John E. Forsgren facts for kids
John Erik Forsgren (born November 7, 1816, died January 22, 1890) was an important pioneer and missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was the very first missionary from this church to share its beliefs in Sweden.
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Early Life of John Erik Forsgren
John Erik Forsgren was born in Gävle, Sweden. When he was just nine years old, he started working on ships that traveled across the seas. In July 1843, his ship was in Boston, Massachusetts. There, he met missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He decided to join the church and was baptized. Soon after, he married Mary Ann Hunt, who was also a member of the church. They moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, where many members of the church were gathering.
Joining the Mormon Battalion
In 1846, John Erik Forsgren volunteered to join the Mormon Battalion. This was a group of church members who served in the United States Army. He was the only person from Sweden in the battalion. They marched all the way to San Diego, California. After the battalion finished its service in 1847, he met his wife again in the Salt Lake Valley.
In 1849, church leaders asked Erastus Snow and Peter O. Hansen to go on a mission to Scandinavia. This meant they would travel to share their church's message. Forsgren asked if he could join them, and his request was approved.
After arriving in Copenhagen in 1850, Forsgren traveled alone to Sweden. He began preaching in his hometown of Gävle. The first person he baptized was his own brother, Peter Adolph Forsgren. Peter was the first person living in Scandinavia to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Because he was preaching against the main church in Sweden, Forsgren was accused of disturbing the peace. He was ordered to be sent back to the United States. However, the captain of the ship he was on allowed him to leave when the ship stopped in Denmark. Forsgren then went to Copenhagen and met up with Snow and Hansen again. In February 1852, Erastus Snow chose Forsgren to lead the church's mission in Scandinavia. Forsgren served in this important role until December, when Willard Snow took over.
Leading a Pioneer Company
After his mission, Forsgren became the leader of a large group of about 300 church members. These people were emigrating, meaning they were moving from Scandinavia and northern Europe to the United States. The group left Liverpool on January 1, 1854. They traveled a long way and finally arrived in Salt Lake City on September 30, 1854.
Later Life and a Monument
In Utah, Forsgren first lived in Brigham City, Utah. Later, he lived in other towns like Moroni, Utah, Santaquin, Utah, and Dover, Utah. He also spent several years living in Carson City, Nevada.
In 1879, Forsgren was no longer a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This happened because he said he was a prophet and spoke against the church's president, Brigham Young. Forsgren started calling himself "John J. Branch." Some people thought he was a bit unusual. He was sometimes made fun of in the Deseret News newspaper, which called him the "Bench Prophet." This was because he lived in a tent near a bench in Salt Lake City, Utah. After his tent burned down, he moved to Blaine County, Idaho, to live with one of his daughters. He passed away in Salt Lake City at a friend's house and was buried in Brigham City, Utah.
In 2010, a special monument was put up in a public park in Gävle, Sweden. It is a bronze statue of his head on a granite base. This monument is near where he grew up on Övre Bergsgatan.
