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THE SCANDINAVIAN GUARDS [also known as "Captain Stark's company"]
(Supplemental information to that supplied by John Thorson in 2002)
Gustaf A. Stark - born in Sweden in 1840 or 1841. His father's farm was located in Section 20 of New Sweden Township, Nicollet County. Served in Co. K, Second Regiment of Minnesota Volunteer Infantry (discharged for disability; Corporal), was Orderly Sergeant in the St. Peter Frontier Guards who served from August 19 until Au-gust 26, 1862 and was sent to defend New Ulm, was Captain of the Scandinavian Guards, and was in Co. B, First Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the "Mounted Rangers" when he was killed on July 24, 1863 in the Battle of Big Mound in Dakota Territory. (See C.P. Slack and John Lindell below.)
Nels P. Chilgren - born on September 2, 1832 in Sweden. He lived in Lake Prairie Township. He was 1st Lieu-tenant of the Scandinavian Guards. He was the brother of Mons P. Chilgren and brother-in-law of Mons Hokanson (see below). Nels, a veteran of the Indian Wars, died in Nicollet County on February 20, 1906.
Andrew Larsen - He served as 2nd Lieutenant of the Guards. (There was an Andrew Larson who lived in Section 30 of New Sweden Township. Same person?)
Andrew Thorson - born in Lyngsjo, Kristianstad Lan, Sweden on February 13, 1823. He lived in Sections 20 and 21 of Lake Prairie Township. He served as Quartermaster of the Guards. He was the brother of Nels Thorson (see below) and a brother-in-law of Peter Benson (see below) and Andrew Nelson (see below). Andrew Thorson died in 1913.
Mons P. Chilgren - born in Sweden on December 11, 1828. He lived in Section 30 of Lake Prairie Township. He was Orderly in the Guards. He was the brother of Nels P. Chilgren and was married to Mary Stark, the sister of Gustaf A. and Charles P. Stark. Mons P. Chilgren died in Nicollet County on January 29, 1911.
Nels H. Anderson - born in Sweden in 1830. He lived in Section 12 of New Sweden Township. He was 2nd Ser-geant in the Guards. He died in 1874.
Martin Peterson - born in Sweden on December 4, 1829. He lived in Section 22 of New Sweden Township. He was 3rd Sergeant in the Guards. His marriage on Janauary 1, 1859 to Judith Webster, sister of Andrew Webster (see below), was the first wedding in New Sweden Township. Martin died in Nicollet County on February 23, 1906.
Nels Jungdal (actually, Ljungdahl, later changed to the famous Minnesota surname Youngdahl) - born on Septem-ber 17, 1832 in Skane, Sweden. He was 4th Sergeant in the Guards. After the Indian uprising, he and his family moved to Illinois.
John Nelson - He was 5th Sergeant in the Scandinavian Guards. He may have been the John Nelson listed as a Pri-vate in the St. Peter Frontier Guards.
C.P. Slack - He was 1st Corporal in the Scandinavian Guards. He may in fact have been Charles P. Stark, the brother of Gustaf A. Stark. If so, then he was born in Sweden and lived in New Sweden Township. He may also be the C.P. Stark who also served as a Private in the St. Peter Frontier Guards. A Charles Philip Stark, veteran of the Indian Wars, died in Le Sueur County on July 1, 1887.
Irven Bengson - He was 2nd Corporal in the Guards.
George Jeroson - He was 3rd Corporal in the Guards.
Peter Anderson - He was 4th Corporal in the Guards. He probably lived in Section 28 of New Sweden Township. Peter Anderson, a veteran of the Indian Wars, who was born in Sweden in about 1826, died in Nicollet County on September 12, 1907.
Charles Johnson - He was 5th Corporal in the Guards. Along with Andrew Webster (see below), Charles was the first to settle in New Sweden Township, Section 14, in July 1857.
Irven Larson - He was 6th Corporal in the Guards.
Peter Pherson - He was 7th Corporal in the Guards.
Nels Rosenquist - born in Rinkaby, Skane, Sweden on August 20, 1835. He was 8th Corporal in the Guards. He lived in Section 8 of Lake Prairie Township, moving to New Sweden Township in 1870. He died in Nicollet County on April 4, 1904. [NOTES: (1) His family's name actually was Quist. His father's name was Pehr/Per Nilsson/Nelson Quist, and his six brothers all kept the Quist name. All of Nels Rosenquist's children had the Quist surname. (2) In 1862, Nels' brother Andrew P. Quist was a member of Company B, First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry.]
