Lynn Hollis Smith

My father passed away suddenly just before Christmas 2013.  It has been four months now.  It is still hard to believe and it has been so hard to accept that I haven't even wanted to record it or write about it.  Seeing it in print makes it real.  He was not ill and we had no warning.  The family, EMTs and hospital staff worked valiantly to save him but it was not to be.  It was his time, as they say.  I didn't like this New Year's holiday.  I felt I was leaving my dad behind.  I felt like I was being forced to move on and I wasn't ready.  I feel less protected, more vulnerable and alone with my dad gone.  I know he still lives, but we are morning the time we thought we were still going to have with him here.  Each of his children spoke at the funeral along with our mother.  It was a beautiful experience to have such an outpouring of support and love from the community and friends and those who loved my Dad.  All of his siblings came along with several of our cousins, none of which live nearby.  It really touched my heart.  I learned of so many times he had helped others that we never knew about.  My father touched many lives not just through his work and talents but through humble service of his fellow men.  He was greatly loved and it was beautiful to see that.   Here is what I shared at his funeral:

My father lived a life of Greatness:

Great Dreams

Great Strength

Great Energy

Great love of others

Great Intensity and Joy

and a Great servant of the Lord.

His life was an adventure and he took us all on that ride with him.

His energy and enthusiasm when he spoke about learning more, accomplishing more and being more would rub off on me.  He made life and possibilities seem limitless.  He is the reason I choose to go for it when I feel hesitant.  If you never try you have already failed.  Go for it and you will always come out ahead of where you were.

I have always seen him as 100% confident in himself.  If he didn't know how to do something, that didn't matter, he would simply learn how and then do it.  It always amazed me. 

My father was an entrepreneur.  Not to reach any specific goal but to have the freedom to follow his dreams.  His dreams were many, always evolving and always limitless.

He raised us to believe in ourselves, to honor our commitments, to love and serve others, to work hard and find the joy in it.  He taught us to live the Gospel and love the Lord, not only in his words but in how he lived his life.

My father had a great mind.  He loved to read and was always looking for more to learn.  He loved to share stories and discuss.  My favorite times with Dad were on our road trips.  I was able to have time with him and he loved to stop at museums and historical sites along the way.  He always made sure to read everything when we went and he would remember it all.  Then he would spend the next few hours teaching all of us about what we had just seen. 

My dad was a tease.  There were a lot of people who didn't get to see him this way but he loved it.  He would sometimes sneak up behind us and scare us and would tell outlandish stories as if they were true just to watch our reaction and then laugh.  Some of them I believed for years until I grew up and realized how impossible it was.  He loved to play and work with his family.

No matter how much he had, or didn't have, there was always enough to share with others. 

He was an artist, master carpenter and craftsman.  He was imaginative, always thinking and solving problems, designing and creating.  He loved the Lord, his family and his fellow man.

It is hard to let go of someone who is so much a part of you and of whom you have become, especially when you were expecting to have so much longer.  I know it is the Lord's will and everything is at it should be.  He is deeply loved.

Good bye, Daddy. 

His Obituary:

Lynn Hollis Smith, our beloved husband, son, father, grandfather, brother, family member and friend was suddenly called home on Thursday, December 19^th 2013 due to natural causes. He was born August 16, 1951 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Florence (Clark) and Hollis Done Smith.

Lynn was a missionary and servant of the Lord as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved his work as an entrepreneur, salesman, inventor, and craftsman. His greatest joys came from his family, serving his fellow man, and working in the Temples of the Lord.

Lynn is survived by his wife, Darlene Smith of Gunter, Texas; nine children, Darell (Brent) Hoskisson, Brigham (Aimee) Smith, Adam (Minnie) Smith, Jerusha (Mike) Renstrom, Faith (Cody) Sample, Ammon (Christala) Smith, Dallin (Holly) Smith, Tiaura (Tyler) Renstrom and Jarom Smith; thirty grandchildren; mother, Florence Smith; seven siblings, Ron (Nancy) Smith, Mark (Wendy) Smith, Loretta (Jon) Shupe, Kyle (Jennifer) Smith, Rachelle Byrnes, Alison (Dean) Mirsoltani and Marilyn Donohue; numerous nieces and nephews.

Lynn is preceded in death by his father, Hollis Done Smith.

