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paul his older siblings excerpted from 'my grandparents' by pauline anderson gibbs
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 |
> 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.