John Fredolph "Fred" Edlund was born in Bräcke, Sweden on 1866 and immigrated to America at the age of 23 (Aunt Pearl says 21). I put a small red star next to his name on this immigration ledger. (Sorry about the poor quality of this photo, but I cleaned it up as well as I could).

The City of Paris (Inman Line) built 1888 (527' x 67')

In the spring of 1914, Fred decided it was time to move his family to Alaska. He and his daughter Rose (and her husband Herman Hugh) were the first ones, in the Edlund family, to arrive in Alaska. The steam ship journey brought them as far as Ship Creek (Anchorage would not exist for another year) where they took a scow across Cook Inlet to the small town of Knik. The town of Wasilla would not exist for another three years.

That first summer, Fred Edlund staked his homestead which was (by 2010 landmarks) off of Fairview Loop and Davis Road. He received Land Patent #854587 for his homestead in 1922.

The John F. Edlund homestead
(According to the Herning diaries, this home burned down on May 31, 1939)

The fall of 1914, after staking the homestead and building a tiny cabin, Fred went back to Washington for the winter; his daughter Rose and her husband stayed in Alaska and wintered in the town of Knik.

In the spring of 1915, Fred brought his wife and the rest of his children to live on the homestead in Alaska. Family legend has it, that the cabin was far too small for the large Edlund family and there were many hardships until a larger home was built later that year. In 1917, Fred's wife, Lillie, briefly went back to Washington to give birth to their youngest child, a daughter named Lily May.

THE CHILDREN OF JOHN F. AND LILLIE ROSELLA (MEAD) EDLUND:
1. FREDDIE EDLUND
            Born 3/12/1896 Washington    Died 3/18/1896 Washington
2. AMELEA "Malie" ELIZABETH EDLUND (married Hans Hugh )
            Born 7/29/1897 Washington
            Died  8/20/1915 Matanuska Valley      Amelea's Children: Hans ("Danny")  and Fredolph ("Dolphy")
3. ROSALIE FRANCES EDLUND (married Herman Hugh & Asa A. "Jack" Wilkinson & Elmer I Tucker)
            Born 12/23/1898 Washington
            Died 1970 Los Molinos, California    Rosalie's Children: Josephine ("Lila") and George
4. ARNOLD ANTON EDLUND (married Hulda Lothrop and Mary Marsh-Cornelius)
            Born 1/23/1901 Washington
            Died 9/3/1974 Port Angeles, Washington     Arnold's Children: Elsie and Maxine
5. EDA "Dee Dee" MYRTLE EDLUND (married Merle McCambridge and John D. Urban)
            Born 1/21/1903  Washington
            Died 4/8/1983 St. Petersburg, Florida   Dee Dee's Children: Margery, Merle and John D.
6. FLORENCE EVELIENA EDLUND (married August J. Strigga and Sharon Fleckenstein)
            Born 11/29/1904  Washington
            Died 1/1/1985  Wasilla, Alaska  Florence's Children: Lorraine, Shirley, Sharon ("Dan") & Joseph
7. GEORGE ERIC EDLUND (m. Olga Finn, Edith Davenport and Mae Byers)
            Born 10 /4/1906 Washington
            Died 7/3/1989 Wasilla, Alaska  George's Children: Alice  Step-children: Ruth, Marian, James and Harold
8. PEARL EDLUND (married Gilbert "Gib" Oberg and William Farr)
            Born 11/4/1908  Washington
            Pearl's Children: Gilbert Jr. and Joan
9. JOHN FREMONT "Monte" EDLUND (married Lillian "Virginia" Grantham)
            Born 4/29/1911  Washington
            Died 1/10/1963 San Francisco, California               No Children
10. HEDVIG MABEL "Vicky" EDLUND (married Gusta Neilssen and Carl Fritzler)
            Born 8/12/1913  Washington
            Died 11/29/1996 Wasilla, Alaska            Vicky's Children: Gloryjean and Carl
11. HILDA VERN EDLUND (married Harry Sears)
            Born 2/28/1915  Washington
            Died 11/7/2007  Kelso, Washington     Hilda's Children: Donald, Verna Mae and Rosella
12. LILY MAY EDLUND (married Ernest Ohlin)
            Born 2/25/1917   Washington
            Died 9/6/1986 Red Bluff, California     Lily's Children: Ruby, Vonnie, Lois, Janet and Ernest

The Edlund family was a musical family. Orville Herning called them the Edlund Orchestra and he often accompanied them with his flute. They played a variety of instruments (piano, guitar, mandolin, violin and accordion) for dances, special occasions and holidays.

Arnold, Fredolph and Monte Edlund
Barn Dance at Matanuska Junction (little girl in front row-white dress-is  Hedvig "Vicky" Edlund)

The Edlund Brothers
Edward, John Fredolph and Olof Anton Edlund

Amelea  Edlund and her husband  Hans homesteaded  (by 2010 landmarks) near the intersection of the Parks Highway and Seward Meridian Road in Wasilla. Amelea's life was cut tragically short, when she died from an unknown illness during her first year in Alaska; she was only 19; she is buried on her parents' homestead.  Her husband and two young sons, Hans and Fredolph (who went by the nicknames of Danny and Dolphy) moved back to Washington after her death.

