Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/413

 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY 345 I was hospitably entertained at his house, and on the .following morning-, September 3, I Mas to hold service there Almost every soul in the settlement came together at Mr. Carlson's. No Swe- dish minister had visited them before in their new home. After the service it was proposed to organize a congregation, and the organization then adopted resolutions under the name of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran church, of Vasa. Swen Jacobson, S. J. Willard and Ola Olson, Sr., were elected deacons. The following persons handed in their names as members of the con- gregation: Carl Carlson, wife and four children; Ola Olson, Sr., widower, and four children ; John Bergdahl, widower, and one child; Samuel Johnson, wife and one child; Gustaf Carlson, wife and three children; Erik Anderson, wife and two children; S. J. Willard, wife and one child; Jonas Gustafson, wife and one child; Nils Peterson and wife; Peter Nilson, wife and four chil- dren; Nils Westerson, wife and four children; August Johnson, single; Peter Johnson, wife and one child; Swen Jacobson and wife; Anders Nilson, wife and two children; Swen Swenson, wife and three children; Swen Olson, wife and one child; Benzt Anderson and wife; Ola Swenson, single; Sizuild Andersdoter, single; Matts Mattson and two sons; M. Flodquist, single; Gustaf Peterson, single; Carl Peterson, single; Olof Peterson, wife and one child; Nicklas Peterson and wife; Bonde Olson, single; Nils Eklund, single; Bengt Kilberg, single; Peter Wedin, single; Carl Roos, wife and two children; A. G. Kempe ; in all, eighty-seven persons. "It was now the great desire of the congregation to secure a pastor. On the same occasion three children were baptized, viz. : Maria, born at Vasa August 21, 1855, daughter of Samuel John- son and his wife, Stina Lisa ; Selma Adelaide, born October 15, 1853, daughter of S. J. Willard and wife, Anna; John Wilhelm, born on good Friday, 1855, son of Peter Johnson and wife, Caro- lina. The meeting was closed by singing and prayer, and in the afternoon I went to Red Wing, where I preached in the evening, organized a congregation and baptized two children. 'Three weeks after that time, when I returned from an ex- tended tour to St. Paul, Stillwater, Marine and Chisago county, divine service was held at Vasa in Nils Peterson's new log house. It was September 21, in the midst of the equinoctial storms, the rain was pouring down and I was suffering badly from the fever and ague, which I had brought with me from Indians. A young man had taken me out from Red Wing in a lumber wagon hitched to a pair of horses, a great institution in those days. The Lord's supper was also to be celebrated at this occasion, the first in the history of the congregation at Vasa. After having preached the sermon, or just at its end, I had a very bad attack