26. Ole Sundin (1886-1964) Age 78
27. Hilda Anderson (1893-1949) Age 55
|
Ole Sundin was born 19 Apr 1886 in Boda, Anderasen, Dalarna, Sweden, a son of Olof Hansson and Kerstin Hansdotter. While born Olof Olsson, he, along with some of his other brothers, later changed their surname to Sundin.
In 1904, Ole (as Olof Olsson) set sail on the Rollo out of Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden, headed for Grimbsy / Hull, England. Traveling with him are Andrew Englund, age 32, from America, Kerstin Ersson, age 25, from Boda, and Hans Olsson, age 27, also from Boda. They give their destination as Sidnaw, Michigan, a small town in Houghton County. 
Passenger List dated 10 Aug 1904 for the "Rollo" departing Göteborg headed for Grimsby /
Hull, England, showing Olof Olson, age 18, on Line 73. Image from ancestry.com.
Ole and his traveling companions appear on the Passenger List for the Lucania which was scheduled to depart Liverpool 18 Aug 1904 and arrive at the Port of New York 20 Aug 1904. They list their final destination as Victoria, Michigan. Andrew Englund indicates he lives there, Kerstin Ersson is a friend of Andrew's, Ole is headed to his brother's at the same address as Andrew, and Hans is another friend of Andrew's.
It appears they did not actually sail on the Lucania as their names are stricken from the list. |
Family of Ole SundinFather:
Olof Hansson Mother: Kerstin Hansdotter Spouse: Hilda Anderson Children: Agnes Evelyn Sundin Victor Wilfred "Bounce" Sundin Earland George "Earl" Sundin Viola Marie "Marie" Sundin Donald Edward Sundin Robert Leo "Bob" Sundin Spouse: Anna Marie "Bish" Seifert 
Abt. 1910 - Ole Sundin (seated) with Andrew Englund
|
Passenger List for the "Lucania" departing Liverpool, England, and arriving in the Port of New York 20 Aug 1904. Ole (as Olof Olsson) is shown on Line 27. Image from ancestry.com.
|
Instead, Ole and his friends were able to leave a few days earlier on board the Ivernia, which departed from Liverpool 16 Aug 1904 and arrived in Boston 23 Aug 1904. They are shown as "Adds" on the Passenger List.
Section of the Passenger List from the "Ivernia" departing Liverpool 16 Aug 1904 and arriving in Boston 23 Aug 1904. Image from findmypast.com.
Ole filed a Declaration of Intention to become a United States Citizen 27 Sep 1909. He completed his Petition for Naturalization in Ontonagon County, Michigan, 4 Mar 1912 and 12 Jun 1912 was granted Certificate of Naturalization No. 210016.
|
Passenger List from the "Ivernia" departing Liverpool 16 Aug 1904 and arriving in Boston 23 Aug 1904. Image from findmypast.com.
|
Declaration of Intention filed by Ole Sundin 27 Sep 1909.
|
Petition for Naturalization filed by Ole Sundin 4 Mar 1912.
|
Continuation of the Petition for Naturalization filed by Ole Sundin 4 Mar 1912 showing he was granted citizenship 12 Jun 1912.
|
The 1910 Census shows Ole and his brothers, Andrew and Erick, boarding with Andrew Englund and his family. Brothers Andrew and Ole work as Machinists in the Mine Shop and Erick is a Fireman. Andrew indicates he arrived in 1901, Ole in 1905, and Erick in 1909.
Andrew Englund had married shipmate, Kerstin Ersson, 9 Nov 1904 in nearby Hancock. Andrew and Kerstin, now going by "Christine", are shown with son, Edward Albert, born 18 Jul 1905. Andrew, Kerstin "Christine", and their kids would later move to Washington County, Oregon, where Andrew would live out his days as a Dairy Farmer.
Andrew Englund had married shipmate, Kerstin Ersson, 9 Nov 1904 in nearby Hancock. Andrew and Kerstin, now going by "Christine", are shown with son, Edward Albert, born 18 Jul 1905. Andrew, Kerstin "Christine", and their kids would later move to Washington County, Oregon, where Andrew would live out his days as a Dairy Farmer.
