A Biography of

Erastus Julius Smith

The Mystery of Rasmus Julius Smith and Rasmus Julius Sørensen

by William Mortensen Vaughan
great-grandson of Erastus Julius Smith

As of: October 22, 2026

Since the U.S. Census of 1920, we, the descendants of Erastus Julius Smith (KWCL-TJW), have been misled into believing that Erastus Julius Smith and Rasmus Julius Sørensen were the same person, also known as "Rasmus Julius Smith,"* and that his parents were a domestic servant named Juliane Sørensdatter (KWJR-KDM), and her employer, Rasmus Smidt (LZP5-L4T). However, after years of research and DNA testing, I conclude that Erastus Julius Smith was the biological offspring of Juliane's husband in polygamy, Jørgen Christian Pedersen (KWJZ-KTB) and his first wife, Christine Jensdatter (KWJR-KD9); and that Juliane's biological son, Rasmus Julius Sørensen, was a different person.

Approximately five dozen autosomal DNA matches to me corroborate that we are descended from Erastus and his wife, Josefina Bernhardina Beckman ( KWCL-TJ4 ), more or less as sources verify, but no DNA matches indicate that Juliane or Rasmus were Erastus' parents. Jorgen, Christine, their legitimate children, Juliane, and Erastus traveled, together, from Denmark, en route to Utah, with a boy identified as "Rasmus Julius Sorensen," but that boy was probably Erastus, the illegitimate son of Jørgen Christian Pedersen and his first wife, Christine Jensdatter, whereas Rasmus probably remained in Scandinavia.

Erastus' Birth

Jørgen Christian Pedersen was born, in Ugilt-Tårs, Hjørring, Denmark, on August 23, 1822.^[1] Christine Jensdatter was born, in Ugilt Tårs, on April 25, 1823.^[2] Jørgen married Christine, in Ugilt Tårs, on December 29, 1843.^[3] Between January 3, 1844 and May 23, 1853, Christine bore Jorgen four legitimate children:

Marthe Marie Jørgensen (273S-MTM)(1844-1854)^[4]
Christen Jørgensen (273S-Q9H)(1845-1854)^[5]
Ane Thomine Jorgensen (KWNJ-NLQ) (1847-1869)^[6]
Petrine Jensine Jørgensen (L7LY-L84)(1853-1854)^[7]

Erastus must have been born prior to December 29, 1843, or there would have been a record of his legitimate birth. Jørgen and Christine's eldest child was born five days after their marriage, which makes it apparent that they had a sexual relationship months (if not years) before their marriage. If Erastus had been born much earlier than 1843, it would have been difficult for Juliane to pass Erastus off as her own son, Rasmus, who was born, in Vrå, Hjørring, Denmark, on August 20, 1843.^[8]

L.D.S. Pioneers

According to a biography by Donna Smith Packer (KWCV-75Z), Juliane was baptized and confirmed as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in Aalborg, on November 14, 1852, and took Rasmus to Utah.

Three hundred seventy-eight "Scandinavian Saints" sailed, aboard the Eideren (a.k.a. Elderen), from Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 26, 1853. Among them was Jorgen; his wife, Christine; their four legitimate children (Martha Marie, Christen, Ane Thomine, and Petrine Jensine); Juliane Sorensdatter; and a boy identified as "Rasmus Julius Sorensen," who became known, in Utah, as "Erastus Julius Smith."^[9]^[10] On or about December 27, they disembarked in Kiel, in the Duchy of Holstein, which was ruled by the King of Denmark, Frederik VII, until the Second Schleswig War of 1864.

They traveled, by train, from Kiel to Glückstadt, Holstein, arriving by December 30.

On January 7, 1854, they departed from Glückstadt, aboard a steamship known as the "Transit" or "Tounsit," which reached Hull, in Victorian England, after approximately fifty-eight hours.

From Hull, they took a train to Liverpool, arriving at about 3:00 a.m., on January 10.

