Elna Petronella Pehrson

Biography

Elna Petronella Pehrson Johnson was born on April 28, 1863 in Sloinge, Halland, Sweden to Nels and Ingeborg Pehrson. Though not poor, Elna was not a stranger to hard work in her youth, such as washing clothes in the river and carrying buckets of mash back and forth to her father's factory. In 1850, missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in Sweden to preach the gospel. Elna eventually heard their message and was baptized in 1854. That year, she also married Andrew John Johnson. In March 1859, the couple decided to emigrate to Zion, and so sold all of their belongings to pay for their transportation. After five weeks on the ocean and three months traveling by handcart, they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. From Salt Lake, they moved to Tooele where the two had been provided with land. Initially, they dug a cellar to live in on the upper part of the lot and gardened in the lower lot. Two of Elna's daughters were born in the cellar: Hannah and Emma. In 1864, the family built a log cabin on the lot. Elna spent her evenings weaving and spinning, oftentimes with the help of her husband. She also helped with peach bees and ensured her home was home for all who needed a place to stay. She was a devout Latter-day Saint and served faithfully in her calling as Relief Society teacher for many years. Elna suffered from rheumatism starting in the middle of her life, and contracted a number of other health issues as she progressed in age, eventually being confined to a wheelchair. She then died on February 9, 1914 and was buried in the Tooele City Cemetery.

Paraphrased from Rebecca Atkin Ostler's history of her grandmother, Elna Petronella Pehrson Johnson.