Anderson, George M. 1836 - 1925
ANDERSON, LINNEVOLD, SHEGGERED, SKARIE, STEEN, SWENSON, HANSON, JACOBSON, SIVESSEIND, ODE, KJORLANG
Posted By: Bill Waters (email)
Date: 4/15/2014 at 11:57:06
George M. Anderson is a prominent and representative farmer of Frankville Township, living on section 7, his time and energies being devoted to the further development and cultivation of a farm of two hundred acres. He has resided thereon continuously for sixty years save for a period spent as a soldier of the Civil war. He was born in Drammen, Norway, on the 5th of January, 1836, a son of Magnus and Inger (Sheggered) Linnevold. It was in the year 1853 that the parents started for America with their seven children. The father did not believe that the English speaking people could manage his surname and therefore changed it to Anderson, which is the English of Linnevold. This name was accordingly used by the subject of this review, but the latter's children have reverted to the old Norwegian name. After reaching the United States the family spent about three months in Racine, Wisconsin, and in October, 1853, came to Winneshiek county, Iowa, settling in Frankville township. This district was then upon the frontier and few settlements had been made within the borders of the county. Much of the land was still in possession of the government and Magnus Anderson, or Linnevold, entered a claim constituting the farm upon which his son George now resides. He at once began to cultivate the land and in time brought it to a high state of cultivation, he and his wife spending their remaining days upon this place. The latter died September 5, 1866, at the age of fifty-eight years, while the father reached the venerable age of ninety-two years, passing away May 29, 1897. He had learned and followed the carpenter’s trade in his native country and he also worked at carpentering in Iowa in connection with farming. He had one hundred and sixty acres in the old homestead, together with forty acres of timber in Glenwood Township. His religious faith was that of the Lutheran church and his political belief that of the Republican Party, to which he gave stanch support after becoming a naturalized American citizen. Unto him and his wife were born seven children: Celia, the wife of Juul Skarie, of Fillmore county, Minnesota; George M.; Caroline, who is the widow of Ole Steen and resides at Forest City, Iowa; Andrew, who enlisted in Company G, Twelfth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for service in the Civil war and was mortally wounded at the battle of Corinth, his death occurring a month later in a hospital at Keokuk. Iowa; Ingeborg, the wife of Martin of Fillmore county, Minnesota; Johanna, the wife of W. O. Hanson, of Forest City, Iowa; and Ole, who for twenty-five years was a traveling salesman for a Chicago house, but died in Forest City in 1911.
George M. Anderson was a youth of about seventeen years when brought by his parents to the new world, and since that time he has resided continuously upon the farm on section 7, Frankville Township, which is now his home. The only interruption to his activities as an agriculturist came at the time of the Civil war, when he enlisted in August, 1862, as a member of Company E, Thirty-Eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Henry Cleghorn. He served until the close of the war and was mustered out at Houston, Texas, on the 15th of August, 1865. He took part in all of the engagements with his company, including a number of hotly contested battles. Going to the front as a corporal he returned as a sergeant and his military record was ever a most creditable one.
After his return from the war, Mr. Anderson resumed farming, which he followed until two years ago, when he suffered a fall, which injury caused him the loss of his eyesight. He is still the owner of the two hundred acre farm which his father owned and the place is devoted to general farming and stock-raising. It has been well improved by Mr. Anderson, who year by year carefully tilled the fields and gathered good crops. On one occasion his home was destroyed by fire, but he immediately rebuilt, erecting a modern and attractive residence which is one of the fine homes of the township.
On the 23d of December, 1865, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Johanna Jacobson, who was born in Norway, August 14, 1842, and. in 1853 came to the United States with her parents, Johannes and Olina Sivesseind, who remained residents of this county until called to their final rest, the father passing away in 1889 at the age of eighty-two years and the mother in 1895 at the age of seventy-eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were the parents of eight children : Albert, who resides on part of his father's farm; John, a preacher of the Lutheran church, now in Edgerton, Wisconsin; Ingeman, who for six years has served as county auditor of Winneshiek county, but expects soon to remove from Decorah to Fargo, North Dakota; Frederick Julius, who died at the age of seven months; Marie, the wife of George Ode, of Decorah; William, who operates the farm for his father and occupies a part of the residence; Hannah, who died August 5, 1912, at the age of thirty-three years; and Elizabeth, the wife of Rev. Peter Kjorlang, a Lutheran minister at Warren, Minnesota.
In politics Mr. Anderson has been a life-long republican since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in i860. He has held all of the township offices—was justice of the peace for twelve years, assessor for twelve years, and has twice been United States census enumerator. His public duties have ever been most faithfully discharged and his record as a citizen is a most commendable one. That he is popular with his old army comrades is shown by the fact that he was elected president of the Thirty-eighth Iowa Infantry Reunion, held at Decorah in October, 1912, but owing to the fact that he lost his eyesight he has been unable to serve. He belongs to Colonel Hughes Post, No. 160, G. A. R., of Decorah, and is a demitted Mason. He and his family have held membership in the Lutheran church since 1853. He has been very active in church work, has held official positions in connection therewith, and at all times his life has been an upright, honorable one, in harmony with his professions. In this way he has gained the good-will and confidence of all. He is one of Winneshiek county's pioneer citizens, having been a witness of the greater part of the growth and progress of the county since he took up his abode here in 1853.
Source: History of Winneshiek County, Iowa Vol. II Chicago the S. J. Clark publishing Company 1913
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