OTHER WIVES:

It is impossible to know for certain how many women might have been classified as John's wives.  The following have documented sealing dates to him:  (Please note these are sealing dates and not necessrily marriage dates.  Some wives he married before he was actually sealed in a temple or by proper Priesthood authority in a designated place other than a temple.)

• 31 Jan 1846, Nauvoo   -  Mary Ann Hunt (sometimes referred to in sources as Mary Ann White) 
• 09 Apr 1854, Endowment House   -  Sarah Bell Davis
• 17 July 1854, "Other"   -  Harriet Frances Noon Smith  [ "other" means not in the EH or a temple;    sometimes these sealings were performed in the offices of those performing the sealing, (in this case Heber Chase Kimball) or in other locations]
• 16 Oct 1864, Endowment House   -  Kiersten Nelson Johnson
• 09 Oct 1869, Endowment House   -  Mary Ann Mount Snyder
• 12 July 1871, Endowment House   -  Johanna Jensen or Jenson
• 12 July 1871, Endowment House   -  Maren Jensen
• 12 July 1871, Endowment House   -  Anna Petersen
• 12 July 1871, Endowment House   -  Anna Nielsen
• [The wife named Ingeborg is not listed above because there is no record of a sealing date to her, even thogh there is proof of marriage and divorce]

As of May 2010 there is a 10th woman listed as sealed to John - another Sarah Davis with a 2009 vicarious ordinance sealing in the Idaho Falls Temple.  There is a dispute, however.  This is a different Sarah Davis (born in Canada) and not the daughter of William Davis.  She should not have been sealed to John Erik Forsgren since she had another husband.  I suspect the sealing was a result of mistaken combining of what someone thought was a duplicate record.

No personal details are listed for the four women sealed to John in 1871 on new FamilySearch.  Unless further records surface we cannot enlighten anyone as to who exactly they were.  These are from temple records so they are accurate.  We just don't know the circumstances of the sealings or of their lives.  In fact we don't even know if they were actually living at the time of the sealing or whether they were vicarious [after death] ordinances.

By 1876 John Erik was having a serious rift with the Church, often preaching complainingly about the leadership of Brigham Young.  There are no sealings after 1871 documented (he would not have been temple worthy), but that does not mean he did not marry other women.  Deposition statements by many who knew him best seemed not to know about others, or at least were uncomfortable discussing the issue. 

Johannah Timerman, his step-daughter stated in her deposition:  "There might have been a whole lot more wives, but I do not know about them."

Ernest Anderburg deposition:  "I heard that he had seven wives, but he never in the time I knew him, lived with any of them except this one" (referring to Kiersten)

W.F. Randelnoh Deposition:  "While I found many who knew the soldier well, none of them would talk frankly as to his matrimonial affairs."

It sounds from the depositions of both Kiersten and Mary Ann Snyder that they did not even know of each other's existence, let alone who else he might have been married to.

Since John would have supported the practice of polygamy as it was taught early in the Church by the leaders whom he admired, it is not surprising that he would marry.  Whether this was a practice he later preached against is not known.  He was certainly married to and interacting with two wives clear till the end of his life:  Kiersten and Mary Ann Snyder, though the latter declared she had not seen him in a long time and did not even learn of his death until a year after it had happened.

SIXTH WIFE: Mary Ann Mount Snyder

Mary Ann Mount Snyder,   born 1 Mar 1842, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois.  died 17 Oct. 1915 in Wellington, Carbon Co., Utah.  She was buried in the Wellington City Cemetery on 20 Oct 1915 

     Seven years after John E. had married Kiersten Nelson Johnson he married Mary Ann Mount Snyder....apparently without the knowledge of Kiersten who did not know of her existence until they were both applying for a widow's pension.
     Mary Ann was 25 years younger than John.  She was born March 1, 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois.  One account says she had never married.  Her obituary states: "She had been married twice, but no children have been born to her."  It is not known if one of  the marriages was prior to or after her marriage to John E. or if, indeed, she really WAS married more than once.  She is buried under the name Fosgreen and is identified as Fosgreen in her obituary.  [Fosgreen is the way the name was often pronounced in earlier years of the Forsgren's arrival in America].  Some have supposed that Mount was married surname, but since she is listed with that name at age 6 when she crossed the plains that is hardly possible.
    Mary Ann had been living with her parents in Payson, Utah (Robert Anderson Snyder and Almeda Melissa Livermore).  John and Mary Ann were married by Elder Daniel H. Wells in Salt Lake City.  There were no children born to the marriage. 

