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Driver Family Page
Driver Family information and history
This page is for all of the descendents and relatives of Ed Driver/Lester Anderson and Susie Pfeiffer.
I am not even going to attempt to go into detailed family ancestor information here because it is far too much information to include here on these pages! One of the Driver relatives, Marge Jensen has done an excellent, extensive and in depth, detailed family history of the Driver family tree dating I believe as far or possibly even further back by now than the 1700's. If you would like more detailed and further back information on the Driver side of the family, you can contact her at marjen@emily.net
Susie's side is documented and will continue to be updated through the coming weeks and months in the Pfeiffer family pages as well as the upcoming Mueller family pages.
What you will find here is a more recent history and profile of Ed's and Susie's families.
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Brief history and biographical information for Ed and Susie Driver
Edward Lester Driver was born either June 13, 1895 or 1897 depending which information you go by, at St. Mathias twnshp, Minnesota to John W. Driver and Emaline Nancy Bennett. Other children in the family were:Elsie(Mary)Driver Bennett, Levi Morgan Driver, Pearl Driver Ankney, Alfreda Driver Adcock, Emma Maria/Martha Driver Meyers, James Driver, and Addie Driver Johnson. The family moved to the Crosby/ Emily area and settled there, which is where Ed and Susie met.
Susie Pfeiffer was born February 15, 1893 in St. Mathias to William and Susanna Pfeiffer. Her sisters and brothers were: Elizabeth Pfeiffer Hibbard, Henrietta Pfeiffer Olson, William Pfeiffer jr. and Bernard Pfeiffer.
Susie and Ed met while she was teaching school and he was one of her students. According to a wedding book of Susie's they were engaged on December 14, 1913. She was twenty at that time and depending which birth date you go by, Ed was either 18 or 16?
They were married on September 7, 1915 in Brainerd, Mn and then moved out live near Ed's family in the Emily area. Their first daughter, Florence Estelle Driver Workman was born within the first year on August 30, 1916. Being the first child, and first grandchild may have been the reason she was born in the hospital in Brainerd, while the rest of the children other than the youngest, Donald were listed as being born at home in the Fairfield twnshp area or Mission twnshp area. Their second child Vernon was born Sept 20, 1918. A third child, Cleo Althea was born April 1, 1921 and died Sept.23, 1921. Another daughter, Ione Elizabeth arrived on July 15, 1922 and died Feb. 17 1924. Eleanor Driver Fredrickson was born on October 4, 1924, and Donald Edward Driver was the last child, born on June 19, 1926.
From memories of Florence Driver Workman, she recalled that Susie was sick much of the time she was pregnant with Cleo, and that Cleo was a very sickly baby not expected to live very long if at all. Ione's death in 1924 was the result of Whooping cough and choking to death. She remembers too, Susie being very sick when she was pregnant with Donald. Ed and Susie were working at a logging camp up in Northern Minnesota at the time and Susie had to leave the camp and go stay with her aunt Elizabeth Mueller Ludwig in International Falls for much of the pregnancy and be in the hospital for Donald's birth. For a time it was thought that Donald might not make it either.
During those years, Florence and Vernon spent much of their time staying with Pfeiffer relatives in North Dakota while Ed and Susie moved around to logging camps where there was work. They were older, needed to be in school and there were usually no schools near the logging areas. When they weren't in the logging camps, they farmed in Mission twnshp and during those times the family was able to be together.
Florence's memories were a bit faded on some of the events and times but she tried to piece it together as well as she could remember for me. She remembers the marriage and family life being difficult and rather unstable with Ed and Susie having a lot of problems, seperating on several occasions with Susie going to stay with her relatives. Shortly after Donald's birth in 1926, they made one last attempt at being a stable family all together. Ed took a job at the Ford plant in Pontiac, Michigan and family moved out there for a short time. It wasn't long though, florence thinks probably not more than a year or so when Susie moved the children back to Mission twnshp. From that point on, after about 1928, Ed was out of the home. He did remain in the area for some time after that and came out to visit the children.
By around 1930, when Florence was 14, she had little contact with Ed and was out working on her own to help support the family. She did remember one occasion of running into him at a dance and being introduced to his girlfriend- future wife who was close to her age. Shortly after that Ed married again and started another family. The first two children of this marriage were a set of twins, born in Brainerd, MN and dying shortly after their birth. That was in June of 1933, florence knew of their births but some time in the next few years he disappeared completely and the family lost all contact with him. He did work or run an auto repair and body shop for a time, I believe, in Brainerd, and Vernon spent some time working with him learning the trade.
During the 1930's times were pretty tough for the family and Florence and Vernon went out to work as soon as they were able, to help support the family. Susie remained out on the farm in Mission with the two younger children until around 1936 or 37. She then moved into town so that Eleanor and Donald could go on to high school.
Through the forties, the children all grew up, and started lives and families of their own. They all remained in the general area though with the exception of the period when Vernon and Donald were overseas during the war. Donald moved to Minneapolis with his family but came home to visit quite often.
