Peter Sund Family

Among the first to emigrate from Orsa to Stanchfield in 1862
Lost 4 of their children in the 1882 smallpox epidemic and their son Edward became blind
History and Genealogy of the Stanchfield (MN) Baptist Church
This project is a joint effort between Dave Marshall, the former sexton of the Stanchfield Baptist Cemetery and Lynn Fergusson, granddaughter of a Baptist immigrant from Orsa, Sweden. To date, over 1000 of the persons buried in Stanchfield have been identified, their families researched, and their connections to others in the cemetery documented. The resulting community tree has over 11,000 names, all connected in some way to each other. Many of the families have been traced back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The purpose of this website is threefold:In June 1862, shortly after the signing of the Homestead Act, a group of thirty-five men, women and children left Orsa bound for Minnesota. Among them were 3 Baptist families, seeking not only land but a chance to practice their faith in peace. They set up their homesteads in young Isanti County, and in the following years were joined by more arrivals from Orsa, many of them also Baptists. In 1866 the Stanchfield Baptist Church was officially founded, with 25 charter members.
Against all odds, and despite many setbacks, the fledgling church survived and thrived, and by the mid-1880s had become one of the most active, and certainly most homogenous, Swedish Baptist communities in Minnesota. According to author Robert Ostergren, over 80 percent of Stanchfield households in 1885 were immigrants from Orsa and nearly 60 percent of those were members of the Stanchfield Baptist Church. The SBC was, in effect, another Orsa parish.
In the fall of 2021 the church will proudly celebrate its 155th anniversary.
Lost 4 of their children in the 1882 smallpox epidemic and their son Edward became blind
Peter fought in the Civil War; his wife Christine broke under the strain of pioneer life and died in a mental institution.
Persecuted for his faith in Sweden, Anders spent 28 days in prison on bread and water.
He served as pastor from 1867-68
This website is under construction, not all links are functional at this time.