LI B HARY OF THE U N IVERSITY OF 1LLI NOIS NT7h mm y/cj^^c ^t^^^L ^-Z3— 6 /?/'~ AMERICA, MY COUNTRY THE NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM 1. A -mer-i-ca, my coun-try, I come at thy call, I plighl thee my troth and I give thee my all; In 2. A - mer-i-ca, my coun-try , brate tool? gare thee birth.They yearned for a ha - ven of f ree-dom on earth ; And 3. A - mer-i-ca, my coun-try, now ccme is thy hour,- The Lord of hosts counts oo thy courage and pow'r; Ha- St ^'J IJ^P^^^^JJ^ ; , | peace or in war I am wed to thy weal — I'll car - ry thy flag thru the fire and the steel. Un- when thy proud flag to the winds was un-furled, There came to thy shores the oppressed of the world. Thy man - i - ty pleads for the strength of thy hand, Lest lib - er - ty per - ish on sea and on land. Thou fe^H J'Jlr nlFT—ErfV^ jjiJ^^ 'P 6ul - lied it floats o'er our peace-loving race, On sea nor on land shall it auf - fer dis-grace; In milk and thy hon - ey flow free- ly for all— Who takes of thy boun-ty shall come at thy call; Who guard-ian of f ree-dom, thou keep-er of right. When lib - er-ty bleeds we may trust in thy might; Di- re//. - c • cresc. ^ a tempo. mi J'.j»j ju^r^j'jijpcjT^ ^^i rev-'rence I kneel at sweet lib - er-ty's shrine: A-mer- i - ca, my coun-try, com-mand, I am thine, quaffs of thy rec- tar of f ree-dom shall'say: A-mcr-i - ca, my coun-try, com-mand, I o - bey. vine right of kings or our f ree-dom must fall— A-ner- i - ca, my country, I come at thy call. * ^N iN ^?7^l%^ a A - mer - i - ca, my coun-try, I an-ower thy call, That freedom may live and that tyrants may fall; I owe thee my all, and my all will I give — I do and I die that A-mer- i - ca may live m 4=^ te^fesigii ^m W& ^P cresc. f a tc\mpo. •'■* * * t a f W mm mm. P5 Conright 1017 by Rtd Wing Daily Rtpublican, Rtd H'int. Minn. (By Jens K. Grondahl, editor, born in Norway). TO NORWAY Thou land of our sires, where the northlight is gleaming In frostbitten, quivering ray,— And yet where the balmiest sunshine is beaming Its glories by night and by day, — Where mermaid and n0ck in the billows are dreaming Or charmingly chanting their lay, — Old Norway, thou mother of song, Our tenderest mother so long, — ■ Some never have met you, Yet cannot forget you, And therefore they greet you in song ! In song, in song, in heartiest song, We greet mother Norway in song ! Thou land that with continents bravely art vying In all that is noblest and best, — Whose banner of freedom as proudly is flying As that of the Queen of the West — Thou land where our fathers and mothers are lying In slumbering grave-yards at rest, — Old Norway, — in right or in wrong — You were our dear mother so long; Some here never met you, Yet cannot forget you, And therefore they greet you in song! In song, in song, American song, We greet mother Norway in song ! (By Knut Martin 0. Teigen, M.D., Ph.D., born in America). PREFACE At the Second General Convention of the Norwegian Luther- an Church of America held in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 8-15, 1923, a resolution was adopted providing for the proper cele- bration of the centennial of the sailing of the sloop, "Restaura- tionen," from Stavanger, Norway, July the Fourth, 1925, with fifty-two emigrants on board, constituting the first contingent of the nineteenth century emigrations to America. The President, the Right Rev. H. G. Stub, D. D., was authorized to appoint a committee of five members to make arrangements for the cen- tennial celebration to be held in the summer of 1925. The Pres- ident appointed the following Centennial Committee : Rev. George Taylor Rygh, Chairman; Rev. R. Malmin, Secretary; Rev. C. S. B. Hoel, Treasurer; Rev. O. S. Reigstad, Professor G. M. Bruce. The Committee was given three definite instructions, as fol- lows : (a) to make provision for the universal and simultaneous celebration of the centennial in all the parishes of the Church throughout the United States and Canada; (b) to secure the production of a centennial cantata; (c) to provide for the pub- lication of a scholarly, comprehensive and authoritative history of the Norwegian people in America. The present volume by Professor O. M. Norlie is the result of the effort of the Com- mittee to meet the third item in its instructions. Dr. Norlie is a prolific author, having a large number of books, pamphlets and brochures to his credit. He is well known as a Church statistician and as an authority on data connected with the Lutheran Church in America. Among the numerous degrees conferred upon him by various institutions of learning may be mentioned the following: Ph.D., Pd.D., S.T.D., Litt.D. Dr. Norlie is as modest and unassuming as he is scholarly and studious. A few of his best known works are: The Open Bible, Elementary Christian Psychology, Principles of Expressive Reading, The School Calendar, 1824-1924. The present His- tory is the product of a lifetime of research, giving ample evidence cf the author's untiring energy and painstaking accuracy. It will prove a mine of information, from which future historians of America will produce many nuggets of his- toric worth. His elucidation of the discovery of America by the Norsemen is quite enough to determine the opening chapters of any future history of our country worthy of the name. 6 Norwegian People in America Dr. Norlie has for all time fixed the place of the Norwegian element in the making of the American nation, than which no other component holds a worthier place. For good citizenship, industry, thrift, enlightenment, and character, the Norwegian element ranks second to none, and this History is the demonstra- tion of that fact. In peace and war, the American of Norwegian ancestry knows but one loyalty, loyalty to the principles and ideals of America. The Church Committee is proud to have had some little share in the production of this History by Dr. Norlie. It desires, how- ever, to make clear that the volume is the sole work of the author whose name is attached to it. We believe that it will prove a not- able contribution to the history of our beloved country. The Centennial Committee of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author is under great obligations to a great number of people who have aided him in making this book and wishes hereby to express to them his sincere thanks : 1. The Centennial Committee. 2. President Calvin Coolidge, Governor General Lord Byng and Kinjg Haakon VII, who sent greetings to the Norse- Americans in honor of their Centennial. 3. T. T. Colwick, Norse, Texas; Jacob Olson, Clifton, Texas ; Ivan Doseff , artist, St. Paul, Minn., for making the crayon drawing of Cleng Peerson, said to be the only por- trait of Clerijg ever made. 4. The Sloopers, especially Georgiana Larson, Rochester, N. Y. ; Inger M. Johnson, Detroit, Mich. ; John L. Atwater, Jane Sara Atwater and Mabel Truesdell, Chicago, 111. ; Caro- line C. Bower, Sheridan, 111. ; Daniel Rosdail and Emily Fru- land, Norway, 111. ; Jacob Rosdail, Sr., Norway, Iowa ; B. F. Stangland, Morton, N. Y. ; Mettie Larson and Malinda Larson, Marseilles, 111. ; and Emily Jane Raymond, Hollywood, Cal., for important information, photographs, books and relics from the Sloop. Also Mrs. Anna D. Parker, Kendall, N. Y., and Lieut. Joseph M. Johnson, relatives of Ole Johnson; Capt. Louis Larson, Chicago, relative of Lars Larson ; Rev. Helmer T. Haagenson, Seneca, 111., Fox River pastor, who helped to catalog the Sloopers. 5. Dr. Oscar L. Olson, president of Luther College, De- corah, la.; Edith Hexom, artist, Decorah ; Prof. J. J. Sk0r- dalsvold, proofreader, Minneapolis ; A. M. Sundheim, pub- lisher, Minneapolis ; Hon. G. N. Haugen, congressman, North- wood, la. ; Hon. O. J. Kvale, congressman, Benson, Minn. ; Hon. H. H. Bryn, minister from Norway, Washington, D. C. ; Dr. E. A. Ross, author of "The Old World in the New/' Madison, Wis. ; The Century Co., publishers of Ross' book, New York ; John Anderson Pub. Co., Chicago ; B. Anundsen Pub. Co., Decorah ; Normanden Pub. Co., Grand Forks, N. Dak. ; United States Census Bureau ; Rev. J. M. Hestenes and Mrs. Ellen Runden, Waterford, Wis. ; American Scandinavian Foundation and Henry Holt, New York; G. B. Joergensen, Stanwood, Wash. ; J. S. Illeck, Harrisburg, Pa. ; R. H. Coats, Ottawa, Can. ; B. I. Jenson, Toano, Va. ; Th. Johannesen, Portland, Ore. ; Wm. H. E. Ludwig, Springdale, Ark. ; Cora Bangerter, Los Angeles, Cal.; Dr. Knut Gjerset, Decorah, la.; all of whom have assisted in various ways. 6. A long list of others, including presidents of institutions and associations, secretaries, authors, editors and publishers. O. M. Norlie. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON December 23, 1924.. My dear Mr. Norlie: Honorable Gilbert N. Haugen has been good enough to hand mo your letter regarding the centennial observ- ance, which is to be held in 1925, .by the American community of Norwegian descent in celebration of a century of Norwegian immigration to this country. It was particularly pleasing to learn that an adequate history of Norwegian people and their deecen- dants in this country is being prepared, for it will be of great interest and value, illuminating one of the important phases of the national development. The Norwegians who have in such great numbers caet in their lot with our country have represented one of the most important elements in the national community. Springing from the race which made the first conquest of the unknown Atlantic, they have borne a great part in the settlement and growth of many among the states in the union. By habit and tradition as lovers of freedom, they have been readily assimilated into the body of American citizenry, because they have so fully under- stood and sympathized with our institutions of liberty and equal opportunity. They have given generously to every department of national advancement, and I am gratified to know that a fitting observance of this centennial year is to be held» Very truly yours, Mr. 0. M. Norlie, Decorah, Iowa. CALVIN COOLIDGE President of the United States Government House Ottawa In connection with the celebration of the Boree-American Centennial in June next, I desire to send my personal greetings to all the Norwegian people who have settled and are living in the Dominion of Canada. I heartily wish them continued prosperity and success. ^^k' HAAKON VII King of Norway " 'Mong the rocks by the North Sea's blue waters" Chapter I THE NORWEGIANS 1. The Home Land Norway has been the homeland of the Norwegians for two thousand years or more. It is a wonderful little land, beautiful and beloved, illustrious in story and song. Norway forms the northwestern part of the Scandinavian peninsula. It lies as far north as Labrador and Greenland, as Alaska and Siberia. It extends from 57° 59' Location N. Lat. (at Mandal) to 71°11' N. Lat. (at North Cape), a difference in latitude of over 13 degrees, equal to that between San Diego and Seattle, between New Orleans and Decorah, between Palm Beach and New York. East and west, the country extends from 4° 30' E. Long, (at Utvser, in Sognefjord) to 31°11' E. Long, (at Norno, near Vardo). The area is only 124,495 sq. miles. Norway is, then, three- fourths the size of Sweden and eight times that of Denmark. It is a trifle larger than the British Isles, but Size and Shape the British Isles have 18 times as large a population. Norway is twice as large as New England, one-half as large as Texas. It is nearly as large as Min- nesota and Iowa combined, but has less than one-half the popu- lation of these two states. Its length from Lindesnes to Vardo is 1100 miles in a straight line, but along the coast round the outer belt of rocks the distance is 1700 miles. The entire shore line, including the fjords in and 16 Nerwegian People in America Relative Size and Position of Norway (if moved 120 farther west) out, is 12,000 miles, a line that would stretch half way around the globe. Its width in the south is about 250 miles; in the north, 60 miles, often less. At Rombaken, at the head of Vestf jorden, the width is only five miles. It will thus be seen that Norway, as a whole, is a long, narrow coast-country on the North Atlantic. It looks on the map like a big bag slung over the shoulders of Sweden. It is fringed along the coast by countless rocky islands that resemble a vast flock of sea birds flitting along the shore. Norway is a land of mountains, with majestic, snow-covered tops rising 6,000 to 8,000 feet in places. Its glaciers are the largest in Europe. Jostedalsbrae, for exam- Surface pl e , is 330 sq. miles in extent, while the mightiest glaciers of Switzerland are only 20 sq. miles. The mountains of Norway comprise 65 per cent of the whole land. Another 21 per cent is occupied by heavy for- The Norwegians 17 ests, and 4 per cent is occupied by marshland and lakes. Hence, only 10 per cent of the land is habitable; only 3 per cent is arable; only 1 per cent is tilled. It might seem that nothing would grow and nobody would care to live in a land so far north. But such is not the case. The climate, indeed, is bracing, but not impossi- Climate ble. In the same latitude in which Franklin, the explorer, lost his life in the Arctic regions of America, and in which lies the inhospitable plains of frozen Siberia, the waters of the fjords of Norway never freeze except at their upper ends. "One would expect," says John L. Stoddard, "the climate of Norway to be that of Greenland; but Nature saves it, as a habitation for the race, by sending thither the mysterious Gulf Stream, which crosses the Atlantic for 5,000 miles, and, although far spent on that distant shore, fulfills its mission, transforming, by its warm breath, an otherwise barren region to a fertile land." The mean temperature of Norway, therefore, is somewhat like that of the northern half of the United States and the southern provinces of Canada, and the vegetation Vegetation f Norway is rich for so northern a region. The Norway pine, cited by Milton in his "Paradise Lost," is the most common forest tree. Oaks, birches, elms, beeches, and other trees also abound in places. The apple tree, the plum and the cherry occur far north of Trondhjem, while currants, marsh berries, gooseberries and strawberries thrive as far north as the North Cape. Wheat, rye, barley, oats and potatoes are successfully cultivated in the lower valleys. It is a cur- ious fact that barley takes the same time (90 days) to ripen at Al- ten (70° N. Lat.) as at Oslo (60°) and in southern France (45°). The reason for this is, that the summer days are so much longer farther north. At Alten the sun does not set at all during the summer months. Norway is the Land of the Midnight Sun. Although only 3 per cent of the land can at present be cul- tivated, farming is, nevertheless, the chief occupation of the people, nearly one-half of the population (48.65 per Other Resources cent) being dependent upon agriculture for their support. The land is rich also in other resources. There are rich mineral deposits in the mountains and unlimited power in the many mountain streams and water- falls. God has richly provided the land with the necessities of life. He never forgets anything. He remembers the lilies of the field and notes the sparrow's fall. He has given the Norwegians houses and homes, food and fuel aplenty. The forests furnish timber 18 Nonvegian People in America for home-building and ship-building and wood for fuel. There are peat bogs providing fuel, and coal is mined in Svalbard (Spitz- bergen before 1925). The great fishing banks, particularly at Lofoten, annually yield millions of pounds of cod fish, herring, lobsters and seal. The maritime trade dates back to the piratical Vikings, and the commercial fleet of Norway today in absolute tonnage ranks next to those of Great Britain and the United States, and in relative tonnage (per capita) is far in the lead of all the nations of the earth. Why should not Norwegians everywhere love Norway? It is a land of marvellous beauty, rivalling Switzerland as the sum- mer resort of Europe and the playground Natural Scenery f the world. Travelers never tire of sound- ing its praises. J. B. Putnam, for instance, writes : "A traveler may here find the grandest of snow-covered mountains, from which tumble innumerable waterfalls of striking beauty, the most charming stretches of fjords or inland seas, the wildest and most desolate of fields, a wealth of color which in its intense brilliancy can scarcely be matched in any other part of the world, and a kindly-hearted and supremely honest people." No one has perhaps more fully appreciated the grandeur of Norway and its people than the poets, and their verses outlive the bravest deeds of men. Listen a moment to Ole Vig when he tunes his harp and sings : Of all the lands in the East or West I love my own native land the best ; Its rocky towers And leafy bowers My heart arrest. Alone in Norseland spite darkness 'tis That sunlight reaches its highest bliss. There eve reposes 'Mong dawn's red roses, And gets a kiss. We therefore join sympathetically with BjoYnson in his pa- triotic hymn: Yes, we love with fond devotion Norway's mountain domes, Rising storm-lashed o'er the ocean, With their thousand homes ; Love our country while we're bending Thoughts to fathers grand, And to saga-night that's sending Dreams upon our land. The Norwegians 19 2. The People By far the greater part (98.5 per cent) of the population of Norway is of Teutonic, or Germanic, origin. The remainder (1.5%) consists mainly of Lapps and Finns. How long the Nor- wegians have lived in Norway it is impossible to say with any cer- tainty. The history of Norway stretches back only about 1100 years — to 800 A. D. Previous to that date, in the prehistoric era, the Scandinavian North is at times given a passing notice by the historians and geographers of Greece and Rome. The earliest mention of Norway is perhaps that of Pythias, an enter- prising Greek explorer, who visited the land and called it Thule. Hence the name Ultima Thule in ancient times meant the lands to the Farthest North. The name Norway (Norvegr, the North Way) seems not to have been in use before the historic era. The Norwegians are, then. Teutons. The Teutons are des- cendants from Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah. Noah once made a prophecy that God would en- Race large Japheth, and Japheth should dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan (Ham) should be his servant. This prophecy is one of the most far-reaching and important facts in history, for it has been in fulfillment until this day. Japheth has been enlarged. For example, at the present time his descendants own about 90 per cent of the land area of the earth, and they profess Christianity, the faith once delivered to the Jews, descendants of Shem. For 3,000 years the Japhetics have been the dominant race of the world. For 1500 years the Teutons have been the most progressive of the Japhetics. At the present date, the Teutonic peoples — the English and Americans, the Germans and Hollanders, the Danes, Swedes, Icelanders and Norwegians — control about 35 per cent of the earth's land surface. The Norwegians are Teutons, of the same blood as Danes and Swedes, as Englishmen and Germans. Physically, the Norwegians are the most typical of the Teu- tons. Anthropological investigations have been made of all the principal nationalities. It has been shown that Physical the Norwegians are the tallest of all Europeans Characteristics and in breadth of chest they are excelled by none. Scandinavians, and with them Norweg- ians, are found to be the fairest among the so-called white races, since fully 85 per cent of them have light complexions, with light hair and blue eyes. Only 71 per cent of the English and the Ger- mans are fair-skinned and light-haired. Of the French, 55 per cent have a dark complexion ; of the Italians, 78 per cent are dark. The Norwegians are physically as well as otherwise a strong and hardy race. " A Hardy Norseman," Edna Lyell calls her 20 Norwegian People in America Norwegian hero. "Any nation," says Samuel J. Beckett, "might well envy the people of Norway with their upright, manly bearing and their fair complexions and blue eyes. This simple, honest, hospitable people are the modern descendants of those victorious Vikings who ravaged the coasts of Britain and later settled there — bringing with them that love of freedom which these men of the North have ever considered their most cherished posses- sion. The progress made during the last fifty years is nothing short of wonderful; in it is found national spirit at its best, sing- ularly united and advanced, and producing as fine a race, both physically and intellectually, as is found in any country." Com- pared with other countries, the number of old people in Norway is very great, exceeded by only a few countries, as, for instance, Sweden and France. The average age in Norway is 50 years, but for Italy it is only 35. The Norwegians are distinguished for their intelligence and literacy. The Icelandic saga "Heimskringla," the history of the kings of Norway, says that Odin, the god Intellectual Traits f wisdom, the highest god of the Norsemen, and the chief who led the Teutonic tribes from Asia into Europe, taught his people the science of war and the art of writing. Already at the dawn of the historic era the Norwegians were far advanced in civilization. They have ever since kept pace with the educational progress of their day and age. Today Norway shares with Denmark and Sweden the honor of being the most literate country in the world. A sur- prisingly large number of Norwegians are engaged in intellectual pursuits and win for Norway a fame quite out of proportion to the population. Norway has a smaller population than Iowa, but so far Iowa has not produced any Ibsens, Bjornsons, Gar- borgs and Lies, nor any Ole Bulls or Edvard Griegs, or Kjerulfs or Nordraaks. One-third of the engineers that built the Panama Canal are said to have been Norwegians. There is no occupation in which Norwegian brain and brawn are not employed. Throughout all the ages the typical Norwegian has been up- right and honest and clean. He has loved righteousness and truth and morality. He has been conscientiously Moral Character trying to obey his native sense of right and the laws of the land. He does not laugh at vice. