An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical
Society
Hans Mattson was born in Önnestad, Sweden (December 23, 1832). He came to the United
States in 1851 and, in 1853, located a colony of his countrymen in Goodhue County,
founding the town of Vasa. He studied law in Red Wing, and was admitted to the bar
in 1858.
Mattson served in the 3rd Minnesota Regiment (1861-1865), rising from the rank of
captain to colonel; was secretary of the Minnesota Board of Immigration (1867-1870);
served twice as Minnesota Secretary of State (1870-1872 and 1887-1891); and was the
U.S. Consul General in India (1881-1883).
He was editor of the Stats Tidning, published in
Minneapolis; part owner and general manager of the Swedish
Tribune in Chicago; and was the author of the book Minnen, which was translated into English as Reminiscences: The Story of an Immigrant (1892). Mattson died in
Minneapolis on March 5, 1893.
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Correspondence (1855-1865) related to Hans Mattson's service in the Civil War is very
complete. Mattson enlisted as a captain of Company D, 3rd Regiment, Minnesota
Veteran Volunteer Infantry (October 1861) and eventually became the regiment's
colonel. The letters (some in Swedish) are from Mattson to his wife in Red Wing.
They describe camp life; marches; cities and towns in the South, particularly Little
Rock, Arkansas; and Mattson's experiences as a commander of a military district in
the area of Batesville, Arkansas following the war. The regiment was mustered out of
service in September, 1865. Included in this correspondence is a letter from General
Robert E. Lee to Major General J.A. Early, dated January 21st, 1864 regarding the
acquisition of cattle for the army and in a postscript, the presence of troops near
the Rapidan River.
The next years (1866-1881) contain only a few letters for each year. Topics include
Mattson's editorship of the newspaper Svenska Amerikanaren, Chicago (1866 1867); his
work as secretary of the Minnesota Board of Immigration (1867); and his service as
head of the Land Department, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company, and the
development of land near Litchfield (Meeker County), Minnesota (1868). Other items
of interest include some letters (in Swedish) from Sweden (1869); a certificate of
dismissal (1870) from the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Red Wing to
Hans and Kjersti (Perrson) Mattson, also containing vital statistics information on
members of the Mattson family; a small notebook kept by Mattson while on a trip to
Sweden (1873, partially written in Swedish); and a certificate (November 26, 1876),
signed by Governor John S. Pillsbury, certifying Mattson's election as a
presidential elector.
Correspondence (1881-1883) covering the period when Mattson was Consul General of
the U.S. in Calcutta, India, is more complete. The letters are from Mattson to his
wife and children, and contain descriptions of Mattson's ocean voyage from England
to India; his work as Consul General; social customs in India; his activities as a
member of the Calcutta Literary Society; and personal and financial problems of the
Mattson family. Items of interest include two letters (Nov. 23, 1881 and February 2,
1882) to Mattson from the Indian author Sourindro Mohun Tagore; a booklet containing
the annual report of the Calcutta Literary Society (January 28, 1882); two letters
(August 17 and September 1882) from Mattson to his sons containing the story of
Mattson's life; letters (November and December 1882) concerning Nanny Mattson's
engagement to Luth Jaeger; minutes (January 12, 1883) of the Imperial Ice Company,
Ltd., of Calcutta, of which Mattson was the chairman; a letter (January 14, 1883) to
Luth Jaeger giving Mattson's opinions on the future of Scandinavian language
newspapers in the U.S.; and a letter (January 18, 1883) to Mattson from Prince
Furrakh Shah. Following Mattson's resignation as Consul General (1883) he became
manager of the Maxwell Cattle Company of Cimarron, New Mexico. This company held
1,714,000 acres of grazing, mining, and timber lands in New Mexico and Colorado.
There are a few letters with information on the company in the latter part of 1883.
Mattson's diary for 1884-1885 (Volume 8) also contains information on the venture.
The remaining correspondence (1884-1939) is not nearly as complete. There are a few
letters from Mattson to family members from various places in Europe and the U.S.
Some items of interest include a paper, "Our Part in the Reconstruction," written
and read by Mattson at the reunion of the 3rd Minnesota Regiment (September 1,
1886); a speech on India (March 1888) and a Decoration Day speech (May 30, 1888),
both delivered by Mattson at Clearwater, Minnesota; articles of incorporation and
minutes (April 6, 1889-January 12, 1891) of the Scandinavian American Publishing
Company of Minneapolis, which published an English-language paper, The North, edited by Luth Jaeger; letters from Alexander
Ramsey (January 3, 1892) and President Benjamin Harris (February 15, 1892) on the
publication of Mattson's book, Reminiscences: Story of an
Immigrant; another letter from Sourindro Tagore (March 12, 1889);
memorials to Hans Mattson (1893); and brief biographical data on Hans Mattson's son
Edgar (1939).
Correspondence and miscellaneous papers (1987-1990) relate primarily to the following
three events honoring Hans Mattson: the dedication of a marker placed in Vasa,
Minnesota by the Minnesota Historical Society entitled "Mattson's Settlement" (July
9, 1988); the dedication of a memorial marking Mattson's birthplace in Önnestad,
Sweden (August 22, 1988); and the celebration of "Hans Mattson Day" in Minneapolis
(October 14, 1990). The papers primarily consist of correspondence related to
invitations to these events offered to various state officials, prominent
businessmen, academics, and Swedish diplomats.
Newspaper clippings (undated and 1862-1932) include articles dealing with the Civil
War; the Maxwell Land Grant Company (1883, in Dutch); East Indian affairs (1882);
Jacob Falstrom and the Swedish settlement in Minnesota (1914); and biographical data
and obituaries related to various Mattson family members.
Photographs of the Mattson family and scrapbooks (1858-1932), consisting almost
entirely of clippings from a variety of English-language and Swedish-language
newspapers, most of them relating to Hans Mattson and other family members are also
included.
Oversize materials include certificates, documents, maps, and resolutions related to
Mattson's service in the Civil War, as Consul General in India, and as Minnesota
Secretary of State, as well as his membership in various Swedish fraternal
organizations.
The majority of the collection consists of correspondence and miscellaneous
papers (undated and 1855-1939, 1987-1990). The first dated item is a passport
(1855, in Swedish) issued to the parents of Hans Mattson.
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