You are invited to join with us in honoring and celebrating his life: Funeral Services will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, 1900 W. Lamberth Rd, Sherman, Texas 75092, on Monday, December 23, 2013 at 10:30 AM with Bishop Marty Little officiating. Interment will follow at Hall Cemetery in Howe, Texas. A visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 9:30 AM. Family and friends are invited to a evening Visitation on Sunday, December 22, 2013 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 300 Pecan Street, Gunter, Texas 75058, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

     

Herman F. F. Journals Update

-  I have just heard from a distant cousin that they are working on a reprinting of the Journals of Herman F. F. Thorup book titled Dedicated Faith and compiled by Renee Blackburn Jacks.  They are adding a missionary list from the descendants of Herman F. F. and are still collecting information.
-  If you are a descendant please share your name, line you are through and where you served so it can be included in the book!
-  Also...if you want a wonderful copy of these invaluable records please let me know also and I will pass on your information.

Thanks!  - Jerusha

Dedicated Faith

I have finally finished digitizing the pages to the book compiled by Renee Blackburn Jacks, great granddaughter to Herman F. F. Thorup titled "Dedicated Faith, The Journals of Herman F. F. Thorup, 1879-1929"
I chose to photograph the pages rather than scan them and they are saved at a low resolution to save space. It is not the best, but the book is too large for the binding to hold up to a flat scanner.  But you can read it and that is the important part.  Any family that is interested in having a copy just let me know and I will send you the images.  I will update you if I ever locate more books or a better digital copy.
I have only read over a small portion of the pages so far but am already very moved by the hardship he and his family endured and the strength of his faith.  His experiences are powerful and his words are a great strength for his descendants.  What a blessing he has left us, the opportunity to know him and to be touched by his testimony.  Journal writing has great purpose and powerful influence in the present and the future.  Record your journey.  

Thorup Family Ties

I found a great website for those descended from Herman August Thorup and Marie Christine Christensen.  This may be old news to most of you.  I have become out of touch with what is available on line lately.
Here is the link http://www.thorupfamilyties.org/
It has stories, biographies, photos and other interesting information available such as family recipes!
Thanks to all for sharing this with us.

History of Gustava Sofia Johnson

History of Gustava Sofia Johnson
from the book Dedicated Faith The Journals of Herman F. F. Thorup 1879-1929 compiled by Renee Blackburn Jacks great granddaughter.

"Gustova Sofia Johnson, Known to the family as Aunt Sofie, was born December 12th 1845 in Kyrkafalla, Brevik, Skaraborg County, Sweden, the daughter of Johannes Jonsson and Kajsa Lisa Andersson. Only little is known about the childhood and youth of her father. He served his term in the Army as required by law. He learned his father's trade, tailoring. He was about 5ft 10in tall, weighed around a hundred and seventy pounds, and was very erect in his posture and in walking. He had blue eyes and dark hair and was a very good looking man. The mother, Kaja Lisa Andersson, was born August 10th or 19th, 1820 In Fagersanna, Ransberg, Skaraborg, Sweden. Her mother died when she was only about 2 years old, so she was raised by an aunt, Maja Jonsson.

Johannes and Kajsa were married in Kyrkefalla July 2, 1842, and to this union there were 8 children born. Anders Gustave, Gustava Sofia, Krtstina Charlotta, Carl Johan, Anna Lovisa, Euima Wilhelmina, Frederich Valdemar, and Peder Dijon. The first six were born in Sweden, and the last two in Denmark. At first Johannes followed his trade of tailoring. In those days it was the custom for the tailor to do his work at the homes of his customers, receiving his dinner and whatever the customer gave him. So his earnings were small, and he had to take up farming to increase his income.