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but these exceptions are notably few and far between. On this point com- parisons are not odious as far as the Norwegians are concerned. The United States, for example, in the period 1891-1895 had no less than 39,612 murders and homicides, one murder to every 6,600 people. During the same period Norway had only 38 mur- The Norwegians 21' ders, one murder to 266,600 people. There are 40 times as many murders per capita in the United States as in Norway. There were only 10 robberies in Norway in five years. Norway con- sumes less intoxicating liquors than any other country except Finland. The modern Viking is a temperate man, temperate in all things. The Norwegian character is deeply religious. His religion in ancient times is that outlined in Norse mythology, a very sturdy sort of religion, with many noble ideals, pre- Religion cepts and examples. The Norwegians had this religion in common with other Teutons, and kept it no doubt at a higher level than any other Teutonic tribe. At any rate, they were the last of the Teutonic peoples to put aside the religion of Odin and Thor and to accept Christianity, and they preserved in the Icelandic literature the best and fullest account of the religion of the ancient Teutons. As soon as the Norwegian accepted the Christian faith, he took it as seriously as he had taken the old Asa faith, as the old Norse religion is called. For 500 years Norway was a Roman Catholic country and main- tained a very high type of Catholicism. Witness, for example, the religious zeal of King Olaf in trying to make his people Chris- tians. Olaf here the cross erected While his blood he shed. Witness also the bold defiance of King Sverre, when he and his people were excommunicated by Pope Innocent III. He promptly told the Catholic hierarchs that the Norwegian people were politically and religiously independent of any and every foreign tyrant. Sverre's word the land protected 'Gainst the Roman dread. During the 400 years that Norway has been a Lutheran land, it has been notably steadfast in its loyalty to the Lutheran con- fessions. True, it has been under the influence of larger move- ments in the world of thought, and has suffered from the inroads of rationalism, sectarianism and indifferentism. Nevertheless, the people as a whole have been God-fearing and church-going, with a profound respect for the Word of God and the Christian Church. "High up stands the Church in the thoughts of the Norwegian peasant." Like a city set on a hill that can not be hid. Norway has had religious reformers of note, giants in the land. Such was, for example, Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824), the peasant lay preacher that awoke Norway from a rationalistic sleep and brought in a new day of Christian living, with political, social, industrial 22 Norwegian People in Awerica and intellectual progress in its train. At present 99 per cent of the Norwegian population is Lutheran. The Norwegian has always been tolerant in religious matters, as in all matters of conscience and personal freedom. He has not been willing to force anybody to accept his views, even though he himself has been willing to give his life for the faith that is in him. There was a time when the Norwegians were very warlike ; when, as Tacitus says of their kinsmen, the Germans : "They deemed it a disgrace to acquire by sweat Social Qualities what they might obtain by blood." In those days, the Norsemen, or Northmen, as they were also called, went on long viking raids into the neighboring lands, plundering and killing. The English chroniclers describe them as stinging wasps and savage wolves. The French monks prayed daily to God to deliver them from the fury of the North- men. But the modern Norwegian is different. He is probably not a bit less brave than his warlike ancestor. He has been temper- ed by Christianity and made to see that it is the meek that shall in- herit the earth and that peacemakers shall be called the children of God. Norway has not had a war for over 100 years. When war clouds threatened in 1814, the brave Norwegians went to church and prayed for peace, and they got peace, and independence along with it. When war was imminent again, in 1905, the coun- try was again on its knees in prayer before the Throne of Grace, and war was again averted, resulting in the separation of Sweden and Norway, without a drop of blood having been shed. Besides being naturally warlike and yet peace-loving, the Norwegians have many noteworthy emotional traits. They have a feeling of rever- ence for womanhood. Woman is man's equal. She has full suf- frage, and Norway was the first land in the world to grant women the right to vote and hold office. The wife is the queen of the home. The Norwegian home is well provided with children, the average being 4.7, the greatest in Europe. Cruelty, desertion and divorce occur very seldom in Norway. The Norwegian is tender and true, faithful unto death, as in "Njaal's Saga." Njaal was besieged by his enemies, who threatened to burn him up in his house. They informed him that his wife would be spared and ordered her to come out. But she said no. She had stayed by him throughout a long life and therefore she would stay by him to the end. So the old couple, with their grandchild between them, lay down on their bed and were consumed by the flames. The Norwegians are a race of workers. They all learn to work in Norway and all are set to work who are physically and mentally able. They are willing to work and rejoice Industry j n their task. About 56 per cent are en- gaged in farming and fishing ; about 24 per cent are engaged in manufacturing; 15 per cent in trade and trans- The Norwegians 23 portation, including shipping ; and 5 per cent are occupied with in- tellectual work. Formerly, they preferred the outdoor life and occupations that called for the exercise of strength, courage and endurance ; but with the growth of the cities and the demand for manufactures, they have taken to mechanical and intellectual pur- suits. There are few who are very rich, and few very poor. The pauper class represents only 1.2 per cent of the population; only 2.9 per cent of the population are independently rich. Nor- way is the most thinly settled land in Europe, having only 18 to the square mile. This is due in part to the fact that only 10 per cent of the land is habitable and also to the fact that the popula- tion is constantly drained through a large emigration of young people. But, in spite of such fearful handicaps the tendency of the Norwegian people is upward, socially and industrially, in culture and in wealth. Speaking of this, Curtis remarks : "The population of the kingdom not only holds its own, but shows a slight increase, which seems remarkable because of the continual drain of young, able-bodied men and women who have removed to our western states. In all public movements, in all social, intellectual and com- mercial activities, in art, science and literature, in wealth and pros- perity, Norway stands abreast of the most advanced nations of Europe ; but its progress is not won without greater effort than any other people put forth and the application of thrift and industry elsewhere unknown, but which is required in a climate so bleak and inhospitable and by a soil so wild and rocky. None but a race like the Norsemen could have kept a foothold here, but as I have suggested, this constant struggle against nature has been the strongest factor in framing the character of the Norwegian." Politically, the typical Norwegian is an ardent champion of democracy and personal independence. "He would endure the rigid climate of the North, the burning sun Political Aspects f the South. He would sleep beneath no other roof than the arch of heaven, use bark for bread, drink rain-water as a beverage, make the forest his habitation, and have the wild beasts for his companions. But he would never give up one inch of his rights as a free man. The people of classical countries were free men, because they belonged to a powerful and free state ; they boasted of their citizenship. The Northman was a free man because he was a man — he boasted of himself and the deeds he performed." This passion for free- dom runs throughout Norwegian history. It accounts for the exodus of the Norwegians to Iceland and Normandy. It accounts for the fact that Norway has really never had any nobility. The Norwegians were the last people in Europe to submit to the Catho- lic yoke and the first to throw it off. Kings were kings by grace. 24 Norwegian People in America In the saga days, if the crops failed or bad weather destroyed the herds, sometimes the peasants sacrificed their king to the gods. In modern days the king is expected to sacrifice himself as the servant of his people. For over 400 years Norway was a province of Denmark and suffered many humiliations. Still, the desire for freedom was never extinguished and the spirit of independence was never quenched. There came a day, in 1814, when Norway drew its sword against all Europe and demanded national indepen- dence. Norwegian Vikings had in years past settled in England and had established law and order there, with Magna Charta and the Bill of Rights. From the Norwegian sections of England had come the deep protests against the English kings and their mis- rule. From these parts of the land are the Pilgrim Fathers who came to settle the American shores and the ancestors of George Washington, who, according to Albert Welles' "Pedigree and History of the Washington Family," had at one time, for 300 years, lived in Norway before moving to England. Norwegian Vikings had likewise established strong governments in other lands — in Iceland, France, Russia, etc. In short, the Norwegians have been political and religious Protestants; they have been exponents of individual freedom and constitutional rights. Henrik Anker Bjer- regaard sings in his "Sons of Norway" : Pride of the Norsemen, the temple of freedom Stands like a rock where the stormy wind breaks, Tempests howl 'round it, but little he'll heed them ; Freely he thinks, and as freely he speaks. Birds in their motion, Waves of the ocean, Poorly can rival his Liberty's voice; Yet he obeys, with a willing devotion, Laws of his making and kings of his choice. The Norwegians resemble the other Teutonic peoples in lan- guage as well as in looks, original religion, customs, laws, etc. Somewhere, away back in time, the Teutons Language were no doubt one people, living together and speaking the same language. Even now Danes, Norwegians and Swedes can easily converse together without learning one another's language. A thousand years ago the Anglo-Saxons and the Northmen talked together without interpreters. Says "Gunnlaug's Saga" : "In those days was the same language in England as in Norway and Denmark ; but the speech changed when William the Bastard conquered England." The Old Norse, still spoken in Iceland in its old-time purity, with only slight modifications, is the purest of the Teutonic lan- guages, freest from admixture with other languages. The Old Norse is still pretty strong in some of the Norwegian dialects and in the Norwegian "landsmaal." Modern Norwegian, a dialect of The Norwegians 25 Danish, is almost entirely a Teutonic language. In this it is unlike English, which has borrowed so much from the French, Latin and Greek. But it has thousands of words almost identical with the English, and is like the English simple in its sentence structure and analytical in character. Norwegians readily learn to use the English language. They are good linguists, and a large per cent of the people of Norway speak English as well as German and other languages. A nation's culture is measured in many ways — by its insti- tutions and laws, its music, paintings, sculpture and architecture, its philosophy, science and literature, and in Culture other ways. Measured by any of these stand- ards, the Norwegians have culturally been a great people throughout their history. Let a word or two about their literature suffice. The actual beginning of writing no one knows for sure. But we all feel certain with Carlyle, sometimes called "that old Scotch-Norseman," that "the art of writing is one of the most miraculous things man has devised." No wonder that the old Norsemen attributed its origin to their god of wisdom, Odin. He is said to have invented the runic alphabet of the Scan- dinavians. Runic inscriptions have been found wherever Teutonic peoples have dwelt, but they are especially numerous in Scandi- navia and Great Britain. Many of these are in stone and go back as far as 300 A. D. The language is everywhere the same at this age. These inscriptions are the oldest remains of Norse literature ; in fact, they are the oldest specimens of Teutonic writings, being- older than Ulfilas' translation of the Bible into Gothic and "Beowulf," the Anglo-Saxon epic. During the Middle Ages the Norwegian settlers in Iceland carried on a most brilliant literary activity. Darkness, intellectual and spiritual, brooded heavy over the other nations of Europe. But way up in Iceland, "with frost and mist around it," the sun was at high noon. Men were making history and writing it. F. Metcalfe, in his "Comparisons of Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse Literature," says: "Scandinavian literature is very attrac- tive in itself, very sparkling, full of nerve and energy, like the people themselves Anglo-Saxon literature, on the other hand, is not so attractive. Good, solid, honest work it is, but of no great brilliancy." Says Mary W. Williams, in her "Social Scan- dinavia in the Viking Age" : "The literature produced- and pre- served by the Scandinavian North is a real national body of writ- ing, unequalled by any other literary compositions of the Middle Ages In consequence, it is a contribution which deserves the deep gratitude of subsequent generations. At a time when interest in things intellectual and literary scarcely extended be- 26 Norwegian People in America yond the monastic walls and when the literary output of the Con- tinent was in the form of dreary church chronicles of saints and martyrs, tiresomely told, these virile inhabitants of the Far North created a literature original in form, narrating in prose the deeds of real, red-blooded men and women living in a natural secular world and meeting and giving battle to the problems which the Fates sent their way; or sinping in meter their own hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, or the praise of the valor and wisdom of the sturdy gods of Northern heathendom." Norwegian literature may be divided into three sections — the Ancient Period, mainly Icelandic, from 800 to 1319; the Union Period, during which time Norway had its literature in common with Denmark, from 1319 to 1814; the Modern Period, from 1814 until the present day. The first of these periods has already been described as one of unique brilliancy, the richest in mediaeval Europe. The literary activities of the second period are blended with the glory of Denmark. "When Norway was separated from Denmark (in 1814) it was as if all the literary forces in the coun- try had awakened from a long trance with fresh life and energy, and there sprang forth with almost violent strength, a literature the importance of which reached far beyond the boundaries of Norway, and influenced the intellectual life of the whole of Europe." Again it can truly be said that the Norwegians, during the last century, have been active in making history and writing it. They have beaten their swords into plow shares and pen points. Henrik Wergeland, who died in 1845 when only 37 years of age, was a lyric poet, who typifies the poetical and national expansion of the race itself after centuries of repose. His sister, Camilla Collett, was a great novelist and champion of woman's emancipa- tion. Aasen and Vinje were ardent nationalists. Jonas Lie and Alexander Kielland were novelists of high rank. Arne Garborg was a fine lyric poet and novelist in "landsmaal." Head and shoul- ders above their fellows in the literary field were BjoYnson and Ibsen. Bjomson (1832-1910) was equally productive as lyric poet, dramatist and novelist, in all of which, as well as in platform oratory, he took up with mighty energy the questions of the day, particularly those that concerned Norway. His influence has been tremendous. For example, through the local color of his peasant stories, every hill and valley and fjord of Norway has had its own author. Ibsen (1828-1906) excelled in the drama, romantic, realistic and social. He is called the greatest of modern dramatists and his works have been translated into the chief modern lan- guages. There is a host of younger writers of note, such as, Heiberg, Hamsun, Prydz, Bojer, Olaf Bull, Herman Wildenwey, etc. These writers, as a rule, no matter how secular and gay in tone, have a serious vein and an uplifting influence. Like the The Norwegians 27 scalds and saga-writers of old, they picture the Norwegian as a man of high ideals and a seeker after the truth, imaginative, with deep convictions and sincere emotions, a toiler, a fighter, con- scientious in moral influence and profoundly religious. The English interest in the Norwegian language and literature has never been very wide-spread or intense. Englishmen have made Norway their summer resort and expect the Norwegians to use the English language if they would have the honor of their visits. An American minister to Denmark resided at Copenhagen seven years and, upon his return to America, proudly declared that he had not learned to speak Danish. Professor C. B. Burch- ardt of Oxford University, in his "Norwegian Life and Litera- ture," traces the development of the English interest in Norwegian matters. He finds that Ibsen is practically the only Norwegian author that is read to any considerable extent in English trans- lation. At present there is a flurry of interest over Hamsun and Bojer, but at best the English are careful to deny themselves the privilege of getting an inspiration from Norse literature. William Archer, the great English critic and translator of Ibsen, was a half Norwegian. 3. Their History The Norwegians came upon the historical arena relatively late. But when they did come they played a leading part, contributing on a large scale to the highest idealism and the soundest material welfare of the world. It is truly remarkable that general histories, as a rule, have so little to say about Norway and its part in the world's work. Norway gets in the average general history almost as little mention as Palestine. It is remarkable, too, that the two lands that have been most signally benefitted by Norwegian ideal- ism and labor, namely, Great Britain and America, should be content with histories that never say one word about the Nor- wegians and their contribution to the material progress and the pursuit of happiness in these English speaking lands. This in- difference to the story of Norway and all Scandinavia, for that matter, is also seen in the fact that, until recently, there have been very few histories of the Scandinavian North in the English lan- guage. In this book it is not possible to give even a brief catalog of important events in Norwegian history. We simply call attention to the fact that Norway has a history, and that this history, as well as the people who made it, is of special interest to those who pride themselves on being of English descent and American citizen- ship. Metcalfe says in his "An Oxonian in Norway": "But Nor- way is not only interesting for its unique scenery, but also for its blood-relationship with Great Britain." 