Bengt Mathis Ravsten was born at Saxtorp, Malmo, Sweden on August 29, 1838. He was the son of Mats Bengsten Ravsten and Elna Thomasen. He and his twin sister, Bengta, were the youngest of a family of nine. His father died when he was seven years of age, leaving the large family practically nothing except the home. Thereby, making it necessary for all to earn their own living. He was hired out by the year to different farmers. Hence, he was unable to get much schooling or learning except what he could get at night. When he was about twelve years of age, he was working for a farmer who was feeding pulp to animals. During the winter he carried the pulp in buckets and froze his hands so badly that thereafter he was unable to ever straighten out his fingers. He continued to work on farms until he was twenty-three years of age, at which time he started to learn masonry and worked in the sugar factories during the winter. While working in the sugar factory, two of his pals told him the Mormons were in town. Together they attended the Mormon meeting out of curiosity and to make fun of the elders. He became interested and stayed because it sounded right. He bought books and began to study them. He became converted and was baptized on November 23, 1862. The first meeting he attended he was asked to bear his testimony. Within three months, he was called on a mission and was ordained an elder on March 15, 1862. He went to a neighboring town to begin his work as a missionary-tracting alone. The president of the branch lived in that town as well as other members of the church who had experience at holding meetings, so he did not feel alone. He felt that they would aid him. One day while tracting, he came to a home where the man was a member of the church, but the other members of the family were not. This man asked him if he wanted to hold a meeting and offered his home for the purpose. The meeting was announced and advertised. Bengt thought he could depend on the president and other members to help him. In this he was disappointed, for they all had an excuse why they could not make it, leaving young man with little experience alone on his first meeting. A large crowd gathered, and he first thought to give it up. After having a prayer behind a straw stack, he went to the place of meeting and found the house packed to capacity with many outside who could not wait for the meeting. He felt rather nervous, but began the meeting without delay. The Lord came to his assistance, and he held a very successful meeting that lasted for nearly two hours. He never forgot how the Lord had assisted him as he had belonged to the church for only three or four months. The people who owned the home where the meeting was held emigrated to and lived in Millville. The woman always said she was converted at that meeting. Two or three other people were also converted at that meeting. A little Later at another town, he and a companion were arrested for stealing butter and the sacrament from the church. They were brought before the sheriff. His companion became so frightened that he began to cry. Bengt began to laugh it seemed so ridiculous. This of course displeased the sheriff and the minister. They at once released his companion, but kept father for punishment. There were three men present--the sheriff, the sheriff’s son, and the minister. They walked around him in a circle, and every time they came near him they would spit at him and swore all kinds of bad names at him. When they were tired of that, the minister and the sheriff’s son left him there alone with the sheriff who locked the door. Then began trying to beat him on the head with a lead quirt, however he only succeeded in hitting him on the arm. Bengt was the larger and the younger of the two and could have easily defended himself, but knew by so doing he would only have more trouble for resisting an officer. So, he only called for help. Help came, and he was turned loose, but was told which road to take to the next town. He found a short cut through the town and began to run with the sheriff after him. The sheriff was not so fast on his feet and was soon outdistanced. Bengt went his way in peace to the next town. A third event of that mission, he always remembered as the Lord protecting him. He was canvassing a village, but could get no entertainment and was compelled to sleep in a log barn. He did not go far in the barn, but lay down near the entrance on the hay. After he had fallen asleep, he was awakened by a voice calling to him three different times. The last time, for some reason, he was impressed to move way to the back of the barn, which he did. There he fell asleep until morning. In the morning he was awakened by voices in the barn. He discovered several men talking. Each telling what time they had arrived. He lay very still until they had all gone. After, he went out and saw they had slept where he had first lain down. They did not see him leave the barn, but as soon as they caught sight of him, they began calling him vile names and threatening to mob him. They were rough workmen, and had they found him in the barn or had their master not been there to keep them at their work, they no doubt would have made him very uncomfortable. He baptized a great many during his missionary labors. He worked as a missionary for six years, excluding two or three months when he was released to work for hire, so he could buy more clothes. He was released from that mission on June 7, 1869 with permission to immigrate to Utah. He, with five hundred and seventy Scandinavian emigrants, set sail for Liver Pool on July 10, 1869. From there on July 15, he left aboard the ship Minnesota to land in New York on July 28. From there the party came to Ogden, arriving on August 6, 1869. They started for Salt Lake City the next day with ox teams. A few days after arriving in Salt Lake, he found work on a gravel train for $1.25 per day. There he worked until November when the gravel train was changed to shoveling snow. He stayed until February. From there he went to Bear River City and joined the ward there. He paid what he had earned to Paul Hansen of Brigham City. In May, he attended conference in Salt Lake City, and while he was there he married Betty Johanson and came back to Bear Rive City. Five children came to this union, namely: John, Ellen, Bennie, Frank, and Annie Sophia. The girls both died in infancy. He went from Bear River City to find work in Logan, and after living there a few months, his wife joined him. They made their home in that city. It was while they were living in this city that all of the children were born. He worked that summer for himself, but the next summer he was asked to work as a mason on the tabernacle. He worked on the tabernacle for three consecutive years with little time to work for himself. During that time they had grasshopper trouble. On the first of October 1875 he got his citizenship papers. In 1876, he was a Sunday school teacher and joined a prayer circle. During the winter, he was called as a home missionary for the county going from one town to the other. When the Logan temple was begun, he helped lay the cornerstone and worked for two or three years on that building. On the sixth of October 1882, he left for a mission to Sweden where he was a traveling elder for a short time and then presided over the Gottenburg conference. He was released and returned November 9, 1884. He was ordained a seventy on January 20, 1885. In 1886 he moved to a farm east of Clarkston. In 1887 he joined the Clarkston ward and the next year he was called to be the presiding elder of Trenton. In 1892, he was released and moved his recommend back to Clarkston. On August21, 1892, he was set apart as one of the seven presidents of seventies of the Seventh Quorum. He received his third missionary call on July 12, 1894 to Sweden, While there, he presided over the Malmo conference the entire time. He returned home on September4, 1896. He was ordained a High Priest May 19, 1901. He performed work I the Temple for about twelve hundred dead. Bengta, his twin sister, married Hans Olsen and lived in Millville. She died in the fall of 1918. She had worked in the Temple with Bengt for a good number of people. He lived to celebrate his golden wedding and died one month later on June 16, 1920 at his home in Clarkston. All of his children resided in Clarkston at that time. Right up to the time of his death his mind was bright and active. He had fairly good health with the exception of rheumatism in his legs. His hearing was a trifle dull, but he could read a little from his newspaper without the aid of glasses. He was always ambitious and industrious. He was always willing to build up his hometown either by labors or donations. Generally found on his place where duty called and had an extra good knowledge of the gospel. Truly was it said of him, he was worn out and not rusted out.
The adults from left to right are: John, Frank, and Bennie. Ben J is on the right in the back row. I am not sure who are the younger kids are.