IMMIGRATION TO THE SALT LAKE VALLEY:  Mary Ann came with the Brigham Young Company of 1848. Departure from Winter Quarters 5 Jun 1848, Arrival: 20-24 Sept. 1848
Snyder, Almeda Melissa Livermore, age 32
Snyder, Hannah Matilda, age 1
Snyder, Mary Ann Mount, age 6
Snyder, Robert, age 38
[NOTE: This is the same company that Sarah Bell Davis and her parents came in!  Sarah was 19, 13 years older than Mary Ann.  Would either of these women  possibly have known they would eventually marry the same man!?]
MARRIAGE:  2004 IGI (SL film # 183396 ref # 14222)
"They were married in SLC by Daniel H. Wells.  (Marr. recs of Church.  John Nicholson custodian of records.  Apr 12 1897 certificate notarized by Notary Public James Jack).   "Mary Ann never lived with John, but he would visit her occasionally at the home of her parents.  "He said he had no home for me," Mary Ann later recalled. 

CENSUS: 1870 Census of Payson, Utah Territory, p.233b
Snyder, Robert, age 60, male, white, Farmer, born New Jersey
Snyder, Almeda, age 54, female, white Keeping House, born New York
Snyder, Robert A, age 16, male, born Utah
Fosgren, Mary, Female, white, age 28, Keeping House, born Illinois

1880 CENSUS: Payson, Utah, Family History Library Film #1255338 ; NA Film Number   T9-1338; Page Number 218B
Robt. SNYDER,Self, Md, Male,W, age 70, born NJ, Gardener, father born Germ., mother born Scot.
Almeda M. SNYDER, Wife, Md, Female,W, age 63, born NY, Keeping House, father born NY, mother born  NY
Mary Ann FORSGREN, Dau, Md, Female, W, age 38, born IL, At Home, father born NJ, mother born NY
Robt. SNYDER, Son, Single, Male, W, age 26, born UT, Freighting, father born NJ, mother born NY
Robt. A. POWELL, GSon, Single, Male, W, age 3, born UT, mother born VA, father born NV
Almeda M. POWELL, GDau, Single, Female, W, age 10, born UT, At School, father born VA, mother born NV

1900 Census of Payson, Utah Co., Utah Household 358, ED 161 p. 19
Snyder, Robert, age 90, widowed, born Mar 1810, New Jersey, Father born Germany, Mother born Scotland
Forscren, Mary A, age 58, widow, born Mar 1842, Illinois. Mother of 0 children, 0 children still living. Father born New Jersey, mother born N.Y.

Many thanks to Bob Powell for forwarding the following photo of Mary Ann's parents and her younger sister Hannah Matilda. 

Hannah Matilda married John Ammon Powell.  Hannah died in 1877 but apparently after the death of her father Mary Ann continued to live either with John Ammon Senior or his son John Ammon Jr.  The obituary is a little confusing on the matter.

John Ammon Powell was himself a polygamist, with three wives.  It would not have been unusual for Mary Ann to find herself comfortably used to an environment of polygamy and thus to marry John E. Forsgren also as a polygamist wife.  The Powells and Snyders were early settlers of Carbon County, and probably respected as leaders.  Their early Mormon roots & importance to the area where they lived as well as a certain amount of affluence for the time may have contributed to John E. Forsgren's attraction to Mary Ann.  Was the marriage sort of "arranged?"  Mary Ann was 27 when she married John E. and could  have been considered a spinster.  So far we just don't know what brought them together and what amazing strength of character kept Mary Ann married to him even when he did not provide a home for her.

PATRIARCHAL BLESSING:  Given to Mary Ann Fosgreen in Pason [Utah] on Jan. 13th 1874 by Levi Ward Hancock.   "Given to Maryan Fosgreen daughter of Robert and Malissa Snider, born in Nauvo Ill. March 1st 1842."   ( Spelling retained as in the original.  Thanks given to Richard Wright, a JEF descendant, for obtaining a photocopy of this blessing for the Forsgren Family Association archives.)
     Though it is inappropriate to copy here the blessing in its entirety it is interesting to note that the blessing was given 4 1/2 years after Mary Ann was married to John - when she was 34 years of age.    Mention is made of her having come thru a dark period in her life she didn't expect.   The issue of her not having any children is mentioned.  She was assured that the Lord was mindful of her and that she would have comfort from friends on both sides of the veil and that as long as she acknowledged Israel's God "many sisters would look to [her] with smiling countenances and feel happy in [her] society."  She is told that the blood of Joseph flows naturally in her veins. 

