The following are 'Thumbnail Sketches' of some of the oldest immigrants that were present in the Kiron vicinity.  The plan is to add to these sketches as additional credible information becomes available and hopefully develop a biography that includes their entire life.  The primary criteria used for placement  in this list is age. (Note: This list first appeared in the 11 February 1998 issue of the Kiron Centennial.)

Petersson, Nils Peter
 Nels was born on 14 August 1824 at Figsjökrog in Misterhult parish in Kalmar län in Sweden.  He was a laborer and sailor in the area around Figeholm.  He immigrated with his wife Johanna Maria Carlsdotter to northern Crawford county around 1876.  Several members of Nils’s family also were in Otter Creek township and they farmed together.  The Peterssons were Baptists.  Nels had an accident and broke his neck which caused his death on 18 September 1897.  He was buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Buller, Hans
 Hans Buller was born on 8 May 1825 at Hassela in Gävleborgs län in the province of Hälsingland in Sweden.  He married Martha Kajsa Henderson in Sweden and with their 5 children came to America in 1866.  They settled first in Minnesota, then Swedebend, Iowa, and finally bought the farm in the SE of Stockholm section 6 which still remains in the family.  He died on 2 December 1915 and is buried in the Kiron Cemetery.

Ericksson, Samuel
 Samuel was born in Sweden on 30 June 1825.  He came to America with his wife Sarah and purchased 160 acres of land in Stockholm section 4 by 1881.  Then he suddenly died on 3 March 1882 and is buried in the public lot 72A in the Kiron Cemetery.  Nothing else is known about him and he remains somewhat of a mystery.
 