All eight of the above named "Saints" were still together when the Benjamin Adams sailed, from Liverpool, on January 28, 1854. Two dozen "Saints" died in Liverpool, and fifteen sick "Saints" were removed from the ship, but some British and German "Saints" joined them, bringing the total number of "Saints" aboard the Benjamin Adams, up to 384.

While crossing the Atlantic, eight "Saints" died, and two were born.

The vessel arrived at New Orleans on March 22, 1854.

On March 25, the emigrants departed, from New Orleans, aboard a Mississippi River steamboat named "the L. M. Kennet." They traveled up the Mississippi River, arriving at St. Louis, Missouri, on April 3. Fourteen emigrants died during that portion of the journey. In St. Louis, the survivors joined the Scandinavian company that had traveled aboard the Jesse Munn. The combined party of emigrants then traveled by another steamboat up the Missouri River to Kansas City, Missouri, arriving in early April. The name of the second steamboat and its arrival date remain unknown, but the combined group of emigrants camped near Westport, several miles south of Kansas City.

On June 15, these emigrants, as part of the Hans Peter Olsen wagon company, departed from Westport, Jackson County, Missouri. This company included Jørgen, Christine, Juliane, and Erastus, but it remains unclear when or where three of Jorgen and Christine's legitimate children died; only Ane Thomine appears to have survived to adulthood.

According to Donna Smith Packer, "On the 5th of October, 1854, according to Andrew Jensen's church chronology, page 52, 'Elder Hans Peter Olsen's company of immigrant saints, including the Scandinavians, arrived in Salt Lake City. Many had died from cholera while crossing the plains.' ...Julius...walked from Missouri to Salt Lake City.

"In October of 1854, Juliane and Rasmus went directly to Brigham City, Utah, and settled."

Juliane entered into a plural marriage with Jorgen and Christine, in Salt Lake City, on July 3, 1855.^[11]

Apprenticeship

According to Donna Smith Packer, Juliane escorted Erastus, on foot, from Brigham City to Ogden, where Erastus became an apprentice to someone known as "Mahoney," who apparently taught him to repair watches.

A Pony Express Rider & the Shoshone

In her biography, Donna Smith Packer included a quote attributed to Erastus in a conversation with his son, William Waldamar Smith (KWCF-T1M),in which Erastus stated that he had been a Pony Express Rider, on a route between Ogden, Utah, and Pocatello, Idaho; he rode the portion of this route between Brigham City, Utah, and Malad, Idaho. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The Pony Express operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861." Allegedly, while riding his route near a Shoshone village, in Box Elder County, called "Washakie" (pronounced "wash a key"), his horse stepped in a badger hole, and broke a leg, so Erastus found himself obliged to shoot and kill the horse, and continue on foot, with his gun, saddle, blanket, bridle, and mail.

He walked to Washakie, to borrow another horse, and, as he approached, a pack of dogs came out to attack him, so he found himself obliged to shoot the leader of the pack. Apparently, one of the Shoshone regarded the dog as his property, and he and the villagers were angry with him for killing the dog. Fortunately, a young Shoshone man was able to persuade the dog's owner to settle the dispute by taking Erastus' gun, saddle, and bridle. He also arranged for Erastus to borrow a horse with which to deliver his mail.

Erastus remained friends with the young Shoshone man, and invited him to visit him in Brigham City, which he sometimes did. The man had an odd habit of peeping in the windows, looking for Erastus. This scared Erastus' family, but, if he saw Erastus, he would knock on the door.

As the men aged, these visits became less frequent.

Allegedly, Erastus was reading a newspaper, in his home, one winter evening, when he heard the wind blow, and saw the face of his Shoshone friend through one of the windows. His friend looked sad, so Erastus went to see what was wrong. However, he discovered that his friend was not there, and there were no tracks in the snow.

Later, Erastus went to Washakie, to inquire about his friend, and was told that he had died.

