Last Updated on March 6, 2022 4:17 pm by Steven
John and Jonetta Dahle- Persecution in Norway
Persecution Of Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In Norway In The 1850’s.
John Hansen Dahle (1837-1921) and Jonetta Berntine Ingerman Dahle (1846-1929)
John Hansen Dahle was the fifth child and third son of Hans Hansen Dahle was born on November 16, 1837 on the family farm of Lille-Dahle located in Kvinnherad Parish, Hordaland District of Norway. He first heard about the gospel by two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints while traveling back to Norway. He was a fisherman and was aboard their boat, the “Hertha”. He was baptized on September 30, 1858, and confirmed a member of the Church on October 3, 1858, by J. Olsen.
In the spring of 1859 John, now 21, was called and accepted a call for a “home mission” in Norway. His 1859-1861 missionary travels took him from his home area near Bergen east across Norway to Christiana (Oslo) and north to Trondheim. During this period members suffered a great deal of persecution causing many members to immigrate to the United States.
Christopher S. Winger served with John Dahle as a missionary in Norway. The following is included in the autobiography of Elder Winger: “In the year 1859 I traveled to Kristiana to attend a conference. After having spent several days with the Saints and being uplifted, I returned to Stavanger and continued my missionary work. The same year John Dahle came to Stavanger as mate on his brother’s ship. I ordained him an elder and took him with me on a mission. We traveled on open fields in Sandmor, which lies between Bergen and Trondheim. On an island called Ageroenn we began our work. Here we found a God-fearing people and held several meetings in the space of a short time, and we baptized six people. There were, in the meantime, several persons who wished me to visit the priest, and in compliance with their request I sent to him, taking with me two of the citizens in order that they might hear the discussion, but the priest forbade me, under threat of prison and punishment to preach any more in his parish. After I had done the best I could on that island, I ordained Brother Dahle to preside over the few Saints we had baptized and took my farewell, to return to Stavanger. On the way I stayed several days in Molde, waiting for the arrival of the steamship. I considered it wisdom not to preach while in that town, as I knew that the police and jail waiting for me all about. I felt depressed, as thought some or other unpleasant things awaiting me. I walked out of the town and prayed to the Lord to free me from my enemies, for I was anxious to return to the branch in Stavanger, where my presence was necessary.
…..One day as I sat and waited, the police came and asked if a man by the name of Christopher Winger was there. I answered that I was that individual. The officer said he had orders to arrest me. The greatest confusion followed; the inhabitants of the house thought they had a thief as their fellow roomer. I was immediately taken to the jail, and imagine how surprised I was to find Brother Dahle there. The police had arrested him on the island I had just left, and I received a warm welcome from him in our lodging. Brother Dahle did not feel well, and told the jailer in a sharp tone of voice to bring him food as he was hungry. I spoke to him quietly. Two Lagrettmaend (jurymen) and Sorenskriver (county judge) attended the first attended the first hearing, dressed in full uniform. It was the first time they had had Mormons under their control. Brother Dahle was heard first, and then I was called. One of the jurymen, a wicked man, wanted to charge me with having spoken against the laws of the state, and a sharp quarrel ensued, but the judge put himself between us to break it up. They held a keen hearing. A couple of days later we were transported, under guard, two Norwegian miles, and then given a new hearing, but no witnesses came from Ageroen, on account of a storm. There ensued a third hearing which sixteen witnesses attended, among them were some we had baptized. A complaint was made by Priest Dix, attempting to show we had spoken scornfully of the Lutheran teachings”.
We were kept for several weeks in the dark prison of this place, waiting for sentence to be passed. It finally came-eleven days of water and bread for the Brother Winger and five days of the same for Brother Dahle. They were given three small pieces of bread, and one crock of water every twenty-four hours. After having served these sentences, Brother Dahle returned to Ageroen. Both became very hungry on this diet. Brother Winger was set free and serving eight days and traveled by Steamship to Christiana (Oslo). After a few days he returned to Stavanger to do missionary work.”
It is interesting to note that both were kept for several weeks before a sentence was passed. This was typical in many Scandinavian countries during the 1850’s.
