L A W R E N C E   M A R C U S  P E T E R S E N

 

by Donald L. Haynie

In reading the Bible carefully, it is obvious that the Lord's ways are many times quite different from men's ways. Some men are born in riches with a proverbial silver spoon to feed them; others are born in poverty or perhaps left orphaned in remote areas under extremely trying circumstances and slowly polished by difficulties until their time of service is needed -- all in the wisdom of Him who monitors and influences events that transpire.  Joseph of Biblical times who was sold into Egypt is a good example.  Other names might be added such as Moses and David. 

Some people of less renown but also with intriguing backgrounds have come forth to influence the historical pattern of our area.   Lawrence Marcus Petersen has certainly such a person.  His father and mother c6nverted to the Mormon faith in Denmark and, similar to many of the early converts at that time, left Denmark t o come to American to gather in Utah with other mem­ bers of '1'he Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His father, Peter Jensen, died enroute in England.  His mother, Ann Margaret , died in Kansas City, leaving La rence and hia older brother, Hans Jensen, as orphans.

An account of the events that transpired in Kansas City are a little vague, namely that of how Lawrence became separated from his older brother, Hans Jensen, and ended up in New Mexico with some Spanish traders and took the name of Petersen instead of Jensen.  The name change possibly came from the custom of patronymics used by the Danish people of using the first name of the father, Peter in this case, and adding "son" or   "sen."  This custom had been discouraged by the Church as it made it difficult to trace genealogy  family lines.  How eleven-year-old Lawrence became separated from his twenty-one year old brother is not exactly known.  A biographical sketch on Lawrence pub­ lished in 1899 simply states that he joined a band of Mexican freighters bound for Santa Fe.  One family account states that, while the Mormon immigrants were bartering and trading with the freighters from Santa Fe, Lawrence, an eleven-year-old boy, climbed into one of their wagons and fell asleep and was not discovered until they were several hours away from Kansas City on the road back to Santa Fe. Lawrence, who could not speak Spanish, and who could speak very little English at the time, could not make them understand his predicament and ended up going on to Santa Fe with them.  His brother and other members of the immigrant band searched for him and, then they couldn't find him, had to go on.

In the biographical account, Lawrence traveled on to Albuquerque where he formed the acquaintance of a Captain in the United States Army with whom he went to Fort Union near Las Vegas, New Mexico, as an errand boy and, from there, to Fort Massachusetts (a fort established a few miles north of Fort Garland and later moved and renamed Fort Garland).  He later returned to Fort Union and then attended a Spanish school in Cebolla, New Mexico.  One can only conjecture the frustration the young boy experienced having lost his parents, being separated from his only living brother, in a strange land, subjected to a strange language and an entirely different culture.  His biography state that his "boyhood was not a happy one ;. he was friendless and alone, in a strange land, with no one to speak a kind word to him or to help him in any way." 

Despite the sadness that Lawrence experienced, he appeared to adapt himself quite well.  In 1859, when he was sixteen, he secured employment in a general store.  The next year he went to Las Vegas, New Mexico, and joined a freighting train to Kansas City, returning that season.  His next position was as a clerk for Henry Connelly, then proprietor of the store at Mora, and who afterward became governor of New Mexico.  In 1867, he moved from Mora to Trinidad, Colorado, and engaged in general merchandising.  The next year he was elected County Clerk and Recorder for Las Animas County, which position he held for two years. 

It was during this period of time that he made contact with the Church Records Office in Salt Lake City and found out the whereabouts of his brother, Hans Jensen, in Utah.  In 1875, he took his wife, Maria Gertrudis Trujillo, whom he had married in 1863, and a mule driver, and traveled to Utah to see his brother.  While visiting with his brother in Manti, Utah, Lawrence was again brought into activity in the Church and was ordained an Elder by Erastus Snow.  Following his stay of some two months duration, he returned home where he translated into Spanish some choice selections of Church works, such as The Articles of Faith, and, with these and the aid of the Spanish translation of the Book of Mormon, he suceeded in baptizing some forty of his Spanish neighbors and some of his wife's relatives. 

He and those he had converted then traveled to Little Colorado, Arizona, to be near other L.D.S. colonists.  In 1878, he received an inquiry from the President of the Church as to a good location for a settlement in southern Colorado or northern New Mexico for a group of converts from the Southern States who had been converted by Elder John Morgan.  Lawrence recommended that part of Conejos County where Manassa now stands, and he was re­ quested by the President of the Church to help establish a settlement there. 

Lawrence (by now generally referred to as L.M.(together with other Spanish converts), among whom were Juan de Dies Trujillo and  his family, established themselves at Los Cerritos, Colorado.  (The first L.D.S. child born in the area was Samuel Trujillo.)  Because of Petersen's knowledge of the Spanish language and culture, he and the Spanish converts and their Spanish friends aided the Mormon immigrants with the basic necessities of life.  They and other Spanish neighbors contributed food and animals for milk and farm work.  They also helped in acquiring land and homes.  Because of Lawrence's background in legal matters, he aided the early settlers in dealing with state agencies in procuring the townsite for Manassa.  In fact, the meeting at which the townsite was selected and named was  held in his home and he suggested the name "Manassa" in honor of Joseph who had been sold into Egypt, the Old Testament hero.