Sophronia Ann Jones

https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=KWVG-D5F&section=details

Sophronia Ann Jones is my Great Aunt.  She stepped in to raise my Grandmother, Irma Marinda Bywater when Irma's mother Susan (Sophronia's sister) passed away shortly after Irma was born.  Sophronia raised Irma as her mother and was know to Irma's children as Grandma Bywater.  She married Susan's father-in-law, so she was Sophronia Bywater.

Sophronia's autobiography is attached to her FamilySearch Website and I would recommend reading it to get to know her better.

She was born in Wayne County, North Carolina in 1875.  She traveled to Utah in 1900, after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She was the oldest Sister of the Jones family that most of who followed her to Utah the following year.  Her father, Matthew Mile Jones came to Utah, went back to North Carolina to resolve all his business issues and was planning on returning to his family it Utah, but died in North Carolina before he could return.

Sophronia was an excellent seamstress and used those skills to provide for herself and her family.  She wasn't afraid to talk to Church leaders whenever she needed advice.  She took her daughter to see President Harold B Lee (Stake President at the time) to ask his advice on marrying my grandfather (Jesse).  President Lee asked Irma if she would marry him anyway, despite anything he said.  She said yes, so he said that she should marry him.

Sophronia had many dreams that she wrote about and also wrote a lot of poems and other inspirational writings.  She was very close to her Mother and sisters.  Her twin sisters Ginny and Julie married twin brothers (last name King) and both wrote their own personal histories in which they praised Sophronia as a big sister.

Sophronia was the family member that was the most influential in her mother and the rest of the family joining the Church and immigrating to Utah.

Verona Lina Levin

https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=KVG6-BZ9&section=details

Verona Lina Levin was born in Denmark in 1877.  She was the second child and oldest daughter of Caroline Emille Frisch.  Her father was Hirsch Levin, a Jewish man who immigrated to Denmark from Germany because of persecution.  Hirsch was married to Betty Wagner, and there is no evidence that he married Caroline even though she had at least 4 children by him.

In 1885, when Verona was about 8 years old, her mother died, shortly after giving birth to her fourth child.  Verona and her siblings, having no family members to care for them, were then placed in foster care.  Danish foster care in those days was like indentured servitude.  Somehow Verona survived and at the age of 22 married Charles Johan Jensen.

They lived in various houses in and around Copenhagen.  Records show that Verona was baptised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1896, at the age of 18.  In 1910, Verona, her husband, and their children immigrated to the United States and settled in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Her mother in-law, Cecilia Wessman Jensen appears to be the person providing means for the family to move to Utah.

She had 13 children, seven of which died in infancy.  Her 12th child and youngest daughter is my Grandmother, Olivia Wessman Jensen Edwards.  She died before I was born, so I never knew her.

Hers is a remarkable story - how she was born in poverty in Denmark but ended up with a large posterity as a US Citizen in Utah.

Niels Peter Ipson

https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&section=details&person=KW8P-G8B

Niels Peter Ipson is probably the most written about of all of my ancestors.  He is my 3rd Great Grandfather on my Father's side.  He is the reason we carry the last name of Ipson.

Niels was born in Denmark on a small island.  He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, married, and migrated to Utah with others of his faith.  He was in a handcart company and crossed the plains from Iowa to Salt Lake City with all of their belonging in a handcart.  He was a true Pioneer.  His handcart company left the same year as the ill-fated Willie and Martin companies, but they left earlier and arrived safely.

Niels was called to do many difficult things in his lifetime.  He was asked to take on a second wife, a widow from Sweden, whom he didn't know that wished to join the saints with her children.  He agreed and married her when she arrived and provided a home for her in Manti, Utah.  This wife, Inger Lena Pearson was 10 years older than Niels and he had one child with her...Peter Ipson, my Second Great Grandfather.

Niels was called to settle the Muddy Mission in 1866.  The Muddy River is in present-day Nevada.  They tried to establish a settlement there and grow cotton and other crops.  Niels took his family, except for his second wife, and moved to the settlement named St. Thomas.  He was called to the priesthood leadership there.  After a few years, Brigham Young visited the Mission and realized how hard life was for them and he gave them permission to return to the other settlements.  They left in 1871.

Niels ended up settling in Panguitch, Utah and Panguitch Lake.