Who Am I?

My mom found this photo when going through family history records and is unable to identify this couple. Is there anyone out there that recognizes them? I'm not sure which line they are connected to but possibilities are: Lindeman, Faerber, Clawson, Thomas, Smith, Clark, Thorup, Tschentscher and others.

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

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

Death of Solomon S. Lindeman

Solomon S. Lindeman was a teacher but it was difficult to make enough money to support his family so he became a carpenter. This work kept him from his family much of the time and they still did not have much money. In early 1907 (or late 1906; from the following letter we learn he has been in Utah at least since Januray) Solomon heard of good employment opportunities in Salt Lake City and left his family in Colorado for the time being to see if he could make a better living for them there. He began working in the Garfield smelters and had rented a small room in Salt Lake City.



On Feb. 11, 1907 he wrote this letter home:

After 70 days, return to
S. S. Lindeman
Garfield
Salt Lake City, Utah.

GARFIELD, Feb 12 1907 UTAH.


Ella M. Lindeman
      Florence
125 E. 5 St   Colorado


PAGE 1:

Garfield Feb 11   -   7 [1907]
Dear Ella today was pay day
and will send you my check
you keep the 100 & send me
the $6.50. I wish you would
show this check to several of
those skeptic people who
think I am not getting what
I say I am. I got those pictures
of the Ass with 3 heads one at
one end & two at the other Ha Ha It is
plain you show plain too
I see Moses the Lord of Creation
got the Post Office  That Iriga
tion scheme is comming along
all right well if we dont
like it out here we can go
back and have a home to go
to   I would like to get the
place paid there it will
not be hard for me to make
a living It will be worth
all it cost for you folks
to see this great County

PAGE 2:

If you folks could come as
cheap as I did  If I would
go to work for the D & R G
[D&RG= The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad]
in 2 or 3 months I could get
a pass to bring all out here
They only pay $3.50 on the
Bridge gang I heard John
Lo..ing went to work in
the car shops for the D. & R. G.
in Salt Lake at $4.00 for 10
hours That might suit
me but I kik this work
and dont like to quit here
if I got fired I would try
that too  I am going to stay
here till April any way
I got a long fetter from
Lela she didn't say any
thing about coming home
She said I should tell
Russel to quit writing to Ger
tie as she is no nice girl
The weather is very nice &
has been all this month



PAGE 3:

It is colder than it was
in January but the snow
is all gone and the ground
is dry  The Mountains are as
white as sheets  We hear of
many snow slides up the
Canons [Canyons] around Park City
and East of there The Mountains
remind me of Sang De Chris-
to when we went over
marshal Pass tower so
high in the air and white
with snow  I have the ad-
vantage over you the Mor-
man boys dont look at
a Gentile woman but the
girls are after them [a]lot
Ha Ha My shoulder still hurts
me I guess it is rheumatism.
I can hardly get my coat
on   my side is all right
I still have the plaster on
it   I am nearly out of
shoes and foot wear is

PAGE 4:

so high out here   I am almost
afraid to buy   I got a pair
of lowshoes last summer
but they are too thin and I
had to pay $3.50 for them
If you could get a good cheap
pair and if someone [is] ever
coming out send them to
164 S 2nd West. Salt Lake
House It would cost too much to express them
Well I will close to hear
from you
        So good night
a Kiss and a hug
        Pa, Pa.

S. S. Lindeman Killed

Emery County Progress - May 25 1907     Salt Lake Herald - May 19 1907

From these articles we learn how Solomon Lindeman died. He exited a street car near his home on 2nd West and 2nd South in Salt Lake City.
Click to see where Solomon died
He then walked behind the car to cross and was hit by another street car coming the opposite direction. Ella Martha Miller Lindeman, his wife, arrived a few days later to get his body. In the Salt Lake Herald on May 19th 1907, we learn that Mr. Lindeman was a member of the Odd Fellows, a Yeoman, and a member of the Carpenters' Union. Mrs. Lindeman was going to check with the local lodges (these local groups) before making funeral arrangement. I am still not sure why she wanted to check with them unless it was to see if any were willing or able to help her in this matter. There are several articles of the Odd Fellows holding memorial services for members, but I could find no article of one being held for Solomon in Utah. The Odd Fellows were an organization known for helping others in need. I have written to the Salt Lake IOOF (International Order of Odd Fellows) for more information on Solomon's membership. I will update this post if I hear back from them. The Yeomen was an institution with more of a financial base.


This is a section from the Salt Lake Herald a few days after Solomon died. This article tells us the address where the Brotherhood of American Yeomen would meet (269 E 3rd South in Salt Lake) at the Yeoman Hall. We also learn that there is an Odd Fellows Temple on Market Street. The Rebekah lodges are the female members' groups of the Odd Fellows.


