Confirmation: A Lutheran Rite of Passage (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 30 theme: "Religious Traditions" )

1940 Confirmation at Bethel Lutheran Church near Leinan, Saskatchewan - author's father Ken Bardahl back row centre

The Evangelical Lutheran Church was the state church in Norway from 1537 until 2012. It was mandated to keep the official state records including births/baptisms, marriages and deaths/burials. All of these entailed church matters as well as vital statistics. The church records are mostly available online through the Norwegian national archives, albeit only in a browsable format in challenging Gothic script in old Norwegian.

One other church record that is often available is the list of  those confirmed into the Lutheran Church as an affirmation of the baptism done in infancy. From 1736 on, it was a requirement that young people be instructed in the catechism and pass a test before taking their first communion. Confirmation traditionally occurred at around 14-15 years of age and can often be found by searching the church records 14-16 years following a person's baptism record; sometimes confirmands were as old as 20 so scrolling through a few years' records might be required. Confirmations are fairly easy to spot even in chronological church records as lists of young people of about the same specified age. Sometimes it lists the father and, occasionally, the mother. It does not often provide much in the way of new information but is another piece of the genealogical puzzle to map out a person's life in a given location. 

For example, after finding the birth record for my paternal immigrant ancestor Hans Olai Johnson Bardahl in 1841, it was fairly easy to find his Confirmation record from 1857.

1857 Confirmation Record for Hans Olai Johnson (blue underlining) from Nesna, Nordland, Norway church book

Hans's Confirmation record is unusual in containing a generous amount of genealogical information including his name, date and place of birth, father's and mother's names, his religious knowledge and diligence (which I wish I could decipher) and finally the date on which he had been vaccinated for smallpox. Smallpox vaccine was mandated in Norway from 1810 and often shows up in the church records alongside births/baptisms, confirmations or marriages. Hans had been vaccinated 18 September 1845 at age 4.

Both paternal grandparents were Confirmed as Lutherans in the United States; much of the same record-keeping persisted in the Church although not mandated in America. My favourite record is the certificate in Norwegian for my paternal grandmother Louise Nelson, confirmed in 1897 in Erdahl, MN.

My paternal grandfather John Bardahl was confirmed in Elbow Lake, Minnesota in 1893.

1893 Confirmation of John Bardahl from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Records for Elbow Lake, MN

John was 14 when he was confirmed; his parents were Hans and Anna Barda(h)l , his birthplace was Chippewa, Minnesota and his religious knowledge was good. 

My maternal grandfather Ingwald Anderson (1893-1958) should have been confirmed in about 1907; no record can be found. This could be because his mother had been experiencing mental health issues following the still birth of a baby in 1900; family life was very disrupted by this and religious practice and guidance may have fallen by the wayside.

My brother's copy of our first year Confirmation book containing much of the Catechism that was to be learned by memory

My Dad's sister Inez Bardahl's Confirmation Photo c.1932

Conformation was a major milestone deserving of a new dress or suit and a professional photograph.

My Dad Ken Bardahl was the son of John and Louise (Nelson) Bardahl and was confirmed in 1940 at age 14. At that time, confirmands were tested orally in front of the congregation on their memorization of the Catechism. Following my Dad, my brother and I took the two years of religious training and had our Confirmation at the same church. By that time, we were all grateful to learn there would no longer be public testing of one's ability to memorize the Catechism and no record kept of one's religious knowledge as had been the case for our ancestors.

One of the last Confirmations at Bethel Prairie Lutheran Church, June 1964, Leinan area of Saskatchewan; author's brother back row left; author front row right; author's younger sister's Confirmation was also held here a few years later (no photo available as so often happens with younger siblings!)

Some Resources:

• Research Outline Norway, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah (a precursor to materials now available on the familysearch.org website Research WIKI), pages 14-16

Sticking Closer to Home (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025, Week 13 Theme: "Home Sweet Home")

My grandmother Louise was the youngest in a family of 8 children born to Carl and Karen Nilsdatter Nelsen. Carl and Karen were born, raised and married in Ringerike, Buskerud, Norway. First child Gunhild Julia was born there prior to their emigration to America in 1867; the other 7 were American-born. Carl, Karen and Julia first went to Salem, Wisconsin where they stayed just 3 months, then moved on to Douglas County, Minnesota for about 9 years. The family now consisted of four (Carl, Karen, Julia and Nels) when enumerated for the US Census in Alexandria, Douglas County on 24 June 1870. They were living there on 3 October 1872 when Carl became an American citizen. He was 33 years old.

