Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Back to Spanish Fork
The family was grown and all of the children but Peter were married when they built the brick home in Spanish Fork. The original property was about 1/4 of the block. Directly behind the home were a washroom and the sheds and outbuildings, all linked together according to the Danish custom. There were some animals, principally some sheep and a cow.
[Note from Marcelaine: The first picture is from the history. There is a pickup truck in front, so I am guessing this is a fairly recent picture. The second picture shows the image from Google Maps.]
They lived in this home until Karen's death on March 9, 1926. As of 2004, the home is still standing but has been remodeled; additions to the south and rooms upstairs have been added.
Upon moving back to Spanish Fork, Hans felt that this was a good time to retire. He carried a cane, which was supposed to be a more a symbol of the good life than to steady his walk. It was easy to get to Church (it was just a short distance) and they still had old friends there.
He had Old Roany, a faithful roan horse, that they used when they went to Mapleton about once a week to see the family. Later he bought a Model “T” Ford and sold Old Roney to Joseph. He soon acquired a reputation as a very poor driver as he never slowed for corners. One time, he brought Aunt Lizzie’s daughter from Lake Shore where the Tweedes had moved to Mrs. Martin, a midwife, to have a baby. She thought it was a pretty wild ride. How long he owned the car is not known, but he didn't have it after Grandma died. Some kids had stolen and wrecked it. The family was glad, as he was such a poor driver. Adjusting to the automobile from the horse and buggy was not an easy move for him.
Muriel remembers, "When Grandpa and Grandma lived in Spanish Fork, I remember one Saturday when Dad took us (Marie, Nelda, Fred, Fern, and me) with him for a visit. Dad had a load of wheat to take to the mill to be ground into flour for our winter use. It took awhile to get the flour, so he let us all go to the picture show, "The Ten Commandments." That was a very rare treat indeed. We went back up to Grandma's after the show was over to go back home with him. When we got there, Grandma, who had such a cute little laugh, gave us all a hug. Whenever we were lucky enough to visit her, she always gave us a piece of hard tack candy from a pretty soup tureen that she kept full of candy. Since we seldom got any candy, it was always the high point of our visit.
"Well, as it happened, she didn't happen to have any candy that day. l was crushed to think that she didn't have any. She said that she would fix us a piece of bread with syrup on it, which she did, but I wouldn't eat mine. She asked Marie if I didn't like it and that Marie said, ‘She always eats it at home.’ But I still wouldn't eat it as I was sulking and would rather go hungry."
Fern remembers going to the home as a small girl and having to take off her shoes when she entered the home. Water was carried into the home in a bucket equipped with a dipper, which also served as the drinking cup for the entire family. Fem also remembers their wooden shoes and liked putting them on and clomping around outside.
A Second Wife
There are a few brief references to a second wife for Hans Peter Jensen. Two Family Group records among the surviving papers of Marie Jensen Whiting, both dated April 1928, show two marriages for Hans Peter in the Endowment House on 23 Nov 1874: first to Karen Marie Nielsen and a second endowment and sealing to Ann Marie Jorgensen*. Ann Marie was a convert from the old Country (Denmark). She died 7 Jan 1915 and was buried in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery on a lot owned by Hans Peter Jensen. Karen Marie and Hans were buried there later. A small flat stone engraved “Mother” lies in the grass next to two other stones marked only as “Menna” and "Louis." Harriet Whiting Jensen stated, “Grandfather obeyed the law of polygamy as it was taught by the church leaders and believed that those who entered into it would receive a higher degree of Glory.
Fern remembers a story supposedly told by her mother that she isn't sure is true. As the story goes, when Grandpa Jensen was considering following the Prophet's encouragement to take a second wife, he had a dream one night and dreamed he had tied two of his goats to the same post and that they constantly fought and jerked at the post to get away from each other. Even so, I guess Grandpa felt he had to obey the prophet and took the second wife. Karen Marie evidently cooked meals for Ann Marie, but wouldn't wait on her.
There weren't any children by this marriage, but Ann Marie had five children from a previous marriage: Pete, Mary, Andrew, Menna, and Louis. Menna and Louis both died of typhoid fever.
Ann Marie rarely entered into any of the family social life; instead, she seemed confined to her small one room cabin, later referred to as the washroom, just behind the family home in Spanish Fork and straight out the back door. She lived here until she died. She was blind from a cancer on her face. Little else is known about her.
*Editor's note: The ordinance records actually indicate that Hans Peter was sealed to Karen and was married to Ann Marie for time only, not sealed.
*Editor's note: The ordinance records actually indicate that Hans Peter was sealed to Karen and was married to Ann Marie for time only, not sealed.
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