In 1862, August Nierens and his family lived in Nicollet County, Minnesota. The Dakota Indians lived on a nearby reservation, and by 1862, they were frustrated with their situation for a variety of reasons. On August 18, 1862, they went to war against the whites. August and his family manged to make it to Fort Ridgely, where they remained when the Dakota attacked the fort on August 20 and 22. The siege of the fort was lifted on August 27. On September 1, August and his family felt that it was safe to return to their home. Unfortunately, the next morning, a small Dakota raiding party shot and killed August and several neighbors, Christian and William Richter. The rest of August's family was unharmed. The inscription on August's gravestone, which is beside that of the Richters, reads "Aug. Nierens, Minister of the Gospel of the Ev. Ass. of N. A. of the Iowa Conf., Killed by the Indians Sept 2, 1862 at his home near Nickolet, Nickolet Co. Minn, in the Fourth Year of His Ministry, Aged 34 Years." His story is related on page 86 of "Dakota Uprising Victims: Gravestones & Stories," published in 2007 by Curtis Dahlin.
In 1862, August Nierens and his family lived in Nicollet County, Minnesota. The Dakota Indians lived on a nearby reservation, and by 1862, they were frustrated with their situation for a variety of reasons. On August 18, 1862, they went to war against the whites. August and his family manged to make it to Fort Ridgely, where they remained when the Dakota attacked the fort on August 20 and 22. The siege of the fort was lifted on August 27. On September 1, August and his family felt that it was safe to return to their home. Unfortunately, the next morning, a small Dakota raiding party shot and killed August and several neighbors, Christian and William Richter. The rest of August's family was unharmed. The inscription on August's gravestone, which is beside that of the Richters, reads "Aug. Nierens, Minister of the Gospel of the Ev. Ass. of N. A. of the Iowa Conf., Killed by the Indians Sept 2, 1862 at his home near Nickolet, Nickolet Co. Minn, in the Fourth Year of His Ministry, Aged 34 Years." His story is related on page 86 of "Dakota Uprising Victims: Gravestones & Stories," published in 2007 by Curtis Dahlin.
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
