The following is from the pen of Amanda, 4th child of Andrew Peter Eliason and
Annie Marie Erickson (aka Petersson):

My mother's parents were very poor so mother had to work for other people for a living
at a very young age.  She herded cows and sheep when only 8 years old. This was very
hard as the wild beasts were so mean. When she got a little older, she tired of this type of
work and hired out as a working girl for a family by the name of Anders Nelson at
Bordana. Here she worked for five years and after that worked for others in the same
neighborhood. She left this place and went to a place called Brengness. While here she
heard the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She soon became
fully converted and was baptized on the 6th of November, 1859, by Oscar Berntson.
When it became known that she was a Mormon, there was immediate trouble.
     She moved to a family of saints by the name of Anders Eliason. Here she met Andrew
Peter Eliason, who was working as their hired man. He embraced the Gospel in March
and the next April they, with the people they were working for left for Zion.  They went
first to Gottenberg, then to Copenhagen, then to Hamburg. They rested here in the
soldier's barracks until they were ready to leave on the ship called the Tiger. The North
Sea was very rough and going was very slow. After five days they were very glad to land
in Liverpool. They stayed here for three weeks; then boarded the ship Kimball to cross
the Atlantic. It was an old sailing ship—-they were five weeks on the water and were
very sick on the way to America.
     They landed at New York and went from there to St. Joseph by train. Then by
steamboat to Florence where they landed on June 23. There were here for three weeks
getting ready for the trek across the plains.  A man by the name of Young from Cotton
County was their captain. Mother had to walk all the way. She carried a small baby, a
basket, a sack, bucket, umbrella, and led a cow. When they had travelled several weeks,
the rear oxen ran away, causing much excitement. A woman was killed, but they did not
know the cause of the runaway. The little child my mother was carrying died enroute and
was buried by the wayside. It was very sad for the mother to leave her little grave.
     They landed in Utah on 11th of September, 1863. The next day she and Andrew Peter
were married. They had been sweethearts all the way. They lived in Salt Lake that winter
and then Father went to Bear Lake to work. Later he moved to Logan and Mother walked
all the way there from Salt Lake to be with him, except the short distance she hitch-hiked
on the mail coach.

LINKS
RETURN TO ANDERSON HOME PAGE: 


Anderson History Index: 


Anderson Photo Index: 


Immigration Page: 


Pioneer Page: 


History of Anders Peter Eliason


History of Anna Marie Erickson:(wife) 


Eliasons (by Lola Eliason)