Swedish Settler Shot by the Jesse James Gang in 1876
The James-Younger Gang was a notorious gang of American outlaws who robbed banks, trains and stagecoaches and was centered in the State of Missouri. The inner circle of the gang were the leader Jesse James (1847 – 1882) and his brother Frank James (1843 - 1915) and the Younger Brothers: Cole (1844 - 1916), Jim (1848 – 1902), Bob (1853 - 1889) and John (1851 - 1874). Jesse and Frank James were born in Kearney, Clay County, Missouri. The Younger brothers were born in Jackson County, Missouri.The James-Younger Gang had its origins in a group of Confederate bushwhackers during the American Civil War 1861 - 1865 who fought in the bitter partisan conflict that wracked the divided state of Missouri. They were members of the so-called Quantrill's Raiders who were a loosely organized force of pro-Confederate Partisan rangers, who fought in the Civil War under the leadership of William Clarke Quantrill. They pursued a guerrilla warfare which rapidly escalated into a succession of atrocities. They killed not only Union soldiers but also civilians and were regarded cruel war criminals by the Union side. Members of Quantrill's Raiders were therefore executed without formality by the Union soldiers when they were caught.Several of the Younger brothers joined Quantrill's Raiders when their father was shot to death by a Union force in July 1862.Frank James was the first to join the Raiders of the James brothers followed by Jesse James, then only 16-years old. The image to the right is not a photo of the James-Younger Gang but is included to symbolize a gang of outlaws from the time.The group's postwar crimes began in 1866, though it did not truly become the "James-Younger Gang" until 1868 at the earliest. It dissolved in 1876, after the capture of the Younger brothers in Minnesota after the unsuccessful robbery of the Northfield First National Bank.
The Attempted Robbery of the Northfield First National Bank, MN, in 1876
Around two o’clock in the afternoon on September 7, 1876, Jesse James and his gang attempted to rob the First National Bank on Division Street in Northfield, Minnesota. The band was divided into three parties. One party consisting of Jesse and Frank James and Bob Younger entered the bank to execute the robbery. Another group, Cole Younger and Clell Miller, kept watch outside the bank. A third party, Jim Younger, Charlie Pitts, and Bill Chadwell, were in position near a bridge across an adjacent square to secure the escape route on Bridge Street.Though having a bowie knife to his throat the teller Joseph Lee Haywood refused to open the bank’s vault, falsely claiming that it was secured by a time lock and that there was no possibility of opening it manually. Swedish Settler ShotMeanwhile, the people in Northfield grew suspicious of the men guarding the bank door. The outlaws outside fired in the air and yelled at local citizens to get off the street. However, the townspeople took cover and fired back from protected positions. Two of the gang members were shot dead and three were wounded. Jesse and Frank James and Bob Younger inside the bank turned to escape without any money. As they left the building, the unarmed teller Heywood was shot in the head and died.In the firing, an innocent victim was mortally wounded by the James-Younger gang,Nicolaus Gustafson, a Swedish immigrant from the Millersburg community 20 km (12 mi.) west of Northfield.Gustafson was born on August 20, 1846, in Fiddekulla, Vissefjärda parish, Småland province, Sweden and died on September 11, 1876, of the gunshot wound in Northfield. He emigrated from Sweden in 1876 and arrived in Faribault, Minnesota, on June 9, 1876. His Swedish name was Niklas (Nicolaus) Gustafsson and his parents were farmer Gustaf Håkansson (1810 - 1871) and his wife Ingrid Pettersdotter (b. 1807). Nicolaus left his home in Fiddekulla on October 3, 1864, and moved to the naval city of Karlskrona, Blekinge province.Nicolaus's older brother Peter Gustafsson emigrated to the United States in 1868 together with a few others and established a Swedish community near Millersburg, MN. The emigrating party consisted of Peter Gustafson, born in 1842 in Vissefjärda parish and his wife Anna (Her name was Anna Carin Andersdotter in Sweden, in the US Anna Gustafson) born in 1846. Further there were people known in the United States by the names