In the early 1940's all three younger children got married and started their own families.
Vernon married Shirley Lound, who became close friends with florence. Through all of the years of difficulties and distance, they remained close and towards the end of Florence's life, it was Shirley that she wanted to see and spend time with. Shirley had one daughter by a previous marriage, Connie,and Vern and Shirley had three children; Shari, Pam and Brian. Vernon stayed in the area, and ran his own auto body shop, a trade he first learned from his father, Ed.
Eleanor married Raymond Fredrickson in 1944. They remained in the Crosby area until the mid 50's when the mines closed and Ray moved the family up to Hoyt Lakes to work in the mines up there. They had four children; Diane, Richard, Dennis, and Gary. Ray and Eleanor settled and remained in Hoyt Lakes where Ray, besides working in the mine, was a musician and played in a band, passing on the music to his sons who continue to play in bands. They may have inherited it somewhat too from both sides, as florence recalled Ed being a talented musician and playing with bands in the area.
Donald married Betty Lound in the early 40's and had four children with her; Terry, Don, Mike, and Dianna. Don and Betty divorced, Betty remarried and moved to Washington state with the children who eventually took their Step father's last name of Van Geest. Terry, who was the oldest came back to Minnesota to visit a few times but over the years, we lost touch or contact with the family. In the early 60's Donald moved out to Montana and married again. He and his second wife, Marilyn( I know little about her other than she was Canadian?) had one son, Scott, born in 1966. After Don's death in 1977, we lost contact with Marilyn and Scott. The last I knew about Scott was that he had enlisted in the Military.
Florence did not get married until 1950. When I asked her once why she waited so long, her comment was it wasn't that she didn't have chances or opportunities before then! As she told me once, there was a war going on, if you hadn't found someone before then, you sure weren't going have much luck finding one during it! And then when it was over, you had to wait to see who came back in what shape? She married Ward Workman in October of 1950 and quickly had two daughters, Sharon and Sandra. She figured she had waited so long to get married, she better not waste any more time before she had children! Because she had been single for so long, she was very close to her nieces and nephews. She and Ward lived in Brainerd, near her relatives until the mid 50's when Ward decided to take a chance and make the move up north with his brother Wayne to Babbitt. Florence recalled the trip up there, crying all the way wondering where on earth he was dragging her to?! Fortunately, having sister Eleanor close by in Hoyt lakes was probably the only thing that made those early years bearable for her! Florence and Ward remained in Babbitt, but as often as possible returning to the Brainerd/ Crosby area where they both had family remaining, and where I think their hearts really always were whether Florence would admit it or not! In 1957, shortly after their move up there, they recived a very unexpected, uplanned surprise, although considering how isolated, cold and long the winters were up there, I personally think they should have expected it? Anyway, their last child, Judith,(myself) was born.
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The Story of Ed Driver, or what we know of it anyway?
I am going to attempt here to piece together what we know of Ed's life after he left the Brainerd area in the 1930's. It is sketchy at best right now, full of gaps, questions still left unanswered and unsolved. As I am able to come up with more information and documentation, I will make every effort to update this, share the information and help to fill in the blanks for everyone.
From what I have been able to piece together, at some point in the mid to late 30's Ed left his second wife and two young children, Bess and James, I believe they may have been living in Brainerd at that time but I'm not sure? Anyway, this is where the puzzle begins.
Around that time he spent some time in the Crosby area visiting, and as far as I can figure out, he left the area with his brother in law, Bill Pfeiffer jr. who was staying in the area at the time. As I said, the information is sketchy because both men disappeared and left their families. Bill Pfeiffer's daughter, Catherine was quite young at the time and remember very little of him or the situation other than that he left and remained out of contact for many years? Her information was as sketchy as ours. Her Mother seldom talked about it either so all she was able to recall was that Bill came back to this area, possibly married a woman named Dutch and then eventually ended up in the Los Angeles area.
Some time after Ed left the area, he went by different names, possibly more than one before he settled and legally had it changed to Lester W. Anderson. We are fairly certain that he spent time in Missouri, possibly Texas and Arizona and California before winding up in Colorado in the late 40's, marrying his last wife and relocating in Laramie, Wyoming where he finally remained until his death in 1978. His last child, Nancy Anderson Whited was born there in 1949 and had no knowledge of his past.
He returned to Minnesota for a visit in May of 1969. He came to visit Susie and needed her to sign some papers verifying who he was originally, how old he was, so that he could file paperwork for social security benefits? Susie was in the hospital dying at the time and he visited her at the hospital. I am not sure of what transpired or took place at the time as I was too young understand too much of what was going on and no one would ever talk too much about it around me. I do know that my Mother was quite upset about all of it, but did keep in touch with Ed for a time after that. She kept a photo of him that he had sent, and she held on to a newspaper clipping of his daughter, Nancy who was born around the same time my Mother was finally getting married. The correspondance did not go on for very long with Ed saying it was too difficult to continue. For a long time after that, my Mom washed her hands and her mind of all of it, but never truly washed her heart of it.