When the Mormon missionaries came to Skaraborg County, Johannes' father, Jonas Nilsson, was the first in his town to open his home as a place where the Elders could preach the new gospel. He was one of the first, if not the first, to join the church. Both of his daughters and a son-in-law were baptised about this same time. Johannes and Kajsa were also converted, but Johannes hesitated about being baptized. Kajsa was more determined, and arranged to be baptized. As she came up out of the waters her husband was standing there waiting to be baptized. They then had the desire to gather to Utah, and the persecution which was waged against them encouraged them to do so. So they sold all they had, moved to Denmark until they could collect on the sales, and make the final arrangements for the trip. Their history tells of the trials, thefts, disappointments and sickness that hindered them. Finally, it was decided that the oldest son, Gustave should come to America alone, and this he did. The rest of the family remained in Denmark, working and saving for their turn to come to Zion. In 1868, Sofia and her sister said farewell to their father and mother and younger brothers and sisters as they sailed for America. This journey was full of trials and hard experiences. They were traveling on the last sailing ship that Mormon emigrants used--the "Emerald Isle." Sickness took the lives of many. But it was a happy reunion as father and mother met Gustave who had made his home in Grantsville, Utah for the past 8 years. The whole family stayed in Grantsville for a while, and then came an invitation to move to Spring City. This then became the new home for the Johnson family. The ground had to be cleared of sagebrush, fences put up, irrigation water to be arranged, and there was plenty to be done.

So it was here at this home in Spring City that the family was living in 1871 when at age 24, and her sister Charlotte, age 22, finally came to Utah. They had saved their money and paid their own way. They arrived at Long Island, New York, July 4th, and celebrated July 24th at a dance in Provo. Here their father met them with a borrowed mule team and wagon and brought them to their new home in Spring City. However, they had to walk all the way from Provo to Spring City as they were so poor they couldn't pull the wagon, baggage, and passengers. But this was another time of rejoicing, as most of the family was together again. Gustave stayed in Grantsville, and spent the rest of his life there. Charley was away working, and did not locate at Spring City, though he visited there. When he finally married he settled first at American Fork, then Springville, Utah, and then in Hobble Creek canyon near Springville, all in Utah County. In 1897 he moved to Downey, Idaho. He married Elenor Dorcas Kendall at Springville, Jan. 24, 1877. They were blessed with 12 children and nine grew to maturity. He died Dec. 11, 1937, and was buried in the Downey Cemetery Monday, Dec. 13, 1937.

Sofia had previously met a young man in Denmark named Herman Frederick Ferdinant Thorup. He too had come to America with his family, and they met again in Provo at the 24th of July dance already mentioned. They were married May 28, 1872 in the Endowment House. The couple made their home first in Provo, and then moved to Salt Lake City where Herman was a florist at 752 East and 8th South.

Sofia and Herman became the parents of four children-Marie Josephine, Albert Moroni, Christine Sofie, and Sofie Christine. Sofia died Oct. 3, 1878, the result of incompetent care by the midwife at the birth of their fourth child. Three children survived but all were carried away in the 13 days in December 1884 in a diphtheria epidemic. After Sofia's death, Herman had left the baby, Sofie Christine, with the Grandparents in Spring City while his own parents cared for the two older ones. But when he remarried Herman wanted his children together again, regardless of the pleadings of the grandparents to have the children remain with them. The grandmother always felt if he had left the baby there, perhaps at least one might be saved."

Journals of Herman F. F. Thorup

I want to thank all of the distant cousins who have contacted me and made it possible for our family to track down the journals of Herman F. F. Thorup. My mother obtained a copy of this wonderful book Dedicated Faith, compiled by Renee Blackburn Jacks. It is a compilation of his journals as well as family photos, biographies, time lines, articles and more. My mother has the original journal that is contained in this book on pages 11-34. He titled it "My first mission from Utah to Europe," and he gave it to his daughter Lizzie, my mother's grandmother. In this book I was also able to find the biography for Herman's first wife Sofia which I have been looking for for some time. I am so thankful for all that has been preserved of the lives of our ancestors. I am thankful that I have the genealogy bug as well. It is such a blessing to know our ancestors, what their lives were like, why they chose to live the way they did, their thoughts, feelings and circumstances. How sad it is to be forgotten. Every life has value and meaning. The everyday man has little influence beyond his own family. His parents, his spouse and any children will remember him and what he taught and who he was but then he is gone. Time goes on and in time we all move on, learn to live without them and he is lost to the next generation. What a wonderful blessing it is to do your family history. Through the records they are alive again. We see their struggles and their examples. There is a legacy left for us to follow and learn from. They are known and remembered and loved again. It is a gift to know them and to know that their story goes on.

