Iron County, Michigan

 

The Bates Township Legacy

THE   BATES   TOWNSHIP   LEGACY,   1885-1985

(Bates Township, Iron County, Michigan)

Published by Bates Boosters (for the Centennial year of 1985)

CHAPTER III: FAMILY HISTORIES

pages 18-199

This work is submitted to Internet records with the kind permission of sisters Jean Benson Lindbeck and Carol Benson Erickson, who served as editors of the book and were active members of the Bates Centennial Committee.  This book is no longer in print and no longer available to purchase.

Typed by Dale Safford of Iron River, November, 2002. Contact me at dalesafford@hotmail.com if you have inquiries about information in this book.

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JOHN   ALT   FAMILY     (with photo of parents plus 7 sons & 1 daughter)

                John Alt emigrated from Germany to the United States in the mid-1800’s. He reportedly had a brother, Ben, who never married and was a resident of Iron County periodically.

                John first settled in Venango County, Pennsylvania, where his wife and three of her brothers died during a typhoid fever epidemic. He then married his wife’s sister, Wilhelmina Schneider, and moved to Chicago, where they resided until their child, Margaret, was five months old.

                Wilhelmina reportedly emigrated from Schwabach (Bavaria) Germany when she was sixteen years old and was sea-sick during the entire journey, glad that it was not by sail boat, as her brothers had come. Her siblings were Daniel, Frederick, Andrew, Freeda, Sophie, and Annie; the sequence of birth in the family is unknown.

                After nine years in Pennsylvania, John and Wilhelmina with Margaret, Mary, and Freeda moved to Marinette, Wisconsin, for a year and then to Menominee, Michigan for four years. Here their son, Edward, was born. The summer of 1885, the family moved to Iron County and settled on five forties of land in Section 9. George was born on the south shore of Sunset Lake property on January 9, 1886, completing the family constellation.

                The family farmed and logged to survive. John was Bates Township Treasurer for a few years and also served on the Bates Township School Board.

                After selling the property to the Erickson family that later constructed the Sunset Lake Pavilion on the property, John returned to Chicago, later returning to reside with his daughter, Margaret, and her family. Wilhelmina died at the home of another daughter in the Detroit area in about 1933 and John died in Iron River in 1929, both at the age of eighty-two.

                Of their children, Margaret was the only one to remain in Iron County for the rest of her life. She married John P. Williams, an immigrant from Holland. After a brief residence at Sunset Lake, moved to the home on Cayuga Street where they lived for almost fifty years while residing with her eldest son.

                The children of John P. and Margaret Alt Williams were: William J. (farmer, carpenter, and school bus driver) who lived in Iron River Township; Gilbert (employee of Ford Motor Company in Detroit); Guy R. (Distributor for Standard Oil Products in Iron River for over 30 years and a resident of Iron River Township); Martin (employee of M.A. Hanna Co. as bookkeeper with residence in Iron River); Clarence (pharmacist in Stambaugh); Leonard (owner of a confectionery store in Stambaugh); John (office employee for a lumber company in Iron Mountain); and Olive (wife of Arthur Gagnon and resident of Dickinson County). A grandson of Margaret, Gerald Williams and family, later lived on the north shore of Sunset Lake for sixteen years.

                The other children of John and Wilhelmina Alt resided in Iron County temporarily.

                Mary (called Mayme by most) married Albert W. Smith, who operated a store in Iron River for a time prior to moving to Edgar, Wisconsin. They had nine children: Esther, Mary L. (Mrs. Everett Herteau), Ida (Mrs. Paul Horner), Florence (Mrs. Arthur McCall), Walter, Edward, Mildred (Mrs. Robert Walden), Robert M., and Jeanette (Mrs. Robert Calypoole). She died in Wisconsin at the age of 88 years in 1962.

                Freeda married Fred Donald Morrison, who was the proprietor of Iron River’s Opera House until they moved to the Detroit area. They had four children of whom little is known. Emma and Earl apparently survived beyond childhood. Freeda died in Detroit in about 1932 at 56 years of age.

