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The Autobiography of Anders Persson Lofgren

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The Autobiography of Anders Persson Lofgren Excerpt from - The Autobiography of Anders Persson Lofgren - Translated by Carl-Erik Johansson, a Swedish translator from the LDS Church Genealogical Department in the late 1940's. The original autobiography is in the possession of the Utah State Historical Society, along with the English translation. This excerpt, and added subtitles comes from A Simple Faith: Anders Persson Lofgren, Swedish Son - Mormon Immigrant, compiled by Benjamin E. Lofgren, pgs. 32 - 35, published by Anders Lofgren Family Organization, Salt Lake City, Utah 1996. Introduction to Mormonism On November 19, 1857 we were again blessed with a child, a daughter, christened Selia. Here I want to tell an incident that happened between me and the nurse. It was about Mormonism. At this time there was much talked in our neighborhood about the Mormons who walked around preaching repentance to the people and baptism for the redemption of sins. She said that they were false prophets, etc. I had a different opinion about them. I said that there could not be any falsehood in people repenting of their sins. I brought out my Bible and she showed that there would be false Christs etc. and I showed her the interpretation of "Nebkadnesar's" dream. I showed her that infant baptism could not be right etc. When I went out to take care of the animals she told my wife to be careful with me and to withstand me with all her power, otherwise I would become a Mormon within 2 years. My wife who was so sick did not care for anything else than to have the pains relieved and the child born, and the nurse did everything in that respect to help her and the child. Time passed and they talked about the Mormons and I felt desire to see and hear one of them, but it took a year and a half before I got the opportunity. Kjersti forgot everything the nurse had told her about watching out for me and the Mormons. In the spring of 1859 there came a Mormon to our house who was a son of a widow who lived in the same house as we did in a room by herself. He came to see his mother and at this occasion he came into our home and wanted to sell some tracts and books etc. A strange feeling came over me even though I knew the man before he joined the Mormons. He took out some books he wanted to sell and I at once excused me saying I had no money. I cannot explain the strange feeling in any other way than it must have been the influence of a devil or evil spirit, that wanted to keep me from hearing the truth when he entered our home. We did not buy any tracts and when he left he gave us a "Skandinaviens Stjerne (Star)." When he left and the strange feelings I had had left I took the Star and read it which was very difficult for me as it was printed in Danish and I did not read that language. But I did my best and I understood that there was nothing evil in it and soon the same feelings returned as I had when I was talking to the midwife or nurse. I am going a little too fast in my story about Mormonism. One day it happened (before this Mormon had been in our house) that Parnila (the sister of Kjersti) visited us. If there was anything on the tongue to talk about it was Mormonism. Parnila was as "hard" an enemy against the Mormons as the midwife. The Bible was always my arms in the battle with them and they had to flee. Parnila did not use any other weapon than her tongue and it was very hard to withstand sometimes. Finally she became mad and ended it with a word I will not mention here. Visits by the Elders After the first Mormon had been in our house it did not take long until the next one came. The second Mormon Elder that visited us was Jons Jonsson, the first one being Nils Bondesson. J. Jonsson laid a foundation that was safe to build on. The foundation I myself had started to build, could not be used to build on, it started to crumble when N. Bondesson wanted to build on it and help me complete the building. A Sunday morning in April 1859 my wife and I were ready to go to our Lutheran Church as usual on a Sunday. We went to Church often. At this occasion J. Jonsson came and told us that there would be a Mormon meeting at Qvarlof if we wanted to go there. I was ready at once and told Kjersti that she could go to Church if she wanted to, but she answered that she wanted to go where I went. Thus we went with J. Jonsson. When we arrived there were no more than 3 or 4 persons besides those who lived there. There was a misunderstanding among them about the meeting. There was a traveling Elder by the name of Nils Rosengren, a young man about 18 or 19. We noticed because he looked so innocent. He started to talk to us about the necessity of obeying the true and everlasting Gospel, that again had been given to earth. He spoke many things that made impression on our minds, they sang together which made still deeper impression on us, especially on Kjersti, she started to weep while they sang. Touched by the Spirit After the song a couple Mormon sisters came up and asked my wife why she was weeping. My wife and one of them had been neighbors in their childhood. She asked if Kjersti was dissatisfied with her marriage, if her husband mistreated her etc. Kjersti answered no, she had as good a husband as she could find, the reason she cried was that she thought we were so simple compared to them, for their speech and songs had made a wonderful impression upon her heart. Here the Mormonism was imprinted so hard on my wife's heart that it could not be erased. I also confess that I was deeply impressed by the spirit these people possessed. Nearly 3 hours passed and we did not notice it. We thanked for the teachings we had received and went home. After this I saw something new in our house. My wife put the Bible beside her when she was weaving and now and then she picked it up to see if she could find some confirmation of her faith in Mormonism, but what more could she find than she already had found. After our visit to Qvarlof we did not need to wait too long for the Mormons, for they came to see that the candle that was burning in our heart would not pass out. My light was not shining as bright as it ought to, but it increased a little every time an Elder visited us. Persecution Begins Soon the rumor went around that the Mormon vagrants were visiting us. People began to look down upon us. Our earlier good neighbors and friends began to look at us with hatred in their eyes. A very rich farmer for whom my wife and I had worked a lot looked down upon us very bitterly and would not employ us any more. One day when I was away working a neighbor, our closest one, came in to my wife and abused her in the simplest way you can imagine. When I came home Kjersti was crying and I asked her why and she told me what had happened just before I came home. I got mad when she told me how shameful he had been and wanted to go over and give him a licking, but I just left the house when a Mormon Elder (J. Jonsson) came and asked me what I was going to do and I told him. He convinced me not to do it. This man was for me like the angel that stood in the way of Balaam, with the exception that Balaam could not see him, as I could see the one that prevented me from walking in a forbidden path. Brother Jonsson did not use any other weapon than the word from the Scripture and with this he soon got me into my house and my wrath soon disappeared. Jonsson told us that we could read in the Scripture that Jesus, His Apostles and the Saints in those days had to suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel. He comforted us saying, that if we would obey the Gospel and endure to the end we would have an eternal blessing that they would not have. He said that we would not take revenge on those that persecuted us for the revenge belonged to the Lord. He stayed over night with us and preached until bed time and we understood that he told the truth. He wanted us to kneel and he would pray. This we had never done before. He did the same thing the next morning. We thought ourselves to be good Christians. On Sundays we went to Church, read the proposed prayers and listened to the sermons of our minister. And even in our home did it happen that we brought out Luther's Hymnbook and read or sang some songs in it. Does this not seem to be good. I myself think so, as long as it went.
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