The following were Privates in the Scandinavian Guards.
Christian Anderson - born on October 19, 1817 in Skane, Sweden. He died in 1890.
Peter (Pehr) Benson - born on February 4, 1827 in Sweden. He was a half brother of Anna Nilsdotter, wife of Andrew Thorson (see above). He was the first Swede to settle near Norseland. He lived in Section 17 of Lake Prairie Township. His house and grain were destroyed by the Indians.
Pher Benson
Evan Bryngelson
Ther Carlson
Peter Carlson - born on September 23, 1823 in Sweden.
A.C. Engvald
John Erickson
Forsten Esterson (Torsten Estensen; Torstein Ostensen Boen) - from Tinn, Telemark, Norway
Ole Esterson (Ole Estensen; Ole Ostensen Boen) - from Tinn, Telemark, Norway.
Irven Evensen
Olof Evenson
John Farbrake
Nin Gunnerson
H. Hanson - He may be the H. Hanson who served as a Private in the St. Peter Frontier Guards.
Lars Hanson - He was born in Norway on August 30, 1814 and lived in Lake Prairie Township.
Ifer C. Hofviland - should be Iver C. Hovland, born in Norway in 1827. He lived in Section 26 of New Sweden Township.
Ole Hogen - probably born in Norway in about 1826.
Nels Hogstrom, 1st and 2nd - born in Sweden in about 1808. He lived in Section 18 of Lake Prairie Township.
Mons Hokanson - born in Sweden on February 2 or 21, 1828. He was the brother-in-law of Nels Chilgren (see above). He lived in Sections 20 and 28 of Lake Prairie Township. ?A Mons Hokanson died on April 13, 1917 in Sibley County.
Erik Johnson - born at Vanga, Kristianstad Lan, Sweden on April 24, 1822. He lived in Section 8 of New Sweden Township. His wife Marie and son Pehr were the only victims from the Scandian Grove congregation during the 1862 Indian uprising. His house and grain were destroyed by the Indians. ?An Eric Johnson died in Nicollet County on November 8, 1911.
Irven Johnson - probably a misspelling of Syver Johnson. He was born at Ness in Norway in 1823.
John Johnson, 1st, 2nd, 3rd - probably born in Sweden and lived in Section 18, and perhaps 6, of New Sweden Township. He may have been the Johnson whose house was burned by the Indians. He may have been the John Johnson listed as a Private on the roster of Captain Stone Oleson's Company of the Lake Prairie Rangers which was organized "during the Indian War of 1862." No dates or times of service are listed.
Lyfoer Johnson
Ole Johnson
Jens Knutson
Ole Knutson
Torbar Knutson
Elias Larson - born in Norway in about 1808 and lived in Lake Prairie Township and was the first postmaster of the Norseland post office which was established in about 1860 in the western part of the township.
John Larson, 1st, 2nd, 3rd - probably born In Sweden and probably a member of Stone Olson's Company of Prairie Rangers (see below). He may be the "J" Larson whose house and grain were destroyed by the Indians.
Ole Larson, 1st and 2nd
Peter Ligferson
Nels Lilliquist
John Lindell - born in Sweden in 1828. He probably lived in Section 18 of Traverse Township. Previous to his service in the Scandinavian Guards, he served as a Private in the St. Peter Guards. He later served in Company B, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry, the "Mounted Rangers," with Gustaf and Charles P. Stark.
Peter Linguist
Ole Lofte
Ole Lofterson
S. Lyferson
Andrew Monson - born in Norway in about 1828 and lived in Section 28 of Lake Prairie Township.
Ole Monson - born on October 2, 1830. He was from Farlof, Kristianstad Lan, Sweden. He later enlisted in Com-pany D of the 9th Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry and died at the Confederate Andersonville, Georgia Prison Camp on October 10, 1864.
Andrew Nelson - born on July 12, 1837 and from Trane, Kristanstad Lan, Sweden. He lived in Section 21 of Lake Prairie Township. In 1872 he moved to a farm in Section 27. He was a brother of Anna Nilsdotter, wife of Andrew Thorson (see above). ?An Andrew Nelson died in Nicollet County on November 3, 1921.
Charles Nelson - He lived in either Section 8 or 28 of New Sweden Township. If this person was also called "Carl," he was a Swede whose house was burned by the Indians.
Hermann Nelson - may be Herman Nelson of section 4 in Granby Township who was born in Norway in about 1820. A Herman Nelson, veteran of the Indian Wars, died in Nicollet County on August 28, 1909.