Anna, Berdina & Josefina

The telegraph reached from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coasts of the U.S., in 1861, so the Pony Express Service delivered their last letters that year, and Erastus sought and found employment, in Wyoming and Montana, as a cowboy.

Circa 1867, Erastus allegedly married a woman, from Idaho, named "Anna Anthony," who bore him one child, named "Berdina Anthony Smith (K2XG-118)," circa 1868. Allegedly, by 1870, Erastus had buried both of them, in Montana, and returned to Utah, where he married a "close friend" of his mother's, named "Josefina Bernhardina Beckman," whom he had allegedly had a vision of (or dreamed about seeing) in a calico dress. Josefina bore him perhaps fourteen or fifteen children. Only ten or eleven of these children survived to adulthood.†

Donna Smith Packer

Perhaps most notable among Erastus and Josefina's descendants was their granddaughter, Donna Smith Packer, the daughter of their youngest child, William Waldamar Smith. Donna married Boyd Kenneth Packer (KWCV-75H). Boyd served as a Mormon Apostle longer than anyone before him, and might have become the President of the Mormon church if he had survived Thomas Spencer Monson (KWH3-DQT). If that had been the case, Donna would have become, for all intents and purposes, "the First Lady of the Mormon Church."

Deaths & Burials

Erastus buried both of his wives, as well as six of his fifteen or sixteen children, then died, in Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah, on August 7, 1929.†

His remains and those of Josefina share a tombstone in the Brigham City Cemetery.

Research Notes

There are seven reasons why I DO NOT believe that Rasmus and Erastus were the same person:

D.N.A. corroboration triangulating onto or "upstream" from Jorgen and Christine
A lack of any D.N.A. corroboration triangulating onto or "upstream" from Juliane or Rasmus
Sources Between 1854 and 1920
The names of Erastus' sons
A lack of Erastus' commentary on his Life before Utah
A lack of photographs
Death records for two people named "Rasmus Sorensen" who were born in 1843.

DNA Corroboration

As of August 17, 2026, sixty-two autosomal DNA matches to me on Ancestry.com leave little doubt, if any, that we, the alleged descendants of Erastus Julius Smith and his wife, Josefina Bernhardina (Beckman) Smith, are their biological descendants, and that we are related to each other more or less as numerous sources verify.

These matches corroborate my descent from:

Erastus Julius Smith, father of

Violet Stella Smith, mother of

Merle Mortensen, my mother.

These matches appear to descend from seven of Erastus and Josefina's children:

Five of these matches appear to descend from Julia Ann (Smith) Freeze.

Nine of these matches appear to descend from Hulda Amelia (Smith) Mortensen.

Twenty-two of these matches appear to descend from Victor Josephus Smith.

Three of these matches appear to descend from Josephine (Smith) Woodward.

Five of these matches appear to descend from Rose Ellen (Smith) Guard.

Seven of these matches appear to descend from Lillian LaVon (Smith) King.

Six of these matches appear to descend from William Waldamar Smith. They include William Waldamar Smith's offspring, Donna Smith Packer and Glenn Alvin Smith, each of whom shares approximately 6% of their autosomal DNA with me.

The above amount to fifty-seven matches. Five additional matches, for a total of sixty-two, also corroborate my descent from people upstream from Erastus.

Four additional matches corroborate my descent from people upstream from Josefina, bringing the total to sixty-six.

Six matches: three on Jørgen’s ancestral lines and three on Christine’s. N.Z. (15 cM), M.H. (8 cM), and A.L. (10 cM) support Jørgen’s lines; A.S. (8 cM), sewfolks (9 cM), and A.W. (13 cM) support Christine’s lines. The complete relationships appear below.

1st Match Corroborating Erastus' Descent from Jorgen and/or Christine (first for Jorgen):

As of April 28, 2026, an autosomal DNA match to me, N.Z., triangulates onto Juliane's husband, Jorgen Christian Pedersen. This match appears to be descended from Jorgen's son, Anton Levi Petersen, whose mother, Nicolene Christensdatter, was too young to have borne Erastus, making Anton and Erastus half brothers. N.Z. and I appear to be half third cousins twice removed; we share 15 cM across one segment, an amount consistent with that relationship.

