Chapter 1

The History of my Mormon Heritage

Joachim Anserson was my great-great-grandfather’s (Jens Larsen) brother. Joachim was the first on my mom’s side of the family to become Mormon. He was converted when American missionaries were sent to Denmark. After he was converted, he moved to America. He got married and was then sent back on a mission to Denmark. He spent much of his time in my great-grandparents’ home. It was then that he converted and baptized my family members.

My Great-Great-Grandfather

My Great-Great-Grandmother

Ane Cathrine Andersen Larsen
March 17, 1850-November 22, 1916

My Great-Grandfather’s (Lars Christian Larsen) Conversion Story:

Written by Christian’s daughter, Mabel Elva
Translated by his great-granddaughter, Anne-Mette Howland, and his great-great-grandson, Johnathan J. Howland.

When Lars Christian Larsen decided to be baptized, he was around 25 years old. He was born in 1871. He went by his middle name, Christian.

When he was a young man, his mother’s brother, Joachim Christian Anderson, moved to America. After his uncle moved to America, he was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptized. Later, he was called to serve a mission in Denmark. While on his mission in Denmark, Joachim was called to serve as a Branch President in Korsør. At that time, Christian worked on a large farm in Slagelse. He helped to care for the animals. The only days he had off were Sundays. On his day off, he would attend church meetings in Korsør where his uncle was eager to share the gospel with him.

In 1895, there was only one train a day going from Slagelse to Korsør. If my dad hadn’t arrived at the train station in time, he wouldn’t have been able to attend the meeting and partake of the sacrament. He just happened to know the train conductor. There were times when he almost missed the train. When this happened, he would wave to the conductor, who would stop the train and pick him up.

On the Sunday that Christian had decided to be baptized, everything was supposed to run smoothly. As he was getting ready to leave, the owner of the farm came up to him and said, “Christian, you can’t have the day off today because we have a pig that is about to give birth. You have to stay and help.” Christian responded, “I can’t, my uncle is expecting me at 2:00 pm in Korsør.”

The farm owner was strict and insisted that he stay. Christian didn’t know what to do, so he knelt and prayed to his Father in Heaven, asking Him to pave the way so he could be baptized that day.

He had barely finished praying when the farmer returned and said that the pig had given birth to 7 piglets and that Christian was free to go after all. He hurried to the train station. When he arrived at the train station he could see that the train was leaving. As before, Christian waved to the conductor, but this time the conductor did not see him, and the train continued on its way.

Christian was determined to get baptized that day. He took off his socks and shoes and started running the long path from Slagelse to Korsør. He ran a total of 11 miles. He arrived two hours late. When he finally arrived, the branch members were still patiently waiting for him. Since there wasn’t a baptismal font in the church, everyone gathered at the fjord where Christians were to be baptized.

Just as he and Joachim were about to enter the water, Christian grabbed his uncle’s arm and said, “I don’t want to get baptized today after all, let’s run the other way.” When Joachim asked why he had changed his mind, Christian responded, “Can’t you see that big black animal in the water?” His uncle couldn’t see it. Joachim explained to Christian that it was the adversary’s way of trying to deter him from getting baptized.

Joachim raised his arm to the square and commanded whatever evil was in the water to depart. Christian could no longer see the black animal. A peaceful feeling came over them, and Christian was baptized.

Ane and Lars Christian had 18 children. They were all raised in the Mormon church. One of those 18 children was my grandmother, Helfred. She was born on January 9, 1901. In those days it was common for children to die from many different illnesses. Helfred saw six of her siblings pass away at a young age.

Missionaries from America, 1920

The History of my Grandmother, Helfred Helene Larsen.

Helfred’s mother and father were small farmers with little money. As a young girl, she attended a school known as a ‘farmers’ school.’ There were three grades in one class and they did not attend school during the planting and harvesting seasons.

Every day when Helfred walked to school, she would pass a bull sitting behind a fence. She would stop and tease it. This made the bull furious, but there was nothing it could do. One day the bull had gotten loose. When Helfred came walking by, it chased her. She thought it was the end of the world, unaware of how fast she could run that day.

She managed to jump into a ditch just in the nick of time and was saved. She was stuck in the ditch for hours because the bull stood nearby waiting for her to come out. Finally, the farmer noticed his bull was missing, so he set out to find it. When he found it, Helfred was finally able to get out of the ditch. She never teased the bull again.

When Helfred was young, she was sent away as a servant to help other farmers. Therefore, she had very little schooling. She said that for all the work she did on the farms, the only pay she received was room and board. At Christmas time she received a pair of new clogs.

Helfred later met a man named Karl Henry Hansen. Karl was born on March 25, 1906.

