Gudmundur Gudmundsson

Collected and edited by Scott Gudmundsen

Introduced to the Gospel and Baptized by Peter Olsen HANSEN.

Ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood by Erastus Snow 18 Apr 1851.

Gudmundsson was born 23 Mar 1825 in Iceland. At the age of sixteen, he left Iceland to serve an apprenticeship in Copenhagen, Denmark to learn the gold-smithing/watch-making trade.

During the three to four years of his training, nothing is known of his religious activities. He remained in Copenhagen for seven years. During this time he became aware of “Mormonism,” which had recently been introduced into Denmark. Being of a religious turn of mind, he went to their meeting hall to hear the elders.

He wrote, “It was then that I, for the first time saw our beloved Apostle Erastus Snow. I understood and believed the doctrine taught by him and his companions and I was baptized in the most devoted sincerity and repentance, February 15, 1851. I testify before God and man that my heart was renewed, and I realized that the gospel was the power of God unto salvation.”

At a fast meeting held three months later, Gudmundur was ordained a Teacher by Elder Snow, and called to preach the gospel in Iceland.

Quoting Gudmundur regarding this call, “Having found the fruits of the gospel more sweet and desirable than any other fruit, I expected that every person would believe my testimony, especially my own relatives. But alas, when I arrived in Iceland I preached to my brothers and sisters in vain. They would not believe me, and as my pious parents had died, I felt myself left along, like Elijah of cold, in the cave. However, I soon found a few believing friends who, not withstanding strong opposition on the part of the priests, were ready to embrace the gospel. I was often rebuked, spit upon, and mocked by my enemies, but being full of the love of God, I felt no anger or indignation against those who persecuted me.”

Gundundur remained in Iceland for about three years and after baptizing nine persons, he returned to Denmark and spent about eighteen months as a missionary on Sjalland. While preaching in the city of Kalundborg, he was arrested and imprisoned for seven weeks. When his persecutors were unable to prove anything against him except that he had baptized some persons and preached the gospel, he was liberated. But he was immediately drafted into the service as a soldier, much against his will. He was conducted by the police to Copenhagen, forced to put on military attire, and given a gun and saber.

Being weakened from prison confinement, he found military training exceedingly heard. He was constantly exposed to the ridicule and sneers of his fellow soldiers because of his religious faith. These were trying experiences for Gudmundur, and at times he felt that God had forsaken him, yet he continued to pray for deliverance. After he had been in the service for over a year, his friends contributed three hundred “Rigsdaler” to buy him free. But their efforts proved futile, so he gave the money to the poor.

Finally he became very ill and was placed in a hospital. He made good use of his time there, preaching his religion to his room mates. Among his converts was a corporal who was baptized before he left the hospital.

Gudmundur says, “After I had been in the hospital for a long time, I was presented to the doctors, and the General of the Battalion pronounced me “Unfit for Military Service” on account of weakness of the lungs. They then gave me a passport and I went back to my friends in Copenhagen. I was certain that my lungs were as healthy as they could be. I realized it was the work of the Lord in fulfillment of a promise that had been made to me by one of His servants, that If I kept the commandments of God, I would be liberated. All of my friends in the church rejoiced at my release, and I was urged by them to emigrate to Utah with a large number of church members. We left Copenhagen April 18, 1857, crossed the Atlantic on the ship Westmoreland and arrived in Salt Lake Valley September 15, 1857.”

Among the emigrants who sailed on the Westmoreland was the family of Niels (Niels Jorgensen) Garff, consisting of himself, his wife, Marie (Jacobsen) and four children, three boys, Peter, Christian, and Louis (Lauritz), a little girl named Trena, a maid and a mid-wife. The Garffs were in good financial circumstances, and as Marie was about to give birth to another child, they came prepared. They were among the few aristocrats who had joined the church.

It was young Gudmundur Gudmundsson who had converted them in Denmark. They had paid a great price for their decision. All of their friends and kin had turned against them. Marie’s mother was the only one who came to the wharf to see them off. But she too, thought they had made a great mistake.

Out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Marie gave birth to another son. At the request of the captain of the ship, they named the baby after him and added the name of the ship to it, so the baby was named Decon Westmoreland Garff. Upon reaching the United States they soon discovered that Mormons were not welcome.

