Unsolved Murder of Fred Wescott (1867-1912) 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 11 Theme: "Brick Wall"

An unsolved murder can pose a very tantalizing brick wall. Who did it? What  happened? Why was it never solved? These questions remain unanswered with respect to the stabbing of Fred Wescott, my maternal grandmother's uncle.

Colorized photo of Wescott family group in Wisconsin 1902 - Fred is third from right, back row beside wife Josephine in white blouse; some of the children in front are theirs
(My grandmother Idella Edwards is front row far left in front of her mother Mayme Wescott)

Frederick Wescott (1867-1912) was the 4th child born to George Garner Wescott and his wife Sarah Catherine Bullen. He was the first of their children born after George's return from fighting in the American Civil War as part of Co. D, 12th Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. That might have sounded like an auspicious start but Fred's life was not to be a smooth sail on a sunny day.

His 1894 marriage to Josephine Nikodem had resulted in the births of 6 children between 1895 and 1908. The couple split up in 1906 and remarried in 1907. Sometime after the census of 1910 Fred left his family in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he took a job as a cook in the Rising Sun, a somewhat seedy restaurant.

A decade after the photo above captured what were presumably happier family times, newspaper headlines from across the northern United States shouted Fred's tragic ending.

Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN 3 June 1912

Seattle Post Intelligencer 5 June 1912

Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN 4 June 1912

Grand Forks ND Daily Herald 8 June 1912

I don't know how my grandmother Idella Edwards (aged 14), or her mother Mayme, Fred's sister, learned of his untimely passing. They were living in Kalispell, Montana at the time and one would hope they were able to hear the tragic news from the Wescott family before seeing it in newspapers.

A more complete report on Fred's early life and the newspaper coverage of his murder can be found in another story. To summarize: 

• Fred Wescott was murdered about 10 p.m. on Saturday 1 June 1912 by being stabbed in the back at the Rising Sun Restaurant where he worked as cook
• The police were not notified until after 3 a.m. Sunday morning
• Cause of death at first called a heart attack until the coroner arrived and the body was turned over
• Stories told by his employer Mrs. Isabelle Getzman and her husband contradicted one another; both were arrested at first
• A third person arrested was Daniel Moon, clerk at a nearby hotel; he had been in the restaurant that evening and may have been the last person to see Wescott alive
• Both men were soon released, but Mrs. Getzman (aka "Scotch Maggie") remained in jail and remained silent on advice of counsel. The newspapers were not kind to her. 
• The Rising Sun was closed immediately but two canaries and a parrot were left behind

Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN 9 June 1912, Newspapers.com 

• The disappearance of Hubert Jacobs, the only witness, led to the discharge of all charges against Mrs. Getzman
• Hubert Jacobs at one point confessed to the murder, but later repudiated the confession
• On 2 April 1913, Mrs. Getzman was rearrested and she and Hubert Jacobs were both indicted by a grand jury to stand trial later that month.
• Both were released for lack of evidence.

Minneapolis Star Tribune 13 June 1913, p11

This marked the end of the investigation. There was so much confusion caused by all the conflicting stories told by the people involved.  Was Mrs. Getzman the guilty party? Or was it her husband? Or was it Hubert Jacobs? Did Daniel Moon have any involvement after all? Today, forensics would likely come up with ample incriminating evidence from such a murder scene. But the case remains unsolved more than a century after Fred Wescott so tragically lost his life.

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