Hanna Sophie Larsen

Hanna Sophie Larsen is the second of six children born to Peder Larsen and Ane Kirstine Nielsdatter, both from Denmark.

After the family immigrated with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Denmark to America, they joined the James Willie Handcart Company of 1856. Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Cholera, a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water, infected many of the travelers. Furthermore, this handcart company left later in the season, putting them in dire conditions the further they traveled west toward the Salt Lake Valley.

On October 3, 1856, Peder passed away most likely from hunger and exposure to severe wet weather and cold temperatures. He is buried along the trail approximately twenty miles west of Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Thirteen days later, 11-year-old Hanna Sophie died and is buried along the Mormon Trail in Wyoming with other Saints who succumbed to the poor conditions. Of the 500 Saints in the Willie Handcart Company, 67-70 pioneers died before reaching the Salt Lake Valley.

From the Willie Company journal: “TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1856

John Linford from Graveley, Cambridgeshire, England, aged 49 years died; also Richard Hardwick, from Moorhen's Cross, Herfordshire, England, aged 63 years; also Mary Ann Perkins, from Norwich, Norfolk, England, aged 62 years died; also Sophia Larsen from Lolland, Denmark, aged 11 years. Many children were crying for bread and the camp generally were destitute of food.”

Of the 500 Saints in the Willie Handcart Company, 67-70 pioneers died before reaching the Salt Lake Valley.