Brian Nelsen

Family/Spouse: Melissa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

MISSION HILL -- Harlan Curtis Nelsen, age 66, of Mission Hill, South Dakota, died Friday, November 18, 2005, at VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 22, 2005, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Yankton with Reverend Ken Bain celebrating. Burial will be in Vangen Lutheran Cemetery, Mission Hill, South Dakota.

Visitation is from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, at Wintz & Ray Funeral Home, Yankton with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Pallbearers are Travis Nelsen, Dave Nelson, Jason Stark, Ron Hanson, Adrian Lucero and Ray Culver.

Harlan was born October 28, 1939, on the family farm in rural Mission Hill to Curtis and Dorothy (Holbrook) Nelsen. He attended Welby Grade School and Gayville/Meckling High Schools, graduating in 1957. He entered active military service in the United States Air Force in June of 1957 and served continuously until February of 1979, retiring as a Master Sergeant. He served in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions in the Viet Nam War. During his military service, he married Ann Gutierrez in Altus, Oklahoma on June 7, 1966. After retiring from the United States Air Force, he returned to the family farm and operated it until the time of his death. He was a life member of the BPO Elks Lodge #994 and the VFW in Yankton.

Survivors include his wife, Ann; two sons: Brian (Melissa) Nelsen of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Chris (Cynthia) Nelsen and their son, Curtis, of Scotland, South Dakota; one stepson, William (Gail) Lucero of Virginia Beach, Virginia; one stepdaughter, Elizabeth Rodriguez of Elk Grove, California; 6 step-grandchildren; and 3 step-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents.


Area Farm To Be Featured In Registry
BY SALLY SCHROEDER
[email protected]

MISSION HILL -- National treasures come in all shapes and sizes.

An eight-sided "polygonal" barn and a swine barn on New Hope Farm, owned by Harlan Nelsen near Mission Hill, were recently nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for their historic and physical integrity.

Nelsen said he asked about having the barns on his century-old farm listed on the Register several months ago.

"My great-grandfather, Norman Nelsen, was a meticulous record-keeper and kept the farm the same way," said Harlan Nelsen.

Nelsen is the third generation to live on the farmstead. He said the eight-sided storage barn was built for $1,325 in 1913 as his great-grandfather was establishing the farmstead. The farm was purchased by the senior Nelsen in 1901.

The storage barn is approximately 40 feet in diameter, and each side measures about16 feet wide. There is an entry point in every other side of the barn, he said.

It was built as a machine shed, but since the equipment has gotten larger with modern technology, Nelsen said he now can only store smaller equipment inside.

However, despite its size, there are other advantages to having a building like this on your property.

"These buildings are built with such better lumber than what you could ever buy today," Nelsen added.

A second building at New Hope Farm was also listed on the registry. A hog barn, which Nelsen said hasn't held hogs in many years, is unique because of its gambrel roof. The extended roof area, complete with a cupola, served as a hay loft for feeding the animals below, Nelsen said.

Nelsen said he has removed several buildings from the farm site since he retired from the military and returned to Mission Hill to farm in 1979.

According to Steve Rogers, Historic Preservation Coordinator in Pierre, it is unusual to have individual buildings nominated and not the entire farmstead.

Polygonal barns are very rare in South Dakota, Rogers said.

"Less than 40 barns of this type were ever constructed in South Dakota, and there are less than 30 remaining today," Rogers said.

"Generally, we look at the entire site and try to create an association between the community and the farm itself. But these buildings had such historic and physical integrity, there was no question they should be nominated," Rogers said.

The building needs to retain an association between the setting, materials with which it was built, the craftsmanship and how they all come together. And the buildings must be old enough to meet the general guidelines.

"Most of the historic registry contains structures which are at least 50 years old. If they aren't 50 years old, they have to have extraordinary qualities which would qualify them for another reason," Rogers said.

"Some people think being listed on the National Historic Registry restricts them from making changes to the structure, so they don't even attempt to see if would meet the criteria," Rogers said.

"The nomination is really an Œhonoriffic designation' to celebrate the historic qualities in a structure," he added.

Harlan married Ann Gutierrez [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Residence: 1920, Mission Hill, Yankton, South Dakota, United States

Curtis married Dorothy Holbrook on 14 Sep 1933 in Yankton, South Dakota, United States. Dorothy (daughter of Frank Holbrook and Isabelle Slowey) was born on 18 Jul 1912 in Bloomfield, Knox, Nebraska, United States; died on 1 Oct 2002 in Creighton, Knox, Nebraska, United States; was buried on 5 Oct 2002 in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Yankton, Yankton, South Dakota, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Dorothy V. (Mrs. Curtis) Nelsen, age 90, formerly of Yankton, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002, at the Creighton Care Centre, Creighton, Nebraska.

A memorial Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yankton, with Rev. Gregg Frankman officiating. Burial of the cremated remains will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery.

A rosary will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct, 4, 2002, at the Kostel Funeral Home, Yankton.

Dorothy Holbrook was born on July 18, 1912, in Bloomfield, Neb., to Frank and Isabelle (Slowey) Holbrook. Dorothy was one of nine children. She married Curtis M. Nelsen of Mission Hill, S.D., on Sept. 14, 1933. To this union, three children were born: Marjorie (Mrs. Richard Rice) of Creighton, Neb.; Jeanette (Mrs. Charles Meng) of Yankton and Harlan (Ann) Nelsen of Mission Hill. The couple farmed and lived near Mission Hill until moving to Yankton in 1983. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Yankton. She worked at Yankton Human Services Center, for Dr. Edward Schindler, podiatrist, Lewis and Clark Drug Store, Montgomery Wards and Gurney Seed and Nursery. She was a member of the VFW Auxiliary and was a past Senior Regent of the Women of the Moose.

She is survived by her children: Marjorie, Jeanette and Harlan; two sisters: Mabel (Mrs. John Arness) of Sioux Falls and Evelyn (Mrs. Charles Jordan) of Porterville, Calif.; two brothers: Earl Holbrook of Yankton and Bill Holbrook of Porterville, Calif.; her grandchildren: Donna (Meng) Bierle, Brenda (Meng) Frick, Peggy (Meng) Olson, Bruce Meng, David Rice, Brian Nelsen and Chris Nelsen; great-grandchildren Heather Alarie, Derek Alarie, Jill (Alarie) Floyd, Kelsey Bierle, Tara Olson, Nicole Olson and Evan Rice; great-great-grandchildren Briana Alarie-McCloud, Tori Alarie-McCloud and Kyla Floyd; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Curtis; three brothers: Elmer, Francis and Lloyd; and one sister Edna.

Other Events:

• Residence: 1880, Yankton, South Dakota, United States
• Residence: 1900, Yankton, Yankton, South Dakota, United States
• Residence: 1910, Mission Hill, Yankton, South Dakota, United States
• Residence: 1920, Mission Hill, Yankton, South Dakota, United States
• Residence: 1930, Mission Hill, Yankton, South Dakota, United States

Norman married Marith Carlson on 18 Oct 1900. Marith (daughter of Christ Carlson and Beata Sagen) was born on 3 Jan 1881 in Norway; died on 23 Jan 1953 in Yankton, South Dakota, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Residence: 1910, Mission Hill, Yankton, South Dakota, United States
• Residence: 1920, Mission Hill, Yankton, South Dakota, United States
• Residence: 1930, Mission Hill, Yankton, South Dakota, United States

Frank married Isabelle Slowey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]