Joseph Harold Moroni Wessman

Joseph Harold Moroni Wessman was born in Göteborg, Sweden, on February 23, 1888, the youngest child of Johan and Amanda Hall Wessman. His parents had been members of the church for almost a decade when Joseph was born. They were working-class, and were scrimping and saving to be able to emigrate to America.

First, his two oldest sisters emigrated to Utah. Then his two older brothers Herbert and Henry traveled to Utah. Next, mother Amanda and four-year-old Joseph traveled to America in 1893 on the ship Alaska.

At first they lived in Kamas, above Park City, where Joseph's brother-in-law was homesteading. After father Johan arrived from Sweden in December 1896, and after he died in March 1898, Amanda and her minor children moved down the mountain to Salt Lake City.

They lived for a time at 47 Apple Street (1900 census), at 176 Lincoln Avenue (see article below), then later at 209 West First North (1910 census).

Joseph was a bike racer. He was mentioned in the newspaper from time to time for winning a bike race. For example, from 1909:

On May 24, 1917, Joseph married Anna Olson, the daughter of Henry and Anna Berglund Olson, in the Salt Lake City Temple. He was 29. She was 20.

From Jean's biography:

Jean and Henry liked to go out with Joe and Anna Wessman (Henry’s brother and sister-in-law). They would like to play cards. They had a lot of association with Henry's siblings.

Henry and his brother Joe had certain opinions about hair. They liked long, straight hair. Joe's wife Anna and Jean decided to have their hair cut one day. Their spouses were quite upset when they saw the new hairdos. Jean loved her haircut though. However, Jean did bring home her hair in one braided piece.

Joseph was in the printing business like his brother Henry. Here is a picture of him at a linotype machine.

I do not have much more information on the lives of Joseph and Anna Wessman. Joe died in 1961 in Los Angeles and Anna died in 1978 in Anaheim. They were both buried in Wasatch Lawn Cemetery in Salt Lake City, as was Joe's mother Amanda Wessman.

Thanks to Emily for some of the pictures.