H. F. F. Thorup Letter

Here is a letter written by Herman F. F. Thourp in 1881 while on his mission in Denmark. He has written a report about the progress of the work in his mission and the surrounding area. He was here serving under great personal trial as well. He had just lost his wife and baby and had to leave his three remaining children behind with relatives (see A Loss Too Great). I am in awe of the sacrifices that our early ancestors made to continue following in faith. I can see that a refiners fire was present in all of their lives preparing a solid foundation for the future generations to build on.

From the Deseret News published April 27, 1881

Correspondence

Compagnistrads 285,

Neestved, Sjelland, Denmark

March 22nd, 1881

Editor Deseret News:

On the 21st of October, 1879, I left

Salt Lake City on a mission to Eu-

rope, being called at the October

Conference and set apart by Apostle

C. C. Rich. He said that the Lord

should protect me on land and on

sea; many should listen to my coun-

sel and receive the everlasting gos-

pel, and I should also baptize many

into the Church of God. This, I can

say, has been fulfilled to the very

point. While leaving Salt Lake

City and Ogden, in company with

my brother, John T. Thorup, thir

teen more Elders were leaving

their homes to preach the everlast-

ing gospel to a fallen world--three

of them were for the States and the

others for Europe.

On the 28th we left New York on

the steamer Wyoming, first spend-

ing two days in New York, in seeing

all that could be seen in that time.

On November 7th we landed in

Liverpool, after a pleasant voyage

on the great waters. The cap-

tain was wondering at the fine

weather we had, and told some of

the first cabin passengers that he

had never experienced such good

weather in October; but, said he, I

have Mormon Elders on board, and

ever since I have dealt with the

Mormons I always had good luck.

At Liverpool we were kindly re

ceived by Prest. W. Budge and the

other brethren of the office. Here

seven of the brethren left us, leav-

ing five for Scandinavia. Left Liv-

erpool on the 8th, and landed in Co-

penhagen on November 11th. The

names of the brethren who landed

in Copenhagen were: Jacob Hansen,

of Bear River; Peter Nielsen, of

Washington; O. N. Stolk, of Brig-

ham City; John T. Thorup and H.

F. F. Thourp, of Salt Lake City. We

were kindly received by Prest. N.

Wilhelmsen and the brethren there.

We were appointed to our several

fields of labor the same day; my

brother, John T. Thorup for

Aarhuss Conference; my appoint-

ment was in the Copenhagen

Conference, in the south and west

branches--a very large district,

55 miles one way and

about 70 miles the other way.

I have labored here ever since my

appointment, as presiding Elder of

these branches. I can say that the

Lord has been with me, although I

feel my weaknesses and imperfec-

tions, but God has been my strength

and my protector, and to Him I

ascribe the honor.

I have had the privilege of bear-

ing my testimony to the Gospel of

Christ in 34 towns, 42 have been

baptized, and 33 of them I have bap-

tized myself, and hope to baptize

many more before leaving these

lands, which is fulfilling the Apostle's

word upon my head. While labor-

ing in this northern mission I must

say that President N. Wilhelmson

has been as a father and wise coun-

selor to me and to all of his fellow-

laborers, and he has our confidence

and our best wishes, he is respected

by all the Saints, and by the Gen-

tiles who are are our friends.

In this conference are eight El-

ders from Utah: F. Funk, P. A.

Vicker, Jacob Hansen, Isaac Soren-

son, H. I. Christiansen, Paul Ham-

mer, James H. Hansen and myself.

They are all good brethren, trying

to do their very best in spreading

the Gospel sound to our fellow men.

James H. Hansen is laboring in my

branch as traveling Elder, beside

five native brethren who sell pamph-

lets by going from house to house

and from town to town, and also

hold meetings wherever they have

an opportunity. This city, Neestved,

is a very hard place, and the Elders

could never get the Gospel into this

city for the priest and the mob.

Ever since last May the Spirit of

God has moved upon me in getting

to preach the Gospel in that city,

and last October I rented a place in

my name, where I moved the branch

office. We have held several meet-

ings there, and the Lord is blessing

us His servants. There are now six

Saints, and we expect two more to
be baptized in a short time. The

priests have tried to stop me, but

they have had no power.

