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Stubbs Nelson Hart Pickett Home Tervort Wride Davis Bradshaw
Hans Peter Larsen was born in Gunnerod, Fredrick’s, Denmark, and 30, September 1853. The son of Niels and Anne Hansen Larsen. Ms father was moderately well off so he had the advantages of the best schools of that time. He must have been a good student judging his accomplishments, because in his eleventh year he was able to read and write not only the Danish language but also the Norwegian, Swedish, German and some French. When he came to Utah he soon learned the Indian language well enough to converse with the Indians.
The Latter Day Saints Missionaries came to their home and taught them the Restored Gospel; they were converted and joined the church. After joining the church the relatives of both Niels and Anne turned against them and made life as miserable for them as they could. Grandfather had a winter home in Copenhagen and a farm out near Gunnerod where they lived during the Spring, Summer, and Fall season. He was a retired army officer in the Danish army who served in the War with Germany.
In 1864 they sold their property and decided to go to Utah and live with the body of the church. They crossed the ocean in a ship loaded with Danish emigrants. When they arrived in New York, Grandfather bought two teams of horses, a new wagon, harnesses and a saddle and horse for my father to ride from New York to Utah. They arrived in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1864 and were sent by President Brigham Young to Manti to help build up that colony.
Father's 11th birthday was soon after they arrived at Manti. His father got some land and proceeded to build a home and go to farming. Father worked with his Father at farming and what other work there was to do.
Father was the only child in the family until 7 August 1870, when Lewis was borne. He was seventeen years old at the time. Then the 9th of April 1973 grandfather died leaving my father to take care of his mother and Lewis who was not quite three years old. He did a good job and succeeded well and was well respected in the community. On the 15th of December 1881 he married Catherine Crowther of Fountain Green.
He was a pioneer and did all he could in the development of Manti and vicinity. He accompanied Brigham Young on several of his trips south to St. George. He was very active in social circles. I will quote an article from "Heart Throbs of the West', Vol. 2 pg. 314-5. "H.P. Larsen, a Danish boy, who came to Manti in 1964 was a great lover of music and the dance. When quite a young man he visited Salt Lake City and attended a dance here he was impressed with the graceful execution of the square dances, how the calls followed the beat of the music and how the rhythm was blended into the movements. Before going home he bought a book of "Calls" and when he returned he proceeded to introduce them. He became an excellent Caller, often moving among the sets as he called, showing couples who were confused the proper positions to take. He called in all the dances where the Westenskow orchestra played, and long after they had disbanded. Through him, refinement and grace was given the square dance. Lifting it from the class of the hoe-down to a thing of rhythm and beauty"
He called at nearly all the dances in Manti until shortly before his death on the 8th of December 1938. For a number of years while Castello Springs Resort in Utah County was at its best the Lowry orchestra played at many of the dances and he always went with them to do the calling. On these occasions a special train was run from Manti to Castello spring resort.
By Ruth C Nelson Stubbs, granddaughter compiled by Grant N. Stubbs, Great Grandson Hans Peter Larsen was born 30 Sept. 1853, in Gunnerod, Fredrick’s, Denmark, the first son of Niels Larsen and Annie Hansen. Hans's father Niels Larsen being a Captain in the Danish Army was well to do financially in Denmark, but when they decided to come to America, he loaned thousands of dollars to the immigrants coming over at that time. Many of them never repaid the loans because some died on the way over, or soon after getting to America never had the money to pay him back. The family arrived in Salt Lake City in 1864 and went directly to Manti, Sanpete, Utah, where his home was until his death in 1938.
When in Denmark, Grandpa was known as Hans Linen, because he always wore linen suits as a boy. The family joined the church in 1863 in Dem-nark. At that time Hans’s father’s family disowned them, and the treatment they received was the reason they decided to sell out and move to America.
Hans was 17 years old when his brother, Law Larsen was born; he became a lawyer, lived in Manti, Utah and had a farm in Christenburg, Utah.
Hans married Catherine Crowther, December 15, 1881, in the Salt Lake endowment house. The endowment house was used for eternal marriages before the temples were built, after their marriage they made their home in Manti, Utah, where their fiends always called them Hans and Kate.