This match appears to corroborate my descent from:

Jorgen Christian Pedersen, father of

Erastus Julius Smith, and so on.

This match appears to descend from:

Jorgen Christian Pedersen, father of

Anton Levi Petersen, father of

Levi Golden Petersen, father of

Golden J. Petersen, father of

Sherry Ann Petersen, mother of

Suzanee Vanderwood, mother of

N.Z.

2nd Match Corroborating Erastus' Descent from Jorgen and/or Christine (1st for Christine):

As of June 16, 2026, another autosomal DNA match to me, A.S., on Ancestry.com, appears to share descent from Jens Christian Christensen and Ane Christensdatter, the parents of Jorgen's first wife, Christine Jensdatter. A.S. and I appear to be fourth cousins twice removed; we share 8 cM across one segment, an amount consistent with that relationship.

This match appears to descend from Christine's sister, Johanne Marie Jensdatter.

This match appears to corroborate my descent from:

Jens Christian Christensen and Ane Christensdatter, parents of

Christine Jensdatter, mother of

Erastus Julius Smith, and so on.

This match appears to descend from:

Jens Christian Christensen and Ane Christensdatter, parents of

Johanne Marie Jensdatter, mother of

Maren Johan Nielsen, mother of

Edith Cummings, mother of

Eryl A. Cummings, father of

Marilyn Cummings, mother of

Mrs. (Cummings) Shipp, mother of

A.S.

3rd Match Corroborating Erastus' Descent from Jorgen and/or Christine (second for Jorgen):

As of July 8, 2026, another autosomal DNA match to me, M.H., on Ancestry.com, appears to share descent from Inger Kirstine Jensdatter, the paternal grandmother of Jorgen's father, Peder Christian Jørgensen. M.H. and I appear to be sixth cousins; we share 8 cM across one segment, an amount consistent with that relationship.

This match appears to corroborate my descent from:

Inger Kirstine Jensdatter, mother of

Jorgen Jensen, father of

Peder Christian Jørgensen, father of

Jorgen Christian Pedersen, father of

Erastus Julius Smith, and so on.

This match appears to descend from:

Inger Kirstine Jensdatter, mother of

Else Jensen, mother of

Christen Larsen Winther, father of

Christiane Christensen, mother of

Christian Jensen Christiansen, father of

Elphena Christiansen, mother of

Rasmus Henry Jorgensen, father of

M.H.

4th Match Corroborating Erastus' Descent from Jorgen and/or Christine (third for Jorgen):

As of August 5, 2026, another autosomal DNA match to me, A.L., on Ancestry.com, appears to share descent from Niels Nielsen, the maternal grandfather of Jorgen's mother, Marthe Marie Nielsdatter. A.L. and I appear to be sixth cousins; we share 10 cM across one segment, an amount consistent with that relationship.

This match appears to corroborate my descent from:

Niels Nielsen, father of

Karen Nielsdatter, mother of

Marthe Marie Nielsdatter, mother of

Jorgen Christian Pedersen, father of

Erastus Julius Smith, and so on.

This match appears to descend from:

Niels Nielsen, father of

Jens Nielsen, father of

Inger Marie Jensdatter, mother of

Kirsten Thomasen, mother of

Jens Christian Joseph Larsen, father of

Parley Grant Larsen, father of

Donald Wayne Larsen, father of

A.L.

5th Match Corroborating Erastus' Descent from Jorgen and/or Christine (second for Christine):

As of August 17, 2026, another autosomal DNA match to me, "sewfolks," on Ancestry.com, appears to share descent from Christine Jensdatter's father, Jens Christian Christensen. "sewfolks" and I appear to be fourth cousins twice removed; we share 9 cM across one segment, an amount consistent with that relationship.

