Mary Elizabeth Erickson
5 June 1870 - 7 October 1950
Vitals
Birth
5 June 1870
Österåker
Death
7 October 1950
Bonneville County
Burial
1950
Bonneville County
Alternate Names
Given Name
Mary Elizabeth
Given Name Alternate Spellings
Maria
Last Name
Erickson
Maiden Name Alternate Spellings
Eriksson
Married Names
Johnson
Family
Marriage
Children
Parents
Mother: Christina Nordstrom (4 May 1837 - 16 May 1924)
Father: Lars Fredrick Erickson (26 March 1836 - 23 April 1909)
Biography
Mary Elizabeth Erickson was born on June 5, 1870 in Österåker, Sweden. She was the sixth of ten children and had six brothers and three sisters. In 1879, Mary's family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1884, they left their home in Sweden to join other members of the church in Utah. They traveled on the steamship Arizona from Liverpool to New York City. The journey took ten days, from June 14th to 23rd.
After their arrival in Utah, the Erickson family settled in the Murray-Holladay area. Mary married Niels Christian Johnson, a Norwegian immigrant. They had fifteen children, seven daughters and eight sons, the first five of whom did not live longer than a few weeks. They lived in Sandy and Bluffdale before moving to Coltman, Idaho around 1904. They lived on a nice big farm with lots of land and an apple orchard. After Niels died from the Spanish flu in 1918, Mary had to run their farm by herself for many years. Many of her children and grandchildren settled near her, and they formed a tight-knit community. On the farm they had a large storage building that they would clear out and use for dances. Mary was known to be hardworking, love children, and cook delicious food. She would share with anyone who stopped by. She died on October 7, 1950 in Idaho Falls at the age of 80.
Events
Emigration
Departure: 14 June 1884
Österåker