The winter has been very hard,

and the poor have suffered a good

deal, and many of the Saints have

thus been tried very hard. Here

are many old Saints who have been

faithful all the day long waiting for

deliverance, but how shall they

come home? They have no relatives

in Zion; no one that they can write

to to get money to emigrate. I

trust that the Saints at

home will remember their poor

brethren and sisters in these lands,

when the Lord entrusts them with

means, and then assist such as are in

the Church and have proved them-

selves worthy of being gathered to

Zion, which, from past observation,

I must say has not always been the

case. Here are some who have stood

20 years and been faithful, and not

come home yet. Brethren and sis-

ters in Zion, help these out and the

Lord will bless you.

Ever praying for the welfare of

Zion,

I remain, your brother in the

Kingdom of God,

H. F. F. Thorup.

________

1940 Family Reunion

I have been collecting news articles on my family in the Utah Digital Newspapers database for quite a while now. In my searching I found that my Lindeman family would travel from Salt Lake to Richfield, Utah almost every year and turn up in the society pages of the Richfield Reaper in town visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Rowley. This trip is about 165 miles and takes almost 3 hours to drive with today's roads and speeds. map it Mrs. Rowley and Mrs. Lindeman are both Thorups and they would often celebrate Mrs. Rowley's birthday with her.
Mrs. Rowley is Nephine Merabele Thorup - born 14 June 1890, married William Andrew Rowley
Mrs. Lindeman is Lizzie Henrietta Thorup - born 16 March 1894, married Russell Olonzo Lindeman
Both are daughters of Herman F. F. and Jensine Jensen.

Richfield Reaper June 20th 1940 Social News
I collected a few articles of their visits such as this one, but never had so many names been given. This must have been a big celebration for Nephine, her 50th birthday party. She had a much larger family gathering than usual and even had some come from Canada. It was interesting to have such a collection of names at a family gathering given in the newspaper. This is one thing I love about the newspapers. You can often make family connections based on the comings and goings of all the neighbors and their get togethers. The society pages used to be quite a gossip column and even an opinion or two from the reporter slip in once in a while which are always hilarious to read.

I recently came across some Thorup Photographs posted online by Gael Lindstrom (thanks a million by the way!) and found this Photo of a family reunion labeled "Thorup Family Reunion at the Andrew Rowley Home in Richfield, Utah June 16, 1940."
There was a photograph taken of the family at the reunion I have an article about!...And I actually found it! It is exciting to have these two pieces of recorded history put back together for us to see 68 years later.


If you can identify someone in the photo
please contact me or leave a comment. Thanks!

These are the names we have labeled thus far:


From L to R
Back Row: ?15 , child held ?16 , ?17 , Bertha Lindstrom, Wm Lindstrom, ?18, space across to man's head ?19 , Alvin White, Albert Bruening, Russell Lindeman
Row 2 and between: Lizzie Lindeman, ?6 , woman's head ?7 , ?8 , womans' head ?9 , child held ?10 , ?11 , man's head above/behind ?12 , child held ?13 , Wm Rowley, woman's head ?14 , Nephine Rowley, child in front is Lois Lindeman, Zina White, Gertrude Bruening, LeRoy Lindeman
Front Row: ?1 , ?2, child kneeling ?3 , Child sitting in front ?4, ?5

How Common is the Renstrom Surname?

I thought this was appropriate for the Renstrom Record:
This information is from the US Census Bureau and posted on this site mongabay.com













Renstrom is one of the very uncommon Surnames in the US
Guess which Surname is ranked #1 for most common in the US.

Surnames

Surname	Rank in US	# in US	Frequency out of every 100,000
Renstrom	32939	656	0.24
Smith	1	2,376,206	880.85

Renstrom Surname Distribution in 2000

"RENSTROM is identified by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as a surname with more than 100 occurrences in the United States for the year-2000 U.S. Census. In "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000", the Census Bureau tabulated the surnames of all people who had obtained Social Security Numbers by the year 2000.

RENSTROM ranks # 32939 in terms of the most common surnames in the United States for 2000.

RENSTROM had 656 occurences in the 2000 Census, according the U.S. government records.

Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, RENSTROM would occur an average of 0.24 times.

Race / ethnic origin

The race categories shown in these files are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the last name of RENSTROM the Census Bureau reports the following race / ethnic origin breakdown:
98.17 percent, or 644 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only"
Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only"
0 percent, or Less than 100 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only"
Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native"
0.76 percent, or 5 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races"
0.91 percent, or 6 total occurences, were "Hispanic Origin"

____________________________________

Smith Surname Distribution in 2000


"SMITH is identified by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as a surname with more than 100 occurrences in the United States for the year-2000 U.S. Census. In "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000", the Census Bureau tabulated the surnames of all people who had obtained Social Security Numbers by the year 2000.