28 Norwegian People in America The "New York Journal of Commerce" is quoted by P. S. Sinding as saying: "There is a nation, even now extant ( !), pos- sessing as brave a history as that of the Romans, as poetic as that of the Greeks ; a nation that controlled the world's history in many things, and at many times, and whose achievements in war and in letters, are worthy the most heroic age of Rome and the most fin- ished period of Greece; a nation whose philosophy outran their age, and anticipated results that have been slowly occurring ever since. This reference can be true of but one people, and that peo- ple is the Norsemen, who lived as heroes, lords and conquerors ; who, sailing out of the ice and desolation in which they were born and nurtured, conquered England, Scotland and Ireland ; rav- aged Brittany and Normandy; discovered and colonized Iceland and Greenland ; and they can be said, with confidence, to have crossed the Atlantic in their crazy barks, and to have discovered this very continent, before Columbus. And then their religion — what a wild, massive, manly mythology! With nothing of the soft sen- timentalities of more southern peoples, but containing much that revelation has assured us to be true of doctrine — preaching ever the necessity of right, and doing right — of manliness, honesty and responsibility, rewards and punishments." It is not necessary for an American to be ignorant about this people. There are books now, such as Knut Gjerset's "History of the Norwegian People" and his "History of Iceland," which give in plain English a truthful and sober account of the Nor- wegians, and it should be possible in the writing of American his- tories, to give due credit to the Norwegians and the other na- tionalities who have helped to make America. The story of Norway can be divided into two periods, of about equal duration — the Prehistoric (from 300 B. C. to 872 A. D.) and the Historic (from 872 A. D.). The Historic Period falls into six sub-periods — independence (800-1319), union with Sweden (1319-1380), union with Denmark and Sweden — the Calmar Union (1380-1523), union with Denmark (1523-1814), union with Sweden (1814-1905), and independence (1905—). There is, of course, much obscurity hanging over this era. The historical sources are only fragmentary and incidental — a few runic inscriptions and relics, a poem or two, Prehistoric Era like "Widsith" and "Beowulf," and an occa- (ca. 300 B. C— sional mention by a Greek and Roman his- 872 A. D.) torian, as Plutarch, Livy, Ptolemy, Tacitus. The world empire of Rome never extended as far north as Scandinavia. It was eventually (in 476 A. D.) crushed by the Teutonic tribes, particularly the Goths and the Germans. But the first Germanic people that crossed into the Roman Empire were the Cimbri, in 113 B. C, who came from The Norwegians 29 Denmark. From Denmark and its immediate vicinity came also the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, who in the latter half of the fifth century invaded Britain and made it England (after the Angles). The Norsemen were kinsfolk of these Cimbri, Angles, Saxons and Jutes, and no doubt took part in their expeditions. They had well-built boats, fitted with mast and sail. Their call was to the sea, if they would win fame and fortune. So the sea became their highway from coast to coast, and Viking expeditions were carried on in search of booty, conquest and adventure. The "Anglo- Saxon Chronicle" mentions the coming of the Vikings to Eng- land as early as 7S7 A. D. The ancient Norsemen had always been independent. There is no record to the contrary. But they had not been unified into a distinct nation before 872, when Harald Independence the Fairhaired defeated the last of the rival (872-1319) petty kings of Norway in a naval battle at Havrsfjord near Stavanger. After his death the kingdom was again broken up and reunited time and again. In 995 Olaf Trygvasson, a great-grandson of Harald, reunited the kingdom. He had been baptized in England and sought to Chris- tianize his people, but he met with opposition and was defeated and slain at Svolder by the united forces of Denmark, Sweden, and Eric, son of Jarl (Earl) Haakon of Norway. Another descendant of Harald, St. Olaf, again reunited the kingdom, besides trying to evangelize it. He attempted to force Christianity on his people, and naturally met with bitter opposition. He was killed in the battle at Stiklestad, in 1030. Soon he was regarded as a martyr and declared a saint by the national assembly. Among the more important kings who came after him may be mentioned the following: Magnus the Good (1035-1047), Harald Sigurdsson (1047-1066), Olaf the Peaceful (1066-1093), Mag- nus Erlingsson (1161-1184), Sverre Sigurdsson (1177-1202), Haakon Haakonsson (1217-1263), Magnus Law-Mender (1263- 1280), and Haakon Magnusson 1299-1319.) Magnus the Good established peace in the land. Harald Sigurdsson attacked England in 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest, and fell at Stamford Bridge. Olaf the Peaceful framed a constitution and organized the Christian Church. Magnus Erlingsson granted the Roman Catholic Church too large concessions, which brought on the bitter and bloody "Birkebeiner-Bagler" war between the common people and the episcopal party. Sverre Sigurdsson defeated Magnus and the papal party. Haakon Haakonsson, a grandson of Sverre, further deprived the clergy of their undue political influence, and annexed Greenland. Magnus Law-Mender subdued Iceland and reformed the laws. Haakon Magnusson was the last male descendant of the Harald-the-Fairhaired line. 30 Norivegian People in America King Haakon had a daughter, Ingeborg, who was married to Duke Erik of Sweden. Magnus Eriksson, the son of Duke Erik and Ingeborg, was only three years old when Union with Sweden his grandfather died. Over in Sweden a rebel- (1319-1380) Hon had broken out against King Birger, and Magnus Eriksson was proclaimed king. Thus Norway and Sweden were for the first time united under one ruler. The union was only nominal, as the two countries had separate laws and administrations, with nothing in common except the king. It was arranged that Erik, the king's oldest son, should reign in Sweden, and Haakon, the second son, should rule over Norway. Haakon married Margaret, a Danish princess. The most important event during his period was the coming of the Black Death, a terri- ble pestilence which ravaged most of the European countries, reaching Norway in 1349. In many districts it swept away the en- tire population. Centuries elapsed before the country recovered from this terrible calamity. In 1375 Queen Margaret succeeded in getting her son Olaf Haakonson elected king of Denmark. On the death of his father in 1380 he became king of Norway also. On Union with Sweden Olaf's death in 1387 Margaret was proclaimed and Denmark regent of Denmark and Norway and in 1389 (1380-1523) Sweden was also included in her regency. In 1397 her great-nephew, Erik of Pomerania, was formally elected king of the three Scandinavian states at the Diet of Calmar. Margaret continued to rule until her death in 1412. As each of the three kingdoms jealously maintained its own form of government, the prospects of a lasting peaceable union were not very bright. The Danish kings had the utmost dif- ficulty in maintaining the union. The outcome of the century-long struggle was that Norway, not having any nobility, was made a vassal province, and Sweden, through its aristocracy, with the backing of the peasantry, regained its independence. In 1523 Gustavus Vasa was proclaimed king of Sweden, and the Calmar Union was at an end. It has been said that during the union with Denmark, Nor- way had no history. In 1537, the year in which the Lutheran Reformation was introduced into Norway, Nor- Union with Den- wav was formally declared to be a province of mark (1523-1814) Denmark, and the decree was accepted without a protest. The country had been reduced to a state of poverty and dependence. Commerce had been destroyed ; taxation without representation consumed the people's substance. The Danish language supplanted the Old Norse. The literature of Norway from the Reformation to the end of the union is in- separable from that of Denmark. There was no university in The Norwegians 31 Norway before 1811, therefore the young Norwegians had to go to Copenhagen to get their higher and professional training. Lud- vig Holberg, the great "Danish" poet, is an example of a Nor- wegian, born in Norway, but trained in Denmark, hence reckoned as a Dane. As long as Norway was a mere appendage to Denmark it could not escape being involved in the consequences of Denmark's for- eign policies. When the Danes desired to maintain an armed neutrality in the Napoleonic wars in 1800-1801, England objected and attacked Copenhagen. Six years later, the English fleet again bombarded Copenhagen and forced the surrender of the Danish and Norwegian fleets. At the same time Norway was entirely cut off from Denmark by the British blockade, and reduced to the point of starvation. In the midst of these calamities the old love of freedom and independence awoke again in the Norseman's breast and he demanded his birthright. His night of political servitude was at an end. This was in 1814. Only a few years before the spiritual darkness which had for a century or more rested over Norway, was also dispelled by the Gospel preaching of the peasant-reformer, Hans Nielsen Hauge. On May 17, 1814, the Norwegians held a representative as- sembly at Eidsvold, where they adopted a new constitution and elected Christian Frederick, heir to the Danish Union with Sweden throne, as king of Norway. This show of inde- (1814-1905) pendence did not suit the great powers of Eu- rope — England, Prussia, Austria and Russia, which had decided at the Peace of Kiel that Norway should belong to Sweden. The powers demanded fulfilment of their decree. A Swedish army proceeded to occupy Norway as far as Glommen. Christian Frederick quickly resigned and set sail for Denmark, where he afterwards reigned as Christian VIII (1839-1848). The Norwegians prepared to defend their rights, and would no doubt have done so to the last man, in case war had been declared. As stated before, they laid their case before the Lord of Hosts, Who answers prayer. They called also a "storthing," or parliament, accepted the resignation of Christian Frederick and elected Charles XIII of Sweden as king of Norway, on condition that Norway should be an independent country and that the king would govern it in accordance with its new constitution. On these terms he accepted the crown of Norway and withdrew his troops. His successors were: Charles XIV John (1814-1844), Oscar I (1844-1859), Charles XV (1859-1872), and Oscar II (1872- 1905). These Swedish rulers were all noble-minded men, who, with the exception of Charles John, scrupulously sought to ob- serve the constitution of Norway and to promote the material and spiritual welfare of the country. 32 Norwegian People in America Under this system of dual monarchy, Norway was really just as independent as Sweden. But to the world it did not seem so, because the king was a Swede and the consular service was united. In the eyes of the world Norway was a province of Sweden, and this was a constant source of grievance to the Norwegians. The de- sire of the Norwegians to gain complete separation increased from year to year and came to a head in 1905. The Norwegian Storthing had passed a bill for a separate consular service, and this bill the king vetoed. The Norwegians promptly voted that he had for- feited their confidence and declared him "out of office." This resolution was confirmed by a popular vote — 362,980 votes against 182. An unofficial poll of women votes registered an additional 278,000 for dissolution. War clouds threatened, but arbitration and prayer averted the scourge of war. King Oscar abdicated the Norwegian throne, and the Norwegians offered it to a prince of his house, an offer that was refused. History is a record of what man has done, and should teach the nations of the world how to live together in peace and mutual helpfulness. In this selfish and war-mad world there is perhaps no finer example of national honor and justice than that of Swe- den and Norway during the dissolution of their union. Norway wanted to be free; Sweden wanted to be fair. They settled all their disputes without war, according to the principles of Chris- tianity. They continue to regard each other as friendly neigh- bors, kinsfolk, of equal rank and worth, with a right to a place in the sun. When King Oscar denied a Swedish prince the right to accept the throne of Norway, the Norwegian Storthing offered the vacant throne to Prince Carl of Denmark, on the basis Independence f an election, which gave 259,563 in favor of (1905—) a king and 69,264 in favor of a republic. Prince Carl accepted the offer and took the name of Haakon VII, taken from the saga period. He made his entry into Christiania Nov. 25, 1905, accompanied by his wife, Queen Maud (an English princess) and their son, Alexander, who had now been named Olav. In 1906 the king was formally crowned at Trondhjem. Thereby, after nearly 600 years, Norway again existed as an independent nation in its own consciousness and in that of its contemporaries. The country has passed through stirring times since it became independent. It lived close to the scenes of the World War, sailed the seven seas, and kept out of the war. The growth of manu- facturing is perhaps the most far-reaching of the changes in the land, bringing in its wake many changes in the life of the people. They are passing from a rural to a city population. Hence they The Norwegians 33 have many new problems — industrial, social, moral, religious and intellectual — with which they now are grappling. In 1914 Norway celebrated the centennial of its constitutional independence. What stupendous progress during the century ! What dreams had been fulfilled and how quickly! 4. Their Place in History The land is small, approximately 1 -450th of the earth's land surface. That is all. Siberia and Sahara are much larger, but count for less. Palestine and Greece are much The Land smaller, but have counted for more. In any event, Norway has great resources and marvel- lous scenery, and has a place in history that can not be exactly measured in square miles. Norway occupies a larger place in history than it does on the map. The population is small, only 1 -650th of the population of the earth. Just a handful. The Norwegians are not multitudinous as are their cousins, the Germans and the The People English. The immigration to Norway has always been small, the emigration has been great. Ethnographically, the Norwegians are Teutons, the most typical of Teutons. Physically, they are tall and lank, healthy and hardy, a vigorous, handsome race. Intellectually, they are like the other Teutons, highly endowed, with a boundless capacity for civilization. Morally, they are a clean, chaste race, with the highest standards and most tender conscience. Religiously, they are God-fearing — in olden days, according to their Norse mythol- ogy, they had the highest type of natural religion recorded ; and in our day, according to the Lutheran faith, the purest type of Chris- tianity ever formulated. Socially, they are a friendly, hospitable, thrifty, home-loving race, reverencing womanhood and respecting conjugal ties. Industrially, they love to work at any honest calling, and, as R. L. Stevenson says, "They know what pleasure is, for they have done good work." Politically, they are independent and democratic, anxious to make their own laws and willing to abide by them, loyal to their chosen rulers and magistrates, patriotically living for their country in times of peace and dying for it in times of war. Linguistically, they are Teutons of the purest type, and their written language as well as its dialects, is clear, strong, beau- tiful, extremely simple, yet fully adequate to express the widest range of thought and feeling. Culturally, they have from the dawn of their history been far advanced in civilization and have contributed liberally to art, science and literature, affecting the spiritual uplift and the material progress of the world. 34 Norwegian People in America The history of Norway is a record of war as well as peace, of course ; but it is to be noted that most of the wars are either in behalf of personal independence and de- Their History mocracy or in behalf of laws and institu- tions that safeguard individual rights and the stability of the nation. Norway's place in history is, then, a little land, putting up a great fight for individual freedom, democratic government, protection of fundamental institutions and loyal obedience to constituted authority. We do not want to say that the Norwegian is perfect and that he has no weaknesses. He has weaknesses aplenty, and his very strength has often become a weakness to such a degree as to pre- vent him from making the mark in the world that he should make. For example, his love of independence has frequently prevented him from uniting with others in greater undertakings. It was a long and bloody task, that of uniting Norway under one king. Many a brave Viking, many a hardy emigrant, has left Norway for good, in order to give his strength to some other land, just because he would not give up any of his personal freedom in Norway. But for the petty quarreling and extreme individuality of the Norwegians, Norway might early have been one of the largest and mightiest empires of the world. Norway is not counted as one of the great world powers, not only because it is small in size, but because it does not develop any great enterprise. It has prided itself too much on past achievements. On the other hand, the excessive respect for constituted authority has not been an un- mixed blessing for Norway and the Norwegians. They have in consequence often been too modest and submissive. They sub- mitted to a foreign yoke 600 years, sweetly dreaming about better days coming. They had so much respect for law and order that they did not like to protest at unjust laws and tyrannical govern- ments. Norway has therefore never had a real riot or revolution, and it often happens that the Norwegian in his heart has the moral firmness of a Brand, but in his life he has the moral inertia of a Peer Gynt. In spite of its shortcomings, Norway has secured an honorable place in history, and the sons and daughters of Norway every- where should be justly proud of their lineage. Concerning the place of Norway in history, DeChaillu says : "This country, embracing nearly sixteen degrees in latitude, is inhabited by a flaxen-haired and blue-eyed race of men — brave, simple, honest and good. They are descendants of the Norsemen and of the Vikings, who in the days of old, when Europe was de- graded by the chains of slavery, were the only people that were free, and were governed by the laws they themselves made; and, when emerging from their rockbound and stormy coasts for dis- The Norwegians 35 tant lands, for war or conquest, were the embodiment of courage and daring by land and sea. They have left to this day an indel- ible impression of their character in the countries they overran, and in which they settled ; and England is indebted for the free- dom she possesses and the manly qualities of her people — their rov- ing disposition, their love of the sea, and of conquest in distant lands — to this admixture of Scandinavian blood, which, through hereditary transmission, makes her prominent as descended chiefly from Anglo-Scandinavians and not Anglo-Saxons." Boyesen writes in his "Story of Norway" : "It is these con- quering Vikings who have demonstrated the historic mission of Norway, and doubly indemnified the world for the misery brought upon it. The ability to endure discipline without loss of self- respect, voluntary subordination for mutual benefit, and the power of orderly organization, based upon these qualities, these are the contributions of the Norse Vikings to the political life of Europe .... The breath of new life which the Vikings infused into history lives today in Norway, in England and in America." 