Anne (Annie) Christine Mogensen (Monsen) (1870–1942) and Erick Henry Ericksen (1866–1928)

Annie & Erick (date unknown)

By the time Annie came along there were two separate households supported by her father, Peder. He was a Mormon polygamist and was married to Dorthea and Anne. Peder and Dorthea were already married when they left Denmark, while Anne, though also Danish, only met Peder after arriving inthe Great Basin. Annie, one of twenty-one children fathered by Peder, was birthed by Anne in what became known as Mount Pleasant, Utah on March 10, 1870. Anne, with her thirteen children, and Dorthea, with her eight children, eventually lived in individual adobe houses, with Peder managing both locations. Despite Dorthea’s poor health, as well as her being thirteen years older than Anne, and in spite of the natural friction of plural marriage, both households seemed to get along.

Peder, who farmed in Denmark, continued that labor in Mt. Pleasant, while his wives busied themselves with cooking, cleaning, and sewing. Though necessarily busy, both households enjoyed breaks from the routines through music and celebrations of birthdays. Vocal music, which extended outside the home to the ward choir, was a regular sound in the homes. Further, each time a birthday rolled around, money, regularly collected on a pantry shelf all year, was spent on a gift—in this way, each child was remembered on his or her special day.

Special days in the Mt. Pleasant community extended beyond birthdays. Apart from celebrations on the 4^th of July or Pioneer Day (July 24), town inhabitants gathered for stage productions, choir, parties, or dances, as well as church meetings. It was perhaps on one of these occasions that Annie, described as “striking,” with “gentle blue eyes,” attracted the attention of Erick Ericksen.

Erick was the oldest child in the Henry and Elise Ericksen family. They were Norwegian family who immigrated to the United States to gather with the Mormons in the Great Basin, and also landed in Mt. Pleasant. Erick was born October 29, 1866, three and one-half years senior to Annie. While information regarding the Ericksen family is scarce it is known with certainty that the Henry and Elise Ericksen regularly welcomed youth from the town to their home to enjoy dancing, singing, and good food. As mentioned, it may have been at a social gathering, like that offered in the Ericksen home which first drew Erick and Annie together.

The years 1888–1891 brought life changing events for Erick and Annie. Annie’s mother, despite being much younger and healthier than her sister wife, died in April 1888—Dorthea cared for Anne’s young children the best she could, the youngest of whom was less than a year old. A positive event, the marriage of Erick and Annie, occurred December 19 of the same year. Yet death visited them again when Erick’s father passed away in October 1889. Annie’s and Erick’s firstborn child, a girl, was born shortly before her grandfather passed away (October 1889), but only lived until the summer of 1891; the sting of death was partially offset by the birth of a boy at the end of the same year. Annie’s and Erick’s marriage produced nine children, all of whom lived to adulthood, except, of course, the little girl, and an eighteen-year-old boy, who was hit by a car in 1923.

In spite of tragedy, Annie and Erick filled their lives with joy by regular church service, hard work, quilting, and music. Annie sang alto and Erick tenor. Erick also played in the town band (baritone) and served as a regular square dance caller. Many of their children sang or played instruments and participated in the dances, either as musicians or dancers.

When not musically entertained, Annie would find amusement in all day quilting parties. With the quilting frame set up, women from the community would enter the Ericksen home quilt, chat, and stay for dinner.

Obviously quilting and music were nice diversions from the regular routine, which for Erick included the small family farm, meticulous care of the cows, as well as regular employment as a miller at what became known as Roller Mills in Mt. Pleasant. Annie baked and cooked regularly, with many family remembering her fine skill in the kitchen. Annie also kept a Mogensen family tradition alive in her own home by making sure each child felt extra special on his or her birthday.

After almost forty years of marriage Erick died of a heart attack on December 6, 1828—he was sixty-two. Annie lived thirteen more years, dying November 25, 1942, of complications due to high blood pressure.

When Annie’s father died in 1924, Peder lay on his death bed in at the age of ninety-three. As Peder laid there, a widower twice-over—Annie died in 1888 and Dorthea in 1912—he sang a song. He intoned the LDS hymn, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.” Perhaps that moment best sums up the legacy left by Peder, Dorthea, Anne, Erick’s parents (Henry and Elsie), Erick, and Annie. They all proved their trust in a living Christ and His gospel by leaving homelands for His Church and dedicating their lives to the service of their families and others. 

Sources: “Life Story of Annie Mogensen and Erick Ericksen, with a remembrance by their son Ralph” as found on FamilySearch> Anne Christina Monsen (KWCQ-NRQ)> memories; birth, death, and marriage dates acquired from FamilySearch.org as they appeared in August 2017.