The Garffs used their means to help many who wished to leave, but lacked the equipment- wagons, teams etc. At last when they were ready to start and had even gone a few miles on their journey, the man they had engaged to drive and take care of their team decided to call it off. He stole the team and wagon in the night, leaving the Garffs with no alternative but to join one of the handcart companies that was preparing to make the journey. They were true converts, not easily defeated, so they loaded the most necessary part of their heavy possessions on a handcart and started moving west.

Some of the boys were big enough to help with the cart, and the first few days of the journey seemed not so bad. There were some wagons to haul the sick, and soon they were put into service. (Niels) Garff was never a strong man and after a few hundred miles, his strength gave out, and he was compelled to ride in the wagon. Marie, who had never know hard work in her life, came down with a fever, and with her baby (Decon) was put into the wagon, the boys pushing the handcart. After several days (Niels) Garff, realizing he could not make It to the journey’s end, called his friend to the wagon - he wished to talk to him. With his dying breath he told Gudmundur he would never reach the mountains and desired him to take full charge of his wife and family, seeing to it that they never turned back, for he wanted them to be numbered with the Saints in Zion.

Marie later said that she knew that there was a death in the camp. They raised her up to see the burial, but she was too sick to know who it was. It was many hours before she realized that her husband had been taken from the (sick) wagon leaving her and the children to make the long trek alone. In spite of a broken heart, she began to recover. Knowing that there were many that were ill, and that the wagons would be needed for those who could not walk, she gave up her place and started on with the help of her trusted friend, Gudmundur. They had traveled only a few days when little Trena became hopelessly ill. Soon a prairie grave was dug for her beside the trail. After the spot was obliterated (?) the homeless moved on.

It was another thousand miles to the Salt Lake Valley where Brigham Young had said, “This is the place.” There they were greeted by several hundred who had preceded them and who were busily engaged in grubbing, building and planning (planting?) in a land where they would worship God, each according to the dictates of their own conscience. Gudmundur Gudmundsson, after the company’s arrival, was married to Marie Garff in fulfillment of his promise to her husband and his dear friend, Niels Garff.

Gudmundur recorded some of the important events of those early years in Salt Lake Valley in a little notebook that one of his sons kept and coveted, although several of the pages had been carefully cut out with a pen knife in the hands of Marie, who felt that some of the events, disappointments and heartaches of those early years would be best cut from the record. Especially did she feel this about the fact that after all they had given up to come to Zion, as it was called, and after the strong testimony Gudmundur had borne, he had had his feelings wounded and apostatized from the Church for a short time, joining one of the factions which had broken away. (The Morrisites) This had caused much unhappiness for Marie. She refused to join him in his rebellion, and when he began to realize his mistake, he became very ill. He was unable to provide sufficient means for the family and they were in a sorry plight.

The family by this time had increased. Gudmundur’s wish to have three sons and name them Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been realized, so now there were seven boys. Peter, the oldest, was able to care for himself. Chris (Christian) and Louis (Lauritz) were able to bring in a little money to help the family budget. But the little boy Dick (Decon) who had been born on the ocean was a frail little fellow suffering from what they called “Gravel” and there was no doctor in Utah who could do anything for him.

GRAVEL: Note by Joyce Gudmundsen Richardson - I checked several dictionaries of archaic medical terms and they defined “Gravel” as “passage of small stones formed in the kidney with the urine.” In other words, Kidney Stones.

Gudmundur decided to borrow a little money and take the sick child to Sacramento, where he hoped to find help for the little boy who was in pain much of the time. They spent some time at Camp Floyd, where Johnston’s army was stationed. The little boys would gather tin cans and Gudmundur would clean and polish them and shape them into tin cups. These they sold to the soldiers and others en route to California, this making a little money to help them on their way. But Gudmundur’s health failed fast and the trip was a most unhappy one, with the sick boy and three others - Abraham 6, Isaac 5, and Jacob 3 years old. Of their means of travel and the length of time it took to reach Sacramento, there is no record. It is known only that they made the trip and settled in a small house on the outskirts of the city. But with Gudmundur unable to work, they were very poor. He had cherished dreams of getting into his trade in California after hearing stories of the gold found there and the fortunes being made. He had assured himself that Marie would then be happy, and the boys would have a better opportunity to make something of themselves. But things looked bad and he became melancholy. He would go for days without speaking to anyone as he watched the borrowed money dwindle.

