History of the Peter B. Anderson Family By B. Frank Anderson

PETERSON

Posted By: Mark Simmons (email)
Date: 11/20/2015 at 14:06:25

A HISTORY OF THE PETER. B. ANDERSON FAMILY

In 1798, Anders Person was born in Smaland Sweden. He moved to Skane and there
was married to Svenborg. They settled as Fjalkestad, Skane, where they wend into housekeeping
on the estate called Gyeveik, Hjarsos Parish. There Peter B. Anderson was born on the 12th day
of October, 1922. Peter's father was a stone mason by trade, and while blasting stone, preparing
it for building, he was killed by accident. Peter was at that time but 1-1/2 years old. His mother
did not remarry, but lived single to rear her only son. She lived to be 86 years old, with her mind
clear to the last. She passed away singing the first verse of the Swedish song #198. Her son Peter,
thus left an orphan, grew to manhood in the community where he was born and sought work as a
farm hand or any other work he could get. It is reported of him that he was honest and industrious
in his work. In 1847 Peter was married to Chersti, Oldsdotter who was the oldest of three children
of Ola Monson who lived on the shores of Lake Emilin, of the south end of the lake. He was a
shoemaker by trade. It is believed, tho not yet verified, that Ola Monson was first cousin to Ola
Monson of Christinstad, who was the great grandfather of Charles Lindberg, the Lone Eagle who
flew across the Atlantic in an Aeroplane.

On April 29th, 1854, Peter B. Anderson with his wife and four children took passage to
New York, U.S.A on a sailing vessel. On this vessel, because they had no power except sail, they
were driven out of their course by a terrific storm, so that they were below the equator. Because of
this storm, they were 13 weeks in the Atlantic. The passport gives a description of Peter B. Anderson
to be 5 ft. 9 in. tall, blue eyes, red hair, and of a reddish complexion, weight 168 lbs.. As I remember
him this description is correct. The description of Mother Chersti, was black hair, grey eyes, 5 ft. 4 in.
tall and of a real strong build. Their four children were Andrew, Hannah, Monts and Ingar.

When they arrived in Chicago, the dread disease Cholera took from them their youngest child,
Ingar, who was buried somewhere in Chicago, no one knows where. At that time Mother's sister, who
with her husband and two children were in the immagrant company, also died from Cholera. To continue
to their distination, which was Galesburg, Illinois, there being no railroad, they hired a team to haul their
trunks and belongings and the children who were too young to walk. The men and women in the
company walked the greater part of the way. Enroute to Galesburg they stopped to investigate the
Swedish Colony, Bishop Hill, but could not see their way clear to join this colony. After spending two
years or more at Galesburg, they moved to Berlin, Mercer County, Illinois, now called Swedona, and
there purchased 60 acres of land on the south side of the road lying east and west, just half way
between Swedona and Andover. The small stream called Edwards River ran through the south part.
In 1866 they sold this land and the family moved to Geneseo, Illinois, where they lived two years.

In 1866 they were equipped with two teams of horses and two lumber wagons. The wagons
were covered with white canvas and all their belongings and the whole familywere loaded into these
wagans, about the first week in April, and started for Dayton, Webster County, Iowa. An account of this
trip can be understood by reading the book, "The Hawkeye" or "Vandemark's Folly" by Herbert Quick.
(As I was eight years old when we began this journeyI will give the account of it as I remember it).
We arrived at Stratford, Iowa, then known as Swedes Bank, in about two weeks, but we had to wait
there two weeks because the river had no bridge and the water was so high that we could not cross.
Finally we got across and drove out as faw west as Lost Grove, which was a place a mile or so south
and west of Harcourt, Iowa. We lived in our wagon through rain and storm and did our cooking by a
camp fire as best as we could. In June 1868 we moved to a little log house; a family by the name of
Stenefeldt with three people and we with five children lived in that one room until September. In that room
Emma was born on the 12th of June and the next week Emily Stenefeldt was also born there.

In September 1868 the first conference meeting to which Father took Rev. Malmberg, was held in
Madrid, then known as Swede Point. There he met Mother's cousin Bengta Monson, who had married
Sven Carlson and lived in a small house in Sec. 24-82-26 on the Elk Rapids road to Nevada, Iowa. We
immediately loaded all our belongings at that time in one lumber wagon, hauled by one team, and moved to
Swede Point, a distance of between 35 and 40 miles. We moved into a small log house that lay about
80 rods east from what is now known as the Dalander Cemetery. This log house was about 14 ft. x 16 ft.,
one room, with a small loft. The only entrance to the loft was by a ladder from the outside. In this house
we lived two winters and one summer. In 1870 Father bought some swamp land in Sec. 13-82-25
Garden Township, Boone County, Iowa. Upon which land he built a frame house and sheds to shelter his
stock and lived there continuously until his passing away in 1895, Mother having passed away on
Thanksgiving Day 1894. The family struggled for an existance but were always happy and ready to
entertain anyone who might come into our house.

From this family a tree has grown with branches which extend to all parts of the United States.

I have this to say of the family of eleven children, nine growing to maturity, and one to the age of nearly 83,
that in no case has any one of them have been found guilty of any misdemeanor or been reprimanded by any court.
My brother, my senior by four years, and I at the age of nearly 80, are the only ones left of the original family. We
both are enjoying quite good health, but know not the hour that the Good Lord will come to us.

Greetings to all,

(signed) B. Frank Anderson

Written by B. F. Anderson at Madrid, Ia., Aug. 27, 1939

From Original Typed Manuscript