Nils Meland

See "MELANDS IN AMERICA" for the full story of his life. Nilsimmigrated to the USA in 1910, leaving Stavanger on March 29, 1910 forLiverpool, England. He left Liverpool on April 2, 1910 arriving at EllisIsland on April 10, 1910, on the vessel BALTIC, of the WHITE STAR LINE inSTEERAGE. He visited his mother's sister Ingeborg, who lived inBrooklyn, and then went to T. Berven, his sponsor, in Leeds, MountrailCounty, North Dakota and worked for him for some time. In October 1912he began the homestead procedure. He applied for citizenship on October23, 1912 at Stanley, ND and took his Oath of Allegiance as a citizen onJune 8, 1917. (Naturalization # 677785).
Nils served in the US Army in WWI, Army number 2,143,612, registrant,Mountrail county; born Stavanger, Norway November 11, 1890; naturalizedcitizen, occupation carpenter; Inducted at Stanley on September 18, 1917;sent to Camp Dodge, Iowa; served in Battery B, 338th Field Artillery toSeptember 25, 1918; Battery B, 337th Field Artillery to discharge.Grade; Cook, February 20, 1918; overseas in France fromSeptember 17, 1918to January 19, 1919. Discharged at Camp Dodge, Iowa on January 31, 1919as a Cook. "North Dakota Veterans of WWI; Official Roster, North Dakota"- page 2130.
When Nils returned to his homestead, he went into partnership with AntonFjerkenstad in a lumber business building homestead shacks for settlers.
He remained in the lumber business all of his life. He and Marie madetwo visits to Norway in 1959 and again in 1965. He died of uremia atNorthwood Hospital as a result of a fall he had taken several yearsbefore from a catwalk in the lumberyard.
See "MELANDS IN AMERICA" for records of citizenship, Army service, etc.