                Edward married briefly and had no children. He spent most of his life in Minnesota and Wisconsin and died in Tampa, Florida in about 1959 at the age of 79.

                George left Iron River in 1906 and pioneered Faith, South Dakota, living there until 1964. He married Esther Dailey and they now reside in Sturgis, South Dakota, where they are active in community affairs as members of a choral group and hillbilly band. He has led a varied career as farmer, store-keeper, insurance salesman, accountant, and served in the South Dakota legislature for two terms. He has been an active church member and substitute preacher. He was a member of the local school board for twelve years and served as County Commissioner for a period.

                George and Esther have one daughter, Mabel, who is an educator and resides in Rapid City, South Dakota.

                Much of the information provided on the Alt family comes from 99 year old George, who is celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of the Town of Faith, South Dakota, as Bates celebrates it’s centennial. He is alert, has a sprightly gait, twinkling eyes, and a great sense of humor as he looks forward to the years ahead. Indeed, Bates Township can be proud of all it’s residents, past, present, and future, including George who is almost as old as the Township, itself.

ANDERSON     (with 5 photos)

                Gustaf Anderson (born in 1847) and his wife, Mathilda (born in 1849) were both born in Dalarna, Sweden. They were married there and had five children: Axel (born in 1871), Anna (born in 1874), Arvid (born in 1876), Hannah (born in 1878), and Herman (born in 1879). In 1883, they decided to try their luck in America. They settled in Commonwealth, Wisconsin, for a couple years, where Bertha was born in 1884.

                They heard of the nice, big pine trees in Section 3 in Bates Township, and Gustaf staked out a homestead there in 1885. After clearing a little land and building a cabin, he moved his family to Bates, where three more children were born: William (born in 1886), Irving (also called Arvid, born in 1888), and Gust (born in 1892). In the early years, Gustaf and his sons logged the pine trees on the homestead, and Gustaf and his son, Axel, worked on the roads in Bates. He was Township Highway Commissioner in 1890.

                In the winter of 1887, Arvid was killed by a falling tree limb. There was talk about putting his body in the attic to keep it cold and safe from wild animals until the spring thaw. In 1903, their youngest son, Gust, only 11 years old, accidentally shot himself while hunting (or crawling under a fence while carrying a gun), and he died. In 1904, Gustaf, Sr. died at the age of 57 from a broken neck after falling from scaffolding during barn construction. William (Willie) stayed on at the homestead until shortly before he died in 1965. He never married. Mathilda lived there for several years, also, but moved to Ice Lake Road a few years before her death in 1926.

                Axel went to Sweden in 1893, and came back with his new wife, Augusta. They settled on a part of the homestead and had two children: Herbert (born in 1894) and Helen (born in 1904). Axel was Overseer of Highways for Bates Township in 1902, and son, Herbert, in the 1920’s. Helen died in a fire in 1923 at her uncle, Arvid Anderson’s home. Augusta died in 1936, Axel in 1938, and Herbert in 1950.

                Anna married Andrew Erickson (born in 1864) of Bates. They were married for over 50 years and spent most of their lives in Bates. They had one daughter, Edna (born in 1900), and an adopted grandson. Edna married Einar Olson, and they lived in Bates. Anna died in 1955, and Andrew in 1954.

                Hannah married Thad Waite (born in 1879) in 1899, and they had three children, three grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Thad died in 1955 and Hannah in 1965. Their daughter, Agnes Eckart (born in 1902), and her son, Kenneth, and family have lived in Bates most of their lives.

                Herman married Cecelia Sunn, and they had two children. They lived in Iron River most of their married life. Herman died in 1948 and Cecelia in 1955.

                Bertha married Olaf Mattson, and they had two children, seven grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. Bertha lived in Bates all her life, and Olaf lived there after his marriage to Bertha. He died in 1943 and Bertha in 1957.

                Irving (called Arvid) married “Ella” Krans, and they had seven children, twelve grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. Arvid and Ella lived in Bates, and their son, Eugene, and his family came back to Bates to live. In 1923, fire took the lives of two of Arvid and Ella’s daughters, Evelyn, Eleanore, and a niece, Helen Anderson. Arvid died in 1963 and Ella in 1937. Eugene died in 1983.