Carl's American Citizenship

In 1876 Carl and Karen moved about 20 miles from Alexandria to Erdahl, Grant County, Minnesota and made that their home for the rest of their lives. 

Carl and Karen with Carl's handwriting about the family

Earlier this year, I posted a story about 5 of the 8 siblings - those who migrated to Canada as a family group around 1910. This week's focus is on the 3 who chose to remain closer to home in the United States. Although they also made their own decisions and lived their own lives, they did not all desert Carl and Karen. Both parents ultimately died in Erdahl at the age of 72, he in 1911 and she in 1915. 

Carl and Karen's grandson Ken Bardahl and wife Elinor visiting the Nelsen Erdahl MN gravesite

Here are the three daughters who lived out their lives in the United States:

1. Gunhild (Julia) Nelson (1866-1959)

    

Julia Nelson

Julia was the just a year old when she and her parents came to America. She renounced her Norwegian citizenship and became American in 1884 when she married Andrew Lee. Their marriage record is found in the Pomme de Terre Norwegian Lutheran Church records at Erdahl, MN. At the time, the entire family was all living at Erdahl and would have taken part in the wedding celebrations.

1884  marriage of Andrew Lee and Gunhild (Julia) Carlsdatter (Nelsen)

Julia and Andrew established their home in close proximity to her parents, as clearly indicated by their adjacent entries in the 1900 census for Erdahl, Minnesota. At this time, she had given birth to 9 children with 5 still living. Julia and Andrew's children listed in the census are Clara, Charles, Marie, George and William.

1900 US Census for Albert and Gunhild/Julia highlighted in green with her parents and 4 of her siblings just below

The couple eventually had 12 children. Seven were still alive when Andrew passed away suddenly and unexpectedly overnight in his store in Berwick, N.D. in 1906. 

Julia with her grandson George c1938

In 1909 Julia married her second husband, Iver Oiaas. A few months' later, the census had them in Erdahl township. After both her parents died, Julia and Iver are found in the 1920 census in Ironton Village, MN, some 115 miles from Erdahl. Iver passed away in 1938, leaving Julia widowed once again. 

Julia was living with her youngest daughter Edna Lee Starkel in Portland, Oregon at the time of her death on 27 October 1959 at the age of 93. She was survived by 2 sons and 2 daughters, 7 grandchildren and  2 of her siblings - Selma Nelson Gilbertson of Langdon, N.D. and Louise Nelson Bardahl of Canada. She was buried back in her home town of Erdahl next to her first husband and near the burial locations of her parents.

Julia and Andrew's Headstone, Erdahl, MN.
Photo courtesy T. Burt of Findagrave.com

3,    Olava (Lottie) Nelson (1870-1949)

Lottie Nelson

Lottie married Jesse S. McNish of Chemung, N.Y. on 30 December 1898. Jesse was almost a decade older than Lottie. According to the Grant County Herald of 5 Jan 1899, "The bride is one of the best young ladies and has a host of friends. The happy couple will spend their honeymoon in California." They did not return to live in Erdahl.

1900 census Cavalier County, ND for Jesse and Lottie, married 1 year

Census records have them living in Cavalier County, ND in 1900, in Walsh County ND in 1910 and 1920 and in Sherburne, MN. in 1930. Land records with the US Bureau of Land Management show Jesse purchasing lands in ND in 1902. 

There is no record of any children. Having moved away from her parents and siblings so early, one wonders how Lottie filled her life with meaningful relationships and activities in a time when women had few options. 

Lottie died at the age of 78 in January of 1949 and Jesse followed her just a few months later. 

 

Jesse and Lottie's stone in Big Lake Cemetery, Sherburne MN photo from findagrave by kandota.

3. Hannah Nelson (1875-1945)

Hannah Nelson

Hannah was the 6th child born to Carl and Karen. On 20 August 1896, when she was 21, she married Albert Helgeson. They had three daughters (Ruby, Mildred, Lila) born between 1899 and 1904 in North Dakota. There seemed to be magnets in Cavalier Counties and in the Fargo areas of North Dakota that so often drew members of the Nelsen family there. It is unclear just how close together they may have been while there.