From Kate B. Carter's, Heart Throbs of the West, vol. 6
My mother's sister, Maryann M. Snyder, was born March 1, 1842, in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, and came to Utah with her parents in the year of 1847. Mother was born February 26, 1847, at Winter Quarters, Nebraska. She died the 7th of December, 1877, just six months and three days after I was born at Salem, Utah County, Utah. My mother's parents, Robert A. Snyder and Almeda M. Livermore, were living in Payson, Utah. Their daughter, Maryann Forsgren, lived with them and she was at that time 35 years of age. At my mother's death they took me to their home where I lived with them till I was 10 years of age. I can well remember John E. Forsgren coming there to my grandfather's place in Payson to see my Aunt Maryann and how jealous I was over his coming to see my aunt. I did not think she should pay attention to anyone but me. She tried to make me understand that he was her husband. I do not know when they were married but I have the original patriarchal blessing given to Maryann Forsgren, January 13, 1874. As I got older I heard grandfather and grandmother, as well as Aunt Maryann talk about her husband, John E. Forsgren. When my aunt died on the 17th of October, 1915, she left a trunk filled with old papers, which I saved for the purpose of gathering genealogy. Among them were many of John Forsgren's writings and clippings. I did not know of any of the Forsgren people to give them to, and they were of no benefit to me, so I burned them all but the small record book which in 1942 I gave to Kate B. Carter. Signed, Robert A. Powell 764 Denver St., Salt Lake City, Utah

This last statement is the most horrifying of all! Could the journal/manuscript that John set such stock in have been among those papers? Surely the sheer size of it would have prevented its destruction. Anything at all could have shed more light on John's life and would have been a blessing to us all! How often do we destroy things in the name of organization or efficiency that could be of lasting value? It is also possible that Robert Powell felt some resentment of John's treatment of Mary Ann, and that, coupled with the realization that there were no descendants of this marriage might have contributed to his decision to destroy any Forsgren papers.

DEATH: Obituary  News-Advocate, Price, Utah (A weekly published on Fridays), Oct. 22, 1915.
     TWO DEATHS AT WELLINGTON . . . .
         Mrs. Mamie Fosgreen, aged seventy-eight years, died October 17th.  She had been confined to her bed, except to be hauled around in a chair, ever since a year ago last July.  The funeral services were held Wednesday Oct 20th, under the direction of Bishop Eugene E. Branch.  The speakers all eulogized the name and good work accomplished by "Aunt Mamie," as she was called.
         Mrs. Fosgreen came from Salem to Wellington, where she has lived for many years.  She had been married twice, but no children have been born to her.  Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Snyder, formerly of Wellington, but now of the reservation, attended the funeral services.  Mr. Snyder is her brother.  The past four years she has lived with Mr. and Mrs. John A. Powell, Jr.  Mr. Powell's first wife is a sister to Mrs. Fosgreen.  She lived and died a faithful Latter Day Saint."

" Mary Ann Mount Snyder, the only other known surviving widow of John E. Forsgren, lived out her final days in Sunnyside, Carbon Co., Utah.  She also died in very destitute conditions.  Ill in health for the last ten or twelve years of her life and living with anyone who could keep and care for her, she stayed mostly at the home of her nephew John A. Powell.  She had never divorced John Forsgren even though she had not seen him for twenty years prior to his death.  She did not know of his death until the year following."  (Deposition of Mary Ann Forsgren, July 24, 1902, Sunnyside, Carbon Co, Utah, p. l - as quoted in James A. Anderson's "Denmark to Manti; a History of William Anderson & Family.")

BURIAL:  Wellington City Cemetery, Row 1, Lot 6, Space 06  (Buried as Mary Ann Snyder Fosgreen)
From Heart Throbs of the West: vol. 6 (ancestry.com)

Mary Ann's Headstone in the Wellington Cemetery in Carbon Co.  She is buried near her infant nephew Albert Owen Snyder.  The headstone was a little difficult to locate.  It is halfway down the row of stones on the right (about where what looks like a tiny ball in the air on a stick is located)

Mary Ann's Death Certificate

It is interesting to note that Eugene Branch, her Bishop, was the informant on the certificate, not one of her family members.

Am still seeking a photo of Mary Ann.  If anyone out there can help, please let us know!

FIFTH WIFE: Kiersten Nelson Johnson

      "On Dec 14, 1862, John married his fifth wife Kiersten Nielsen Johnson.  They were married in Moroni, Utah, by Bishop John Bradley.