SMITH ranks # 1 in terms of the most common surnames in the United States for 2000.

SMITH had 2,376,206 occurences in the 2000 Census, according the U.S. government records.

Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, SMITH would occur an average of 880.85 times.

Race / ethnic origin

The race categories shown in these files are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the last name of SMITH the Census Bureau reports the following race / ethnic origin breakdown:
73.35 percent, or 1,742,947 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only"
22.22 percent, or 527,993 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only"
0.4 percent, or 9,505 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only"
0.85 percent, or 20,198 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native"
1.63 percent, or 38,732 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races"
1.56 percent, or 37,069 total occurences, were "Hispanic Origin"

NOTE: Fields suppressed for confidentiality are assigned the value "Insignifcant"

The presentation of data on this site focuses on summarized aggregates of counts and characteristics associated with surnames, and, as such, do not in any way identify any specific individuals.

All data is dervied from David L. Word, Charles D. Coleman, Robert Nunziata and Robert Kominski (2008). "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000". U.S. Census Bureau."

Map Your Surname
__________________________________________

I had a request for information on some of our other Surnames:

Surnames

Surname	Rank in US	# in US	Frequency out of every 100,000
Smith	1	2,376,206	880.85
Berg	637	48,480	17.97
Lindeman	6479	4,974	1.8
Renstrom	32939	656	0.24
Thorup	49159	402	0.15

It looks like our Thorup surname is even less common with only 402 Thorups listed in the United States as of 2000.

Berg Surname Distribution in 2000


Lindeman Surname Distribution in 2000


Thorup Surname Distribution in 2000


Map Your Surname
__________________________________________

Double Descended

Here is a photo of the Herman August Thorup Family



Names from Left to Right and Back to Front:
Back: Christine Veronica Thorup (Rasmussen), Hyrum Emanuel Thorup, Nettie Neilsine Nielsen (Thorup), Joseph Thorup, Clara Romney (Thorup), John Theobald Charles Thorup, Johanna Caroline Ostermann (Thorup), Jensine Jensen (Thorup)
Front: Niels Rasmussen, Lara Augusta Marie Thorup (Rasmussen), Herman August Thorup, Mary or Marie Christine Christensen (Thorup), Herman Frederick Ferdinand Thorup, Anne Christine Anderson (Thorup)

This photo is a special one for my family because we are the descendants of two of Herman August Thorup's Children (Christine Veronica and Herman F. F.). In this family photo we see our ancestry come together.

This summer my sister married into my husband's side of the family and we just had our first huge group family photo with both of us in it. I am going to hold onto this photo for our posterity who will once again be double descendants and double related.

Anyone Speak Danish?

My mother has an original passenger contract for our ancestor Herman F. F. Thorup. The bulk of the text is written twice, once in English so that makes it a lot easier. I did make out that it is for passenger: Herman Thorup age: 53 whose occupation is: Missionary. He is traveling from somewhere to Boston Massachusetts and they guarantee to get him there.



In the earlier years of mass immigration, there were several complaints by passengers of being "swindled" by their emigration agents. As a result, various laws were passed requiring agents to be certified by the government and for every passenger to have a signed and stamped passenger contract. They were to carry this with them for the entire journey to protect their rights and ensure they arrived at their desired destination under the terms originally agreed to.



Herman F. F. (Right) with mission companion in Denmark

A Loss Too Great

Herman F. F. Thorup or Herman Frederick Ferdinant Thorup, is no stranger to hardship. I find that anyone who lives on this earth endures great suffering of some kind before they leave it but there are a few people who seem to get more than enough for creating good character. For some, the tragedies they suffer seem to be greater than one can bear. My great great grandfather, Herman F. F. Thorup is one of these people. He endured many painful experiences beyond what I am writing about today, but for now we will look into this window of time when he suffered the loss of his entire first family. Herman was born April 19th 1849 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Here he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at age twelve and served his first mission at age 18 to Denmark. He was released early to emigrate with his family to the United States and they were able to settle in Utah. He married Sophia (Sophie) Augusta (Gustava) Johnson on May 28th 1872 at the age of 23. One year later their first child was born, May Josephine (B: July 10 1873). They had a total of four children together. Based on the dates of their children's births, this photo should be of May and Albert with their parents taken about 1876. Their third child, Christina lived less than a year. I do not know her cause of death yet, but I am looking for it and will post more information as I find it. A little over a year after this their fourth child was born, Sophia, and a few weeks later in October of 1878, Herman's dear wife Sophia died, probably from complications of childbirth.

