Gudmund Gudmundson ( Icelandic: Guðmundur Guðmundsson) (March 10, 1825 – September 21, 1883) was one of the first

Icelanders Icelanders ( is, Íslendingar) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation who are native to the island country of Iceland and speak Icelandic. Icelanders established the country of Iceland in mid 930 AD when the Althing (Parliament) met for ...

to join

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) and was among the first

Mormon missionaries Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commu ...

to preach in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. Gudmundson was born in Artun,

Rangárvallasýsla Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police ( ...

, Iceland. He was christened a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

on March 23, 1825. In 1845, Gudmundson moved to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

to study goldsmithing. In 1851, while living in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Gudmundson heard LDS Church missionaries

Peter O. Hansen Peter Olsen Hansen (11 June 1818 – 9 August 1895) was the translator of the Book of Mormon into Danish. Hansen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was a sailor by trade. Hansen had developed an interest in Mormonism as early as 1842 when he rea ...

and Erastus Snow preaching

Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...

. He was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

into the LDS Church on February 15, 1851, by Hansen, and on April 18, 1851, he was given the Aaronic priesthood and ordained a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

by Snow. On May 21, 1851, Gudmundson travelled to Vestmannaeyjar to preach. Shortly thereafter, he went back to his hometown of Artun to preach, but found no one willing to listen to his message. Gudmundson continued preaching in Iceland until July 1854. Eventually, he was given the Melchizedek priesthood by one of his missionary companions, after which he baptized nine individuals into the LDS Church. On June 19, 1853, the first

branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...

of the LDS Church in Iceland was established on Vestmannaeyjar, with Gudmundson as branch president. In July 1854, Gudmundson returned to Denmark to preach. He spent most of his time on Zealand and was imprisoned for preaching Mormonism in

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...

in Utah Territory on September 13, 1857. While emigrating to Utah, Niels Garff, one of Gudmundson's Danish converts, grew ill and died. Just prior to his death, Garff asked Gudmundson if he would marry his wife after he had died. Gudmundson agreed, and on October 4, 1857, Gudmundson and Marie Garff were married in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. They had three sons together. After arriving in Utah, Gudmundson began using the Anglicised form of his name. In the early 1860s, Gudmundson and his wife became involved with the Church of the Firstborn, a

schismatic Schismatic may refer to: * Schismatic (religion), a member of a religious schism, or, as an adjective, of or pertaining to a schism * a term related to the Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian movement in the 17th century * pertaining to the schi ...

sect of Latter Day Saints led by Joseph Morris. They were excommunicated from the LDS Church, and Gudmundson became a member of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

of the

Morrisites The Church of the Firstborn was a sect of the Latter Day Saint movement that formed as an offshoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1861 and was involved in the Morrisite War. Its adherents were known as Morrisites, and schismat ...

. Gudmundson was involved in the

Morrisite War The Morrisite War was a skirmish between a Latter Day Saint sect known as the "Morrisites" and the Utah territorial government. Morrisites In 1857 Joseph Morris, an English convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, rep ...

and was afterwards arrested and fined $100 for resisting arrest. He was later pardoned by territorial governor

Stephen S. Harding Stephen Selwyn Harding (February 24, 1808 – February 12, 1891) was an American politician, lawyer, anti-slavery leader and ardent abolitionist in Indiana who served as governor of the Utah Territory (1862–1863) and as chief justice of the ...

. Following the Morrisite War, the Gudmundsons ended their affiliation with the Morrisites and lived in Utah County, Utah, and

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. In 1869, they moved to Draper, Utah Territory and were rebaptized into the LDS Church. In 1871, they moved to Lehi, Utah Territory. Gudmundson died in Logan, Utah Territory, while living there temporarily with one of his stepsons. He was buried in Draper.

References

*''2007 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac'' (Salt Lake City, Utah:

Deseret Morning News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

, 2006) s.v. "Iceland" *

Andrew Jenson Andrew Jenson, born Anders Jensen, (December 11, 1850 – November 18, 1941) was a Danish immigrant to the United States who acted as an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for much of the ea ...

. '' Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia'' 3:639 * Fred E. Woods
"Fire on Ice: The Conversion and Life of Gudmundur Gudmundsson"
''

BYU Studies ''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted ...

'', vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 57–72 (2000)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gudmundson, Gudmund 1825 births 1883 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries Converts to Mormonism from Lutheranism Goldsmiths Icelandic emigrants to the United States Icelandic Latter Day Saints Icelandic Mormon missionaries Latter Day Saint leaders Religious leaders from Utah Mormon missionaries in Denmark Mormon missionaries in Iceland Mormon pioneers People excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints People from Lehi, Utah People from Salt Lake City People from Utah County, Utah Prisoners and detainees of Denmark Icelandic emigrants to Denmark Members of the Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite)

See also

References

External links