      Kiersten was born October 22, 1810 in Dronninglund, Jutland, Denmark.  She was a widow who had come to Moroni from Denmark in September, 1861 or 1862.  She had been widowed with ten children since December of 1859 when her husband Henrie Johnson died. "  (Deposition of Kiersten Forsgren, Feb 15, 1893, Stanton, Blaine Co., Idaho. p. 5) 

     Johannah Catherine Timerman [Kiersten's daughter] - Deposition to the War Dept. dated 15 Feb 1893:
     "My mother had 10 children by Henrie Johnson.  [ I have yet to complete a thorough search on her pre-US life.  Different sources give different names for her Danish husband] He died in Dec 1859.   She came with a large party from Denmark, bringing only 2 of her children, my sister Alice Mariah, now dead, and myself.  We reached Salt Lake in Sept. 1861 and in December 1862 she married John E. Forsgren  My sister and I were the only ones at the wedding and an English neighbor James Blackam.

     At some point Kiersten's son Anders Henry Jensen or Johnson also immigrated and arrived in Utah.  [He was Christened as follows:  Name: Anders Jensen
Gender: Male
Christening Date: 20 Oct 1842
Christening Place: DRONNINGLUND,HJORRING,DENMARK
Father's Name: Jens Henrichsen
Mother's Name: Kirsten Pedersdr Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C20165-3 , System Origin: Denmark-ODM , GS Film number: 48987

Anders was not traveling with Kiersten and his sisters as is shown on the following entry in the 1861 manifest of the ship "Monarch of the Sea"

Kirsten Pedersen, 52,  Jutlands born about 1810
Else Marie Jensen, 11, born about 1850
Johanne Cathrine Jensen, 4, born about 1856
[Aalborg Conf. 1861 on "Monarch of the Sea", Emig.S.M.- film 025696]
[NOTE:  new Family Search lists her as Kristine Neilsen Pederson & her husband as Jens Christian Henrichsen/Henricksen .  Only two submitters list surname as Johnson.  Birth consensus is 1803 -1806 and her death is listed as 22 Dec 1859.  Children to this marriage are probably not accurate in new family search since some have the surname Jensen.  Marriage to Henrie Johnson/Jens Christian Henricksen is given as 17 April 1838.  I later learned that much of the data submitted to newFamilySearch was done with the help of and with the approval of Jim Caulfield, Kiersten's great grandson.

On Oct 15, 1864 John E. and Kiersten were sealed in the Endowment House by Pres. Wilford Woodruff.  (Deposition of John Nicholson, custodian of Church Marriage records SLC, Utah.  July 28, 1902.  Book D)

Kiersten's deposition states "I had no child by John Forsgren."
[A complete set of the deposition papers are in possession of the Forsgren Family Association.  They were made by Kiersten and by Mary Ann Snyder Forsgren who both claimed rights to any pension available after John E.'s death.]

In the 1870 U.S. Census John E "Fosgren", age 54, is listed with wife Kiersten, age 60. in Santaquin, Utah Co., Utah. Also living with them is John A. Caulfield, a laborer from Canada and Alice - keeping house. Alice is Alice Mariah Johnson- Kiersten's other daughter, now md. to Mr. Caufield.  Also there is  Catherine Fosgren age 14 , White female, no occupation, born Denmark, attending school. [This would be Kiersten's daughter Johanna Cathrine by Mr. Johnson. She probably used the name Forsgren since she was only 4 or 5 at the time of her mother's marriage to JEF or it was an error on the part of the census taker who often did not record surnames accurately].

     [Note: John's plural wife Mary Ann Snyder Forsgren is also listed in the census for 1870, but living with her family in Payson - age 28].

     Kiersten's life with John E. could not have been a very happy one though she did stay married to him.  He claimed some kind of disability and Kiersten's daughter states that it was Kiersten who supported them. A Deseret News article reported that she did washing for some of the neighbors. They had the benefit of John's small Battalion pension and they sold eggs and chickens.  All this was during the years that John E had pulled away from the LDS Church and began his own preaching as "J.J. Branch."  They moved to a large tent erected on land owned by H.W. Lawrence in the Tenth Ward of Salt Lake City on the corner of 4th South and 1100 East.

    [Note:  On July 17, 2010,  I visited the corner where the tent had been erected.  I needed to just pause and look at the spot, trying to imagine what the scene would have been like in the late 1800's.  It must have been an impressive position since the bench falls away sharply on two sides at this intersection and a view of the valley would have been prominent (and probably a view of the tent from the valley below).  I was grateful that homes and trees line the streets here rather than having the spot occupied by some gas station or car dealership!  There was something serene about the view, belying the tragic events which took place there so many years ago.