A little over a year after this Herman F F arrives in England on November 7th 1879 with his brother John T. Thorup to be missionaries in Europe (again). This is a portion of a newspaper article announcing the safe arrival of a group of Elders (the Thorups among them) printed in The Millenial Star. How difficult it must have been to leave his three young children with no mother to care for them to serve this second mission for the church.
Where did his children go while he was gone?

Here we have two Census Records for 1880:




This one for Salt Lake City shows Neils Rasmussen with his wife Laura (Augusta Marie Thorup) and two children. - Albert and Mary Thorup, ages 5 and 7, nephew and niece to Neils. He left the two older children with his sister and brother-in-law in Salt Lake City.

Where is the Baby?




Here we find that he left his baby girl Sophia with his wife's side of the family in Spring City, Utah. She is just one year old and is granddaughter to John and Eliza Johnson.

Herman FF did return safely in July of 1881 and was reunited with his family. Herman did remarry and began to have more children when tragedy struck again.

Diphtheria

In 1884, Salt Lake and surrounding areas suffered with a Diphtheria outbreak. It was not an uncommon illness to find but it was usually able to be contained through strict quarantine rules. However, in 1884 it was unable to be stopped and it swept through many homes. Our poor HFF Thorup was forced to endure the loss of the rest of his three children from Sophia Augusta.

Here are two articles from the Deseret News dated December 24th (Christmas Eve) and December 31st (New Years Eve) of 1884.




All three of his children die of Diphtheria in 1884 within a few weeks of each other. He also had a fourth child die from his new wife at this same time of croup. Croup was often caused by the Diphtheria bacteria before immunizations and it came with deadly strength. You will also notice in this article that Neils Rasmussen lost a son at this time too.
I cannot even imagine how he survived this. He pushed on in life only to suffer a great deal more but his life is a true example of strength and trust in the Lord. His life continues to strengthen his posterity. A loss too great to even imagine and with more ahead is hard to fathom, but it was a meaningful mission that left a great legacy of faith for us to follow.


Their Children:
May Josephine (b. 7/10/1873 d. 1884),
Albert M. (b. 11/5/1874 d. 1884)
Christina S. (b. 10/14/1876 d. 8/22/1877)
Sophia C. (b. 9/17/1878 d. 1884).

Pioneer Day from 1906

102 Years Ago, both sides of our family are celebrating
Utah's Pioneer Day.




HOMAGE IS PAID TO THE PIONEERS
The Salt Lake Herald, July 25th 1906

The Thorups are in Liberty Park in Salt Lake City where over 1500 people gathered and the living pioneers were honored including a lunch under the "famous" trees there planted by our ancestor Herman F. F. Thorup. John T. Thorup is mentioned in the article twice, he is the son of Herman August Thorup and brother to Herman F. F. and Christine Veronica Thorup Rasmussen. There are photos of events at the park on July 24th 1906 and some very cute articles about the celebration.



HUNTSVILLE TO HAVE A TIME
The Ogden Standard, July 21st 1906

In Huntsville the General Committee is busy carrying out a large celebration of their own for the Utah Pioneers. Among those on the committee are Moselle Renstrom, Carrie Renstrom and Adam L. Petersen. Carrie Renstrom is Caroline Petersen Renstrom, her brother is Adam Lind Petersen and her daughter is Moselle Renstrom. There are other Petersons listed in this article but I do not know if they are related. There were a few Petersen(son) founders in Huntsville, ours being Soren Lind Petersen who is the father of both Carrie and Adam.


This photo was taken almost 80 years after the above celebrations in June of 1986. These are the trees at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. I am the one in the middle.

