Ole Nelson

  Research Notes:

1. source: www.worldconnect.rootsweb.com: contact: Phillip & Debbie Fergerson (debdferg@charter.net); 21 March 2005
www.worldconnect.rootsweb.com: contact: Fran Johnson (branchshaker01@yahoo.com); 17 May 2005
www.worldconnect.rootsweb.com: contact: Gale M Roberts (rlor@epix.net); 2 April 2005
www.worldconnect.rootsweb.com: contact: Michael MacCreery (maniacmi@sbcglobal.net) 18 July 2005

- gives descendants of Ole Nelson and two of his children, Christian and Gjertrud


2. McLeod Co., MN (Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Martin Johnson and Carl C. Bloomquist Pages: 115-139 - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mnmcleod

- note: listed as Veteran Census - 1885, 1890, 1895, 1900, 1910 - Bergen Twp, McLeod Co, MN




4. 1860 US Census - not found, not indexed on ancestry.com, not found on scan of Bergen Twp, McLeod Co [19 March 2009] not found on scan of Bergen, Glencoe Twp or Camden Twp, Carver Co - Elias Nelson - but 15 dwellings were recorded as "unoccupied" [6 May 2009]

++ see below -

5. 1870 US Census, Bergen Twp, McLeod Co, MN; Post Office Rocky Run; family 69, dw 69 (image 5 on Familysearch)
link, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6S7W-KN2?i=4&cc=1438024

- lists Ole and wife, Helen
- Christian, age 3 <1867>
- George, age 1 <1869>
- value of real estate at $600; personal at $319

6. 1880 US Census, Bergen Twp, McLeod Co, MN

- lists Ole and wife, Helen; children Christian, George, Sahra M age 9, Gurtha (?) age 6, Ellen, and Theodora A or J, age 1 <1879>

7. 1900 US Census; Bergen Twp, McLeod Co, MN; ED 81, sheet 10A; dw/fam 170
Ole Nelson, age 65, born Jul 1834 in Nor; married 33 years; em 1852
wife Helen, age 55, born Nov 1844 in Nor; em 1853; mother of 9 children, 6 living
son Martin, age 31 b May 1869 in MN; single
dau Annie, age 17 b Jun 1883 in MN
dau Nora, age 11 b Mar 1899 in MN



8. MN State Census - Bergen Twp, McLeod Co, MN

a. 1875, family 2 ; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-X3SS-4TS?cc=1503053

- Ole and Helen Nelson; children Christian age 8, George age 6, Sarah age 3, Gurtrude age 1 <1874> -- all children born in MN, but note that last name is listed as Olson
- also: same family is Nils Olson, age 65 and Mary Olson age 75, both born in Norway

b. 1885, family 65

- Ole and Helen; children, Christian, George, Sarah, Gertrude, Ellen B age 8 <1877>, and Anna S age 2 <1883>

c. 1895, family 120

- Ole and Helen; children, Martin, Sarah, Ellen and Annie, and Nora, age 6 <1889>

d. 1905

- Ole and Helen, children, Martin, Rebecca age 24 <1881> [but not listed in the 1885 census; Anna's birthdate is about 1882 or 1883 ???] , Nora age 16
- post office as Lester Prairie
- Ole - landlord; soldier, Civil War

- Helen - resident of state 41 <1864>; enumeration district 41 years
- Ole - resident of state for 49 years <1856>; this enumeration district 39 years <1866>




------- [ however, he is noted to have enrolled in Sept 1861 in McLeod Co -- Civil War ]

-------- [ Carl Martin Roen - indicates Ole came to MN with Ole and Beret Johnson and arrived at their cabin in Bergen Twp in the spring of 1856, p12-14

++ therefore, in the 1860 US Census Ole should be someplace in MN (resident of this state since 1856;-- - 1) Ole Nelson, at Twp 106, Range 7, Winona Co, a farm labor for William Reynolds, born in Ohio; 2) Ole Nelson at Goodhue Co, farm labor to Elizabeth Peterson; 3) Brush Creek Twp, Faribault Co, Ole Nelson listed as a farm labor, dwelling 127, family 97 BUT dwelling 128, family 98 is Nelse Olson, age 60 <1810> born in Norway, Mary Olson (age 57<1803> - - doesn't fit) and Peter Olson, age 17 <1853> born in Norway - - - this also doesn't fit with info from Carl Martin Roen-Johnson, if in fact this Peter Olson is a son to Nels and Mary Olsen +++ ---- - however, this Olson family of point 3 above are not at Brush Creek Twp, Faribault Co, MN in 1870 US Census


