THE EDLUND FAMILY
John Fredolph "Fred" Edlund 1866-1960
and wife
Lillie Rosella (Mead) Edlund 1878-1969
EDLUND ROAD HISTORY
by
Edlund Road, in Wasilla, Alaska
is named after this family
In the
spring of 1914, Fred decided to move his family to Alaska.
While Lillie and the children temporarily stayed behind in Washington,
Fred and his daughter "Rose" (and her husband Herman Hugh) came to Alaska.
The steam ship journey, on the Admiral Evans, brought them as far as the deep
waters in the Ship Creek area; Anchorage would not exist for another year.
From there, another boat took them across Cook Inlet to the small town of
Knik (Wasilla would not exist for another 3 years).
That first
summer, Fred and Herman staked a 240 acre homestead 11 miles from
Knik (a 2 day walk). They cleared land and built a small cabin for each
family. In the fall, Fred went back to Washington, while Rose and Herman
stayed in Knik. Their first child, Josephine Mary, was born there in
December of 1914.
In
the spring of 1915, Fred brought his wife, 9 other children, another
son-in-law, 2 grandchildren and a horse and wagon to Alaska. The cabin he
built for his family was obviously not going to house everyone for long,
so a larger home was built.
1. FREDOLPH "Freddie" EDLUND
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2. AMELIA "Malie" ELIZABETH EDLUND
Born: 7/29/1897 Washington Died: 8/20/1915
Alaska
Married: Hans Hugh 1/2/1913 Kosmos, Washington
"Malie" Edlund and her husband Hans, homesteaded (by today's
landmarks) near the intersection of the Parks Highway and Seward Meridian
Road in Wasilla. They had 2 sons: Hans Raymond "Danny" and Fredolph Oswald
"Dolphy". Malie died one year after coming to Alaska; she was buried on
her parents homestead. After she died, her husband and sons moved back to
Washington.
NOTE: There was some confusion as to the proper spelling
of Amelia's name (Amelia or Amalea). In 1913, she signed her marriage license:
Amelia M. Edlund.
HANS and "MALIE" (EDLUND) HUGH
1913
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3.
ROSALIE FRANCES "Rose" EDLUND
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4.
ARNOLD ANTON EDLUND
Born:
1/23/1901 Washington Died: 9/3/1974 Washington
Married: Hulda Lothrop (b.1907
d. 1950)
Married: Mary Marsh-Cornelius
Arnold
and his Canadian born wife Hulda Lothrop, had 2 daughters, Elsie and
Maxine. Hulda was the
daughter of Robert Bloomfield Lothrop and Hulda Isabelle
(Gustafson) Lothrop.
Arnold's
2nd wife was Mary Marsh-Cornelius, widow of Roy A. Cornelius. That made
Arnold a step-father to
Mary's 4 children: Frank R., Kathleen E., Ruthie M. and
Eugene R. Cornelius.
Arnold Edlund was granted Land Patent #1043745 for 159 acres in the Matanuska Valley in 1931.
ARNOLD ANTON EDLUND
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5. EDITH MYRTLE
"Dee Dee" EDLUND
Born:
1/21/1903 Washington Died: 4/8/1983 Florida
Married: Merle David McCambridge Born: 1888 Died:1925
Married: John David Urban Born: 1887 Died: 1951
Dee Dee married Merle David McCambridge and they had 2
daughters: Margery b.1922 and Merle Corine
b.1924. Merle David McCambridge
died in 1925 (from the flu) while he was working as a baggage
handler for the Alaska Railroad, he is buried in Anchorage.
Dee Dee's 2nd husband was John David
Urban; he came to Alaska from Wisconsin in 1922. They had
one son, John David Urban Jr. in 1927.
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6. FLORENCE EVELINA
EDLUND
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7. GEORGE ERIC
EDLUND
Born:
10/4/1906 Washington Died: 7/3/1989 Wasilla
Married: Olga E.Finney
Married: Edith Davenport
Married: Agnes Mae Byers
George married Olga Finney who died in a car accident. His 2nd wife,
and mother of his
daughter Alice, was Edith Davenport. His
3rd wife was Agnes May (Roulo) Byers, widow of Harold
Beyers. She had 4 children: Ruth, Marian,
James and Harold Byers.