In 1910 the family was in Crookston City, Polk, Minnesota at the time of the census. Albert was a travelling salesman in the machinery business. Ten years later they were enumerated in Fargo, N.D. By 1930 and still in 1940 they were living in Los Angeles. 

Helgesen Dohlen Family Photo c. 1940:  Albert Dohlen, Hannah Nelsen Helgesen, Ross Dohlen, Lila Helgesen Dohlen, Newell Dohlen and Albert Helgesen - photo provided by Ross's wife Barbara in June 2006

Hannah died of pneumonia in Los Angeles, California in 1945 at the age of 69. Albert lived until 1956; both are buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles County, California. 

Conclusion:

From the time of the family's emigration from Norway in 1867, family members continued to migrate and set up their own homes and families throughout the United States and Canada. Whether sticking closer to home or moving farther afield, home and family remained a central focus for their lives.

Nelson Siblings Move to Canada (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025, Week 10 theme: Siblings)

 

Family of Carl Johan Nelson and Karen Marie Nilsdatter
Handwriting of father Carl using their Norwegian patronymic names Carlson/Carlsdatter

My grandmother Louise was the youngest in a family of 8 children born to Carl and Karen (Nilsdatter) Nelson. She had 6 sisters and just 1 brother. Their parents had been born, raised and married in Ringerike, Buskerud, Norway. First child Gunhild (Julia) was born there prior to their emigration to America in 1867; the others were all American-born.

This week's story focuses on 5 of the 8 siblings - those who migrated from Minnesota and North Dakota to Canada as a family group in 1910-1911. 

Canada had passed the Dominion Lands Act in 1872 to encourage settlement of the Canadian prairies so as to prevent the lands from falling into American hands. Like the American Homestead Act of 1862, it provided for the claiming of 160 acre parcel homesteads, subject to fulfilling certain requirements. Canada encouraged mass migration from both Europe and the United States at the time. I am grateful for the decision made by my American-born grandparents to take Canada up on its offer. I don't for a moment believe they were making any sort of political statement but were simply moving where there was abundant good farmland available.

Here are the five Nelson siblings who moved to Canada: 

 1. Louise Nelson (1881-1985)

Although she was the youngest of the siblings, I start with Louise because she was my grandmother and central to my perception of events.

Clipping from The Grant County Herald, MN 25 January 1906

John and Louise (Nelson) Bardahl wedding photo January 1906

John's Skogmo, N.D.  homestead was rather bleak. According to what Louise told me, homesteads in North Dakota had been so well-claimed that it was difficult to expand their own farm, never mind encouraging other family members to join them there. I believe it was John Bardahl who made the first trip north in 1909 to the newly-formed province of Saskatchewan to scout things out and instigate the move by the larger family group.

According to their son Ken in his 1991 collection of memories: 

First, they had to locate land that was available. keeping in mind mile upon mile of virgin prairie.  Even locating the survey pegs was a job unto itself. There were occasions when someone would deliberately change these pegs to add to the confusion, perhaps trying to keep an area open to friends or relatives who would be arriving later.  Sometimes, also, the homesteader would locate several parcels of land, so that he would have an option when he went to apply for a homestead.  This was a very smart move, because originally this all had to be done through the Moose Jaw land titles office. 

The land near the major centers was taken first by these homesteaders for convenience, etc.  As the years passed, they would have to venture farther from these centers and of course with this came many other obstacles.  There were people named “Land Locators” who for a fee would take these homesteaders out to land available, this being done by horse and buggy, the only way of travel.  It was into an environment such as this that my parents came.  It seems that the first homesteaders came into this area about 1904-1906.  Dad came up here from the U.S.A. in 1909 and settled into what would be the Atlas-Jorgenson districts, about 20 miles north of Swift Current, Sask.  This area was basically settled by people from Minn. and North Dakota areas and were predominantly people of Norwegian ancestry.

 

A page from John Bardahl's homestead application for S15-18-14 W3M

Half-way down this page in his homestead application, John states that he is a citizen of the United States of America who intends to become a British subject under the laws of Canada. 

Aerial photo of John and Louise Bardahl's Saskatchewan homestead, unknown year
They planted all the trees around the farm, including several rows on the right (west) side

John and Louise had a family of 8 children, the youngest being my father Kenneth born in 1926. I grew up on the farm that John and Louise homesteaded. 

