Edlund Family History Wasilla, Alaska


THE EDLUND FAMILY

John Fredolph "Fred" Edlund 1866-1960
and wife
Lillie Rosella (Mead) Edlund 1878-1969

EDLUND ROAD HISTORY


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Edlund Road, in Wasilla, Alaska
is named after this family


John Fredolph "Fred" Edlund was born in Brëcke, Sweden in 1866 and came to America in 1889. On 7/11/1895, he married 16 year old Lillie Rosella Mead, the daughter of George and Francis (Holly) Mead. Fred and Lillie settled in Verndale, Washington and had twelve children between 1896 and 1917. 

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.


The Edlund Homestead
According to the O.G.Herning diaries,
this home burned down on 5/31/1939


THE CHILDREN OF JOHN FREDOLPH AND LILLIE ROSELLA (MEAD) EDLUND: 


1. FREDOLPH "Freddie" EDLUND

Born: 3/12/1896 Washington   
Died: 3/18/1896 Washington

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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 

Born: 12/23/1898 Washington   Died: 1970 California
Married: Herman Hugh
Married: Asa Alonzo "Jack" Wilkinson
Married: Elmer I. Tucker 

"Rose" Edlund and her older sister "Malie" married brothers: Hans and Herman Hugh. According to their military registration papers, the brothers were born in Basel, Switzerland and came to America in 1911.

Rose married 3 times. Her 1st husband was Herman Hugh and they had 2 children: Josephine Mary born in Knik in 1914 and George Herman born 1920 in Washington. Her daughter Josephine went by the nickname of Lily in her early childhood, however, when her maternal grandmother gave birth to a baby girl in 1917 (and named the baby Lily May), Josephine's parents changed her nickname to "Lila".  

Rose's 2nd husband was Asa Alonzo "Jack" Wilkerson.  Her 3rd husband was Elmer Tucker.

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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 

Born: 11/29/1904  Washington   Died: 1/1/1985 Wasilla
Married: "George" August Joseph Strigga born 1892 in Vilna, Russia
Married: Sharon Daniel Fleckenstein

Florence married "George" August Joseph Strigga who was stationed at Matanuska Junction as a Private in the U.S. Co. B, 21st Infantry. They had 2 daughters: Lorraine and Shirley. In 1929, the Strigga's were granted Land Patent #1030361 for Lot 4 Block 13 in downtown Anchorage.

Florence's 2nd husband was Sharon Daniel Fleckenstein, son of Joseph Bernard and Marie Antoinette Fleckenstein. They had 2 sons: Sharon Daniel "Dan" and Joseph Bernard "Joe".

Sharon Fleckenstein's first wife was Maxine Crocker, daughter of Wasilla rancher Fred Crocker. Sharon and Maxine were the 1st couple to be married in Wasilla. She drowned on 7/4/1932 when their car went out of control while it was coming down Hatcher Pass road and landed in the Little Susitna River.

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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. 


  1. George Eric Edlund
  2. Carl Fritzler (husband of  "Vicky" Edlund Fritzler)
  3. Oscar Ernest Anderson (2nd husband of Lillie (Mead) (Edlund) (Anderson)
  4. Alton Edlund (son of Anton Edlund)
  5. John Fremont "Monty" Edlund
  6. John David Urban (husband of "Dee Dee" Edlund)
  7. Virgil Frances Hanson (husband of Josephine Mary "Lila" Hugh)
  8. Ernest Oscar Ohlin (husband to Lilly May Edlund)
  9. Anton Edlund (brother of John Fredolph "Fred" Edlund)
  10. "George" August Joseph Strigga (husband of Florence Edlund)
  11. Asa Alonso "Jack" Wilkinson (husband of Rose Edlund)
  12. John David Urban Jr. (son of John David Urban Sr.)

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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.


Hedvig Mabel "Vicky" Edlund Fritzler and her
father  John Fredolph "Fred" Edlund
1945


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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 family was a musical family, playing guitar, mandolin, violin and accordion.
Orville Herning called them the "Edlund Orchestra" and they played for local dances,
special occasions and holidays.



Arnold Edlund (left) and his father Fred Edlund (center) and Ed Fries (right)
Barn Dance at Matanuska Junction
Little girl in front row with white  dress 
is Hedvig "Vicky" Edlund



Left is  Ed Fries
Right is John Fredolph "Fred" Edlund


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.


                                             (left)Swen Boden
                                             (center)Alton Edlund
                                             (right)Carl Fritzler
                                 Fritzler homestead log house about 1939 or 1940

Oscar Ernest Anderson (not to be confused with the Oscar Anderson of Anchorage fame) immigrated from Sweden in 1909. By all accounts, he was a kind and generous man. Gloryjean Fritzler wrote the following about him: "Oscar built his log gambrel roofed house on the hillside below our house. When he knew he was going to marry my grandmother, Lilly Mead-Edlund (and get her daughters as a bonus) he cleared some land to the east and moved his house there. Later, Oscar built a 20' x 20' house just a bit to the west. My folks used the old log house for a barn until they got into the dairy business, then dad tore it down and built the milk house there. Dad built onto the little white house and later sold it to Ed and Dot Frandson."

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?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
                                    7. Elizabeth "Pat" Snider
8.
9.
                   10. Billy Tryck
                       11. Marie Snider
                        12. Charlie Tryck
  13.
  14.
  15.
                    16. Ann Snider
                    17. Pete Snider


 

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All photographs used on this page are courtesy of
Gloryjean Fritzler-Wilson and George D. Hanson


SOURCES:
*Gloryjean Fritzler-Wilson
*George D. Hanson
*Jim Fox interview with Diane Hugh-Evans
*Jim Fox interview with Pearl Edlund-Oberg-Farr
*U.S. Census records
*Immigration records
*BLM Land Records
*SSDI
*O.G.Herning Diaries
*Washington Marriage Records