Youngquist (probably Ljungkvist in Sweden), Johnson, Olson, Swanson (probably Svensson in Sweden). At that time, the Millersburg community was attracting a number of Swedish immigrants. In 1876 there were 13 Swedish families in the community. In the summer of 1876 Peter Gustafson’s younger brother Nicolaus (30 years old) and his nephew Ernst arrived from Sweden.The image to the left is a photo of Jesse and Frank James, 1872. Free image, Wikipedia.In the morning on September 7, 1876, Nicolaus Gustafson and four other Swedes went to Northfield from Millersburg to sell their farm produce. They met the day before at the home of Peter Youngquist to travel together to Northfield the following day with Youngquist’s mule pulled wagon. The Swedish group arrived in Northfield around 1 o’clock in the afternoon and raised a booth on Fifth Street to sell vegetables and other crops. The firing began at 2 o'clock outside the bank and Nicolaus Gustafson ran towards the bank to see what was happening. Gustafson came to a halt in the intersection between Fifth Street and Division Street at the so-called Bierman’s Corner. Bierman was an undertaker and his store was close to the crossing. At that moment, Cole Younger rode his horse around the crossing firing and shouting at everyone to stay away. Gustafson, who recently arrived in America and most likely spoke no English, didn’t understand what Cole Younger yelled and had no chance to take cover. Gustafson was shot in the head by Cole Younger. Mortally wounded, he bled heavily and died four days later at a nearby Norwegian hotel.A peculiar coincidence – the night before the robbery the Younger part of the gang spent the night at the Cushman Hotel in Millersburg. So, not only the Gustafson’s party but also a few of the bandits arrived in Northfield from Millersburg on Dundas Road that morning.
The Pursuit of the Robbers
The James-Younger Gang barely escaped Northfield, leaving two dead companions behind. A massive manhunt ensued. The James brothers and the Younger brothers (Cole, Jim and Bob and the rest of the gang) eventually split from each other after Northfield and the James brothers escaped to Missouri. The Youngers and one other bandit, Charlie Pitts were soon discovered near Madelia. In the gunfight that followed Pitts was shot dead and the Youngers taken prisoners. Frank and Jesse later escaped to Nashville, Tennessee.Frank James later terminated his criminal path and applied for and received amnesty in 1882. His brother Jesse returned to crime after 1879 until his death in 1882.During the trial in Faribault in November 1876 Cole Younger pleaded guilty to the murder of Nicholas Gustafson in order to avoid execution. Another Swede, the carpenter John Olson, was at Bierman’s Corner during the shouting and witnessed the killing of Gustafson and gave evidence against Younger in the trial. All three of the Younger brothers’ pleaded guilty to avoid execution and were sentenced to life imprisonment. They served their time at Stillwater Prison, Stillwater, Minnesota. The prison’s actual name was Minnesota Territorial Prison and was in use between 1853 – 1914.
Gustafson’s Burial
Gustafson was buried in 1876 in Northfield since the Swedish community in Millersburg had no church and no cemetery at the time. After his death the Millersburg Swedes hastened the construction of a church and cemetery. Peter Youngquist donated land for a church close to his farm by the nearby Circle Lake. During the following year, in 1877, a church was built under the supervision of the Swedish carpenter John Olson, Christdala Swedish Church (Christdala Evangelical Swedish Lutheran Church). Next to the church there is a bronze plaque in memory of Nicholaus Gustafson.In the Northfield Cemetery there is a new gravestone erected in memory of Nicholaus Gustafson.Northfield is located on the line between Dakota County and Rice County in Minnesota.
On April 3, 1882, Jesse James was killed in his home in St. Joseph, Missouri by a member of his gang, Bob Ford.John Younger was shot to death by a posse on March 17, 1874. Bob Younger died of TB in Stillwater Prison on September 16, 1889. Cole Younger and Frank James toured the American South in 1903 with their Wild West Show. Frank James died on February 18, 1915. A year later, on March 21, 1916, Cole Younger died in his home in Lee’s Summit, Missouri where he is also buried.
