Anna Kirstena Mortensen

Biography

Anna Kirstena Mortensen was born on August 12, 1831 in Hårbølle, Denmark. She was the second of nine children. In 1855, Anna's family learned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through her older brother Morten. The whole family was converted, and the next year, in 1856, they decided to emigrate to Utah. Anna, her parents, and her seven younger siblings all traveled together. Her brother Morten stayed behind to serve a mission for the church in Denmark. They traveled first to Liverpool, where they boarded the ship "Thornton" on May 4 to cross the Atlantic.

Even though the Mortensen family was well off and planning to cross the plains by wagon, they were promised that if they gave of their excess to the other Saints, they would all live to see Utah. Accordingly, they gave all they had to help the other Saints cross the plains and traveled by handcart in the Willie handcart company. The journey for their company was very difficult and many people died, but the whole Mortensen family lived and made it safely to Utah. They settled in Parowan.

In Parowan, Anna met Jorgen Hansen, another Danish immigrant, and married him in 1857. They had nine children together, five daughters and four sons. However, only two of their daughters lived to maturity. Anna lived in Parowan for the rest of her life, where she passed away on April 5, 1900, at the age of sixty-eight.