9 Civil War

a. Vesterheim

MN 4th Inf Co B. Residence: Glencoe, McLeod County, Minnesota. Born in Norway. Civil War: Age 27. Enrolled 26 Sep 1861. Mustered 2 Oct 1861. Private. Discharged from the service for disability 17 Nov 1863. Sources: (MINN p182) (MCIW p225)

b. Source: Excerpts from the "HISTORY OF McLEOD COUNTY", McLeod Co., MN Pages: 115-139 (Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Martin Johnson and Carl C. Bloomquist)

Civil War Veterans, McLeod Co, MN

Ole Nelson, Bergen; age 27; born in Norway; enrolled September 26, 1861; discharged for disability in November 17,1863; residence since war at Bergen.


The Fourth Minnesota Infantry, whose first colonel was John B. Sanborn, of Saint Paul, had a considerable number of McLeod county men. Company B, which was at first commanded by Captain James C. Edson, of Glencoe, was composed almost entirely of men from this county.

The Fourth Minnesota was organized in November 1861. It spent the ensuing winter in garrisoning the government forts in the state, five companies being stationed at Fort Snelling and the other five were distributed among Forts Ripley, Ridgely, and Abercrombie. This regiment was ordered to Benton Barracks, Missouri, April 19, 1862, and assigned to the Army of Mississippi May 4, 1862. In the early spring the regiment went South and saw its first service in Southern Tennessee during the siege of Corinth, Mississippi. It served in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas. It was on the March to the Sea, in Sherman's campaign through the Carolinas, and headed his column of 65,000 veterans in the grand review at Washington City, May 24, 1865. Transferred from seventeenth Corps to Fifteenth Corps and veteranized January, 1864. It was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, July 19, 1865, and discharged at Fort Snelling, the first week of the following August of that year. During its service the regiment participated in the battles of Farmington, Tennessee; Iuka, Cornith, Raymond, Jackson, Champion's Hill, and the siege of and assault on Vicksburg, Mississippi; Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge, Tennessee; the gallant defense of Allatoona, Georgia; and Bentonville, North Carolina, and was engaged in numerous expeditions, long marches, etc. It had 61 men killed in battle and 178 died from disease.


10. Ancestry Family Tree: Durene FT [access, 19 Sep 2020] [search: Ole Nelson, b 1834 Norway, lived in Mcleod Co, MN]
https://www.ancestrylibrary.ca/family-tree/person/tree/104921903/person/210107854238/facts?ssrc=&queryId=9100c89a3f7dc688ec2e6902f1c58d1a&ml_rpos=1 ; Bergen Lutheran established, 1860

- records only 3 children; Martin b 1869, Annie b 1882 and Nora b 1889; BUT does not record more information on them
- links the the US, Evangelical Lutheran in America Church Records, Lester Prairie, Bethel [Bergen] Lutheran Church, deaths/furnerals: image 444
Ole Nelson died 26 Nov 1914

image 1: https://www.ancestrylibrary.ca/imageviewer/collections/60722/images/41742_314181-00000?pId=4655379

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Residence - 1870, 1 Jun 1870, Bergen Twp, Mcleod Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹⁰³⁹

2. Residence, 1875, 1 May 1875, Bergen Twp, Mcleod Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹⁰⁴⁰

3. Residence - 1880, 1 Jun 1880, Bergen Twp, Mcleod Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹⁰⁴¹

4. Military Service: US Civil War, 1861-1863. ¹⁰⁴²

Ole married Helen Randine Monsdtr Lokke on 24 Jul 1866. (Helen Randine Monsdtr Lokke was born on 11 Nov 1844 in Norway and died on 31 Mar 1946 in Bergen Twp, Mcleod Co, Minnesota, United States.)