     Perhaps it should be noted here that the Utah State History database has a digital collection of online photos  (htttp://history.utah.gov/) which link John E. Forsgren/J.J. Branch to something called the "Crazy House."  There are 4 photos taken by different people with different descriptions for each.  One of the them gives the location as 3rd South and 8th East which is not where the tent was located...and the pictures are not of a tent but a wooden structure with a tent-like drape on one side.   Another photo is attributed to be the home of a Mr. Miller, "a spiritualist eccentric."  Both Laurie Bryant and I are of the opinion that this structure is NOT a picture of the actual dwelling where John Forsgren took his wife Kiersten to live when he became J.J. Branch.  But it IS interesting to note that J.J. Branch was not the only eccentric individual populating the area!]

     Various records state that John E. had a following for a while, but soon interest lagged and Kiersten and John were left to themselves, living much like hermits.  Neighbors said they were no bother and few people bothered them either except for the occasional heckling of groups of young people.

     But it was this tent which caused further tragedy in the life of the reclusive couple, especially for Kiersten.   I quote from an article that appeared in the Deseret News, January 21, 1886 (found in the Journal History in the Church Historical Dept - copy difficult to read).

     "A Recluse Burned Out."

"Forsgren's tent reduced to ashes - his wife badly burned while he is saving his manuscripts"

. . . . [skipping the first 6 paragraphs which give the same detail as I have outlined above....]
  "Last evening, the high wind which prevailed, threatened their frail habitation, and the old man went outside to tighten the cords and strengthen the stakes which support it.
   "While so engaged, a strong gust of wind lifted the side of the tent.  In a moment it collapsed, upsetting in its fall, the lamp, which set fire to the combustible fabric, and in less time than it takes to tell it, the whole thing was ablaze.
   "With a shout of warning for his wife to get out, he rushed to the place where the box containing his manuscript which he regards as sacred and sets great store by, was located, and succeeded in dragging it from the flames, getting his face and hands somewhat burned in doing so.
   "In the meantime, Mrs. Judges, one of the nearest neighbors arrived upon the scene and began to search for Mrs. Forsgren, who was soon discovered beneath the burning tent where she had been caught while vainly attempting to escape, and after some difficulty, succeeded in rescuing her, though in a badly burned condition.
   "Had it not been for Mrs. Judges, she would certainly have been burned to death.  As it is, her face and arms are covered with blisters, and it will be a long time before she can recover.
   "Fortunately, the unfortunate pair were immediately removed to the residence of William E. Wentworth, where everything that kindness, careful nursing, and skillful treatment could do to alleviate their suffering, was done, the family of brother Wentworth, setting up all night waiting upon them.
   "Mr. Forsgren estimates his loss at $1400, but no person from looking at his domicile would ever have imagined that its contents ever approached such a value.  The only thing saved was the box of manuscripts already mentioned.
   "The destitute condition to which the unfortunate man and woman have been reduced, calls for active and substantial sympathy, and we trust the call will not be made in vain.
   "His eccentricity should be forgotten, only commiseration when trouble comes upon a fellow creature such as has befallen them.  And those who are able, should extend a helping hand as they themselves would desire if similarly situated."
     Kiersten and John were taken to the home of Anders Johnson, Kiersten's son, there in Salt Lake City.  After nearly a year they left for Idaho to reside with her daughter and son-in-law, Johannah Catherine and John Timerman in Blaine County, Idaho.
     James L. Anderson in his Denmark to Manti expresses it very nicely:  "After two and a half years of living under the same roof with John E. Forsgren, this arrangement had run its course.  Patience wore thin and tempers flared between John Timerman and John Forsgren.  In June of 1889, the situation reached the breaking point and John Forsgren, although ill in health, decided that he had had enough.  He bid goodbye to Kiersten, promising to send for her once he had obtained a home for them in Salt Lake City."
     John stayed once again for a short while with Anders Johnson then began wandering down through Sanpete and Sevier Counties, seeking lodging among his friends from the Mormon Battalion.  He stated that he was endeavoring to write a history of the Battalion.
     His health declined steadily.  He returned to Salt Lake and called upon some old friends, Charles and Antoinette Carr.  Mrs. Carr, in her deposition to the War Dept. stated:  "I felt sorry for him, so I did all I could for him.  He came to me here in a destitute condition and I took him into my house and did for him the best I could till he died."  John E. Forsgren passed away of an ailment incident to age and physical exposure at age 73 on January 22, 1890.
     When his younger brother, Peter Adolph Forsgren heard of John's death he had the body brought to Brigham City for burial.  John's plot is in Section B not far from the Peter A. and Adolph Peter Forsgren family plots, near the corner of the roads.  It is marked with the metal cross denoting his military status and mention is made of his Mormon Battalion Service, something which was of great importance to him.  (See photo on previous blog post).
     Kiersten did not know of his death until news was picked up by her son Anders who wrote and informed her.  Kiersten remained with her daughter in Idaho.  She had been "burned almost beyond recognition" in the tent fire and was "perfectly helpless and unable to wait upon herself.  She is an object of pity, as she is frightfully disfigured and almost a constant sufferer from the burns received in '86.  She necessarily uses a great deal of morphine to relieve her suffering and it affects her mind."  She was nearly blind in addition to the disfiguration from the fire.
     Kiersten filed a petition for widow's pension with the Bureau of Pensions, Dept. of the Interior.  The claim was eventually rejected after detailed investigation (the source of most of this history).  Kiersten did not know that another widow had also filed:  Mary Ann Mount Snyder [more about her on a future blog post].  Neither widow was granted the claim.  It was decided (not until 1908!) that Mary Ann was not the legal widow of John E. and in the meantime Kiersten Johnson Forsgren had passed away on April 28, 1894.

