Andrew P. Benson

Andrew P. Benson.

Birth: 1832.
Death: 1913.
Burial: Topeka Cemetery, Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas.

He was born as Anders Petter at the farm Klådde in Hov parish in Västergötland, Sweden where his parents Lars Bengtson and Maria Olofsdotter were tenant farmers. Later they were short-term tenants at different farms in the neighbouring parish Skölvene. When mother Maria died in 1838, Lars remarried Johanna Johansdotter from Molla parish.

1872.
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In 1851 Lars, Johanna and Anders Petter joined a group of 30 people who were the first to emigrate to America from Skölvene and surrounding parishes and arrived in Boston on the brig Minona in June. The family settled in North Bridgewater where both Lars, now called Louis, and Anders were employed as shoemakers. Anders Petter's older brother Sven, called Swan in the US, joined them the following year.

Anders met and married his wife Maria in Massachusetts but sadly both father Lars and Johanna died in cholera before Andrew's oldest son Albert was born in December 1854. A second child, George, was also born in Massachusetts but by 1860 Andrew and his family had moved to Lexington Missouri where they lived at least until 1862 when their third son Frank was born.

In 1868 the family moved to Kansas and the same year they had a fourth son, in some censuses he is called Eddie and supposed to be born in Missouri and in others Andrew born in Kansas. By 1870 the family had settled in Topeka, Kansas where Andrew became ice merchant and where four children were born, Norman about 1869, Ellie about 1870, Willie about 1876 and Ettie about 1879. In the 1900 census Mary is supposed to have had 10 children, six of whom were still alive.

1885.

Authors Note.  I did a little more research and found that in 1872, he had a business of making shoes and boots, at 150 Kansas Ave.  He also had his Ice business, at 412 Crane Street and his Ice House at 320 N. Jefferson.    His son Albert went into the Ice business with his father it was called A. P. Benson & Son.  Andrew P. Benson also had a Grocery store at 1913 E. Sixth Street, it was called A. P. Benson ( W. A. Benson ) & Co.

Andrew P. Benson was also busy in the City Government in 1900 he was on the City Council for the Second Ward.  He was also on
 the City Committees of Public Buildings, Gas & Electricity Lights and Health & Sanitary.