Emil Arndt Pederson was born on December 8, 1883 in Paynesville, Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Death Index, which can be seen at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V4Z7-6YX [1]
His parents were Mikal Jacob Pederson and Maren Mikelson Pederson.
According to a short autobiography written by Laura /Pederson/ Randall, Emil's sister, there were 8 children in the family. She doesn't give birth dates, but says the oldest was Marcus, the "responsible one". followed by Martin, two years younger ("mischievous", per Laura). Next was Ann, the oldest girl and the "beauty of the family". Next was another sister, "Minda", who apparently died in February when she was 8 yrs old. Emil was the next child, followed by Carl, two years younger.
Laura describes Emil and Carl as opposites: "Emil blond, Carl, dark. Emil small, Carl big. Emil loved to read and dream, Carl big and husky and liked to do work." Laura was next in line. She describes herself as "fat and funny and lazy". The final child of these eight was Malanchton John, Tony for short.
They all lived in a "small log house, three rooms downstairs, kitchen, living room and one small bedroom. Two rooms upstairs, a big roomy hall, which was used as a clothes closet and in an emergency a bed could be set up there. Then a large bedroom with four beds. Here we eight children slept. Mother tried to provide a little privacy for each of us by stringing cotton curtains between the beds, but as I remember it these curtains didn't last long, what with eight healthy lively children running back and forth..." (Laura describes life back then, with churned butter, fresh bread, meat from one cow and one hog each fall, which were cured in the summer to preserve the meat. Mattresses were straw, laid on wooden slats. When Laura was 14 (not sure how old Emil was at that time), a flu epidemic "Lagripped" sickened her mother, and weakened her so that she died. (It's hard to tell from the story Laura told how long her mother was ill before she died. "And on the morning of December 28, 1902, mother went to her eternal reward and life changed completely."
"A few years later father remarried.."[2]
The 1885 Minnesota State census lists the following family information:
Emil can be found at the age of 18 on the 1900 US census for Irving Twp., Kandiyohi County, Minnesota with his parents, Mikal and Maren Pederson, and four of his younger siblings. According to the census, his parents had been married for 28 years, and Maren had given birth to 9 children, 8 of whom were still alive when the 1900 census was taken. Emil's father, Mikal, had immigrated from Norway to the US in 1867, and his mother in 1871. They were married about 1872.
Name | Sex | Age | Status | Race | Role | Est. Birth yr | Birthplace | Father b. | Mother b. |
Mickal Pederson | Male | 53 | Married | White | Head | Norway | Norway | Norway | |
Maren Pederson | Female | 51 | Married | White | Wife | Norway | Norway | Norway | |
Emil Pederson | Male | 18 | Single | White | Son | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Karl Pederson | Male | 15 | Single | White | Son | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Laura Pederson | Female | 13 | Single | White | Dau | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Melankton Pederson | Male | 10 | Single | White | Son | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Minda Pederson | Female | 8 | Single | White | Dau | Minnesota | Norway | Norway |
Emil Arndt Pederson registered for the draft for WW I at the age of 35 on September 12, 1918, in Minot, Ward County, North Dakota, USA. His permanent address was given as Plaza County, Montrail County, North Dakota. This registration was the only indication located thus far that his given name may have been Arndt -- not Emil. He normally used Arndt as his middle name. The name is written "Arndt" on the registration form, but has been transcribed "Arnot". The registration form gives his birth date as December 8, 1883.[5]
Emil Pederson can be found at the age of 37 on the 1920 US census for Shealy, Ward County, North Dakota, with his wife, Serina (transcribed "Darina"), his son, Edgar, and daughter ("Volmer") who was recorded as a son, and whose name was "Volberg".
Name | Sex | Age | Status | Race | Role | Est Birth yr | Birthplace | Father b. | Mother b. |
Emil Pederson | Male | 37 | Married | White | Head | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Sarina Pederson | Female | 28 | Married | White | Wife | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Edgar Pederson | Male | 7 | Sing | White | Son | North Dakota | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
Volmer Pederson | Female | 4 | Sing | White | Son | North Dakota | Minnesota | Minnesota |
Emil Pederson can be found at the age of 47 with his wife Serina on the 1930 US census for Shealey, Ward County, North Dakota, along with their children.
Name | Sex | Age | Status | Race | Role | Est Birth yr | Birthplace | Father b. | Mother b. |
Emil Pederson | Male | 47 | Married | White | Head | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Serina Pederson | Female | 36 | Married | White | Wife | Minnesota | Norway | Norway | |
Edgar M Pederson | Male | 18 | Single | White | Son | North Dakota | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
Volberg A Pederson | Female | 14 | Single | White | Dau | North Dakota | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
Myrtle E Pederson | Female | 10 | Single | White | Dau | North Dakota | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
Edyth S Pederson | Female | 6 | Single | White | Dau | North Dakota | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
Sydney A Pederson | Male | 4 | Single | White | Son | North Dakota | Minnesota | Minnesota |
Emil Pederson can be found with his wife Serina on the 1940 US census for Shealey Township, Ward County, North Dakota, with his daughter Edith, and youngest son, Clinton.
Name | Sex | Age | Status | Race | Role | Birthplace | Est Birth y. | Residence 4/1/1935 |
Emil Pederson | Male | 56 | Married | White | Head | Minnesota | Rural, Ward, North Dakota | |
Serina Pederson | Female | 48 | Married | White | Wife | Minnesota | Rural, Ward, North Dakota | |
Edith Pederson | Female | 16 | Single | White | Dau | North Dakota | Rural, Ward, North Dakota | |
Clinton Pederson | Male | 4 | Single | White | Son | North Dakota | Rural, Ward, North Dakota |
Birth, death information is from my family files and from Edith Greenup (his daughter).
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