36 Norwegian People in America A Viking Boat Chapter II THE VIKING EXPEDITIONS For the first eight centuries of the Christian era the Norseman is practically hid from our view, quietly attending to his own business way up there in his remote mountain home. Then sud- denly, in the role of a Viking, he burst upon the rest of Europe, like a tornado, spreading destruction in his path. The Viking Age had come. It lasted for three hundred years or more (800- 1100). The name Viking is thought by some to mean sea-king, from the fact that many of the chiefs of these expeditions were of royal birth — petty kings who refused to submit to Harald the Fair- haired and his successors in their attempts to unify Norway under one head. The name is more properly derived from their habit of leaving their boats in the viks, or inlets, along the coast when they pounced down upon a countryside to plunder it. What caused the Viking movement? There were various causes, some of them immediate, others more deep-seated. There were several kinds of Viking cruises. Some of them were ir- regular plundering expeditions, caused by the desire for adventure and booty. It was hard at best to make a living in Norway, and it seemed much easier to go off on a Viking raid and come back rich in plunder. Besides, such a trip was very interesting and thrilling — it came to be considered perfectly honorable and a nec- essary part of one's education. Some of the expeditions were The Viking Expeditions 37 well-planned military campaigns, numbering hundreds of ships, for the purpose of conquest. Other expeditions were peace- able commercial ventures, transporting goods of merchandise from one port to another. Still others represent an exodus from Norway, an exodus of people who were unwilling to submit to an overlord. Rather than give up their personal independence, they would leave their beloved country and go to some far-off land of their own choice. "The chief cause," says Haskins, "was doubtless that which lies back of the colonizing movements in all ages — the growth of population and the need of room." "Over- population," thinks Leach, "is the simplest explanation of the Viking madness." Coman and Kendall write thus : "In the course of the ninth century the people seem to have grown too numer- ous for the resources of the scant coast-lands, and the more enter- prising spirits set out to seek their fortunes in the richer realms to the south." Gjerset concludes : "In the Scandinavian countries, with their limited area of tillable soil, and their extensive seacoast, a sea- faring life was necessitated from the start, which produced a hardy and energetic race, and fostered the spirit of daring and adventure which expresses itself in the whole movement The young men were partly encouraged, partly driven by necessity, to seek fortune on expeditions to foreign countries. Led by love of adventure, and encouraged by the prospects of wealth and fame, they flocked to the standards of the Viking chieftains in such num- bers that the movement soon became a migration, and extensive campaigns were waged for conquest and colonization It is an error often repeated that the Vikings came to foreign lands as bands of adventurers, married women there, and soon forgot their customs and language. As a rule they brought their families with them, and settlers, both men and women, came to the new colony as soon as it was safely established. The social organiza- tion of the home country was reproduced in the colonies, and there is ample evidence to show that the Vikings clung to their own cus- toms and national identity with a tenacity not unworthy of so proud a race." The Viking movement affected all Scandinavia, not Norway only. The Swedes naturally directed their attention mainly to the east; the Norwegians and Danes, mainly to the south and west. In the chronicles of the times little distinction was made between these free-booters. There were Danes and Swedes as well as Norsemen in the raids on France, still in the French litan- ies they are all called by one name — Northmen. There were Norse- men and Swedes as well as Danes in the raids on England, yet the English chroniclers generally call them all Danes. With respect to England it should be remembered that England had 38 Norwegian People in America twice been conquered and governed by people from Denmark. The Angles and Jutes came from Denmark in the fifth century — the Angles (after whom England is named) came from southern Denmark, and the Jutes came from northern Denmark. Saxo Grammaticus, in the twelfth century, begins his history of the Danes by relating that Denmark was founded by two brothers, Dan and A n g u 1, and that A n g u 1 was the father of the English. "It is evident," says Mallet in his "North- ern Antiquities," "that two-thirds of the con- querors of Great Brit- ain came from Den- mark; so that when the Danes again infested England about three or four hundred years af- ter, and finally conquer- ed it toward the latter end of the tenth century, they waged war with the descendants of their own ancestors." This will illustrate why the Eng- lish preferred to apply the name Dane to the Vikings, even in in- Norse Settlements in Great Britain stances when they came (From L. M. Larson's "History of Eng- from Norway instead of land and the British Commonwealth." t-. ■, Copyrighted by Henry Holt and Co., New .Denmark. York.) 1. Great Britain The expeditions of the Norsemen took two main directions — to the south and to the west. The southward expeditions touched along the eastern coasts of Scotland and England and the western shores of the continent, as far south as Africa and Italy. The westward expeditions stopped at the Shetland and Orkney Islands, and then either went on south to the Hebrides and Scotland, and then on to England, Wales, Ireland, and even to France, Portugal, Spain, and the Mediterranean ; or, it went west to the Faroes, Ice- land, Greenland and Vinland. The Viking Expeditions 39 The Shetlands are an island group of 117 islands about 175 miles to the northeast of Scotland. They have a total area of 560 sq. miles and a population of about 30,000. Shetlands, Orkneys, They were discovered and settled by the Nor- Hebrides and Man wegians as early as 700 A. D., and belonged to them until 1471, when they were sold to Scot- land by the Danes for a song. Old Norse was spoken on the islands for over 1100 years. According to Jakob Jacobsen, the English dialect now in use on the islands has in it an admixture of not less than 10,000 Norse words. The population is still mainly Norwegian in race and customs. The Orkneys are an island group of approximately 75 islands just off the northeast coast of Scotland. They have a total area of 390 sq. miles and a population of over 25,000. They were settled by the Norwegians as early as the Shetlands. They were governed as a dependency of Norway by Norwegian jarls (earls) until 1471 when they were pawned by Christian I of Denmark to Scotland, but never redeemed. The people of these islands have also maintained until the present day their Norse character, race, language, customs, etc. Their English dialect is strongly marked by Norwegian words and accentuation. They say, for example : "luk the grind" for "shut the gate." One of the earls of the Orkney Islands was Thorfinn, who settled in Yorkshire, England, in 1030. He was founder of the Washington family in England, from which George Washington sprang. Welles' genealogy traces Washington 18 centuries. In Denmark, 70 B. C. — 735 ; in Nor- way, 735-900; in the Orkneys, 900-1030; in England, 1030-1659; in America, 1659-1799. The Hebrides are an island group of 521 islands to the west of Scotland, comprising 2,812 sq. miles and about 100,000 people. The Norwegians colonized the islands in the ninth century. They were annexed to Norway by Harald the Fairhaired and ruled by local chiefs, jarls and petty kings. In 1263 they were wrested from Norway by Alexander III of Scotland, and in 1471 they were formally ceded to Scotland by Christian I of Denmark. The Isle of Man lies between England and Ireland, is 22 sq. miles in area, and numbers a little over 50,000 inhabitants. It was early settled by Celts, chiefly Welshmen, but the Norwegians were in the ascendency during the Viking Age. Harald the Fair- haired made an expedition to the island and annexed it to Norway. Magnus Law-Mender ceded it to Scotland in 1266. The influence of the Vikings in the island can be seen in the fact that the present constitution of the island dates back to the Viking occupancy. 40 Nonvegian People in America The Norsemen early made settlements in Scotland, especially along the northern and western coasts. They entered the land also from the east, by sea, and from the south, Scotland where they had mighty settlements in north- ern England. When the Norsemen first be- gan to settle in Scotland, that country was not yet organized into a central kingdom. There were several Celtic tribes, with a poli- tical organization that resembled a rude confederacy. The com- ing of the Vikings forced the Picts and Scots to form a more per- fect union for the common defence of their country. The Nor- wegians had a good foothold in Scotland for over 1,000 years, and their language was spoken there during that period. Mar- garet, "Maid of Norway," was the heiress of the crown of Scotland, but she died as she was enroute to Scotland (1284). Another Margaret, daughter of Christian I of Denmark, king of Norway, became the wife of King James III of Scotland (1468). The Danish king was supposed to give a marriage dower, amount- ing to $24,000. As he was unable to pay this amount, he bor- rowed the money, giving the Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides as security. Thereby Norway lost these ancient dependencies. The Norsemen have left a deep and lasting imprint on Scotland — on the race, language, literature, art, customs, beliefs. According to George Henderson, in his "Norse Influence on Celtic Scotland," this influence has often been overlooked and belittled. "Carlyle once called the Highlanders a Norse breed," says Henderson, "and he was in a rough way nearer the truth than many imagine." In Ireland they appeared as early as 803, plundering churches and monasteries. In 826 they made their first permanent settle- ment, soon to be followed by numerous other Ireland colonies in many parts of the island, espe- cially along the east coast. In 836 Tor- gils became king of the Norsemen in Ireland. In 840 he founded Dublin (Dyflinn) and soon afterward Limerick (Hlymrik) was also established as a thriving Norwegian city. Norse kings reign- ed in Dublin in unbroken succession for nearly 400 years, until 1200. There was a good deal of fighting with the Irish, and at times the whole land was in the hands of the Norsemen. The Norsemen established in Ireland their social order and laws, and in return accepted Christianity. From Ireland they made warlike expeditions into England and" France and carried on a peaceable commerce with the lands of southern Europe. According to Gjer- set, the downfall of the Vikings in Ireland is connected chiefly with the name of Brian Borumba, the greatest of Irish kings. He slew King Ivar of Limerick and made himself king over the southern half of the land. Later he defeated King Olav Kvaar- The Viking Expeditions 41 an of Dublin and made himself high-king of all Ireland. In the Battle of Clontarf, known as the Brian battle, April 23, 1014, the last great conflict between the two races was fought, in which 4,000 Irish and 7,000 Norsemen lost their lives. The Norsemen continued to rule in Dublin and to occupy the same cities and ter- ritories as before, but their political power had been destroyed in the Brian battle. Meanwhile, during the 300-400 years of their stay in Ireland, they had been gradually intermarrying with the Irish and becoming part and parcel of the Irish people. When the Anglo-Norman armies came to Ireland in 1169-1171, they met with little resistance, except in the fortified Norse towns. But as there was no national government and no general leadership, the conquest was easily accomplished. Viking dominion in Ireland was at an end after 400 years of varied success. Traces of the Norwegian occupancy of Ireland are still numerous in the names of places and persons, and in the customs of the people. It has been claimed that all the red heads in Ireland are descended from Norse stock. Our own William Jennings Bryan, thrice a candi- date for the presidency of the United States, is thought to be a descendant of Viking Norwegian stock that came to Ireland pos- sibly via Iceland. He himself says he does not know. There was an almost uninterrupted stream of Norsemen to England and Wales from 787, when they sacked Lindisfarne, to 1066, when King Harald of Norway fell at England and Wales Stamford Bridge. Like the Danes, they came first to plunder, later to possess, and, if possible, to rule. They invaded the land from all sides and, to- gether with their Danish kinsmen, pressed the natives, both Celt and Anglo-Saxon, hard. They forced the Welsh into their moun- tain fastnesses and the Anglo-Saxons into the forests of southern Britain. Alfred of Wessex and Rhodri of Wales, both surnamed the Great, tried to organize the native forces against the invaders. In 876 Rhodri was a fugitive in Ireland ; in 878 Alfred was in hid- ing in Athelney, and was forced to make the treaty of Wedmore. By the terms of this treaty the invaders withdrew from southern England, and secured the right from Alfred to govern the north- ern half of England according to the laws of the Danes, hence, this part of England was called Danelaw. This gave peace to the land, so that the Anglo-Saxons were left to grow strong and united, able in time to defeat the invaders and rule the whole land. But a century after Alfred the Great, a new series of Viking invasions began which ended in a complete conquest of England, by Sweyn, King of Denmark, in 1012. He was succeeded by Canute the Great, greatly beloved in England and Denmark alike. After Canute's death, in 1035, two of his sons reigned briefly, and 42 Norwegian People in America then the crown went back to the Saxon rulers, in 1042. In 1066 they were in turn forced to hand it over to the Norman conquerors. It is quite customary even for historians to overlook or belittle the influence of the Danes and Norsemen in England and Wales. Edwards, in his "Story of Wales," calls these light-haired Scan- dinavians the "black Norse nations." These Scandinavians in the course of 1,000 years or more of close contact, at times hostile, oftener neighborly and friendly, gradually mingled with the Welsh- men and contributed much to the race and its culture. Yet Ed- wards does not give them one word of credit. Larned, in his "History of England," says : "England was little affected by any- thing which the Danes brought in ; since the two peoples were sub- stantially of one blood, and their institutions, customs and lan- guage were closely alike." But the influence of the invaders was not small. Their presence united the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo- Saxons were invigorated by them. They contributed much to the language and the laws of the land. Bradley, in his "Making of English," (56) points out that the place names and modern dialects in England tell us that in some districts of England the population must at times have been far more largely Scandinavian than Eng- lish. The Pilgrim Fathers and John Washington, ancestor of our first president, came from the Danelaw. It is quite customary also for historians to magnify the influ- ence of the Normans on England. Welles has traced the geneal- ogy of George Washington through the English Records (the Common Pleas Rolls) back to a Norseman who came from the Orkney Islands. The pedigree which he has published he could establish by legal evidence. Washington Irving, on the other hand, in his "Life of Washington," thinks that Washington came orig- inally from Normandy. But, the Normans also were Norsemen, the name Norman being a softening of the name Northman. Nor- mandy was peopled by Norse Vikings in the same way as England was, and it makes very little difference whether these Vikings came directly to England or by the way of Normandy. As an example of what the historians say regarding the results of the Norman conquest, the following from Mont- gomery is given as one of the most modest summaries: "1. It was not the subjugation of the English by a different race, but rather a victory won for their advantage by a branch of their own race. It brought England into closer contact with a higher civilization of the continent, introduced fresh intellectual stimulus, and gave to the Anglo-Saxons a more progressive spirit. 2. It modified the English language by the influence of the Norman-French element, thus giving it a greater flexibility, refinement and elegance of expression." Montgomery adds also the following results from the Norman conquest : It im- The Viking Expeditions 43 proved architecture, established the feudal system, re-organized the people, put an end to the Viking invasions, created a strong monarcmal government, and enforced a partial obedience to law. 2. Continental Europe During the Viking Age practically all Europe was made to feel that the Scandinavian vikings were to be reckoned with. On the continent, as in Great Britain, the lands were first rav- aged for plunder and then colonized for permanent habitations. The Elbe, the Weser, the Rhine, the Scheldt, the Meuse, the Somme, the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, the Guadalquivir, the Rhone, and other streams were open highways by which the long boats of the Norsemen approached the rich farm lands and populous cities of the interior. Smoking houses and bloody battlefields marked their track. They frequently pillaged and even burnt Paris, Amiens, Orleans, Poitiers, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes and Tours. It is told of Charlemagne (742-814), ruler of all the Christian lands in western Europe, that he wept when he heard of the havoc the Vikings were already causing and predicted the ruin of his empire. In the litany service, as stated, the terrified clergy inserted a special prayer for protection from the fury of the Northmen. Normandy- was an ancient province of France, a trifle larger than Massachusetts. This fell into the hands of the Norsemen so completely as to take from them its name. Normandy The first mention of their coming to Nor- mandy was in 841, when they sailed up the Seine to Paris. In 911 King Charles the Simple granted the province to Rolf Ganger, leader of the Northmen. At the same time he gave Rolf permission to plunder Brittany. Rolf accepted Christianity and became a good ruler. It is related that Rolf, according to feudal custom, should kiss the king's foot as a token that he would be the king's vassal. But he re- fused, and ordered one of his followers to do so in his stead. This man lifted the king's foot to his mouth so that the king fell backward, and great merriment resulted. Under Rolf's successors Normandy became the most pros- perous and progressive land in the Feudal Era. Feudalism, chivalry, literature, learning, pilgrimages, crusades, Christian- ity and civilization, all seemed to thrive better in Norman soil than anywhere else on the continent. In 1066, William, a Norman duke, crossed the Channel and conquered England. In 1154, the Norman Empire, consisting of England, Ireland and western France, was established; in 1130, a Norman kingdom was established in Sicily and southern Italy. In the First Cru- 44 Norwegian People in America sade (1096-1099) Robert II, Duke of Normandy, was easily one of the greatest leaders. The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was founded and at its head was placed the Norman Godfrey, the most valiant and devoted of the crusader knights. Tancred, another famous Norman knight, was placed in charge of other parts of Palestine. Richard, the Lion Hearted, King of England, of Norman descent, was the central figure in the Third Crusade (1189-1192). In all these exploits they still bore the stamp of their original Norse character — physical strength, ready wit, loyalty, rugged virtue, religious zeal, independence, submission to chosen, constituted authority, ability to rule, surpassing courage. Myers gives the Normans the following tribute : "The his- tory of the Normans is simply a continuation of the story of the Northmen When first we met them in the ninth century they were pagans ; now they are Christians. Then they were rough, wild, danger-loving corsairs ; now they are become the most cultured, polished and chivalrous people in Europe. But the restless, careless, daring spirit that drove the Norse sea-kings forth upon the waves in quest of adventure and booty, still stirs in the breasts of their descendants. They have simply changed from heathen Vikings, delighting in the wild life of sea-rover and pirate, into Christian knights, eager for pilgrimages and crusades." The Norse Vikings pressed on farther south. The Norsemen in Ireland traded with western France and established a perma- nent colony on the Loire in A. D. 877, under Southern Europe the rule of Dublin. They sailed along the coasts of Spain and the Mediterranean lands, sometimes plundering, at other times trading. For example in 853, as they sailed along the west coast of Spain (now Portugal), they attacked Lisbon, plundered Cadiz, captured the suburbs of Seville, and fought many battles with the Saracens. In 866, a Norse fleet sailed around Spain to the mouth of the Rhone and then made an attack on the coast of Italy, where they captured Luna, mistaking it for Rome itself. Again in 1107, when Sigurd the Crusader, King of Norway, with ten thousand volunteer countrymen at his command, was on his way to Palestine, he defeated a Moorish fleet on the west coast of Spain, and on two Mediterranean islands, Formentera and Ma- jorca, and eventually reached Palestine. The Norsemen in Pal- estine were as mighty in battle as their brothers, the Normans. Mention has already been made of the Norman kingdom of Si- cily, which was really a Norse kingdom. When King Sigurd visited Duke Roger of Sicily, who was married to the widow of The Viking Expeditions 45 Canute the Great, king of Denmark and England, he was treated as a kinsman. Norsemen often joined the Swedes in their expeditions to the East, and often they went alone. They approached Finland and Russia from the north, and forced the Finns Eastern Europe to pay yearly trihute in walrus, seal, whale and fur. All the lands along the Baltic were visited by the Vikings. In 862, Rurik, a Swede, organized a Russian kingdom, with his capital at Novgorod. To this place many a Viking came, plying his trade. Two of the kings of Norway spent a considerable part of their youth here in the service of the Russian king. One of these was Olaf Trygvasson. who later when on Viking trips to Germany, Den- mark, Holland and England, became converted to Christianity, and then returned to Norway to evangelize it. The other was Harald Sigurdsson, who first held command of the Russian ar- mies against the Bulgarians and Greeks, then was captain of the Varangians, the foreign body-guard of the Greek emperors at Constantinople, then returned to Norway and won the title "Hard-Ruler" on account of his ruthlessness in breaking the power of the tribal aristocracy, and finally was killed at the battle of Stamford Bridge in England, in 1066. That Norway was favorably known in far-off Greece may be seen from the fact that as late as 1195 the Greek emperor. Alexius, sent a Norseman to Norway for more troops to help him out. In 1222 a Norwegian pilgrim followed the well -beaten route through Russia and the Black Sea to Constantinople and the Holy Land. 3. The Faroes and Iceland The great colonial empire of Norway extended westward to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and beyond — to Greenland and Vin- land the Good. Iceland may well be considered the most import- ant of the Old Norse colonies. Here grew up an active civiliza- tion, fostering the idea and ideals of independence, learning, literature, religion and brave deeds. Here the Old Norse race, language and spirit have been preserved to this day in their purest forms. The Icelanders are to this day Norwegians, and their literature is Norwegian. As Samuel Laing. the Icelandic scholar, says : "The sagas, although composed by natives of Ice- land, are properly Norwegian literature. The events, persons, manners, language, belong to Norway ; and they are produc- tions which are strongly stamped with the nationality of char- acter and incident." 