Helfred then got pregnant with her third child. When Karl and Helfred learned they were expecting, they married on June 14, 1937. My mother, Mette Else Hansen, was born on October 28, 1937, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Helfred Traveled to Aalborg to Try to Get Eli and Jytte Back

When Helfred and Karl got married, they lived in Copenhagen. When Jytte was two and Eli was eight, Helfred traveled back to Aalborg to pick up her two older children. Since Eli and Jytte had grown up with their grandparents, they called them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ and did not know who Helfred was, since she lived so far away. Helfred’s parents would not allow her to take Eli and Jytte back. With great heartache Helfred returned to Copenhagen without them.

Mette and Ole did not meet their older siblings until later in life. Helfred would have loved to visit Eli and Jytte and for all of her children to know each other, but they could not afford the train and boat tickets to travel to her parents’ home.

Mette and Ole’s Childhood

Mette and her brother, Ole, were sent to daycare. Mette did not understand why, since her mother was not working at the time.

Every day, the two children had a piece of rye bread with sugar for lunch that their mother had packed for them. Mette was tired of eating the same thing for lunch every day, so one day she refused to eat it. Since she would not eat it, one of the daycare workers locked her in a closet. They forgot about her. She spent the rest of the day locked up until her mom came to pick her up.

Mette also recalls one day at daycare, a worker beat Ole. He fell to the ground onto the tile by the stove and dislocated his arm. When their mother came to pick them up, she did not realize anything was wrong with him. After a couple of days when Helfred finally noticed, she took him to the doctor. The doctor was unable to help put his arm back into the socket. It had been dislocated too long. For the rest of Ole’s life his arm was paralyzed. Luckily, he was still able to use his hands and move his fingers.

When it was time for Ole to start school, Helfred sent him away to a school for children with disabilities. Helfred says she sent him away because she was afraid other children would make fun of him because of his paralyzed arm. was only allowed to come home on the weekends and on holidays. Mette missed her brother and was sad that he had been sent away.

When Ole was 12, he still could not ride a bike because it was too difficult for him to balance with only one arm. When Ole came home, Mette wanted to teach him to ride a bike. As she chased him down the street, she couldn’t hold on to the bike. Ole crashed into a parked ambulance. He flew off the bike and hit his head on the vehicle. He got a severe concussion from the impact. When he was 15 years old, he got epilepsy. The doctor said it was caused by the bike accident three years earlier.

Mette recalls that her childhood was not easy. She loved her father even though he was an alcoholic. Her parents fought constantly because of her dad’s drinking. When Mette was 10 years old her mother got a job cleaning trains, which she held for the next 25 years. It helped pay the bills.

When Mette was 13, she met her half-sister, Jytte, for the first time. Jytte had come to Copenhagen because she was on her way to America, where she would spend the rest of her life. Mette’s half-brother, Eli, also immigrated to America. Mette dreamed of growing up and someday having enough money to visit them.

In 1954 at the age of 16, Mette began working at The Royal Danish Porcelain Factory. She worked there as a student secretary. In 1957 at the ago 20, Mette left home.

The History of my Father’s Johny Side of the Family

My Grandmother, Kitty Grethe Johanne Rasmussen
February 14, 1914-August 10, 2007

My grandmother went by the name Hanne. Not much is known about her parents or her childhood. Hanne was dating a man when she became pregnant. When she told her boyfriend she was expecting, he left her. During this pregnancy she met and married my grandfather, Niels Peter Bolund.

Hanne then gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Anna Lise Kitty Lukkanen. She was born in Copenhagen on August 30, 1932. She went by the name Kitty. A year and a half later, on January 8, 1934, Hanne gave birth to my father. They named him Niels Peter Johnny Bolund. He went by the name Johny.

My Grandfather Holding my dad

When Johny was about eight years old his mother and father divorced. Hanne met another man and got pregnant with a boy whom she named Jorgen Sonny. He went by Sonny. He was born in Copenhagen on July 1, 1942. When Sonny was about 4 years old Hanne met a man named Poul Christian Lund, whom she later married.

My dad told me he had a very rough childhood because his mother was in so many relationships. She was married and divorced several times. She also had health problems and had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. Hanne was often unable to care for her children as they grew up. As a result, the children were sent away. Kitty was sent to a boarding school for girls. Johny was sent to an all-boys home. These homes were available in Denmark to children whose parents were unable to care for them.

When my dad talked about the boys’ home, he said, “It was not a place anyone should ever have to go to!” Children were not treated well. They were often beaten. While he was there he saw boys who committed suicide. On one occasion, he looked into a room and saw a boy who had cut open his wrist and was sitting there, covered in his own blood. Another time he saw a boy who had hung himself from the ceiling using his belt.

My dad tried to run away from this place several times. Each time he was brought back they would beat him for trying to run away. Hanne would sometimes come and get him and bring him home. When things got to be too much and she felt she couldn’t care for him anymore, she would send him back. He tried to tell her how awful the boys’ home was, but she did not know what else to do with him.

My dad’s sister, Kitty, got pregnant at age 19. She had a daughter whom she named Mary-Ann Lis Johansen. She was born on July 26, 1951. In 1954, Kitty gave Mary-Ann up for adoption shortly after the picture above was taken. I met Kitty once when I was 5 while she was in prison for possession of illegal drugs. She died on February 22, 1988, of a drug overdose.

