"To holy people and holy ground" : Danish Latter-day Saint immigrant women, 1850-1914

Abstract

While much scholarship has been done on Danish migration, Latter-day Saints and American women in the nineteenth century, despite their well-documented presence, the voices of Danish Latter-day Saint women remain silent in these narratives. This is somewhat understandable as they do not comfortably fit into the patterns of any of these historical narratives. They do not fit generally accepted nineteenth century Danish migration patterns or motivations. In the narrative of Latter-day Saint women, rural isolation and linguistic challenges create barriers to inclusion. Likewise, this forms a barrier to the narrative of American women, paired with polygamy and religious difference. Relegating Danish Latter-day Saint women to a silent role in the wings, never allowing them a place centre-stage because they are too ‘strange’, creates a significant gap in scholarship where these three spheres overlap. Drawing on a variety of sources, my research fills the gap of these overlapping areas by moving Danish Latter-day Saint immigrant women from the margins to the centre, demonstrating how the voices and experiences of these women, contribute to and enrich these historical narratives. I explore how they operated within, shaped, and challenged three different spheres: the Scandinavian ethnic community in Utah, a community of Latter-day Saint women in Utah and the wider sphere of American women in the nineteenth century. These three layers of community were interwoven in the lives of Danish Latter-day Saint immigrant women as they negotiated their ethnic origin, religion, migration, and gender roles. I demonstrate how Danish Latter-day Saint women shaped and participated in a Scandinavian ethnic community, where their ethnic culture, language, and networks played a significant role in their daily lives. Despite barriers to inclusion, many Danish women were also engaged in wider discourses and movements both in Utah and nationally, on religion, women’s suffrage, women’s health, and medical training.