This continues a series adapted from the book, “A Port Oneida Collection,” Volume 1 of the twopart set, “Oral History, Photographs, and Maps from the Sleeping Bear Region,” produced by Tom Van Zoeren in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. Here we take a look at the Anderson brothers and their farm east of Lake Narada.
A pair of legendary Port Oneida characters was the bachelor brothers Henry & Ernie Anderson — for some reason generally referred to as “The Henry & The Ernie”— usually pronounced “Da Henry & De Erni,” perhaps echoing their Scandinavian accent.
Henry & Ernie’s farm had been purchased from the government by their maternal grandfather back in 1861 as a preemption claim (at a nominal cost, after occupying it.) His daughter Maggie spent her life there with her Swedish husband Gustaf Anderson, and passed it on to the two sons, who stayed for their lives.
