"An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties."  Interstate
Publishing Company, 1906.  p. 557.
 
CHARLES ELDE

     is one of the oldest and best known of the Swedish-American settlers of the
Skagit valley. He was born in Sweden in 1857 on the farm which had been kept in
the family since the year 1640. His father was Nels Carlson, who died many years
ago on the famous old Swedish family homestead. Mr. Elde's mother was Lisa
Magnusson. She also died in her native land, the mother of eight children, of
whom Charles is the fifth. After passing through the Swedish schools, Charles
Elde remained on the historic farm of his forefathers until twenty-three years
of age.  In 1881 he left Sweden and soon after reaching this country went to
Colorado and followed mining for a year and a half. On Christmas day in 1882 he
reached Seattle, traveling by boat from San Francisco, reaching there by
overland train. Mr. Elde remained in Seattle but a short time, going thence to
La Conner where he was engaged at farm work with Dr. Calhoun, a year later
renting from that gentleman 240 acres on the Sullivan slough. For ten years he
conducted farming operations on this place and at the close of the term
purchased from Dr. Calhoun the 160 acres five miles southwest of Mount Vernon on
which he has ever since made his residence. The land at that time was all under
cultivation, but it was without house or farm buildings. This is as rich land as
Skagit county boasts and of it Mr. Elde has made one of the best producing farms
in the Pacific Northwest.
     Mr. Elde was married in 1898 to Miss Nora Anderson of Seattle, the ceremony
taking place in Victoria, British Columbia. Mrs. Elde's father was Andrew
Carlson and her mother Sophia Bengtson, both of whom passed their lives in
Sweden, where Mrs. Elde was born in 1868 and where she received her education.
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Elde. all of them on the farm in
Skagit county: Thyra, born in 1898 Dagny M., born in 1900; C. Tage, born in
1901, and Signe E., born in 1903. Mr. Elde is an active Democrat in his
political alliance.  He attends the Mission church, which is a branch of the
Lutheran denomination. He is a Mason, a past grand in the Odd Fellows'
fraternity and a member of the Woodmen of the World. The Elde place is one of
the most attractive farmsteads in the county, as well as one of the very best in
point of cultivation and productiveness.

     
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Submitted to the Washington Biographies Project in May 2008 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.