Bernt Bredesen SANDER

Portrait. Bernt SANDER (Decorah, IA: O. E. Borlaug, c. 1885). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

Bernt Bredesen SANDER was born 8 Jan 1864 in Madison Township, Winneshiek County, IA, the youngest of Brede and Karen Sander's six children. Ancestry.com has two records of his baptism on 2 Jul 1864. Unfortunately it is not clear where the baptism took place. One record seems to indicate Springwater Norwegian Lutheran Congregation (5 miles NE of Decorah, IA), the other Washington Prairie. The pages both appear as shown below.


Baptism record. Bernt SANDER (Winneshiek, IA: 2 Jul 1864). Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

In the 1870 Census, Bernt appears with his family in Madison Township, and in 1880 in Glenwood. From 1880-1882 he attended Luther College (Norlie 1922: 219).

On 9 Mar 1893 at Glenwood Lutheran Church, Bernt married Hannah Hagen, daughter of Hans and Sigrid Hagen.


Marriage record. Bernt and Hannah (Hagen) SANDER (Glenwood Lutheran Church, Winneshiek, IA, 9 Mar 1893). Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

We are fortunate to have a lovely wedding portrait of Bernt and Hannah. What is uncertain is why it is from the Lubeck studio in Howard, SD.


Wedding portrait with scalloped and gilded edges. Bernt and Hannah (Hagen) SANDER (Howard, SD: H. H. Lubeck, 1893). Image courtesy of Verla Williams. Digitally retouched by Mark D. Williams.

1900 US Federal Census: Bernt and Hannah SANDER

Detail of 1900 US Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Sander, Bernt / Head / W / M / Jan 1864 / 36 / M / 7 / Iowa / Norway / Norway / Farmer
_____, Hannah / Wife / W / F / Apr 1867 / 34 / M / 7 / Norway / Norway / Norway

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Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Glenwood, Winneshiek, Iowa; Roll: 466; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0132; FHL microfilm: 1240466.
Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

1910 US Federal Census: "Ben" and Hanna SANDER

It is interesting that Bernt now refers to himself as Ben. The years from 1900 to 1910 seem to have been ones where it began to be important to be more "American." The Webjørnsens changed their surname to Williams also during this time period.


1910 US Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Sander, Ben B. / Head / W / M / 46 / M / 17 / Iowa / Norway / Norway / Farmer
_____, Hanna / Wife / W / F / 41 / M / 17 / Norway / Norway / Norway

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Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Glenwood, Winneshiek, Iowa; Roll: T624_428; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0155; FHL microfilm: 1374441. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

1920 US Federal Census: Ben B. and Hannah SANDER

Detail of 1920 US Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Sander, Ben B. / Head / M / W / 56 / M / Iowa / Norway / Norway / Farmer
_____, Hannah / Wife / F / W / 50 / M / Norway / Norway / Norway

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Source Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: Glenwood, Winneshiek, Iowa; Roll: T625_519; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 167; Image: 263.
Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Gravestones: Bernt and Hannah SANDER

Ben and Hannah were childless. Ben died in 1926. Unfortunately as of yet there is no record indicating a more specific date. He was buried in the Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery fairly near his father's gravestone.


SANDER gravestones. (Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery, Winneshiek, IA). Image courtesy of Iowa Gravestone Photo Project.

His wife, Hannah, lived until 1959. We don't have a specific death date for her either. She was buried beside her husband in Glenwood.


Left image: Gravestone. Bernt SANDER (1864-1926). Right image: Gravestone. Hanna SANDER (1869-1959) (Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery, Winneshiek, IA). Images courtesy of Findagrave.com.

UPDATE (5 Aug 2018): Found Ben's death certificate on Ancestry.com. He died 29 Jun 1926.