Willmar tribune. [volume], December 09, 1908, Image 10

About Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
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The Story of the Successful Life of An Early
Resident-Ran Barefooted Over Prairie
To Escape The Murderous Sioux.
Hon. Andrew Nelson, one of the
very first settlers of Willmar town
sihp, but later a citizen of Meeker
county, is no more. The Litchfield
Saturday Review contains the fol
lowing regarding the death and ob
sequies:
Hon. Andrew Nelson, Meeker
county's most honored and respect
ed citizen, passed to his eternal rest
on Saturday or' last week, Nov. 28,
1998, after having attained almost
four score years, lacking but a year.
The funeral services were con
ducted Wednesday atternoon from
the Swedish Lutheran church, with
which the deceased had been affili
ated for many years.
The services were largely attend
ed, the large edifice having been
filled to the doors with the relatives?
and friends of the departed Rev.
O. Hallberg, pastor of the church,
officiated, and he was assisted bv
Rev. J. Davies of the Methodist
church, who spoke in English, and
Rev. L. A. Hocanzon of St. Paul, a
former pastor of the Swedish Lu
theran chuich and friend of Mr.
Nelson, who delivered a short but
impressive address. The active
pall bearers were 0 H. Campbell.
A. Ekblad, P. E. Hanson, J. M.
Nelson, C. E. Peterson and 0 P.
Ringdahl, and the honorary bearers
were the Messrs. Louis Larson, G.
G. Mills, E. Lenhardt, C. H. Stro
beck, E. P. Peterson, G. A. Setter
gren, John Esbjornson. N. D.
March, Karl A. Danielaon, John A.
Sampson, J. W. Robertson and Dr.
G. S. Lofquist, Minneapolis.
The deceased is survived by the
widow, one brother, B. P. Nelson,
and one sister, Mrs. Mary Swanson
of St. Paul.
Mr. Nelson had been closely as
sociated with Meeker county since
the year 1867 and even in prior
6
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lewis Block 101 5th St.
^i'-ft'i n&.t-ii»•
OLD FOOT L. SETTLER DEAD
years, for in 1858 he came to Min
nesota from Galesburg, Illinois,
where he resided two years after
coming to America in 1856. In the
year just given, 1858, he took a
claim at Foot Lake, near the pres
ent city of Willmar. He remained
till a^ter the Indian outbreak, tak
ing a prominent part in clearing
this portion of the state of hostiles.
The Indians having been quieted,
he became a resident of St. Paul,
where he remained for some years,
when he remove to Cottage Grove,
Washington county, where he con
ducted a farm until 1867 when he
came to Meeker coumy. He pur
chased a 400-acre tract of land, in
which was included the present Ole
Johnson farm. This he conducted
a number of years In 1871 with
his bi other, P. Nelson, he en
tered the general mercantile busi
ness which was carried on till us
sale to Alexander Caiirc oes. The
building in which the businets was
inducted was a one story frame
affair on the lot now occupied by
the John Birch clothing fctore. He
was identified wiih the organiza
tion of the Bank of Litchfield near
ly twenty years ago and for many
years had been the president of this
stable finarcial institution.
Andrew Nelson took a keen inter
est in public affairs. He was coun
ty commissioner a number of years,
a member of the house in 1874 and
of the senate in 1875 and 1876. He
was a man of energy and keen busi
ness ability. Early in life he
hewed his way to the front, unaid
ed, amassing a considerable fortune
before his death, estimated at $80,
000. His private, business and
public life was always above par.
Mr. Nelson was a native of Swe
den and was born December 15,
1829, near Halmstad.
Among the relatives and friends
from a distance who attended the
(Successor to Wennerlund & Nelson)
C. A.
PWWP«Pfi« f«"Www*»»igw'iiipi|iii ^B)iil|illfrt,ili||i|lHU,IWP lilliipW
Santa QfaU
is TWnWns
what he will give Father, Mother,
Sister and Brother for Christmas.
Mother will smile when she gets her New Kitchen Cabinet.
Father will chuckle when he gets his Easy Chair.
Sister will dance in glee at her new French Dresser.
And brother will hold his sides and Ha! Ha! when he finds
his Xmas present to be a beautiful
Magazine Stand from
CAMPBELL FURNITURE CO.
last rites were, Mr. and Mrs. J. N.
Sandberg and son William Sand
berg, Chicago Mrs. Lindholm and
Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Simons. Min
neapolis Swan Swanson and daugh
ters, Miss Anna Swanson and Mrs.
