ANTHON ANDERSON

Anthon Anderson was born December 2, 1851 in Christiansand, Norway to Gunder and Kari Olson Anderson.  He with his family came to Utah and settled in Plain City.  On March 1, 1865 his mother died when he was 14 years old.  Anthon was told that he was now on his own and would be responsible to make his own way in life.

His sister, Caroline Folkman was very kind to him and he lived with her for some time.  He was always interested in band and orchestra activities.  While he lived in Plain City he was known as the “Little Drummer” where he led a group of boys marching and playing old tin pans or anything with which they could make rhythm and march.

He became interested in carpentry and a Brother Monson from Richmond, Utah took him to his home and kept him for three years while teaching him the carpenter trade, a skill he acquired well enough to build on his own.  During this time he played the bass violin for dances.  He would walk to Logan carrying his instrument, play for a dance and then walk back to Richmond.  Anthon moved to Logan to make his home and while playing for a dance he met Mary Henderson.  It was deep love from the very beginning.  They were married March 11, 1872 in the Salt Lake Endowment House.  He worked successfully as a carpenter and contractor.  He had no formal education but he had a great desire for learning.  His wife Mary taught he to read and write and for the rest of his life he pursued furthering his education.  Anthon applied this learning in reading scriptures and leading priesthood activities.

The first Anderson home was near the college and at this tie he was called to be Superintendant of the Sunday School in the Logan 5th Ward.  He had the outstanding Sunday School because he sought the best teaching talent available, much of it was from the college faculty.

Anthon received a mission call to his homeland in Norway.  At that time he had a family of seven children, the youngest was nine months old.  He and Mary both considered the call to be an honor to be observed.  He left his family with very little means, a cow a pig, some chickens and a garden.  He had just completed building a home for H.E. Hatch and the proceeds from these labors was used to pay his fare into the mission field.

When Anthon returned from his mission it was difficult to get his business activated again.  He set up a carpenter’s workbench in one of the rooms of his house where he did custom cabinetwork.  However, there was very little money in the economy at this time.  The following summer he succeeded in getting contracts for home construction and the family fortunes fared better.  He also became active in civic affairs and the work of the church.

During the six years following his return from his mission, three more boys were added to the Anderson family.

In 1893 he purchased a lumber mill near the center of town and moved his family into a home nearby.  The new venture proved highly successful and was the forerunner of the Anderson Lumber Company of today. The Anderson Lumber absorbed the time and talents of the entire Anderson family of boys and continues to expand in size and scope each year.

Anthon Anderson served several terms on the Logan City Council.  At all times his interest was for the betterment of life or the city residents.  He was on the committee responsible for locating Utah State University where it now stands.  He also served two terms as Mayor o Logan and exerted his best efforts to make it the healthiest, most beautiful city in Utah.  During his stay in office, the Logan City water reservoir in Logan canyon was installed.  According to those who lived in Logan, their culinary water was the best in the world.

After moving into their new home, Anthon was again called to act as Superintendent of the 2nd Ward Sunday School and at a later date he was ordained as Bishop of the ward.  While filing this responsibility, the chapel was remodeled including the addition of four classrooms and a new furnace.  Bishop Anderson and Presiding Bishop C.W. Nibley were close friends.  Bishop Nibley had two wives living in the ward and felt a close personal interest in the ward progress.  He referred to Bishop Anderson as the best bishop in the church.

After twelve busy years as bishop he health failed and he sought release from the responsibilities inherent to the calling.  This was a sad day in the lives of the Anderson family and the ward membership.  He was released June 9, 1912.  During his tenure he had as his counselors William Worley and Melvin J Ballard, also he had as counselors Amos Merrill and Joseph Salisbury. 

Anthon was president of the Board of Directors of the Utah Idaho Hospital; later to be known as the Budge Memorial Hospital.  He was a driving force in raising monies to finance construction and staffing of this needed facility.  One of the last active efforts o his life was the promotion of a home for the hospital nurses.  He worked closely with Dr. D.C. Budge on this project.