Deaths of Father and Mother Thorup

Our Immigant Thorup Ancestors
Herman August Thorup and Marie Christine Christensen Thorup:

Herman August Thorup

What we can learn from this article:
-Died Aug 21, 1907
-Born Aug 11, 1826 in Copenhagen, Denmark
-Baptised into LDS church April of 1853 (26yrs)
-Clerk of the Copenhagen conference for many years
-Emigrated to America in May of 1868 (41yrs)
*note: look for naturalization papers
-Lived in Chicago until Aug of 1869
-Lived in Provo until Sep of 1873 (47yrs)
-moved into Salt Lake First Ward LDS church
-Active member in the ward
-Cause: his body failed him


What we can learn from the Death Certificate of
Herman August Thorup


-His address: 731 So 9th East in Salt Lake City
-His middle name: A. is for August
-He resided at this address for 34 years -White Male
-Born: Aug 11 1826
-Age: 81 yrs 9 days
-Widow (wife died prior to 1907)

-Father: Lars C. Thorup born in Denmark
*note: Family records have his father as Christian Larsen Thorup
-Mother: Johannah Holm born in Denmark
-Occupation: None
*note: He used to be a carpenter, I don't know what else yet
-Informant: John T. Thorup who lives at 729 So. 9th East
-Buried in City Cemetery (Salt Lake City Cemetery) on Aug 25, 1907
-Died: Aug 20, 1907 at 2:20 PM
-Was attended by physician William L. Carmon from 503 Brigham St. for one day prior to death
-Cause: Uremia - loosely used to describe the illness accompanying kidney failure or renal failure. It is blood poisioning where waste products normally excreted from the body are retained in the blood. Symptoms are anorexia, lethargy, muscle cramps, confusion and coma.

Marie Christine Christensen Thorup

What can we learn from this article:
-She sometimes goes by Mary
-Wife of Herman A. Thorup
-Has at least 45 grandchildren
-President Joseph F. Smith spoke at the funeral among others named
-Respected woman
-Born Sept 19, 1824 in Myrup, Rjolland, Denmark
-Baptised into LDS church April 9, 1853 (28yrs)
-Left Denmark May 8, 1868 with husband and family
-Lived 15 months in Chicago
-Arrived in Utah August 12, 1869 and settled in Provo
-Has one grandchild on a mission to Norway in 1905
-Came in the first railway train from Omaha to Ogden
-Moved to SLC in 1873 to the First Ward and stayed.
-A good humanitarian
-An active member of LDS church
-Husband is living
-Has four living sons and one living daughter in 1905
-Has 16 grandchildren, three children and nine grandchildren have died by 1905
*note: Is this an error? 45 grandchildren to 16 grandchildren- It is hard to read the first number. Let me know what you think.
-Has one grandchild on a mission to Norway in 1905


What we can learn from the Death Certificate of
Marie Christine Christensen Thorup
-Has her name as Mary Christina C. Thorup
-Address: 731 South 9th East Salt Lake
-White Female
-Born: September 19, 1824
-Age: 80 years 9 months 14 days
-Married, name of spouse not given
-Father: Christen Hansen born in Norway, Denmark

-Mother: Elsie K Hansen born in Denmark (check the K, family records say her middle name is Kirsten)
-Informant: John T. Thorup from 731 South 9th East
-Buried: City Cemetery (Salt Lake City Cemetery) on July 20, 1905
-Died: July 13, 1905 at 8AM
-Cause: Senile Debility - Alzheimer or dementia or organic brain syndrome and the body begins to deteriorate as a result
Dr: Samuel H. Allen of Salt Lake City

Iris Gardens

Grandpa LeRoy Lindeman loved the iris. He had several variety of this flower in his large iris garden at his home. He knew each one well. It was exciting for me to find these articles about his grandfather Herman F. F. Thorup in the newspaper. He also loved the iris and had his own iris garden.


The Murray Eagle - May 31 1928



The Murray Eagle - June 4, 1931





Here is a photo of Herman F. F. Thorup in his flower garden and by his green house behind his flower shop.




This is a photo of Herman F. F. Thorup in front of his flower shop. The sign reads:
SOUTH EASTERN NURSERY
EVERGREENS.ROSES.SHADE
& ORNAMENTAL TREES
SODS.PLANTS.CUT FLOWERS
FLORAL DESIGNS. ETC

Grandpa Lindeman also has this beautiful flower framing his headstone.