Why I Decided to Become a Mormon: Part Two - My Religious Pedigree

Mormonism has played a role in the religious pedigree of my family. I’ve met plenty of Mormons with ancestors dating back to the American Mormon Pioneers from the mid-1800s on either side. I’ve known far more who are the first and only church members of their family, thus creating an entirely new pioneer generation.

My religious ancestry falls somewhere in between these two extremes. I do have some long lines dating back to the early days of Mormonism. These lines derive in the family of my paternal grandfather, Harold Max Bergeson, who was born just south of the Idaho border in Logan, Utah in the year 1919. His mother, Reba Miranda Butler, indeed came from a pioneer family, with her predecessors being among those who crossed the American plains in exodus of the Mormons from Illinois.

His father, Harold Ephraim Bergeson, was the grandson of another Mormon pioneer, though not one of those who were displaced within the borders of American continent. His grandfather, Niels Bergeson, the man after whom I was named, was born in Sweden, and moved to Denmark as a child. He would later convert to Mormonism as a young man, and elected to immigrate to the United States, as was customary at the time for many new converts who joined overseas. He settled in the far north of Utah, which at the time was still being settled by the first generation of American Mormons.

As such, my father came from a legacy of Mormonism. As a child he was raised according to Mormon customs, traditions, and beliefs. Because of my grandfather’s career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, my father spent his childhood moving from place to place around the globe.

My mother, on the other hand, was not raised in a Mormon family. She grew up in South Carolina, where her family regularly attending the Episcopal Church in her youth. Growing up she knew very little, if any, about the Mormons, along with their culture that would one day profoundly impact her family life.

She and my father met in Charleston, SC, marrying some three years following their acquaintance. About three years after marriage, they gave birth to a son, Nils Radford Bergeson. At the time of my birth, my parents did not regularly participate in religious services of any kind. Nevertheless, according to the traditions of my mother’s family, I was baptized in the Episcopal Church. Likewise, according to the traditions of my father’s family, I was given a Mormon baby’s blessing by my grandfather.

Although my father had been raised as Mormon, at the time of my birth and in the years immediately following, he did not actively participate in the religion. My mother had since learned some about Mormonism, after marrying into a Mormon family. As I grew beyond infancy and into childhood, my mother felt the need to make religion part of our family life. She later explained to me that this desire came from her belief at the time that it would be the best way to help instill moral values in her children. So, she considered the options for family church attendance. To her, the best solution seemed to join her husband’s church, so she started meeting with the missionaries, and was later baptized.

In 1986 our family, which now included my younger sister, moved from South Carolina to Logan, Utah. Originally settled by Mormon pioneers, Cache Valley is now the home of approximately 100,000 people, with roughly 90% claiming membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In short, Mormonism not only dominates the culture, but affects every aspect of the life for those who live in the valley. Shortly after moving to Utah, my parents, who had begun attending church services together regularly, along with my sister and I, were sealed together as a family in the Logan Temple.*

*"Sealing" refers to the Mormon marriage ceremony which takes place in temples. Among Mormons, being sealed to both your spouse and family members is believed to offer the promise of the family living together in the afterlife.