John and Louise Bardahl family 1934
Back row left to right: Marvel, Lillian, James, Mildred, Hazel
Front row: Joetta, John, Ken age 8, Louise and Inez

John and Louise retired to Vancouver, B.C. where he died in 1945. Louise lived another 4 decades in Calgary, Alberta dying at the age of 103. She is buried next to John at Ocean View Burial Park in Vanouver.

2. Nels Nelson (1868-1932)

The only son born into the Carl and Karen Nelson family, Nels remained a bachelor for life and never had any children, He remained at Erdahl with his parents and siblings for several decades, farming with his father and running a business with brother-in-law Gus Gilbertson in Erdahl.

By 1910, he joined several sisters and their husbands in migrating to Canada to homestead in Saskatchewan. Nels took up land north of Swift Current along the Battleford Trail route at NE17-18-14 W3M. He farmed and often provided accommodations for travelers along the route. 

Nels Nelson outside his home in Saskatchewan c.1920

As children in the 1950s my siblings and I often played in his abandoned home, looking for hidden treasure.

Nelson Siblings with their families in Canada July 1910 - seated far left John Bardahl; standing back row Louise Nelson Bardahl, Josephine Nelson, Dennis Nelson, George Gilbertson and Nels Nelson
Children front row from left: Wallace Nelson, Lila Gilbertson, Lorraine Nelson, Arnold Gilbertson, Joetta Bardahl, Vernon Nelson and Francis Gilbertson
Photo by Selma's husband Gus Gilbertson

After Nels died, aged 64, his sisters Louise and Josie administered his estate and his land was acquired by his nephews James and Ken Bardahl. Family lore had it that bachelor Nels would have amassed a tidy nest-egg that could never be located. Skullduggery? More likely, Nels was struggling to make a living, just like all the others.

Nels Nelson

3. Selma Nelson (1874-1963) 

Selma married Gustav Gilbertson at her parents' home on 2 April 1901. They settled down in Erdahl, MN where Gus went into business with Selma's brother Nels. They would have four children, two sons and two daughters. 

Selma Nelson

Selma and Gus joined other of her siblings in making the move to Canada to homestead in 1910. Their homestead at SW20-18-14  W3M was near Nels and within a couple of miles of sisters Louise and Josie. The 1911 Canadian census lists them with the oldest 3 children enumerated just below her brother Nels. According to my father, Saskatchewan Archive records indicate that the Gilbertsons spent some time with her brother Nels helping with his provision of accommodations for travelers along the Battleford Trail.

Selma and Gus Gilbertson children 1910

As curious children who loved to explore, my siblings and I and some friends came upon their abandoned farmhouse and excitedly reported our find to our parents, only to learn it had belonged to Grandma's sister and her husband. Why didn't we know about this?

Another view of the photo taken by Gus Gilbertson July 1910, this time including Selma Nelson Gilbertson on far left, holding baby Marvel Bardahl (see photo above for identification of others)

Gus and Selma headed back to the United States in December of 1916 and spent most of their remaining years in Langdon, Cavalier Co., N.D. By the time I was growing up in the Saskatchewan community, their homestead was owned by the Wengel family. 

My grandmother, Uncle Jim and Aunt Inez visited Gus and Selma in North Dakota in the 1950s. Selma died at the age of 88 in 1963 and Gus joined her the following year; they are buried in Langdon.

1958 visit to Gus and Selma in N.D.
From left to right: Inez Bardahl, Gus Gilbertson, Selma (Nelson) Gilbertson and her sister Louise (Nelson) Bardahl

 

4. Josephine "Josie" Nelson (1879-1953)

Josie Nelson

Josie married Dennis Nelson (same last name but not related) on 9 March 1904. Although their wedding was a quiet one with only family members present, performed by Reverend Otto Juul, the following day the newlyweds visited Dennis's brother Ludvig and after supper went back to Josie's parents' home.  A number of the young men had organized a Hoosiers Band for a charivari - tin pans, boilers, wash basins, cow bells, shot guns and other sounds performing the "music".  According to the local Grant County Herald newspaper of 17 March 1904, "voices like the old Indian war-whoops of ancient ages, all surrounded the house of L(udvig) Nelson, bent on a treat, like hungry wolves of the forest.  The echoes were heard for miles but with no response as the couple had left. . .  The sports were sore over their fruitless effort."