This match appears to corroborate my descent from:

Jens Christian Christensen, father of

Christine Jensdatter, mother of

Erastus Julius Smith, and so on.

This match appears to descend from:

Jens Christian Christensen, father of

Jens C. Jensen, father of

Simo P. Jensen, father of

William C. Jensen, father of

Earl Kelsey Jensen, father of

Parley Grant Larsen, father of

Deone V. Jensen, father of

"sewfolks."

Based on this DNA corroboration, together with the lack of any autosomal DNA matches appearing to descend from Rasmus Smidt, Juliane Sorensdatter or their forebears, I am confident that Erastus Julius Smith was the biological offspring of Jorgen Christian Pedersen and Christine Jensdatter.

6th Match Corroborating Erastus' Descent from Jorgen and/or Christine (third for Christine):

As of September 12, 2026, another autosomal DNA match to me, A.W., on Ancestry.com, appears to share descent from Maren Jensdatter, the mother of Christine Jensdatter's father, Jens Christian Christensen. A.W. and I appear to be half fifth cousins; we share 13 cM across one segment, an amount consistent with that relationship.

A.W. appears to descend from Jens C. Christiansen, a maternal half-brother of Jens Christian Christensen. This places the apparent common ancestral line one generation upstream from Christine's father, through Christine's paternal grandmother, Maren Jensdatter.

This match appears to corroborate my descent from:

Maren Jensdatter, mother of

Jens Christian Christensen, father of

Christine Jensdatter, mother of

Erastus Julius Smith, and so on.

This match appears to descend from:

Maren Jensdatter, mother of

Jens C. Christiansen, father of

Jens C. Jensen, father of

Maria L. Jensen, mother of

Marion P. Anderson, mother of

Ina Leora Andersen, mother of

Kirk Leron Walton, father of

A.W.

Lack of DNA Corroboration:

Rasmus Smidt had at least three legitimate children:

Frederik Ludvig Erik Schmidt,
Theodor Franciskus Napoleon Schmidt, and
Hedevig Franciska Mathilde Schmidt

It remains uncertain whether any of these people had offspring.

Rasmus Smidt also had four siblings who survived to adulthood:

Catherine Smidt, who reportedly had fourteen children, six of whom survived to adulthood,
Claus Christian Smidt, who had no known issue
Anne Elisabeth Smidt, who had one known daughter, Gertrudmine Claudine Kamp
Friderich Ludvig Smith, who had two children:

Magdalene Elise Smith and
Josephine Laurine Anthonette Smith, both of whom are known to have had offspring.

Juliane Sørensdatter had two siblings:

Caroline Sørensdatter, who had two daughters, Marie Andersen and Thomine Caroline Andersen
Friderich Christian Sørensen, who had two sons who survived to adulthood:

Thorvald Sørensen, who might not have had issue, and
Gustav Valdemar Sørensen Eich, who had two children who survived to adulthood.

According to ChatGPT, given this many people (more than a dozen) from whom modern people might have descended with autosomal DNA in common with an alleged great-great-grandson of Rasmus Smidt and Juliane Sørensdatter (which I would be) - that descendant should expect to find at least two or three AncestryDNA matches that triangulate onto or "upstream" from Juliane Sorensdatter and/or Rasmus Smidt, if Erastus were the biological offspring of Rasmus or Juliane. ChatGPT calculates that there could be 600 to 3,000 candidates. Given that Ancestry.com claims 30 million samples from people world-wide, and YouGov estimates 21% of people in the U.S. have taken a DNA test, ChatGPT estimates that 75 to 250 candidates have probably taken Ancestry's test. Given the range of cM these distant cousins would be expected to share (0 to 85 cM), ChatGPT estimates that two or three candidates should share a segment at least 8 cM long. The current absence of any matches from these lines is contradicted by the six matches detailed above.

