Lauretz Lauretzen, son of Lauretz Hansen and Marie Pedersen was born September 15, 1816 in Vaterlund, Denmark and his wife Ane Marie Pedersen Lauretzen was born 23 November 1823 in Stortlund, (Ejstrup) Denmark. She's the daughter of Peder Christiansen and Karen Sorensen.
He received his early education in his native town and later became a school teacher in the same place which position he held for a number of years. When he was 32 years old he married Maria Pedersen and soon after gave up his position as a teacher and became a farmer.
In the year 1855, he was visited by Mormon Missionaries. They were Hans Peter Olsen and Jens Jensen, the former of Fountain Green, Utah. Their oldest child, Maria, was then six years of age. She took a great liking to the Missionaries and they often asked if she would go with them to Zion.
Mr. Lauretzen investigated Mormonism for seven years before excepting it. When in the presence of the missionaries he would argue against it. But among his friends and neighbors he would defend and explain the gospel. During this time he and his wife were very kind to the missionaries, keeping an open house for them at all times.
In 1862, the Lauretzens accepted the Gospel and in 1864 they sold their home and farm and emigrated to Utah. He also furnished the necessary money for six other people to emigrate.
They left their home in Denmark on April 6, 1864. On their trip from the mainland to Copenhagen they encountered very stormy weather. The waves dashed over the boat and made things wet and disagreeable and the whole company was seasick. The boatmen were very provoked at the Mormon Missionaries for being the cause of a women with seven children being in such a plight.
On arriving in Copenhagen they were unable to find lodging the first night and were forced to pass the night there in the streets. Five days later they resumed their journey going by rail through Germany. They set sail from Hamberg, crossed the North Sea and landed in England at Grimsby on the east coast. Here they stayed for two weeks. While in Grimsby the emigrants camped in a large barn. After crossing England to Liverpool they were again delayed a week on the ship "Monarch" because the ships were short of crewmen. They crossed the sea on the ship "Monarch" and landed in New York. Patriarch John Smith was Captain of the company while crossing the ocean. There were eleven hundred passengers on board the ship and much sickness prevailed. Brother and Sister Lauretzen lost a little boy four years old of measles. He was buried at Sea. He was Soren Lauretzen - born 24 January 1860 in Denmark.
On landing in America, the emigrants were unable to take the most direct route on account of the Civil War which was in progress. Part of the way was traveled by rail and part by river steam boat. Their accommodations often being of the poorest kind. They had many delays and had to travel part of the time in cattle cars. They were at times so close to the fighting that they could hear the booming of the cannon.
On arriving in Omaha, Nebraska, they were delayed again for six weeks, waiting for church teams to take them across the plains. While they waited the Lauretzen family lived in a rude hut built of oak brush. They crossed the plains and came to Salt Lake City in Bishop Preston's Company. The children had the whooping cough while crossing the plains and one day while they were camping for noon, with Sister Lauretzen sitting on the wagon tongue nursing her 16 month old baby - Johan (Hans) took a spell of coughing and chocking from which he died. A grave was hastily dug, hurried funeral services held, and in less than two hours the company was on their way again, leaving one more grave to mark the path of trial and sorrow to the land of promise.
The journey across the plains and mountains took ten weeks. Sister Lauretzen walked more than two thirds of the way. The family waited in Salt Lake City three weeks, waiting for teams from Sanpete to come in from the journey over the plains so that they might come with them to Moroni. On the day the Sanpete teams arrived in Salt Lake another child - Jens Lauritzen, born 29 March 1853 - a child of 8 died of dissentary. The father was unable to see the laying away of the child. He had to find the Sanpete teamsters and make arrangements to travel with them. The Mother alone followed the body to the cemetery where it was taken immediately after death and hastily gathering up her remaining children and their scanty belongings, set out for Sanpete. The journey from their home in Denmark took six months. To pay for the transportation from Omaha to Utah Brother Lauretzen and his two sons and a son-in-law freighted tithing wheat from Moroni to Salt Lake, each journey taking two weeks.
The new immigrants were well treated by the people of Moroni when they got here and they were fortunate in buying a home of a family that was leaving Moroni because they had been called to go and establish a settlement in Sevier Valley.
After arriving in Utah, Brother Lauretzen took a 2nd wife, Matilda, a Swedish emigrant, by which he raised two children. After arriving in Moroni - his first wife bore him another child, Sina. At present writing - March 9, 1924, the oldest child Maria and the youngest, Sina, alone survive them. Brother Lauretzen and his wife were faithful and energetic Latter-Day Saints and died in full faith and fellowship of the Church. Brother Lauritzen served for many years as a ward teacher and held other positions in the church.
The family passed through all the trails and incidents to the Indian wars, grasshoppers, and pioneer struggles.
Brother Lauretzen died in Moroni - February 11, 1896 and Maria Lauretzen passed away at the home of her daughter - Maria - at Jerusalem, Sanpete County, October 15, 1899. Both are buried in the Moroni City Cemetery.
DESCENT:
Lauritz Lauretzen
Marie Lauritzen
Mary Caroline Jensen
Alda Caroline Swensen
Carl Ivan Lindstrom
Vickie Lindstrom