1910 Census for Rockland Township, Ontonagon County, Michigan, showing Ole Sundin on Line 57. Image from ancestry.com.
Ole Sundin and Hilda Anderson were married 3 Sep 1911 in Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan, by Irvin O. Molander, Justice of the Peace. Witnesses were Jack and Sophia (Strom) Skantz. Jack was a brother-in-law to Andrew Sundin, who had married Anna Lena Skantz the year before.
Hilda Anderson and Ole Sundin on their wedding day 3 Sep 1911. Photo taken in Ontonagon County, Michigan.
|
Marriage Certificate for Ole Sundin and Hilda Anderson.
|
From L-R: Unknown; possibly Hilda's sister, Alma Victoria (Anderson) Lindberg with her son, Teddy; possibly Alma's husband, Erick Lindberg; the bride, Hilda (Anderson) Sundin; the groom, Ole Sundin; Ole's brother, Erick Sundin, holding the daughter of Andrew and Anna, Alma Linea Sundin; Andrew's wife, Anna Lena (Skantz) Sundin; Ole's brother, Andrew Sundin. Photo taken 3 Sep 1911 in Ontonagon County, Michigan.
Ole and Hilda's daughter, Agnes Evelyn, was born 12 Apr 1912, followed by a son, Victor Wilfred, born 26 Jun 1913. Another son, Earland George, was born 8 Jan 1916 and another daughter, Viola Marie, 20 Mar 1918. All were born in Victoria, Ontonagon County, Michigan.
In 1918, Ole completed his World War I Draft Registration Card. He was 32 years of age and his occupation was Master Mechanic for the Victoria Copper Mining Company. He is described as medium height, with a medium build, blue eyes, and brown hair.
1918 World War I Draft Registration Card for Ole Sundin (front). Image from ancestry.com.
|
1918 World War I Draft Registration Card for Ole Sundin (back). Image from ancestry.com.
|
At the time of the 1920 Census, the family is still living in Victoria. Ole is working as a Machinist for the Copper Mine. That year, the official Census date was January 1, meaning that information collected reflected what was true as of January 1, even though the Census taker did not enumerate their house until 11 Feb 1920. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is notorious for the amount of snow it receives, and that winter was particularly hard. The area had 41" of snowfall in November, 53" in December, and 27" in January. The 11" that fell in February probably felt like an early spring, although March followed with another 18".
1920 Census for Victoria, Ontonagon County, Michigan, showing Ole Sundin and family starting on Line 61. Image from ancestry.com.
Ole and his family made the move to West Virginia, settling in Glen Rogers, in the early 1920s. Ole's brother, John, arrived from Sweden in 1923 in New York and soon came to the same area in West Virginia. Aggie's little brother, Donald Edward, was born around the same time, and then Robert Leo was born in 1926.
Ole and Hilda's house in Glen Rogers, Wyoming County, West Virginia.
The 1930 Census, taken 15 Apr 1930 as if it were 1 Apr 1930, shows the family living on Main Street in Glen Rogers, Slab Fork Magesterial District, Wyoming County, West Virginia. Ole now works as a Machinist for the Coal Mine.
1930 Census for Glen Rogers, Slab Fork Magesterial District, Wyoming County, West Virginia, showing Ole Sundin and family starting on Line 69. Image from ancestry.com.
In 1931, Ole and Hilda's oldest daughter, Agnes, marries John Bert Dugan and Ole and Hilda become grandparents of their first grandchild, "Buddy", 13 Dec 1932.
In 1936, Ole applies for a Social Security Account Number. The application has his age as 49, and that he was born 19 Apr 1887 in Boda, Sweden, although other records show 19 Apr 1886. It give his parents names as Olof Hanson and Kristina Hanson and his employer as the E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company in Belle, West Virginia. Ole started working in Belle 4 Nov 1935, according to a Hyper News article in 1947.
1936 Application for a Social Security Account Number for Ole Sundin
In the 1940 Census, the family is living in Belle, Kanawha County, West Virginia, at 631 Kanawha Avenue. They rent their home. Ole is working as a Machinist in the Chemical Industry for DuPont. His income from wages in 1939 was $2,400 for the year. It indicates he was living in Kanawha County, West Virginia, in 1935, along with wife Hilda and kids Marie, Donald, and Robert.
