Introduction
Between 1850 and 1930, 8,545 people who had converted to Mormonism in Sweden immigrated to Utah. If you want to learn more about the circumstances which led them to that decision and the process it took to get them there, you're in the right place.
And if you're like many descendants of early Mormon European converts, you may have either told yourself a story or have actually heard a family story that could have sounded something like this:
"Your great-great grandparents had become dissatisfied with the Lutheran Church, and they prayed every night for God to somehow find a way to lead them to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. One afternoon, two bright-eyed young men, who happened to be Mormon missionaries, approached their house and knocked on the door. As soon as they laid their eyes on the missionaries, they knew they were messengers sent by God Himself, and they eagerly welcomed them in with open arms.
"As they gathered around the kitchen table while enjoying a nourishing glass of milk and warm, crusty bread fresh from the over, the missionaries taught the gospel with power and authority. They talked of a wonderful American church, led by a true and living prophet of God. The spirit was strong and testified to their hearts that the message the missionaries shared with them was true. As soon as it could be arranged, they were baptized in nearby frigid waters. Soon after, as hands were laid on their heads, they were confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by the power of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood.
"But persecution was strong in Sweden for anyone who dared to abandon the traditional beliefs. In fact, it was almost impossible to endure! But they soon learned that coupled with church membership was emigration to America. Just as discouragement began to furrow their brow at the thought of such an insurmountable task, they learned that they would not be expected to navigate such an ordeal alone. They would travel with a large group of Saints, safely supported and watched over by returning American missionaries every step of the way. They were so overjoyed they anxiously began making plans to gather with the Saints in Zion. It would be a long, arduous journey, but they knew their faith would sustain them, and they were willing to sacrifice everything they had to build the Kingdom of God."
Life wasn't easy for a lot of Swedes during that time, especially the poor landless ones who made up the vast majority of the Mormon emigrants from Sweden (as well as other Scandinavian countries and the UK). The circumstances which led to their decision to leave the land of their birth - where much of their ancestry had probably lived for multiple generations - were complicated. And the family story you were told about them probably went something like this:
For most, if not for all of them, the reality was most likely very different from that.
Follow this blog and you'll learn:
- The socio-economic circumstances that made life in Sweden so hard for so many people in the 1800s
- Daily life as a landless peasant and why their options were so limited
- The reasons for and enticements of American immigration
- The emigration/immigration process and experience
- The ins and outs of the Perpetual Immigration Fund
- The Mormon missionaries in Sweden - What did they really teach?
- Messages home - what Mormon immigrants to Utah wanted their fellow Swedes to know as published in Swedish newspapers
- How and where you can find information about your Swedish ancestors' Mormon immigration to Utah
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