The following is a deposition to the War Dept. from Anders Johnson:
     Deposition H in case of Kirsten Forsgren  4th of March 1893, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah:
     " My name is Anders H. Johnson, am 50 years old, a drayman, live at No. 336 E St., Salt Lake City, Utah.
     This claimant is my mother.  My father was J[ames or Jamis or Jarvis] Johnson.  We lived in Jutland, Denmark, near the city of Aalborg.  My father died in December 1859.  I was present at his burial.  After my father's death my mother was not married again in Denmark.   She came to this country in 1862, and I had letters from her telling of the arrival in San Pete Valley, Utah, Sept. 16. 1862.    I heard from her off and on and she wrote me of her marriage to John Forsgren.  I think she married him in about a year after she came here, but I cannot tell anything certain about this marriage.  I came here in 1871 and then found my mother living at Santaquin 70 miles south of here with John Eric Forsgren as his wife.  They continued to live together then as man and wife for several years then came here to Salt Lake City and lived here till about '86 then after spending a year with me after they had been burned out in '86, they went to live with my sister Mrs. Timerman in Idaho.
     About six months before he died he came here from Idaho, only told me he would not live there.  He wanted me to send for my mother so they could both live here, but I was not fixed then to keep them.  I never heard of any trouble he had with my mother, I am sure the reason he left my mother was that he was a religious crank and could not get along with Timerman.
     After coming here from Idaho he staid a short time then went down through Utah, Sanpete and Sevier Co's , going among his old comrades of the Mormon Battalion as he was trying to write a history of the Battalion.  In a short time he returned here and stopped with old friends of his - a family named Carr.  He died at their house in this city on the 22nd of January three years ago.  His remains were sent to Brigham City, Utah, by direction of his brother Peter Forsgren now living there.
     I can not tell any thing about John Forsgren's other wives.  The only other one beside my mother that I ever saw was Mary Ann Snyder of Payson, Utah and I know he parted from her 15 years ago or more and never lived with her again.  I only have heard of Mary White as his first wife, whom he married in Boston.  Forsgren told me she left him and married another man, whose name I forget.  He told me of her death, but I can not state when or when she died.
     I heard of the wife Sarah Davis, he told me she died in Box Elder Co., Utah but I can give no particulars.
     I am positive that my mother  is the only wife that John Forsgren recognized or lived with as his wife for years before he died, and I know from his statements to me that the wives whom he married before his marriage to my mother were all dead before he died.
     I do not know of any men who served in the Mormon Battlion with Forsgren except an old man named Hamilton in Sevier Co. at Richfield.  It has been all of ten years since I heard of him.
     My mother's given name is properly written Kiersten.  This statement has been read to me.  It is correct.                                                                                          Signed Anders H. Johnson

