“Grandpa” Nels or Neils Nelson was born on March 12, 1851 in
the beautiful parish of Bergenstift, Norway. His father, Anders came from a
long line of”tall, powerful men, known throughout the region for their ability
in sports, especially skiing and feats of strength.” After living his first
year at the home of Anders mother, Anna Finne, and now wanting to make their
own way with a growing family, one year old Nels moved to north to the Island
of Borge in the Lofoten Islands. I have included this website regarding the Lofoten
Islands~ what an incredibly beautiful location.
He was most likely taught the fine rudiments of life in the
fishing village. Like his father Anders, he was a man and boy of tremendous
energy and industry. He was seasoned in the fine art of boat building, fishing,
furniture crafting and home building. Whether he went to a formal school or was
taught at home by Martha, he could read and write Norse fluently and was an
excellent at math. He grew up with music in the home, as Anders was an
incredibly gifted violin player who was in demand at parties and gatherings
throughout the island. Their home must have been a haven for fun and lively
conversation with his uncle Botolv, the blacksmith at Borge and his family and
countless friends. Life in the Lofotens could not have been easy but I can
imagine that they made the best of the situation; these were hardy Norse!
Nels was also taught by his father to make fishing boots
bringing his own wooden lasts (shoe forms) to America where our Grandma Etta
would see him working on his own shoes through the years. Just another one of
his countless skills and talents.
In 1863, Anders suffered a terrible fishing accident on the sea.
He and his group were caught in a terrific maelstrom storm where barely surviving
lost all of his fingers and one foot to frostbite. Nels was 12 years old at the
time and now was put into the position of being more or less responsible for providing
for the family. He was a full sailor, having worked on the high seas from his
early age, when at 17 the family immigrated to America. I wish I knew more about what he did during
this time to support the family; he must have done an incredible job to have
put them in a financial position to immigrate. Just a precursor of the hard
working ethic that would pay off great dividends in America.
In 1868, the family settled in the St. Peter, Minnesota area
where his Uncle Ole Norman had settled in the 50’s. Eventually moving to a farm
in Lake Elizabeth, Minnesota which is a short distance from the farm in
Danielson. He married beautiful, sweet
Paulina Hansen in September of 1876. Shortly thereafter, they moved to a 160 acre
farm in Danielson Township where they raised 9 children and took care of his
aging parents.He had dark black hair and blue eyes but not too tall at 5'8". Not typical of the Norse in his family who were all tall and powerful. He did inherit their great strength and his six sons were all tall men. Lester being the shortest at 5'11". I guess the height must have skipped a generation!
His farm was a hive of industry. According to his obituary
in Litchfield, he was a “public spirited citizen and took an active interest in
church, school and political affairs. Serving as postmaster of the Dickson post
office, member of the school board and (Danielson) township supervisor.” He was
a religious man, having been the last surviving charter member of the Lake
Elizabeth Methodist church. In his 60’s he built with his own hands a new home
in Litchfield for his loving wife, Paulina. I’m sure he took great care in
creating this final home for them. His pictures show his loving, fun nature. I
have so many questions I would like to ask him; about his life in Norway, how
he handled all the ups and downs of his life, his sail across the sea to America
and life as a pioneer. He was considered quite a wealthy man in his day, time
and place and taught our Grandma to face challenges and trials with courage and
fortitude. It’s the Norse way. We all come from a long line of morally,
physically and emotionally strong Norse and one of the greatest of these would be
our Great~Grandpa Nels. We can learn a lot from these great ancestors of ours
and really, we each have a little bit of Nels in our genes. What a great man
and someone we can be proud to be related to.
