Article for Norway

I am in the process of writing an article about my grandfather for the Tjome Historical Society.  The subject of the article is about a Tjome born native Norwegian who became an American.  That sums up Grandpa Anderson pretty well!  I currently am trying to put together a timeline of events in my Grandfather’s life.  There are many documents available which will help me starting with the Norwegian church records and of course ending with his funeral card and his obituary. The events of his life which are sandwiched between his birth and his death will require some additional research. Some of it will require searching thru public records and I am hoping that I can get some details from family members who are still alive.  With my Mother gone, I will need to find out if either of my remaining Aunt’s can answer any questions.

I have been trying to determine what my Grandfather did from the time he got out of Grammar school in 1898 an 1904 when he decided to immigrate to America.  He is listed in the 1900 census in Norway with his Father and Step-mother but it is noted that he is working out of London, England. I believed he sailed the Atlantic from England to America and back several times.  I have been searching thru shipping crew lists to see if I can locate who he worked for in London but so far I have not located him.

This photo is of Anders soon after his arrival from England. I am estimating that he is about 20 years old.  This is a cropped photo which also included a shipmate and friend.

He began sailing the Great Lakes soon after his arrival in Michigan in 1904. His occupation was listed as Sailor in his first Naturalization records submitted in 1909. The first application was denied because he had not been a residence of the state of Michigan nor had he known his sponsors for five years or more.  One of his sponsors listed on his application was Charles Densmore,  his future father-in-law. His citizenship was granted after submitting a second application in 1911.

He lived and worked with Gus Englehart prior to marrying Addie Densmore.  He sailed on the Great Lakes Steamer Geo King. Postal mail addressed to him from his family in Norway was sent to Anders Andersen in care of Gus Englehart on the Steamer Geo King.   The Steamer Geo King transported timber from Minnesota to south eastern Michigan where it would be used to build homes and businesses or move via railroads to other parts of America.

This photo shows Anders (Center person in the back row.), now known as Andrew, holding the life ring and posing with the captain and his shipmates.  The photo is not dated and no one else is identified. The ship name on the life ring is the Steamer Walter Scranton. I find that the Walter Scranton’s Captian was M. M.  Stewart in 1905 and the Engineer was Henry Graves.  I am still attempting to determine how long this ship sailed and if there are any crew lists available.  I have not found any so far. This ship was owned and operated by Mitchell & Co, Rockefeller Buildling, Cleveland, Ohio.

He and Addie Densmore were married in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on December 9, 1909. This is their wedding photo taken in Chicago shortly after they were married. According to my mother, her parents spent their first winter as newly weds in Chicago. Their home would be aboard a ship in the harbor where they would “watch over the ship” for the winter. I am sure it was an interesting city in the winter of 1909-1910. By the 1910 Census, they are living in Marine City, with Addie’s parents, Charles and Mary Densmore.

Happy Hunting!

Jan