Charles "Charley" Bergland 1842-1904

BERGLAND

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 6/22/2014 at 00:16:50

Charles Bergland, an eccentric character, died in squalor and dirt at Armstrong. He had accumulated a fortune of $20,000, but had persistently refused to use any of it for his personal comforts. (Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, January 2, 1905)

Wealthy Bachelor Dies at Armstrong
Charles Bergland, aged 70 years and wealthy, died in his apartments in Armstrong suddenly Monday [December 26, 1905] night of last week. Charles was a bachelor and came to Emmet county some years ago settling in Armstrong. He owned a fine farm near Swea City and prior to that time was in the service of a railway company where he lost an arm. Deceased was a native of Sweden and no relatives save a nephew in Nebraska are known of in this country and he has been notified of his uncle’s death. The old man lived a most sedentary live and his system of economics verged on the miserly, denying himself many of the necessities of life. It is supposed that this regime of rigid economy on the part of old man was caused by his extremely eccentric ideas along many lines yet withal that he was careful and shrewd business man. The burial was made in Armstrong.

Since writing the above we learn that there are several nephews and nieces in this country and a sister living in Sweden. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, January 4, 1905)

Died in a Hovel, Worth $20,000
Armstrong Repubican: About eleven o’clock Monday evening at his rooms, one block west of the State Bank in the house occupied by Cal Rosborough and family, terminated what may be considered a very strange career. Here in a squaled room upstairs, with barely enough of the necessities of life to surround him, Charley Bergland, in the presence of only Dr. Woodcock and one or two friends, passed to the other shore.

Deceased was born in Sweden in 1842, as near can be learned from his naturalization papers. He worked awhile in Milwaukee where he lost an arm and was afterwards given a life job as watchman in the railway yards at that place. Here he remained a number of years, and having accumulated a little money came to Swea City, near which place he purchased a farm. He has been doing a variety of things since leaving the farm, but of late has been a resident of this place, and has had a room alone where he has subsisted on barely nothing. He had acquired quite a fortune, estimated to be in the neighborhood of $20,000, which he might have used to brighten his lonely life, but he did not. He denied himself of those things that would, without doubt, have prolonged and made more pleasant his existence.

His only relatives so far as known are a nephew and niece who reside in Nebraska. These have been notified and will probably be heard from ere the remains are buried.

Thus is ended another of life’s lonely and barren pilgrimages. Peace to his ashes. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, January 5, 1905)