Hans Ephraim Thoresen

Hans Ephraim is the youngest of 11 children born to Hans Thoresen Johnson and his mother is Karen Caroline Andersen, both from Norway.

The family immigrated to America sailing on the ship “Antarctic.” When they arrived in America, they traveled to Nebraska and joined the Peter Nebeker Company. With other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they began their journey to the Salt Lake Valley on July 26, 1963.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Two weeks after the company started the trek, 8-month-old Hans Ephraim passed away. He is buried along the Mormon Trail in Nebraska.

From a history of Hans and Karen written by one of their children: “…steamer to Florence, Nebraska where we camped to July 25th. Our little baggage and mother were loaded on top of dry goods box in the covered wagon. Mother was overworked and weak nursing her last son, Hans Ephraim, born December 12, 1862, who died August 6, 1863 about 200 miles west of Florence where the trail was halted for a half an hour for his burial by the roadside. Mother lay sick and helpless on top of those boxes in the covered wagon."