A Little History
As Told by Bill and Iris Anderson

Tobias Anderson was born on March 28, 1848 in Garden Waseider Mo Sagn, Norway, the third son of seven boys and three girls. They were : Ole, Eli, Tobias, Martin, Andrew, Thomas, Dorothy, Ellenn and Bertha.

Tobias worked for other people from the age of twelve until he was large enough to go to sea on cod-fishing ships to the Lofotin Islands. The family began migrating to America in three groups. First was Ole, Eli and one of the sisters, I don't know which. Second was Tobias, Martin and one other sister; they came by steamboat. Later the rest of the family came when Thomas was only six years old. They went to Iowa, Wisconsin and Saskatchewan, Canada.

After working a wheat harvest, Tobias went west and became a miner (listed in 1880 census in California, occupation miner); working gold, silver and hard rock mines. They used hand-drills where it was not possible to use steam drills. He would drill holes, fill with black powder, blast, clear out rock, send to crusher and repeat again and again. He made good money and invested, by mail, in land in Levy County, Florida.

Tobias and Rosa Lee

His mother, father and Thomas moved to Bronson, Florida. There his parents died of malaria. Tobias came to Cedar Keys, by sailboat, from Texas to claim his land at Bronson. Upon seeing that it was sandhills, he went back to Cedar Keys and went to work in the cedar mill. There he met Rosa Lee Mixson, they married and moved to Marion County, (our present home place). Rosa inherited one third of her fathers slave farm. They lived here until she died sixteen years later, they had no children. Tobias then married my mother, Frances (Fanny) Belew.

My mother's family was William Nathan Belew, born October 2, 1832, and Nancy Ann Walling. They were married January 22, 1862 and their children were: twins John Thomas and James Powtan, born October 18, 1862; Joel Washington, born June 29, 1865 and died October 15, 1865; Frances Etta, September 27, 1867; Mary Emma, born 1869 and died September 30, 1876; William Haywood (Billie), born February 7, 1872.

They lived in Fogville, Alabama. William Nathan worked in a salt-peter mine during the civil war. They never owned slaves.

When Fanny was nine years old they moved to Florida in two covered wagons. They were going to Peace River, but stopped with friends at McIntosh to rest and decided to stay one year. They rented a place near where I-75 crosses SR 320. They then bought forty acres on now SR 329. William Nathan died on April 17, 1894. Nancy Ann died August 20, 1912. James died at sixteen on November 4, 1879. Thomas married Alice Sanchez, they had four children: Arthur, Roy, Ethel and Leonard. Billie married Ida Morris. She died and he then married Ida Dow Whittington, their children were Dailey and Marie.

Tobias Anderson and Frances Belew married on December 10, 1900. Their children: Rosalie, born October 26, 1901; Andrew Monson, born August 21, 1903; William Belew, born November 6, 1907. Rosalie married Wilbur Mixson on December 23, 1920 and they had three children: Adrian, Morris, Arnold. <note: there actually was a daughter: Myrtice who died at the age of five. Larry> Andrew Monson married Amber Lee Mixson in 1931, their two children were: Levern Andrew and Sandra. William Belew (Bill) married Iris Marie Sapp Curry on December 20, 1932.

Iris Sapp's family: Paternal Grandparents were Bartly Sapp and Charlotte Sweat. They had nine children: John Nathian (Iris's father), Will, Kailford, Bee, Henry, Nimrod (Nim), Lizzy, Lois, Lou, Atlanta and Opal. Maternal Grandparents were Van and Emma Stevens who also had nine children: Bessie, John, Will, Maggie Irene (Iris' mother), Owen, Iris, Edith, Myrtle, Joe, Hugh and Carrie.

Item of interest: Dan and Emma raised a Negro boy. The story, as Iris remembers it: Dan found a little Negro boy, about two years old, lost in the woods with his eyes tarred shut. When he brought him home he realized who his mother was and on taking them to her she informed Dan she did not want him hand he could have him. Dan and Emma raised him and he went by the name, Stevens. When the family moved to Florida he was almost 21 and was dating a girl and did not want to leave. He died shortly after of pneumonia. Iris said he was not used to living with negros.

John Nathan Sapp and Maggie Irene (Daisy) Stevens were married on Jun 6, 1900 and had 11 children. Two were stillborn, the nine were: Hugh, October 29, 1901; Durwood, September 14, 1903; Iris and Irene (twins), August 22, 1905; Henry, August 31, 1907; Erlin, November 23, 1909; Carrie Lee, November 25, 1912; Waynola, July 26, 1915; Woodrow, October 16, 1920.

Iris was borned in Montbrook, Florida. He father, John Nathan, was an engineer on a logging train. He also worked as a mechanic in sawmills. They lived a number of places: Morriston, Kanapaha, Raliegh, Phifer and Irvine. John died at fifty years of age of apparently an aneurysm. Woodrow, the youngest, was six years old. John had an insurance policy of $2,000.00. The older boys worked to help out. Maggie Irene (after some of the older children were married) moved to Flemington for one year. She and Erlin farmed. After all the children married she moved back to Irvine and lived with Carrie and Bert and died there. She was barried in Flemington Cemetery. Durwood (not long home from World War II) was killed in an automobile wreck (the car belonged to Bill), his mother was very ill and was not told that he had died on November 29, 1944. She died a few days later on December 2, 1944.

Iris Marie Sapp married Olice Davis Curry on November 29, 1923. They had two girls: Evelyn Louse, November 28, 1926; Doris Etta, April 15, 1930. Olice died on February 28, 1931.

William Belew Anderson and Iris Marie Sapp Curry knew each other most of their lives. Bill sold syrup and vegetables around Irvine and both went to Flemington Baptist Church. Iris joined the church at fifteen years of age.

Their first date was two years before they married. The party was a Pileau (chicken and rice cooking). Iris had another date but he was late getting there. Iris said Bill was very nice and they and fun but, then her date arrived. About one year later, Iris was living with Carrie and Bert in Flemington, Bill came to visit. He asked Iris what time they went to bed, she replied "When company goes home"...he stayed until 3:00 a.m. They saw each other everyday after that. Bill asked Iris to give him Doris...she said she would when she was old enough...They were married on December 20, 1933 by the Clerk of Court, Rebecca Williams, in the Ocala Florida Courthouse. Bill and $13.00 on him and the marriage license was $3.00 and he gave the Clerk $5.00. They moved home to the home place where Tobias and Fanny lived. Doris and Evelyn were visiting their Aunt Etta, Aunt Missie and Uncle John in Morriston and came home after Christmas. Doris finally called Bill "Daddy" after some time. She wanted a drink of water at night and he told her he would get it if she would call him Daddy. He was Daddy after that and Evelyn soon followed suit. They were a happy family, with Iris keeping house and Bill running the farm. Bill and Iris had three children: Iris Wilma, April 11, 1935; Frances Irene, April 18, 1938 and a lone son, John Tobias, August 10, 1946.

They all lived in the old farm place until 1951, when Bill Built a new home adjacent to the old home. All married and had children of their own...

This bit if history was submitted by Bill and Iris Anderson.....

P.S. One bit of interesting information....Tobias Anderson was a Lutheran, joined the Flemington Baptist Church and was turned out...for not attending...and never went again. In those days you could be turned out for dancing, playing cards, not attending, etc.