We started our Anderson family research in the Wisconsin county of Shawano. The county roads are alphabetized so we were delighted to find we were on County Road X as we left Outagamie County and entered Shawano County, searching for the town of Lessor and our family roots.
Part of the fun of tracing your family stories is whether or not they live up to the real truth of the past. We’d heard stories of how the Anderson and Svendson/Svenson families were farmers, raising cattle for butcher and dairy. The landscape around us was certainly representative of diary and cattle farming. Vast fields in their late spring greenery stretched out over flat and slightly rolling hills. Farm houses of various shapes and sizes sat next to tall silos awaiting the fall harvest.
Some homes were huge, easily able to accommodate the 12-14 children many of these families had in the past. Others were small, which made you wonder, for most of the families is our late past were huge, or at least tried to be huge as typhoid fever, tuberculosis, flu, and other epidemic and highly contagious plagues swept through the closely knit communities.
My mother kept commenting on how peaceful and restful the area felt, with big open spaces and a slow, calm way of life. Trees blew in the breeze around the farm houses and lining the pasture lands, with small ponds or lakes tucked in places.
We know that this peaceful exterior will be humming and buzzing around harvest time with tractors and heavy machinery, blocking roads and blasting dust into the air, but for now, it looks like a farming paradise.
Town Lessor, Shawano County, Wisconsin
Lessor. Lessor Town. Lessor Township. Township of Lessor. Town of Lessor. And Elmdale. These are the various name combinations of the town where our family spent several generations after their arrival from Norway.
Andrias (Andreas, Anders, And, Andrew) Anderson (1812-1895) arrived via New York in 1851 and moved immediately to Manitowoc Rapids, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, for reasons we’re still guessing at. At the least, he brought with him his children, John Christian Anderson, Hans Anderson, Andrew Anderson, Mary Anderson, and O? Anderson along with his wife, Fairiey or Tierney. They are found in the 1860 and 1870 US Census in Manitowoc Rapids.
Our ancestor, Hans Anderson, is next found in La Crosse, Wisconsin, marrying Sarah Olson, also known as Sigrid or Siri Ystabakken, also of Norway, in 1867. They leave promptly after their marriage, according to family stories, to the new Dakota Territory, where the newly established Dakota Territory is up for land grabs. They move to the new state capital of Yankton, seeking cheap farm land. Unfortunately, legends of cheap land versus the reality of extreme conditions and poor soil quality make it impossible to succeed without great money and effort.
About 1875 when the rumors of Black Gold began to spread and the Black Hills Gold Rush begins, the Hans and Sarah Olson family gave up on their life in the Dakotas and headed back to Wisconsin, ending up in Outagamie County, next to Shawano County, in the village of Cicero, starting over again. They brought with them their first five children born in Dakota: Louis Anderson (1868-1882), Johan (John) Christian Anderson (1870-1955), Otto Anderson (1870-1916), Caroline Anderson (1871-1891), and Gena Anderson (1873-c1958).
In Cicero, Wisconsin, they have Mary Anderson (1876-1890), Ida Anderson (1878-1971), and Anton Anderson (1880-1969). Before 1882, they move to Lessor, just north in Shawano County, where they add to the family with Sophie Anderson (1882-1883), Amelia Anderson (1884-?), and Hans M. Anderson (1887-1901). Their family of 12 children, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren, made their home in Lessor for most of the rest of their lives.
Among these names, most of them are buried in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, at the intersection of Welhaven Road and County S Road.
Across the street and south a tad was the Svendson/Svenson farm where the family all came together in later years. Hans Anderson moved with his family further west on County S Road, not far.
As we drove through the area, we tried to identify landmarks to help us locate properties on the various plat maps from 1898, 1911, and 1920 of Lessor Township, Shawano County, Wisconsin. We stopped in at one farm to visit with two ladies, to find one of them was a 97 year old woman who had lived here most all of her life. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember the Andersons or Svendsons. We found out later that this was the property of John Christian Anderson, son of Hans, until it traded hands before 1920. It now belongs to the Naparilla family.
Over the next few days, we explored the Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery, finding most of our relatives, spent time in the Shawano County Courthouse and Family History Center digging into the dates and papers of our past, and met with a few local experts on Lessor history, most of whom ended up being related to us in some twisted fashion or another. Amazing. Stay tuned.