The Edlunds daughter, Rosalie "Rose" Francis Edlund married Herman Hugh and they had two children, Josephine Mary and George H. Rosalie's second husband was Asa A. "Jack" Wilkinson. After Jack passed away, Rosalie married Elmer Tucker in 1961.

Rosalie's first child was Josephine Mary Hugh, born at Knik in 1914; their second child was  George H. Hugh born in Washington in 1920. Like many Edlunds, little Josephine went by a nickname for most of her life. In very early childhood, she went by the name of Lily Hugh. However, when her maternal grandmother gave birth to a baby girl in 1917 (named Lily May) Josephine's parents changed her nickname to Lila.

Josephine Mary "Lila" Hugh

Josephine "Lila" & Virgil Hanson about 1937 on 3rd Avenue Anchorage
Virgil worked for McGee Airways (which later became Alaska Airlines)

Josephine "Lila" Hugh-Hanson
This old log cabin was moved to accomodate the 4th & K Street Court house in Anchorage

Fred and Lillie Edlund's oldest son Arnold Anton and Canadian born wife Hulda Lothrop, had two daughters, Elsie and Maxine. Hulda was the daughter of Robert Bloomfield Lothrop  and Hulda Isabelle (Gustafson) Lothrop, and the step-daughter of Joseph Jussa (1920 US Census for Anchorage).

Arnold was also married to Mary Marsh-Cornelius, widow of Roy A. Cornelius. That made Arnold a step-father to Mary and Roy Cornelius' 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

Edith married John D. Urban (at Anchorage) in 1926. John (born 1882 in Portage, Wisconsin) came to Anchorage in 1922; they had a son named John D. Urban Jr. in 1927.

The Edlunds daughter Florence, married (Russian born) August J. Strigga. They had two children, Lorraine and Shirley. In 1920, August J. Strigga was stationed at Matanuska Junction as a Private in the US Army Co. B, 21st Infantry. In 1929, he was granted a land patent #1030361 for Lot 4 Block 13 in the town of Anchorage.

Florence's second husband was Sharon Fleckenstein, son of Joseph Bernard and Marie Antionette Fleckenstein;. Sharon and Florence had two children, Sharon (nickname "Dan") and Joseph Fleckenstein. Sharon Fleckenstein's first wife was Maxine Crocker, daughter of a Wasilla rancher named Fred Crocker. Sharon and Maxine were the first people to have a wedding in the new town of Wasilla in 1924. Maxine drowned on July 4th, 1932 when their car went out of control, coming down Hatcher Pass road and landed in the Little Susitna River. Sharon married Florence Edlund Strigga six years later (1938).

Florence Edlund-Strigga-Fleckenstein and her father Fred Edlund taken in about 1950

Pearl Edlund and husband Gilbert "Gib" Oberg raised children: Gilbert Jr., Joannie and Gary Jr.

John Fremont "Monte" Edlund had no children.

When Hedvig "Vicky" Edlund was 17, she married Gusta Neilssen (born 1910), a young Swedish immigrant (came to USA 1928) who was the nephew of Oscar Anderson. Shortly after they were married, the two moved back to Sweden, where they lived for about 3 years. The marriage was short lived, and 20 year old "Vicky" came back to America on the S. S. Drottningholm, leaving Gothenburg, Sweden and arriving in New York on 1/4/1934.

Vicky Edlund-Neilssen married Carl Fritzler in 1936; they had two children, Gloryjean and Carl Mark Fritzler. Carl Sr. applied for and received Land Patent # 1110217 for 160 acres in 1941 and Land Patent #1172531 for 240 acres in the Matanuska Valley in 1957.

When Hilda Edlund and Harry Sears got married, Fred Edlund gave them a section of the original Edlund homestead which was (by 2010 landmarks) between Fairview Loop and Matanuska Road. Hilda and Harry had three children: Donald, Verna Mae and Rosella Sears.

Lily Edlund (the youngest) and husband Ernest Ohlin (nephew of Oscar Anderson) had five children: Ruby, Vonnie, Lois, Janet and Ernest Ohlin.

Johan Albert Bodin (Fred Edlund's maternal cousin) immigrated from Sweden on the S. S. Lusitania, arriving 8/17/1912, with his six year old son Swen R Bodin. Their immigration records list Morton, Washington as their final destination.  Eventually Albert and Swen came to Alaska and staked a homestead near the Edlunds. Since Albert was a single father, the Edlunds took care of young Swen when his father was away, which was often. Eventually, Albert Bodin left Alaska, leaving Swen permanently with the Edlunds. The deserted Bodin homestead was taken over by Olof Anton Edlund (brother of Fred Edlund).

One Edlund story tells how Oscar Anderson and Swen Bodin  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.