August Johnson, St. Paul Rev. L.
A. Hocanson, St. Paul George
Burke and Miss Agnes Burke,
Norseland, Minn. Mr. and Mrs.
Nels Johnson, Cosmos Miss Freda
Johnson, Grove City Sen. L. O.
Thorpe, Willmar A. J. Campbell,
Parkers Prairie Dr. G. S. Lofquist,
Minneapolis Mr. and Mrs. W S.
Johnson, New London Ed Johnson
of St. Paul, and Mrs. 0 N.Lin
dell, Grove City.
Be ahead of the crowd! We
are glad to lay aside your selec
tions until the eventful day.
Here are a few suggestions:
Diamond Rings and Brooches
Lockets, Charms
Watch and Neck Chains
Scarf Pins, Cuff Links
Bracelets, Back Combs, Hat Pins
Toilet Sets, Shopping Bags
Gold Headed Canes and Umbrellas
Watches and Clocks
Solid Silver and Plated Flatware
Electric Lamps, Hammered Copper
Art Glass Shades, Cut Glass, etc., etc.
Yours to Please
JEWELER
son brings to mind the thrilling ex
periences of the first settlers
Foot lake during the Indian upris
ing. The story of Mr. Nelson is
given in connection with his biog
raphy that was published in the
History of Kandiyohi County, and
we reproduce the same herewith:
THE LATE HON. ANDREW NELSON
The death of Hon. Andrew Nel-
Each succeeding Christmas
makes greater demands upon
us. This year we are ready for
the BIGGEST YET. We have
more of everything.
C- A- NEL.S0N
at
Hon. Andrew Nelson, one of the
prominent citizens of Metker ccun
ty, was one of the pioneers of Will
mar township. Mr. Nelson was
born Dec. 29, 1829, in Trbnning
parish, P&arp By No. 3, Halland
Lan, Sweden, about five miles fron
Halmstad. Mr. Nelson's parent*
were considered at that time as be
ing wealthy farmers. They owner
broad acres of lard and fine ai
buildings. Misfortunes, how2\er,
overtook Mr. Nelson's father, Ne«i
Anderson, and left him in reducer
circumstances. First his buildings
JEWELER
The YALE Is the Ideal Safely Razor
Examine It before buying any other
3
were destroyed by fire other losses
followed, and imally, to add to all
that he had suffeied, he was set up
on and nearly killed by a man who
bore him enmity. He was left for
dead by his assailant, his skull
fractured and with other injuries,
but he recovered, altho he remained
affected by his injuries. The farm
was sold and the family emigrated
to America, coming to St. Paul in
1826. After lying in bed a cripple
for three years, the father died in
1S76. The mother, whose maiden
name had been Johanna Anderson,
was born in 1800 in Elseberg par
ish, Hallands Lan, Sweden, and
Jied at Litchfield in 1893.
1
Expert Engraving
Andrew Nelson, the sen, on ac
count of the father's misfortunes,
vas obliged to shift for himself at
^n early age. He received but a
limited school education, the pies
ent excellent sye-tem of schools in
that country not having been adopt
ed at that time There were no
ublic tchools Ft a time he
'vorked at farm woik. In the
-pting of 1856 he tooi\ passage on a
ailing ve^tel from the poit ot
icthenbmg for New \ork After
stoimy b\\ weeks' trip over the
cean. he rrrived in New York hai
oor on the evening of July ?,, but
temained upon the *-l ip o\cr th
ith. The night was ab uze with
itewi'ks, and N \±vn and his com
panions, not understanding the im
oi of the noi^e, the racket and
ie glare of the skyrockets, thought
the people must have gone cra?y
1 nua th^v were initiatid into the
American custom of celebrating the
Zenith of July.
Mi. Nelson hhed out as a faim
hand on a fuim near Galesbuig,
illinois, where he remained two
vears. In July of 1858 he came to
Minnesota and settled in Kandiyohi
'ounty, where he took up 160 acres
ieur Foot Lake in section 12.
His nearest neighbor was Solo
non R. Foot, who lived a short
Jistance north of him. Nelson
j)mmenced to make improvements
ipon his property and there made
us home until the Indian outbreak
in August, 1862.
va
Adventures in Outbreak.