But instead of pining to go back to her homeland, her beloved Denmark, Marie’s one great wish and prayer was that a way would be open so they could return to Utah - her “Zion.” She felt that even little Dick would be well if they could get back to the Church where the sick had so often been made well. She pled with God day and night, with faith that He was listening to her prayers. But the days and weeks passed, and conditions remained the same, thought they had found a doctor who was relieving Dickey’s pain with no promise of a cure.

“Truth,” they say, “is stranger than fiction,” and that is true of the following story recalled from family tradition and written in a letter by Austin Gudmundsen to Joyce Gudmundsen Richardson. I have also added additional elements as told by Austin Gudmundsen to Scott Gudmundsen.

One day "Abe," a husky 10 year-old, with a playmate, (Dickie Sorensen) were exploring through an abandoned shed used in building the state capitol which was near completion. Abe, seeing a loose floor-board, pulled it out, and there nestling down underneath was a leather bag. They pulled it out and lo and behold, they had a cache of money - gold and currency. One can well imagine their reaction. Finally after organizing things and taking precautions for secrecy, they divided the "loot." To carry the gold coins they tied some abandoned rope around the ankles of their overalls and filled their legs till they could hardly walk. They had jackets too which they tied up also, loading themselves down like donkey. They waited till dark, and finally dragged themselves home. They were both neighbors. Gudmunder was confined to his bed with a bad cold. He soon got up as his son started unloading the money onto his bed. The Johnson's (Sorensens?) came over at once. There was little sleep that night.”

“Marie and Gudmundur decided it would be unwise to take it without reporting it to someone, so it was decided that Marie should go and tell the story to the mayor of the city. She put some of the bills in her pocket and prayerfully made her way to the mayor’s office. He listened to her story - of the bad luck they had had, and of their desire to get back to their church and the friends they had left in Salt Lake City. Then she told him about the severe illness of her husband who, she was sure would be better if they could only get back to their friends. The man examined the bills and after some mediation, handed them to her and told her to go her way, using the money as she wished. He said they were old bills, hidden from a stagecoach robbery, and there would be no way of finding to whom they belonged.

Their few belongings were quickly packed and the family was on its way back to Zion. How much Dickie Sorensen found, or what they did with it was never known. In answer to the question put to Abe the year before he died regarding the amount, he said he had tried to figure it out many times, and the least it could have been was seven thousand dollars. It had brought them back to Utah, bought them a nice little home, and set his father up in the goldsmith and watch-making business which sustained him well. It helped them to get good medical and surgical help for Dickie.”

Gudmundur Returns to Utah

Gudmundur was reinstated in the church. He recovered his health and lived to see five of the boys grow to manhood, staunch members of the church. Dickie (Decon) died in his twenties, and little Jacob died at the age of three.

Gudmundur plied his trade in various places in Utah, calling Lehi his home, where Marie lived and reared a grandson left motherless as a baby. At the time of Gudmundur’s death on September 20, 1883, he was in Logan, Utah, living with Christian Garff and his family.

From an old letter Chris wrote to his mother after the burial:

Dear Mother:

It is with peculiar feelings I packed father’s tools for the last time, as I have helped to do so many times in his moving around from place to place the last twenty-five years, but I suppose all is as it should be, and I am sure he is happy, then why should we not be. I think we are, inasmuch as we do our duty from day to day, as we live , that when our day comes for departure she shall feel content and satisfied to go, even as he was.

NOTES:

1. Note by Fanny Gudmundsen Brunt:

“Marie lived until February, 7, 1907 although she was older than Gudmundur by fifteen years or more.”

2. MARIE’S AGE: Note by Scott A. Gudmunsen: According to genealogical records Marie died in 1908 at the age of 88 years. Marie was five years older than Gudmundur, Marie being born in 1820, and Gudmundur born in 1825. My grandfather, Austin Gudmunsen, son of Abraham Gudmunsen, told me that the old cabin in Sacramento was next to the California state Capital Building. The cabin was used earlier as a tool shed for the capital construction workers tools.

3. NAME CHANGE: Note by Scott A. Gudmundsen: Gudmundur changed his name after arriving in the United States from Gudmundur GUDMUNDSSON, to Gudmund GUDMUNDSEN at the encouragement of his wife, Marie Jacobsen. Apparently it was generally thought at their time that all Icelanders were either witches or warlocks; a belief that was first passed on by sailors who sailed by Iceland and who observed the steam vents (cauldrons) from the volcanic activity, the inhabitants, who may have been wearing horned Viking type headgear and their no-doubt foreign clothing.