A bit of history

Here's a little story about my great-great grandmother, Henrietta. Someone along her line wrote the story and I assume it was distributed at a family reunion several years ago.

Henrietta was born in Sweden in 1845 into a faithful and devoted Lutheran family.  In her teenage years, Henrietta began going to church meetings held by missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--which was against the wishes of her father. She was at one of those meetings when her father showed up with a gun in his hands and he took her to the river side and threatened to kill her (probably just trying to frighten her) if she wouldn't give up her "new religion." She told him to go ahead and shoot, that she won't give it up.

After that, Henrietta's father locked her in a room for three months to keep her from attending the missionary meetings. He was forced to release her after she became sick, but then he took her to a town forty miles away (where there were no missionaries) to live with her sister. She walked back so she could again attend the meetings.

When Henrietta was 16, she left her family and country and traveled to the United States to Salt Lake City. It was after she arrived in SLC that she was baptized a member of the church.

In the 1860s, some of the LDS members were practicing polygamy. Henrietta agreed to become the second wife to a man named Thomas. While they were away to be married, Thomas's first wife became ill and died. So when they returned, Henrietta (19 years old) immediately took the responsibility of caring for Thomas's five small boys. They were blessed with eight more children. All of these children grew to adulthood, except for the youngest who only lived seven months (over six months longer than his mother).

Before Henrietta died, she was able to contact her mother in Sweden through letters. Her father had passed away earlier, but her mother told her that he had wished to see her again and that he regretted treating her so harshly.

Personally, I can understand Henrietta's father's reaction, although it was extreme. He was sincerely worried for the salvation of his daughter's soul. Henrietta was probably a bit like me, though, and would not be forced into compliance. So, I am now reaping the blessings of her choices made 150 years ago. I'm grateful for her pioneering spirit.

Here are my kids tonight exhibiting a bit of that pioneer spirit. In the wagon with Cutie, we packed a bucket of wheat, a jug of water, a rake, and a chair. Oh, and the kids each chose one toy to go on the trek with them. It lasted only ten minutes, but the children were so exhausted, they actually listened to the story about my great-great grandmother Henrietta.