46 Norwegian People in America The Faroes are a group of twenty-one islands, one hundred ninety miles northwest of the Shetland group and two hundred fifty miles southeast of Iceland. The area The Faroes J s five hundred and forty square miles. The population is eighteen thousand. The islands are mountainous, with thin, scanty soil and slight vege- tation. Trees can not grow there on account of the prevalent hurricanes. The islands were discovered and settled by the Norsemen in the middle of the ninth century. They were held by Norway until 1380 and have been a Danish possession ever since. "The people are of Norse descent — a vigorous, laborious, loyal and religious race, belonging to the Lutheran Church." They speak a dialect only slightly different from the Old Norse spoken by the original colonists one thousand years ago. Iceland is an island lying up to the Arctic Circle, six hundred miles west of Norway and two hundred miles east of Green- land. It is reckoned as a part of Europe, Iceland but geographically it belongs rather to Amer- ica. It has an area of 39,756 sq. miles, and, at present, about 100,000 people. It is a land of high mountains, great volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, vast lava deserts and glacial snowfields, nr'ghty waterfalls, hot springs and geysers, cold climate and rocky soil. Only one-sixth of the land is habitable. According to Sturla's "Landnamabok," Naddod, a Norseman, discovered Iceland in 860 A.D., having lost his way while on a voyage to the Faroes. According to Hauk's "Landnamabok," Gardar, a Swede, first discovered the island (in 864). Accord- ing to Ari Thorgilsson's "Islendingabok," Floke Vilgerdsson, a Norseman, sailed to Iceland from the Hebrides in 870 and gave the island its present name. When Harald the Fairhaired in 872 became sole master of Norway, many of the dissatisfied chieftains sought new homes. Some went to Normandy, others to Great Britain, while perhaps the greater number went clear to Iceland. First to that wonderful island went Norsemen breakinsr the fetter ; With them from Norway was liberty sent, There to establish it better. The island had already been occupied by a few Celtic Christians, who fled at the coming of the Vikings. That the immigration to Iceland was popular can be seen from the fact that King Harald was forced to place a heavy tax in gold upon everyone who set sail for Iceland, fearing that Norway might be depopulated. For nearly a century the colony received fresh additions from Norway. Anderson and Bryce estimate The Viking Expeditions 47 that the population at the close of the period of settlement (about 950) was 50,000; Hermann places it at 60,000; while Gjerset, Munch and Sars place it more conservatively at 25,000. The story of Iceland is very interesting. There were many settlements, each one at first independent of the others. They tried naturally to reproduce as far as possible the Norwegian social organization and laws, with such modifications as they found necessary. They founded a constitutional republic, "a home of the brave and a land of the free," nine centuries be- fore the American Declaration of Independence. In 1874 Ice" landers celebrated a millennial of their republic just as we in 1876 celebrated a centennial of ours. They had their legislative as- semblies, notably the Althing, in which all took part. They had their courts and codified laws. They were small in numbers, but great in organized freedom. King Olaf Trygvasson, with true crusading zeal, tried to make Norway and its colonies accept Christianity, and succeeded, in the year 1000, the year of his death. In 1262, after nearly four centuries of freedom, the island was annexed by Norway. In 1380, it became a Danish possession. During the Napoleonic wars it was captured by Great Britain, but ceded back to Denmark in 1815. Since 1814 there has been a constant agitation and struggle for home rule and complete independence. In 1874, the Icelanders obtained a new constitution, and in 1918, by the Danish-Icelandic Act of Union, Iceland was made a free and sovereign state united with Den- mark by a common king. Since 1550 the Lutheran faith has prevailed. The Icelanders are especially noted for their discovery and colonization of Greenland and their unique literary outout. Con- cerning their work in Greenland, a word will be said in another place. As to their work in literature, their glory is like that of the morning sun. From 875 to 1100 there was a great outburst of oral literature. "Most of the military and political leaders were also poets, and they composed a mass of lyric poetry .... much of which has been preserved. Narrative prose also flour- ished, for the Icelander had a passion for story-telling and story- hearing. After 1100 A.D. came the day of the writers. These saga-men collected the material that for generations had passed from mouth to mouth, and gave it permament form in writing. After 1250 came a rapid and tragic decline. Iceland lost its independence, becoming a Norwegian province. Later Norway, too, fell under alien rule Pestilence and famine laid waste the whole North ; volcanic disturbances worked havoc in Iceland. Literature did not die, but it fell upon evil days." The chief collectors and saga-writers were Ssemund Sigfus- son (1056-1133) and Snorri Sturlason (1178-1241.) Ssemund collected the poems that floated among the people, catching many 48 Norwegian People in America of them from the lips of the scalds. His collection is known as the Elder or Poetic Edda. Snorri wrote a Younger, or Prose, Edda, which is a scientific treatise of scaldic versification and a survey of Norse mythology. Both of these men were also historians — saga-men. Of Saemund's historical work nothing has been preserved. Snorri's "Heimskringla" is a collection of sagas, telling the story of the kings of Norway from the earliest times to 1177. It is one of the greatest history books in the world, masterful in outline and perspective, exact in description and reliable in details. The saga literature treats not only of Norway and Iceland, but also of the Norse settlements in France, England, Scotland, Ireland, the Shetlands, Orkneys, Hebrides, Faroes, in Green- land and America. "It is in these Norwegian sagas," says Samuel Laing, "not in Tacitus, that we look for the origin of the political institutions of England." And it is in these sagas that we find the first accounts of the coming of the Norwegians to America. 4. Their Place in History The Viking expeditions occupy at least one-sixth of the cen- turies since Christ. During these centuries the Scandinavians were everywhere. They ventured out upon the surging main ; in open boats, without compass, they sailed across the untried seas. Wherever they went they scattered seeds of independence and industry, liberty and law, vigorous literature and refined culture. No country today has a higher percentage of literacy than have the Scandinavian lands. In Scandinavia there is full religious toleration, yet nearly everyone is a Protestant ; 99 per cent are Lutheran. Norway has never seriously tried to establish a far-reaching empire with far-flung battle lines. It has been the peculiar genius of the Norwegians to give themselves to the countries which they have colonized rather than to make these colonies a part of a Norwegian empire. In Russia, therefore, the Norwe- gians have become Russians ; in Italy, Italians ; in Spain, Spaniards; in France, Frenchmen; in England, English; in Scot- land, Scotch; in Ireland, Irish; in Iceland, Icelanders; in Can- ada, Canadians ; in the United States of America, Americans. Everywhere they have given themselves wholly, and of their culture freely, to the lands of their adoption. It is impossible to escape noticing that the countries that were settled by Norsemen assumed leadership — Great Britain and France, in particular. Again, it is noticeable that within these countries it is the sections occupied by the Norsemen that came to the front. Thus, Normandy in France, Northumbria in England, Dublin in Ireland, etc. William the Conqueror was a great-grandson of Rolf Ganger, the Norwegian founder of The Viking Expeditions 49 Normandy. When he made a conquest of England, he met with a most serious opposition from the men of Northumbria, col- onists of his own race. He drove them by fire and sword over the border into Scotland, where their influence has been felt in the heroic struggles of a William Wallace, and a Robert Bruce, and is reflected in the persevering character of the people. The influence of the Normans upon Great Britain is ad- mitted by all historians to have been very great. The Normans were Northmen, their character like their In Great Britain name being somewhat softened by intermin- gling with the French. Concerning the in- fluence of the other Northmen on Great Britain; Samuel Laing, an Englishman, says in part : "All that men hope for of a good government and future improvement in their physical and moral condition, all that civilized men enjoy at this day of civil, religious and political liberty — the British constitution, repre- sentative legislature, the trial by jury, security of property, freedom of mind and person, the influence of public opinion over the conduct of public affairs, the Reformation, the liberty of the press, the spirit of the age — all that is, or has been, of value to man in modern times as a member of society, either in Europe or in America, may be traced to the spark left burning upon our shores by the Norwegian barbarians." Aug. J. Thebaud, an Irishman, says : "Endowed with all the characteristics of the Scandinavian race, deeply infused with the blood of the Danes and the Northmen, she (England) has all the indomitable en- ergy, all the systematic grasp of mind and sternness of purpose, joined to the wise spirit of compromise and conservatism of the men of the far Nor^th. She, of all nations, has inherited the great power of expansion at sea, possessing all the roving pro- pensities of the old Vikings, and the spirit of trade, enterprise and colonization of those old Phoenicians of the Arctic Circle." Paul H. Mallet, a Frenchman, writes : "Is it not well known that the most flourishing and celebrated states of Europe owe originally to the Northern nations whatever lib- In Continental er ty they now enjoy, either in their constitution Europe or in the spirit of their government? ... Is not this, in fact, the principal source o£ that courage, of that aversion to slavery, of that empire of honor which characterized in general the European nations ; and of that moderation, of that easiness of access, and peculiar atten- tion to the rise of humanity, which so happily distinguish our sovereigns from the inaccessible and superb tyrants of Asia ? The immense extent of the Roman Empire had rendered its con- stitution so despotic and military, many of its emperors were 50 Norwegian People in America such ferocious monsters, its Senate was become so mean-spirited and vile, that all elevation of sentiment, everything that was noble and manly, seems to have been forever banished from their hearts and minds. . . . But Nature has long prepared a rem- edy for such great evils, in that unsubmitting, unconquerable spirit with which she has inspired the people of the North; and thus she made amends to the human race for all the calamities which, in other respects, the inroads of these nations and the overthrowing of the Roman Empire produced. The great pre- rogative of Scandinavia, and what ought to recommend its in- habitants beyond every people upon the earth, is, that they afforded the great resource to the liberty of Europe, that is, to almost , all the liberty that is among men. The North of Europe is the forge of mankind. It is the forge of those instruments which broke the fetters manufactured in the South. It was there those valiant nations were bred who left their native climes to destroy tyrants and slaves, and so to teach men that Nature having made them equal, no reason could be assigned for their becoming dependent but their mutual hap- piness." In speaking of the Icelandic literature, Pliny Miles says : "When we consider the limited population of the country and the many disadvantages under which they In Iceland lived, their literature is the most remarkable on record." W. Fiske says : "All other early Teutonic literatures are in comparison with the Icelandic as a drop in a bucket of water." He adds : "For the English- speaking races especially there is nowhere, so near home, a field promising to the scholar so rich a harvest." Says William Howitt : "There is nothing besides the Bible, which sits in a divine tranquillity of unapproachable nobility, like a king of kings among all other books, which can compare in all the elements of greatness with the Edda." Let B. F. DeCosta, an American scholar, say a final word : "Let us remember that in vindicating the Northmen we honor those who not only gave us the first knowledge possessed of the American Continent, but to whom we are indebted for much beside that we esteem valuable. For we fable in a great measure when we speak of our 'Saxon' inheritance ; it is rather from the Northmen that we have derived our vital energy, our freedom of thought, and, in a measure that we do not yet suspect, our strength of speech It is to be hoped that the time is not far distant when the Northmen may be recognized in their right social, political and literary characters, and, at the same time, as navigators, assume their true position in the Pre- Columbian discovery of America." 3 I « %,kk mm Physical North America Chapter III THE NORSE DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. His discovery was the result of patient and persevering' study of all the geographical references within his reach, besides an extra- ordinary ability and perseverance in carryng out his plans. We would not detract in any way from his well-deserved fame. Nevertheless, he was not the first European to discover America, and it is reasonable that some credit should be given also those who had been to America before him and shown him the way. The first Europeans to discover America were the Norsemen. By way of Iceland they settled Greenland and Vinland, and by way of Ireland, they settled Great Ireland. 1. Greenland Greenland is the largest island in the world an"island-continent" in the Arctic Seas. Nelson calls it It lies between 59° u. of iu» u& 52 Norwegian People in America N. Lat. (at Cape Farewell) to 83° N. Lat. (at Cape Jessup), and is the most northern known land. It is 1600 miles north and south, and 700 miles east and west, and has an area of 850,000 sq. miles, seven times as large as Norway, sixteen times as large as Wisconsin. Its interior is covered with an immense shield-shaped mantel of ice rising from 4000 to 11,000 ft., is un- inhabitable and is appropriately called by Hayes, "The land of des- olation." It has many monster fjords, very steep and very deep, its sides rising perpendicularly from the sea from 4000 to 9000 ft. and discharging numberless icebergs, some of them ten miles long and one mile deep. The temperature is arctic. Stefansson calls the polar regions "The Friendly Arctic." The habitable coast constitutes a thin fringe along the south- eastern and southwestern coasts with an area of 46,740 sq. miles. The present population of about 15,000 souls consists mainly of Eskimos, with a considerable sprinkling of Danes and half-breeds. The exports are oil, seal, walrus, whales, skins, feathers and fish. Greenland lies midway between Iceland and Labrador. The greatest distance between Iceland and Greenland is about 250 miles ; the shortest is less than 100 miles. It Gunnbj0rn, 876 wa s inevitable that the settlers of Iceland should find Greenland and the North Amer- ican continent. Thus it is recorded that Gunnbjo'rn, Ulf Krage's son, was driven by a storm to the coast of Greenland. His ship became ice-bound, so he was compelled to winter there, returning to Iceland in the spring. This was in 876, shortly after Iceland had been settled. The memory of Gunnbjorn's discovery did not die. There lived a man in Iceland by the name of Erik the Red, who had left his home in Jsederen, Norway, to es- EHk the Red, 983 ca pe a feud. In Iceland a landslide had dam- aged his neighbor's land, whereupon the neighbor blamed two of Erik's slaves and killed them. Erik flared up and killed the slayer. Erik was outlawed and made his home on Ox Island in the great Southwestern Broadfirth. There he got into trouble with a friend who borrowed a pair of doorposts and would not return them. Finally he went to fetch them himself, and the result was there was a battle in which Erik cut down a man or two. For this offence he was again outlawed and driven to hide in outlying inlands, while his enemies hunted diligently to find him and slay him. While a fugitive and an exile he came to think of the island to the west that Gunnbjo'rn had found. He sailed out in search of it and found it. For three years — the length of his sentence into exile —he was lost to the world and busv* exploring this island. Rink The Norse Discoveries of America 53 thinks that his exploration of Greenland was so thorough that it left hardly anything for later explorers to find. Nansen ranks him as one of the greatest explorers of all time. After three years Erik returned to Iceland. He called the land Greenland, hoping to attract settlers. He returned the same year, in 986, and established two colonies, the Vestbygd and the 0stbygd, both located in southwestern Greenland. From that time until 1409, for over 400 years, there was an uninterrupted communication between Greenland, Iceland and Norway, and the American main- land, too, for that matter. Says William Hovgaard : ''Considering that the Xorse col- onies in Greenland existed more than four hundred years, . . . and that during this period trade was kept up, at least intermit- tently, between these colonies and Iceland and Norway, it must be admitted that the chances of such accidental discovery (of the mainland) were very great. Moreover, the Norse Green- landers, who habitually sailed far to the north along the west coast of Greenland, may at times have been driven across the Davis Strait, which at Holstenborg is only 165 miles wide. Once this region was discovered, the intrepid and enterprising- explorers would hardly hesitate to push southward along the milder climates, where navigation was far simpler and less dangerous than about Greenland, and where it was easier to obtain means of sustaining life. The coasts of America, even of Labrador and Newfoundland, with their wealth of timber, berries, fish, birds and mammals, must have appeared an Eldor- ado to the Greenlanders. who there found in abundance most of the natural products in which Greenland was lacking. We may, therefore, assert that, even had the sagas not contained one word of reference to such discovery, we should still be justified in concluding that they could hardly help discovering America." Gardar became the capital of Greenland and the seat of a bishopric. The first Christian missionary to Greenland was a son of Erik the Red, the famous Leif the Lucky, discoverer of Yin- land. He bore the name Lucky because he had saved some men on a shipwreck. In 999 Leif made a visit to Norway and there was induced to accept Christianity. King Olaf Trygvasson com- missioned Leif to Christianize the people in Greenland. This became his life work, broken only by a voyage of discovery to Vinland in 1000. He had along with him priests from Norway. It is known that in 1112 Pope Paschal II appointed Eric Knuts- son, "Bishop of Greenland and Vinland in partibus infidelium." In 1121 this bishop went in search of Vinland. The bishops after him are mentioned in the Icelandic vellums by name in succession down to 1409. The intercourse with Greenland, including Vinland, was ter- 54 Norwegian People in America minated in the beginning of the fifteenth century, principally for three reasons: Ihe Black Death, which desolated all Europe and eventually reached Greenland; the transfer of the Norwegian crown to Denmark, by which act the Danes obtained a monopoly of the Norwegian shipping, and traffic to Greenland was stopped, causing the colony to languish ; the massacre of the colonists by Eskimos in 1348, 1379 and possibly also after 1409. The latest record that we have ol the Norwegian settlements in Greenland is that of a marriage ceremony in 1409 performed by Endrede Andreasson, the last bishop. In a letter from Pope Nicholas V to the bishops of Skalholt and Holar, Iceland, dated September 30, 1448, he speaks of Greenland as having received the faith six hundred years before. He mentions the attacks of the barbarians and urges the Icelanders to serve them again with the Gospel. In a letter from Pope Alexander VI, dated 1492, the year Columbus discovered San Salvador, the sad condition of Greenland is reviewed and Matthias, a Benedictine monk, is ap- pointed Bishop of Gardar. When Hans Egede, a Norwegian, came in 1721 to Green- land, bringing the Gospel to the descendants of the colonists, "who had become heathen," he found only Hans Egede, 1721 the ruins of their villages and farm houses. The settlements had vanished. Only Eskimos remained to occupy the land. Though they were hos- tile, he settled among them, enduring severe treatment and extreme hardships. He laid the foundation for the present Church of Greenland, which is Lutheran. Greenland is thorough- ly Christianized, with schools and native ministry under the care of the Bishop of Zealand, Denmark. On July 31, 1921, the 200th anniversary of Egede's landing at Greenland was cele- brated, this being one of the earliest events and most successful undertakings in the history of modern foreign missions. 