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Hello Lorelle:
I just stumbled across your story about your Anderson ancestors in Lessor Township, Wisconsin. My grandfather emigrated to the U.S. in 1904 to see his uncle Nils Locken, however things did not turn out as hoped for and he returned to Norway a few years later (and met my grandmother, etc, etc). The Locken family stayed and their gravestone is evidently at Our Savior’s Church cemetery.
I am planning a trip to the cemetery this fall and would like to know how to find it and to see where my ancestors lived (on a plat map from 1920, the Locken sisters were neighbors to the Church)
Oh, how wonderful. I’ll email you information. I’ve also been working on an article about the cemetery, including excerpts from the book, “A Walking Tour of the Lessor Cemetery”, by Rolf H. Erickson. Your family might be in the book. I found this:
Sound like some familiar names? I’ll get you the information and it sounds like the Lokken/Locken family is still in the area as they helped contribute to the book. WEEE!
Hello,
I just stumbled across this page while looking for a plat book of Shawano Co. I grew up in the town of Lessor. My father has written a history book on the township, compiled in 1996 and this weekend he showed me the history he is compiling/writing on local cemeteries. I’d be willing to bet Dad would like to sit down and share information. Contact me privately via e-mail for contact info if interested. Thanks.
Thanks, Bill. I met your dad, Ray, a few months ago and have a copy of his book. I’m working with him on an article about it that I should have released here soon. Stay tuned, and thanks so very much. Your dad is brilliant! He has been an incredible help to our research.
I am researching Anderson side of my family and found your wonderful site.
My Anderson’s as far back as I have found are named Arne Vinje Anderson who came over from Voss, Bergen, Norway and married to Marila Kinde who had a child named Peter T. Anderson who was awarded Medal of Honor from his time at Bentenville, Ark. during the Civil War.
This couple settled in Newell, Iowa after leaving Wiota, Wisc.
Peter Anderson was born Sept 4, 1846.
THanks for any direction or info.
@Leanne Fenton Wise:
I have no information on any Andersons other than my own, and they arrived from Norway to Wisconsin in the late 1800s and stayed there, all save my grandfather. Good luck with your research.
I grew up in Shawano Co. but my Peter Thoreson, my great grandfather came from Norway with his wife Matilda and his mother Grindhilda (Sp) along with 6 of their 12 children. They settled in Clintonville, Waupaca County because Matilda’s brother’s were there. Olea Anderson and family. I have heard many stories from my Great uncle Louis and grandfather Charlie A. Have tried to get birth certificates from Norway only to find out that the area they came from experienced a major fire.
Loved reading about your family. At 73 my cousin is starting to get interested.
It is wonderful that you have put this all together! I recently began researching my family history and am fairly certain that we come from the same line of Andersons. My great grandfather was Floyd Anderson, son of John C Anderson, son of Hans Anderson.
Your research has helped me tremendously. However, I am having trouble finding the Manitowoc census records for Andrias and family in 1860 or 1870. I have found an Andrew Anderson in the 1870 census in Manitowoc that is listed as from Norway and born c1812. However, the wife and children names do not match.
Any tips on finding the correct 1860s and 1870s census, would be very appreciated!
I’m so excited that we are exchanging notes and family history, long lost cousin.
Thanks so much for contacting me.
hi i found this when i was just looking for info on county poor farms i been working for some time now just trying to find missing family members to the bowen family tree lines any how i too have andersson/anderson family roots and have been also trying to find out more info on my g-grand pa : axel vanderson who was born in sweden in 1875 his father was said to have came from norway to sweden his mother was said to have came from scotland axel came to the us abt.1892 he was married to hannah imbertonson/inbortsen at one time thay lived in suprior ,wi there son angus anderson was my grand pa. some time a round 1905 his mother hannah became ill sat that time i dont know if thay where still liveing in wis or in :il but 2 of my g-grand parents children when to live with family in boon co. il my gran my grand pa at one time also lived with family in m.n.. i found a 1920 census on him at that time he was liveing with andrew olson and hilda ( heilda i think was hannah’s sister) i also found my g-grand mother hannah on this census as well. a round this time i think axel may have been liveing in wis or :il any how if any one may have info on any of the family please let me know thanks.