Mauritz, Par S.
 Par was born in 1826 in Kristianstad län in the province of Skåne in Sweden around the area of Västra Torup parish.  He married Elsie Ericksdotter in Sweden and  they immigrated to northern Crawford county with their 6 children about 1880.  Par was a farmer.  They purchased land in the Otter Creek valley from the Hamrens and the Larssons in section 13.   He died at his farmhome on 8 November 1882 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Thunström, Carl P.
 Carl was born on 26 February 1826 in Torp parish in Västernorrlands län which is in the province of Medelpad in northern Sweden.  He immigrated to America with his wife Brita K. and two children in 1889.  They stayed with their daughters (Mrs. Ingemar Lind) place in Otter Creek section 1.  He died on 23 August 1903 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Rodin, Nils Fredrick
 Nils was born Nils Fredrick Johansson on 27 February 1826 on the Baggetorp farm in the parish of Misterhult in Kalmar Län in the province of Småland in Sweden.  He was the oldest of five children born to Johan Nilsson and Eva Jönsdotter.  His father died in 1830 when Nils was only 4 years old and before the birth of twin sons.  Nils married Sara Christina Jönsdotter about 1848 and they had 9 children.  They were part of the separatist movement in Sweden and called themselves Baptists.  The family left Sweden in June of 1865 and came with their neighbors and fellow Baptists, the Carl Frodigs, to Swedebend in Webster county Iowa along the Des Moines River.   Two years later Nils and Carl teamed up with Charlie Star, another Baptist and whose family was also at Swedebend, for the memorable scouting expedition to western Iowa to find suitable farm land for the Swedish immigrants.  Nils bought land in the SW of Stockholm section 18 but lost his wife in Swedebend before the move.  He remarried to Ingrid Erlandsdotter who had come from the island of Öland which is off the coast of Sweden near Misterhult.  They had one daughter Lottie born in 1869.  Nils was a member of the Swedish Baptist church of Kiron and served as deacon for many years.  Nils died on 2 April 1905 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Johnson,  Anna Mary
 Anna was born on 8 April 1826 in the town of Karlstad in Sweden. (Birth name Anna Jacobsdotter)  She married Peter Carlsson in Sweden and they immigrated with their children to America coming to northern Crawford county with the group from Swedebend in August of 1867.  They purchased land in the NE of Stockholm section 19 and she set up being a farm wife in her “dug-out” house.  Her family attended services at the Swedish Baptist church.  She died on 12 April 1891 and was buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Nord, Nils Lars
 Nils was born on 13 April 1826 in Sweden and after his wife died in Sweden he came with his three sons to America.  He stayed on the farm in the NE of Otter Creek section 1 with his oldest son Peter and family and helped with the farming.  His younger sons who had stopped in Brooklyn to find work joined the family later at the family farm home.  (They frequently used the last name of Moleen instead of Nord.)  Nils died on 10 November 1890 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Henderson, Martha Kajsa
 Martha was born on 8 November 1826 in the province of Hälsingland in northern Sweden.  She married Hans Buller in Sweden and they came with their children to America in 1866.  They first went to Minnesota and then to Swedebend, Iowa and finally coming to the Kiron area in 1873.  They bought a farm in the SE of Stockholm section 6 and proceeded to build a farm place that still exists in the Buller name.  Martha died on 14 February 1885 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Erlandsdotter, Ingrid
 Ingrid was born on 11 December 1826 in Högsrum socken in Kalmar län on the island of Öland in Sweden.  She immigrated to Swedebend about 1867 and married Nils Rodin and step mother to his children.  She took up the life of a farmwife on the farm in the SW of Stockholm section 18 in the fall of 1867.  She was a member of the Swedish Baptist church.  Ingrid died on 13 February 1907 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Bjorkman, Olaf
 Ola was born in 1827 in Sweden.  He married Johanna Christiansdotter (brother of Christ Christianson) in Sweden and they had four children.  They left Sweden in 1865 with their daughter Matilda, first coming to Allamakee county and then on to Stockholm township in 1876.  For many years they lived on a small acreage on the corner of their daughter and husbands farm in Stockholm section 9.  Here Ola raised garden produce for the community.   They attended the Swedish Mission church.  He died on 21 April 1910 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Hendricksson, Andrew
 Andrew was born on 12 February 1827 in Sweden.  He came with his wife Clara and son Peter to  the north Crawford area where he bought 40 acres from Peter Nilsson in the SE of Otter Creek section 25.  They were living here for the US census in July of 1870.  They purchased more land across the road in Stockholm section 30 where they built the farmplace.  The family attended the Methodist church.  Andrew died on 27 December 1901 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Johnson, David Ludwig
 David was born on 2 October 1827 in the city of Göteborg (Gothenborg) in Sweden.  He married Johanna  Börgesdotter in Sweden and together with all their children came to America around 1855.  They first went to Minnesota but came overland to Kiron around 1868.  They had a dugout home on their farm in the NE of Stockholm section 30 and with several sons to help, they made a farm of it in a hurry.  This family is known for its initiative and inventiveness and getting things down.  They once even obtained approval for their house to be a US postoffice with the name of Johnsonville.  David died on 3 March 1876 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Andersdotter, Hedda Lovisa
 Swedish records show Hedda born on 24 October 1827 at Södra Mo I Gässhult which is in Misterhult parish in Kalmar län in Sweden.  Misterhult exit papers show she left there in November 1868.  She was a Baptist and when arriving in northern Crawford county she joined the group that formed the Swedish Baptist church.   She found work in Omaha, met Charles Duncan and married him.  He soon died and she came back and purchased two 40 acre parcels in the NW of Stockholm township section 30. Her farm became a place of employment for new Swedish immigrants to call home and get a start in farming.  In 1902 she moved into Kiron to the home of her niece, Mrs. C. M. Olsson where she was taken care of until her death on 14 February 1920.  She is buried in the Kiron cemetery.
 