2. VlNLAND Vinland (Wineland) is the old Norse name for America; or rather, it is that part of America which Leif Erikson and other colonists from Greenland attempted to settle. The chief historical sources concerning the voyages to Vinland are: "The Saga of Erik the Red" and the "Flat Island Book," compiled by Hauk Erlendsson about 1334. These sagas are quite detailed, but still not sufficiently so to identify the places mentioned. There is therefore much division of opinion as to where Vinland lay. J. Leslie, R. Jameson, and H. Murray, for example, thought that Vinland was merely a more southern point of Greenland, while J. P. MacLean suggests the northwestern regions of Greenland. J. Filson, J. R. Forsteer and P. H. Mallet located Vinland in Labrador. D. Crantz, W. Robertson and W. D. Cooley thought that Vinland was in Newfoundland. Andrew The Viking Expeditions 55 Fossum and H. J. Steenstrup located Vinland in the St. Law- rence Valley. Gustav Storm, Juul Dieserud and Knut Gjerset locate it in Nova Scotia. R. B. Anderson, N. L. Beamish and E. N. Horsford represent the view that Vinland was in New- England. J. V. N. Yates, J. W. Moulton and Alexander Hum- boldt believed that New York was a part of Vinland. Benjamin Franklin, M. C. Sprengel and J. G. Fritsch think that the Vikings went south of New England, probably as far south as the Carolinas. It is plain from this that the doctors disagree. They are sure that Vinland was in America, but just where they The Vinland Voyages showing Bjarni's voyage from Iceland to New Foundland and New England and Leif Erikson's from Norway to Green- land and following the coast to New England. (From Hovgaard's "Voyages of the Norsemen to America." Copyright, 1914, by American-Scandinavian Foundation ). do not know. The older critics favored the view that Vinland was in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ; later scholars prefer a little more northern or a more southern locality. Erik the Red had a friend by the name of Herjulf. Herjulf had a son by the name of Bjarni; hence Bjarni Herjulfson was his name. Bjarni chanced to be in Norway Bjarni Herjulfson, when his father moved from Iceland to Green- 986 land. When he returned to Iceland with a cargo of merchandise he did not unload his ship, but resolved to follow a good old custom to take up his abode with his father. His men were all willing, so they sailed for Green- land. On account of a north wind and a fog they lost sight 56 Norwegian People in America of their course and sailed many days until they came to a land without mountains, covered with woods. He was too far south. C. R. Damon thinks that the land which he now discovered was either Cape Cod or Nantucket. Bjarni turned his boat to the north again and sailed for two days, when he again spied land. When his men asked him if it was Greenland, he said "No, for in Greenland there are great snowy mountains, but this land is flat and covered with trees." This place, thinks R. B. Anderson, was Nova Scotia. Again he sailed to the north and kept the sea with a fine breeze from the southwest for three days, when a third land was seen, no doubt Newfoundland. Bjarni would not go ashore, so on he sailed farther north, driven by a violent southwest wind, and after four days he reached Greenland. Statue of Leif Erikson at Boston Erik the Red and wife Thorhild lived at Brattahlid, West Greenland, with their three sons, Leif the Lucky, Thorvald and Thorstein. When Leif heard of the ad- Lei/ Erikson, 1000 venture of Bjarni he determined to find the land which Bjarni had sighted, and ex- plore it. He bought Bjarni's ship from him, set sail with 35 picked men and found the lands just as Bjarni had described them far away to the southwest of Greenland. He landed at three places. The first he called Helhiland, meaning stoneland. It has been variously located in Labrador' and Newfoundland. The second place he called Markland, meaning woodland, pos- sibly in Nova Scotia. The third place he called Vinland, be- cause one of his party, a German, by name Tyrker, had found some grapes and became so excited that he began to talk German. The Norse Discoveries of America 57 Leif Erikson was the first to cross the Atlantic without a stop, since he did not stop at Iceland on his way to Greenland from Norway. He was the first Christian missionary to America. He was the first to set out to find America and one of the first to set his foot on the American continent. Leif Erikson returned to Greenland in the following spring. His brother Thorvald listened with rapture to the tale of adven- ture and thought that the land had been too lit- Thorvald Erikson, tie explored. So he set sail with thirty men for 1002 Vinland in 1002. He found Vinland to be a fair country, and after a good deal of explora- tion he concluded to make it his home, but he and his party were attacked by the Indians, or Skrellings (weaklings), as they called them, and Thorvald was killed. His companions buried him there in Vinland and two crosses were erected on his grave, one at his head and one at his feet. When the Norsemen had buried their chief, they loaded their ships with grapes and wood, and returned to Greenland in the year 1005. Thorstein, the youngest son of Erik the Red, was seized with a desire to go and fetch the body of his brother Thorvald. He set out with Thorvald 's ship with a crew of Thorstein Erikson, twenty-five men of good stature and strength 1005 and, taking with him his wife Gudrid, he sailed for Vinland. Through the whole summer his ship was tossed about on the deep and he lost all reckoning. Finally, they made land and discovered that they were on the western coast of Greenland. Here Thorstein and several of his men died of disease, and his widow and the rest of the party returned to Eriksf jord from whence they had departed. In 1006 Karlsefne came from Norway to Eriksf jord with two ships. While there he married Gudrid, widow of Thorstein Erikson. She persuaded Thorfinn to undertake Thorfinn Karlsefne, a n expedition to Vinland. This he did in the i°07 year 1007 with the intention of colonizing the new found land. His party consisted of one hundred and fifty-one men and nine women. He carried along on this occasion also a number of cattle and sheep. They arrived safely at Leif's Booths, and remained there three years, when hostilities with the Indians compelled them to give up their col- ony. In 1008 a son was born to Thorfinn and Gudrid. He was called Snorri Thorfinnson. He was the first white child born on the American continent, of which we have any record. From him the famous sculptor, Bertel Thorvaldsen, is lineally descended, besides many other distinguished men. After Thor- finn's death, which occurred some years later in Greenland, 58 Norwegian People in America Gudrid made a pilgrimage to Rome, after which she returned to the home of her son Snorri, who had caused a church to be built at Blaumb0r. Gudrid then took the veil and remained a Catholic nun until the end of her days. There is in Bristol County, Massachusetts, the Dighton Rock, on which is an in- scription, which it has been claimed dates from the occu- pancy of Thorfinn in this neighborhood. The rock with its in- scription was there when the Pilgrim Fathers landed in Massa- chusetts. There was much talk about another Vinland voyage, and in 1011 two ships set sail for Vinland. One was commanded by Freydis, Erik's daughter, and the other by Freydis, 1011 the brothers, Helgi and Finn Bogi, whom she had invited to go along with her. The story of this expedition is very sad, for it concerns the massacre of thirty men and five women of the party at the instigation of Freydis herself. After the massacre she returned to Greenland and bribed her party to screen her guilt. Nevertheless, "murder will out," and the story got abroad at last. At this point the sagas for a time are silent about Vinland and its colonization. The saga-man was a historian and, as such, wrote about events which were considered important events in Norway and Iceland mainly. Not very much was written about Greenland and Vin- land because they were considered less important. More attention was paid to the Vinland voyages of Leif, Thorvald, Thorstein, Thorfinn and Freydis, because they belonged to the family of Erik the Red, who was considered an outstanding man. The sagas report that a few of Thorfinn Karlsefne's men re- mained in Vinland. Later, two Icelandic chieftains joined them and established a colony there. In 1059 Bishop John, 1059 they were joined by yet another Icelander, Bishop John, a man of English or Irish descent, who had preached in Iceland for four years. In Vin- land he preached not only to the Norsemen, but also to the Indians. Some of the Indians he succeeded in converting to Christianity; nevertheless, he suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Red Men. Eric Upsi was, according to some accounts, the first bishop of Greenland. The "Lawman's Annals" records under date of 1121 these brief words: "Bishop Eric of Eric Upsi, 1121 Greenland went in search of Vinland." There is no indication anywhere why he went or whether he ever returned. The Norse-Greenlanders applied for a new bishop, and according to the "Annals," they got one in the person of Bishop Arnold, who was consecrated in 1124 as Eric's successor. The Norse Discoveries of America 59 In 1261, Iceland and Greenland, for the first time in their history acknowledged the over lordship of the king of Norway and promised to pay taxes. In 13.80 Erik Adelbrand and Priest-hater came to the throne of Norway. Thorvald Helgesson, He appointed as governor of Iceland Arne 1285 Thorlaksson, a man not very friendly to the clergy. On this account two of the Icelandic pastors, Adelbrand and Thorvald Helgesson, set out for Vinland in the year 1285. The sagas report that they "found a new land," which some suppose was the island of New Foundland. Cabot, in 1497, gave the island its present name, which is remarkably like the saga report. The "Skalholt Annals" are a manuscript found in southern Iceland. They contain a record, dated 1347, as follows: "There came also a ship from Greenland, less in size Skalholt Annals, than small Icelandic trading vecsels. It came 1347 into the outer Stream-firth (on the western coast of Iceland). It was without an anchor. There were seventeen men on board, and they had sailed to Mark- land, but had afterwards been driven hither by storms at sea." That is, this ship, on its homeward voyage to Greenland, had been driven by adverse storms over to Iceland. There is a good deal of documentary and circumstantial evi- dence to prove that in or about 1476 an expedition was sent by Christian I of Denmark-Norway to Amer- John Scolvus, 1476 ica. The expedition was sent on the suggestion of the Portuguese government. The object of the expedition was to find the "Cod Fish Country" of Labrador and Newfoundland. The venture was successful. It was com- manded by a Dane, Dietrik Pining, and was piloted by a Nor- wegian, John Scolvus. Two Portuguese noblemen, Cortereal and Homen, went along as representatives of Portugal. Cordeyro therefore credits these men with the discovery of the codfish country, and the King of Portugal gave them official appointments in the Azores in recognition thereof. It is interesting in this connection to note that in 1476 Columbus made his home in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1477, when he was enroute to Iceland, he wrote a letter from Bristol, England, to his son. This expedition to America by Scolvus occurred nearly 500 years after Bj ami's first land- sighting. 60 Norwegian People in America 3. Great Ireland Another part of America that was settled by the Xorse Vikings was Hvitramannaland, or White Man's Land, also called "Irland itt Mikla," or Great Ireland. It was called White Alan's Land, because two native boys, captured by Thorfinn Karlsefne, in Markland in 1007, had told of a country beyond their own (to the south) where people wore white garments. It was called Great Ireland because it was conceived to be nearest to Ireland across the ocean, southwestward. An old manuscript says: "Thither was sailing formerly from Ireland; there Irishmen and Icelanders recognized Ari, of whom nothing had been heard for a long time and who had been made a chief there by the inhabitants." Ari Frodi (1067-1146), the first compiler of "Landnamabok," states that this land lay to the west, in the sea, near to Vinland the Good. "VI days' sailing from Ireland." According to Carl Christian Rafn, the figure VI was written by mistake for XI, XV or XX, by the transcriber of the original manuscript which is now lost. The mistake, R. B. Anderson thinks, might easily have been caused by a blot or defect in the manuscript. Great Ireland is supposed to have been some part of the Atlantic coast, from Virginia to Florida. Ari Marson, an Icelandic chieftain, was, in the year 983, driven by storms far out of his course, until he finally landed at what the chroniclers called Irland itt Mikla. AH Marson, 983 The story of this voyage was first told by Rafn, Ari Marson's contemporary. Rafn was surnamed the Limerick-trader, because he lived at Lim- erick, Ireland, for a number of years. Ari Frodi, the his- torian, was a great-grandson of Ari Marson. He relates that Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Jarl of Orkney, claimed that Ari Marson was held in great respect in his new home and could not get away from there. In those days there seems to have been an occasional intercourse between the British Isles and Great Ireland. Bjoni Asbrandsson was also an Icelander. On account of a love affair with Thurid, a married woman, he had been banished from Iceland for three years. He went to Den- Bj0rn Asbrandsson, mark, joined the celebrated Jomsborg warriors, 999 and fought in the Battle of Fyrisal, Sweden. In 999 he returned to Iceland and again took up his unfortunate love affair. For this breach of ethics he had to leave the country again. He set sail from Iceland with a north- east wind, and no one knew what became of him until Gudleif returned from his voyage to Great Ireland. The Norse Discoveries of America 61 Gudleif Gudlaugsson was a brother of Thorfinn, the ancestor of Snorri Sturlasson, the historian. Gudleif undertook a voyage to Dublin, at that time a Norwegian city. On Gudleif Gudlaugs- leaving Ireland he set sail again for Iceland, son, 1027 but was driven by adverse winds far to the west and southwest. He and his crew sent up many prayers that they might find land. Finally, they saw land to the west and resolved to go ashore. As they did so, people came down to meet them, laid hands on them, and bound them. While the natives were debating what to do with them, another company of men approached, at the head of which rode a man of dis- tinguished appearance, old and gray. He spoke to Gudleif in the Old Norse, for he was no other than BjoYn Asbrandsson. Bjo'rn asked many questions about Iceland, set Gudleif and his men at liberty, sent a present along to his sweetheart Thurid and a sword for her son Kjartan, and directed them to set sail again, as the natives were not to be trusted. Gudleif sailed back to Dublin, and then returned to Iceland, bringing with him the greet- ings and presents. B. I. Jensen, Toano, Va., writes concerning the ruins of an old stone house in Virginia, in part as follows : "Near the junction of Weir Creek and the York River in James City (this) County, are the ruins of an old stone house, the history of which is a matter of conjecture. Some believe it was an outpost erected by Capt. John Smith. There are no stone at all in this section, so all used in building this house must have been brought in, presumably by water, may have been brought from the New England states My father was of the firm conviction from the evident age of the ruin that it ante- dated Smith and the English settlement and that it must have been the work of the Vikings I believe the Vikings built this old house six hundred years before Smith was born." 4. Inland Even though the old Norsemen were good chroniclers and saga-men, it is reasonable to presume that they did not record everything. "The half has never yet been told." Besides, much that has been written has been lost. Nothing has been preserved, for example, of the historical works of Saemund Sigfusson, who established the Norse chronology up to 1047. The originals of Ari Frodi's "Islendingabok" and Karl Jonsson's "Sverrirssaga" have been lost ; we possess only copies and versions of these. Many manuscripts have been destroyed — some by reformers in the 16th century, some by the Algerine and English pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries, some by the burning of the Royal Library at Copenhagen in 1728, etc. Most manuscripts 62 Norwegian People in America were at first privately owned, and possibly not all have been discovered yet. In 1837 Carl Christian Rafn, a Danish scholar, published his "Antiquitates Americanae" (American An- tiquities), a collection of sagas and other historical references to the Pre-Columbian discovery of America by the Norsemen. One of the chief sources on the Vinland story is the "Flateyar- bok" owned by a family on an island, Flat Island, off the coast of Iceland. This precious book is now in the possession of the Royal Library at Copenhagen, where it is jealously guarded. The United States wished to place it on exhibit at the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893. The American minister at Copenhagen promised to convey the book here in an American warship, to keep it constantly under guard and accompanied by a Danish scholar, but the request was refused. It is plain, then, that we do not have all the sources, also that many events were not chronicled. Men did not record all the voyages back and forth between Norway and Iceland, Ireland and Iceland, Greenland and Iceland, etc., and it is hardly to be expected that they should keep track of every trip to the main- land. During the 12th and 13th centuries the Norsemen in Greenland used to make their fishing expeditions up and down what is now known as Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, just as their kinsmen in Norway have from time immemorial fished at Lofoten and Finmarken. From Davis Strait they could easily make their way into Hudson Bay — and Hudson Bay is in the heart of America, far inland. This did actually happen to the Jens Munk Expedition in 1619. If the Kensington Stone is genuine, then we are assured that such an event took place also in 1362. The Kensington Stone and the white Eskimos and white Indians are indications that the Norsemen penetrated far inland. In the fall of 1898 Olaf Ohman, a Swedish farmer living three miles northeast of Kensington, Minn., in clearing a timber tract of stumps, discovered a stone with an in- The Kensington scription in the runic characters of the Old Stone Norse tongue carved upon it. The stone lay deep down entwined by the roots of the tree. The tree was native and much older than the settlement. The inscription said that eight Swedes and twenty-two Norsemen were on a journey of discovery from Vinland westward. Ten of their men had been killed. They were 14 (or 41) days' journey from their vessel, where ten men were stationed. Year 1362. The stone at once attracted much attention. It was sent to Minneapolis and Chicago to be examined by experts, most of whom declared it a fraud. It was returned to the owner, who used it for a doorstep to his granary for eight years. Then in 1908, Hjalmar R. Holand got interested in it, exhibited it in this country and Europe, and The Norse Discoveries of America 63 for a time practically reversed the opinion that it is of modern origin. In the line-up denouncing the stone as a fraud are such men as : O. J. Breda, H. Gjessing, R. B. Anderson, Gisle Bothne, J. Dieserud, Geo. T. Flom, Horatio Gates, G. N. Gould, Julius E. Olson and Knut Gjerset; among its defenders are such men as: H. R. Holand, Anders Daae, Olaf Huseby, P. P. Iverslie, An- drew Fossum, N. A. Grevstad, Knut Hoegh, O. L. Kirkeberg, O. A. Normann, A. E. Petterson, F. C. Schaefer, Warren Upham, N. H. Winchell and Louis H. Roddis. A look at the map shows probable routes the Kensington Norsemen took — down the Hudson Bay, the Nelson River, Lake Winnipeg, and the