Bio- Sawyers
SURNAMES:  SAMUELSEN, FROSTHOLM,

An energetic and industrious rancher is found in Peter Nelsen, who came to America in early manhood. He was born and, grew to manhood in Skane, Sweden, his birth occurring at Christianstad, February 28, 1846, and was the son of Nels and Carste Pearson, farmers in Sweden. He is next to the youngest in a family of five children, namely, Edna, Hans, Bettie, Peter, and Batilda. The father lived to be an old man. Peter attended the public schools of his native land until he was eight years old; then he started to work on a farm; as soon as he was old enough, he learned the plasterer's and bricklayer's trade  and worked at it for three years in Sweden before leaving for America. In 1869 he started on his long journey for America and going directly to Chicago, he worked for four years there at his trade; and was there at the time of the big fire in 1871 and helped rebuild many of the buildings. In 1875 he removed to Oakland, Cal., and followed his trade until he began contracting plastering and continued there until 1909.

The marriage of Mr. Nelsen occurred in Oakland, in the spring of 1892 and united him with Miss Hilda E. Samuelsen, also a native of Sweden, a daughter of Charles Samuelsen. She was educated in the schools of her native district, and on reaching young womanhood came to America and for a few years lived in the Eastern States before coming to California. Mr. and Mrs. Nelsen have two children living, Charles Albert, living on a ranch on the Homestead Road, and Lolo, now Mrs. Frostholm. who lives at home most of the time, her husband being a mechanical erecting engineer on ships. During the year of 1909, Mr. Nelsen removed to Santa Clara County, and purchased an eight-acre ranch on the corner of Fremont and Hollenbeck Avenue. This ranch was devoted to the growing of prunes and was in fine shape when he disposed of it after keeping it three years. In 1912, Mr. Nelsen bought a twenty-acre ranch on the Saratoga and Mountain View Road about three quarters of a mile from Cupertino. This place is well irrigated and is set to prunes, and the buildings are substantial and attractive. Fraternally he belongs to Berkeley Lodge No. 270, I. 0. 0. F.

From Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,  published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. 
page 1113

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