In the book's own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1886
From History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (1916)
I. EMIL NELSON.
A successful farmer and a man who by the quality of his life has made a host of friends and has won for himself a place of respect and esteem in Otter Tail county is J. Emil Nelson, who was born in Meeker county, Minnesota. September 19, 1886, the son of Hans and Anna (Johnson) Nelson, both of whom were born in Sweden, where they lived until the year 1880. and then came to America, landing at Quebec, Canada, from which they went to the state of Minnesota and located near the town of Litchfield, where Hans Nelson was employed in the town of Litchfield ten years, until his death, in the year i8qo. Following the death of her husband Anna (Johnson) Nelson, with her family, continued to live near Litchfield, where she purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres of land, on which the family lived for ten years, after which they disposed of their land in that locality and moved to Wadena county Minnesota, there buying one hundred and sixty acres of land in Leaf River township, a place where Anna (Johnson) Nelson and her family lived for three years, and then disposing of this land they came to Otter Tail county Minnesota, and bought a farm 111 sections 26, 27 and 34, in Compton township, where they now live. To the marriage of Hans and Anna (Johnson) Nelson were born the following children: Nels Alfred. John Emil and Fritz Edwin, all of whom are married.
J. Emil Nelson was educated in the common schools of Meeker county,
Minnesota, after which he. with his brothers, helped in the farming of the home farm, later J. Emil taking possession of the home place, where he now engaged in general agricultural pursuits. Mr. Nelson now cultivates two
(36b) hundred acre of land, on which he produces good crops and where he has a well improved and modern farm.
On September 20, 101 1, J. Emil Nelson was married to Tova Lauritzen, who is a native of Denmark, and to this marriage have been born two children, Kenneth Raymond and Lesley Emil.
J. Emil Nelson is a man who, though having taken no special part in the political or public life of the community, has been a good and capable citizen of the county, and is a man whose interest in the welfare of the life and activity of the community is unquestioned.
As printed in History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (1916). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1916. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.