Anderson, Emil Andreas

Emil Andreas Andersson was born on 28 December 1891 in Avesta, Kopparberg (also known as Dalarna), Sweden. His father Anders (Andrew) Andersson was from Hedemora, Kopparberg while his mother Anna Karin (Jansdotter) Jansson was from Grytnäs, Kopparberg where the couple married on 9 July 1883. First settling in Hedemora, they gave birth to children Anna Marie (1884), Hulda Kathrina (1886), Anders Fredrik (Frederick) (1888), and Karl Johan (Charles) (1890). The family moved to nearby Avesta a month before Emil’s birth, later giving birth to son Gustaf Albert in 1894. Sadly Gustaf died in 1896 in Avesta. Moving north to Galliväre, Norbotten in December of 1897, Anders was listed as a labourer in the household examination records, likely working in the iron ore mines of the area. Children born in Galliväre were Ester Kristina (1899) and Knut Axel (1902).

Anders and daughter Hulga were the first to immigrate to Canada, arriving in Montreal aboard the Barvarian on 14 August 1903. Occupations given as farmers, the passenger list indicated that they were on their way to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Frederick and Charles were next to immigrate, arriving in Montreal on 3 September 1904, also on the Barvarian. Both listed as labourers on the passenger list, they were on their way to Tyndall, Manitoba. Mother Anna and children Emil, Ester, and Knut arrived in Montreal on the Victorian on 5 June 1905, Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora), Ontario listed as their destination. Daughter Anna Marie, having married August Pettersson (Peterson) in 1902 in Galliväre, immigrated in 1905, arriving on 5 June on the Victorian, also travelling to Rat Portage.

The Anderson and Peterson families settled in the RM of Whitemouth in Manitoba where they farmed for a number of years before later moving to Kenora, Ontario. With the onset of conscription in the latter part of the war, drafted under the Military Service Act of 1917 Emil was called up for service on 2 July 1918 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His occupation was given as farmer and his father Andrew Anderson at the Whitemouth PO in Manitoba as next of kin. Assigned to the 1st Depot Battalion, Manitoba Regiment, having a goitre he was medically classified as C1 and suitable for service in Canada. Given a leave without pay until 15 August of 1918, Emil was discharged from service the same day on return to Registrar’s Records, rank of Private.

At the time of the 1921 Canada census, Emil was living with his parents in the RM of Whitemouth where they were farming. Likely having died, Knut was no longer with the family. Family members moving to Kenora, Voters lists showed that Emil worked for the Department of Highways and according to his obituary for the Canadian Pacific Railway extra gangs and the mines in the area. For most of his years in Kenora he lived with his sister Ester and her husband Erik Bertil Olson and family in the Lakeside area of Kenora.

Emil died on 18 March 1980 in the Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora. At the time of his death he was survived by his brother Fred and sister Ester Olson and family of Kenora. He was predeceased by his brother Gustaf back in Sweden and brother Knut, his father Andrew in 1927 and mother Anna in 1948 in Kenora, siblings Anna Peterson in 1924 in the RM of Whitemouth, Hulda (Oscar) Nelson in 1967, and Charles in 1976, the latter two in Kenora. Fred later died in 1990 and Ester in 1994. Along with most of his family, Emil is interred with his brother Fred in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora.

By Judy Stockham

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