Dennis and Josie were listed in Erdahl in the 1910 US Census but moved to Canada that same year. They were enumerated in the 1911 Canadian census just below Nels Nelson and Selma and Gus Gilbertson's family: Dennis 36, Josephine 31, Vernon 6, Wallace 4 and Lorraine 2. A fourth child, daughter Grace was born in 1913. These Nelson cousins of my Dad's were the only ones that I knew much, with Wally and family living nearby in Swift Current and others attending family reunions.

In the Canadian Archives  website for Western Canada Land Grants 1870-1930, Dennis A Nelson is listed for SE21-18-14 W3M.  Dennis and Josie's land was very near her sister Louise and John Bardahl's homestead.

Threshing at Dennis and Josie's farm 1916

According to their son Wally, they brought with them four horses, two cows, some machinery and household items. He spoke of the early years being trying times, breaking the land and building a home and barn (with the help of family and neighbours); later in 1910 a severe windstorm destroyed that newly-built barn. The barn was soon replaced and the house improved and enlarged. Water was an issue for a number of years. The first well was dug by hand but by 1912 a successful new well was drilled by neighbour Erwin Wengel and a 30 foot windmill installed. 

Wally said that the two boys started school when one was built in 1912, walking the 2.5 miles there and home each day. By 1914 they had a pony and cart the boys could drive to school. One cannot help but compare that to today's pampered children driven from door to door by car even when the school is within an easy walk!

In 1918, the Nelsons rented out their property and moved into Swift Current. Dennis died in April of 1920 at the age of just 45 after a short illness. Dennis and Josie's land was sold to the Bow family and then to the Lockmans; I spent many happy childhood hours there playing with my good friend, again completely oblivious to the past family history connection to this farm.

Josie died in Edmonton, Alberta in 1953 and was buried there; Dennis was buried in Swift Current, Saskatchewan at Mount Pleasant Burial Park.

5. Laura Nelson (1872-1954)

One final sibling arrived about a year after the first four. 

Laura Nelson

Laura married Steve Bardahl (half-brother to my grandfather John) at her parents' home near Erdahl, Minnesota on 5 March 1894. They moved to the Milton area of N.D where Steve farmed for a while. By the time of the 1900 US census, they were living in Milton, Cavalier Co., N.D., where Steve was a police constable. Ten years later, the census found them still in Milton but Steve was listed as a laborer. They had been married 16 years and she had given birth to two children; sadly, both had died in infancy. 

In 1911, Steve and Laura moved to Saskatchewan to join her 4 siblings who had moved there the previous year.  Steve initially applied for a homestead at NW18-18-14 W3M, very near Gus and Selma but cancelled that and applied for land a few miles away at SW20-19-14 W3M. He never proved up any of the parcels he had filed on. 

The marriage was not holding up and Laura left him. There is no evidence that they ever actually divorced. Steve returned to the States and lived with his mother for a while before moving back to North Dakota where he died at the age of 78. 

Laura lived in Canada for some time, working in housekeeping at the Banff Springs Hotel where she was sometimes able to secure employment for her young nieces. 

Laura Nelson with nieces Joetta and Mildred Bardahl

Laura never remarried and died in Langdon, N.D. in 1954 at the age of 82; she is buried in the Lebanon Cemetery in Langdon not far from her sister Selma. 

Laura's stone in Langdon, N.D. by HL49 on findagrave.com website

Conclusion: 

Of the 5 Nelson siblings who had arrived in Saskatchewan around 1910, 3 spent the rest of their lives in Canada. No doubt moving as a family group provided a good support system much needed in forming new homes and community. They would have helped each other building homes and barns, drilling wells, dealing with animals and equipment, raising a family, starting schools and churches and creating a sense of community. There must have been numerous challenges. By the time my Dad was born in 1926, things were in place for a fully-functioning farm in a thriving community that the Nelson siblings had helped establish.

Some Resources

Memories to Cherish: Stewart Valley and Leinan; Stewart Valley-Leinan History Book Committee, Printed by Friesen Printers of Altona, Manitoba, 1987

Saskatchewan Provincial Archives homestead records located online at https://www.saskarchives.com/collection/homesteading/homesteading-records

Carl Johan Nelson (1839-1911) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 45) Theme: "Bearded"

When I sit to spend time on my family history, my Dad's two sets of grandparents watch over my shoulder, as if trying to ensure that I tell their stories fairly. They gaze at me rather sternly, seemingly rebuking me for some failure on my part. How I would love to have a nice chat with them to get more detailed stories in their own words so that I could truly do them justice!