Some years later, I believe in the early 1980's, her half sister Bess found the family and remained in contact with my Mother over the years. One of Mom's fondest memories was of being able to go out to Arizona and meet Bess.
Shortly before Florence's sickness and death, she began to talk to me about the past, the memories, and take an interest in piecing all of it together, in helping to find out what happened and find those other families out there who might have been left wondering many of the same things we had.
For some reason, I feel like there may be other families out there left with the not knowing, the wondering why, and where their husband or their father disappeared to? It's a question and puzzle that may never be completely solved or answered, but one that I think it's important to keep searching for. If only to give one more person some peace of mind at just having the questions answered.
There are a number of years left un-accounted for and even a few oddly similar stories from people who have related coincidental storie of a Driver relative in their family who just up and disappeared. One such story was mentioned to Bess by a man she encountered in Arizona, unfortunately there was not really enough information to connect it, verify it in any way?
I suppose we can all speculate or guess, ponder and wonder on it until such a time comes that some other clue or some other family member comes searching for us, the same way we started searching for family. And, that is part of the reason I'm here, to hopefully make it a little easier for us to be found by those that might be searching and wondering!
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The present day Driver Relatives!
The Driver Grandchildren of course have grown up now and have children and Grandchildren of their own as the family continues to grow! Most of us have all lost touch with each other over the years and now only get together or see one another, it seems at funerals.
Hopefully I can list all of us here and not forget anyone! If you see errors or omissions,or have additions to your families, please contact me so that I can update the information!
Florence Driver Workman's family:
Sharon Marie Workman married to John Christensen, living in Deerwood, MN. Children are:
Michael Workman married to Laura Glenz with one child, Andrew.
Jeremy Christensen
John Christensen
Steven Christensen
Sandra Lee Workman married to Clarence Roberts, living in Crosby, MN. Children are:
Jedidiah Zoe Roberts- living in Los Angeles CA.
Ezekial(Zeke) Ward Roberts- living in Crosby MN
Leiah Zee Roberts, one daughter Maria, living in Knoxville, Tennessee
Judith Ann Workman, single (but not for long!) living in Crosby, MN. children are:
Dorissa Suzanne Workman, attending school in Delaware, Ohio
Ryan Marcus Alfaro, living in Crosby, MN.
Vernon Driver's family
Sharilyn (Shari) Driver married to Howard Oswald, living in baxter, MN. Children:
Nicole Oswald, living in Minneapolis, MN
Blake Oswald, living in Minneapolis, MN
Pamela Driver married Gene Becker, lives in Twin cities area. Children:
Corey Becker
Kirby Becker
Brian Driver unmarried, living in Brainerd,MN
Eleanor Driver Fredrickson's family
Diane Fredrickson married Mike Holbeck, lives in Two Harbors, MN. Children:
Richard Holbeck
James Holbeck
Jeffery Holbeck
Ronald Holbeck and wife Maggie live in Jordan Mn, have three children, Elizabeth Marie, Michelle Rae and Alec Edward Arthur.
Richard Fredrickson, wife Sharon, living in Hoyt Lakes, MN. Children by first wife, Theresa :
Sarah Fredrickson married to Mike Morelsi three children, living near Duluth
Keith Fredrickson
Dennis Fredrickson, unmarried, living in Hoyt Lakes, MN
Gary Fredrickson, wife Marla, living in Hoyt Lakes, MN. Children:
Jay Fredrickson
Heidi Fredrickson
Donald Driver's Family
We have little information on Donald's children other than that Terry, Don, and Mike are still living in Washington state. Dianna spent some years in the military and after she got out, left the area and did not keep in close touch with rest of family. They were unsure of her whereabouts.
Bess Driver's family
I am waiting for more updated and detailed information on Bess's family. Bess was married, her married name was Wilkenson, but after her divorce, she chose to go by the Driver name. She is presently living in Mesa, Arizona. She has 5 children:
Daniel Wilkenson and wife Sherri living in Flagstaff with two children
David and wife Robyn live in St. Petersburg Florida with one daughter
Debra living in Phoenix, two children Chyenne and Todd
Doug and wife Donna in Flagstaff with two sons, Ryan and Chad
Denise and husband in Flagstaff with three daughters
Nancy Anderson's family
Nancy is married to Bill Whited and living in Missouri. She has one daughter, Sage by a previous marriage.
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If all of you could provide updated information such as ages, marriages, children, grandchildren, where you're living at and what you're doing now, It would really help so much! It would be nice to know where everyone is at now and a little of what's going on in their lives?! You never know how close a relative, that you might not even know you had, might be living to you? Or, what common interests you might share with some of them?
You can either post the info as a message on the message board, or e-mail it to me, which ever is easier and more convenient for you!
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