Nicholas Gustafson in the Swedish Church Records
An excerpt from the household examination roll (HFL) for Vissefjärda AI:14 (1861-1870) for Fiddekulla. Here we find Peter Gustafsson and his wife Anna Carin Andersdotter. The figure 68 to the far right is their year of marriage. Hans Högman, 2013.
The image above shows Christdala Swedish Church, Rice County, MN.The image to the right shows the commemorative plaque erected next to the church in memory of Nicolaus Gustafson.The is shown with consent of Britt Maria Ekstrand.
Above, The image shows the commemorative plaque erected next to the church in memory of Nicolaus Gustafson.The photo is shown with consent of Britt Maria Ekstrand.
An excerpt from the household examination roll (HFL) for Vissefjärda AI:8 (1846-1857). We find Nicolaus (b. 1846) second from bottom in the list for Fiddekulla, Vissefjärda parish, Kalmar Län. At the top we have the parents Gustaf Håkansson and Ingrid Petersdotter. In the middle we have Nicolaus older brother Peter Gustafsson (b. 1842) who emigrated to the USA in 1868.Hans Högman, 2013.
An excerpt from the household examination roll (HFL) for Vissefjärda AI:14 (1861-1870) for Fiddekulla. Here we find a emigration annotation to America 1868 for Peter Gustafsson and his wife Anna Carin Andersdotter. The figure 23 in the second column from the right is the number of the moving note in the Moving in/Moving out Roll. Hans Högman, 2013.
An excerpt from the Moving in/Moving out Roll for Vissefjärda BI:3 (1861-1894) for 1868. Here we find the the moving note no 23, Peter Gustafsson. However, his wife Anna Carin Andersdotter is not noted here. The second column from the right is for number of males moving and the column to the far right for number of females. There is only one male but no female noted. As we can see in the Moving in/Moving out Roll there were many people emigrating to America from Vissefjärda this year, 1868.Hans Högman, 2013.
The James-Younger Gang was a notorious gang of American outlaws who robbed banks, trains and stagecoaches and was centered in the State of Missouri. The inner circle of the gang were the leader Jesse James (1847 – 1882) and his brother Frank James (1843 - 1915) and the Younger Brothers: Cole (1844 - 1916), Jim (1848 – 1902), Bob (1853 - 1889) and John (1851 - 1874). Jesse and Frank James were born in Kearney, Clay County, Missouri. The Younger brothers were born in Jackson County, Missouri.The James-Younger Gang had its origins in a group of Confederate bushwhackers during the American Civil War 1861 - 1865 who fought in the bitter partisan conflict that wracked the divided state of Missouri. They were members of the so-called Quantrill's Raiders who were a loosely organized force of pro-Confederate Partisan rangers, who fought in the Civil War under the leadership of William Clarke Quantrill. They pursued a guerrilla warfare which rapidly escalated into a succession of atrocities. They killed not only Union soldiers but also civilians and were regarded cruel war criminals by the Union side. Members of Quantrill's Raiders were therefore executed without formality by the Union soldiers when they were caught.Several of the Younger brothers joined Quantrill's Raiders when their father was shot to death by a Union force in July 1862.Frank James was the first to join the Raiders of the James brothers followed by Jesse James, then only 16-years old. The image to the right is not a photo of the James-Younger Gang but is included to symbolize a gang of outlaws from the time.The group's postwar crimes began in 1866, though it did not truly become the "James-Younger Gang" until 1868 at the earliest. It dissolved in 1876, after the capture of the Younger brothers in Minnesota after the unsuccessful robbery of the Northfield First National Bank.
