Nels Erickson Odland of Rochester, Olmsted County, MN was born on September 20, 1878 in Røldal, Hordaland Norway. He was married to Anne Matilda Estrem, and had children Norris Aldrich Odland, Marjorie Estelle Odland, Charles Odland, and Hazel Genevieve Odland. Nels Odland died at age 91 years old in July 1970 at Rochester State Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota United States, and was buried in 1970 at Oaklawn Cemetery in Rochester.