Ofstedal Translation Material
12. Pioneer Missionary Daniel Nelson
China missionary from Sveio
By Nils Dybdal-Holthe
Many missionaries traveled from Norway. We can reckon in the thousands when we combine all the missionary associations and churches. Many have traveled from the westland. Some were away only a short time while others dedicated their lives to serve far away from home.
One of these was Daniel Nilson from Sveio.—in English he was known as Nelson. His life is a dramatic recognition for us here in Sunnhordland.
The Original Sources
Relatives cam from several communities. Daniel’s father was Saebjorn (Sigbjorn) Nilson b 1821 d before 1884. He purchased a property, Aastoleitet in Eltravaag in 1852 which was one of the old rural properties called Aastroleitet which eas divided in two in 1819.
Saebjorn’s father was Nils -----(genealogy)
Saebjorn was married to Ingeborg ----(genealogy)
On April 10, 1853 Daniel was born in Eltravaag in the southwest part of Sveio. It was a smaller farm and Daniel grew up in the ways of the time which offered a reasonable living standard. It was basically like any other person in the westland area at the time.
The school was community based at that time and this was the Vandaskor’s district. A nearby house with an empty room was usually designated as a schoolhouse. As a 13 year old boy he card for goats which his uncle owned. At the same school was a girl named Anna who was one year younger than Daniel. The school offered instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic. In addition the children were taught Bible stories and Luther’s catechism.
Eltravaag was about 25 Norwegian miles north of Haugesund, however when Daniel was born there was no city here, only a “ladestad” and a store. Only a couple of years later a city emerged. The principal cities in the district were Bergen and Haugesund. The religious orientation in the area was largely “Haugianisk” and pietistic as well as the church.
Daniel was confirmed at age 14 and worked as an adult in fishing. He suffered cold and storms at sea and came home dead tired. He was however a good fisherman. Later he said that God had saved him from the fishing life and perhaps had plan for his life.
At this time Daniel got work as a cook on a fishing vessel that traveled to the far north as far as Lofoten. It seemed at this point that this would be his life work.
Out in the world
At 16 Daniel was hired as a cook on a ship that went from St. Petersberg, Russia to London. He thus found his way in the larger world. The next spring he was hired on a freighter that traveled to Antwerp in Holland. He and a friend feared for their lives on the freighter and in the dark of night went overboard and entered Holland. They were helped by a Swedish citizen in the town where they landed to a location outside the town.
Later the two boys learned that the ship they had fled had left Antwerp, foundered, and all on board had drowned. Daniel believed that God had saved him from drowning. He did not change his ways but felt at the time that he was far from God. Daniel hired on to new vessels and on two occasions the ships sank. All this was a sign for Daniel that God had an interest in him. Another life awaited him.
It was not at all unusual to continue such for the rest of one's life. Without good fortune or someone important to help many men spent entire lives at sea. For Daniel, each fortuitous escape was a sign that God would intervene soon.
Finally a release came for him. In 1871 Hans was on a ship going from U.S. to China. The ship went down in a typhoon off the coast of China and Daniel was saved by a Chinese fishermen. In Shanghai he signed on with an American warship and after two years came to Brooklyn. From there he sailed to Hamburg and proceeded home to Norway for Christmas.
Anna Sandvig
Home in Sveio Daniel met his school classmate Anna. Perhaps they met at church or at a party in town. Daniel told stories about his travels in foreign lands and his adventures at sea.
And Anna was fascinated. She was interested in the wide world and what one could become. She had taken just one trip to Bergen and a hospital there. Truly she lived to help others and this was customary for unmarried women.
Anna was born Sept. 22. 1854 ------(genealogy omitted)
Anna and Daniel thought well of each other and were engaged the next spring. Hans, however, left on another trip, this time to London. There he went to a seaman's church and there received religious instruction for the first time since confirmation. Anna's father had prevailed on Daniel to seek God.
New Life
On the new ship it soon became known that Daniel was a Christian, and they called him the "little" Christian, perhaps because he was gentler than the other men. It was meant as an insult but when fellow sailors were ill on board, they asked him for his prayers. He had in the end earned respect for his lifestyle.
Daniel maintained contact with Anna and wrote letters that were mailed from each harbor. From this we can follow his travels because Ann kept all his letters. From London he sailed to Spain, Sicily and South America.
In 1878 Daniel returned home to Sveio, and he and Anna were married in Haugesund. When living there he went to seaman school, learned navigation and took examinations as a ship's officer. The Haugesund school was founded in 1874 so Daniel was one of the earliest students. Haugesund was later designated a major seaport with extensive port facilities. The school had 63 students in its first year and was located at 97 Strandgade at the time Daniel attended there. Later the school moved further into the city.
At this time, Daniel went on a long tour of sea service but he longed the entire time to see his daughter Nora who was born when he was at sea.
He signed up again for a long voyage, this time as a pilot on an English ship going between London and New York. On the trip westward he saw many immigrants who were happy to look forward to a new life in America. Daniel himself was gripped by this "Immigrant Fever". In early 1882 he made his decision, he would give up the sea, he would become a farmer in the new land.
An uncle lived in Iowa and he encouraged Daniel to come there. In May 1882 Daniel, Anna and young Nora went to the USA via London. From New York, they took a train the same day to Iowa where they located in the vicinity of Eagle Grove. Two years later they organized a Norwegian Lutheran congregation with Daniel as "Deacon".
Mission
After some years he had a successful farm. On a warm summer's day he was roofing his house and his thoughts turned to China. They did not know the gospel! He had read a letter from Naestergaard in the Lutheranen church magazine. Naestergaard was a missionary to China!
Daniel felt God was speaking to him to go to China! This would be an overwhelming upset for the entire family. Would they go?