Janetta Berntine Ingermann Dahle (1846-1929)
Janetta Berntine Ingermann was born February 17, 1864. She is the daughter of Johan Henddrik Gabrielson and Anna Bergitha Ingmann. She was the second child born in the Ingmann family. Six days after the stillbirth of the last son, Janetta’s mother died on May 7, 1854. Her father, Johan, died in 1860. Laura, the oldest daughter was fifteen, and Janette was ten days short of her fourteenth birthday.
We know from family tradition that Janetta went to school to learn to be a seamstress. The date of her training is uncertain. She became an excellent seamstress, making clothing for her fourteen children, as well as for herself, and her husband John.
The next documented date in Janetta’s life is her conversation to the Church. Mormon missionaries had begun proselyting by September, 1861, and they had some success in gaining converts to their new American religion. Their success however, was increased by the calls that were made to the young Norwegian men, who were newly baptized, to become Elders as go on “Home Missions.
Two such young missionaries were brothers, Johannes H. Dahle, sons of a fishermen. Johannes became interested in the church when his father’s ship picked up two Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints missionaries in one of the ports, and those elders, in the typical missionary spirit began holding cottage meetings on board ship. When Johannes accepted baptism his three brothers “were very angry with him for joining the Church and threatened to throw him overboard several times.”
Six months after Johannes chose this new religion his young brother, John, at age twenty was baptized in the Church by Ole Orstand on October 12, 1858. Sometime during the next year and a half John was called to be a home missionary. According to one son, his mission carried him from his home area of Bergen, to an island called Ageroenn which lies between and Bergen and Trondheim. He then went to Christians (Oslo), and then on to Trondheim, which is north and in the county of Sor Trondelag, on Norway. There in Trondheim, Elder John Dahle met the Ingerman girls and taught them about the gospel. John baptized Laura, who was then a few days away from her sixteenth birthday, on August 13, 1860, and two weeks later, on August 27, 1860, he baptized Janetta, age fourteen.
Janetta was arrested and jailed because of her new religion
The state religion of Norway did not allow for other religious members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to meet. They found themselves persecuted by mobs. Mobs disrupted the meetings many times when the missionaries were holding with members and investigators. These meetings were often held in members’ homes in order not to attract the attention of others who would try to frighten them. Those attending the meetings even took the precaution of reading the words of the hymns, rather that singing, in order to prevent anyone from hearing them and possibly breaking up their meetings. The missionaries often found themselves in jail for preaching a “heathen’ meeting such as in the case of John H. Dahle.
Apparently Janetta continued her activity with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because she stated: “I was arrested for my belief in the Gospel and was taken by two city officers to a large farm house far out into the country where I was told I would have to remain until I became of age. Six months later I was released by the mayor. In seems incongruous to think that arresting a fifteen- year-old girl for her belief in Christ, but it is highly possible that to the Norwegians in the 1860’s Mormonism was seen as a crazy religious sect which was brainwashing the youth and, undoubtedly even worse, convincing their to leave Norway after they joined this strange church. Surely by now the false rumors abounded abound about young girls needs for the polygamous Mormon men.”
Family tradition was that when John Dahle heard about her arrest met with the mayor to get her released. After John told the Mayor it was the plan for her to emigrate, he agreed to release her with the understanding that she was leaving the country.
John and Janetta emigrated and were married. After coming across the plains, and arriving in Salt Lake, they moved to Logan, Utah, and spent the rest of their lives here. They raised fourteen children, 12 boys and two girls. John and Janetta remained faithful to the Church.
Jonetta conclude her own story with these sentences:
“I have seen many and great and wonderful changes take place since I came to Logan where I have been a resident for sixty-four years. I am now seventy-eight years old and do my own work and live alone. I enjoy real good health which in one of the many blessings we as Latter-Day Saints enjoy. “(p. 4)
In the latter part of her lengthy life that she still felt blessed to have embraced her religion.
Jon and Janetta are wonderful examples that even though they endured persecution, they accepted the gospel, emigrating to Utah, and lived the Gospel for the rest of their lives.
A history of the lives as John Hansen Dahle and Jonetta Berntine Ingerman is found in the Dahle book, 1998 Edition.
It is also found in FAMILY TREE, MEMORIES
FAMILY TREE. Their ID numbers are”
JOHN HANSEN DAHLE – KWC4-XTM
JANETTA BERTINE INGERMAN DAHLE- KWC4-XT9
Darrell K. Loosle
xxxxx@xxxx.com
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