Peter Anthon Nielsen

Peter Anthon Nielsen. "Keep good company or none". , (left side:), Peter was born May 12, 1854 in Odense, Denmark. He converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the age of seventeen and served as a missionary in Denmark for two years. He sailed to America in 1865 on the B.S. Kimball along with 556 other church members bound for Utah. On the last segment of their journey crossing the plains by wagon train they encountered food shortages, snow and Indians. When they arrived in Salt Lake City President Brigham Young said, "This bunch of emigrants may not amount to much but their children and their children's children will." On November 15, 1865, he married Olivia Jensen and shortly thereafter moved to Draper where he lived for forty-one years. He and Olivia had seven children. July 26, 1883 he married Anne Maria Nielsen wit whom he had an additional three children., (right side:), Peter was a mason by trade who used this skill in the construction of many early Draper homes. He was a rancher, a businessman, a postmaster for nine years, the chairman of the school board for nine years, and a justice of the peace. He served three additional church missions. Two in Denmark and one in California. He was one of the presidents of the seventy for the 72nd Quorum in Draper and for thirty-two years presided over Draper's Scandinavian meetings. He was generous in helping others and for over thirty years on the anniversary of Olivia's birthday, sponsored an annual reception, for the widows and widowers of Draper. He passed away on February 18, 1933 and was buried in the Draper Cemetery.