Mette Kirstine Mortensen (1845 - 1935) Profile

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Mette Kirstine Mortensen

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DUP Pioneer History Collection

Mettie Mortenson Rasmussen, reminiscences

"Mettie Mortenson Rasmussen, reminiscences", DUP Pioneer History Collection.

I shall never forget the day the Indians in all their war paint rode up to us with the scalps of a brother Babbit and another white man they had killed on their spears. We felt mighty humble as we crept behind Mother. When food became scarce and flour was rationed out in small quantities, Mother would cook and fix it some way so that we got the most good from it instead of giving each their portion of raw flour as some did. I especially remember our stop at Laramie, on account of the cups full of bright colored beads that we children gathered from the ant beds. I suppose they were from the discarded buckskin for then as now the Indians richly embroidered their buckskin.


Cold and storm came early that year and as we neared the mountains suffering became intense, especially from hunger and cold. I think every one had their darkest hour then, our family certainly did. One day the boys pulled the cart out of the line and lay down beside it saying, "mother we can't go another step". We children stood by crying, thinking of the terrors in store for us. Mother hunted through the cart and found a little brandy, maybe three or four tablespoons full. She mixed it with water and divided it and gave them each a little with a crust of dry bread. The train had gone on way ahead of us but oh! how thankful we were to reach camp after dark.


The night that so many died, a big strong looking Sweedish woman who was in our tent, lost her mind. My brothers helped shovel the snow and picked the frozen ground to bury in one grave 14 bodies and the last one of mother's hand woven linen sheets was covered over them before the dirt was put in. The thing I regret most in all that terrible time was, taking a piece of bread from a dead womans pocket. She was a woman I had walked with day after day and I knew she had this bread she had not eaten.


We were helped the last miles of the journey into Salt Lake but after what a lot of suffering. I wish we might have been allowed to forget it.

Transcript for "Mettie Mortenson Rasmussen, reminiscences."

Daughters of Utah Pioneers. DUP Pioneer History Collection.

Rasmussen, Mette Mortensen, Reminiscences

Rasmussen, Mette Mortensen, Reminiscences.

as the 9th day of November arrives <each year> in memory I am taken back over the Trip <that was made> from my home in Denmark where I was Born and my early child hood was spent to Utah and the land of Zion. as soon as my father and mother heard the gospel they <were not very long in> accepted it 
<s xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">in the fall of 1855</s>
 and in the Spring of 1856 we prepeared to leave our happy little home fur the Land of Zion[.]
I remember how rough the north sea was[.] 8 in the family my oldest Brother was remained on a mission[.] how well I remember the day we went on Board the Ship &lt;Thornton&gt; at Liverpool. It was the 2nd day of may and my eleventh Birthday and on the 4the we set sale
our trip across the Ocean was 7 weeks and 4 days and we arrived in New Y[ork]. after a few days we left for Iowa city[.] My father had intended to purchase a team and wagon but was promised if he would bring to other poor saints and Join the Hand cart company not one member of his family should be lost[.] a promise that &lt;despite the weather&gt; was fulfilled[.] I remember that the first part of our Journey for the children was happy we thot only of the new home we were going to. but it &lt;was&gt; also sad for many of the things we had brought with us such as clothing and Beding that would have given us many a comfort had to be left behind[.]
many times we were very frightened at the sight of Indians and <s>our journey was &lt;a&gt; hard one</s> [.] The oxen stampeeded with the Bufflow and the Journey was hard. how well I remember when the food supply began to get short fur we had always had plenty of good food at home and this was hard fur me to understand.

Mette Kirstine Mortensen

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