Anna Christina Lautenschlager Zundell History

ANNA CHRISTINA LAUTENSCHLAGER ZUNDELL

Christina was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany in 1811. She came to the United States with her parents as a child. Her parents were affiliated with the Rapp Society and they settled in Pennsylvania. She married John Zundell in 1832 in Beaver, Pennsylvania. She was nineteen years younger than her husband. She and John, as were her parents and his parents, were all members of the Rapp Society (the Harmony Society). The Rapp Society was a communal living society but shortly after their marriage, Christina and John withdrew from the society as did John’s brother and two sisters.

John and Christina learned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the fall of 1838 and were baptized in October of that year. It is believed they traveled to Caldwell county, Missouri just as the saints were being driven from that state. Christina was the mother of thirteen children, four born in Pennsylvania (two dying in infancy) one in Missouri, five born in Nauvoo (three more dying in infancy) and the last three born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They arrived in Nauvoo with the early saints of 1839/1840 and lived there until 1846 when the saints were compelled in leave. Christina received her patriarchal blessing at the hands of John Smith in 1845. She received her endowments and was sealed to her husband in Dec 1845. After being driven from Nauvoo, Christina and John lived in Iowa, arriving in Utah 1 Oct 1852. John unexpectedly died just six weeks later and is buried in Salt Lake City. At this time Christina’s two oldest sons were age eighteen and sixteen. She had eight children between the ages of eighteen and ten months. Her youngest son, William was only ten months old when his father died but he was also blind. She had a very difficult time raising her children. She lived in Grantsville, Utah for three years, then moved to Ogden for almost two years, then to Payson with other German and Swiss families where she thought she could better herself.

In a history written by her granddaughter, Julia Kockerhans Linford it states: “While living in the Grantsville and Tooele area, food was scarce, and the children gathered sego lily bulbs to supplement their scant diet. While living near the Weber River, they gathered wild onions and thistles for greens. During one three month period their diet consisted of bran bread, wild onions and thistle greens. When Johnston’s army came into Utah, Christina moved south to Payson. She bought a lot and erected a log house with the help of her children. This lot later belonged to the Orem Railroad, which operated a line from Payson to Salt Lake.

Christina carded wool, spun, and wove it into cloth on hand looms  A Mr. Whitehead raised some flax and Christina learned to soak it and beat it to take off the outer layer, then she spun the tender fiber into a coarse linen thread, which was much in demand. Her daughters would take it from house to house to sell. During the early years in Payson her sons brought raspberries and wild currants from the mountains and grafted them into willow trees that grew along the creek on their lot. Christina loved flowers. The seeds were saved each year for planting, among which were Sweet Williams and Snapdragons. All kinds of vegetables were grown, including onions and leeks. Other foods were homemade sausage, pickles, sauerkraut, apples and other kinds of fruit butter.

Christina was a God-fearing woman and always relied upon the Lord in her hours of need. She relied upon the Book of Mormon. She lived with her son William, taking care of him until she passed away in Payson at the age of 90 years”.

History from Mary Crook Bursick