My Dad, Ken Bardahl, really appreciated family history. When he found these two pictures at the Bardahl homestead farm, abandoned  and unframed, he scoured the antique and collectibles shops until he found the two domed-glass frames. After Dad passed away, my siblings graciously agreed that I should take possession of these treasures, and that's how they come to watch over my shoulder, admonishing me to get their stories right.

 

Although both of Dad's grandfathers are bearded in their photographs (as was the fashion in the late 1800s), this time it's Carl Nelson's turn to be featured. Dad never met this maternal grandfather who appears in the top picture on the left. In fact, he only ever met one grandparent, namely Anna Elton Bardahl, and that just during one visit when Dad was 4. The stories about his other grandparents can be found here: 

• Karen Nilsdatter (upper picture, right)
• Anna Elton (lower picture, left)
• Hans Bardahl (lower picture, right)

Carl Johan Nelson c.1890
(No picture has been located for Carl without his beard)

Carl was born 26 August 1839 in Norderhov, Ringerike, Buskerud, Norway to Nils Olsen and Guri Larsdatter. His parents never married, and his baptism was unusually delayed, for almost a year, until 8 June 1840.

Baptism and birth record for Carl Nelson from the Norwegian kirkebok for Norderhov, Buskerud

As was traditional, he was confirmed into the state Lutheran church when in his mid-teens. On 25 June 1854, his confirmation appears in the Kirkebok for Norderhov.

1854 Confirmation record for Carl Nelson from the Norwegian Kirkebok for Norderhov, Buskerud

The next time we find Carl in an official record is in the 31 December 1865 folketelling (census) for Norway. He is unmarried, 27 years old and working as a hired man on the farm of Anders Engebretsen in Norderhov. Living conveniently nearby, listed on the same page in the census, is a 24 year-old woman named Marie Nilsdatter. 

Carl married Karen Marie Nilsdatter on 3 July 1866 at Norderhov. Their daughter Gunhild (Julia) was born the following month. They were only married a few months when Carl, Karen and Gunhild joined thousands of their countrymen in emigrating to America. Bundling up their possessions and leaving all they knew to sail across the Atlantic in the dead of winter must have been challenging and at least a bit scary. 

Uttflyted record from the Norderhov Kirkebok
showing the family leaving the parish for America

At first, they settled in Salem Wisconsin but soon moved to Douglas County, Minnesota where they remained for 9 years.  While there, Carl became a naturalized American citizen on 3 October 1872.

1872 Carl Nelson American Naturalization

(It is interesting to note that in making this application, Carl had to renounce all allegiance to the King of Sweden and Norway. Norway at that time was under the reign of the King of Sweden in a rather complex relationship between the countries.)

Carl and his family made one final move in 1876 to the area of Erdahl, Grant, Minnesota where they lived out their lives.

Carl Nelson's land just southeast of Erdahl, MN
Erdahl Plat 1900

Carl and Karen had a family of 8 children, 7 daughters and one son. Most of the children were born during their time in Douglas County, MN, but the two youngest, Josephine and my grandmother Louise, were born after the move to Grant County.

Carl and Karen's Family c.1890 with identification of some of his daughters in Carl's fine handwriting
(Note the daughters' surnames are all given as Carlsdatter in the Norwegian patronymic tradition)

The following photograph is from 1898 at Carl's farm at Erdahl where he appears in his trademark beard working the land with son Nels.

1898 image of Carl (right) with son Nels, farming at Erdahl

One final photograph shows an apparently older Carl on his own, once again in his signature full beard.

Carl Nelson c.1910

Carl died at the age of 72 at 2:00 a.m. on 4 December 1911, after an illness of more than a year. From his obituary, we learn that "Mr. Nelson was an old member of the Pomme de Terre lake congregation of the Synod Lutheran Church, and took an active part in its work. His death is a distinct loss not alone to the congregation but also the community of which he was a part." His funeral was on Friday, 8 December and interment in the Synod Cemetery.

1992 - Carl's grandson Ken Bardahl and his wife Elinor visit Carl's grave

Some Resources:

• BBC History Magazine article on the History of Beards accessed 18 October 2020 at https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/a-brief-history-of-beards/
• Norwegian digital archive records for Norderhov, Buskerud Kirkebøker (church books) accessed online at https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/kb/browse