His beloved wife, Mary, died July 9, 1918 and the light went out of his life.  From that time he carried sadness that he had never before known.  His daughter, Kate, invited him into her home to live with her and her family. He spent many hours listening to his favorite records, John Phillip Sousa’s Band.  His accommodations in his daughter’s home were in a spacious front room furnished in comfort with his own large armchairs, his desk and his personal memorabilia.  During this period of his life he had many callers from all walks of life.  He loved them.  They loved him.  His life with his daughter’s family was one of close companionship.  He was stern in guiding his grandchildren to make proper goal selections in life.  He enjoyed Norwegian menus cooked with Old Norwegian recipes.

Kate read the newspapers to him daily.  His interest in local and world affairs never lagged.

The night preceding his death he called each member of his family and their mate to his beside and bore testimony that the only value in this life is found in the gospel and then gave them his blessing.  He died April 14, 1923.

He and Mary had seven boys and four girls.  Two of his daughters died while they were young. 

(Taken from Lois Mae Anderson Karren’s book of remembrance.)
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Anthon Anderson, Bishop of the Second Ward, Logan, Cache County, Utah, was born at Christiansand, Norway, December 2, 1851.  He immigrated with his parents to Utah in 1861, and was baptized November 7th of that year.  March 21, 1870, he was ordained to the office of an Elder.  He married Mary Henderson on March 11, 1872, and was ordained a Seventy and set apart as a president in the 64th quorum Jan 7, 1884.  During 18885-1887 he filled a mission to Norway, where he labored mostly in the Drammen branch, Christiania conference.  At home Elder Anderson has been a faithful Sunday School worker, and from 1890 to 1898 he served as superintendent of the Logan Fifth Ward Sunday School.  He was ordained a High priest and set apart as second counselor in the bishopric of the Second Ward, Logan, December 13, 1899, in which capacity he labored till Aril 27, 1900, when he was ordained a Bishop and set apart to preside over that ward by Apostle Francis M. Lyman.  Elder Anderson is still laboring in this responsible calling. In civil life he has held a number of important political positions, such as a city councilman, county treasurer, mayor of Logan City, etc.  

(Printed from the LDS Collectors Library ’97 LDS Biographical encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p. 815)


Anthon Anderson was born 2 December 1851 in Stift, Norway.  His parents were Gunder Anderson and Kari Anderson.  He married Mary Findley Henderson 11 March 1872 in Salt Lake City, Utah and they had twelve children.  He died 14 April 1923 in Logan, Utah and is buried in the Logan Cemetery.

Anthon Anderson was for many years a prominent figure in the lumber trade of Utah.  He made his home in Logan, where he resided from his boyhood days.  Born in Norway, he came to America in 1861, when about ten years of age, being brought to the new world by his parents who first settled in Plain City, Utah.  The parents remained in Weber County for only a brief period and then removed to Logan, where Anthon was reared, educated and learned the carpenter’s trade.  After acquainting himself with carpentering he engaged in business as a contractor and builder for many years and was one of the most capable and successful representatives of the building trade in northern Utah.  This gave him the experience, which served as a splendid foundation upon which to build his later success as a lumber dealer. 

He became the founder of the present lumber business at Logan that is now conducted under the name of the Anderson & Sons Company.  This was established on a small scale in 1890 but the constant growth and development of their trade until now the company controls one of the largest lumber interests of the state. In 1906 Mr. Anderson was instrumental in incorporating the business, of which he as made president, which A.E. Anderson as vice president and W.W. Anderson as secretary and treasurer.  His sons, J.R. and Robert Anderson, also entered the firm as directors, as did M.S. and D.C. Eccles.

For a very extended period he occupied a prominent position in the business circles of Logan, his activities having ever been of a character that have contributed to the development and improvement of the city as well as to the advancement of his individual fortune.

Logan 2nd Ward as a district dates back to 1861, when Logan was divided into four districts.  In 1877 said district was organized into a regular bishop’s ward with Henry Ballard as bishop.  In 1899, Anthon Anderson succeeded him.

(From Logan Library Biography of Anthon Anderson: 11th Mayor of Logan)