A Biography of Morten Peder Andersen

A

Biography

of

Morten Peter Mortensen

by His Great-Grandson,

William Mortensen Vaughan

dated October 2, 2025

Morten Peter Mortensen was born in Denmark. His name at birth was "Morten Peder Andersen." He was the son of a man named "Anders Mortensen," and a woman named "Dorthe Olsdatter." He converted to Mormonism circa 1850, and migrated to Utah, in 1865, where he settled in Brigham City, and became a polygamist with two wives.

Morten and his first wife, Ane Kirstine Madsdatter (Americanized to Ane K. Olsen), had three children in Denmark: Ane Maria (1859-1865), Lars Anders (1861-1865), and Hanne Dorothea (1864-1865). Morten and Ane Kirstine buried all three of their children, at sea, in 1865, en route to the U.S.A.

Upon migrating to the U.S.A., Morten started using an Americanized version of his name, "Morten Peter Mortensen."

He settled in Brigham City, Utah, where he took a second, polygamous wife, Ane Kirstine Jensen (Americanized to Annie C. Jensen). Perhaps the most notable of his children was Annie C.'s son, Christian Hyrum Mortensen, who married sisters, Hulda Amelia and Violet Stella Smith. Hulda and Violet's youngest brother was a man named "William Waldemar Smith," whose daughter, Donna Smith Packer, became the wife of the Mormon Apostle, Boyd K. Packer.

Research Notes

Morten's tombstone is, perhaps, the best source for sorting out which children he had, by which of his two, polygamous wives: 

[FRONT:]

"MORTENSEN"

[LEFT:]

"ANE KIRSTINA OLSEN
17 JUNE 1833
8 JAN. 1916"

[CENTER:]
"MORTEN PETER MORTENSEN
31 DEC. 1834
16 NOV. 1906"

[RIGHT:]
"ANNIE CHRISTINA JENSEN"
4 JAN. 1853
18 APR. 1915"

[BACK:]

"Children of Morten P. & Annie C. Jensen" (Ane Kirstine Jensen):

Amelia Christina 1875-1932

Andre H. 1878-1879

Emma 1880-1880

Christian Hyrum 1881-1947

Sarah Eliza 1882-1938

Oliver 1884-1885

"Children of Morten P. & Ane K. Olsen" (Ane Kirstine Madsdatter):

Ane Maria 1859-1865

Lars Anders 1861-1865

Hanne Dorothea 1864-1865

Morten Peter 1868-1930

Lorenzo 1870-1872

William 1873-1879

Joseph 1875-1875

Gravesite Details

The remains of Morten and his two wives are all, apparently, buried together under this tombstone.

 

DNA Corroboration

As of March 27, 2025, I had thirty-nine autosomal DNA matches on AncestryDNA, who are descended from Morten via four of his children. We share between 9 and 480 cM. This corroborates our descent from Morten, via his daughters, Amelia, Sarah, and Amanda; and my maternal grandfather, Christian.--William Mortensen Vaughan, October 2, 2025