Nels Nelson - from Farlof, Kristainstad, Sweden, born on February 1, 1825. He lived in section 4 of New Sweden Township. He died in Nicollet County on July 22, 1905.
Ole Nelson - He was born near Bergen, Norway on October 8, 1807.
George Nereson - probably born in Norway.
Gunner Nereson - His first name probably should be spelled Gunder. He was born in Norway in 1830. He lived in Section 3 of New Sweden Township. ?A Gunder Ole Nereson died in Clearwater County on November 8, 1910.
Lars Oleson, 1st and 2nd
Ole Oleson, 1st, 2nd, 3rd - He lived in Section 10 of Lake Prairie Township. Probably the Ole Oleson listed as a Pri-vate on the roster of the Lake Prairie Rangers. ?An Ole J. Oleson died in Nicollet County on February 2, 1928.
Stone Oleson - born in Norway in about 1828 and lived in Lake Prairie Township and was the Captain of the above mentioned Lake Prairie Rangers.
Swen Oleson
Asbon Olson
Engbut Olson
Hoffner Olson
Louis Olson
Nels Olson
Ole Orson - The last name probably should be spelled Olson. If so, it may be a reference to the Ole Olson who lived in Section 22 of New Sweden Township.
Hans Peterson - born in Norway in about 1828 and lived in Lake Prairie Township.
Peter Peterson - may have been EITHER the one born in Sweden in about 1814 who lived in Section 14 of New Sweden Township OR the one born in Sweden in about 1818 who lived in Lake Prairie Township.
Andrew Pherson - may be the Andrew Pehrson born in Sweden in about 1820 who lived in Lafayette, Nicollet County in 1880
Pher Pherson
Andrew Rice - This probably was the resident of Kelso Township, Sibley County who was born in Norway in 1821. During the Civil War, he served one year (August 24, 1864 - June 26, 1865) in Company A of the Eleventh Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. On the printed roster, he is listed as "Andrew Ruse."
John Rickelson
Peter Rindale - He probably lived in Lake Prairie Township.
Lars Solomonson - Born in Sweden in about 1835 and lived in Section 4 of New Sweden Township. His house and grain were destroyed by the Indians.
Lewis Swenson - He had land in Sections 21 and 28 of Lake Prairie Township. He had served as a Private in Stone Olson's Lake Prairie Rangers (see above).
Mathew Swenson
Sever Swenson - In the 1870 census of Nicollet County, there is a Syver Swenson who was born about 1836. His name is not found in following censuses. [Probably not Swen Swenson who was born in Hol, Hallingdal, Norway on November 29, 1836, came to Nicollet County in 1858, lived in Section 22, was father of political sons Lauritz Selmer, Carl Ludvig, and Oscar Adolph, was a member of the 1886 Minnesota Legislature, was a leader in agricultural and farm cooperative activity in southern Minnesota, and died in New Sweden Township on March 4, 1905].
Nels Thorson - He was from Farlof, Kristianstad Lan, Sweden, being born on January 11, 1831. He was the brother of Andrew Thorson (see above) and brother-in-law of Nels "Jungdal" (see above). He died in Boone Iowa in 1901.
Asbon Torguson - probably born in Norway.
H. Torguson - probably born in Norway.
Swenk Torguson - probably born in Norway.
Andrew Webster - He was born to a professional soldier and his wife at Hemmsjo, Kronobergs Lan, Smaland, Sweden on November 20, 1825. Along with Charles Johnson (see above), Andrew was the first to settle in New Sweden Township, Section 13, in July 1857. He also owned land in Section 24. He was the brother-in-law of Mar-tin Peterson (see above). Andrew died in Nicollet County on May 2, 1886. [NOTE: The family name in Sweden was Wasterberg or Westerberg. Family members changed it to Webster upon coming to the United States.]
Information obtained from several sources:
Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861-1865
History of the Minnesota Valley by the Rev. Edward D. Neill (1882)
Minnesota State Historical Society
Minnesota Death Certificates Index
Veterans Graves Registration Index
Bureau of Land Management
Land Patent Search (BLM GLO Records)
Further information may be available through Scandian Grove and Norseland Lutheran churches. Hopefully the pastors or members (perhaps descendants of the Scandinavian Guards) would be willing to check the records of the churches and their cemeteries.
NOTE: Nels Rosenquist was John Quist's great-great uncle on his father's father's side of the family. He is related to Andrew Webster and Mrs. Martin (Judith) Peterson through his father's mother (Lillian Webster Quist).
Last updated January 10, 2008