In his mind he said "yes" to his call. He planned his trip. His family agreed.
Not all was clear for his becoming a missionary. A pastor told him he wasn't a trained minister. A neighbor told Anna that her husband clearly had mental problems. Daniel, however, traveled to Minneapolis and attended a Bible School "Augsburg Seminary".
There was no one to support his undertaking -- he was 37 years old, had a large family. He made contact with two Norwegians who had gone earlier, Ole Nesttergaard and S. Netland -- Daniel met them later in Hankow, China.
Daniel was not alone in his hopes for China. Hudson Taylor of England 20 years earlier (China Inland Mission) . In 1891 in Norway established the China Mission Association.
George Sverdrup of the Bible school in Minneapolis prepared an affidavit on Nelson's behalf commissioning him as a missionary to China with his wife Anna and four children: Nora, Peder, Sigvald and Bertine. With this document and $500 from the sale of his farm they left for China Nov. 30, 1890 and arrived in Shanghai.
A New Life
The family located at a mission hospice in Shanghai. He telegraphed Netland and Nestergaard in Hankow who replied that he was welcome to join them and they needed his help. They traveled up the Yangtze River, which took several weeks and were welcomed. The boys welcomed the adventure but Anna and Nora were less happy. Nora died after three years in China -- life was hard and exacted a sore price.
Chinese houses were small and made of mud walls. Anna had another child, Helmer Johan.
Daniel realized that the language was of great importance and his tutor, named Tang, helped in this and in many other ways. The boys learned Chinese readily, but for an adult it was arduous task.
In 1891 there was an anti-foreign movement in China and it was necessary for the family to move to British Concession in Hankow for safety. Two Swedish missionaries were murdered in this uprising.
In December several Norwegian missionaries from the Missionary Assn came to China -- Brandzeig, Johnsen and Gjertine Aarestad. Also at this time came H.N. Ronning and his sister Thea and G.M. Landahl and wife Rorem.
In 1892 Nelson was made an associate missionary of the Norwegian-American Lutheran Church and he was authorized to purchase land and build a mission station in Hankow Also in 1892 Nelson traveled up the Han river to Fancheng and further on to Laohekou together with Braentzaeg where Brandzeig established a main station to the Norwegian mission. Nelson and family were there for a while but moved on to Fancheng, where he started a mission.
Nelson was ordained in 1895 by Ronning as a part of the Hauge Synod of USA. In this year Anna had another child named Nora Adina in memory of the deceased Nore as well as the earlier Nora who had also died.
In 1896 there was a cholera epidemic and missionary Netland died. Several other missionaries were ill but lived. At this time there were two medical people, Lyder Kristensen and wife who helped much with the health of missionaries. At about this time Nelson and Kristensen traveled to Xinyang in S. Henan province to investigate mission prospects there.
Daniel again became ill and returned to the US for health reasons leaving his family in Hankow. In US Nelson promoted mission causes and returned to China in 1898. Three additional missionaries had been sent to China. At this time there was another daughter born to Anna --Mary Lee -- many years later she wrote the story of her father Daniel.
In 1899 Nelson again became ill with both physical and nervous problems. However, it was now time for a regular furlough. This enabled the family to escape the Boxer rebellion of 1900 where some 200 foreigners were killed and some 30,000 Chinese also killed who had become Christians in the recent years. The three boys for the first time were able to attend schools.
The Work continues
During the next three years the work grew in Cnina. The First Norwegian Church of America sponsored men and women missionaries broadly in China. In Xinyang, many Chinese were baptized and extensive facilities built under Nelson's leadership including a church (completed in 1906) designed by him which that seated 600 where Nelson was both the architect and builder as there were no local trades-people willing to work at the heights required by the high roof and the impressive steeple. Also built were a school, hospital and guesthouse.
Chinese citizens were integrated into the mission work throughout. Notable was Chu Hao Ran baptized at age 20 in 1903 who attended the Lutheran seminary that was established in Shekow. Chu Hao Ran moved on to establish a Lutheran church in Shanghai, to be the president of the Lutheran church of China and in later years visited US.
In 1908 Daniel built a high school in China
In 1911 Nelson returned to Xinyang and was welcomed by the local citizenry with a festive parade, firecrackers and full Chinese pageantry. Later in 1911, Empress Dowager was deposed in the revolution led by Sun Ya Tsen. Disorder prevailed throughout China in a period known as the "Warlord Era". In 1926 the war came to the Xinyang area. Daniel was 72 years old at this time and ill with typhoid fever but on Christmas day he preached at the church during a lull in hostilities in a sheltered facility. The city was under siege with the mission facility in "no mans' land". As he was in prayer with a fellow worker a stray bullet came through a blacked-out window and Daniel was killed instantly with a bullet through his head on February 9, 1926.
Edward Sovik who with other missionaries was in the house where Nelson died wrote that Nelson's faith was strong and was willing to meet with the Lord's will.
Daniel's wife Anna did not feel the same mission call as he did. She prayed often "Send another!" In the end, however, she had the grace to feel God's will and followed her husband loyally in his life of service. Now that Daniel was dead she accepted the call fully. "I will live and die in China" she said at are 71. The political turmoil in China continued and a return home was necessary. She was, however, not able to return to China and passed away at her daughter's home in Minneapolis in 1940 at age 86.
A missionary of note has now finished his work. The fruits will grow for many years. For us the fruits are many after 36 years of labor. The work he started was suspended when Mao came to power in 1949 when all the missionaries were forced to leave. In these later times with a more tolerant China the work continues again. We now see both American Christians, many of Norwegian/Scandanavian heritage, joining Chinese Christians in both evangelistic and Biblical programs.