At the time of his marriage to Catherine, Hans was 6'2" tall, 180 pounds, medium brown hair, later in life his hair was thin and gray. He had blue gray eyes. Hans hurt his leg in a mowing machine, the doctors wanted to cut it off, he said, no he would not let them, for 25-27 years his leg hurt him, draining all the time, this caused him to walk with a Emp. When he would come in from work, and sit down, the pain was always there.
At the time of his marriage Hans engaged in farming and raising livestock, he was a good farmer and very good with animals, which he always loved.
Hans home and lot was always neat and clean, the place was beautiful, he liked to putter and do carpenter work also, he helped as a carpenter and worker on the Manti Temple when it was being built, along with his son, Wallace.
There was a grainery in the back of their house, that they used for a wash house, it had a table in it that grandpa used as a work bench for his carpenter work, he was always fixing furniture and other things.
They always had men boarders in their home, these men worked at the courthouse, some were teachers. One year they had a women school teacher living in their home, Grandma said, "I'll have a dozen men but I can't stand women boarders, they are always washing and ironing, washing their hair she couldn't stand this as she wanted to get on with her work, some of the men that were boarders at their home were, Vaiden Mortensen, Rulan Mortensen, Frank Anderson, Hans Christensen.
Hans called dances, he was very efficient at this and people loved to have him call the dances. Grandpa had many friends and people loved him and enjoyed his company. Their first son and child, Hans Nfilton, was born 23 Sept. 1882, in Manti, Utah, he died the 28 October 1885. Their second son, George Niels, was born 13 October 1884, in Manti, Utah, he later married Martha May Block, 14 October 1909, George died 3
October 1972. Their third son, William Wallace was born 11 June 1886, also in Manti, Utah, he married Stephine Wells McAllister the first of September 1909. Their first daughter and fourth child was born 15, November 1888 in Manti, Utah, they named her Myrtle, she married Lawrence Niels Nelson, 10 June 1908 in the Manti Temple, she died 19 January 1945 in the L.D. S. Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their second daughter, Annie Janet was born 17 August 1890 in Manti, Utah. She married Alma Nfidgley Thomas 9 May 1928. She died 23 March 1967. Their sixth child and fourth son, Robert Moriand was born 3 June 1893 in Manti, Utah. He died 23 March 1909 in Manti, Utah. Their seventh and last son was born November 10, 1899 at Manti, Utah. He died 23 March 1923; they named him Lorin Ward Larsen. Grandpa was a very religious man, with a strong testimony of the gospel. He went to church and to the temple alone for many years. He was always on time to everything. For many years he was an ordinance worker in the Manti Temple. He said, "One day they had just started a session, and was going to pass into the next room the door wouldn’t open, he tried it three times, a worker finally said, there is someone here that shouldn't be here, would you please leave, he said this three times, finally a couple rose and left the room, then the door opened and they went on with the session.
On June 5, 1917, Grandpa took me to the temple to be baptized and confirmed, he let me go up the winding stairs, up into the towers on each end of the temple, and let me walk across the Temple on the top between the towers. He did a lot of temple work and genealogy for his family and his Danish relatives. One time he had me do II 5 names for baptism and another time 90 female names all on his family lines. Grandpa was the custodian of the Manti South Ward building for a few years. He was also the sexton or caretaker for the Manti City Cemetery, when his son Robert died at the age of 16, he couldn’t dig the grave. He was the one that planted all the pine trees in the Manta Cemetery. He once said as he was digging a grave, he heard singing, he looked north and a large group of people, all dressed white, were walking out of the cemetery.
Grandpa, always drove around with a buggy, this is how he visited his daughter, Myrtle, every day the children would see him coming down the street and say, "here comes Grandpa," he would come in, walking slow and see how Myrtle was feeling, later he got a model T Ford coop, it had one seat, he would come driving it up, with Grandma in it, and say "Whoa" for it to stop. He will always be known for his love, kindness to everyone, he treated all his family and the grandchildren the same.
Hans Peter Larsen, died 8 December 193 8 in Manti, Utah, He was buried 11 December 1938 in the Manti City Cemetery. Ruth C Nelson Stubbs
