Oscar was born April 3, 1893 in Craig, Nebraska to Andrew August and Celia (Hanson) Anderson.

In April, 1917, the United States entered World War I. On June 5, 1917, Oscar was 24 years old. When he entered the draft office, the clerk noted that Oscar was a tall man, of medium build, with brown eyes and light brown hair. Oscar told them that he was single, and farming up by Craig, Nebraska.

Oscar thought about it, and enlisted in the Army on June 28, 1918. World War I ended on 11/11/1918 at 11 am European time. There were still US Troops stationed overseas for some time after that. Oscar was honorably discharged December 9, 1918.

He married Edith J., and in 1940, he and Edith were farming by Craig. He was 47, and they had no children living with them.

In December, 1941, the United States entered World War II. All men of a certain age were required to register for the draft. Oscar was now 49, and had served in World War I, but went in to register. The clerk noted that Oscar was 6'1", weighed 200 lbs, and that his eyes had now lightened and were hazel-colored.

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Sources: National Archives; Memorial cemetery records; kind assistance of FindaGrave volunteer Morford (#48817140); History of Burt County, Nebraska (1803 to 1929) printed by Ludi Printing Co., Wahoo, Nebraska, p. 100
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printed in the Fremont Tribune, June 7, 1983

Oscar F. Anderson, 90, 1333 E. Fourth St., died Monday evening at Memorial Hospital of Dodge County, Fremont, Nebraska.

Mr. Anderson, a retired building contractor, was born April 3, 1893, on the family farm north of Craig.

He was a partner in the Anderson & Rosenkilde Construction Co. until his retirement.

Mr. Anderson served in the U.S. Army during World War I. He was a member of Sinai Lutheran Church, the 40 & 8, and the American Legion Post 45 of Oakland.

He married Edith J. Peterson on Nov. 8, 1936.

Survivors include his wife, Edith of Fremont, and two sisters: Mrs. Maude Smith of Crag and Mrs. Anna Gammel of Oakland.

Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Friday at Sinai Lutheran Church with the Rev. Conrad J. Schmitz officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Cemetery with a flag presentation by the American Legion Post 46 of Oakland. Visitation will begin 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Ludvigsen Mortuary.

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obituary kindly sent by Sandra Hatfield; additional help from FindaGrave volunteer Morford
48817140 Note: La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux is an independent, by invitation, honor organization of male and female U. S. veterans, more commonly known as the Forty & Eight. The 40 & 8 is committed to charitable and patriotic aims.--organization website

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The following is from the History: "Anderson, Andrew August, was born in Sweden on June 3, 1850, a son of Andrew and Mariah Johnson-Swanson. He lived with his parents and attended school in Sweden. He came to America in 1873 and settled in Henry County, Ill. and worked on a farm. He moved to Burt County in 1879 and purchased land near Craig, but after staying here for one year he moved back to Henry County, Ill. Two years later he moved back to Burt County and has resided her on his farm of 180 acres north of Craig until he retired and moved to Oakland. He married Celia Hanson of Henry County, Ill. on February 21, 1880. They had three sons, Theodore (now deceased), Carl and Oscar and six daughters, Mabel, Alma, Maude, Hannah, Eva and Lillian."

Even in old days, errors could be made. This is to do with Celia, Oscar's mother, and comes courtesy of Morford.
However, there was a mistake made by the author regarding Andrew's mother (Oscar's grandmother). Her name is Maja-Stina (Persdotter) Svensson and his father is Anders (Andrew) Svensson. I don't know how the author got it wrong. We know that for a fact from the family tree provided by Andrew's family (my cousins) in Sweden. It was brought back to America after a relative made a visit to Sweden specifically to meet and research our family genealogy.

Further note (by me): clerks at Ellis Island "helped" immigrants merge into America. If they came to the USA along with Andrew, I can see how Maja Svensson could sound like Mariah Swanson. The other thing is that spelling could be and is today somewhat fluid.