Here is more information on these groups:

The International Order of Odd Fellows
To Improve and Elevate the Character of Man
"In 17th century England, it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called "Odd Fellows". Odd Fellows are also known as "The Three Link Fraternity" which stands for Friendship, Love and Truth."

The Brotherhood of American Yeomen:
"The Brotherhood of American Yeomen, founded in 1897, was one of a vast number of fraternal benefit assessment societies established toward the end of the 19th century. The Lodges were called Homesteads, and there was a strong Christian element to the Rituals and Ceremonies, which also praised the Magna Carta and the English language. The Homesteaders was the result of a schism within the Yeomen.
In 1917, the Yeomen changed its financial footing to assure greater stability, and in 1932 it transformed itself into the Mutual Life Insurance Company. The order is now extinct."

Yeomen History
"The society was popular from the start, the founder evidently having formed a plan of mutual insurance that seemed reasonable and just and which provided for a surplus fund for reserve. The name, however, did not altogether suit and before the articles of incorporation were filed it was changed to Brotherhood of American Yeomen."

The Carpenters' Union:
"the primary purpose of the Carpenters Unions were to reduce the twelve-hour day, six-day week and to increase the daily wage of $2.25. Peter McGuire, the Father of Labor Day, and the First General Secretary of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, had organized these Local Unions and imbued them with a spirit of bettering the lot of their fellow workers."


Mrs. Lindeman Sues Utah Light and Railway Company














These Articles tell us that Mrs. Lindeman with the help of the administrator, J. Boyd Gordon, sued the Utah Light & Railway company for the sum of $50,000 damages.

*note: Because Mr. J. Boyd Gordon was an administrator rather than an executor we can safely assume that Mr. S. S. Lindeman died intestate or without a will. An executor is someone named in a will to handle the eatate of the deceased and financial distribution, when there is no will then the court appoints an administrator to handle the financial affairs of the deceased. This also means that there should be probate records concerning this appointment. They may be in Salt Lake or in Colorado, but I will look into this later if I have time. I'm sure the court accounts of the above suit are interesting as well.

Mrs. Lindeman and Mr. Gordon made a case of negligence on the part of the Utah Light & Railway company for not sounding warning signals. The jury awarded Mrs. Lindeman $9,120 for damages. The Utah Light & Railway company motioned for a new trial on the grounds that this was an excessive sum of money, the jurers were prejudice and that there was lack of evidence in the case.

*note: What was $9,120 worth in 1907?
From Measuring Worth
In 2007, $9,120.00 from 1907 is worth:
$207,569.60    using the Consumer Price Index
$157,671.26   using the GDP deflator
$472,888.89   using the value of consumer bundle *
$866,930.23   using the unskilled wage *
$1,074,246.31   using the nominal GDP per capita
$3,729,066.58   using the relative share of GDP
The above link will give a detailed explaination of each of these methods of calculation. The first one, The Consumer Price Index, I believe is the most relavent to our case.

The case was retried and the final sum awarded Mrs. Lindeman was $4,000. With this money she was able to pay off their home in Colorado and send their oldest son to school to learn the linotype machine. Eventually he found work in Salt Lake at the Salt Lake Telegram (newspaper). He sent money home until the family moved to Salt Lake City where he continued to help support them.

These newspaper articles also tell us:
-Solomon was killed instantly
-where he was when he died (2nd W and 2nd S SLC)
-that he was near his home at the time
-who his wife was (Ella M. Lindeman)
-that he had 5 children
-where his family was living (Florence, Colorado)
-his death date (May 17, 1907)
-how he died
-that he was a laborer
-groups he belonged to

Utah Death Certificate of Solomon S. Lindeman

From the Death Certificate We Learn:
-Died in Salt Lake
-was taken to LDS Hospital
-his "usual" residence was Salt Lake City
-he was a resident for 1/2 day at the place of death (I assume they must mean the actual physical spot where he died for this as he was living in Salt Lake prior to his death)
-his name, Solomon S. Lindeman, white male
-married, no spouse name given
-birth date, Aug 19 1851
-Father: Robert Lindeman of Pennsylvania
-Mother: Sarah Snyder of Pennsylvania
-Occupation: Carpenter
-Informant for death certificate: Mrs. S. S. Lindeman of Florence, Colarado
-will be buried in Florence, Colorado upon arrival
-the doctor who attended him said he died at 9PM on May 17 1907
-Cause: Injuries - lac. wounds fractur 3 ribs




Headstone of Solomon S. Lindeman in Florence, Colorado