Anna Louisa Anderson

Biography

Anna Louisa Anderson was born on June 24, 1856 in Holm, Älvsborg, Sweden. She had three older brothers who died before she was born and one older sister, Matilda, with whom she was very close. When Anna was still young, her parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When Anna was not quite six years old, she left with her mother and sister to make the journey to Utah. Her father had to stay behind to sell the family jewelry shop.
Anna, Matilda, and their mother crossed the Atlantic on the ship "Electric". They spent nine weeks at sea from April 18th to June 5th of 1862. Once arriving in the New York, they journeyed to Omaha before crossing the plains with the Joseph Horne wagon company. Along the way, Anna got an eye infection and became ill enough that she could not walk. She had to ride in one of the wagons, but eventually she made a full recovery. The family finally arrived in Salt Lake City on October 1, 1862.
Shortly after their arrival, Anna and her family were sent to Grantsville, Utah, where they first stayed with the James McBride family. They had to learn to card their own wool and make their own clothing. Anna and Matilda also gleaned wheat to earn money to get their dolls. It was almost a year before her father could join them and start business as a blacksmith.
When they were teenagers, Anna and Matilda went to Salt Lake City to study music. They became accomplished organists and had the first organ in Tooele County. Their family had a dance hall in which they played. Anna also taught music to help support herself.
On October 3, 1877, Anna married Charles Pehr Andersson, the brother of whom her sister Matilda had married the year before. The couple stayed in Grantsville for a few years before they moved to Saint Johns, Apache, Arizona around 1885. Anna had seven children, four sons and three daughters. All but the oldest two were born in St. Johns. Anna lived the rest of her life in St. Johns, passing away there on December 27, 1939 at the age of eighty-three. She was buried in St. Johns.