Eli Eriksdtr SANDER (1789- )

The Grue parish records show the birth and baptism of Erik and Eli's daughter, Eli Eriksdtr SANDER, on 26 Apr 1789 and 1 Jun respectively.


Hedmark fylke, Grue, Ministerialbok nr. 3 (1774-1792), Kronologisk liste 1789, side 456-457. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

On 5 Jan 1817 Eli married Svenning Svenningsen Helgebøl, the son of Svenning Eriksen Helgebøl and Kari Andersdtr Skulstad.


Hedmark fylke, Grue, Ministerialbok nr. 6 (1814-1830), Ekteviede 1817, side 199. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

Svenning was born on 26 Dec 1789 and was baptized on 31 Jan 1790.


Hedmark fylke, Grue, Ministerialbok nr. 3 (1774-1792), Kronologisk liste 1789, side 486-487. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

Eli and Svenning had at least three children: Eli (b. 7 Jul 1818), Karen (b. 11 Jan 1821), and Maren (b. 3 Sep 1825, d. 1857). Svenning passed away c. 1846.

On 6 Apr 1848, their daughter, Karen, married first cousin Brede Bredesen SANDER, the son of Eli's brother, Brede Eriksen SANDER and his wife, Anne Larsdtr Skaare.

We know from a 1944 newspaper article, "Roadside Ramblings," that Eli migrated to the US and lived for a while with Brede SANDER in Winneshiek County, Iowa. She helped care for his family after Karen died in 1868. Strangely she does not appear with them in either the 1860, 1870, or 1880 censuses. What happened to Eli for now must remain a mystery.

Brede Bredesen SANDER (1822-1905)

This photograph of Brede SANDER is the only one in the family's possession. The date it was taken is unknown, but it obviously would have to have been prior to his death in 1905.


Portrait. Brede Bredesen SANDER (Bef. 1905). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

The parish records for Brandval i Grue, Hedmark fylke record the birth and baptism of Brede Bredesen SANDER on 12 Jan and 3 Feb 1822 respectively.


Detail of Hedmark fylke, Brandval i Grue, Klokkerbok nr. 1 (1814-1841), Fødte og døpte 1822, side 37. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

Recently I noticed there is another parish record for Brede's birth and baptism in the Grue Ministerialbok (1814-1830) where on page 73b he is listed as entry 13. Since the information is the same, I will simply refer the reader to the link if they are interested in a comparison.

Karen Svenningsdtr (Huseby) SANDER (1821-1868)

Karen Svenningsdtr Huseby was born 11 Jan 1821 and was baptized 18 Feb 1821 in the Brandval church. As seen in the pedigree chart above, she was the daughter of Svenning Svenningsen Helgebøl and Eli Eriksdatter SANDER, which also makes Brede Bredesen SANDER her first cousin.


Detail of Hedmark fylke, Brandval i Grue, Klokkerbok nr. 1 (1814-1841), Fødte og døpte 1821, side 32. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

Just as Brede had an additional record, there is also an additional one for Karen in the Grue Ministerialbok (1814-1830) p. 63, no. 15.

Brede Bredesen SANDER: Family Group Sheet

At the age of 26, Brede, and Karen, who was 27, got married on 6 Apr 1848 as the parish records attest.


Detail of Hedmark fylke, Grue, Ministerialbok nr. 8 (1847-1858), Ekteviede 1848, side 244. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

However, the records also show that Brede and a woman named Anne Gudmundsdtr had a daughter named Gunne, (aka Jane; see below) who was born on 10 Nov 1847. For Brede's children, please refer to the family group sheet below.


Family group sheet. Brede Bredesen SANDER. Image courtesy of Williams Family Pages.

Coming to America

Brede and Karen SANDER, along with their children, Brede Jr. and Anton, and Brede's daughter, Gunne (Jane) left Norway for America in 1853. The Grue parish records indicate that they relocated on 8 Apr.


Detail of Hedmark fylke, Grue, Ministerialbok nr. 8 (1847-1858), Inn- og utflyttede 1853-1857, side 371. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

1860 US Federal Census: Brede Bredesen Family

The 1860 Census shows the Brede SANDER family living in Madison Township in Winneshiek County, Iowa. Apparently they were using the patronymic name for a surname and the census taker was not a particularly great speller.


Detail of 1860 US Federal Census. Image courtesy of Ancestry.com.

400 / 378 / Brad Braderson [Brede Bredesen] / 39 / M / Farmer / Norway
Karine do [ditto] / 40 / F / Norway
Jane do / 13 / F / Norway
Brad do / 11 / M / Norway
Anton do / 9 / / M / Norway
Ann S. do / 7 / F / Iowa
Ellen M. do / 3 / F / Iowa
Gertrude E. Oleson / 15 / F / School Teacher / Norway

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Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Madison, Winneshiek, Iowa; Roll: M653_345; Page: 845; Image: 293; Family History Library Film: 803345.
Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. 
Original data: 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

Gravestone: Karen B. (Huseby) SANDER

Brede SANDER's wife, Karen, died on 2 Aug 1868 at the young age of 47. She was buried in the Madison Lutheran Church East Cemetery aka the Vold Cemetery (and the Six Mile Grove Cemetery) in Madison township, Winneshiek County.


Plaque. East Madison (Vold) Cemetery, Madison, Winneshiek, IA. Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

Below is the oldest and ironically best picture of her gravestone. Unfortunately the date it was taken is unknown. Notice there is no fence in the background and what I will call the capstone is upside down if you compare with later pictures.

The inscription, which is a fairly common inscription found on Norwegian gravestones, reads, "Her under hviler støvet af Karen B. Sander," which means, "Here under rests the dust [i.e., earthly remains] of Karen B. Sander. Below the death date the remaining inscription reads as follows: "Fred med dit støv, velsignet være dit minde." This means in English, "Peace to your dust, blessed be your memory."


Gravestone. Karen B. (Huseby) SANDER (East Madison (Vold) Cemetery: Winneshiek, IA, 1868). Image courtesy of Vince Williams.

The remainder of the photos show the gravestone in different times and seasons. The first is an undated winter photo. The middle one is from Jul 1993 and the latest from Memorial Day in 2011. Notice the capstone has been repaired and the fence is now chain link.

   
Gravestone. Karen B. (Huseby) SANDER (East Madison (Vold) Cemetery: Winneshiek, IA, 1868). Images courtesy of Vince and Verla Williams (1993-2011).