CCA Christensen

Just a quick trip down heritage lane, to celebrate the Christensen side of me!

Carl Christian Anton Christensen (known to his friends and family as CCA, pronounced SeeSeeAHH) is best known as a LDS artist. He was discovered in his home land of Denmark where he lived in an orphanage. Sad, but true. His mother was a single struggling mother who one day decided to follow her faith and head to where the Mormons were gathering. Not having the financial ability to take her son along- she left him in an orphanage and then joined the saints. She eventually settled in Ephraim UT. In the meantime a wealthy lady in Denmark had asked the children in the orphanage to draw Christmas cards for her. She loved CCA's paintings and offered to pay for him to have some painting and drawing classes.

When CCA was old enough to leave the orphanage he headed for Utah to be with his mother. He crossed the plains on a train, but was so impressed with the stories of the saints and their handcarts and oxen that he decided to paint the stories and travel around with "murals" teaching the youth of the church about the early struggles of the saints. These murals are now owned by BYU. They are exhibited a few times a year. The family also donated many of his paintings to the church, and they can be seen throughout the temples,and copies are in our picture packets, and in the church libraries.

CCA had a son named Charles John, who is my Great Grandfather, and Charles John had a son Carrol Cyrus Anton Christensen, who is my Grandfather, and Carrol had a son- Timothy Guy, who is my father.

How cool it is that a wealthy lady saw talent in a young "orphaned" boy. Its awesome that he had the desire to find his mother as a young man. Even better that he had the ability to share his mothers experience as a pioneer with the world!