OLAF   ANDERSON   FAMILY     (with 3 photos)

Olaf Anderson was born in Ronneby, Blekinge, Sweden, on October 6, 1851. His mother’s name was Kersten Petters and his father’s name, Anders Pherson. Because he was ANDER’s son, his name became Olaf AndersSON, as was the Scandanavian custom. One “s” was dropped, hence, Anderson.

Olaf and his wife, Kristina, and their three children, Hilda, August, and Oscar, came to America in the fall of 1882, as passengers on a steamship of the Inman-Liniens Company for a sum of 567.10 Krona. They settled in Commonwealth, Wisconsin, where he worked in the woods. A little later, they moved to the Iron River area when the Post Office there was still known as “Nanaimo.” He again was employed in the prime forests and later in the iron ore mines.

In 1888, Olaf homesteaded in Bates Township in Sec. 21, on what is now the Bates Amasa Road. Mr. Anderson was one of the first Justices of the Peace in Bates Township. He also, at various times, held the office of Highway Commissioner and Township Treasurer.

In Bates, four more children were born to the Andersons; namely: Charles, Victor, Otto, and Delia.

Hilda, born in Sweden on March 27, 1877, married Victor Benson in April of 1900. They had four children: Isla, Alpha, Norman, and Walter. Hilda died in June of 1966.

August, born in Sweden, married twice, and had three children. He died in 1941.

Oscar, born in 1882 in Sweden, married Selma Benson, daughter of the pioneer, John Benson. They had two daughters: Helen and Dorothy. Oscar died in November of 1959.

Charles, born in 1885, married Anna Hedin. There were nine children: Spencer, Frances, Gladys, David, Vernon, Margaret, Ted, Jack, and Charles Jr. Charles Sr. died in 1960.

Victor, who never married, died in 1914 in a mine accident in Missouri.

Otto, Born July 5, 1888, had six children, Edna, Jean, Lucille, Clyde, Raymond, and Gordon, and made his home in California.

Delia, born in 1890, had five children: Marvel, Hazel and Wayne Robertson, and Jerry and Anna Dickson. Delia died in 1952 in Spokane, Washington.

In 1900, 32 acres of the original homestead were deeded by Olaf and Kristina Anderson to their daughter and son-in-law, Hilda and Victor Benson. The large farm home and some of the property was sold to Ben and Carl Langendorf in 1923.

CHARLES   ANDERSON   FAMILY     (with 4 photos)

Charles Anderson, son of Olaf and Kristina Anderson, early homesteaders of Bates Township, was born in 1884. He married Anna Hedin, daughter of John and Hilma Hedin, homesteaders of the Lake 15 area. Anna was born in 1885. Anna’s father, John Hedin, was killed by a tree falling on him shortly before she was born. Anna’s mother later married Peter Johnson.

Charles and Anna made their home near the Paint River. They raised nine children:

Spencer-known by many as “Ande”, was born in 1909 and passed away in 1980.

Frances Schneider-born in 1910, is an artist in her own right. Her home is very near the place where she grew up.

Gladys Dall-born in 1913, had two children: Ivan (deceased) and Karen. Gladys has a new log home on the old home property near Paint River, on Paulsen Road.

David-born in 1916, married May Gould and had two daughters, Carol Jean and Lenore. David passed away in 1980. May resides in Iron River.

Vernon-born in 1918, is nicknamed “Wimpy.” They have two children, Miles Patrick and Julie.

Margaret Zurek-was born in 1920, has a son, Ralph DeLeon, and a daughter, Victoria Ann Zurek Cascioli. Margaret and her husband, Mike Zurek, make their home on the old Victor Thunander property, 22 Road.

Ted-was born in 1921, and has three children: Ted, Charles, and Shirley.

Jack-born in 1926, had one son, Steven. Jack passed away in 1976.

Charles Jr.-born in 1930, who is better known to his friends as “Corky,” has one son, David.

Anna Hedin Anderson passed away in 1949. Charles Anderson died in 1960.

