Guðmundur Guðmundsson (Mormon)

Guðmundur Guðmundsson (often Anglicised to Gudmund Gudmundson) (1825-03-10 – 1883-09-21) was one of the first Icelanders to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was among the first Mormon missionaries to preach in Iceland.

Guðmundsson was born in Artun, Rangárvallasýsla, Iceland. He was christened a Lutheran on 1825-03-23.

In 1845, Guðmundsson moved to Denmark to study goldsmithing. In 1851, while living in Copenhagen, Guðmundsson heard LDS Church missionaries Peter O. Hansen and Erastus Snow preaching Mormonism. He was baptized into the LDS Church on 1851-02-15 by Hansen, and on 1851-04-18 he was given the Aaronic priesthood and ordained a teacher by Snow.

On 1851-05-21, Guðmundsson 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. Guðmundsson continued preaching in Iceland until July 1854. Eventually, he was given the Melchizedek priesthood by one of his missionary companion after which he baptized nine individuals into the LDS Church. On 1853-06-19, the first branch of the LDS Church in Iceland was established on Vestmannaeyjar, with Guðmundsson as branch president.

In July 1854, Guðmundsson returned to Denmark to preach. He spent most of his time on Zealand and was imprisoned for preaching Mormonism in Kallundborg. He was released after seven weeks, but was immediately conscripted into the Danish army. After just over one year, Guðmundsson was released from military service due to ill health.

On 1857-04-18, Guðmundsson left Copenhagen on a ship bound for America. He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah Territory on 1857-09-13. While emigrating to Utah, Niels Garff, one of Guðmundsson's Danish converts, grew ill and died. Just prior to his death, Garff asked Guðmundsson if he would marry his wife after he had died. Guðmundsson agreed, and on 1857-10-04 Guðmundsson and Marie Garff were married in Salt Lake City. They had three sons together. After arriving in Utah, Guðmundsson began using Gudmund Gudmundson as an Anglicised form of his name.

In the early 1860s, Guðmundsson and his wife became involved with the Church of the Firstborn, a schismatic sect of Latter Day Saints led by Joseph Morris. They were excommunicated from the LDS Church, and Guðmundsson became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Morrisites. Guðmundsson was involved in the Morrisite War and was afterwards arrested and fined $100 for resisting arrest. He was later pardoned by territorial governor Stephen S. Harding.

Following the Morrisite War, the Guðmundssons ended their affiliation with the Morrisites and lived in Utah County, Utah and Sacramento, California. In 1869, they moved to Draper, Utah Territory and were rebaptized into the LDS Church. In 1871, they moved to Lehi, Utah Territory.

Guðmundsson 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, 2006) s.v. "Iceland"
*Andrew Jenson. "Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia" 3:639
*Fred E. Woods, [http://webpub.byu.net/few2/pdf/Fire%20on%20Ice.pdf "Fire on Ice: The Conversion and Life of Gudmundur Gudmundsson"] , "BYU Studies", vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 57–72 (2000)