Hans Peter Iverson

This is a story about my grandfather, Hans Peter Iversen, who heard the gospel of Jesus Christ preached in his native land of Denmark in the year of 1854, recognized it as the truth and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I write this story that my children and grandchildren may know somewhat of this great man. Hans Peter was born in 1835, not long after the Church was organized. He was 19 years of age when the family joined the Church. His father, Jeppe Iversen, and the family were all baptized except for the oldest son, who was married and living away. Shortly after his baptism, Hans Peter was ordained a teacher and set apart as a missionary. When he was a lad in Denmark, he hired out to a stonecutter-mason and was employed in that trade for three of his teenage years. In those days they had to make their own lime for mortar. This they did by heating limestone rocks in a fire, then pouring water on the hot rocks so they would disolve. The rocks then "melted" in water and the results was a jello-consistancy product of lime.

Jeppe owned a farm and by its sale had sufficient money to immigrate to America and buy wagons and oxen to cross the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. Jeppe and the family crossed the plains in 1856 while Hans Peter remained in Denmark for 4 '/2 years, preaching the gospel.

Hans Peter spent time in prison for selling the Book of Mormon and some of that time was rationed to bread and water. During the 9 months in prison he taught himself the English language. After his release from his missionary labors he immigrated to America. All the missionaries were encouraged to take a young woman with them. Hans Peter asked the last person he had baptized, Anna T. Nisson, to go with him and she agreed. They were married by the captain of the company of Saints as were 6 or 8 other couples. The captain of the company was R.F.Neslen and he was in charge of about 800 Saints from Scandinavia and England that were immigrating to Zion.

It is said that they had a pleasant trip over the Atlantic Ocean in the sailing vessel, William Tapscott, and landed in New York. The Captain of the ship was well respected by the Saints and the weather favorable. Hans Peter and Annie remained with the Neslen Company and purchased a big white ox, that they named Columbus, to pull a two wheeled cart across the plains. The cart hauled food and provisions for the couple and they walked most of the way to the Salt Lake Valley, except when Annie wore blisters on her feet and had to ride. This was a great adventure for Hans Peter who was now 23, and they had several exciting experiences. Some of the English Saints kept journals and at least two wrote of when the Neslen company entered the Salt Lake Valley, that their group was lead by a white ox pulling a two wheeled cart, decorated with garlands of wildflowers and bearing a sign that read "Hail Columbus, this beats the handcarts."

There were large herds of buffalo on the plains when they crossed and sometimes they would be held up for hours as they passed by. One morning Columbus, their ox, couldn't be found. He was finally located grazing with a bunch of buffalo. Hans Peter was at a loss as to how to catch him, but when the livestock herder approached the buffalo they took off in fright, leaving Columbus. He wasn't about to run with them as he had been pulling that cart for many weeks. At another time a prairie fire threatened their travel, but the winds changed and by a miracle they were spared.

There were berries to be picked along the occasional streams, and fish to be caught to supplement their diet. At one time a band of warriors rode out of a draw and demanded food. A parley took place where the demand was satisfied by giving the Indians two of the fattest critters from the wagon train's cattleherd. Brigham Young always advised the Saints to feed the Indians rather than fight them. Hans Peter was known for his respect for and aid to Indians and they were allowed to camp at his place when passing through after he settled in Arizona. He passed this trait on to his sons.

The only tragedy in the Wagon Train that we know of occurred because of carelessness. The train was stopped for some minor repairs and one of the men lay down under a wagon in the shade to rest. Something must have startled the horses and the wagon ran over him and killed him. It put a sadness over the camp, but increased their attention to possible dangers.

When the Wagon Train neared the Rocky Mountains a bear killed a critter one night. The herd of cattle, which included ox teams and milk cows, was being night herded outside the wagon circle. Hans, with another man, were on duty. They had one saddle horse between them and at the time of the bear attack Hans Peter was walking, but the herd did not run his direction. Soon the cattle herd was under control and by morning light there was discovered the remains of a fairly fat heifer and bear tracks. Not long after this they crossed the Green River in Wyoming Territory. From the Green River to the Salt Lake Valley was only a couple of weeks travel.

