Petter Nilsson was born on 1 August 1817 in Hunö, Misterhult, Kalmar Län, Sweden. His father was Nils Knuteson, 3 April 1774 - 29 January 1818, and his mother was Maja Stina Jaensdotter who was born on 9 December 1781. Both parents were born in Misterhult parish. He had three older sisters. They were Lena, born 17 November 1800, Stina Härqvarn, born 23 July 1811, and Anna, born 7 September 1814. The family lived on a small island of Hunö in the Baltic Sea off the east coast of Kalmar län. Their neighbors on Hunö were the Sjögren family who also have descendants in the Kiron area.
Petter married Maria Christina Jönsdotter of Misterhult parish around 1840. They had four children. They were Mary Pettersdotter, 16 July 1843, Johan Peter Pettersson, 5 July 1847 - 8 September 1873, Eva Lotta Pettersdotter, 15 October 1848 - 29 August 1856, and Anders Magnus Pettersson, 10 January 1851. Maria died on 7 January 1853 at Uthammar, a farm in Misterhult close to Figeholm.
He moved to Figeholm #36 and hired pigan Maria Greta Claesdotter to care for his children. They soon married and had seven more children. They were Charles Pettersson, born 18 November 1857, Sven August Pettersson, 7 April 1859 - 18 February 1860, Mathilda Sofia Pettersdotter, born 24 September 1860, Lovisa Pettersdotter, born 8 February 1862, Amanda Pettersdotter, born 8 October 1863, Ephraim Pettersson, born 20 December 1864, and Sven August Pettersson, born 5 August 1866. Petter was employed as a boat skipper during this time.
In May of 1865, the oldest two sons, Johan Peter and Anders Magnus, immigrated to America with the Frodig and Rodin families of Misterhult. This group came to the Iowa frontier which was then at Swedebend near present day Stratford, Iowa and begin work as farmers. It was this small group that sent the letters back to Sweden that facilitated the immigration of their families and friends in Misterhult.
The rest of the Petter Nilsson family immigrated on 3 May 1867. Coming with them was drang Per Frederick Nilsson, the son of Nils Back and Lena Maria Persdotter of Figeholm. Per Fredrick was known as Fred Beck in America. Soon after they arrived in the Swedebend area, it became apparent that the Misterhult Swedes needed more land to accommodate the incoming Swedes. Thus, the stage was set for the land scouting party of Frodig and Rodin and their friend Star from northern Sweden to go looking for land in July of 1867 which resulted in the founding of the community of Kiron.
The Petter Nilsson family came to northern Crawford County (later to be called Stockholm Township) in the month of August of 1867. Petter contracted with the Providence Western Land Company for 80 acres of land which is now known as the west half of the northwest quarter of section 20 in Stockholm Township. He agreed to pay $3.50 an acre for the 80 acres of prairie and $15.00 an acre for 5 acres of timber in Section 27. Payment was a note due in 5 years at 6% interest. It is not known where they lived during the fall and winter of 1867. On 6 July 1868 he transferred his land contract to the 80 acres in the south half of section 19 which had been under contract to Lars Johnson. (Where Lars Johnson went is unknown.) It is on this 80 acre farm the family put down roots, built their farmplace, and added an adjoining 30 acres. This farm was known as the old Peter Nelson place well into the middle of the 1900's.
The Americanization of the Swedes resulted in new spellings of their names. Petter became Peter, Nilsson became Nelson, hustru Greta Maria Claesdotter became Mrs. Nelson, and the children lost their patronymic last names and took on the surname Nelson.
The family attended the Swedish Baptist church and son Sven went on to the ministry.
