Nils Conrad Grimson (Grimsen) was born in Högsjö, Västernorrland, Sweden on March 21, 1876. His mother, Kristina Dorotea Sjödin, was also from Högsjö and his father was from Ingedal, Skjeberg, Østfold, Norway. Conrad was the oldest of fifteen children. The family lived in Sprängsviken, a small mill community near Härnösand. After the death of one of his brothers, Conrad immigrated in 1909 to Portland, Oregon, where he had relatives. He vowed he could never work at the same mill where his brother had accidentally been killed. Once in Portland, he first started working at a sawmill in nearby Scapoose. Eventually he became a longshoreman and was able to send for his wife, Martha Näsholm and daughter, Martha Stina in 1913. They settled in Portland’s Mt. Tabor district together with an additional daughter, Mary Isabelle. While at work on October 25, 1925, Conrad was fatally injured when a crane operator accidentally dropped a load of logs.
