NZ PETERSON JENS LETTER

Kjare Broder:

Mauriceville, October 2^nd 1897

Emma      Clara   Thomas Halverson

I am very thankful for your kind letter.  I will answer it again however I am not going to write you such a letter as you did for the simple reason why I have nothing to write about. 

Now about your religion, you maybe right, or you maybe wrong, I do not know, but my idea is that part of all the different Denominations is wrong, and there is no doubt about it.  Any man with a bit of clear sense can see it.  They are all to a certain extent man made.  I do not condemn your religion before any of the other, far from it, because you do a lot of good for one another as far as I know, but there are many things that I do not understand, but anyway I’ll leave it alone. But one thing I know that is, it is very trying for your wife and little ones to be left alone for two or three years. 

     You say that you are going on a trip over to our old home.  That will be very nice I am sure I should like very much to see the old place meself but I shall never have the pleasure, but I would rather take a trip to Utah to see the old people (mother and father) and you all.  That is my only ardent wish, but I am tied, now I have a long tail and no money, and it means a lot.  When a man have a family to provide for he cannot so much more.  We have got four children now the oldest little girl is seven her name is Mable Johana.  She is named after our mother.  The three others are boys.  The oldest name is William Andrew.  The next is James the last is Peter after father, he is eighteen months old and I am forty myself an old man already.  I was a green boy when I left home. Time rolls on and we are rolling with it we cannot spoke the wheel. 

I have plenty of work at present and everything goes very pleasant.  We are not in want for food and clothes and never was.  Thank God. 

Jens Peter Peterson

     Mr. Jarvis (Mormon Missionary) was here and said goodbye to us before he went home and he was greatly elated and I don’t wonder at it.   So will you be when you get your discharge.  However I found Mr. Jarvis a very decent man in fact I cannot say that I dislike any of the Mormon Tramps, as they call themselves.  I always give them a bite to eat and a shake down when they come along, poor Devils.  There is not many that will house them and my neighbors look quite on me for not kicking them out of doors and our dear Parson, he cannot stand the sight of them.  He is afraid of loosing some of his sheep, ha ha it is all Christianity you know, none is more spiteful than the Priests and Parsons, and they are our leaders or should be but they are not mine.  I hate the hypocrites.  That is all they are, the majority of them. 

     But I will close my short letter with kind love from us all and I hope you will soon be at home again with your dear ones. 

Your Loving Brother

Jens Peter Peterson

      Written to Tom Halverson while on Scandinavian mission in Sweden and Denmark