Nils Nelson
Occupation:
Nils Nelson-Master Stonemason By John Sielaff
Of the Swedes who worked on the construction of the Capitol possibly the best known around the job site was master stonemason Nils Nelson. Nils Nilsson was born in 1864 and grew up in Kristianstads län in southern Sweden. Nils’ birthplace, like his father Nils Jeppsson, was Vestra Lingby in the parish of Trolle Ljungby but when Nils was 10 the family, which included mother Ingar Svendsdotter and four sons and two daughters, moved to Edenryd in the neighboring parish of Ivetofte.
Nils Nelson
Photo courtesy of Janet and David McAllister. Used with permission.
Setting column in Capitol rotunda, April 4, 1904. Nils Nelson supervised such work and is probably the man with the trowel. Compare this stone mason's face with the etching in the 1904 article about Nelson's below.
Image courtesy of Thomas Blanck and Associates. Used with permission. Photograph by Haas and Wright
Nils Nelson (probably) supervising setting one of the six Virtues statues above entrance to State Capitol.
Image courtesy of New York Historical Society. Used with permission.
Setting one of the six "Virtues" statues. The man with the pipe is probably Nils Nelson, foreman for setting statues, columns and other stone at the Minnesota Stater Capitol.
Image courtesy of New York Historical Society. Used with permission.
Marble bas-relief ship carved by Nils Nelson.
Photo courtesy of Janet and David McAllister. Used with permission.
Marble walkway at Nils Nelson's house on Payne Avenue, St. Paul. The project team assumes this stone, like that at the homes of the Butlers and other statehouse builders, came from the Capitol construction site.
Photo by Randy Croce. Used with permission.
Nils Nelson with Erick Isaacson's grandchildren
Photo courtesy of Janet and David McAllister