Alfreda Jacobina Nielsen

Biography

Alfreda Jacobina Nielsen was born on January 29, 1855 in Odense, Denmark. She was the youngest of seven children, three sons and four daughters. Around 1860, her family learned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and her mother and siblings joined. However, her father, Hans Nielsen, refused to join the Church. When her family decided to emigrate to Utah to join the other Saints, Alfreda's father insisted she stay behind with him. However, her mother Maren Hansdatter took her with anyway. By the time the police showed up to reclaim Alfreda, their ship was already out at sea. Alfreda was only ten at the time. She traveled with her mother, her three older sisters, and one brother, the older two brothers having already made the journey to the United States.

While the journey was difficult, the whole family survived and settled in Provo, Utah. Alfreda eventually met and married William Griffith Williams, a man from Wales, in 1873. They had five children together, three daughters and two sons. Two of their daughters died when they were very young. Alfreda lived in the Provo area for the rest of her life, settling in Lakeview. She died in Provo, Utah, on June 22, 1949, and was buried in the Provo City Cemetery.