Red River of the North, a distance of one thousand mjles, or by way of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes. According to Gustav Storm's "Studier over Vinlandsreiserne," an expedition was sent by King Magnus from Bergen in 1355, under the com- mand of Paul Knutson, into American waters. In 1349 the Eski- mos had attacked the western settlement (Vestbygd), hence this expedition was to defend the Greenland settlements against the Eskimos. This expedition, or a part of it, returned to Norway in 1364. This is but another indication to show that the intercourse between Norway and America was still kept up at the time of the Kensington expedition. "For nearly four centuries," says Roddis, "Greenland re- mained a place with five or six thousand people apparently pros- perous and with considerable commercial re- White Eskimos lations with Iceland and Norway. There were a number of churches, and ecclesiastical relations with Rome existed, as is shown by the mention of Green- land and Vinland in papal letters as well as in monastic records. During this time it is known that a number of voyages were made to Vinland and Markland, and no doubt the record of many more are lost. Then in 1406 all mention of Greenland and its settlement ceases." What became of the Greenland settlements? When Hans Egede came to Greenland in 1721 he found only Eskimos, but no Norsemen. What had become of the hardy Norsemen ? The Black Death had visited the island and the Eskimos are said to have made attacks on the weakened settlements. Still, it is not quite reasonable to suppose that every man, woman and child was ex- terminated by these two enemies. There have been tales of blond and blue-eyed Eskimos, and they have led to many interesting speculations and explorations. A recent explorer, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, an Icelandic-American, has made a careful study of the blond Eskimos. He reports that in Victoria Land and Prince Albert Island, to the north of Canada, seven per cent of the Eski- mos are blonds, with blue eyes. Sir John Franklin said of these 64 Norwegian People in America people that they were like Europeans ; Thomas Simpson, that they were "of a distinguished appearance and much like Scandinav- ians." "No one," says Stefansson, "who has any familiarity with the history of the North (Canada) can imagine that these light characteristics have come since the beginning of modern explora- tion or of whaling." These white Eskimos are no doubt descend- ants from the Greenland colony. There have been rumors also of blond and blue-eyed Indians. Where there is much smoke there must be some fire. G. B. Joer- genson, Stanwood, Wash., set out to invest- White Indians igate this question. He has found consider- able concrete evidence of the intermixture of the Norse and the Indian races. He has listed a thousand or more words in the Indian languages of Washington and western Can- ada, derived from the Old Norse. "Elva," for example, is the In- dian name for a river in Alaska, just as "kona" is the Eskimo name for wife in Greenland. He has also discovered a number of Indian traditions about the coming of the Norsemen, their inter- marriage with the Indians, and the warfare between the white Indians and the Red Men. 5. Their Place in History History is a record of what man has done. Historians mani- festly cannot keep a record of everything that has been accom- plished. Therefore, they choose what they consider the most im- portant material. The choice may be according to bias or the fashion of the day. Now they emphasize the deeds of war and then again the works of peace. One school of historians will stress one view ; another school will fight for another opinion. With re- gard to the Norse discoveries of America, most historians in every land have commonly disregarded the whole subject as being be- neath their notice. Still, there is plenty of evidence of the fact that the discoveries were made, and plenty of opinion by good men at that, that these discoveries had important and far-reaching influ- ence on world events. It is everywhere accepted as a fact that Greenland was dis- covered by Norsemen as early as 876 ; furthermore, that the Norsemen settled Greenland in 983, and Greenland that thriving settlements' were maintained un- til the Black Death visited Denmark-Norway and its colonies. After 1409 the communication with Greenland was practically cut off until 1721, when it was resumed. The story of Greenland is not to be despised. The reports, for instance, with regard to foreign missions, as already stated, point to one of the first and most successful mission conquests in mod- The Norse Discoveries of America 65 ern history. The whole world sings Bishop Heber's famous mis- sion hymn: ''From Greenland's Icy Mountains." It cannot be denied that Greenland is a part of North America; it is not de- nied that the Norsemen discovered Greenland in 876, therefore they did discover North America in 876. An examination of thirty-three works on United States his- tory, taken at random, scattered over one hundred years of time as to publication, making eighty-seven vol- V inland umes, and covering 39,179 pages, reveals the following facts : Only forty-five pages of the eighty-seven volumes are devoted to the Norsemen in Amer- ica. Not one word is said about the recent immigration of Nor- wegians to America, and their part in the making of this country. One would never know from United States history that there are any Norwegians here. Twelve of the thirty-three books do not mention the Norse discoveries at all. Twenty of the thirty-three do mention their coming, but do not consider the event as significant. Only one of the thirty-three, — C. R. Damon, — accepts the story of the Norse- men on a par with other historical data. Bancroft, for example, says : The claim "rests on narratives mythological in form and obscure in meaning." He speaks about Snorri, one of the world's greatest historians, as having a "zealous curiosity that could hardly have neglected the discovery of a con- tinent." Snorri, by the way, devotes only one sentence to Vinland : "Thereafter he found Vinland the Good." It is a safe bet that Bancroft had never read the great Snorri and here passed a snap judgment. Hildreth says : "Greenland they certainly discovered and colonized ; but their alleged visit to North America, though not without warm advocates, rests on events of too mythic a character to find a place in authentic history." This evidence, by the way, is exactly of the same kind as the evidence for the discovery of Greenland. Barnes says : "Admitting the claims of the Northmen, the fact is barren of all results." Armstrong says : "The discoveries did no good, except to satisfy their love of adventure." Johnston thinks : "Their dis- coveries were little heard of and were soon forgotten altogether." Channing maintains that : "The whole matter of the Vinland voy- ages is one of those curious academic puzzles which are interesting on account of the absurd theories that have clustered around them. The history of America would have been what it has been if Leif Ericson had never been born." A. B. Hart has written a "Source Book of American History," 1900, in which he does not mention the Norsemen at all. He has written also a book entitled "Amer- ican History Told by Contemporaries," 1920, in which he says about the sagas which he quotes : "The narrative is trustworthy, 66 Norwegian People in America but does not go into detail enough to identify the places men- tioned." C. R. Damon, in his ''American Dictionary of Dates," says that Gunnbj^rn sighted a western land in 876, Erik the Red discovered Greenland in 983, Bjarni came to Cape Cod or Nan- tucket in 986, and Leif Erikson in 1000 sought the land reported by Bjarni. Several other of the Norse discoveries are listed in chronological order by Damon. The historians are particularly interested in trying to show that, even if the Norsemen had discovered America, Columbus knew nothing about it. But this is discrediting the intelligence of Columbus, as well as the importance of the Norsemen in the Viking Age. The first Icelander to make mention of Vinland was Ari Frodi in his "Islendingabok," about 1120. But over 50 years previous to the writing of "Islendingabok," Adam von Bremen, a German, wrote, in 1067, a church history, in which he says that he had gotten information from the Danish king, Svenn Estrids- son, about Vinland. Having given an account of Iceland and Greenland, Adam continues : "Besides these there is still another region, which has been visited by many, lying in that ocean (the Atlantic), which is called Vinland, because vines grow there spon- taneously, producing very good wine ; corn likewise springs up there without being sown. This we know, not by fabulous conjec- ture, but from positive statements of the Danes." The oldest known literary mention of Vinland was found on a runestone at H^nen in Ringerike, Norway. The inscription was copied in 1823, but the stone has since disappeared. Sophus Bugge estimates that this record was cut in 1050, or at an earlier date. It is important to know that other peoples in Europe besides the Norsemen attempted voyages to the west before Columbus. A Prince of Wales, Madoc by name, is said to have sailed to Amer- ica in 1170, and returned. He sailed again, but never returned. Pizigani, an Italian, published a map in 1367 showing islands in the Atlantic. In 1394, Niccolo Zeno, a Venetian, visited Greenland and presumably Vinland also. In 1427 the Claudius Clavus map of Greenland and Vinland was published, just eight years before Columbus was born. In 1476 Portugal tried to rediscover the "Cod Fish Country," and that year Columbus settled in Portugal. The next year he made a trip to Iceland and one hundred leagues beyond. It must be remembered that Gudrid, who had twice been in Vinland, after her return to Iceland made a visit to Rome, and later took the veil as a Catholic nun. Also that the popes knew about Greenland and Vinland, as is shown from the fact that they appointed bishops of Greenland and Vinland for the space of at least three hundred years. It seems plain, therefore, that Europe had considerable knowledge of the lands to the west. Europe, thinks Paul L. Ford, was busy with its own affairs, felt no pressure of population, and therefore did not care to give The Norse Discoveries of America 67 heed to tales about western lands. It needed men, not lands. Eu- rope enjoyed a lucrative trade with India, — by water, across the Mediterranean ; and by caravan, across Asia Minor and Persia. But when the Turk blocked the way to India, then Europe began to listen to the possibility of a western route. Certain it is that the air was full of stories about the lands to the west and the map- makers persisted in locating strange lands out in the Atlantic, all the way from Greenland to Brazil. Columbus himself was a map- maker by profession. In the few maps that have been preserved, no less than 27, made between 1351 and 1492, by different ge- ographers working in different cities, locate islands and continents in the western Atlantic, of which no account or mention is to be found in the writings of the same time. Of course many of the rulers and schoolmen would not believe the accounts of the Norsemen, nor of Columbus either. King John of Portugal would not believe until he saw the Indians and treasures that Columbus took along with him. That the voyage of Columbus produced more results than those of the Norsemen is due to various causes : The monarchs of southern Europe were interested in the enterprise; vast mines of gold and silver were reported ; the modern age had begun, with awakening everywhere and in every direction. Nevertheless, it took Europe another century to decide that it would try to colonize America. Columbus was an earnest student, and the best geographer and map-maker of his day. He was in close touch with the pope at Rome, with the scholars and rulers of his day, and with the sea- men from every port. He was a diligent reader of Aristotle, Sen- eca, Strabo and other authorities on geography, and had made ex- tensive travels. He agreed with the ancient and mediaeval scholars that the world is round as a ball and not flat as a pancake. He could, therefore, not have been ignorant of the works of Adam von Bremen, the sagas, the papal records and the many maps which showed that there were islands and lands to the west. In his contract with Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, who financed his undertaking, he makes plain that he intends to dis- cover new lands. He demands five things: 1. He wishes to be "admiral of the seas and countries which he is about to discover," and that this dignity "shall descend to his heirs forever." 2. He wishes to be made viceroy of all the continents and islands that he may discover. .3. He wishes to have a share, amounting to one- tenth part, of all the exports from said countries. 4. He wishes to be made sole judge of all mercantile matters in said countries. 5. He wishes to receive the eighth part of all the profits from all ships which traffic with the new countries. He wishes to be called Admiral of the Seas, Admiral, Viceroy and Governor of the Indies. All these rights, titles, offices, percentages and privileges 68 Norwegian People in America were granted him by the Spanish monarchs, as he set out on his first voyage of discovery in 1492, and were repeated in 1497 and 1501. Columbus did not want much, it seems, but it was a good deal more than the Norsemen were asking. At any rate, he did not give the Norsemen any credit for having shown him the way to the western world. In that respect he is in a class with the average writer of United States history. Thus Spencer says : "There is not the slightest reason to believe that the illustrious Genoese was acquainted with the discovery of North America by the Normans five centuries before his time, however widely authenticated that fact now appears to be by the Icelandic records." And Thomas says : "The Northmen must have carried home news of their dis- coveries Their stories would hardly have been believed even if carried to other Europeans." Garner and Lodge venture the following judgment : "While, therefore, Leif Ericson and his followers were probably the first Europeans to visit America, their discoveries had no permanent result, and the history of the country would have been what it is had they never left their native shores.*' Such statements are ridiculous. The Norsemen contributed their share to making Columbus realize that there was an American continent and they should be given credit for this contribution in the school histories of our land. History should not be a juggling of facts. It is a record of what man has done. • The story of Great Ireland is often dismissed as mythical for the reason that the sagas as a body of literature discuss matters ranging from dry chronicle to romantic myth. Great Ireland The sagas which give the most elaborate accounts of the Great Ireland discoveries are the "Landnamabok" and the "Eyrbyggja" saga and they bear marks of being sober history. There is nothing so stubborn as facts. It may be that the Kensington Stone and other runic inscriptions, particularly in Canada, are fraudulent, but it is hard to ac- Inlarm count for the white Eskimos and white In- dians, except on the theory that a very long time back there had been an intermixture of the races. The data for such a theory is easily at hand if we admit that the Norsemen penetrated inland. Again, if the Kensington Stone is a fraud, the mystery deepens : who perpetrated the fraud, and how, and when, and why? Chapter IV THE NORWEGIANS IN AMERICA The Norwegians have been in America since 876 A. D., 1049 years. Their occupancy of America may be divided into three periods, as follows : 1. The Viking Period, 876-1476, 600 years. 2. The Colonial Period, 1476-1825, 349 years. 3. The Modern Period, 1825-1925, 100 years. 1. The Viking Period The Viking Period was one of discovery and of interrupted col- onization. The Norsemen discovered Greenland and the Amer- ican continent. They explored America from Greenland as far south as Florida and as far west as Minnesota. They made set- tlements in Greenland, New England (Vinland), the Chesapeake country (Great Ireland), and possibly in other localities. Greenland was discovered by Gunnbjo'rn by chance, just as the continent was accidentally discovered by Bjarni, both of them speeding before the gale. But Erik the Red intended to find Greenland and Leif Erikson planned to discover the land that Bjarni reported having seen. It was the intention of the Norsemen to settle these lands and live there. Therefore Erik the Red called his land Greenland, hoping, as he said, to attract settlers. Therefore Leif would not sell the huts that he had built in Vinland, but was willing to lend them. When Thorvald came to Vinland, he said : "It is a fair region here, and here I should like to make my home.'- When he 70 Norwegian People in America was shot by an Indian arrow, he picked out a pleasant spot for his grave, saying: "Ye shall bury me there, with a cross at my head and another at my feet, and call it Crossness hereafter for ever." It is said of Thorfmn Karlsefne that he brought with him a company of 160, besides "all kinds of cattle, for it was their in- tention to settle there, if they could." There is pretty good cir- cumstantial evidence to show that there were Norse settlements in Vinland as in Greenland long after Thorfinn Karlsefne had to leave on account of the hostilities of the Indians. It was, for example, considered both honorable and profitable to go to Vin- land to fetch timber and other supplies. The pope kept on ap- pointing bishops of Greenland and Vinland from 1112 to 1492. The Greenland colony existed until it was wiped out by the Black Death and the Eskimos. It is said to have had upward of six thousand Norsemen. But the records are meagre. An examination of three hundred modern text books in United States history re- veals the fact that not one of these books, by one word, gives any information about the presence of Norwegians in America since 1825. And yet they are found in every state and almost every county of the United States. There are many reasons why the early Norse settlements were hard to establish and maintain. Norway was far away. Iceland was far away. Greenland was far away. Greenland had no tim- ber from which to build ships. It was difficult to cross the stormy seas in open boats, without compass. Norway became a province of Denmark and her communication with her colonies ceased. The Black Death ravaged here and there. Indians and Eskimos were hostile. 