According to AI Overview, the lack of any autosomal DNA match triangulating onto or "upstream" from Erastus' alleged parents, Rasmus Smidt and/or Juliane Sorensdatter means that neither of them is Erastus' biological parent. Personally, I would not "go that far," but I seriously doubt that Rasmus was Erastus' father, or that Juliane was his mother. I am confident that Jorgen and Christine were Erastus' biological parents.

Sources Between 1854 and 1920

The passenger list for the Benjamin Adams identified Erastus as "Rasmus Julius Sorensen," age 10, and his alleged mother, as "Juliane Sorensen," age 38.^[12] However, in all of the official records of Erastus since then, until the U.S. Census of 1920 (approximately a dozen sources), he is is identified as "Julius Smith," or "Erastus J. Smith" - never as "Rasmus." During the U.S. of 1920, when he was 75 years old, he is identified as "Rasmus J. Smith." I believe that someone spoke for him, unbeknownst to him, and/or against his will. That census indicates that three of his daughters (Lillian La Von Smith (KWCY-3F2), Millicent Caroline Smith, and Violet Stella Smith) lived with him, and were in their twenties. It also indicates that his youngest child, William Waldamar Smith, resided with him, at 19 years of age.

The Names of Erastus' Sons

Apparently, Erastus never accepted the name "Rasmus." Between his arrival in New Orleans and the U.S. Census of 1920, Erastus was identified on official records as "Julius Smith."

Apparently, he chose to "thread the needle" with Juliane by calling himself "Julius" rather than his preferred name "Erastus," or "Rasmus," which Juliane imposed on him.

Apparently, he continued his attempt to "thread the needle" when he named his firstborn son "Julius Junior Smith." Perhaps an altercation ensued which resulted in the infant's death; allegedly, he died the day he was born, on May 10, 1872. (See the back of Erastus and Josefina's tombstone.)

Juliane died on April 13, 1873. (See her tombstone, in the Brigham City Cemetery, at plot B-35-27-3.)

Erastus' second son was born on September 29, 1873. Erastus named him "Joseph Emanual Smith," after the boy's mother, Josefina, presumably, and the man whom they regarded as their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Emanual, presumably.

The next child Josefina bore him, in 1875, was a girl, whom they named "Julia Ann Smith (KWCF-WT1)," after Juliane, presumably.

In 1877, Josefina bore Erastus their third son, whom he named, without regard to Juliane, who had died four years earlier, "Erastus Julius Smith Jr. (KWVW-RCF)." This name is perhaps the most telling of all the names that he gave any of his children - his own, exact name. For me, this one fact more than any other, tells me that he regarded his real name to be "Erastus Julius Smith" - NOT "Rasmus"! Furthermore, Erastus Julius Smith DID NOT name any of his sons "Rasmus."

Erastus' Life Before Utah

One of the most suspicious things about Donna Smith Packer's biography of her paternal grandfather, Erastus Julius Smith, is that it contains no mention of anything he ever said about his life before he allegedly walked from Missouri to Utah, when he was about ten years old.

Donna was born in October of 1927; Erastus died in August of 1929; Donna would have been almost two years old. Obviously, much of the information she included in Erastus' biography would have been recounted to her by her father (Erastus' youngest child), William Waldamar Smith.

Addressing the period of time between when Juliane abandoned her illegitimate infant, Rasmus Julius Smith, and traveled with Erastus from Scandinavia to Utah, when he was about ten years old, Donna merely suggests that "perhaps" Rasmus Julius Sorensen stayed with his Uncle Friderick, or with other friends or relatives. At no point does she ever state or even imply that Erastus ever told anyone anything about his life before he allegedly walked from Missouri to Utah, without getting sick, even though "many" "saints" died along the trail.

Given the life Erastus led after his arrival in Utah, it is apparent that he was of sound mind and body most of his life. It is not as if he were too mentally retarded or physically incapable of describing his life in Scandinavia to have told someone about it.

The most logical reasons for the silence regarding the first decade of his life is that there was something about it which he was under duress not to tell, and/or William and/or Donna carefully curated his biography.