Johny decided he would join the Navy and become a sailor when he was old enough, which he did. He had finally escaped the boys’ home, once and for all.

When Johny became a sailor he saw many different parts of the world.

At age 25 Johny changed his last name to Lund. His name was then Niels Peter Johny Lund. This was the name by which he was known for the rest of his life.

To learn more about my dad’s brother, Sonny, I asked him what happened in his childhood. Sonny told me he had also been sent to an all-boys home, then said he didn’t want to talk about it. All he added was, “All is forgiven.” I’m guessing his childhood was difficult as well. 

How Mette and Johny Met

When Johny had some time off from the Navy, he went to a little town called Hvidovre to visit his friend, Sven. Mette had just come home from work when she saw her mom and Aunt Tove talking in the street. Mette stopped to join in the conversation. As Johny parked his scooter nearby, he saw Mette. Johny said “hi” to her and she returned his greeting. Johny thought Mette was cute. He asked Sven if he knew anything about the girl standing on the sidewalk. It just so happened that Sven’s wife, Inge, had gone to school with my mom. Inge laughed and said, “Oh, that’s Mette. Would you like me to introduce you?” Johny was excited about the idea. A few days later Mette and Johny were formally introduced. He invited her to see a movie with him. They fell in love and from then on they would see each other whenever time allowed.

Six months later Mette was pregnant. The two decided to get marry. They went to the courthouse in Copenhagen and were married by the judge on May 31, 1958. After the judge had performed the ceremony, Johny and Mette went to visit Mette’s parents, Helfred and Karl, to tell them the news.

Mette and Johny’s life together

Upon learning of their marriage, Helfred called up Johny’s mom, Hanne, and her husband, Poul (who was Johny’s stepfather), so they could meet the new in-laws. It was Saturday, and they could come right over. Helfred made lunch for everyone so they could celebrate. After the meal, Mette and Johny went to Tovli and spent the rest of the day together, having fun.

Johny moved into Mette’s apartment until they could find a bigger place to live. To help them start a new life together, Johanne and Poul bought them a chest of drawers. From Helfred and Karl, they received sheets and pillowcases. The newlyweds were excited to welcome their first baby and start a family of their own.

On December 13, 1958, Mette gave birth to a boy. They named him Sander Johny Lund. They were happy to have this little newborn. Johny couldn’t wait for him to grow up so they could go fishing and hunting. This would be Johny’s chance to do the things he never could with his dad.

Johny left the Navy and got a job as a Taxi driver so he could be home with his family.

One day, when Johny came home, he found that Mette had shaved her head. All her beautiful, long blond hair was gone. He asked her why she had done this. Mette laughed as she said, “I just wanted to see what it would be like to be bald.” Johny couldn’t understand why his wife would do such a thing, but he consoled himself by thinking that it would grow back.

A few weeks later, when he got home, he found Mette in the middle of painting the kitchen bright red. Johny asked, “What are you doing?” Mette replied, “I want a little color.” Johny began wondering what other surprises he might come home to.

In November 1959, Mette started to feel very ill. She went to see the doctor to find out what was wrong with her. The doctor diagnosed her with tuberculosis. Due to the seriousness of the illness, she was hospitalized immediately. Mette was admitted to the same hospital where her dad, Karl, was a patient because he also had tuberculosis.

Mette and Johny felt it would be best for Sander to be placed in a home where children could live as long as needed. Mette was sad to be away from her nine-month-old baby. When she had been in the hospital for three months, she was finally allowed to leave for a few hours so she could visit Sander.

Mette and Johny were excited to see their baby again. When they arrived at the home where Sander was staying, the caretakers brought him to them. Sander was now a year old. When he saw his parents, he did not recognize them. Sander cried and didn’t want anything to do with them. Mette was heartbroken.

As Mette improved, the doctor allowed her to visit Sander once a month for a few hours at a time. Because Sander was so young, he didn’t understand these visits and didn’t seem to care much for the time they spent together; he would rather be with the ladies who were taking care of him.

After eight months in the hospital, Mette was finally well enough to be released.

Johny and Mette went to pick up Sander. They could finally take him home. Sadly, since Sander had been left at this residence for so long, he cried when his parents came to pick him up. He reached out his arms to the ladies who had been taking care of him for the past months. This was very hard on both Mette and Sander. Being back with his mom took Sander some time to get used to.
Three months after Mette returned home from the hospital, she and Johny moved into a more modern home. This new apartment had hot water running from the pipes and its own private bathroom with a shower. Mette and Johny were thrilled to have these new modern conveniences.

September 1960

Mette’s health had improved, and they discussed having more children. The doctor advised them to wait because she had been sick for so long, but Mette felt fine and was excited to have a sibling for their son.

Wednesday, July 5, 1961

Mette was hospitalized because it was almost time for her second baby to come into the world.