Transcript

This was a bloody war, and very disastrous for the little Denmark, and the last battle was fought on the 28th of April, 1864, and after the war was ended Prussia was not satisfied with the two rich Provincess Schlesvig and Holstein, but demanded furthermore. Millions of dollars of war expencess, and kept hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the country, (and especially all over Gutland) almost the whole summer to torment, and further oppress the people till satisfactory arrangements was made to pay the enormous amount of war expen[s]ess.—In this critical war, many of the sons of Denmark, who also had enlisted in the army of Christ, was Elders of Israel; and some had traveled for years preaching the gospel. the[y] hated to go to the battle field; and take up arms, against their fellow men, and to escape they used all lawful meanes to raise money to go to America, so those few who had a little money was stripped. My wife felt very uneasy about me, as there was all probability that I also would be called into the war, (and would have been, if the war had continued a little longer.) and preferred to go with the Emigrants to Utah; as I had promiss from a sister, who I had assisted in selling her property, to get money enough to emigrate both me and my wife, but when I called for the money, that sister found that she had been to liberal in letting the missionaries have money to desert to America, that she could not keep her promiss good to me, but managed to get enough for one to emigrate, and as my wife together with two young sisters there lived with us, named Sine [Jensine] Gyldenluve, and Trine Marie Hold, begged, and pleaded with me, to give my consent to let my wife go with them to Zion, I finally consented, with the hope that we was to meet again in Zion, in one year, as I was promissed if I should be called into the war that the brethren would sent me to Norway on a mission, to free me from serving as a soldier.—

On the 8th of April 1864 the emigrants went on board a steamer in Randers to go to Copenhagen and from there to proseed their journey towards America but the feeling there prevailed in my home that morning, when the day of separation had arrived, none, but those who has tried it knows, for to sacrifice a lovely home, and deare wife and husband, with only a faint hope of ever see each other again in this life, as she had now 8,000 miles before her to travel, a very hardeous [arduous] road over the mighty deep; in old sailing vessels, there took from five to eight weeks to cross from England; to America, and an account of the long time in the water, and the Emigrants close together; and the seasickness together with half rodden [rotten] or decayed group [grub] and drinking water, caused a great deal of sickness and deaths, among the people, and after crossing the Continent from New York to Wyoming, then they had yet 1,000 miles to travel across the plains or great American Deseret with Oxtteames, which took the balance of the summer and generally landed the surviving Emigrants in Salt Lake City in the fore part of October.—My wife crossed the plains in a church train, their captain was William B. Preston. —I received three letters from her after she left Randers, one from Copenhagen, one from Grimsby, England, and one from Wyoming, and will now leave her for a while once in her company, traveling Zionward step by step; and will return home to my ones [once] happy home in Randers, but what a feeling, in entering the empty rooms, and see that the star there previously gave light and cheerfulness to all who visited there, was gone, the cheerful singing, merry laughing and jocking [joking] was not heard any more, consequently, it was no more a home to me. . . .

But I must now go back again, and try to find my wife, who left Wyoming in the summer of 1864 in captain Preston's company, en route to Salt Lake City, my last letter I received from her was dated from Wyoming and of cours there was no chance for her to mail another letter, till she arrived at her destination and when the latter part of October was reached, how angtious [anxious] I was looking at the letter carriers every day to recieve a letter with good news that she had arrived in Zion all right, and was there laboring among the saints, to earn a little toward starting a little humble home for me when I was to arrive the next year. This was my fancy hope, although God had showed it to me repeatedly, in dreames, and visions that we was not to see each other any more in this life, and the spirit of God testified to it, but I worked against that impression, as much as possible, as I felt like it was impossible for me to sacrifice, what I considered the richest treasure on earth, the one in whom my lifes future happiness was depending, but finally the day that was to close my long-anticipated hope, dawned, a letter arrived from America, there gave much joy to my hosstes [hostess] when the letter carrier handed it to her, thinking, it was from my wife, she quickly returned into my room with the letter in her hand, and her face be[a]ming of [with] joy; expecting to make me the happiest man on earth; to handle me that so long-looked-for letter, to come from that far of part of the earth; but, on my first glance at it, while it yet was in her hand, told the sad story, a strange handwriting, I grabed the letter opened it saw it signed Trine Mary Hold one of the girls with her, I glanced it over and soon found the word "she is dead." I emidiately closed the letter in silens [silence], was not able to speak, so I could not answer my inquiring hosstess, who was waiting to share in my joy, but she soon discovered there was something wrong and I went in to a neighbor who was of our folks, t[h]rowed the letter on the table, and found relieve in tears.—Brother William <Berhman> was with me that day, and stayed with me a couple of days; and was a great comfort to me. . .