Per Erik Englund (1828 - 1894)

Born 1828 in Sweden

Died 1894 at about age 66 in Kittson County, Minnesota

Biography

Children of Per Erik & Anna Margaret Englund: 1. Peter Englund 2. Nels Andrew Englund 3. Martha Clara (or Catharina) Englund 4. Lars Mathias Englund

Biography: Per & Anna Englund

Per Erik and Anna Margaret Englund were some of the first pioneers to settle in the southeastern part of Kittson County. Their homestead is just south of where the city of Karlstad would develop.

The Englunds came from a province called Medelpad in Sweden. This area of land lies along the eastern side of Sweden, north of Stockholm. The name Englund means "Ivy Grove" in the Swedish language. Since the name was connected to a location, it did not change with each generation. The Englunds probably were located near the port city of Sundsvall, since all their family photos taken through the years were from a photo studio located there.

Per Erik and Anna Margaret were both born in 1828. They both grew to adulthood in Sweden. They married and had a family of four children: Peter, birthdate unknown; Nels Andrew, born in 1862; Martha Clara, born in 1863; and Lars Mathias, born in 1868.

Eventually, the whole family immigrated to America. Peter and his parents came first and the other three came later, one at a time. It was a tough decision to leave everything that was familiar to them and travel halfway across the world to follow a dream about a better life in America. They would need to learn a new language, a new money system and adjust to a new culture.

They left from the eastern coast of Sweden, probably from the port city of Sundsvall, sailing into the Gulf of Bothnia. They would turn south, passing the capitol city of Stockholm, as they sailed into the Baltic Sea. This connected to the Atlantic Ocean. They were on their way to America.

The family entered America on the east coast and traveled west by train. They looked at land in the Michigan area and visited Port Huron. They compared the price of land there to free land available in Minnesota and made the decision to continue traveling west. They probably traveled by Train to Minneapolis and St. Paul and then took the train to Stephen, MN. From there, travel was by wagon, cart, stagecoach or horseback to their homestead land in Arveson Twp. They would save the money they planned to spend on land to develop their future home site.

They started the homestead around 1880. First, a small log cabin was built, which still stands, to shelter them while a large two-story log home was constructed. That large home is now 125 years old and is still standing out in the country southeast of Karlstad. They built a large log barn, granary, and other farm buildings. The barn was dismantled in the 1960s.

They lost two of their children as young adults. Peter died of sunstroke and is buried on the eastern side of the homestead and his sister, Martha, died and is buried in the Swedish Baptist Church Cemetery, several miles west of Karlstad in Deerwood Twp. Nels Andrew and Lars Mathias both married and remained in the Karlstad area. Descendants of both of them still reside in the Karlstad community.

Per died in 1894 and Nels Andrew took over the original homestead. Lars was developing his own homestead just south of his parents'. Anna remained in the area and lived with both of her sons and their families until her death on Apr. 12, 1908. Both Per and Anna are buried together near their daughter, Martha, and a granddaughter, Elizabeth, in the Swedish Baptist Cemetery in Deerwood Twp., west of Karlstad.

Their lives were often hard as they struggled to survive in a new foreign land. There were few people nearby and no towns. They had no idea that when the "Soo Line" laid down tracks across their land in 1904, that a town would start just north of them and that their lives and the town of Karlstad would grow and develop together. Little did they realize that they would be the beginnings of a new family tree of Englunds in America and that they are being remembered as important pioneers in this area several generations later.

Respectfully submitted by a great-grandson, Paul A. Englund.

Note: Kittson County Historical Society stated no obituaries available for Per Erik & Anna Englund.

Photos and additional information of his Find-a-Grave memorial page.

Sources

• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 10 November 2018), memorial page for Per Erik Englund (1828–1894), Find A Grave Memorial no. 37291644, citing Deerwood Baptist Cemetery, Deerwood, Kittson County, Minnesota, USA ; Maintained by R. C. (contributor 47334676) .