Hans Peter and Annie first settled at Mt. Pleasant, Utah where his father, Jeppe and several other Danish families lived. Soon the call came to raise cotton in southern Utah and Hans Peter and Jeppe both moved south to the town of Washington where they used their masonry skills that they had learned in Denmark to build their houses and help with the Cotton Factory and St. George Temple. Hans Peter's place was east of Washington and called Duck Farm. There was a small spring of water there from which he watered his garden and kept a pond full for ducks and irrigation purposes. The heat of summer was so oppressive he and other Danish settlers developed a ranch on the foothills of Pine Mountain that came to be called the Danish Ranch.

In the springtime of 1875 Hans Peter was called on another mission to the Scandinavian countries. He left his family of 6 children and a wife heavy with child. He sold his part in the Danish Ranch property to pay his passage to the mission field where he labored 3 years "without purse or script". While in Salt Lake, on he way to the mission field, Apostle Orsen Pratt gave him a blessing in which he promised that he would bring many people to a knowledge of the Gospel. On this mission he baptized 78 people and married 3 couples.

When Hans Peter was about to return from his second mission a voice told him that he was to take Dora Evers of Germany home with him to be his wife. He asked her if she would go with him and she agreed to do so. From the time her mother had died when she was a little girl, she had told herself that someday she would go to America, and now was her chance. She was 28 years old at the time.

When leaving the Denmark saints, the same voice directed him to take with him a young lady he had recently baptized, Juliana Christensen, who was 19 years old. He asked if she would consent and she, too, agreed. Her people were very poor and the only job available was heavy farm work and she felt like she was a virtual slave. Her father and mother were happy for her, even though they knew they would never see her again.

They sailed from Liverpool, England in the dead of wintertime and it was a rough, long voyage. Hans Peter had not informed his wife, in Washington, that he was bringing two young women home to be her helpers, (as well as his extra wives) and it was a strain and worry to him. Just before he got home the voice told him that all would be well. He married my grandmother, Julianna on August 10'' 1877 in the St George Temple and on January l 0th , 1878, he took Dora Evers to the Temple. Each of his 3 wives gave him 7 children, but Annie did not live with him after his return.

Because of the Edmonds-Tucker Act, which congress had recently passed making polygamy illegal, Hans Peter was now called a "Cohab" and subject to the penalty of that law. He dodged the Feds for several years while his family lived in Washington. 11/2 years of that time he farmed in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. After his return from Colorado he was sentenced to 6 months in prison for the "crime" of polygamy. He herded the prison cows during this time and said: "On the 31" day of January, 1889,1 had a dream. I did see a pretty valley with springs and pretty grain fields, but I could not locate where it was. About 11 months later, at a conference in St George, Bishop Bunker was asked to report on his ward and it came to me as a flash of lightening that I should go see this place, and to my satisfaction it was a second vision of my dream. I did move there with my wife Julianna as I did see her with me in the dream and awhile after did live also with my wife, Dora Evers." This was Littlefield, Arizona where my father, Victor Iverson was born.

There are stories my father has told me of Hans Peter that describe the kind of man he was: "There was a man who lived at Beaver Dam, about 2 miles from Littlefield, who made some statement about Hans Peter that was derogatory. A few days later the boys were riding in the wagon with their dad when they saw this man approaching with a team and wagon. Grandpa stopped his team of horses, climbed down from the wagon and met the other team. The boys thought that maybe there would be a fight, but instead their dad climbed up into the other wagon, put his arm around the man and told him what a good person he was. By the time Hans Peter finished visiting with him the man had tears in his eyes and was ever after a good friend.

The Danish spelling of the surname was "sen" and this is how Hans Peter spelled his name. Somewhere along someone mixed the spelling to "son" which is the Swedish style. No matter what the spelling the Iversons are proud of their Danish heritage and want the world to know it.