Nelson Family
Janice Moen relates the following information about her ancestry:
Mary Nelson was born in Bregninge Sogn, Maribo, Denmark, 17 Oct 1847 to Claus and Sidsel Nelson. Her older sister, Anne Claussen, went to America (WI) on November 24, 1863. Anne married ,Peter Rasmussen in Wisconsin on 11 Jan 1865. They had 9 children. He died 2 Dec 1909; She died 6 Aug 1917. Surviving children were: James, Amelia, Mary, H. John, Carl, Oscar, Josephine, and Emma. She did not have a close connection to Cherokee Co, IA.
Mary emigrated ca. 1868. She married Peter C. Nelson in 1869 at Waupaca, WI. Her husband was born in Denmark in 1841 and emigrated at age 25. (These are my maternal great grandparents.)
Her parents and younger brother, Hans Nelson, emigrated on April, 7, 1869 with destination: Oshkosh,WI. Claus was born 21 Aug 1822, Sidsel was born 23 or 28th of Nov 1819, and Hans was born on 3 May 1857, all in Denmark. They soon move to Iowa.
Mary's other brother, Nels Claussen, was born 6 Jan 1852 in Denmark. He was not on the list of passengers with parents and Hans. He may have come to America about 1871. He lived in Waupaca, WI; however, he married Margaret Christine Nelson in 1877 at Aurelia, IA where his parents and sister, Mary and family were living. Four children were born to them, two dying in infancy. Surviving children: Hans Peter and Emma of WI; also foster daughter, Essie Peterson. They were from WI.
In the 1870 Census, the Peter Nelsons and Claus Nelsons were living in Ishpeming Twp, Marquette Co, MI. Peter and Mary's first child was John Fred Nelson, born in Michigan and age 2 months in the census.
After 3 years in America, Peter C. Nelson family moved to Aurelia, Cherokee Co, IA where he took up a homestead. They lived there for 18 years. Then the family moved to southern MN, Slayton area, and later he bought a farm near Red Lake Falls in northern MN about the time all of his children were going out on their own. When he died there in January 1925, he was taken back to Aurelia for burial.
After John, Peter C. Nelsons had 11 more children all born in
Afton Twp, Cherokee Co, IA.
Winifred (son, died
young, and is buried in Nelson Cemetery plot at Aurelia);
Sophie b. 25 Mar 1872;
d. after 1954 She married Frank
Johns on 16 Nov 1892 at Hardin, IA. He was born on 6 Mar
1872 and died 21 Jul 1918. They raised 2 sons in Afton Twp - Purl Johns b. 15 Mar 1894; and Cyril Johns b. 16 Sept 1901;
Kate b. 27 Aug 1873,
married LeRoy Smith,
had 2 daughters: Nellie and Vera;
they lived in southern MN and in OR;
Effie b. 28 Feb 1875,
married Charles Robinson,
had 4 children: Marie, Joyce,
Evelyn, and Royal; they lived in southern MN, northwestern
IA, and Chicago;
Hannah b. 4 June 1878,
married Henry Stube,
had 4 children: Mabel, Pearl, Earl,
and Galen; They lived in southern MN and CA;
(Carrie) Jean b. 1 Aug
1879, married ___Slingeland,
Jack Thompson, and Ed Bruns;
lived in Chicago;
Nels b. 17 Feb 1881,
married Kema Olson,
had 3 children: Opal, Clair, and
Myrtle; they lived in ND;
(Susie) Claudine b. 9
Oct 1882, married Arthur Hough;
they lived in Chicago;
Carl b. 2 Aug 1884,
married Hulda Zieman,
had 3 children: Sylvia, Doland, and
Goldie; they lived in Chicago;
George b. 15 Mar 1887,
married Alma Krokum;
they lived in northwestern MN and in WI.
Elmer b. 26 Jan 1891,
married Marie ____;
had 1 child: Rachel,;
they lived in northwestern MN and Chicago.
These are the children born to Mary Nelson and Peter C. Nelson while they lived in Cherokee Co, IA. Her parents, Sidsel and Claus Nelson, also lived there. In the 1880 Iowa Census Claus, 57, farmer; (Susan) 60, keeping house; Hans, 23, farmer. Claus died in 1881 at age 58; Sidsel died at age 76 (1895) at home of Hans with her four children present. Burials were in Aurelia cemetery.
Hans Nelson, who came to Aurelia with his parents in 1872, married on December 3, 1880 in Aurelia to Katherine Johnson who emigrated from Denmark in 1878. They had 3 children: Claus Wm, b. 8 Sept 1881; Carrie, b. 15 Oct 1883; and Charles, b. 3 Oct 1885, all born at Aurelia, Cherokee, IA. About 1887, at about age 30, he moved from Aurelia to Waupaca Co, WI, where he bought a farm. in St Lawrence Twp. Here the family lived out the rest of their lives. His wife preceded him in death.