Ellen Maria Gunderson (1884 - 1950)

Born 18 Mar 1884 in Newburg, Mitchell, Iowa, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Alden Scott Boyer — married 29 Aug 1909 in Nashua, Chickasaw, Iowa, USA

Died 1 May 1950 at age 66 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA

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Biography

This biography was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import.^[1] It's a rough draft and needs to be edited.

Baptism

Baptism: First Lutheran Church

Date: 04 MAY 1884

Place: St Ansgar, Mitchell, Iowa, USA

Burial

Burial: First Lutheran Cemetery

Date: MAY 1950

Place: St Ansgar, Mitchell, Iowa, USA

Note

Note: #N4206

Sources

1. ↑ Gunderson-249 was created by Kitty Munson through the import of LivesDescendants.ged on May 23, 2015. This comment and citation can be deleted after the biography has been edited and primary sources are included.

Notes

Note N4206Newspaper Article: FORMER IOWA WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN SLEEP - St. Ansgar, Iowa:

Funeral services for Mrs. Alden Scott Boyer, 66, of Chicago, Ill., will be held Thursday at 2 P.M. at the First Lutheran Church here. The Rev. Olaf A. Langehough officiating. Burial in the St. Ansgar Cemetery.

Mrs. Boyer died in her sleep at her fashionable Drexel Square apartment and was found by her husband, a Chicago manufacturer, Monday. Born Marie Gunderson, she was the daughter of Erick and Louise Gunderson of Newburg Township west of St. Ansgar. She attended school at Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, and taught school at Meltonville. In 1909, she was married to Mr. Boyer, and they lived first at Carpenter, then at Reeder, North Dakota. Finally they resided in Chicago where Mr. Boyer became a prominent industrialist. Besides her husband, she leaves 2 sisters, Mrs. Lewis Haberkorn of Osage and Mrs. Josephine Schmidt of Mason City and 2 brothers, Gustav Gunderson, St. Ansgar and Emil, Ray, North Dakota. Mrs. Boyer was famed for her philanthropic work, doing much charitable work for semi-orphaned boys in a boys' school under her tutelage. She was noted as a lecturer, had probably the most famous lace collection in America, her laces dating back to the thirteenth century, with origin in France where she and her husband head quartered prior to the war for a six months' period yearly.

Because of her husband's French ancestry, carefully guarded lace secrets were revealed to them and access given to many laces that were museum pieces. There her husband learned the secrets that made his factories in Paris and Chicago famous as the Boyer products, secrets coming from his grandmother's ancestors. The Boyer cosmetic factories have now been sold, both abroad and in Chicago and are still operating under the Boyer trade name, but Mr. Boyer now has chemical factories. Mrs. Boyer had at Easter just returned from Washington, D.C. where she was elected national president of Pen Women. She was member of the Writers Guild and patron of arts in Chicago. She had given innumerable lectures on her famous antiques, particularly her lace collection, lecturing in many states. All her lecture proceeds have been given to charities.

Obituary:

Marie Gunderson, March 18, 1884, was born to Erick and Louise Gunderson, in Newburg Township on the Gunderson homestead and there attended the local schools and was received by baptism and communion into the First Lutheran Church, by the late Pastor Johann Olson. Within her was the earnest desire to become a teacher, so she attended Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, then came to near her home community to teach in the community of Meltonville, later teaching at Reeder, North Dakota. In August, 1909, she married Alden Scott Boyer, druggist in Carpenter, and the couple first lived at Reeder, N.D. and then moved to Chicago, Illinois, where they have lived since.

She at first assisted her husband in his various experiments that ultimately made him world famous, ever mindful of his welfare and interest in her entire life. Her interest in teaching led her to assist in a junior school for boys, at Elgin, Illinois, where semi-orphaned boys received assistance. She worked laboriously with this project and gave unstintingly of her time and money in this work that was so dear to her heart. She was a patron of the arts in Chicago, attending and assisting in the work of the artists in various phases of artwork. She was a faithful member of the Writers Guild and had returned to Chicago at Easter following her election as National President of Pen Women. For many years, she lived for six month periods yearly in France where she learned to know and to love many of foreign extraction.

In Chicago, many were those befriended by her whose backgrounds were of western Europe and her home was open to all. Her hobby was collecting. In her home are hundreds of articles, priceless in value, many of them museum pieces, whose origin can be traced back many centuries. Whenever she lectured, the proceeds were always given to charity. She also found time to be an instructor in Carnegie Foundation work which she dearly loved.

Mrs. Boyer had not been feeling well, but had not complained of being ill and it was a complete shock to all when news arrived that she had died during her sleep, Monday morning, May first in her home in Chicago, found by her husband. She leaves to mourn her passing her husband, 2 sisters, Mrs. Lewis Haberkorn, Osage, and Mrs. Josephine Schmidt, Mason City; and two brothers, C.G. Gunderson, St. Ansgar and Emil of Ray, North Dakota in addition to nephew and nieces and other relatives. Deceased relatives include 4 sisters: Mrs. Laura Bendickson, Miss Lorena Gunderson, Mrs. Leva DuShane, and Mrs. Petrina Back and 2 brothers: John and Melvin.

Find a Grave #46075222 with photo.

Found in the 1885 - 1900 censuses at Newburg, Mitchell, Iowa:

1885: Erick Gunderson 42 ,Lovisa Gunderson 34, Laura Gunderson 14, John Gunderson 13, Petrina Gunderson 10, Gusta Gunderson 8, Amil Gunderson 7, Lave Gunderson 5, Melvin Gunderson 2, Maria Gunderson 1, Mathia Findstad 35, Olans Larsen 32.

1895: Ellen Mary Gunderson age 16.

1900: Erik Gunderson 57, Ragnild Gunderson 48, C Gustavus Gunderson 24, Levie G Gunderson 20, Maria E Gunderson 16, Emma H Gunderson 13, Jenny J Gunderson 11, Olavus Thorson 29.

Found in the 1905 census at Folsom, Traverse, Minnesota: Ellen Gunderson age 21 student.

Found in the 1910 census at Reeder, Adams, North Dakota. Occupation was a druggist: A. S. Boyer 23, Maria 26.

Found in the 1920, 1940 censuses at Chicago, Cook, Illinois:

1920: Alden Boyer 33, Marie G Boyer 35.

1940: Alden S Boyer 53, Marie G Boyer 55.