     The curiosity of the story does not end there.  I have endeavored to learn more about the final resting place of John E.'s widows.  I found the following entry, quoted from my PAF notes.
    BURIAL:  Cemetery Records Online (www.interment.net/us/id/index.htm) reveals a Timmerman Cemetery with 29 individuals buried.  Inscriptions transcribed 9/4/1999 by Kevin S. McMullin.
     Buried there is a Fosgreen, Nancy, b. 1820, d. 1893.    This odd entry stirred my investigation into action.  A trip to Idaho was needed!
     The cemetery is located in the middle of a private field and not easy to access.  I was given permission, however, to drive near it and then make my way through fields of grain to the fenced-in plot located Southwest of the junction of Highway 75 and State Road 20 in Blaine Co.   When I visited there was an establishment called the Timmerman Stage Stop and RV park.   I did not know at the time if the Timmerman business had to do with the same family (name spelling was different;  there was also a Timmerman mountain close by).   A return visit in July 2010 enlightened me.  The Timmermans did indeed own this corner land.  John Lauk (or Louke) Timmerman and his wife Johanna Catherine Johnson were married and sealed in Salt Lake before leaving Utah.  The arrived  in the Spring Creek area about 1880.    They established a way station (originally a group of tents formerly owned by a Mrs. Griffen)  Soon a roadhouse or Inn was built on the property by John Timmerman and Michael Brown to serve the needs of miners arriving for gold  speculation as well as the influx of ranchers who were beginning to establish themselves. 

     The spelling of Timerman and Timmerman seem to be interchangeable depending on what record you might be reading

 Here are some photos of the visit.

 The Timmerman RV Park, Cafe and Buildings

The Timerman Family Cemetery fenced and refenced

The cemetery closer up.  Kiersten's stone is the dark gray one at the back near the gate.

The Timerman family plot stone with Kiersten's stone behind and to the left.  It is mislabeled Nancy Fosgreen!  I had no idea until recently why the name Nancy was placed there.  No family members have the name.  I also do not know how many years after her death the stone was placed and by whom.

Johanna Catherine Johnson Timerman - Kiersten's daughter

15 Feb 1856 - 19 Feb 1917

John Lauk Timerman, Kiersten's son-in-law, husband of her daughter Johanna Catherine.

15 Aug 1838 (some accounts say 1833) - 23 Nov 1906

Timerman Cemetery visible in the field  (below the white van on the highway in the upper center)

I have no photo of Kiersten Nielson Johnson Forsgren. After the fire she certainly would have discouraged anyone taking her picture and I don't know yet if any descendants of her son Anders Johnson might have an early photograph.   There are no living descendants from her daughter Johannah Catherine.

Below is a picture of her daughter Johannah Catherine Johnson Timmerman.  It is certainly possible that Kiersten would have shared physical characteristics with her daughter.

 Front: John Lauk Timerman, John Alexander, Johannah Catherine  

Back:  James Henry, Nancy Christina (Tena)

The headstone mystery

     I have always felt "business was unfinished" after my initial visit to Blaine Co. and the Timerman Cemetery.   I visited the church's new FamilySearch website and saw that recent temple work had been done.  I was excited to see the name of Kathy Perron linked to those submissions, feeling that she was undoubtedly a descendant who might be able to shed some light on the family.  As it turned out Kathy is NOT a descendant but became a great resource for answering many lingering questions.

    

     Kathy Perron is a volunteer at the Hailey, Idaho LDS Family History Center.  She and Bernice Homer, another long-time volunteer and avid genealogist,  have spent numerous hours researching the Timerman/Timmerman family in the area.  They were gracious and generous in sharing their time with me as well as all that they have learned when I made a follow-up visit to the area in July 2010.

     Two items in their collection of materials were particularly helpful:  a book written by Jim Caulfield who is a descendant of Kierston's through her daughter Alice Mariah, and a local history written by Mary Brown McGonigal, called "Spring of Gladness."  [This book is available at the BYU Fam. Hist. Library as well as the Hailey FHC]

     Kathy and Bernice worked closely with Jim Caulfield.  His explanation for the tombstone mystery, though not documented, is certainly extremely plausible! 

     The Timmerman's daughter, Christina (known as Tena or Tina in her lifetime), after causing her parents much heartache during her younger years, eventually graduated from nursing school (1929) and worked in Cleveland, Ohio as a nurse while taking post-graduate studies to become an anesthesiologist. She worked as an anesthesiologist for the Washington State Prison System for 17 years and worked for several hospitals in Oregon and Washington during the 50's.  During this time of prospering she may well have returned to Blaine Co. and paid for new stones to be erected in the Timerman Cemetery, to honor her parents and family. 

