Olaus Johnson       born 9 September 1823        

5 generation pedigree

                             died 14 February 1908


Karen Anderson     born 10 September 1825
                              died 12 April 1896


                                                                         

Olaus Johnson was a bootmaker.  His specialty seems to have been what they called 3-generation boots.  The boots would start by being very high topped, almost the height of hip waders.  When the tops started to wear out, they would be cut down to knee-length, then after further wear would be cut down to ankle-length shoes.  One pair at least was reportedly still in use after 35 years.


Ytterøy, where the family lived, is a small island in the Trondheim Fjord.  It is sometimes referred to as "The Pearl of Trondheim Fjord" because of its beauty.  I found some pictures of the islands around Norway, and some of Ytterøy itself.  With permission from Sverre Stølen, I have included some of them here to give an idea of the land.

Harbor in Trondheim Fjord

Winter scene in Norway

 Money on the small island was scarce, so Olaus would travel around the island and nearby islands, as did most of the tread-men (trades-men) of the time.  After finishing their apprenticeship with the a master craftsman, the men would journey through the area,

Farmstead in Winter

and became known as "journey men".  At least that is the history of the terms in England, and I imagine it isn't too different throughout northern Europe.

Karen added to the family coffers by baking large batches of "ftallvod", a thin, flat bread, which she sold to the sailors and fishermen who came to the port.

But, as the family grew, they found it necessary to have their oldest daughter, Olova, move to Trondheim to work.  She found employment with the Nickolson family (who were related to Emma Olson, who later married my great grandfather, John Arnt).  The Nickolsons were members of the LDS church, and soon Olova was convinced of the veracity of that church and was baptized.  She sent literature to Olaus and Karen, and soon they also requested baptism into the church.  The fact that the baptismal date is 27 December 1877 tells a lot about their zeal in the new faith.  We baptize by complete immersion.  I can't help but think that had to be cold in the Trondheim Fjord.  Perhaps that experience was a fore runner of the "Polar Bear Plunge" that is popular today in the colder northern climes.

As was typical in emerging feudal societies of the day, a land owner, or land lord, had title to the land in any given area.  He would lease out a portion of the land to productive workers in exchange for their labor at planting and harvest times.  Planting and harvest times were generally a time of hard work, but also of socializing and merriment.  As is true today, wherever people gather there will be people with goods to sell.  Large merchants would set up store and sell their goods in whole lots (whole-sale), which was usually counted by the gross, to local gross-ers (grocers) to sell during the rest of the year.  Anyway, the entire family would often pitch in to speed up the labor.  It was a good system, for the landlord,.

On the tenants side, even though they didn't own the land, anything they built on it, or any improvements they made, would be their own.  The drawback to all this was that there was no written lease on the property.  The tenant could stay as long as the landlord was pleased to let him stay.  When Olaus and the family joined the LDS church, the landlord wasn't any too pleased.  The family was given a short time (I think something like 2 days) to either renounce their new faith, or remove themselves.  Hurriedly borrowing a relative's fishing boat, the family disassembled the house, loaded it on board, and set sail to Trondheim, a larger and more cosmopolitan city.

Trondheimm late 1800's

Trondheim, late 1800's

Trondheim, late 1800's

Once there, at the request of the missionaries, land was found and the house was re-assembled to include a large room suitable for holding church meetings, and having an extra room for the traveling missionaries when they came through.

Olaus continued his trade as a shoemaker, but with another personal touch. He would stuff a Mormon tract into every pair of shoes he worked on.  A number of people became interested in the church through this simple act.  One story coming from this is a beautifully-written telling of Anna Widstoe's conversion, told by her son John A. Widstoe in his book, "In the Gospel Net".  The three pictures above are from that book.  He tells of his mother's introduction to the church and of her struggle to accept the preaching of a lower-caste lay minister.  But the testimony of the Holy Spirit convinced her to join and eventually to emigrate to America.  John A. Widstoe became one of the leading LDS scholars of the first part of the 1900's, as well as a member of the presiding council of the church - the Quorum of the 12 Apostles.  The story is in chapter 8 of that book.

Starting in 1878 the family started their move to America. First one son left, then the rest of the family as they could.   It wasn't until 1882 that they were completely reunited.  They settled in Logan, Utah, a cooler and snowier location than the Salt Lake desert to the south.

Karen died at age 70 in 1896.  Olaus survived her by 12 years, with his death listed at 1908.

Here is Olaus Johnson's testimony, as given by him and translated either by Osborn Widstoe or one of the missionaries who knew him.

"I bear witness that we have the truth.  I am satisfied, beyond a doubt, that the Book of Mormon was found in the Hill Cummorah.  I rejoice in this.  I have studied it and pondered upon it.  I have read it in my native language, and taught the people, among whom I lived, that it is true.  I bear you my testimony that I know that the boy, buy the inspiration of the Lord, translated the record, and we have it as a witness for God in the earth today.  The Gospel in its fullness is contained in that sacred record.

"I rejoice in the testimony I have.  The Gospel is true.  My desire is to serve in my humble and weak way as long as the Lord requires my service.  I desire my children and children's children after me shall engage in the service to our Father in Heaven and to His Church.  There is nothing in the world that I love so much as I do my family.  To me they are very dear.  I desire to have them grow in the faith and serve in our Father's Kingdom.  For this reason I left home, kindred, friends, and native land and passed through hardships of pioneering.  I know the Gospel is true, and if we are true to ourselves, we shall eventually attain to the goal for which we started out.  May God bless and take care of my children, grand-children, and great-grand-children forever.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Note:

Much of the information I have used here is from Gwen Miner's story "Grandmother and Grandfather Johnson".  Thank you for your recollections!

There is so much more to the story of their lives, but my purpose here is not to write a detailed biography.  Rather, it is to give a taste of the powerful spirit of these people, and maybe help me define myself a bit more clearly in the process.  I hope others can find strength in this common heritage as well.

Ed Welling