Kari Sanderson
Margit
Sanderson
Ellen
Sanders
Harriet
Sanders
Sondra
Sanders, Sr.
Asse
Sanderson
Ole
Sanderson
Sondra Sanders, Sr.
The missing orphans of Osten & Aase Sondresson
Sondra Sanders is my direct ancestor, my
great grandfather, and the father of Sondra Sanders Jr.,
my grandfather. He was born on Bakkajord in Tinn,
Telemark, Norway February 6, 1829. He was just eight
years old when he came with his family to America. Prior
to his death in 1894 he dictated a personal history to
his son. It is this history that gives us the details of
the family coming to America and to Beaver Creek
Settlement.
In the Beaver Creek Settlement he
describes very primitive living conditions and tells of
the death of his parents. He describes the orphaned
children being given out to various families and his own
experience of being given to a family he did not like. He
ran away and went to LaSalle County where he lived with
the Nels Fruland family. This is the same family that
took in his sister Kari. He stayed in Mission Township
(now called Norway, Illinois in LaSalle County) for the
next few years. In 1842 he joined the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints along with his two sisters.
In l844 he took his two sisters and went to Nauvoo,
Illinois and attended the Church Conference held in
October. His sisters both stayed in Nauvoo and eventually
married Apostle Heber C. Kimball.
Sondra returned to LaSalle County and
stayed there until 1850. He worked for Jacob Anderson
driving cattle to Wisconsin. In 1850 he signed on to
drive a herd of cattle to California. He tells of hunger
on the trail where they boiled the leather straps on the
wagon for soup. He got to Salt Lake Valley on the 18th of
July and paid his employer to release him so he could
stay here with his sisters.
Sondra made his home in South Cottonwood.
Contrary to the counsel of church authorities he went to
California to participate in the gold rush and in 1852
went with friends to seek his fortune. He returned three
years later and after many harrowing experiences in gold
fields.
He married Anna Jorgenson, from Malmohus,
Sweden, on December 1, 1857. With her they had eleven
children. Their third child, Sondra Sanders Jr. was an
early missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints to New Zealand. He was called to translate the
Book of Mormon into the Maori language along with another
missionary Ezra F. Richards. Anna Jorgenson died on May
5, 1879 in South Cottonwood on the family farm located on
what is now 5900 South and west of the old railroad
tracks.
Sondra Sr. again married to Anna Marie
Larson who also was born in Sweden. From this marriage
two additional children were born into the family. Sondra
suffered ill health during his last years. He died on
September 21, 1894 in South Cottonwood at the age of
sixty-five years. He is buried in the Murray City
Cemetery.