WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
JACOB BASTIAN
(carpenter, farmer)
BIOGRAPHY
Jacob Bastian was born in Sundbyvester, Tårnby, København, Denmark on March 14, 1835. He spent his earlyyears helping on the family farm. After graduation from school, he got a job as an apprentice ship carpenter in
the dockyards of Copenhagen. After both his parents had died, he spent most of four years at sea as a sailor
and ship carpenter.
Bastian and Gertrude Petersen had known each other from childhood. Gertrude joined the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1854. She converted Bastian who joined in January of 1856. They decided
to get married and go to America, but the Lutheran Priest wouldn't marry them because they were Mormons.
So they joined a company of Danish Saints and sailed on the Westmorland from Liverpool on April 18,1857.
On April 20, they and three other couples were married by Orson Pratt. After eight weeks at sea, they arrived
in Philadelphia. From there, they traveled by train to Iowa and then by handcart across the great plains to the
valley of the Great Salt Lake.
Gertrude was delicate and sickly. The journey was difficult and though she never complained about the
hardships, it took its toll on her health. They arrived in Salt Lake City in the middle of September 1857 and
Gertrude died three days later.
Stricken with grief, Jacob went to his friend, Erastus Snow, to ask for council. He was advised by Apostle Snow
to marry again and try to overcome his sorrow in domestic life. Accordingly he obtained the consent of a Danish
girl who had come to Utah in the same company with him, and was married to Johanna Marie Sanderdatter
(aka Sander) on October 25, 1857.
The Bastians moved to Tooele in Tooele County, then Lehi in Utah County, and Moroni in San Pete County.
Jacob married his first plural wife, Christiana Hansen on February 7, 1861. The Bastians were called to Dixie in
November of that year. They arrived after a 4-week trip and Jacob started farming. He made a number of trips to
northern Utah to trade dried fruits, molasses, and cotton for flour. He lost three farms to Virgin River floods.
Jacob came down with a nearly fatal case Typhoid Fever on April 10, 1864. Complicated by inflammatory
rheumatism, he was in bed for nine months and then getting out only with crutches. The disease settled in
his leg and he was left crippled for life.
On October 28, 1867, Jacob took Johannah's sister, Metta Marie Sandersen (aka Sander), as another plural
wife.
Jacob was convicted of unlawful cohabitation in June of 1888. He was fined $300 and imprisoned in the
Utah Territorial Penitentiary from June 2, 1888 to December 1, 1888.
Jacob died in Washinton on April 20, 1924 and was buried on April 25 in the Washington City Cemetery.
FAMILY
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Jacob's Parents and Siblings:
Bastian Sørensen Marchen Olsen Sørensen Ole Bastian Peder Bastiansen Dirch Bastian Jan Bastian Jacob Bastian Niels Bastian Trein Bastiansen Petter Dirch Bastian Soren Bastian Hans Bastiansen Bastian Søren Bastiansen |
(6/4/1804-11/7/1846) (married 3/20/1828) (3/2/1802-8/16/1853) (xx/xx/1828-xx/xx/1897) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1829-xx/xx/197) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1831-xx/xx/1903) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1833-xx/xx/1858) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (3/14/1835-4/20/1924) (married as shown below) (xx/xx/1836-xx/xx/1909) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1838-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1840-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1842-xx/xx/1906) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1843-xx/xx/1921) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1847-xx/xx/1850) |
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First Wife: Gertrude Pedersen Bastian |
(7/30/1834-9/16/1857) (married 4/24/1857) |
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Second Wife and Children: Johanna Marie Sanderdatter Bastian Jacob Sander Bastian Gearson Sander Bastian Gertrude Johanna Bastian Catrine Maria Bastian Maren Olivia Bastian Karen Melvina Bastian Emma Johannah Bastian Julia Jacobenia Bastian Bastian Soren Bastian Ludvig Alminda Bastian |
(7/30/1835-6/30/1918) (married 10/29/1857) (xx/xx/1858-xx/xx/1925) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1860-xx/xx/1934) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1861-xx/xx/1862) (xx/xx/1863-xx/xx/1925) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1865-xx/xx/1866) (xx/xx/1867-xx/xx/1892) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1869-xx/xx/1948) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1871-xx/xx/1962) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1873-xx/xx/1947) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1875-xx/xx/1959) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) |
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Third Wife and Children: Christina Kirsten Hansen Bastian Laura Christina Bastian Charles Jacob Bastian Martha Catherine Bastian Hannah Sophia Bastian Margarethe Bastian Lewis Hansen Bastian Caroline Gertrude Bastian James Bastian Serena Amanda Bastian Jacob Wilford Bastian Roetta Celeste Bastian Christa Eliza Bastian |
(10/11/1845-3/18/1929) (married 2/7/1861) (xx/xx/1862-xx/xx/1925) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1867-xx/xx/1948) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1868-xx/xx/1870) (xx/xx/1871-xx/xx/1877) (xx/xx/1873-xx/xx/1874) (xx/xx/1875-xx/xx/1950) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1877-xx/xx/1883) (xx/xx/1879-xx/xx/1879) (xx/xx/1880-xx/xx/1960) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1882-xx/xx/1964) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1884-xx/xx/1942) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1886-xx/xx/1954) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) |
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Fourth Wife and Children: Mette Marie Sandersen Bastian Sander Jacob Bastian Joseph Bastian Erastus Snow Bastian Jacobina Marie Bastian Mary Johanna Bastian Hyrum Smith Bastian Hans Tygersen Bastian Andrew Fernando Bastian Niels Soren Bastian |
(1/25/1848-4/21/1910) (married 10/28/1867) (xx/xx/1868-xx/xx/1869) (xx/xx/1869-xx/xx/1870) (xx/xx/1872-xx/xx/1941) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1874-xx/xx/1889) (xx/xx/1877-xx/xx/1962) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1879-xx/xx/1880) (xx/xx/1883-xx/xx/1916) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/1886-xx/xx/1902) (xx/xx/1888-xx/xx/1976) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) |
PHOTOS
WCHS photos:WCHS-04329 Photo of polygamists including Jacob Bastian in the Utah Territorial Penitentiary in 1888
REFERENCES
A Biographical Sketch of the Life of Jacob Bastianby his grandson, Arthur L. Crawford, March 1917
FamilySearch entry for Jacob Bastian
Find-A-Grave entry for Jacob Bastian
FamilySearch entry for Gertrude Pedersen
Find-A-Grave entry for Gertrude Pedersen Bastian
FamilySearch entry for Johanna Marie Sanderdatter
Find-A-Grave entry for Johanne Marie Sanders Bastian
FamilySearch entry for Christina Kirsten Hansen
Find-A-Grave entry for Christine Hansen Bastian
FamilySearch entry for Mette Marie Sandersen
Find-A-Grave entry for Mette Marie Sander Bastian