Ward, Erick
 Erick was born on 13 November 1827 in Hälsingland in northern Sweden.  He and wife Betsy immigrated to America and came overland by wagon to Wheeler township in the late 1860’s.  They settled on a farm in the NE of Wheeler section 29.  He died on 4 July 1897 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Petersson, Peter
 Records show Peter was born in 1828 somewhere in Sweden.  He immigrated  to this country in the 1860’s .  In August 1867 he was with the group from Swedebend that purchased land in northern Crawford county, thus making him one of the original pioneers.  Peter purchased 80 acres in the SW of Stockholm section 17 and set up a farmplace with his wife Fredricka.  Peter then suddenly died on 14 April 1871 at the age of 43 and was buried in the Kiron cemetery.  It is thought his wife then married a Nylin.  Nothing more is known about this family.

Swansson, Nils
 Nils was born on 23 January 1828 in Skåne in the very south of Sweden.  He immigrated to America in 1871 and came with his wife Thora and children to Otter Creek township.  Here they bought the land of John Ericksson which was the farm on which the present day town of Kiron stands.  Nils farmed this land with his sons until 10 September 1884 when he passed away.  He is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Johnson, Julia A.
 Julia was born on 10 April 1828 probably in the Medelpad province of Sweden.  She came with her husband Herman Ericksson to the Kiron area by way of Minnesota in 1870.  They bought a farm in the NE of Stockholm section 6 and later expanded across the road into section 7.  She died on 18 April 1888 at her farm home of tuberculosis.  She was buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Andersson, Anders
 Anders was born on 7 December 1828 in northern Sweden in the parish of Helgum in Västernorrlands län in the province of Ångermanland.  He, with his wife Christina and his family, came with a group of family and friends to northern Crawford county by way of Swedebend in August of 1867.  They bought a farm in the NW of Stockholm section 17.  This group was led by Hans Hallander, who functioned as a Baptist minister in northern Sweden, and they joined with the Baptists from Misterhult in southern Sweden to form the principle nucleus of the formation of the Swedish Baptist church.  A few years later the church building was built on his farm.  Anders did not live long enough to see the building happen.  He came down with the fever and died on 17 September 1871.  He is buried in the Kiron Cemetery.

Carlsson, Carl
 Carl was born on 25 December 1828 on the Kolarasen farm in Safsnäs parish in the province of Dalarna in Sweden.  He immigrated with his wife Sarah and family and came to northern Crawford county in the summer of 1868.  They bought a farm in the SE of Otter Creek section 25 where they built their farmplace.  He died on 4 June of 1903 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Larsdotter, Aneka
 Aneka was born in Värmlands län in Sweden and married John Hoaglund around 1853.  In 1865 the family came to America and settled on a farm in Fayette county in northeast Iowa.   Later in 1869, they came to northern Crawford county and purchased land next to the Otter Creek in the NW of section 24.  The family had more than their share of tragedies with two daughters drowning, another died from snake bite and their son of diphtheria.  They facilitated the immigration of several family members in Sweden who came to live in the area.  They sold their farm and went to Arthur at the coming of the railroad there and started a business.  When they retired they returned to live in Kiron.  Aneka died on 25 August 1907 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Strabeck, Bothilda
 Bothilda was born on 6 April 1829 at the Torraröd farm in Färingtofta socken in Kristianstads län in Skåne Sweden.  She married Elias Munson in Sweden and they immigrated to America first coming to Swedebend and then coming with the group of Swedish immigrants from there to north Crawford County.  They bought a farm in the SE of Otter Creek township section 13 where they had a dugout house.  Bothilda lived there all her remaining life and died on 2 April 1902.  She is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Frodig, Carl Peter
 Carl Peter Andersson took the name of Frodig as the family name before leaving Sweden and little knowing that the name would gain stature in the new world as being synonymous with the starting of  the Kiron settlement.  He was born 3 August 1829 in the village of Figeholm in the parish of Misterhult in Kalmar län in Småland Sweden.  He married Sara Christina Engström in 1850 and they provided a home for other children in need of a family.  They were part of the Baptist group in Sweden.  They left their Swedish home in June of 1865 and came to Swedebend near Stratford, Iowa along with the Rodins, Nils Beck’s son and  two of Peter Nilsson’s sons.  Two years later they selected north Crawford county as their new home and purchased land in the SE of Stockholm section 19.  Carl was a leader in starting the Swedish Baptist church with the organizational meeting in his home.   He died on 22 April 1904 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Johnson, Andrew
 Andrew (Andrus) was born 12 August 1829 in Halland län in Sweden.  He brought his family of wife Brita, sons Nils and August, and daughter to America in 1868.  One son and the daughter died on the trip.  Andrew bought a farm in the NE of Stockholm section 31 in 1868 and farmed it with his son for a number of years.  In 1882 he sold the Stockholm farm and bought a larger farm in Hayes section 34.  There he farmed the remainder of his life.  He attended Bethel Lutheran church.  He died on 11 May 1902 and is buried in the Bethel cemetery

