Richard Fred Naslund

Richard Fred Naslund is my Grandpa on my mom's side of the family. He was born April 11, 1893 to Charles Albert Naslund and Anna Hockenson in Mora, Minnesota.

First story regarding Richard:

He lived with his grandparents, Edward and Gustava Wilhelmina Ramgren Naslund, from the time he was one to age fifteen. He was very close to his grandma and loved her very much. She treated him like he was her son. He was ten when she died due to tuberculosis. When she passed away he felt as though the world ended.

Edward, Richard's grandfather, bought Richard a horse when he was 10. The horse was thin and decrepit. They fed it well and it then flourished, so much so that the horse became very strong and wild... they had to sell it for fear that it would kill Richard.

Richard went through the 8th grade in Brunswick school, but he didn't graduate. He went to work for Axel Ramgren who had a saw mill. He worked very long hours and the work was tiring. He had to carry slabs full of pitch which covered his clothes. Slabs were the outer part of the tree left after they were squared off. The saw mill was run by a steam engine. They hired a man to scale lumber, one to carry slabs, one to haul away sawdust, and one to roll logs up to the mill to put on the carriage. It was not too hard of a job, but it was mean, dirty work.

That was essentially his childhood. I have to wonder what happened that he lived with his grandparents. If anyone has an answer to this I'd love the information! More on Richard later!

This photo is of Richard and Ellen (my grandma).

It is the only photo I have of the two of them together.