The Attempted Robbery of the Northfield
First National Bank, MN, in 1876
Around two o’clock in the afternoon on September 7, 1876, Jesse James and his gang attempted to rob the First National Bank on Division Street in Northfield, Minnesota. The band was divided into three parties. One party consisting of Jesse and Frank James and Bob Younger entered the bank to execute the robbery. Another group, Cole Younger and Clell Miller, kept watch outside the bank. A third party, Jim Younger, Charlie Pitts, and Bill Chadwell, were in position near a bridge across an adjacent square to secure the escape route on Bridge Street.Though having a bowie knife to his throat the teller Joseph Lee Haywood refused to open the bank’s vault, falsely claiming that it was secured by a time lock and that there was no possibility of opening it manually. Swedish Settler ShotMeanwhile, the people in Northfield grew suspicious of the men guarding the bank door. The outlaws outside fired in the air and yelled at local citizens to get off the street. However, the townspeople took cover and fired back from protected positions. Two of the gang members were shot dead and three were wounded. Jesse and Frank James and Bob Younger inside the bank turned to escape without any money. As they left the building, the unarmed teller Heywood was shot in the head and died.In the firing, an innocent victim was mortally wounded by the James-Younger gang,Nicolaus Gustafson, a Swedish immigrant from the Millersburg community 20 km (12 mi.) west of Northfield.Gustafson was born on August 20, 1846, in Fiddekulla, Vissefjärda parish, Småland province, Sweden and died on September 11, 1876, of the gunshot wound in Northfield. He emigrated from Sweden in 1876 and arrived in Faribault, Minnesota, on June 9, 1876. His Swedish name was Niklas (Nicolaus) Gustafsson and his parents were farmer Gustaf Håkansson (1810 - 1871) and his wife Ingrid Pettersdotter (b. 1807). Nicolaus left his home in Fiddekulla on October 3, 1864, and moved to the naval city of Karlskrona, Blekinge province.Nicolaus's older brother Peter Gustafsson emigrated to the United States in 1868 together with a few others and established a Swedish community near Millersburg, MN. The emigrating party consisted of Peter Gustafson, born in 1842 in Vissefjärda parish and his wife Anna (Her name was Anna Carin Andersdotter in Sweden, in the US Anna Gustafson) born in 1846. Further there were people known in the United States by the names Youngquist (probably Ljungkvist in Sweden), Johnson, Olson, Swanson (probably Svensson in Sweden). At that time, the Millersburg community was attracting a number of Swedish immigrants. In 1876 there were 13 Swedish families in the community. In the summer of 1876 Peter Gustafson’s younger brother Nicolaus (30 years old) and his nephew Ernst arrived from Sweden.The image to the left is a photo of Jesse and Frank James, 1872. Free image, Wikipedia.In the morning on September 7, 1876, Nicolaus Gustafson and four other Swedes went to Northfield from Millersburg to sell their farm produce. They met the day before at the home of Peter Youngquist to travel together to Northfield the following day with Youngquist’s mule pulled wagon. The Swedish group arrived in Northfield around 1 o’clock in the afternoon and raised a booth on Fifth Street to sell vegetables and other crops. The firing began at 2 o'clock outside the bank and Nicolaus Gustafson ran towards the bank to see what was happening. Gustafson came to a halt in the intersection between Fifth Street and Division Street at the so-called Bierman’s Corner. Bierman was an undertaker and his store was close to the crossing. At that moment, Cole Younger rode his horse around the crossing firing and shouting at everyone to stay away. Gustafson, who recently arrived in America and most likely spoke no English, didn’t understand what Cole Younger yelled and had no chance to take cover. Gustafson was shot in the head by Cole Younger. Mortally wounded, he bled heavily and died four days later at a nearby Norwegian hotel.A peculiar coincidence – the night before the robbery the Younger part of the gang spent the night at the Cushman Hotel in Millersburg. So, not only the Gustafson’s party but also a few of the bandits arrived in Northfield from Millersburg on Dundas Road that morning.
