Johanna's Story
Birth: June 13th, 1860 | female | in Frederiksborg, Denmark
Death: July 20th, 1863 | 3 years old | near the Platte River in Nebraska
Memorial: Stone 12 | left column
Johanna Maria Jensen is the oldest of seven children born to Peter Jensen and Bodil Marie Olsen of Denmark. After the Jensen family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they immigrated to America on the ship John J. Boyd. After arriving in America, they traveled to Nebraska and joined the John R. Young Company. They left for the Salt Lake Valley on June 30, 1863.
Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. When the company was in Nebraska, 3-year-old Johanna Maria suffered from a severe fever and passed away. She is buried along the Mormon Trail near the Platte River, Nebraska.
From the journal of Hans P. Lund: “Monday jul 20 br. P[eter]. Jensens daughter [Johanna M.], 3, died. Drove 18 miles, camped near Platte.”