1917 Mission Covenant Church Congregation
Odebolt, Iowa
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(Click on each section of this panoramic photo for enlargements.
You may need to scroll up and down,
or side to side to see the entire photo. Downloads will take some time!)
The above panoramic photo (scanned and cut into sections) of the congregation of the Mission Covenant Church in Odebolt was taken in 1917 by A.W. Dahlstrom. Mr. Dahlstrom lined the people up, set the camera on a delay, and then ran to be seated in the photo. In photo 6 on the right side of the page, he can be seen, sitting, third from the right in the front. The man on the far left in photo 1, Elias Skeppstedt, often helped Mr. Dahlstrom line up the people, then went to take his place.
Warren Hanson of Odebolt allowed us to scan his copy of this photo and we thank him. The photo contains many of the early Swedish settlers in the Odebolt area and Warren identified as many people as he could. There is also a copy of the photo hanging in the Odebolt Museum. If you click on each section, a very much enlarged version will appear with identities typed on known people.
January 2007
Thank you to Sharyl (Anderson) Mildenstein who sent in the following: In picture #1 David W. Anderson is in the front row (my great-uncle). I would think that there may be a couple more from that family in the picture, but I haven't been able to recognize them. I know that his father Gustaf Alfred Anderson belonged to this church. Also David's sister Hilma Anderson who later married Oscar F. Peterson in 1928. Also Gustaf's son Elwood may have gone there.Thanks also to Paula Curcio for identifying members from the Hedberg and Fredrickson families in picture #6.
September 2007
Thanks to Chuck Hanson for identifying the boys in the lower right corner of picture #1. He said "... I am sure of the names ... they are sons of John Larson. L to R Edward (Ebow), Willard and Bernard (Barney) Larson. Edward and my uncle Morris were born on the same day, December 6, 1901. I think both were born at home and the houses were about 300 feet apart on Lincoln Ave. in Odebolt. Barney was older than Ebow and Willard was younger."November 2007
Identification by Sharyl (Anderson) Mildenstein in picture #3 (third from left). Hilma Sophie Anderson, later Mrs. Oscar Peterson; and Anna Mathilda (Anderson) Brown, wife of Henry Brown.
People identified thus far in the photo are:
Elias Skeppstedt, John "Cuba John" Johnson, Gust A. Gotberg, Mrs. A.W. Dahlstrom and Eleanor Dahlstrom, David Carlson, David W. Anderson, Edward (Ebow) Larson, Willard Larson, Bernard (Barney) Larson, Andrew & Charlie Johnson's mother, Mrs. John Erickson, Hilma Sophie Anderson (Mrs. Oscar Peterson), Anna Mathilda (Anderson) wife of Henry Brown, Kermit Johnson, Veda Tunberg, Elna Lindskoog (Mrs. Reuben Lindskoog), Reuben Lindskoog, Delphie Erickson, Ed Erickson, Mrs. Hugo Hanson, Sigurd Carlson, Dorothy Carlson (Mrs. Robert Girvan), Wilmer Hanson, Dorothy Hanson, Andrew Johnson's brother who lived on the first farm south of Hayes Cemetery, Mrs. Gotberg?, Mrs. Sigurd Carlson (nee Anna Anderson), Mrs. Wilmer Hanson (nee Victoria Erickson), Warren Hanson, John Larson, Mrs. John M. Larson, John Erickson, Ida Fredrickson, Marie Hedberg, Florence Hedberg, Ila Fredrickson, Lillian Fredrickson, Carrie Ann Hedberg, Anna "Tille" Hedberg, Arthur Hedberg, A.W. Dahlstrom (Photographer), Roscoe Hedberg, Andrew Fredrickson.If you can identify any of the people, please contact me at
We would very much like to identify more of these early Swedish people. Thanks!
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