Son Earl (enumerated incorrectly as Edgar O.), age 24, works as a Laborer for the same company, but it indicates he was living in Ontonagon County, Michigan, in 1935. Daughter Marie, age 22, works doing housework for a private family.
Lodging with the family is William "Bill" H. Sexton, age 26, and his brother Allen, age 31. Bill works as a Pipefitter for DuPont and Allen works as a Painter for a Chemical Construction Company (possibly a division of DuPont). Bill would later marry Ole's daughter Marie.
Son Earl (enumerated incorrectly as Edgar O.), age 24, works as a Laborer for the same company, but it indicates he was living in Ontonagon County, Michigan, in 1935. Daughter Marie, age 22, works doing housework for a private family.
Lodging with the family is William "Bill" H. Sexton, age 26, and his brother Allen, age 31. Bill works as a Pipefitter for DuPont and Allen works as a Painter for a Chemical Construction Company (possibly a division of DuPont). Bill would later marry Ole's daughter Marie.
1940 Census for Belle, Kanawha County, West Virginia, showing Ole Sundin and family starting on Line 51. Image from ancestry.com.
|
In 1942, Ole completes his World War II Draft Registration Card. He lists his age as 56 years old and that he works at the the DuPont Plant in Belle, West Virginia. His height is 5' 8", weight is 175 pounds, blue eyes, blonde hair, with a light complexion.
1942 World War II Draft Registration Card for Ole Sundin (front). Image from ancestry.com.
|
1942 World War II Draft Registration Card for Ole Sundin (back). Image from ancestry.com.
|
Like so many other families, Ole and Hilda's was touched by World War II in a way that would leave an indelible mark. Their son, Donald Edward Sundin, was a member of the armed guard crew serving aboard a merchant vessel that was torpedoed and sunk in the mid-Atlantic. Donald was declared deceased 6 Feb 1944, a year and a day after being officially placed in the status of missing in action.
More information about Donald and his siblings can be found by clicking the button below.
More information about Donald and his siblings can be found by clicking the button below.
In 1947, the Hyper News ran an article about Ole and his family.
1947 Article in the Hyper News about Ole Sundin and family.
Hyper News - January 1947
INTRODUCING THE FOREMAN OF THE MONTH
In the month of April, in the town of Boda, Sweden, in the year 1886, Ole Sundin was born. In this month of January, 1947, Ole has received one of the highest honors that can come to a foreman at Belle Works. He has been designated as the Foreman of the Month by the impartial and almost anonymous committee that picks the leading foreman each month.
Ole, who is now a naturalized citizen of the United States, came to work at Belle on November 4, 1935. Before this he worked as a machinist in the mining industry. The fact that a man is held in high regard not only by the men who work for him, but by his supervisors as well, is not enough to win the honor of the month. He has to have something extra, an almost undiscernible something that gets the men in his crew to work their best at all times, to work for themselves as a group and for him as a foreman. Ole Sundin seems to have this.
One example of Sundin's success as a foreman is that his section of the Machine Shop has gone for seventeen months without an injury of any description. Another is that he is very adaptable to changes in methods in operation made necessary by the changing of the industrial picture from day to day, week to week, and year to year.
At the left we see a picture of Ole's family and members of the crew he works with and who work with him.
Ole lost his beloved Hilda 27 May 1949 when she passed away at the age of 55 years, 9 months, and 24 days. They had been married 37 years.
A few years later, Ole lost his brother John, who died 9 May 1951 in Glen Rogers, Wyoming County, West Virginia. He then lost his brother Erick, who died 18 Jun 1951 in Kingsford, Dickinson County, Michigan. Erick had been married to Anna Marie "Bish" Seifert, daughter of Nicholas and Augusta Ernestine (Moeller) Seifert, who was previously married to Abraham J. Bussiere and had five children by him. Ole's older brother, Andrew, had passed away 18 Nov 1948 in Kingsford, Dickinson County, Michigan. Of the four brothers who came to America, he was the only one left.
