Bengta's Story
Birth: April 4th, 1858 | female | in Rya, Västra Vram, Kristianstad, Sweden
Death: ?? ??, 1863 | 5 years old | on the Mormon Trail
Memorial: Stone 12 | left column
Bengta Jonasson (Johnson) is the fifth of 12 children born to Johannes Jonasson and Anna Johnsdotter, both from Sweden. In 1863, the family immigrated from Sweden to America on the ship “John H. Boyd.” After arriving in America, they were encouraged to change their last name to Johnson.
They traveled to Nebraska and joined the John D. Chase Company to journey to the Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The company left Nebraska on June 26, 1863.
Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Sometime during the journey west, 6-year-old Bengta passed away and is buried along the Mormon Trail West.
According to Anna's history: “The trek was difficult and they lost two of their children, Bengta and Boel, on the plains.”