pictured here are agnes, ellen, bob and young paul

 

charles, anna and amanda - paul's eldest three siblings

siblings charles, anna, amanda and young ?ellen

paul

his older siblings

excerpted from 'my grandparents' by pauline anderson gibbs


> CHARLIE, the lad who pioneered with john s. and emma anderson was unbeatable. he was brawny as well as brainy, for he stood six feet, very well built with a head of brown curly hair which he wore rather long. he graduated from eighth grade from the country school, and then attended tobin college in fort dodge for a term, currying horses at colby's livery barn for his board. he taught for four years in the country school.

in 1894 CHARLIE bought a tract of land and began bachin' it in a shack. for years he didn't own a pair of shoes but he preferred going without. he was a great reader and philosopher. he loaned money right and left, but when he died he was worth $67,000.

CHARLIE became a figure in politics and for fourteen years he was chairman of the webster county board of supervisors. he is remembered by all the old settlers as "big charlie." he died in 1923 from diabetes for he loved candy. he used to come on sundays in an old 1910 ford to visit his nieces and nephews and always brought a special kind of candy.


> ANNA, the other child born in sweden, was a sweet lovable girl. she would never think of hurting anyone. much of the caring for the younger ones fell to her. when she was sixteen she went to work in des moines to do housework. one day in church she saw carl and he never escaped her. he was then working as a carpenter. in a few years they were married and staring farming for themselves.


> MANDA was more like charlie, bighearted and generous to the core. she attended the country school and also worked in des moines. about 1894 she married warner larson. warner was a self made man. he came from sweden in 1892 and when he was twenty he started working for my grandfather, j.s. anderson. warner attended country school meanwhile with the younger children. when he and manda were married, j.s. grubstaked them and now warner came to own five farms. they had four stalwart sons and two very brilliant daughters.


> BOB, or robert, was grandpa's pet. he was a short chubby little fellow and very good natured. he attended country school and went to ames agricultural college for a short time. he returned and started farming the southwest section of the farm. meanwhile he had married manda peterson. he lived the peaceful life of a farmer for he had few outside interests and no children.


> IDA was the most brilliant of the girls. she was rather heavy set with a round face. she attended college and began teaching in schools of the township. she contracted tuberculosis from walking through the sloughs and snow. several times she visited manda and anna in des moines to see doctors, but the disease was too far gone. she spent her last summer on the sunny porch of the farm playing with paul. she loved him dearly, but would never allow him to touch her for fear of giving him whatever this disease was. she died when she was twenty one.


> AGNES was next in line. she was 14 years older than paul, the youngest. she worked as a cook and housekeeper. she married alfred sederholm in 1908. he had worked as a well driller, and then became an engineer on the northern pacific in 1900. they had three children, john, a lawyer who graduated from the state university of iowa, and two daughters, emelyn and doris.


> ELLEN