Gunhild Malvina Christine Anderson (1895 - 1987): Our Family History

1895 - 1987 (92 years) Has no ancestors but 5 descendants in this family tree.

Personal Information | Notes | Event Map | All | PDF

Name	Gunhild Malvina Christine Anderson
Birth	7 Apr 1895	Norrköping, Östergötland, Östergötland, Konungariket Sverige
Gender	Female
Initiatory (LDS)	22 Jul 1949	LOGAN
FamilySearch ID	KWC2-6FJ
Death	19 Apr 1987	Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States
Burial	Richmond, Cache, Utah, United States
Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
Person ID	I126497	mytree
Last Modified	25 Feb 2024

Family Frans Oscar Anderson, b. 13 Oct 1889, Richmond, Cache, Utah, United States d. 11 Jul 1987, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States (Age 97 years)

Marriage 20 Jun 1911 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Children

	1. Dean Oscar Anderson, b. 24 Jul 1912, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 24 Feb 1995, Richmond, Cache, Utah, United States (Age 82 years)
	2. Dorothy Ione Anderson, b. 11 Jan 1915, Richmond, Cache, Utah, United States d. 2 Nov 2004, Layton, Davis, Utah, United States (Age 89 years)
>	3. John Donald Anderson, b. 10 Feb 1917, Richmond, Cache, Utah, United States d. 9 Nov 2008, Blackfoot, Bingham, Idaho, United States (Age 91 years)
	4. Margaret Christine Anderson, b. 4 Oct 1920, Lewiston, Cache, Utah, United States d. 16 Aug 2007 (Age 86 years)
	5. Bonnie Elaine Anderson, b. 2 Jun 1923, Lewiston, Cache, Utah, United States d. 21 Aug 2013 (Age 90 years)

Family ID F10686 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 6 Mar 2025

Event Map

	Birth - 7 Apr 1895 - Norrköping, Östergötland, Östergötland, Konungariket Sverige
	Marriage - 20 Jun 1911 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States
	Initiatory (LDS) - 22 Jul 1949 - LOGAN
	Death - 19 Apr 1987 - Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States
	Burial - - Richmond, Cache, Utah, United States

= Link to Google Earth

Notes

Life History of Gunhild Christine Anderson
1895 - 1987

This history is in the words of her husband Oscar because of a stroke th a t took Christine's speech.
Christine was born in Norrkoping Sweden on April 7, 1895. She was the ol d est of three girls.
During her time in Sweden her father owned a bakery. I understand he w a s a good man, being leader of a society to stop drinking. Her mother w a s sick most of Christine's young life, dyeing at the age of 34 of lun g di sease. It was necessary for Christine to help raise the younger chil dre n so she didn't have much chance to play.
She was baptized at eight years of age. Her parents were converts to t h e L. D. S. Church. The missionaries were holding meetings in the same a pa rtment building that her family lived in. One teacher and several stud ent s gave Christine a bad time in school because she was a Mormon. Man y time s the Mormon missionaries would walk Christine to school to ward o ff trou ble from other students.
In 1908 when Christine was twelve years old her mother died. Her fathe r s ent her to America to live with her aunt. (her mother's sister) Sinc e thi s aunt was not yet married she had no place for Christine to live , so i t was necessary for her to work for different families. She worke d for Br igham Young's grand daughter, having to work harder than any oth er plac e she worked. She worked for a Catholic family for two years, the y wante d to adopt her but she wanted to be a Mormon. She also worked fo r Bisho p Spolding, a Catholic bishop. This was her first job in Americ a having m et Bishop Spolding through Apostle Penrose in England.
On the way from Sweden to America she was stopped at Liverpool England b e cause of bad eyes. She was given the choice to either go home or on t o Am erica. She wanted to go on to America, but it was necessary she sta y at L iverpool until her eyes got better. Apostle Penrose, head of the B ritis h Mission, had her stay at his home during this time. Many times th ey wou ld bring home a Swedish sailor to talk to Christine, as they coul d not un derstand Swedish and she could not understand English.
Christine graduated from grade school in Sweden. The catholic family s h e was living with sent her to two years of high school in Salt Lake .
During her early teen years she danced with a group from Salt Lake at La g oon. She was a good dancer. She also sang in the choir in the Scandinav ia n church, held each Friday night.
After marriage she never worked outside the home, but was always busy . I f anyone needed help she was there. During the flu epidemic of 1918 s he h elped many people.
She was work director in the Relief Society for twenty or twenty five ye a rs. She will be remembered for her beautiful handwork. In 1928 she p u t a cutwork tablecloth in the fair at Missoula Montana. It was sent t o th e world's fair in Chicago. She received a gold certificate. Many art icle s were displayed at fairs and also at the Mormon handicraft store i n Sal t Lake. At one time she wanted to put a pair of cutwork pillow case s in t he fair, and she was turned down. They said the work was too perfe ct an d had to be done by a machine.
Christine was the first person in Richmond to get a pacemaker.
Although Christine is unable to tell us, by her actions we know she lov e s and appreciates her children and anyone stopping to visit.

This history was told to Joyce Murray in July 1980 when she was eighty f i ve years old. She passed away on April 19, 1987 at the age of ninety t w o after living the last fifteen years of her life unable to speak becau s e of a stroke that she suffered.

Some other details of her early life and her voyage to America as tol d t o me are that the school where she attended in Sweden and the Luthere n ch urch and graveyard were all on the same plot of ground and that afte r he r mother died she could see her mother's grave from her seat in th e class room and when the teacher caught her looking out the window the t eacher w ould hit her hands with a ruler for punishment. Also some of th e other sc hool children would put dirt on her lunch and the teacher woul d make he r eat it anyway. On the boat from Sweden to England as they wer e crossin g the North sea the storms sprayed saltwater into her eyes caus ing the in fection in her eyes. While in England since she could not spea k English s he wore a sign on the front of her clothes that said who sh e was and wher e she was going and on her back that said who she was an d where she had c ome from. When she was finally allowed to come to Ameri ca she was accompa nied by some missionaries who were coming home. The sh ip docked in Canad a and then she traveled by train to Salt Lake. She wa s the only member o f her family to come to America.
Whenever we went to visit grandma and grandpa, grandma always had the be s t fresh baked goodies I ever tasted. She must of had some of the talen t s of her father. I remember well the many fancy cutworks that she mad e fo r her grandchildren. I can still hear the old telephone that was i n the f ront hall that you had to turn a crank to signal the operator tha t you wa nted to make a call. I don't think they even had phone numbers t hen. The y just called the operator by name and said something like " ple ase rin g ______ _______ for me" and the operator would ring the other pa rty an d connect them together. My mother says that when they went to th e place s to build schools that there would not be housing available an d that the y would live the whole summer in a tent at the construction si te.
Written April 29, 2000 by Bruce Sparrow (grandson)