Eric Olofsson Bylund

Eric Olofsson Bylund was born 10 January 1840 in Byn, Ås Parish (near Östersund), Jämtland, Sweden, to Olof Ersson and Agneta Olsdotter. He was the third child born in the family of six children. He was baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 8 June 1862 and was a farmer. At the age of 24 he decided to emigrate to America in 1864. He boarded the ship Monarch of The Sea in Liverpool, England on 28 April 1864. He was in the second company of saints transported on this ship, the company totaling 974 saints. Elder John Smith, Patriarch to the Church, was in charge of the emigrants, his counselors being Elders John D. Chase, Johan P.R. Johansen and Parley P. Pratt, Jr. Master of the packet ship was Captain Robert Kirkaldy. This company came from many nations, particularly Scandinavia. The voyage lasted thirty-six days and was quite pleasant, but the death toll was unusually high – forty-five according to George Q. Cannon, and forty-one according to the passenger list. Most of those who died apparently were children. This company of emigrants reached Wyoming, NE in safety. This was a village seven miles north of Nebraska City, NE., and had been selected as the outfitting place for the emigrants crossing the plains, instead of Florence. Eric was in the independent wagon train of Captain John Smith, and left Wyoming, NE in July, arriving in Great Salt Lake City on 1 October 1864. This company numbered only about 150 members. After arriving in Utah Eric met Jacobina Oleson. They received their endowments in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on 25 January 1869. They lived in Salt Lake City for a while and their first daughter Anna Susanna was born there. They then settled in Santaquin and homesteaded 180 acres in an area known as Cedar Hollow, south of Santaquin, and about 30 miles south of Provo. This later proved to be one of the best farms in the vicinity. They built a small adobe two room house with a dirt floor and roof. They lived on this farm a good deal of the time when the older children were small. Eric followed the occupation of farming for much of the time in Utah. He also engaged in other work, such as mining and railroading Eric was called to serve a mission to Sweden in 1879 about a year after his 5th child. He served two years, leaving his wife and the five children to take care of their farm. He sold his oxen. His wife, Jacobina, worked at cleaning and ironing to take care of the children. After he returned from his mission four more children were born. After his mission went to Colten, with his son Eric, and worked on the narrow-gauge railroad. Then he worked at Kinel in Spanish Fork Canyon, getting ties out for two or three years. This was in addition to working the farm. In 1887 he worked at the mine at Bluerock, later named Central Eureka. They were very excited when ore was struck after Christmas. He hauled iron ore from the Iron Mines near Silver City with an ox team. On 22 December 1895, he suddenly became very ill and passed away. He was buried on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1895, in the Santaquin Cemetery, at the age of 55 years.