History of Hans Christian Nielsen Frogner

Here's another life history from my personal stash:

Hans Christian Nielsen Frogner, son of Niels Hansen Frogner and Gunild Christine Jensen, was born in Hester, Akerhus, Norway on February 29, 1838. He spent his boyhood days on a small farm working with his father. They also worked and earned what they could at other jobs when they were available, so he was taught early in life that work was honorable. He learned many ways in which to earn a living. He was taught honesty and integrity, which was carried throughout his life, and he taught it to whomever he associated with.

He met and married Agnettes Christiansen in 1862. They had a son named Charles, later known as “Call.” Life was good to them, and they were content until Hans Christian met the LDS missionaries and joined the church in 1864. His wife became very unhappy and bitter toward this new religion and finally decided to take their child and leave him, which caused a lot of unhappiness and trials for him. In the meantime, he decided to join the Saints in Utah, but since he could not bear the thought of leaving his child behind, he managed to get his son and bring him with him. They sailed for America in 1868, which was a very long voyage in those days. Then they traveled across country with teams or any conveyance they could get. While on the voyage, he met a young lady by the name of Bretta Mattson from Fryksands, Varmland, Sweden, who had recently joined the Church and was gathering to Zion. They traveled on the same ship and across the country in the same company, so they got to know each other very well. Shortly after they arrived in Utah, they were married in the Old Endowment House in Salt Lake, and settled in Hyrum, Cache County, Utah. They were both industrious and soon had a good home and plenty of the necessities of life.

Hans Christian was known to have been one of the best workers in the community wherever he lived. He was a good carpenter and very precise in his work. It was often stated that he would die with his boots on, which later happened. He was building a new house for his family and died of a heart attack at the age of 72.

He was very staunch in his church work. He attended regularly, lived the gospel, and was a good example to his family.

He had a sister, Jensine, who joined the Church in Norway and expressed her desire to Hans that she would like to come to America. He immediately set to work gathering money for her fare and sent her passage to Utah. She later married Hans Olea Weeding. She and her two daughters, Emma Weeding Nielsen and Caroline Hansen Rawlins, with untiring efforts, gathered the genealogy of their forefathers back through the 9^th and 10^th generations and did most of their work in the temples.

Grandfather Hans Christian and Bretta reared seven children and have many descendants to honor their name and help carry on the work of the Lord.