go out there in the
spring and during the summer months and go up and down the stream which had
many millsites on and pick wildflowers. It was on one of these expeditions,
with several other girls and boys that I was joking about the Mormons and
stopping by the stream where it was especially pretty and deep and clear that
we could see the rocks and sand at the bottom very easily. I turned to my
companion and half jokingly said "When I'm Baptized into the Mormon Church this
is where I am going to have it done." At this time I was 21 or 22 years old.
They all laughed and we went on.
One or two years later, the Mormon missionaries paid their first visit to
Treda and they held a meeting at which a great crowd of people attended. I
went to the home of a girl friend and asked her to go to the Mormon meeting
with me and she went. We believed what the Elders said and we decided to be
baptized together. If she decided first she was to come to me and if I decided
first I was to go to her.
The morning after the meeting I was standing in front of our home. I saw
the Elders coming. I walked out by the gate and they asked me the road to a
certain place. I directed them to the place by a much shorter route. A.M.
Josephson, who later became my husband was one of the Elders. He had never
been to America, but had been called on a four year mission. While talking to
the Elders, I asked them if they would baptize me. And after finding my age
they said they would. They asked if I knew where there was a good place to be
baptized. I told them of the place I had pointed out to the crowd of friends
and made an appointment to be there that evening. I thought of my girl friend
and went to her home. I told her I was ready to be baptized a Mormon. She
immediately went into a rage and asked why I wanted to waste my time on those
old Mormons. I said nothing more to her and have never seen her since. I went
on my way and met the Elders at the appointed place. I was baptized into the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This was April 1862. My husband
baptized me and said "That's the girl that's going to be my wife." I promised
Mr. Josephson I would become his wife before we left the old country. We left
there together with other saints bound for Utah, including my Mother.
Immediately after I was baptized I went to the city to work. (Malma Esta.)
When we left Sweden my two little brothers were left sobbing on the shore while
Mother and I were on the boat sobbing a farewell which has proved forever.
They, together with my father, were to have come the next year but we waited in
vain for their arrival. We were six weeks or more on the ocean as it was a
sailing vessel. We stoppen in New York City a short time and from there
started west toward Omaha where the immigrant trains met the Saints going to
Utah. We stopped at .......late in June 1863 we arrived in Florence, Nebraska,
near Omaha, where Mr. Josephson went to work in a blacksmith shop and I got a
job waiting on tables. I enjoyed this work very much, but soon after spending
the 4 of July at Florence, we moved westward towards the Valley. We were
married in Florence July 4, 1863 before leaving for Utah.
Incidences along the trail. We arrived in Salt Lake City about the time
the peaches were ripe early in September. We remained in Salt Lake and
Weber-Valley until the next spring of 1864 when we arrived in Brigham City to
make our home. My husband was cheated out of his winter wages at blacksmithing
by the blacksmith he was working for, a Mr. Peterson at Weber Valley. This
left us with verly little when we arrived at Brigham. About the time we
arrived in Brigham City a Mr. Hans Christen Jensen, I believe his given name
was, was called upon to go on a mission. This gave us an opportunity to lease
his place, including the shop and live in his house while he was gone. We
lived there until the early part of 1865 when we moved to what is termed the
old Halling place which was located on the next corner north. Here our first
babe was born on Queen Victoria's birthday. Later on we bought the city lot
where Judge Call's home now stands, mand a cellar room in which we lived. This
was very comfortable place having a good wood floor, windows and a door. The
furniture consisted of my first table, painted bed and couch, had 1st table
paid on debt. Round tin stove, one hole, very dim light, cupboard made of
board nailed together. Our dishes consisted of diggs china, plates, cups and
saucers, wood handles on knifes and forks. There was but one room in this
cellar. Up to this time I had been working nights in the shop helping my
husband. In the morning before anyone else was up we would often have three or
four tires set. We would have holes in the ground in the shape of a tire and
would put the tires over these and build a fire all around in the holes to heat
the tires. Then we would set them. I often times would lay the baby on the
bellows while working it and in this way kept her quiet. In those days we had
no coal to burn so to make coal, we would go to the mountains, pile cedar up on
one end in the shape of a wickeup. We would cover this with dirt and then keep
a smoldering fire under it until all the wood had smoldered away, leaving
charcoal. This we used in our forge.
My first table consisted of a plank which I cought floating down the Weber
River. I scoured this good until it was white and clean. I then used this for
our table. A stump served at the legs. When we were entering Salt Lake City I
saw smoke coming apparently out of the ground. When I asked my husband where
that smoke was coming from, he told me that it was cellar homes and we would be
living in one. My parents and grandparents were comfortably fixed and this at
that time did not sound very good to me. I however learned to love my cellar
home. We saw no buffalo herds but saw where they had been. We walked part of
the way. One time Mr. Josephson went to the bowery and heard Brigham Young
speak, however I stayed home with our dead baby. We had eleven children.(This story was told to Anna Josephson's daughter-in-law, Sarah Josephson, wife
of Joseph Josephson.)
4. CHRISTENA Josephine Josephson
Could have been born the 19th.