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MELVIN AND ALMA (NICKSTAD) ANDERSON
By Paul Anderson and Karen Anderson Korsbrek
Melvin's Great Grandfather Engebret Andreasson, Grandfather Andreas Engebretson, Uncle Engebret Anderson and Father
Swen Anderson came to America in 1866 from Nor-dre Aurdahl Valders, Norway. They settled in Pope County, Minnesota
(Starbuck) where they established a homestead. Melvin's Uncle Ole Anderson was bom in 1868 and later changed his
name to Bakken because there were so many Anderson's here.
Swen married Olava Stadsvold in 1883. Melvin was bom on April 15, 1896 in Benson,MN. Melvin was the second youngest
of eight children. His Mother, Olava contracted tuberculosis, and died in 1906 in a sanitarium at Cass Lake, MN..
Melvin's older Sister Ida looked after the family after the Mother's death. The family moved to Peever, SD in the
early 1900's where Swen's brother Ole Bakken had an Implement business, and Swen was in the Hardware business.
Engebret Anderson was in Peever at that time also. His wife Hannah died in 1903, and is buried in the Peever Cemetery
next to Ole Bakken. Engebret and Hannah had 7 children. Two of the boys settled in Canada and raised large families
there. Melvin entered the US Army during WW I as a Cavalry soldier since he had some experience with horses from
the farm. The Cavalry soon became the Infantry, and he was in France at the end of the war. Swen died in 1921 at
Fergus Falls from a brain tumor.
Melvin worked at Halland's grocery store in Peever after the war. There he met his future wife, Alma Nickstad.
She was bom Aug. 4,1902 in Red Lake Falls, MN. They were married in 1925 at Wilmot, SD. His brother Sam and her
sister Anna were witnesses at their wedding. Alma's parents were Paul and Kari Grinde Nickstad. They immigrated
from Norway in 1893. Alma had two younger sisters, Inga and Olivia. Their cousin Anna Grinde(daughter of Edward
and Ellen Grinde), came to live with them as a baby and was raised as their "Sister".
Alma went to Northern States Teacher's College in Aberdeen, SD and taught in rural schools for a number of years.
She then took the Civil Service exam for Rural Mail Carrier and won that position. She delivered mail and helped
Melvin in preparation for that same test. He then became the Mail Carrier and carried the mail out of the Peever
Post office for 35 years.
Melvin would tell of hunting prairie chickens in early years from a horse drawn wagon through stubble fields. later
he would pick Paul up after school to hunt pheasants. he would spot them during his mail deliveries in the morning,
so always knew where to hunt.
At Christmas he would be given presents of farm produce from his mail patrons. He also loved to go fishing, and
seem to always have an old wooden boat on the lake for that purpose.
Melvin was in an automobile accident with a drunken driver in August of 1961 and died from complications. Alma
died in California in 1986.
Paul married Dorothy Gederos from Veblen, and Karen married Robert Korsbrek from Browns Valley. They each have
three children and are retired in Huntington Beach, California. Paul, Dorothy, Karen and Bob traveled to Calgary,
Canada last summer, and for the first time met the second cousin families of Engebret Anderson's grandchildren.
Paul found them through researching his roots on the internet. They (Canadian Anderson's) returned the visit to
California this winter.
MELVIN ON HIS MAIL ROUTE
MELVIN IN 1951 PEEVER PARADE
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