When searching your Mormon ancestry it is important to understand that a number of Mormon converts traveled from a number of different countries during the mid-nineteenth century to America. One of the primary reasons for these massive immigrations was the fact that Mormons were frequently persecuted by neighbors because of their religious beliefs, which were commonly viewed as somewhat unorthodox. When people in other countries were converted to Mormonism they frequently made the decision to travel to America in order to be near others of like mind and belief. In addition, there was a strong Mormon doctrine during this time that preached ‘gathering’ in the place that would become known as Zion. During the nineteenth century, almost 100,000 Mormons made the perilous journey across the Atlantic.
While these new immigrants hailed from a variety of countries, a large number of the immigrants were of Scandinavian background. As a result of this, you will find a wealth of resources dedicated to the histories of those Scandinavian pioneers who made their way from their native countries to Utah in order to settle with fellow Mormons. Of the 100,000 immigrants who made the journey from overseas to America, some 30,000 were converts hailing from Sweden, Denmark and Norway. In fact, the number of Scandinavian born Utah residents was the largest group of foreign born residents during the years between 1850 and 1950; second only to those born in Great Britain.
The first Mormon missionaries to Scandinavia arrived in 1850. Prior to that time, a good portion of Mormon mission work had been performed in settlement lying within close proximity to Nauvoo; one of the early American Mormon settlements. Fox River in Illinois, Koshkonong in Wisconsin and Sugar Creek in Iowa became the source of the first Scandinavian converts. During the first ten years that mission work was performed in Scandinavia, only 13 missionaries were sent out. Despite that small number of missionaries; however, thousands would eventually make their way over the sea to America.
The largest period of Scandinavian Mormon migrated occurring during the 1850s and 1860s. In most cases during this time period, converts paid for their own passage to America, where they then traveled by wagon to Utah Territory. First, they had to make their way to the main assembly point, which was Copenhagen; however. From there they frequently traveled to Hamburg and then over the North Sea where they would take a train to Liverpool for the Atlantic crossing.
Once they arrived in America, a number of converts did travel across the frontier by wagon; however, this was not the case in all situations; however. By 1869, almost 11,000 converts had set out for Utah. It is estimated that nearly 7,000 of those converts traveled to Salt Lake valley via church wagons.
As a result of the strong Scandinavian Mormon influx into Utah during the 19th century, a number of places in the area derived their names from the Scandinavians who make the arduous trek. Jensen, Petersen, Anderson, Widstoe and Yost are just a few such examples. In many communities, Scandinavians outnumbered all migrants from other countries