Karl Wahlen was born May 25, 1831 in Prenstain, Mennsivga County, Bern, Switzerland. He was the son of Samual Wahlen and the youngest of eight children.

His childhood was spent in the mountainous country which surrounded his birthplace. As a young man he enlisted in the Army as soldier and was sent to the East Indies during a wartime conflict. Years later he still enjoyed relating his experiences during that time, especially of a three-month ocean voyage.

In 1863, he married Lucia Margaretta Kunt, also of Bern, Switzerland. Their son was born in December 1865.

Some time later Karl Wahlen heard the Elders proclaiming the Gospel plan and was baptized and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lucia Margaretta did not join the church, but remained Catholic. Their son was inclined to retain the Catholic faith with his mother.

In later years, the son remembered quite vividly his parents deciding which church he was to attend. At last it was decided he should attend the Mormon Church one Sunday with his father and the following Sunday he would go with his mother to the Catholic services.

Lucia Margaretta passed away December 27, 1871.

Karl Wahlen's second wife, Anna Barbara Aeschbacher was born on December 22, 1836 in Eggiville, Switzerland. She became a member to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints June 18, 1868.

Anna Barbara's father went to war while she was still very young. Her mother died when she was just 11 years of age, leaving four children. Not knowing whether her father was alive, she went to live with an older brother and his wife. When she was older she hired herself out to do housework and live in her employer's home. She often told of the hard times during this period of her life.   She would tell of the "potato rot" that would require constant sorting.  She would have very little for breakfast and sustain herself during the day by eating raw potatoes. The lady of the house would make butter and form it into a round ball, freeze it in the winter cold, before serving it on the table. It was virtually impossible to get any butter from the ball at mealtime.

One time while employed to do housework in a home, her employers would leave money here and there to test her honesty. Realizing this could not have made her very happy. One day while cleaning the stairway she found another coin. This time she took a hammer and nailed it to the stair. It took some effort to do it, but she never found any more lying around.

Life was not easy for Anna Barbara and she married young. This marriage was not a happy union. After the birth of her third son, she left her husband and returned to her brother.

Sometime later she met Karl Wahlen, a widower with one small boy. They were married in 1871. Her sons took the Wahlen name.

Soon after they were married they took an apartment in the same building as the Missionary Headquarters. They were later privileged to care for the headquarters to look after the missionaries who were there. While there, three baby girls were born to them. The oldest dies when just 18 months old. They lived there until 1877 when they came to America.

When Anna Barbara's youngest son was 12 years of age, they sent him to America with a missionary, Elder Karl G. Masser. The boy was here only a short time when he drowned. She then sent her next son with an elder from St. George, and he wandered around in this country until the rest of the country [family] arrived.

In 1875 Karl Wahlen and his beloved Anna Barbara had enough faith in the Lord to send his son and her oldest son to America with her brother and his wife. One of the sons lost his life while in Montana.

In 1877 they were ready to bring the rest of the family. It was at this time Anna Barbara took her two little girls to see her father. She had not seen him since shortly after her mother's death. She bid him good-bye and never saw nor heard from him again. He was a sailor and was at sea most of the time.

In addition to the two little girls, age 13 and 27 months, they also brought a nine month old baby for a Mr. Springer, whose wife had left him and the baby. A Mrs. Butler took this baby, and a few years later the girl's father, Mr. Springer, came to America and he and Mrs. Butler were married in Utah.

The Wahlen family settled in Providence, Utah, for a while where Karl Wahlen took a job in a saw mill. How they did rejoice in meeting with their son, but were saddened to learn of the death of the other son. They had not received news of his death. Later they moved to Logan where Karl worked apart time in a tailor shop and part time on the Logan Temple.

In 1884 the family moved to the Snake River and then settled in Rexburg, Idaho, which was being settled. Times were hard and it was difficult to make ends meet at times. They bought a parcel of land and a small lot on which they raised a garden, some hay and a raspberry patch. Anna Barbara made yeast and sold it - or traded for flour and sugar. She often took in laundry and sewing. There were many deaths and many hardships, but it never altered their faith in the Lord. They always attended their church meetings and paid an honest tithe, and knew they would be blessed by doing so. And, they were blessed by always being able to provide for their family and never experiencing real want. They were also able to repay the money they had borrowed to come to Zion.

Anna Barbara sang in the church choir, which she enjoyed. Many times she carried a lantern so she could find her way home on dark nights. Her two daughters were her companions during this time. She also worked in the Sunday school, Primary, and the Relief Society. She visited the sick and did all she could to ease their discomforts. She also did a lot of temple work and helped in gathering records.

Anna Barbara always did what she could to help her family, as well as others. She had a brown crock jar on a small table by her old coal stove in which she would make live yeast. The town people would bring flour or sugar in exchange for yeast.   She kept record of everything, the same as the hay and the berries. One tenth went to the old tithing house which was on the far side of town. All had to be carried. They would put the hay - every tenth pile - in a sheet and the two of them would carry it to the tithing house, the same for every tenth egg.

Karl Wahlen died October 4, 1904. Anna Barbara lived for several years as a widow. She lived alone for some time, then finally sold her home and went to live among her children. She thought nothing of walking six miles to see her daughter and family who lived on the farm. The grandchildren would look for her on a Wednesday morning and were disappointed when she did not come. She never failed to have something in her little black bag for her grandchildren.

Some years after she had sold her home, the party that bought it lost the deed and he asked her what she would charge to sign another deed. She told him not a cent - he had paid for the place and it was his. But he gave her $10.00.

If she was asked to tell about the various things thereat [that] had taken place in her life, she would turn away, crying softly and say it was more than she could bear to talk about.

She died November 3, 1920 at the home of her only living daughter, in Marysville, Idaho. She left 36 grand children and 69 great grandchildren.


Author Unknown