A few years later, Ole lost his brother John, who died 9 May 1951 in Glen Rogers, Wyoming County, West Virginia. He then lost his brother Erick, who died 18 Jun 1951 in Kingsford, Dickinson County, Michigan. Erick had been married to Anna Marie "Bish" Seifert, daughter of Nicholas and Augusta Ernestine (Moeller) Seifert, who was previously married to Abraham J. Bussiere and had five children by him. Ole's older brother, Andrew, had passed away 18 Nov 1948 in Kingsford, Dickinson County, Michigan. Of the four brothers who came to America, he was the only one left.
In May 1953, Ole married "Bish", widow of his brother Erick, in Florence County, Wisconsin. They lived out their days in Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan.
May 1953 Anna Marie "Bish" (Seifert) Bussiere Sundin and Ole Sundin on their wedding day. Photo taken in Florence County, Wisconsin.
May 1953 Ole Sundin and "Bish" (Seifert) Sundin in the middle on their wedding day. Photo taken in Florence County, Wisconsin.
Back of the group photo taken on their wedding day. Bish writes: This was taken outside of the house where we were married. The sun was bright and shining in our faces so we all look mad.
Jan 1959 - Lu's car in Ontonagon surrounded by snow. Lu is possibly Lucille (Bussiere) Myhren, Bish's daughter.
Back of the photo of the car surrounded by snow. Bish writes: This is Lu's car. It looks like it's snowed in, but that's where they park it in winter, between snow banks. I took a picture of ours up here close to the house but it didn't turn out. We have a big space shoveled out where we park it. Main roads are all bare. Those are the pulp wood piles across the road.
Jun 1961 - Bish looking for agates along the shore of Lake Superior. Photo taken in Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan.
|
Jan 1959 - Ole Sundin shoveling snow. Photo taken in Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan.
Jan 1959 - Snow in Ontonagon. Bish shows's Ole's shop from her back door.
Jan 1959 - Bish and Roddy looking for a Christmas tree. Photo taken in Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan.
Back of the photo of Bish and Roddy in the snow. Bish writes: Roddy and I looking for a X-mas tree. Never had them finished until late in January.
Probably Jun 1961 - Ole Sundin with his grandsons, Tom Dugan (left) and Dick Dugan (right) at Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains, Ontonagon County, Michigan.
Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains, Ontonagon County, Michigan. Photo found online; source unknown.
|
|
Ole died as a result of a myocardial infarction 23 Nov 1964 at the age of 78 years in Ontonagon Memorial Hospital in Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan.
Ironwod Daily Globe |
Obituary for Ole Sundin in the 24 Nov 1964 edition of the Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, Michigan.
|
Funeral Card for Ole Sundin
He is buried in Montgomery Memorial Park, London, Kanawha County, West Virginia, beside Hilda.
Grave marker for Ole Sundin and Hilda (Anderson) Sundin in Montgomery Memorial Park, London, Kanawha County, West Virginia.
Death Certificate for Ole Sundin
|
Some time later in the 1990s, a book was published that mentioned Ole Sundin. Reopening Glen Rogers by Bud Perry and Karl C. Lilly, III, details the interesting history of this tiny coal mining town and has many photos of the area and people who lived there.
Ole is mentioned only once, on page 5, as being one of the people brought in from outside of the area to work in Glen Rogers. Hayden Wolfe, husband of Ole's niece Ellen Valborg Sundin, was interviewed by United Press International reporter Nick S. Luddington of Charleston in 1965 and parts of that interview are recapped on pages 18 and 19. Beginning on page 142, graduates of Glen Rogers High School are listed. Among them: 1931 - Agnes Sundin (Ole's daughter) 1934 - Ellen Sundin (daughter of Ole's brother John) 1952 - Elizabeth "Libby" Rehn (niece of John Sundin; also pictured on page 72 eating ice cream with friends) 1955 - Regina Wolfe (granddaughter of John Sundin) 1957 - Judith Wolfe (granddaughter of John Sundin) 1963 - Jerry Wolfe (grandson of John Sundin) 1972 - Cindy Wolfe (granddaughter of John Sundin) 1977 - Kathy Wolfe (granddaughter of John Sundin) |
"Reopening Glen Rogers" by Bud Perry and Karl C. Lilly, III. Book in the private collection of Jo Roth.
|