Y-DNA Tests

Among more than sixty autosomal DNA matches to me are two direct descendants of Erastus, named Glenn and Ronald, who, along with me, have had FamilyTreeDNA perform their Big Y-700, autosomal Family Finder, and mitochondrial mtFull Tests on our DNA. Glenn's Y-DNA is of particular interest, because, unlike me and Ronald, who are the grandsons of two of Erastus' daughters, Glenn is the son of Erastus' youngest son, William Waldamar Smith, so his Y-DNA is almost certainly the same as Erastus', but Glenn HAS NO Y-DNA matches, at any level (Y-12 through Y-700). His Confirmed Y-DNA Haplogroup is R-Z302 (R1b1a1b1a1a2e2).

Selmer-20 :

Erastus Julius Smith's Wikitree ID is Sørensen-4804.

As of April 1, 2024, someone with Wikitree ID Selmer-20 posted the following remarks on Erastus' Wikitree Profile:

"It is without reasonable doubt, that

Rasmus Smith and Juliane Sørensdatter

are the parents of Rasmus Julius."

--Selmer-20 21:49, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

"There is no source showing that Erastus Smith

and Rasmus Julius Sørensen are the same person"

--Selmer-20 21:49, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Perhaps these remarks were April Fools' jokes, because they ARE quite amusing.

First of all, the question is begged, "Who is Selma-20?"

By plugging this Wikitree ID (Selma-20) and Julius' (Sørensen-4804) into the Wikitree Relationship Finder, I found that, as of April 2, 2024, they do not appear to be related by blood. By clicking a link to automatically pair their IDs on the Wikitree Connection Finder, I discover that they are separated by "28 Degrees" and a half dozen marriages.

As Erastus' great-grandson, who has had his DNA subjected to FamilyTreeDNA's Big Y-700, mtFull, and Family Finder Tests, as well as AncestryDNA's autosomal test, I have reasonable doubts that either Rasmus Smith or Juliane Sørensdatter were his parents.

That Rasmus Smidt was Erastus Julius Smith's father, we have only, according to Donna Smith Packer, Juliane's word, when she named "the father" for the record of Erastus' birth. This was circa 1845; I'm fairly certain no paternity test was taken then.

According to Donna Smith Packer, Juliane abandoned Rasmus, on October 21, 1843, two months and a day after his birth, on August 20, 1843, and he did not live with his mother until after Juliane converted to Mormonism in, 1852, when he would have been about nine years old. The only records of him between his christening in 1843 and the Danish Census of 1850, are the Danish Military Levies of 1843, 1844, 1846, and 1847, which did not indicate who he lived with, or who his parents were. The Danish Census of 1850 indicates that he resided, at age 7, with a head of household in Hjørring, Denmark, named "Christan Adrassensen," although it does not specify what their biological relationship was, if any. It appears, based on surnames, that Christan was 39, as was his wife; and they had three children, ages 2, 7, and 10. Three adults, with different surnames, ages 37, 44, and 54, also resided with Christan's family.

It is possible that the Rasmus Julius Smith christened in 1843 died before 1852, and/or that Juliane took some other boy with her to Utah.

Since no DNA matches to more than fifty of Erastus Julius Smith's DNA-corroborated descendants triangulate onto either of his alleged "parents," I have very reasonable doubts about who his parents were.

As for "no source showing that Erastus Smith and Rasmus Julius Sørensen are the same person," there are, on the contrary, several such sources: 1) people, like me, personally acquainted with the family; 2) Donna Smith Packer's biography of Erastus Julius Smith, and 3) Erastus Julius Smith's profile on FamilySearch (KWCL-TJW) where, as of April 5, 2024, he is still listed as "Erastus Julius Smith." The same pictures, the same dates, the same places, the same wives and children...

