| Nels Oleson | |
|---|---|
| Personal Information | |
| Sex/Gender: | Male |
| Job/Career: | Mercantile owner, Accountant |
| Series Information | |
| Played by: | Richard Bull |
Nelson "Nels" Oleson is the owner of Oleson's Mercantile along with his wife, Harriet. They have two children, Nellie and Willie Oleson and later on in the series, an adopted daughter named Nancy. Nels has a sister named Annabelle, who works for the circus in the side show, this story was covered in the episode "Circus Lady." He is often shown as the nicest in their family, though another side to his personality was seen when his sister came to Walnut Grove visiting with the circus.
Season 1
Andy and Laura free the 'dog'.
Nels and Harriet and their children have already lived in Walnut Grove for many years. When the Ingalls first settle in the area, Charles asked Nels for a loan of a plough and wheet seed however Harriet worried that Charles would take off if the farm wasn't a success refused to let him.