     Jim conjectures that the family would have referred to Kiersten merely as "Grandmother."   Tena was only 4 years old when her Grandmother Kiersten Forsgren died.  She knew she had been named after her Grandmother.   This is probably where her error ocurred.  Nancy Christina's (Tena's) paternal Grandmother was named Nancy.  But Tena was also named after her maternal Grandmother Kiersten - Christina being the American equivalent of the Danish Kiersten!  It makes sense that she probably just chose the wrong grandmother's name to place on the new granite headstone and in the absence of a death certificate estimated incorrectly the  years of Kiersten's birth and death.

Timerman story tragic in its own right

     As was common to the era for pioneering peoples, Catherine Timerman endured the hardships of taming the land.  "It is written that John L. Timmerman came to the Spring Creek area in July1880, and lived near the Black ranch the first year. In the fall of 1881 he established his residence on the northern slope of the hill, which bears his name. The Timmerman family received four land patents in Spring Creek (near today's Stanton, Idaho), the first being granted on 6/20/1889. It is also reported that John L. and Johanna Timmerman lived in a covered wagon the first winter or two while staying in the Spring Creek area before they began building a permanent residence. John L. was about 47 yrs. old at the time and was looking to start a business instead of mining or prospecting. "  (Jim Caulfield's book)

The Timerman's gave birth to a son on July 7, 1882.  He lived only a short time and was taken to the Timerman Cemetery for burial.  In the fall of 1883 John and Johanna Catherine had their second son.  He also passed away a short time later from penumonia and was also carried to the Timerman Cemetery.   In 1886 James Henry Timerman was born, the same year that Kiersten and John E. Forsgren moved in with the family.  Their daughter, Nancy Christina (Tena) Timerman was born on July 22, 1890.  Their last child, John Alexander was born Oct 15, 1895. 

However more tragedies were to occurr.  In 1905, at age 19,  the Timmerman's oldest son, James H. died.  Young John Alexander would grow to manhood, but he enlisted in the army and at age 23 was killed in action on Sept. 30th, 1918, in Epinonville, France.  He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Euro Section, site 3728.

Their daughter Tena was to give them much heartache, and was, indirectly, the cause of her father's death.  In November 1906 - just a year after the death of her older brother, Tena decided to run away and marry Sidney Knifong.  Her parents thought the match unsuitable and left Spring Creek to head for Hailey to try to get the license revoked and prevent the marriage.   They were unsuccessful.   (Tena and Sidney were married on Nov. 11, 1906).  When they were returning their wagon was passed by another rig which spooked their horses.   The horses bolted, throwing John and Catherine from the high spring seat.  John landed on his head and suffered massive concussions from which he never recovered.   He died on Nov. 27 without gaining consciousness.

Johannah Catherine's fall forced her head between two barbed wires of the fence, essentially scalping her.  The neighbors and local doctor worked all night and into the next day to clean her head with tweezers and an antiseptic solution.   She eventually healed, but the shock of losing her husband in addition to the severity of her injuries caused that she was pronounced insane (an unfortunate use of words in those days!).  She was sent to an Insane Asylum at Shoshone.  It is assumed she was there for some months, but in the 1910 census she is back home living with her son John Alexander, with Tena and her husband in an adjoining piece of property.    It is possible she eventually returned to the asylum since the Wood River Daily Times (Tues., Feb. 27, 1917) reports her death:

     "Mrs Sydney Knifong and brother, John Timmerman, left Tuesday for Blackfoot, Idaho in response to a telegram announcing the death of their mother at that place.  They will bring the body to Bellevue for burial."  She was buried next to her husband, her mother and three sons in the Timmerman Cemetery.

     Tena had many more turbulent years, divorcing Mr. Knifong and later marrying a Frank Dillion.  Tena divorced him in May 1923.   She eventually went on to medical school, as stated earlier, and seemed devoted to the care of the suffering.  She died on June 19, 1979, one month short of her 90th birthday and is buried in a niche in the Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in McMinnville, Oregon.

     She never had any children so there are no surviving descendants of John and Johanna Catherine Timmerman.

     We are greatly indebted to Bernice Homer, Kathy Perron, Jim Caulfield and Mary Brown McGonigal for their very detailed investigation into the lives of the Timmermans.  Kathy and Bernice have supplied the Forsgren Family Association with copies of Jim Caulfield's memoires as well as miscellaneous pages from Mary McGonigal's book and photocopies of some newspaper notices.    Kathy and Bernice are not sure why they became so involved in the Timmerman story, but I feel that some day they will know the reason.  Jim Caulfield certainly benefitted from their help....as will anyone else who wishes to visit the Hailey, Idaho Family History Center.  May these people be blessed for all that they have preserved for future generations!