Henry Waldemar (“Walt”) Andersen was the youngest of the children of Andrew Andersen (Anders Jorgensen) and Sophia Larsen Andersen. He was born 4 January 1894 in Mendon, Cache, Utah.

Being the youngest, Henry was also the last of the Andersen siblings to homestead in Arbon Valley, finalizing his claim in June 1917. He filed on 320 acres, about a mile southeast of his brother Otto’s place. The “homestead” was a hundred and sixty acres, plus another hundred and sixty of “desert claim” land allowed by the government by that time.

Walt married Wealthy May Gibbons on 29 June 1916 in Cache Valley, Utah, where his parents lived. He was twenty-three and she was eighteen. She was the daughter of another Arbon homesteader, John Aaron Roby Gibbons, who had proven up on his land in 1904.

The year 1917 was a banner year for Walt, as he became a first-time father in May 1917. In addition, he registered for the WWI draft on 5 June 1917, even though he never served, possibly due to his agricultural exemption status. And, in addition his homestead papers were finalized on 6 June 1917.

Together Walt and Wealthy had three children. Wealthy Mae was born in 1917, Dorothy May was born in 1919, and Raymond was born in 1922.

Walt did not stay long in Arbon Valley, but sold his land to his brothers. By 1920 he was living in Arco, Butte, Idaho, listing his occupation as a farmer. Later, he took his family farther west to Bates, Oregon, to work in the forestry trade.

Unfortunately, Walt died when he was only twenty-eight years old. He and Wealthy had been married only five years. He was killed in a logging accident 2 October 1922 when a tree fell on him. His son Raymond was only about five months old when Walt died. He was brought home to Mendon, Utah for burial.

Sources:

Ward, Laurie Jean, Bannock Valley (Providence, Utah; Keith Watkins and Sons, 1982).

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/2DG5-B83

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97070140

The links provided here will lead to information on other family members.