Bio of Nels MONSON (b.1845), Wright Co., MN Pages 1041, 1042 ======================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormatted by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Hanson ========================================================================= 1041 HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY Nels Monson, one of the honored pioneers of Stockholm township, was born in Vermland, Sweden, April 17, 1845, son of Ole and Ingeborg (Nelson) Monson. In 1866 a party left Sweden for America. It consisted of Erick Monson, a deaf mute; his brother, Nels; his brother, Ole; Ole's wife, and Ole's children. Nels, Carrie, Erick, Magnus and Ingeborg. They left Sweden April 24, were on the water seven weeks, and reached Chicago June 24, 1866. The adult male members of the party found employment in various places in Illinois. Ole Monson secured work in De Kalb, Ill., where he worked in a brick yard at $30 a mouth. The son, Nels Monson, secured work on a farm for two months at $20 a month. After the father's month was expired he came with his son Erick to Carver county, Minnesota. Nels found them a month later, living in a railroad shack at Jordan. Nels secured work on the railroad from October 1 to the middle of December. Then he chopped wood all winter. In the spring, the family located on a farm in Carver county. In the fall of 1867 they moved to Stockholm township, Wright county, where the father, Ole, and the son, Nels, each secured a claim. A cabin was erected on the claim of Nels. They had no oxen and times were very hard. The first crops were planted between the trees with a grub hoe. Watertown was the nearest place where supplies could be purchased. Often they paid $2 for wheat, which they also had to have ground and carried to their home. For corn bread they ground corn in a hand coffee mill. They were finally enabled to purchase a pair of young steers, but as they were unable to break them, they traded the steers for a pair of old oxen. After living for a while in the cabin on the claim of Nels, they moved to a cabin erected on Ole's claim. In 1869 they got their first wheat crop, consisting of 230 bushels. They went to St. Paul and secured a horse-power thresher. With this they threshed their own crops, and also did considerable work for their neighbors. Ole Monson cleared up his original tract, and added land from time to time until he owned 240 acres of land. His cabin, now sided up with boards, is still standing. He died in 1902 at the age of eighty-nine years. His wife died in 1900 at the age of eighty-four. Nels Monson remained with his parents, working part of the time on the railroad and part of the time on the claims. After his marriage, in 1870, he and his wife moved into their log cabin. He cleared up the tract and later 1042 HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY added forty acres of railroad land. There they have since continued to live. In 1898 the log cabin was replaced by a splendid brick residence, and suitable barns and sheds have been erected as needed. The home is surrounded by spacious lawns, and every- thing, about the place is an evidence of the thrift and industry of the owner. The farm is called " The Pinewood, " and is known for its high-grade horses, Chester White swine and thoroughbred Holstein cattle. Mr. Monson is a successful farmer, has been township supervisor, and has served for the past six years as trustee of the Swedish Lutheran church of Stockholm. He was married, November 11, 1870, to Ellen Peterson, who was born in Sweden, September 9, 1854, and came with her mother to Wright county, her father, Nels, having arrived the previous year. Mr. and Mrs. Monson have had eleven children. Emmanuel was born October 3, 1871. He is a well driller and carpenter in Willmar, this state. August William was born March 11, 1873, and died at the age of six. John was born May 24, 1876. He is a buttermaker in Canada. Hulda Lavina was born January 30, 1878. Ida C. was born March 18, 1880, and died at the age of eight years. Albert William was born April 6, 1882, taught school for four years, and he is now the storekeeper at Rice Lake, Stockholm township. Lillian Florence was born June 2, 1884. Otto Theodore was born May 22, 1886. He and Ernest operate the home farm. Elmer Eugene was born March 17, 1888. He is an electrical engineer. Ernest Godfrey was born July 22, 1890. Mabel Mathalia was born May 30, 1894, and became a school teacher. John, Otto and Ernest have taken homesteads in Canada, which they still own.