It was about 5 o'clock in the af
ernoon on the 20th day of August,
1862, while Foot and Nelson weie
naking hay by the road leading to
ihe Eiickson place, Swan Swanson
eturned from a trip to Andreas
Lorentzon's with word that the In
dians had murdered the Jones and
tfaker families at Acton. Foot at
mee started for his place and Mr.
Nelson continued to his cabin,
where there lived with him at the
time his brother-in-law. Swan Swan
son, wife and three children. Mr.
Nelson tipped the hay-load off and
aisisted Mr. Swanson to take the
naiack from the running gear of
the wagon and substitute the wag
on-box, into which was then loaded
provisions and household goods.
After seeing Swanson and his fami
Ij off on the road north to Oscar
Erickson's place, Mr. Nelson re
mained behind to round up some
thirty-fhe head of cattle which he
had. It was dark when he got the
cattle together and headed in the
direction of Edgle lake. While
busy ging the herd ahead ot him
to keep on the move, he heard
vvhispered voices near him. With
out thinking of the consequences,
he shouted, "Whos' there?" Dark
foims rushed out of the darkness,
but passed him and darted in
among the cattle. He jumppd to
the side, and in doing so collided
so violently with one of the savages,
for such they proved to be, that
both the Indian and Nelson fell
over. Favored by the darkness,
Nelson evaded his savage foes and
made for a cornfield near Foot's
cabin. The rustling of the corn
leaves and breaking of cornstalks
told him that the Indians were pass
ing but a short distance away. A
moment later he saw by the light
from the windows that th^y were
entering Foot's house, which stood
within a few rods of the place
where he was concealed. He was
too near the savages to suit him
and he slipped out to seek security
elsewhere. Reaching the bank of
Mud lake, he jumped off a high
bank for the water below. He
landed in a scrub oak, and finally
fell into the water and sank into
the water and mud of the lake to
his armpits. The water was decid
edly uncomfortable, so he concluded
that he would rather trust to the
dry land and the savages. The
boots full of water produced such
SCHOOL PIANO BENEFIT
A Public Entertainment at the
Opera House Saturday Night
An entertainment for the benefit
of *he Eighth Grade piano fund
will be given at the Opera House
on Saturday evening, Dec. 12. The
patronage of the public is cordially
solicited.
PROGRAM.
Part I.
Song by the School, "Come, join
Us in Our Travel."
Reading, "Rollo Learns to Play,"
Marguerite Stockwell.
Song, "School Festival Song,"
Girls' Chorus.
Drill and Flag Salute.
Song, by Sunbonnet Babies and
Overall Boys.
Part II.
Reception of the Months.
Cast of Characters.
January, Enoch Forsberg.
February, Elvira Swenson.
March, Homer Chase.
April, Esther Somerville.
May, Mabel Rogers.
June, Mildred Severinson.
July, Alloys Branton.
August, Myrtle Porter.
September, Sophus Larson.
October, Harvey Mclntire.
November, Hazel Hawkins.
December, Ethel Styles.
April Foci's Day, Clayton Landberg.
July Fourth, Elroy Peterson.
Decoration Day, Martina Berg,.
Liberty, Constance Grangaard.
Labor Day, Clarence Thompson.
Thanksgiving Day, Olga Qvale.
Day, Esther Anderson.
Night, Rose Leary.
Short Day, Myrtle Lundquist.
Long Day, Edward Youngberg.
Christmas, Earl Neuberger.
Old Year, Lydia Johnson.
Father lime, Gerald Geer.
New Year, Pearl Brown.
Admission. 15 cents.
audible thuds at each step that he
feared the noise might betray him
to the keen ears of the Indians.
He pulled off his boots, lost one of
them in the darkness, and I hen
threw tne other awav. All that
ni$ht was snent in wandering about
on the prah i*. At one time, hav
ing ca°t himself down alongside a
fallen log. voices near at hand giv
ing him warning of the approach
of Ihe foe (near the road to Erick
son's cabin), he saw seve-al of the
iedskin« pass within a few feet of
him. In the early dawn of the
morning he heard the sourd of
musketry off in the distance. On
tbl mg his bearing*, he concluded
that he was near the Eagle lake
creek and a short distance from the
Ot-car Erickson cabin, which was at
that moment besieged by a band of
the Indians. Mr. Nelson struck
across the prairie for Diamond
Lake. He found a number of set
tlers at the Gates place engaged in
preparing their breakfast. When
he arrived there he was completely
exhausted with his long flight
across the prairies, and his feet
were terribly lacerated. A few
words told the settlers what he
knew of their impending danger,
and preparations were made to
start for Forest City without delay.
