Anna Jonsson Bengtsson 1832-1918
Born: 19 May 1832
Place: Brinkelshulm, Fulltofta, Malmohus, Sweden
Parents: Jons and Elsa Peterson Bengtson
Emigrated: 26 Apr 1862-boarded ship and left Hamburg, Germany, arrived in Utah 27 Sep 1862.
Married: 1) William (P) Smith on 12 Dec 1863 in the Endowment House (div.)
2) Alfred Frederick Thomas Johnson on 11 Jan 1870 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
Children:
James Smith (1864)
Zilphia Smith (1865)
Elizabeth Ann Smith (1867)
George Alfred Johnson (1871)
Benjamin "Bennie" Johnson (abt 1873), died as child
May Johnson (before 1878) died as an infant
Died: 10 Nov 1918 in Oakley, Summit, Utah
Buried: 12 Oct 1918 in Peoa Cemetery, Peoa, Summit, Utah
Anna Jonsson Bengtson was the seventh child of Jons and Elsa Bengtson. There were only three of the children that lived to maturity. The Bengtson family all joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sweden. After Anna's father's death her mother and sister Bengta emigrated to Salt Lake in 1859. Then Anna, three years later, brought to America, two of the young children, Anna and Andrew, other sister, Sissa and her brother-in-law, Ola Pearson. They boarded the ship "Franklin" in Hamburg, Germany, on April 26th, 1862 and it arrived in New York on 29th of May. The voyage was long and difficult with measles breaking out on the ship. Little Andrew died as a result of the measles and he was buried at sea. Anna and her niece, Anna, continued on and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 23 Sep. 1862. They settled in South Cottonwood where Anna's mother and Bengta had already made their home. It was here that she met William Smith of Union. He was a widower and had several small children. They were married in the Endowment House. There were three children, James, who died shortly after birth, Zilphia, and Elizabeth Ann, bom to this marriage. There were many problems and just six months before Elizabeth Ann was bom, Anna and William were divorced. Anna took Zilphia and moved into a small home on a hill above the Smith home. In January of 1870 she married Alfred Frederick Thomas Johnson, in the Endowment House. Fred, as he was known, was from England and had served in the Civil War out of the State of Indiana. He had a farm in Murray where they lived a short time before moving to Peoa where Anna's mother and two sisters and their families had settled. While living in Peoa three children were bom, George in 1871; Benjamin, about 1873 and died after only a few years; and May who was born before 1878 and died as an infant. All three of these children were buried in the Peoa Cemetery. Anna and Fred farmed in what was to become known as Oakley. They moved onto their property in Oakley in 1878 so it would be easier for them. Farming was a real struggle with crop failures because of grasshoppers, crickets, early frost, and even a range fire that destroyed their field of potatoes leaving them with baked potatoes. They had to work hard and everyone had to help. In 1900 Fred had a stroke and never regained his speech. He died of a paralytic stroke in Oakley in 1905. Anna's home burned in 1911 so she went to live with Zilphia for 3 years and then moved to her son, George's home until her death on l0 Nov 1918. Because of the Spanish Flu epidemic her funeral was held at her grave side in Peoa Cemetery, there were no large gatherings permitted because of the fear of spreading the flu. Her nephew, Levi Pearson, was the speaker. Anna was 75 1/2 years old at her death and she had been a widow for thirteen years.. She was buried near her husband, and three children that had preceded her in death. Anna was survived by two children, Zilphia, and George A., and 11 grandchildren. She had two grandchildren that had also preceded her in death.
