Swedish WWI Navy Coast Guard Merchant Marine Archive Photos Docs Genealogy For Sale

32-Piece Swedish Immigrant, WWI Navy & Merchant Marine Archive

Personal archive documenting the life and maritime career of Nils Patrick Nelson, whose records also use the spelling Nilson. Born in Sweden in 1885, he became a U.S. citizen in 1913, served in the New York Naval Militia and U.S. Navy, and continued a lengthy Merchant Marine engineering career.

Preserved together with Nelson family papers, this group combines military service records, citizenship and travel documents, engineering credentials, ship discharge certificates, correspondence, and six photographs.

Included in the 32-piece archive:

• 1913 Certificate of Naturalization, dated August 12, 1913, Southern District of New York.

• 1914 New York Naval Militia appointment as Water Tender, First Class.

• WWI U.S. Navy War Service Certificate, naming USS Wasp, Receiving Ship at Philadelphia, U.S. Naval Base Cardiff, and USS Lake Fernwood.

• 1919 release from active naval service.

• 1920 honorable Naval Reserve discharge, identifying him as Chief Machinist’s Mate, with enrollment information on the reverse.

• 1919 seaman’s travel identification, with photograph, fingerprint, and travel verifications.

• 1919 handwritten M.H. Tracy & Company recommendation letter, documenting service as Third Assistant Engineer.

• 11 merchant-service discharge certificates, covering vessels including S.S. Argosy, Furnifold M. Simmons, Frank P. Walsh, Juan N. Seguin, and William Ellery.

• War Shipping Administration service record and 1947 medical examination certificate.

• 1945 Coast Guard Merchant Seaman’s Certificate of Identification, with photograph, signature, and thumbprint.

• 1949 Coast Guard Merchant Marine officer license for Second Assistant Engineer of Steam Vessels.

• 1948 R.A. Nicol employment verification letter, bearing a “COPY” stamp.

• 1955 and 1960 U.S. passports, including photographs and later travel/renewal stamps in the 1960 passport.

• Marbled seaman’s booklet labeled with Nelson’s name.

• Six photographs: two uniform portraits, a mounted Navy group photograph with handwritten identification on the reverse, two formal civilian portraits, and a portrait identified by the family as Nils with his son Carl.

Brief Timeline

1885: Born in Sweden.
1913: Naturalized as a U.S. citizen in New York.
1914: Appointed Water Tender, First Class, New York Naval Militia.
1917–1919: WWI active service in the U.S. Navy.
1920: Honorably discharged from the Naval Reserve at expiration of enrollment.
1920s–1940s: Merchant Marine engineering service documented by ship discharge certificates and employment records.
1945–1949: Coast Guard identification and officer licensing.
1955–1960s: Passports document retirement-era travel.

Count and Condition

32 physical pieces total, including six photographs. Front-and-back views and multiple passport or booklet pages are not counted as additional pieces. Some listing images show several documents together.

Condition varies and includes folds, creases, discoloration, stains, edge tears, paper losses, and photographic or mounting wear. Please examine all listing photographs carefully. The Social Security number on the Nicol letter is redacted on the original and the image.

Sold together as one personal and family archive.

Related family/generations material may be listed separately; this lot includes only the items shown.