The Pursuit of the Robbers
The James-Younger Gang barely escaped Northfield, leaving two dead companions behind. A massive manhunt ensued. The James brothers and the Younger brothers (Cole, Jim and Bob and the rest of the gang) eventually split from each other after Northfield and the James brothers escaped to Missouri. The Youngers and one other bandit, Charlie Pitts were soon discovered near Madelia. In the gunfight that followed Pitts was shot dead and the Youngers taken prisoners. Frank and Jesse later escaped to Nashville, Tennessee.Frank James later terminated his criminal path and applied for and received amnesty in 1882. His brother Jesse returned to crime after 1879 until his death in 1882.During the trial in Faribault in November 1876 Cole Younger pleaded guilty to the murder of Nicholas Gustafson in order to avoid execution. Another Swede, the carpenter John Olson, was at Bierman’s Corner during the shouting and witnessed the killing of Gustafson and gave evidence against Younger in the trial. All three of the Younger brothers’ pleaded guilty to avoid execution and were sentenced to life imprisonment. They served their time at Stillwater Prison, Stillwater, Minnesota. The prison’s actual name was Minnesota Territorial Prison and was in use between 1853 – 1914.
Gustafson’s Burial
Gustafson was buried in 1876 in Northfield since the Swedish community in Millersburg had no church and no cemetery at the time. After his death the Millersburg Swedes hastened the construction of a church and cemetery. Peter Youngquist donated land for a church close to his farm by the nearby Circle Lake. During the following year, in 1877, a church was built under the supervision of the Swedish carpenter John Olson, Christdala Swedish Church (Christdala Evangelical Swedish Lutheran Church). Next to the church there is a bronze plaque in memory of Nicholaus Gustafson.In the Northfield Cemetery there is a new gravestone erected in memory of Nicholaus Gustafson.Northfield is located on the line between Dakota County and Rice County in Minnesota.
Memorial
The Emigration from
Sweden to the USA (6e)
The Killing of Jesse James
On April 3, 1882, Jesse James was killed in his home in St. Joseph, Missouri by a member of his gang, Bob Ford.John Younger was shot to death by a posse on March 17, 1874. Bob Younger died of TB in Stillwater Prison on September 16, 1889. Cole Younger and Frank James toured the American South in 1903 with their Wild West Show. Frank James died on February 18, 1915. A year later, on March 21, 1916, Cole Younger died in his home in Lee’s Summit, Missouri where he is also buried.
Nicholas Gustafson in the
Swedish Church Records
An excerpt from the household examination roll (HFL) for Vissefjärda AI:14 (1861-1870) for Fiddekulla. Here we find Peter Gustafsson and his wife Anna Carin Andersdotter. The figure 68 to the far right is their year of marriage. Hans Högman, 2013.
The image above shows Christdala Swedish Church, Rice County, MN.The image to the right shows the commemorative plaque erected next to the church in memory of Nicolaus Gustafson.The is shown with consent of Britt Maria Ekstrand.
Above, The image shows the commemorative plaque erected next to the church in memory of Nicolaus Gustafson.The photo is shown with consent of Britt Maria Ekstrand.
An excerpt from the household examination roll(HFL) for Vissefjärda AI:8 (1846-1857). We find Nicolaus (b. 1846) second from bottom in the list for Fiddekulla, Vissefjärda parish, Kalmar Län. At the top we have the parents Gustaf Håkansson and Ingrid Petersdotter. In the middle we have Nicolaus older brother Peter Gustafsson (b. 1842) who emigrated to the USA in 1868.Hans Högman, 2013.
An excerpt from the household examination roll(HFL) for Vissefjärda AI:14 (1861-1870) for Fiddekulla. Here we find a emigration annotation to America 1868 for Peter Gustafsson and his wife Anna Carin Andersdotter. The figure 23 in the second column from the right is the number of the moving note in the Moving in/Moving out Roll. Hans Högman, 2013.
An excerpt from the Moving in/Moving out Roll for Vissefjärda BI:3 (1861-1894) for 1868. Here we find the the moving note no 23, Peter Gustafsson. However, his wife Anna Carin Andersdotter is not noted here. The second column from the right is for number of males moving and the column to the far right for number of females. There is only one male but no female noted. As we can see in the Moving in/Moving out Roll there were many people emigrating to America from Vissefjärda this year, 1868.Hans Högman, 2013.
