Where in the World is Stanhope, Iowa? A Look at Anders Olson's life in America
Sometimes, a clue is staring you right in the face, but if you aren't asking the right questions, you might not see it. While researching Anders Olson's life in Iowa, I noticed that on his marriage license he listed his home as Stanhope, Iowa. I thought "what?" (I had never noticed that before.) I had thought he had always lived close to Jewell, Iowa. I remembered that on the 1885 Iowa State Census listed Anders living with the Francis M. Stark family. Anders had been in Iowa almost two years when the census was taken and was working for the Stark family on their farm. I am going to assume at this point that it was Mr. Stark, who helped pay for his ...