Who's Who in the Thompson Cemetery
Mons and Martha (Torstensdatter) Anderson
Mons Anderson was born January 14, 1825 on a farm called Haugen under Øvrevoll in Lærdal, Sogn, Norway. On October 29, 1846 he had a son, Iver, out of wedlock with Anna Håkonsdatter from Krossbakken under Færestad. Anna later married Ole Andersson Spjodnahaugen and had four sons with him. She and Ole, with Iver and their four sons, all immigrated to Steele County, Minnesota as well.
Martha Torstensdatter was born May 2, 1832 to Torsten Nilsson Saltkjelen and Randi Olsdatter Kjodnes on a farm called Øyane under Grøto. On December 6, 1852, Mons and Martha were married. This was the same day Martha's brother Nils married Gjertrud Johannesdatter Yttri Rikheim. Mons and Martha had three children in Norway: Ida (Inger), born July 25, 1852; Anna, born May 2, 1856; and Thomas (Torsten), born January 2, 1858. They came to America in 1861 with Martha's parents and siblings, living first in Holden Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota. The family lived in a dug out before building a log cabin there, all the while fearful of the Native Americans in the area. In 1867, the family came by ox team to Havana Township, Steele County, where Mons bought 88 acres of land in section 28. Mons and Martha had four more children in America: Randa, born January 24, 1862; Martha, born August 29, 1866; Olena, born October 17, 1872; and a boy who was born June 5, 1877 and died a day later. The farm was sold to their son Thomas in 1883. Mons went blind around 1885, and he died thirteen years later, on January 31, 1898. Martha continued to live with Thomas and his family. In 1922, they moved from the farm to the city of Owatonna, and on October 3, 1924, Martha died at the age of 91. She and Mons are buried in the Thompson Cemetery.
Nearest relatives in this cemetery: :Martha's parents Torsten and Randi (Olsdatter) Nelson; Martha's brother Nils T. Nelson; Martha's brother Thomas T. Nelson; Martha's sister Mary Johnson Odegard; son Thomas M. Anderson
Main References: Obituary for Mons Anderson, Owatonna People's Press, February 4, 1898
Obituary for Mons Anderson, Owatonna Journal, February 4, 1898
Obituary for Martha Anderson, Owatonna People's Press, October 7, 1924
Obituary for Martha Anderson, Owatonna Journal-Chronicle, October 10, 1924
Espe, Alfred and Kåre Hovland. Lærdal Bygdebok v. 3. Lærdal, Norway: Lærdal Kommune, 1994. p. 29, 152.
Curtiss-Wedge, Franklin. History of Rice and Steele Counties, Minnesota. Chicago: H.C. Cooper Jr. and Co., 1910. p 1237.
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