Sources

No.	Source	Return
1	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG86-YSP8 : Thu Mar 27 09:05:13 UTC 2025), Entry for Jorgen Christian Pedrsen and Peder Jorgensen, 1822.	↩
2	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG86-LJ12 : Thu Mar 27 00:51:08 UTC 2025), Entry for Christine Jensdatter and Jens Christensen, 1823.	↩
3	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG8F-7C6B : Thu Mar 27 07:26:17 UTC 2025), Entry for Jorgen Christian Pedersen and Christine Jensdr, 29 Dec 1843.	↩
4	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG8D-JMM5 : Wed Mar 26 19:54:06 UTC 2025), Entry for Marthe Marie Jorgensen and Jorgen Christian Pedersen, 1844.	↩
5	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG86-C9R8 : Thu Mar 27 00:28:19 UTC 2025), Entry for Christen Jorgensen and Jorgen Kristian Pedersen, 1845.	↩
6	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG86-H2YM : Wed Mar 26 19:47:37 UTC 2025), Entry for Ane Thomine Jórgensen and Jórgen Christian Pedersen, 1847.	↩
7	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG88-HNSM : Thu Mar 27 00:43:17 UTC 2025), Entry for Petrine Jensine Jórgensen and Jórgen Christian Pedersen, 1853.	↩
8	"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG86-WVNY : Thu Jul 23 17:05:36 UTC 2026), Entry for Rasmus Julius Sørensen and Niels Andersen, 1843.	↩
9	"A Compilation of General Voyage Notes," Saints by Sea: Latter-day Saint Immigration to America, Brigham Young University, Benjamin Adams voyage, accessed August 2, 2026.	↩
10	Andrew Jenson, History of the Scandinavian Mission (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1927), 88.	↩
11	"Jørgen Christian Pedersen," FamilySearch Family Tree, PID KWJZ-KTB, relationship to Juliane Sørensdatter, married 3 July 1855, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory; citing "John C. Peterson," Utah, FamilySearch, Early Church Information File, 1830–1900; accessed 2 August 2026.	↩
12	"Louisiana, New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKNP-67XK : Fri Jul 03 05:49:43 UTC 2026), Entry for Rasmus Julius, 1854.	↩
13	Donna Smith Packer, The Life History of Rasmus Julius Smith, family biography preserved in the research files of William Mortensen Vaughan.	—
14	"Denmark, Baptisms, 1618–1923", FamilySearch, entry for Rasmus Julius, baptized 24 August 1843, Vrå Parish; FamilySearch record XYD8-3G9.	—
15	Denmark Census, 1845, entry for Juliane Sørensen, recorded without Rasmus.	—
16	Denmark Census, 1850, entry for seven-year-old Rasmus in the Christan Adrassensen household in Hjørring.	—
17	Denmark Census, 1850, separate entry for Juliane Sørensen in Aalborg.	—
18	Hans Peter Olsen Company records, 1854, documentation of the Scandinavian Mormon migration to Utah.	—
19	United States Census, 1920, Utah household in which the man otherwise known as Julius or Erastus Smith was recorded as “Rasmus J. Smith.” FamilySearch census entry	—
20	Death record and obituary of Erastus Julius Smith, 1929, records using the name Erastus Julius Smith.	—
21	AncestryDNA and FamilyTreeDNA research, including descendant autosomal comparisons and Big Y-700 results discussed on this page.	—
22	The Life History of Rasmus Julius Smith (1843-1929) by Donna Smith Packer	—
23	The Genealogy of William Mortensen Vaughan by William Mortensen Vaughan	—

Footnotes

* Erastus was first identified as "Rasmus J. Smith" in the U.S. Census of 1920; he was subsequently identified as "Rasmus Julius Smith" in the title of his biography written by his granddaughter, Donna Smith Packer.

† It is disputed whether or not Erastus Julius Smith was the father of his alleged daughter, Josephine Smith (1898-1981), who was born in 1898 and died in 1981, and is NOT to be confused with his daughter, also named "Josephine Smith (1887-1922)," who was born in 1887 and died in 1922.

Contact

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William Mortensen Vaughan on IMDb