DAVID   &   MAY   ANDERSON     (with photo of them & daughter Carol)

Mr. and Mrs. David Anderson left their work in Chicago and moved to Bates in 1973, temporarily settling on the Anderson family property on Paulson Road. A grandson of homesteaders, the Olaf Andersons and the Peter Johnsons, David was born February 7, 1916, to Charles and Anna Anderson, attended the Benson and Rogers Schools, graduating from Iron River High School in 1935. He was a good musician, playing the tuba which enjoined him with the Caspian and Iron County Bands. After leaving the area, his tuba was his living when he traveled the country with the Lewis Circus Band. He mastered the bass viol and other instruments as well. Headquartered in Chicago, Dave was then with the Jane Adams Center Band and other groups. He also was a mechanic for years at his own Shell gas station at Pulaski and Lawrence, Chicago, the business he closed prior to his return to his birthplace.

Mrs. May Anderson was born March 19, 1911, in Poland, immigrated to the United States in 1921, and has never returned to her birthplace. Her difficult surname was simplified and changed to Gould. May attended school in New York, graduated from business college, was employed in office work in New York and, in recent years, was a payroll clerk in Chicago. The ‘windy city’ is where she and Dave met and were married. They had two daughters: Carol Jean (born September 20, 1949), now living in Madison, Wisconsin, and Lenore (born September 18, 1954), who lives in Toronto, Canada.

When David and May returned to Bates to the Charlie Anderson log homestead, it was to be a temporary home while they got established in his post retirement business and until they located modern housing. His enterprise, Dave’s Auto Service, evolved when they bought the former Lind Dairy building from Bill Brzoznowski in 1973. Dave was the mechanic and May his bookkeeper, in their shop, taking both away from the old log cabin where fire broke out one day. Their temporary home and all their belongings were destroyed, save a car which was towed out of danger by a passerby. Among the treasures consumed by flames, were a violin, a guitar, and Dave’s lifetime love, his “bull fiddle.”

The couple then bought a mobile home and wintered it in next to the business building on U.S. 2. They got involved in politics with the Democratic Party, and other community events. Both enjoyed reading, especially philosophy for personal betterment.

In 1976, David had a damaging heart attack, forcing him to terminate his work and rent the building.  He died November 3, 1980, and was cremated. His widow sold the business property to Wayne Jump in 1981. She sold the trailer and moved to town, now residing at Woodbridge Apartments on Selden Road. May has retired from her local attachments, 6 years as bookkeeper for the Reporter and 2 years with the Chamber of Commerce. She assists the Community Concert Association, is a political party worker, and is enrolled in continuing education through Gogebic College.

When the nationwide financial drive in 1985 began collecting funds for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty for its centennial in 1986, May Gould Anderson was eager to send a remembrance aiding the project. Although she was only ten years old when she entered the United States, May recalls the screening of immigrants on Ellis Island and the lasting impression seeing the ‘lady with the torch.’ - a beacon to new life, new freedom.

THE   JOHN   ASK   FAMILY     (with photo of John & Olga)

Mr. and Mrs. John Ask moved to Bates Township on the Kofmehl Road in 1920. Mrs. Ask, the former Olga Berg, was born in Jamtland, Sweden, on July 6, 1885, and came to this country when she was three years old. As a child, she lived with her parents in Homestead, Michigan.

John Ask was born in Christania (now Oslo), Norway in 1858. He came to the United States when he was 17 years old and found work on the diamond drills in various places.

Mr. and Mrs. Ask were married in Loretto, Michigan, in 1906. They made their home in Iron River for some time while Mr. Ask was janitor at the Iron River City Hall. Mrs. Ask, a hard-working woman, took in roomers when they lived in Iron River.

In 1920, the family moved to the Kofmehl Road in Bates Township where they farmed for many years.

The Asks raised three children: Dorothy, who married Otto Swanson and presently resides in Florida; Esmeralda, who married John Salo and lives in Beechwood; and Lionel, who married Florence Lindstrom and lives in Stambaugh.

John Ask passed away at 93 years of age in 1952 and Mrs. Ask in 1969 at the age of 84.

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Page Last Updated 04/04/2004