Anders & Gerda (Miljander) & August Frederick & Amelia (Nilsson Nelson) and their sister Petronella 'Nellie' (Nilsson Nelson) Peterson Families - Painted Woods, North Dakota in 1918

In 1918 on the Family Farm in Painted Woods, North Dakota this incredible (Nilsson) Nelson Family portrait was taken. One family member, Sture Albin Nelson, the oldest son of Gertrude 'Gerda' (Miljander) & Anders (Nilsson) Nelson was home on leave. He would soon be shipping out for service in the Navy during the First World War.

The photograph comes from my Grandparents Clara Amelia (Nilsson) Nelson (15 years old, sitting on the left) and Frank G. S. Erickson's classic leather black page photo album. The first two generations of Nelsons to emigrate from Landskrona, Sweden to the Dakotas between 1880 and 1903, are present.

Clara wrote along the side of the photographs the names of everyone you see here and even though I knew who 80% were, Clara's forethought made identification of the rest of our family members easy, and I thank her for that.

left to right - standing: Uncle Anton Tony Nelson, Uncle August Valentine Nelson, Uncle Albert 'Bob' William Nelson, Great Grandfather Anders (Nilsson) Nelson, Great Uncle (brother of Anders) August Frederick (Nilsson) Nelson, Cousin Thomas Davis Hanwell Sr. (husband to Josie Ida Josephine (Nelson) Hanwell (daughter of Amelia (Holm) and August (Nilsson) Nelson), and Uncle Sture Albin Nelson.

left to right - sitting: Grandmother Clara Amelia Yunhild (Nilsson Nelson) Erickson, Cousin Bertha Hedvig Elisabeth (Nelson) Peterson, holding her daughter Mary Jane, Great Grandmother Gertrude 'Gerda' (Miljander) Nelson, holding Amelia Anna (Hanwell) Rise (daughter of Tom and Josie Hanwell).

Great Aunt Amelia 'Aunt Molly' Josephine (Holm) Nelson (wife of Great Uncle August Frederick (Nilsson) Nelson) holding Francis Kathleen (Hanwell) Bartholomew (daughter of Tom and Josie Hanwell, Cousin Josie Ida Josephine (Nelson) Hanwell, daughter of Amelia & August Nelson and wife of Thomas Davis Hanwell Sr. and sitting on the far right, Cousin Elsa 'Elsie" (Nelson) Peterson. Bertha and Elsie are the daughters of Anders and August (Nilsson) Nelson's sister Petronella 'Nellie' (Nilsson Nelson) and her husband Gustav Edvard Peterson..

Everyone present in the photograph except the three children, Clara's Brother Bob Nelson, and August's son-in-law Thomas Davis Hanwell Sr. were born in Sweden.

August Frederick Nelson arrived from Sweden in 1880 and lived in Montana until he married Amelia in Helena, Montana and then they moved back to Painted Woods, North Dakota where Amelia had a Homestead with her Brother Charles 'Charlie' Holm. Amelia arrived from Sweden in 1889 and headed to Painted Woods where her Father Peter Erik Holm, having emigrated a few years before, had a Homestead.

Anders & Gerda (Miljander) Nelson and their four children, one being my Grandmother Clara, emigrated from Landskrona, Sweden in 1902 and 1903 respectively, and lived with his Brother August and sister-in-law Amelia in Painted Woods until they Homesteaded in 1907 at a farm nearby.