Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-03-18
MIKKELS0N
oBSEQUIES

Biographical Sketch of the Late
Respected Citizen, Nels
MikkeIS0n.
The funeral of the late Nels Mix
kelson, whose sudden death we
mentioned in our last issue, oc-
Cured Sunday afternoon from the
Swedish Mission church in this city.
The church was entirely too small
to accommodate the crowd that had
gathered to pay their last respects
to the deceased. Every inch of
standing room was taken and there
were many who could not get in
side. Severa! beautiful songs were
sung by the church choir, and Rev.
Theo. J. Paulson spoke very feel
ingly on the text taken from 2 Sam
uel l9:lS-39, relating to the kings
ferry which brought the people
safely over the river Jordan. He
spoke of the river of death which
all must cross, and the Kings fer
ry, he said, was the true faith Of
the Christian which never fails to
carry members Of the Kings house.
hold to their heavenly home. The
casket was loaded with fine floral
offerings, a number Of which came
from friends who wished to be un-
known. The pail bearers were W.
L. Norm, Aug. w. Hoglund, J. A.
Hedin, L. O. Thorpe, A. O. Hill
dahl and Swan Anderson. The in
terment took place at the Lakeview
cemetery.
Nels Mikkelson was born on a
farm named Gunen, in Ness, an an
mex congregation to the parish of
S0vde, Nedre Telemarken, Norway,
April 3, 1858. At the age of II he
made his way alone to this country.
He came to Minneiska, Wabasha
county, MINI. Later he located at
Forest City, Iowa. In 1876 he left
there and took homestead in Yel-
low Medicine county, Minn., near
Candy. Here he continued farm
ing operations until in the spring
of 1887, when he moved to New
London Of this county, and entered
into the mercantile business with
his brother-in-law S. E. Magnuson,
under the firm name of Mikkelson
& Magnuson. He was successful in
business and remained in New Lon
don until 1895, in August of which
year he came to Willmar. Here,
in company with A. C. Skoog, he
erected fine packing house west
Of the city and later built the fine
brick structure on the corner of
Benson avenue and Fifth street
known as the Mikkelson Block and
later as the Ruble Block. In 1902
he moved to Estevan, Canada. He
was the promoter of the Eureka
Coal and Brick Co. of that place.
He became interested in Canada
lands and did an extensive real
estate business. Last fall he moved
to Minneapolis with his family ir
order to give his children the bene.
fit of better school facilities.
Mr.. Mikkelson was one who trieC
to apply his religion to his bushes:
2 transactions and without any osten
a tation assisted those who asked hin
4 for help. One of the comforting
: things to the family after his deatl
s are the letters received from thos'
whom he had assisted. Even at th'
very time when he was suddenl,
stricken by death he was arranging
to secure job for a young man il
8 Minneapolis who was in destitute
circumstances and unable to ge
work. While at Willmar, he AM
his family were members of tn
i Swedish Mission. church.
In January, 1882, Mr.. Mikkelso
was united in marriage to Mis-
y Laura Magnuson at Litchfeld
- This union was blessed with eleve
Il Il children, two of whom died in ir
;" fancy and lie buried at the Leblanc
&, cemetery at New London. The SUI
IL viving children are-Julia johnson
H. wife Of Rev. Herbert G. johnson
who resides in Iowa; Mrs. Mann
g Lundquist, a widow, who reside
III with the family; Alma, Fern, Elf
e. Nenfred, Vernon, Wallace and Ev'
ay lyn. The deceased also leaves
&c brother, Andrew Mikkelson of FIJI
ry gal, N. D., and a sister, Mrs. o
g Halvorson of Forest City, low;
both of whom were here to after
is the funeral.
is The griefstricken wife and chi
~ dren, who were so suddenly bere
st of kind and loving husband al
st father, have the undivided syn
w. pathy of the community in their
IN reparable loss.
1g
of Miss Barbara Williams ente
in tained a number of her young lat
re friends Friday evening, in honor