Fagerås to Brandon 1886

Editor note:  The following is a record of the Carl Nelson family's immigration story in the words of their son Olaf.  The handwriting may be somewhat hard to decipher, but I encourage you to make the effort.  Carl & Sofia Nelson were my great-grandparents.

der Op i Solberg

Olaf was only 6 years old when the family emigrated, but he had strong memories of the Swedish home.  It was quite a large log house with a large fireplace.  He could look at the sky through the chimney. The fireplace had a large oven where they baked bread.  Close to the fireplace was a huge barrel that served as a bathtub. There was a highway close to the house on which loads of ice were moved.  A creek ran between the Nelson farm 'der Op I Solberg" and the neighbors, "der Ner I Solberg".

The family's immigration journey started on June 24, 1886.  They carried their own food for the entire journey. A trunk held dried foods. Just before leaving, Olaf's brother John recalled eating his first whole egg.  His grandmother gave this to him as a special treat.  The family spinning wheel came along.  It was constructed with wooden pegs and screws and disassembled for the journey and placed a the bottom of the trunk.  It still functions and remains in the family.  The family also carried a copper coffee pot for use aboard ship.  It was molded from a single piece of copper, except for the lid.

A small chest with a painted floral design was used to carry documents, pictures and other treasures. The date on the trunk is 1786 and still has the original key.

The family left Gothenburg for Hull, England and traveled from Hull to Liverpool, where they boarded the Cunard Liner Bothnia for Boston.  Brothers John & Gust were adventurers aboard ship, climbing the riggings. The sailors would yell at the boys who heard "bum bowlo" but what was really said was "down below". They would warn each other with "here come the bumbowlo" to avoid being caught in mischief.

From Boston, the family went by rail to Chicago, St. Paul and on to Brandon, MN, arriving on July 12, 1886. They were greeted by O.F. Olson, a local merchant, who they had known in Sweden.  They lived with Sophia's sister Elizabeth for a time. Carl went to work on the railroad for $1/day and 2 years later they built their own home in Brandon.

Stowe's Lake

In 1896, they purchased the "Stowe's Farm" on the northwest corner of Stowe's Lake, living in an old log house (18x20 with a 14x 20 addition for a kitchen). There was also a log barn. They built a new house in 1903 and a new barn in 1912.

Nelson's - 1912

Appendix:  Immigrant Ship

Cunard Bothnia

Bothnia 1874 - 1899

Tonnage - 4,535 gross; 8044 displacement Dimensions - 128.71 m x 12.86m (422.3ft x 42.2ft) Number of funnels - 1

Number of masts - 3

Construction - Iron

Propulsion - Single screw

Engines - 2 cylinder compound

Service speed - 13 knots

Builder - J & G Thomson, Glasgow

Passenger accommodation - 1st 300, 3rd 1,100 Cargo - 3,000 tons

The Bothnia was built in 1874 by J. & G. Thompson in Glasgow. She had a tonnage of 4,535 tons gross, 4,531 under deck and 2,923 net. She was an iron construction. There was one single screw, she was rigged as a bark as can be seen from the picture. Propulsion: compound engine with 2 cylinders of 60 & 104 inches diameter respectively, stroke 54 inches and operating at 65 p.s.i.. The engine delivered 600 Nominal Horsepower which gave the ship a speed of 121⁄2 knots. The engine was built by the same company as the hull. The Bothnia made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York in 1874 and in 1885 she was transferred to the Liverpool - Boston service. Code letters: MVKQ. Official Number: 68094. Port of registry: Glasgow

The Bothnia was launched 4 March 1874, seven months before her sister-ship, the Scythia. She was barque-rigged, with four decks (passenger accommodation over two decks). Her maiden voyage took place on 8 August between Liverpool, Queenstown and New York. From 1875-84 and 1888-93 she served on the Liverpool - Queenstown - New York route; 1884-88 and 1893-96 on the Liverpool - Queenstown - Boston route.

Her last passenger voyage for Cunard was on 8 October 1896. She was sold in 1898 for £11,250 and scrapped at Marseilles in 1899.


Copyright © 2016 Dave Hoplin