Morrisite.org › Roll of membership › Erik Eliasson
Erik Eliasson (1817–1893)
A Swedish convert baptized into Joseph Morris’s Church of the Firstborn at South Weber, who stayed with the Morrisites at Soda Springs, joined the RLDS Church in 1870, and died among the Morrisite families of the Deer Lodge Valley.
- On the roll
- Eliason, Erick, in the 1861–62 roll of membership printed in 1886; listed with Eliason, Karen
- Born
- May 2, 1817, Västmanland, Sweden
- Died
- 1893, Racetrack, Deer Lodge Valley, Montana
- Wife
- Karin Caroline Anderson (1830–1902), on the roll as Eliason, Karen; married 1860 (FamilySearch LHN8-4C5)
- Children
- Six in Family Tree, one born before 1862; among them John Eric, born at Soda Springs in 1867
- Later path
- Stayed with the Morrisites, then joined the RLDS Church
- Family Tree
- FamilySearch MVRH-QQ6, Erik Eliasson (1817–1893)
Life
- 2 May 1817Born in Västmanland, Sweden. (Family Tree)
- 1860Marries Karin Caroline Anderson, who reached Utah that year. (Family Tree)
- 1861–62Baptized with Karin into the Church of the Firstborn at South Weber; both names are on the roll of membership. His name is not on the list of men taken at Kington Fort and brought before Judge Kinney (Deseret News, June 25, 1862); whether he was at the fort in June 1862 is not known.
- May 1863Comes to Soda Springs with the Morrisites under General Connor’s escort. ShupeShupe’s early list of those families names “Eric Eliason” and “Mrs. Caroline Eliason.”rsquo;s early list of those families includes Eric Eliason and Mrs. Caroline Eliason. (Shupe, p. 13)
- 1 Sep 1867Son John Eric born at Soda Springs. (family account)
- 9 Jun 1870Baptized into the RLDS Church at Soda Springs by Lars Edler, on the same day as Karin, who is entered as Caroline Eliasson, born March 7, 1830, in Sweden. (Black, vol. 2)
- LaterMoves with other Morrisite families from Soda Springs to the Deer Lodge Valley, Montana. (family account)
- 1893Dies at Racetrack, Montana. (Family Tree) Karin dies in 1902, in Idaho. (Family Tree)
An Eliason household in 1889
When Joseph Smith III, president of the RLDS Church, visited Soda Springs in 1889, he stayed in the house of an Eliason family whose head was a widow, then away at Blackfoot (Joseph Smith III and the Restoration, 1952, p. 437). Erik was still living in 1893, so this was probably another Eliason household. Who that widow was is an open question.
Open questions
- Where were Erik and Karin between the siege of June 1862 and the move to Soda Springs in May 1863?
- Who was the Eliason widow at Soda Springs in 1889, and how was she related to Erik?
- When did the family leave Soda Springs for Montana?
If you can answer one, write to contact@morrisite.org.
Sources
- Roll of membership, 1861–62. Printed by George S. Dove & Co., 1886. See Roll of membership.
- Black, Susan Easton, comp. Early Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 6 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993. Vol. 2, s.v. “Eliasson, Erick” and “Eliasson, Caroline.” FamilySearch catalog
- Shupe, Verna Irene. Caribou County Chronology. Colorado Springs, CO: Print Craft Press, [1930], p. 13. HathiTrust
- Smith, Joseph, III. Joseph Smith III and the Restoration. Edited by Mary Audentia Smith Anderson; condensed by Bertha Audentia Anderson Hulmes. Independence, MO: Herald House, 1952, p. 437.
- “The Davis County Bandits.” Deseret News, June 25, 1862, p. 412. See Documents.
- FamilySearch Family Tree: Erik Eliasson, MVRH-QQ6; Karin Caroline Anderson, LHN8-4C5. Consulted November 3, 2026.
- Family account: Keith Chappelow, a descendant of Erik and Karin through John Eric Eliason, correspondence with the editor, November 2026.
Identified and documented with the help of Keith Chappelow, a descendant.
Cite this page
Rogers, Eric Paul, ed. “Erik Eliasson (1817–1893).” Morrisite.org. https://morrisite.org/person/erik-eliasson.html. Updated November 3, 2026.