Anderson Ancestors
Theodore Anderson: b. 5 Feb 1840, d. 20 Jan 1917
Anna Josephine Sophia Kristiansdatter (Finsrud): b. 28 July 1858, d. 22 Sept 1920
Theodore Anderson & Anna Josephine Kristiansdatter
Theodore and Anna were married in Norway on November 22, 1878. They immigrated to the United States with son John Arndt and baby Hannah in 1882. The 1895 census shows their address as 823 20th Ave in Ward 9. Today, this location is just north of highway 94 near Augsburg College.
Immigration records show that Anna's brother Andreas Kristianson travelled to Minneapolis with Theodore and Anna.
An undated work permit for Thea shows her address as 957 20th Ave NE, which is not located in ward 9 as census records indicate. This location is in northeast Minneapolis near Central and Lowry Avenues, which is ward 1. Something more to investigate.
By the time of Theodore's death in 1917 the family had moved to 749 Buchanan St. NE in Minneapolis.
Before his marriage to Anna, Theodore was married to Marie Johansdatter until her death in 1876. Theodore and Marie had three children: Martin Julius, Martha Johanna, and John Arndt. I do not know what became of Martin and Martha, but John Arndt made the voyage to America with Theodore and Anna, along with 2-year-old Hannah in 1882. Hannah died of bronchitis shortly after their arrival. She is buried in the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Anna grew up on a farm in Trogstad Norway named Finsrud. It was common at the time for family to take the name of their farm. If they moved, then their name changed! Her parents were Kristian Svendsen and Helene Andersdatter. A researcher in Norway has indicated that the farm is still there. See: Finsrud Farm in Norway
Her birth record shows a different birth date (July 28, 1860) than what is recorded on her death certificate (Aug 4th, 1858). Her Norwegian birth record was brought to my attention by a Norwegian researcher through Ancestry.com. Her marriage record also shows her birthdate as (July 28, 1860).
After settling in Minneapolis, the Andersons expanded their family, adding daughter Dorthea Josephine (Thea) and son Alex K.
On the back of this photo, Thea wrote, "My old home in Minneapolis in 1891."
This undated photo shows Thea, Alex (standing), and John Arndt
Over the years, the family lived at the following addresses in Minneapolis:
- 1895: 823 20th Ave
- 1900: 1719 filmore St.
- 1910: 1114 18th Ave NE
- 1917: 749 Buchannan St. NE
Theodore died in 1917 at age 78. His death certificate indicates that he died of pneumonia and also suffered from dementia. When he died, he was living at 749 Buchanan St. NE.
In December of 1918, John Arndt moved Anna to the Rochester State Hospital in southern Minnesota. (By this time, both Theodore and her youngest son Axel had died and daughter Thea was married with four children.) Anna died at the hospital in 1920 at the age of 62 from a cerebral hemorrhage. The circumstances around her move to the state hospital are unknown. By the early 1900s, the hospital was a housing and treatment facility for the mentally ill.
You can read about the history of the hospital at: Rochester State Hospital
The Andersons have an 8.5’ x 11’ plot at Hillside Cemetery in northeast Minneapolis. Until 2015, only Theodore and son Axel had headstones. The cemetery record shows Anna and J. Arndt being buried here also, so in 2015, the Anderson ancestors purchased headstones for Anna and John Arndt.
References
John (Johann) Arndt Anderson
b. 1872, d. 05 Jan 1919
John Arndt died in 1919 at age 47 from pneumonia and a secondary cardiac condition. The death certificate indicates that he was a solicitor for an insurance company. Prior to that John Arndt worked in grocery sales. At the time of his death, he lived at 749 Buchanan St. NE.
References
Hannah M. Anderson
b. 1880, d. 22 July 1882
Hannah was born in Norway in 1880. She made the journey to America in May of 1882. She died of bronchitis in July of that year. She is buried in the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery in Minneapolis.
References
Dorthea Josephine Anderson
b. 14 July 1883, d. 04 Feb 1938
Dorthea Anderson was born on July 14, 1883, in Minneapolis, MN. She attended Prescott Elementary school in northeast Minneapolis, located at 1024 Lowry Ave NE. The school was built in 1884. This photo of Prescott appeared in the Minneapolis Tribune on Sept. 20th, 1938.
In 1901, Thea married Lars Johnson. In 1903 they moved to Tabor in Polk County where Lars was appointed postmaster. Laura (1903) and Mabel (1906) were born during the years that Thea and Lars lived in Polk County. Lars served as postmaster until the Johnsons moved to Minneapolis in 1906. He also ran the General Store in Belgrade, Stearns County. According to their grandson Douglas Franzman, Lars' business partner ran off with the proceeds from the store.
In 1906 the Johnsons moved to Minneapolis. In 1910, they lived at 1112 Lincoln St. NE in Minneapolis. Lars was working as a laborer for an oil and paint company. Clifford (1908) and Muriel (1912) were born during this time.
In 1920 the Johnsons lived at 749 Buchanan Street, Thea's parents (Theodore and Anna's) former home. They must have moved into the home after John Arndt passed away in 1919. Census records show that Lars worked in a factory at this time.
Thea’s family members died within years of each other – her father Theodore and brother Axel in 1917, brother John Arndt in 1919 and mother Anna in 1920.
In 1921 after their daughter Mabel finished high school, Lars, Thea, Mabel, Clifford, and Muriel moved to Valley Township near Grygla, MN. Their eldest daughter Laura had married Bill Carlson and remained in Minneapolis.
Thea suffered from epilepsy. During one of her grand mal seizures, she fell on the hot stove, burning her arms. She was hospitalized when her daughter Mabel married John Franzman (1926) and did not attend the wedding. After returning from the hospital, she was unable to do much physically.
She died on Feb 4th, 1938 in Grygla, MN at the age of 54, and is buried in Grygla, Minnesota.
References
Axel K. Anderson
b. 06 May 1889, d. 22 May 1917
Axel was born in Minneapolis, the youngest of the Andersons. He died young - at age 28 of a cerebreal condition (death certificate is difficult to read) and fever.
At the time of his death, Axel had just started work as a flagman for the Northern Pacific Railway Company. He began work there on January 1st, 1917 for $42.50 - per week, I assume. His death certificate - 5 months later - states that he worked as a laborer on farms, so perhaps the railway job didn't work out.
References
Anderson Photos
These photos were included in the Anderson family bible. They are undated and the people are not identified. The frames around the photos indicate that they were taken in Norway, so I assume that the pictures are of Theodore and Anna's generation or earlier. (The baby could be John Arndt.)