The family appeared on the census on 1 July 1870 in Jackson Township, Boyer River Post Office, Crawford Co., Iowa. On page 5 of the 1870 census schedule at dwelling 39 lived the family of Peter Nelson, age 52, male, white, a farmer, born in Sweden, and having a real estate value of $700 and personal estate of $585; his wife Maria G., age 38, female, white, housekeeper, and born in Sweden; John, age 24, male, white, a farmer, and born in Sweden; Andrew, age 20, male, white, a farmer, and born in Sweden; Charlotta, age 12, female, white, at home, and born in Sweden; Tilda, age 9, female, white, at school, and born in Sweden; Louise, age 8, female, white, at school, and born in Sweden; Amanda, age 6, female, white, at home, born in Sweden; Ephram, age 5, male, white, at home, and born in Sweden; Sweyn, age 4, male, white, at home, and born in Sweden; Adelia, age 2, female, white, at home, and born in Iowa; and Anna, age 3 months (March), female, white, at home, and born in Iowa.
This record shows the growth of the family with the additions of Adelia and Anna.
Peter's family appeared on the census in June 1880 in Stockholm Township, Crawford Co., Ia. By this time the county had reorganized the land sections and had designated the land surrounding the Swedish Settlement as Stockholm Township. The record shows the Peter Nelson family was living on a 110 acre farm in the south west quarter of Stockholm section 19. The land contract had been paid and Peter had been issued a warranty deed in March of 1876. (The John Anderson family obtained a warranty deed in November of 1873 for the original land that Peter Nelson had selected. ) The census taker was Charles J. Johnson, a farmer/carpenter/church leader who lived about 2 1/2 miles up the road. He recorded the following information on this family. Peter Nelson was 62 years old, had been born in Sweden, was farming, and could not write. His wife, Mary,(Greta Maria Claesdotter) was 48 years old, was born in Sweden,(Misterhult) was keeping house, and also could not write. They had a son Charles who was 22 years old, single, born in Sweden, and was a "Laborer". Another son was S. August, age 18, born in Sweden who had been to school sometime in the past year. The next child was daughter Delia, age 11, who had been born in Iowa and was attending school (Stockholm #4). The next child was daughter Annie, age 10, who also had been born in Iowa and was at school. Next in line was Otto C. currently 5 years old, born in Iowa and with his sisters at school. The youngest child was Joach (Joshua?) E. age 3 who was born in Iowa and was at home.
This record shows two more children, Otto C. who is sometimes referred to as Arthur, and Joach, who is sometimes referred to as Issac E. The record does not show the son Oscar born 16 March 1872 and who died 2 October 1873. There is no record to indicate that any of the Nelson children died in the diphtheria epidemic of 1877 but the cemetery records indicate that son John died in a farm accident in 1873.
The 1885 census for the family at the Peter Nelson home in the SESW section 19 of Stockholm Township lists: Peter Nelson, age 67, male, married, farmer, born in Sweden; his wife Greta M., age 52, female, married, born in Sweden; Son Swan A., age 18, male, born in Sweden; daughter Delia, age 16, female, born in Iowa; daughter Anna, age 14, female, born in Iowa; son Arthur, age 10, male, born in Iowa; son Isaac, age 7, male, born in Iowa..
Peter died on 20 February 1888 at his Stockholm Township farmhome. He had lived to be 70 years, 6 months, and 19 days old. He was a farmer till his death.. He left a wife and several children. No cause of death was listed in the cemetery records but the Crawford County book recording deaths and still births from 1880 to 1907 (Book 1) has the following entry: #301 Peter Nelson 70-6-20 20 February 1888. Died at 4 am. Cause was scrofulous and old age.
Peter was buried about 25 February 1888 in the Kiron Cemetery, Kiron, Iowa. He was the 142nd decedent to be buried there. His grave is in the family lot which is #8. His wife, two sons, daughter, and two grandchildren are also buried here. A single headstone marks the burial lot. (Ownership of the lot has reverted back to the Cemetery Association for individual grave site sales to help perpetuate maintenance.) He had an estate probated after March 1888 in Crawford Co., Iowa. The record of the probate of Peter's estate is on page 416. Mary Nelson (widow or daughter?) was administrator.
This land stayed in the Nelson family until mid 1907 when Mary Nelson & husband, Et Al. and John Winquist, guardian, sold the farm to George A. Norelius. (Editor is not sure who "& husband" was at that time.)