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8. PEARL ALICE
EDLUND
Born:
11/4/1908 Washington Died: 2012 Washington
Married: Gilbert Francis "Gib"
Oberg b.1898 d. 1969
Married: William Farr b. 1910 d. 1985 Married: 1974
Children:
Gilbert Jr., Joan and Gary Oberg
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9. JOHN FREMONT "Monte" EDLUND
Born:
4/29/1911 Washington Died: 1/10/1963 California
Married: Lillian "Virginia" Grantham
Children: None
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10. HEDVIG MABEL "Vicky" EDLUND
Born:
8/12/1913 Washington Died: 11/29/1996 Wasilla
Married: Gusta Neilssen in 1930
Married: Carl Fritzler b.1912 Died: 2012
When "Vicky" Edlund was 17, she married Gusta Neilssen,
a young Swedish immigrant who was the nephew
of Oscar Anderson. Shortly after they were married, the
newlyweds moved to Sweden where they
lived for 3 years. The marriage was short lived
and "Vicky" moved back to Alaska in 1934. She
married Carl Fritzler and they had 2 children:
Gloryjean and Mark. The Fritzler's homestead (by
today's landmarks)was where the Windbreak Cafe is in Wasilla.
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11. HILDA VERNA
EDLUND
Born:
2/28/1915 Washington Died: 11/7/2007 Washington
Married: Harry Arthur
Sears
Born: 1907
When Hilda Edlund married Harry Sears, her father gave the young couple
a section of the original Edlund homestead as a gift. By today's landmarks,
it was between Fairview Loop and Matanuska Road. Hilda and Harry had three
children: Donald, Verna Mae and Rosella Sears.
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12. LILY MAY EDLUND
Born:
2/25/1917 Washington Died: 9/6/1986 California
Married: Ernest Oscar Ohlin Born: 1913 Sweden
Died: 2000 California
Lily May Edlund married Ernest Oscar Ohlin, nephew
of Oscar Anderson; they had 5 children: Ruby,
Vonnie, Lois, Janet and Ernest Ohlin.
1. Lillie (Mead) Edlund Anderson
2. Lilly Edlund Ohlin
3. Margery McCambridge
4. Delma (Foster Daughter)
5. Hedvig Mabel "Vicky" Edlund Fritzler
6. Edith "Dee Dee" Myrtle Edlund Urban
7. Merle McCambridge
8. Rosalie Frances "Rose" Edlund Wilkinson
9. Josephine Mary "Lila" Hugh Hanson
10. Lillian Grantham Edlund
11. Lorraine Strigga
12. Florence Evelina Edlund Strigga
13. Shirley Strigga
14. Ruby Ohlin
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The Edlund
Brothers
Edward,
John Fredolph and Olof Anton Edlund
John Fredolph Edlund's maternal cousin, Johan Albert Boden immigrated from Sweden in 1912 with his six year old son Swen R Boden. Their immigration records list Morton, Washington as their final destination. Eventually, Albert and Swen came to Alaska and staked a homestead near the Edlund's. Since Albert was a single father, the Edlund's took care of young Swen when his father was away, which was often. Eventually, Albert Boden left Alaska, leaving his son permanently with the Edlund's. The deserted Boden homestead was taken over by Fred Edlund's brother, Olof Anton Edlund.
One
Edlund legend tells how Oscar Anderson and Swen Boden went
moose hunting together and Swen mistook Oscar for a moose and
shot him. The injuries were severe enough that Oscar lost part of
his arm and wore a metal hook the rest of his life, however, he
never held Swen responsible, saying "it was just an accident". Oscar
married Lillie Rosella (Mead) Edlund in 1930 after she divorced John
Fredolph Edlund. Oscar Anderson (1890-1979) Lillie Edlund Anderson (1878-1969).
Fred
Edlund, Florence Edlund-Strigga-Fleckenstein, Robert Lothrop, Sharon Fleckenstein,
Gloryjean
Fritzler holding brother Mark Fritzler, Monte Edlund, George
Edlund.
Photo
taken 1951 at the Fleckenstein's.
Fairview School House 1926
Hilda
Edlund, Vicky Edlund, Velma Soper,
Bessie Rowe (teacher) and Lily Edlund
Walking to School (along
the railroad tracks)
1. Lily Edlund
2. Wanda Soper
3. Vicky Edlund
4. Pearl Soper
5. Hilda Edlund
6. Velma Sope
7. Kenny Soper
8. Stewart Vail
Wasilla School Kids
Do you know who
these Wasilla school students are?
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