Christ Anderson is supervisor of Garfield Township, has held his present responsible position for the past decade, during which period he has exerted himself to bring about a general betterment of existing conditions without entailing too heavy an advance in taxes. His home is in Gardner, and he is highly respected in that city as he is throughout Grundy County. Mr. Anderson was born in Denmark in 1853, a son of Andrew and Mary (Christianson) Anderson, both of whom died in Denmark. The father was a bricklayer and cooper.
In 1883 Christ Anderson came to the United States, and first located in Wisconsin, where a number of his countrymen were to be found, but later traveled about to find a place better suited to his requirements. In 1885 he located at Gardner, which has continued to be his home. Coming here as he died with little money and with but a slight knowledge of the English language, although he had been well schooled in his native land, Mr. Anderson’s progress has been remarkable. He had learned the shoemaker’s trade, had served eighteen months in the army, and had been a grocer prior to locating at Gardner, so that he had considerable experience along several lines, which no doubt, was of assistance to him in his new venture. With only $100 with which to stock his store, Mr. Anderson began his business career at Gardner as a shoe merchant, and as he could, he had a large and flourishing general store. In 1900 he built the first electric light plant in Gardner, which he sold to the Public Service Company of Chicago, in 1910, and then retired, although he still owns considerable property at Gardner and a valuable 206-acre farm in Monroe County, Mo.
In 1884 Mr. Anderson married Mary Larson, also a native of Denmark, and they had five children: Adolph, who is deceased, and Louis, Mary, Adolph (2) and James. Mrs. Anderson died in 1912, having been a true and faithful wife, and is buried in the cemetery at Braceville, Ill. A Republican, Mr. Anderson has not only been elected on his party’s ticket to the office of supervisor for ten years, but for three years has been on the school board, was constable for four years, and on the town board for two years. A Mason, he belongs to Gardner Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and has been one of its officials for three years. A man who has never spared himself in working ahead, keen to embrace every opportunity, and able to plan good business combinations, he stands as one of the foremost men of his locality and enjoys the full confidence of his associates. The Presbyterian Church has in him a consistent and generous member.
Source: History of Grundy County, Illinois. Chicago, IL, USA: Munsell Publishing, 1914, p. 754.
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