They reached the place in safety.
Mr. Nelson continued with the fu
gitives until they reached Kingston,
where, thru the kind ess of the
miller, Mr. Davidson, and wife, he
had his feet washed and the wounds
dressed with tallow and linen rags
They also gave him a pair of Indi
anmoccasins to wear. Here he bor
rowed a horse from Mr. Munson
and started on a return trip to Foot
lake with the determination to find
out what had become of his brother
in-law, Mr. Swanson, and family
But on his way thither he was met
by Lieutenant J. B. Atkinson, of
the Meeker county militia, who had
been ordered to levy upon all horses
he could seize. The lieutenant or
dered Mr. Nelson to dismount and
surrender the horse. This Mr. Nel
son refused to do. After some par
leying, Lieut. Atkinson told him to
return to camp with him, and he
could keep his horse, which he did
He enili=ted as a private in Captain
Whitcomb's company of irregular
militia. He accompanied the par
tv that made its way to Eagle and
Foot lakes to bury the dead and to
eearch for his brother-inlaw and
familv, and was with the company
in all of its military movements.
After the company was disband
ed, Mr. Nelson went to St. Paul
and enlisted in the Government ser
vice. He was put to work at build
ing stables at Fort Snelling. Af
ter his term of service expired
there he put in the rest of the win
ter of 1862-63 at various kinds of
labor in the city, such as sawing
wood and the like. In the spring
of 1863 he rented forty acres of
land in Washington county. Later
he purchased eighty acres of his
own, and by later acquisitions ac
quired in all 200 acres of land in
that county. This he sold in 1867,
and purcahsed a farm of over 300
acres in Darw township of Meek
er county, where he made his home
until in 1871, when he sold the
farnTto his father-in-law, Ole John
son. He then made Litchfield his
home, erected a store building on
a lot purchased by him, and in com
pany with his brother, B. P. Nel
son, opened a general mecrchandise
store.
Since that time Mr. Nelson has
been variously employed. Part of
his time was occupied in looking
after his large land interests farm
ing at times a little and engaged
r*
"THE
Phone 404
$
I
"THE MODEL PANTORIUMIf
Thank You for Your Bnsinness.
5^=®^
THANK YOU, CALL AGAIN.
ANNOUNCEMENT!
We take pleasure in announcing to our many
friends and patrons that we have secured the
services of an EXPERT TAILOR in connection
with our Ladies' and Gentlemen's Relining, Re
fitting, Remodeling and Repairing Department
of the Model Pantorium. jt & jt j» j*
We also wish to announce the entire force in
The Model Pantorium is NEW. This means
BETTER WORK AND SATISFACTION TO YOU.
The Model Pantorium
Originato TH
E Clu Syste in Willmar,
Announce the following to be
our standard prices:
Suits Pressed, 6oc.
Pants Pressed, 25c.
Overcoats pressed, 50c.
Ladies' Skirts, 50c.
sf^ir^f*
Ladies' Long Coats, 50c.
ONE PRICE--THE LOWEST.
PANTORIUM"
H. B. LIDSTONE, Manager.
Next Door Bijou Theatre.
it a it a
O
N ALL
Come Early and Convince
Yourself.
It is a Knocker on Catalog
Prices.
ELFSTRUM & CO.,
PHARMACY.
in matters of public interest in the
city and county which he had made
his home. Mr. Nelson was one of
the original stockholders of the
Meeker County Bank, and its first
president. He sold out his interest
in that bank and became president
of the Bank of Litchfield. He was
elected to the sixteenth legislature
of this state. He served in the
lower house during the session of
1874, and in the senate in the ses
sions of 1875 and 1876. He was
1
chairman of the county board of
commissioners in 1884, '85 and '86.
He also served as village trustee
and as member of the city council
of Litchfield.
On March 23, 1868, Mr. Nelson
was married to Miss Ellen Johan
son. She was born at Malmo Lan,
Sweden, and came with her parents
to this country in 1867. Mr. and
Mrs. Nelson were the parents of
but one child—a girl, whodied in
infancy.
Lumber! Lumber!
If you intend building bring your
lumber bill to our WILLMAR office
and get our prices for lumber from
our PRIAM lumber yard. We will
save you money on a small bill
well as on a larger bill.
NEW L0N00N MILLING CO.
as