Nels Olson came to Griggs County in December 1891. He went to work on the farm of Albin Forsberg and married Ida Forsberg in 1893. The young couple were given the chance to buy the homestead quarter of Gustav Forsberg, the bachelor brother of Albin and Johan. On this land stood the double log house that was built by Johan and Gustav with the intention of locating it exactly on the line between their two homestead quarters. A later survey proved that the house was all on Gustav's side, but he did not care to live there alone after Johan and his family moved to a large new farmhouse on their own land. Thus Ida Forsberg became mistress of the long log house to which her father had brought his family when they first came to America.
Nels Olson bought this farm in 1896. Edith and Adolph were born in the double log house. There were seven children in all, Olaf, Marie, Adolph, Leonard, Anna, Edith and Linnea. Only Edith and Linnea are still living.
While their children were still quite young, their parents took a three-month trip to Sweden to visit Nels Olson's parents, the children remaining at home in the care of their aunt and uncle. The ship on which they crossed the Atlantic was the Lusitania, which later came to such a tragic end. This ocean voyage was pure pleasure for Nels and Ida. They also enjoyed the return trip on a smaller ship. This journey included a view of the Great Lakes and sightseeing tours in Quebec and Montreal, both of which were especially interesting to the sightseers.
Back on their Dakota farm, Nels Olson turned again to his chief love - horticulture. He planted every kind of tree and shrub that he could get his hands on, including fruit trees, apple, cherry, plum or berry. He even coaxed a catalpa to take root far from its native haunts. After several unsuccessful attempts, a horse chestnut tree was also persuaded to take root and flourish. Several generations of squirrels have enjoyed the nuts it still provides, year after year. Although many of the trees set out in the Olson grove were ordered from salesmen or nursery catalogs, most of them were patiently transported from the banks of the Sheyenne River by Nels Olson himself. His farm-place is no longer occupied by any member of the family, but it remains a monument to a man who loved the soil and the beauty that could be produced upon it.
Mrs. Olson lived until 1921, while Nels lived ten years longer. Adolph, the only surviving son, shared his father's love of horticulture and it was he who insisted upon putting a white fence around the yard to protect the green shrubs and grass from all harm. Adolph was married to Edna Johnson in 1922, and they continued to live on the farm after his father's death.
Adolph and his wife had three sons, Fredrick, Richard and Victor, all of whom grew up to share in the service of their country, but met with illness or misfortune and died while still young men. One daughter, Mrs. Sanford Brekke (Joanne) still lives in Cooperstown, as does Mrs. Adolph Olson (Edna).
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 438