Rel assignment #10

Joy Marie Prior
Religion C 261 – Sister Kelly Summers

Assignment #10 - One Page Biographical Sketch for your Ancestor – 40 pts

Write a 1 page biographical sketch of your ancestor. Sources you may use include interviews, diaries, newspaper clippings, county histories, etc. A photo may be attached to your completed biography. You may summarize something you know about your ancestor.

Do not “copy” what others have written. Write the experience in your own words possibly quoting words of your ancestor. The motivation of this paper is to help a family member make a connection with your ancestor.

If you do not have access to actual information left by your ancestor you will need to rely on information from the locality assignment and maybe a county history to write your biographical sketch.

I hope this project is just the beginning of a much larger ancestor book.

Carl A. Carlquist
He was born in Sweden in 1857. His mother never told him who his father was, but let it be assumed that it was a man she had once been engaged to named Carl. Although his mother did eventually marry her husband died living her a penniless. During the cold winter months of his Childhood Carl would put together small match boxes, but often he went to bed hungry. Later in his mature life he formed a relationship with Carl, and his supposed half siblings. His mother was a maid in a high society retreat. Once someone gave him a free postcard with the picture of the prince of Sweden on it because they had mistaken him as the Prince of Sweden. He did not want to embrace the individual so he accepted it graciously.
His childhood seems disheveled and he believes that it showed in his appearance. On his first mission to the church a women welcomed her into his house and told him that he should stand against a door frame each day to help straighten his back. She also told him that he should speak with marbles in his mouth to help him learn to articulate. Later while serving his third mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Carl gave over 50% of the sermons in his district. Many unsettled Swedes wanted to banish the Mormon missionaries from Sweden, and Carl was an avid speaker for the Mormons. His campaign followed behind one of the most avid anti-Swedish-Mormon campaign. He even spoke as a representative for the church to the King of Sweden.
He met Hulda, the only love of his life, while on his mission in Sweden. The rules were a little different then, and he kissed her on one of their long walks after he promised to follow her to Utah when he could and after his mission. She left for Utah shortly after and spent two years saving enough money to send to Carl so that he could immigrate to Utah and join the other members in Zion. They were married in Utah on the 3rd of September in 1877. Every night they would pray by their bedside before going to be so that they could say they never went to bed angry. She supported him while he served his missions for the church and when his businesses collapse, and he supported her when she was admitted into the Utah Insane Asylum. In their old age Hulda would lean against the fence and watch Carl walk home from work; then she would turn to her youngest daughter of her nine children and say in her thick accent, “doesn’t he look like a king?”
Carl loved to buy memorable gifts for Hulda. During a time of great economical turmoil Carl bough Hulda a dozen red roses and one white one. Later she said that at the time she wished he had spent the money on food; time made her forget how it feels to be hungry, but she has never forgotten those roses. He took out the diamond in his ring and put in a glass one so that she could have one in her ring.
Although, he was Swedish he loved the United States despite some of the discrimination he received when he first immigrated. He was actively involved in political affairs, and served in the original Scandinavian Salt Lake City Wards. One of the original gardeners of Lagoon amusement park immigrated to Utah from Sweden. Carl recommended him to the owner of Lagoon, but the man was not going to heir a Swede who did not speak English. Carl told the owner of Lagoon that although he did not speak English he spoke the language of the flowers; the man got the job. Many flea infested and lice covered immigrants stayed at the Carlquist home were Hulda poured cleaner down the bed stands and scrubbed them thoroughly; all were welcome to stay until they could support themselves.
He died on the 24 of July in 1938 in Salt Lake City. His wife died a few years later.