Nordell, John
 John was born on 2 October 1829 in Hassela socken which is in Gävleborgs län located in the province of Hälsingland, Sweden.  He immigrated with his wife Margaret from Sweden to Minnesota and came overland with the Wards and Bullers to the Kiron area in 1870.  They bought a farm in the SE of Wheeler township section 32.  John was only 45 when he had an accident and died on 21 December 1874.  He is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Olsdotter, Elna
 Elna was born on 4 February 1830 on the Röshult farm in Hörja socken in Kristianstads län Sweden.  She married Carl Christian Svensson in Sweden and they immigrated with their three children to America coming to north Crawford area by 1880.  They purchased some land from Nils Rodin and built a farm place on the land in the SW of Stockholm section 18.  A devoted Christian family, she saw her children pursue ministerial careers only to be cut short by disease.  She lost her husband early on but persisted on the farm until she died on 21 May 1908.  She is buried in the Kiron cemetery.
 
Larsson, Peter N.
 Peter was born in Sweden on 10 February 1830.  He immigrated from Sweden with his wife Martha.   He had two children Mary and William.  Peter purchased a farm in the NE of Stockholm section 3 from the Iowa Rail Road Land Company in the early 1880’s.  He died  on 18 August 1883 just 11 days after his wife.  He is buried in the Bethel cemetery.

Johnson, Anders Johan
 Anders was born at Sankt Lars in Linköping which is in Östergötland län in Sweden.  He married Lovisa Christina Carlsdotter of Pelarne socken in Kalmar län.  Anders was a coppersmith in Sweden.  He immigrated with his wife and three children on 2 May 1882 coming directly to the Kiron area where a sister-in-law, Johanna Carlsdotter, was living on an Otter Creek farm in section 13.  Anders was more known as a mechanic than a farmer around the Kiron area.  It is believed that the family first lived in the  former blacksmith Olof  Lindberg home in the SW of Stockholm township section 20.  Anders died on 3 April 1907 and is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Norelius, Andrew
 Andrew was born on 1 July 1830 in Hassela socken in Gävleborgs län which is in Hälsingland in Sweden.  He immigrated with his parents to Minnesota in 1853.  He married Christina Peterson of Sweden and began a career as a Baptist minister.  After serving with the Union troops in the Civil war, he moved his family to Kiron in 1870 to a farm in the NE of Stockholm section 7 which he had purchased in 1869.  His ability to use the English language was a valuable contribution to the community adjusting from Swedish.  He lived at his Old Kiron home even after retiring eventually moving to Galva to stay with one of his daughters.  He died there on 10 April 1927.  He is buried in the Kiron cemetery.

Hanson, Nels A. (Sr.)
 Nels was born on 9 September 1830 in Sweden.  He and wife Christina and family came to America in 1870 coming first to Illinois in 1870 and then on to the Kiron area in 1878.  They bought a farm in the SE quarter of Hayes township section 26 and farmed there for about 15 years.  After his wife’s death the family moved to another place in Wheeler township.  Nels died on 13 June 1922 and is buried in the Bethel cemetery.