Carl Sorensen and Martha Sorine Isaksen Sorensen (Parents of Martin Taylor Sorenson)

Carl Sorensen and Martha Sorine Isaksen
Parents of Martin Taylor Sorenson

            Norway, a long, narrow rugged country, bordering Sweden on the east and the Atlantic and Arctic oceans on the west and north, located in the north-western part of Europe is the homeland of Carl Charles Sorensen and Martha Sorine Isaksen. This mountainous country is characterized by its very irregular, jagged coast line- a coast line made up of countless islands, glaciers, precipitous mountains, awe-inspiring fjords, crystal clear lakes, bays and magnificent breath-taking scenery. Truly nature’s masterpiece of mystery and beauty.

            It is the home of the Scandinavians, the Northmen, the Vikings—bold, fearless, hardy, sea-faring men, who in the early centuries swept southward along the coast of Europe, exploring, plundering, and conquering the more civilized peoples of Europe, and spreading their culture. The northern part of Norway, which extends beyond the Arctic Circle and into the Arctic Ocean is truly “The Land of the Midnight Sun.”

            From earliest times the Norwegians settled along the seacoast since their main industry was fishing. The heaviest populated area is the southern part, where the weather is less severe. Oslo, the capital city of Norway is located here. In this area is Asker, in the county of Akershus, where Carl Charles Sorensen was born 1 November 1824, the fourth child in a family of six, the son of Soren Ingebretsen and Martha Johannesd. The children of the family were, Ingebret, Kristoffer, Johannes, Carl, Aase Kristine (died as a child) and Hans.

            On August 6, 1853 Carl married his sweetheart, Martha Sorine Isaksen, who was born 2 June 1829 at Aanarud, Asker, Akershus Norway. Her parents were Isach Nilsen and Anne Nilsd. She was the second child in a family of four. The children of the family were: Marthe (died as a child), Martha Sorine, Karen, Larine (died as a child).

            Charles and Martha worked hard together, making their home in Asker. They were blessed with five beautiful children: Mary Annette, Christian, John, Sidney, and Martin Taylor.

            Through the Mormon Missionaries, they joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1860. Carl was a soldier in Norway and died in the line of duty, January 18, 1868. Many friends and relatives turned against then for joining the church. Martha even had trouble finding a place to bury her husband because of the bitterness toward the Latter Day Saint Church.

            Martha’s half brother Nils Isaksen had joined the church and had come to America arriving in Utah in 1861. He was living in Richmond, Utah when in a dream it had been made known to him of Carl’s death and of the difficult time Martha was having. He sent her money to help pay their way to come to America.  (A missionary  from Bloomington, Idaho paid the passage of Christian and he worked on his farm for three years to pay the indebtedness) In August 1869, she and her five children left their home in Norway. After their journey across the ocean, they traveled to Utah by train on the first train to cross the country. They arrived in Ogden, Utah, September 19, 1869. During the first year in America, the Sorensen family lived with Martha’s brother, Nils, In Richmond, Utah.

Martha Sorine Isaksen Sorensen Carlson

            In 1870 Martha moved to Montpelier, Idaho, where she found employment in the Old Rock Store building in up-town Montpelier. Since she could not support her five children she had to place them in different homes in Utah and Idaho, where some of them could work for their board and room. Mary Annette, 15, stayed in Ogden, Utah; Christian, 13, lived with a family in Plain City, Utah; Sidney, 8, remained in Richmond; Martin, 5, lived with a family by the name of Andersons in St. Charles, Idaho; John, 10, stayed with his mother, and they made their home with her cousins, the Hogansens, in Montpelier, Idaho.

            In 1871 John F. Carlson met the young widow Martha Sorensen. With the consent of his first wife, Catherine, John and Martha were married November 4, 1871, in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. Martha moved to Ovid, Idaho, to live with John and his other wife Catherine, in the new house he had recently completed.

           

John Frederick Carlson was born in Denmark, May 9, 1817, and married Catherine, a widow of five children. She was a weaver by trade. In Denmark they met the Mormon Missionaries and were baptized and confirmed members of the Latter Day Saint Church. About a year later they sold their home and possessions, leaving Catherine’s grown married children in Denmark, and with faith and a strong testimony of the gospel, they sailed for America. After arriving in New York, they traveled west to Nebraska, where they joined a Handcart company and walked across the plains, arriving in Salt Lake City I September 1860. They lived in Logan, Utah for a while, then Brigham Young called John to help settle Bear Lake Valley. They arrived in Paris, Idaho with the first group of settlers, November 2, 1863, and lived in a dug-out the first winter.

Martha, Charles and Catherine Carlson

            In the spring of 1864 the Carlson’s were sent to make a settlement a few miles north of Paris. At first the place was called North Creek, then Ovid Creek, later Ovid Fort, and finally Ovid, named after a Roman poet. Before long, John built a fine sturdy “L” shaped log and frame house, the first house built in Ovid. John and his two wives lived in this new house he built. John F. and Martha had two children: Charles Fredrick Carlson and Catherine Marie. In later years these two children and her five children from her first marriage were sealed to her first husband Carl.

            Martha’s joy and security didn’t last very long. On Jul 25, 1875 her second husband John F. Carlson passed away and was buried in the Ovid Cemetery. Again she and Catherine were left widows. They continued living in their home, helping each other and making their own living. They were both weavers; they sheared the wool from the sheep, washed, corded, and spun it into yarn. They wove it into yard good and carpets, which they sold throughout the valley. Many homes throughout the valley were made more comfortable and beautiful because of their work. Martha served as a midwife and her services were sought far and near. July 24, 1874, Martha was set apart as President of the Ovid Relief Society, a position she held for twenty-four years. During all these years she was faithful to her calling and fulfilled her duties in this organization in a pleasing and outstanding way. She missed only two Relief Society meetings while she was president—once when she was ill and another time when she was at the Temple in Logan. She cared for the sick and prepared for burial, and served well her fellow men.

            

On August 5, 1898 Catherine passed away. Six years later, in April 1904, Martha left her home in Ovid, to live with her son Charles F. Carlson and family in LeGrand, Oregon, where she lived until July 6, 1907 when she passed away. Her body was shipped to Ovid, Idaho, where she was laid to rest beside her husband, John, and his wife Catherine. This brought to a close the life of a great pioneer. A cooper tea kettle and a spinning wheel from her home were given to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers at Paris, Idaho.

[The history of Carl and Martha was taken from “History of Martin Taylor Sorenson” by Merinda (his daughter) and “History of Christian and Salmina Sorensen” by their son Joseph Sorensen.]