Part 2 Ella Jensen Monson- Married With Children

In January 5, 1874, she was married to Christian Hans Monson in the Endowment House, Salt Lake City, and the following children were born to them:  Ezra Peter, born Sept. 30, 1874; Emaline, born Oct. 25, 1876, died the same date; Ella Evaline, born Oct. 11, 1877; Fredrick Lorenzo, born May 2, 1881; Julia Amamda, born June 7, 1883; Rachel, born July 31, 1885; Sarah, born Aug. 5, 1888; Franklin LeRoy, born Jan 10, 1891; Willard, born April 11, 1893, died Nov 15, 1893; William Aquilla, born Jan. 12, 1895.

In her marriage she became the fifth wife of her husband, who had two wives living at the time of her marriage, Aunt Ellen and Aunt Mary.  She took her place in the home with the other members and accepted religiously her marriage relation and her loyalty to the other families of her husband.  With a large family, the struggle for a livelihood made it necessary for all who were old enough to work, to assist in providing for the family.  The family home was in Richmond, Cache County, Utah where most of the family were born-six of her children being born there and four in Idaho.

Her father and mother, together with her sister Elsie and husband Nels Adamson and her brother Nels came to Utah in the early eighties and made their homes in Smithfield, Utah where they remained some time.  Her father, aged seventy, and mother, aged sixty-five, found it difficult to make a livelihood as there was not much to do in his trade, that of a tailor.  Their son Sven encouraged them to come to his home in Minnesota where he would care for them, so in early fall of 1882 they went to Minnesota and her sister Elsa and husband and brother Nels accompanied them.  Mother felt quite concerned over this, wondering if they had lost their faith in the Gospel and Church.  I had the privilege of visiting with my Uncle and family in Minnesota in July 1912 and learned that my grandparents were very much dissatisfied and that they intended to return to Utah in the spring of 1884, but grandmother died in March of that year and grandfather did not like to go and leave and chose to remain, which he did.  My Uncle’s wife told me when there, that my grandparents were very much disappointed and said that the Mormons in Utah were a much better people than the people in Minnesota.  It was a source of satisfaction to mother to learn that they were true to the faith.