Life History

Notes

• The family name has taken various forms, related to the various languages of the original area and North America.  The family lived in the southern part of Jyland, the peninsula of Denmark connected to the German province of Schleswig-Holstein, and a few miles from The Netherlands.
  
  Some family genealogies indicate the Danish form of Villadsen, sometimes with only one l.  More common is the -son ending, common in Swedish and English.  The name is spelled Willadson, probably due to association with neighboring German and Dutch, where W represents the sound of English V.   In the English context of North America, the W is pronounced like the English W.
  
  The Carrigan Genealogy presents very well the basic details of the Willadson/Villadsen lineage.  Here is the information we find there on Peder Villadsen:
  
  Peder Villadsen
  BIRTH 8 SEP 1828, Denmark
  DEATH 26 MAR 1906, Denmark
  Father Willads Sorensen, Mother Marin Kristen
  Spouse Mette Catrine Myrtue, MARRIAGE 23 NOV 1855, Alstrup, Denmark
  BIRTH 20 FEB 1833, Myrtue, Vester Hjermitslev Parish, Denmark
  DEATH Denmark
  Willad Niels Pedersen
  Willads Peter Willadson
  Soren Peter Wilson
  Mary Willadson
  Christian Willadson
  --  Carrigan Genealogy, http://www.carriganlane.com/w_dir/d0000/g0000001.html#I1178
  
  The will note that this genealogy reports several forms of the family name among the children of Peder Villadsen and Mette Catrine Myrtue, including the traditional patronymic Pedersen (Peter's Son) and the English name Wilson.  No details are provided on dates or places for the children or the death of Mette Catrine.
  
  Mette Catrine Myrtue
  20 FEB 1833 - ____
  * BIRTH 20 FEB 1833, Myrtue,Vester Hjermitslev parish, Denmark
  * DEATH Denmark
  Father Sören Christensen Myrtue
  Mother Johanne Christensdatter
  
  Spouse Peder Villadsen
  * MARRIAGE 23 NOV 1855, Alstrup, Denmark
  Children:
  1. Willad Niels Pedersen
  2. Willads Peter Willadson
  3. Soren Peter Wilson
  4.  Mary Willadson
  5.  Christian Willadson
  
  TREE                  _Christen Myrtue ___________
  | (.... - 1814)
  _Sören Christensen Myrtue _|
  | (1794 - 1864) m 1820      |
  |                           |_Ane Cathrine Sörensdatter _
  |                             (1767 - 1844)
  |
  |--Mette Catrine Myrtue
  |  (1833 - ....)
  |                            ____________________________
  |                           |
  |_Johanne Christensdatter __|
  (1796 - 1875) m 1820      |
  |____________________________
  --  Carrigan Genealogy, http://www.carriganlane.com/w_dir/d0000/g0000092.html#I1163
  
  More family detail is provided by the Willadsen Family Genealogy.
  
  Mette Catrine Myrtue
  Birth 20 Feb 1833 in Myrtue, Vester Hjemitslev parish, Denmark
  Death in Denmark
  Marriage to Peder Peter Willadsen (1828-1906) 23 Nov 1855 in Ålstrup, Arhus, Denmark
  Children:
  Willad Niels Pedersen 1856-1929
  Willadson 1862-1945
  Soren Peter Wilson 1865-1944
  Mary Willadsen 1874-1945
  --  Willadsen Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/20805464/person/1022260935
  
  Alan Boucher reports all the above children and another child not appearing in the other genealogies, but has no birth or death information.  This many be a child that died in infancy.
  
  Christian Willadsen, no details
  Parents Peder (Peter) Willadsen 1828-1906, Mette Catrine Myrtue b 1833
  --  Alan Kent Boucher, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/14201731/person/158146843
  
  Alan also reports some helpful family tradition filling in some personal lore and explaining how members of the family came to North America.  Note that he uses the form Willads as the name for the child others report as Willad Niels Pedersen/Pederson.  I belive Willads is the original full name.  Willads-sen (English: Willad's son) commonly becomes Willadsen, and probably some American family compilers analyzed the -sen off and considered the base name to be Willad for the son.
  
  Vocation and Romance
  Alan Kent Boucher, 18 Jan 2010
  
  Peder Willadsen, was crippled in one foot.  He was a tailor by profession.  He had a crew of tailors working for him.  Peder Willadsen would go from estate to estate to tailor for the landed gentry.  One estate was the Myrtue estate.  Peder Willadsen became enamored of one daughter, Matte Myrtue.  It was like putting a match to kerosene.  Peder Willadsen wooed and won Matte Myrtue.
  
  Willads Pedersen lived out his life in Denmark.  Willads Willadsen and Soren Peter Wilson (brothers) came to America together.  Willads Willadson changed the "e" to "o" in his name when he came to America.  Willads Willadson was the middle child with Willads Pedersen being the oldest and Soren Peter being the youngest.
  --  Alan Kent Boucher, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/14201731/person/157723457/comments?pg=32768&pgpl=pid

Sources

• 1. Carrigan Genealogy
• 2. 1925 Iowa State Census, Pottawattamie County
  • Council Bluffs Ward 5, page 403, 919 6th Avenue
• 3. Ancestry Trees
  • Willadsen Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/20805464/person/1022260935
• 4. Ancestry Trees
  • Willadsen Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/20805464/person/1022268179
• 5. 1930 Federal Census, Kittson County, Minnesota
  • 14 April, Hallock Village, District 11, page 7B, Hse #192, Fam #194
• 6. 1920 Federal Census, Kittson County, Minnesota
  • 8 January, Hallock Village, District 64, page 5A, Hse #94, Fam #103
• 7. 1910 Federal Census, Warren County, Iowa
  • 3 May, Virginia Township, District #218, p #8A-B, Hse/Fam #187
• 8. 1895 Iowa State Census, Audubon County
  • Exira Township, page 38, Hse #227, Fam #246
• 9. 1930 Federal Census, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
  • 8 April, Council Bluffs, District 28, page 8A, 907 6th Ave, Hse #169, Fam #182
• 10. 1910 Federal Census, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
  • 18 April, Council Bluffs Ward 4, District 140, page 5B, 1701 So 9th St, Hse #102, Fam #103
• 11. Ancestry Trees
  • Willadsen Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/20805464/person/1022268185
• 12. Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992
• 13. Ancestry Trees
• 14. Ancestry Trees
  • Willadsen Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/20805464/person/1022268190