Ingrid Eugenia Larsdotter

Biography

Born as the oldest daughter of eleven children, Ingrid grew up in Sweden. She grew up well off in a nice home and at a young age took on many responsibilities to help her family, including working in the fields, cooking, weaving, designing, sewing, and selling produce. She played the accordion and loved traveling at sea. Ingrid was quite diligent in school and passed quickly onto more advanced classes which allowed her to help tutor her peers. Many years later, one of the boys she tutored would become her husband.

As a young adult, Ingrid heard weird rumors about the Mormon missionaries, so out of curiosity she went to one of their meetings. Surprised to find the rumors untrue, she was very impressed and ended up converting. Her parents were against it and her father threatened to kick her out if she joined the Mormon church. Despite great opposition, Ingrid snuck out a few weeks later in the middle of the night to be baptized in an icy lake. Further efforts were made by her family and local religious leaders to dissuade her after they discovered her decision, but nothing could sway her conviction.

Not long after, Ingrid emigrated to America with a few friends who had also converted. Even though Ingrid’s father did not approve, he let her go with a heavy heart and even gave her some money for the journey. He passed away a year later and she never saw him again. However, before receiving the news, Ingrid wrote in a letter to her family that she already knew because he visited her in a dream.  Ingrid continued to keep in contact with her family back in Sweden and slowly they all immigrated to America. She was a driving force in what led to most of their conversions to the faith as well.

In 1883 Ingrid married Eric Johnson and they were able to provide housing and work for the rest of her family as they gradually arrived in Utah as well. The couple had eight children together and moved to Idaho where they spent the rest of their lives. Ingrid passed away at age 61.