2. The Colonial Period No one knows how many Norwegians came over during the Colonial Period or when they began to come. They did not come in collective bodies as in the good old Viking Age. Norway, being subject to Denmark, was not in a position to enter the race with Spain, France and England to come to America first and claim the land. King Christian IV in 1619 sent an expedition to find a north- west passage to Asia. The captain of this expedition was the Norwegian Jens Munk. He sailed from Copenhagen May 9, 1619, with two ships and 66 men. He entered Hudson Bay and had to winter there at the mouth of the Churchill River. He took pos- session of the country and gave it the name of Nova Dania. But sickness visited them and all died except Jens Munk and two of his crew, who returned to Norway Sept. 25, 1620. Munk kept a diary, which is in the Royal Library at Copenhagen. In his "First Chapter of Norwegian Immigration" R. B. An- derson mentions two Norwegians who served under Admiral John The Norwegians in America 71 Paul Jones, namely, Thomas Johnson and Lewis Brown, both born in Norway. A biography of Johnson written by John Henry Sherburne was published at Washington in 1825. In his "Norske Settlementers Historie" H. R. Holand sets forth a number of interesting instances of Norwegians in Amer- ica during the 17th and 18th centuries; as, for example: John Vinje, a Norwegian, born in 1614, was the first white child born in New York. His sister was married to Dirck Volkertson, a Nor- wegian in the Dutch colony at New Amsterdam (New York). "Hans Hansen van Bergen in Norwegen" was the name of a prominent Norwegian in the Dutch colony. One of his descend- ants is Dr. John Bergen, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, author of "Evidences of Christianity," published by Augsburg Publishing House in 1923. In a private letter Pastor Bergen says that there is no doubt as to his remote Norwegian nationality, but he adds : "I ban ein gemixter." At Bethlehem, Pa., is a Moravian cemetery, with a printed list of burials during the 18th century. Nine out of the 2600 names are listed as born in Norway. One of the prominent physicians in the early history of North Carolina was Dr. Hans Martin Kalberlahn, born in Trondhjem in 1722. A Scandinavian Society was organized in Philadelphia in 1769 and continued active until 1802. It was re- organized in 1868 and is still in existence. The first president was Capt. Abraham Markoe, a Dane. George Washington became an honorary member of this organization in 1783. In his "Nordmaend in Nieuw Nederland," Torstein Jaiir pre- sents a list with documentary evidences, of Norwegians who lived and labored in the Dutch colony. For example, at Troy, New York, Claes Claesz and Jacob Goyversen from Flekkerp', Roelof Jansz from Marstrand, who came over on the ship "De Eendracht" in 1630. In 1631 the Dutch patroon, Van Rensselaer, made a three years' contract with four Norwegians to work for him as builders, farmers, etc., at Ft. Orange, New York. The names of the men are: Andries Christensen and Cornelius Goverts of Flekkerp', Barent Thoniz of Hellesund, and Laurens Laurensz Noorman. The contract is found in the "Van Rensselaer Bowier Manu- scripts," pages 186-189. In 1636 the ship "Rensselaerswyck" brought over from Holland 38 passengers, of whom seven were Norwegians. One of these was a child born at sea on a stormy day. His parents were Albert Andriessen of Fredrikstad and wife Annetje Barents. The child was appropriately baptized Storm van der Zee, in honor of the day and place. One of the leading pioneers i Schenectady, New York, was Arent Bratt, a descendant of Bishop T. O. Bratt of Trondhjem, and of the ancient Norse jarls. Arent is the ancestor of a numerous race that have been active in the making of New York State. One of the interesting bits of information in G. T. Flom's 72 Norwegian People in America "History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States" is this : A Norwegian sailor, Captain Iverson, settled in Georgia some time about the close of the 18th century. United States Senator Alfred Iverson from Georgia was a grandson of this sailor pio- neer. In June, 1808, Frank Peterson, a Norwegian enlisted in the United States Army. He was stationed at Fort Dearborn, 111., and fell in 1812 in an attack by 500 Pottawattomie Indians. He was one of the "first martyrs of the West." J. O. Evjen's book, "Scandinavian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674," gives biographies of thirty-four Swedes, ninety-seven Danes and fifty-seven Norwegians who lived in New York during that period. Among the Norwegians listed is Anneken Hendricks, the first wife of Jan Arentzen Vander Bilt, the ancestor of the Vanderbilts. He married her in New Amsterdam, Feb. 6, 1650. She came from Bergen, Norway; he was from Utrecht, Holland. They had three children. Concerning the Norwegians in America during the Colonial days Jahr cites the words of Linne: "Ea quae scimus, sunt pars minima eorum, quae ignoramus (The things that we know are only a very small part of what we do not know). Jahr's own com- ment is strikingly true : "Om de allerfleste har Saga glemt hvad hun visste" (Concerning most of them Saga has forgotten what she knew). Halvdan Koht estimates that over one-fourth of the immigration to the Dutch colony at New Amsterdam con- sisted of Norwegians. Rev. Justus Falckner, the first Lutheran minister to be ordained in America, kept a church record, still in existence, which contains an occasional Norwegian name. For example: On October 12, 1707, he married Peter Johansen, born at Bergen, Norway; on October 10, 1708, he baptized Johannes Norman; on April 18, 1710, he baptized Catharina Noorman, etc. 3. The Modern Period The Norwegian immigration to America during the last cen- tury can best be understood as a part of a world movement. Such migratory movements occur now and then in the course of the centuries, the chief cause being land-hunger. SinCe the Confusion of Tongues at Babel and the first disper- sion of families in consequence thereof, the world has beheld many a migration of the races, here and there, back Norwegian Immigra- and forth, from one land to another. Witness, tion Part of a for example, the Patriarch Abraham and his World Movement household setting out for the Promised Land, and the Children of Israel, several millions strong, under Moses making an exodus out of Egypt. Or, take the pressing of the Huns into Europe in the 4th century of our era, and the invasions of the restless Teutonic tribes in the 5th The Norwegians in America 73 century — Goths, Franks, Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards, Ger- mans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes — , pouring south and west with ir- resistible force and fury, seeking new homes in the crumbling Roman Empire. The Saracens in the 8th century, the Scandi- navians in the 9th, the Hungarians in the 10th, the Mongols in the 13th, the Turks in the 15th, are further examples of the per- iodic phenomena of whole races suddenly starting to migrate, almost after the fashion of De Quincy's "Flight of a Tartar Tribe." These sudden and vast migrations, however, are not more stupendous and awe-inspiring than the immigration of the Eu- ropeans and other peoples to America during the last hundred years, though quite different. The great migrations of the early centuries were nearly always accompanied by violence and blood- shed, by conquest .and subjugation of the native population. The immigration to America has been peaceful. The immigrants came to America, not to conquer the country by force and to change its language and laws, but to find here greater freedom in religious, political and economic matters and better opportunities to make a living. They have willingly worked hard to transform deserts into gardens; they have vied with one another in the making of America. Each national group has contributed its quota of citizens, and, in the blending of the races through intermarriage, has a part in the creation of a brand new race, the American people. Each people that came here brought along with it some of the culture of its home land, and some of this has been transplanted to American soil. Norway has never sent her criminals or paupers to America ; she strives to take care of these unfortunates herself. She has given to America a goodly share of the strong- Relative Position est and most ambitious young men and women of the Norwegian that she has been able to foster. In olden days Immigration it was chiefly the ruling classes that emigrated, for the reason that they did not wish to submit to an overlord. In modern times it has been chiefly the working classes that have left for America. Says the United States Im- migration Commission in its report, giving a statistical review from 1820 to 1910 : "Norway has sent a larger per cent of its population to America than any other country excepting Ireland. Considering the smallness of its population, but little over 2,000,- 000 (in 1910), as compared with the 72,000,000 of Germans and 40,000,000 of English, Scotch and Irish, it has done its full share in populating America." As compared with Denmark and Sweden, sister Scandinavian countries, the emigration from Norway from 1821 to 1920 was as follows : 74 Norwegian People in America Per Cent of Country Population Immigration Scandinavian 1920 1821-1920 Immigration Sweden 5,847,637 1,144,607 63.5 Norway 2,691,855 693,450 32.4 Denmark 3,268,907 300,008 14 1 Total 1 1,808,399 2,138,065 100.0 Out of every 1000 Scandinavian immigrants, 141 have been Danes, 324 Norwegians, and 535 Swedes. As compared with the total immigration to the United States during the period 1821-1920, the part Norway has played is quite small, being only a trifle over 2% of the whole. This century of immigration is in point of numbers, really the greatest migration of peoples in the history of mankind. Over 33 millions of people Northern Europe We&tern Europe and ' Canada \y Z5? Z5f 25?» Z5f /\ /N Eastern Europe Southern Europe and Latin America. Sources or Immigration to U. 0. 1620 - 1920 came to the United States in this period, an average of over 330,000 a year. The bulk of the immigration during the first 80 years came from western and northern Europe; during the last 20 years it has come from eastern and southern Europe. The following table gives a comparison of the six principal sources of this immigration : Country " Population Immigration Per Cent of 1821-1920 Immigration Great Britain 47,157,749 8,333,710 24.6 Germany 60,900,197 5,533493 16.4 Scandinavia 11,808,399 2,138,065 6.4 Total W. and N 119,866,345 16,005,268 47.4 The Norwegians in America Italy 36,120,118 4,199,653 Austria-Hungary 50,000,000 4,073,143 Russia 175,000,000 3,437,102 Total E. and S 261,120,118 11,709,898 All Other Countries 1,300,000,000 6,088,108 Grand Total 1,680,986,463 33,803,274 75 12.2 12.1 10.2 34-5 1 00.0 1&20 iftn-o jafco 1S80 *i]UiiSii H YEARS UiiiiiiiiSSlilsssiikSS «« 1200000 ■ ■ ll |r fn.-4Jfe- : r i "- i — 1 S:l ^<~ 3OOO00 xoca. .00000 ur^-fljp ■ ; -tlllllln n: jll'ljltc'lltiffifff [|||lt 400000 III II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 j "Hit 1 1 1 1 1 1 rJJJfillllll rl+ri 1 1 1 1 111 nil 1 1 1 fl • • • ^ll 1 1 KttOOO ! : iff I f-fltili'llf I rrt^-fr I Iriiliiilff I TS~i1 III |^^^ffi^y^i^^^^^@^l^ll^^^§^i^^^^^PI^^ ! — irivau. .«» to „.,„. amw. .*t.m»ted ..MVm .770 TO ,820. WUX» .... -s. a Curve of Immigration, 1820- 1920 a vast wilderness over 3,000 miles long and 2,000 miles wide. America called for men to develop its seemingly limitless domains, and the call was heard to the ends of the earth by horny-handed sons of toil. But it was not only the United States of America that needed men. Also the rest of North America and South America — Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, in fact, every coun- try of the new world, besides Australia and South Africa. The United States did not make any vigorous efforts to induce im- migration either, and did not legislate much concerning immigra- tion before 1883, when it was found necessary, on account of the change in the character of the immigration, to make laws control- ling and restricting immigration. The so-called "Old Immigra- tion," from 1820 to 1880, came mainly from western and north- ern Europe, and, with the exception of the Irish, consisted of Protestant stock; the "New Immigration," from 1880 to 1925, has come mainly from eastern and southern Europe, and consists mainly of Catholic stock. According to the estimate of the United States Bureau of Statistics, only 250,000 immigrants were received from 1776 to 1820, or only 10,000 per annum. From 1820 down to the present the immigration stream has constantly increased, without fluctuat- ing to any great extent except when it has been checked by natural and artificial barriers. The great financial panics which this coun- try has experienced, and the wars, have been powerful natural The Norwegians in America 77 barriers in stemming the tide of immigration. The United States laws against the admission of criminal, pauper, defective and dis- eased aliens and against contract labor and ticket agents as means of securing immigrants, the application of literacy tests, the ex- clusion of the Chinese and the limiting of the quota of immigrants that may come each year, are artificial barriers against immigra- tion. It is clear, then, that during the 19th century there was a B^SnK^^^EwBiHi sglJ^BS^ ^^ fe* Jf k - JPI Ml ** ^kJ 5u fa '"^^ i§t\m wk >.. .,,:■,-■■ :;?{';•■:,■,;. , : ^„~'; ! :i.*. A Modern Steamship world movement toward the United States, and the Norwegians naturally took part in it. The movement took the form of an epidemic and is often characterized as the "America Fever." This world movement was mainly economic, at least as far as the Norwegians were concerned. It is true that in Norway, too, there was some cause for religious and political discontent. The State Church in the 18th century had become rationalistic and re- sented the activities of pietistic reformers like Hauge, and the sectarians that began to get a foothold in Norway, as, for instance, the Quakers. It is true that the leaders of the famous Sloop "Restaurationen" were Quakers and that they looked for 78 Norwegian People in America greater religious freedom in America than in Norway. Still, it must be noted that there were only ten (or twelve) Quakers in Norway in 1825, and some of these never emigrated at all. It is true also that some emigrated from Norway so as to escape mili- tary service, which was obligatory. Nevertheless, it is generally agreed that the Norwegians came to America to improve their living. They found this a good land, and, like Thorvald, the brother of Leif the Discoverer, they have said : "And here I should like to make my home." Of more specific causes, and minor influences, there have been many, varying with time and place. As, for example : Letters from relatives and friends in America, with possibly an inclosure of money or a ticket to America, and a promise of a job at good pay ; the visit to Norway of Norwegian-Americans and their color- ful accounts of America ; the study of geography and history ; the publication of books on America ; the emigrant societies and mis- sions ; the activity of steamship ticket agents and sub-agents in selling tickets ; the introduction of machinery and steam and elec- tric power ; the improved means of transportation and communica- tion ; at times, the cut-rate fares for steerage passengers ; the Homestead laws ; the discovery of gold ; the hope of greater free- dom and better prospects in America ; the desire for adventure and the call of the far-away ; the assurance that they would find good neighbors in America. The way to get friends is to be one yourself, and the way to get good neighbors is to be a good neighbor. The Norwegians have been good neighbors to the other Amer- The Neighbors icans, and they have found them good neigh- in America bors. as dear as their own kith and kin. The story of the Norwegian people in America could not be adequately or truthfully told without some reference to the sterling character and considerate helpfulness of these kind neighbors. First of all, the Americans of English descent, the so-called Anglo-Saxons, often called "The Americans." Through early colonization and conquest they laid claim to The English the whole of the Atlantic seaboard, and later through war, purchase and treaty extended their possessions from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They de- termined the language of the country, its form of government and most of its institutions and opportunities for advancement. Dur- ing the 17th and 18th centuries they were the main contributors The Norwegians in America 79 to the population of America. During the 18th century the Scotch- Irish and the Germans migrated in almost equal numbers, and their combined migration was nearly that of the English for the century. But these newcomers were compelled to settle down as frontiers- men, and to leave to their English-sprung predecessors the more prominent occupations of politics, the professions, education, lit- erature, trade, commerce, army and navy. From 1820 to 1920 only 2,591,231, or 7.4%, of the total immigration, came from England. Still, the English have easily maintained their position as the most eminent and influential people in America. They are not handicapped by language or other foreign "taint." They oc- cupy, as a rule, controlling positions in every walk of life. Nearly all the presidents have been of English lineage ; most of the gov- ernors. They have furnished most of the editors of the great dailies and the heads of school systems and universities. The great American authors are nearly all English, and the captains of in- dustry. The culture of the American schools and the ideals of America, as a whole are mainly from England, by way of New England. The English have been, as a rule, kind masters ; the other races faithful servants. Second in importance in the making of this nation are the Scotch-Irish-Welsh — the Celtic branch of the British race. In the century 1820-1920, 4,670,805 Irish immigrated The Celts to the United States, 748,788 Scotch and 262,921 Welsh— a total of 5,682,514 for the group, over twice as many as from England. It has been estimated that in 1920 the combined strength of the Scotch, Irish and Welsh in America was a little greater than that of the English — 18,132,344 Celts to 17,501,165 Englishmen out of a population of 105,710,620. Ireland has the distinction of sending more of her people here than she kept at home. The governor of Pennsylvania in 1728 complained that: "It looks as if Ireland were to send all her in- habitants hither." Having come from the British Isles and speak- ing the English language, the Irish were from the start more on a par with the English element and were at once admitted into the controlling governmental and social circles. Out of their midst have, therefore, come some of the presidents of the United States, as, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley and Woodrow Wilson, and hundreds of men famous in politics, army, navy, business, education, etc. Commons says of the Scotch-Irish : "They were very little Scotch and much less Irish. They were called Scotch because they lived in Scotia and they were called Irish because they moved to Ireland. They were a mixed race through whose blood ran the Celtic blood of the 80 Norwegian People in America primitive Scot and Pict, the primitive Briton, the primitive Irish, but with a larger admixture of the later Norwegian, Dane, Saxon and Angle." Burr says : "It is difficult to say whether the Eng- lishman, Scotchman, Welshman or Irishman has the greater de- gree of Nordic blood in his veins." The Dutch settled in New Amsterdam (now New York) as a business venture, although some of them were Walloons fleeing oppression in the Spanish Netherlands. Cap- The Dutch tain Hendrick Hudson discovered New York Harbor in 1609 and 'Dutch traders built some huts on the Manhattan Island in 1613. About one-fourth of the early colonists were Scandinavians. In 1664 an English fleet came to anchor in the harbor and took possession of the city in the name of the Duke of York. The town was named New York after him. The Dutch soon lost their language and assimilated with the English readily, being of close kin as to race, language and institutions. During the century 1820-1920, 339,639 Dutch were admitted to the United States. In 1920 the estimated num- ber of people of Dutch descent in America was 2,233,503. Two of our presidents have come from this stock — Martin Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt. In the period 1820-1920, France gave to the United States only 352,752 of her sons and daughters and the estimated French population in the United States in 1920 was The French only 703,590. France had naturally been eager to share with Spain in the profits which the new discovery of America brought. She sent out Verrazano and Cartier to explore. Ribaut, Laudonniere, Champlain, Mar- quette, La Salle, Hennepin and Nicollet are names of well-known French explorers and colonizers. In 1562 Admiral Coligny of France sent Ribaut to plant a colony for his persecuted Huguenot brethren, at that time still known as Lutherans. A settlement was made at Port Roya^ S. C. In 1564 another settlement was made at Ft. Caroline, Fla. A Spaniard named Menendez fell upon this peaceable colony in 1565 and massacred every one. According to Challeaux and Parkman, Menendez hanged his prisoners on trees and placed over them the inscription : "I do this, not as to Frenchmen, but as to Luther- ans." In the next two centuries following this massacre the French occupied the St. Lawrence and Mississippi valleys and the English were held down to a narrow strip along the Atlantic Coast. Eventually there was a war between the English and the French (the French and Indian War), in which France was defeated, The Norwegians in America 81 and Canada and the French territory east of the Mississippi in 1763 were ceded to England. In 1803 Thomas Jefferson purchased from France the terri- tory west of the Mississippi, known as Louisiana, for $15,000,000 — about 2 cents per acre. The early French settlers of the United States are of special interest to the Norwegians because of kinship by way of Nor- mandy. Commons calls them "a select class of people, the most intelligent and enterprising people in the 17th century." Says Ross : "Probably no stock ever came here so gifted and prepotent as the French Huguenots. They have the same affinity for ideals and the same tenacity of character as the founders of New Eng- land, but in their French blood they brought a sensibility, a fervor and artistic endowment all their own." Burr shows that the French Huguenots who came to America were "recruited from among the gentry who were preponderantly of Nordic blood," but, on the other hand, the French Catholics who settled in Quebec did not have the Norse strain. According to Douglas Campbell, A. B. Faust, E. A. Ross, and J. R. Commons and the census reports, every fourth white person in the United States is a German. The Ger- The Germans mans came here early — there was a German — Tyrker — along with Leif Erikson in the year 1000. There were Germans along with the Dutch, and the first governor of New Netherlands was Peter Minuit, a German. William Penn shrewdly mixed business with religion. In his trip to the Rhineland in 1677, he made converts and induced them to buy land in Pennsylvania, the first band reaching Germantown in 1683. Francis II of France used harsh measures against the Lu- therans in his realm. He employed every refinement of cruelty, such as, burnings and hangings as after dinner entertainment for the ladies. This led to an exodus of Lutherans. Most of them came to America. Angry at the Germans and Dutch for shelter- ing his hunted subjects, Louis XIV of France invaded the Palat- inate which became the scene of French fire, pillage, rapine and slaughter. The people were expected to change their religion to suit their rulers. At the same time they were forbidden to emigrate on pain of death. Tired of these long-endured miseries, the French and German Lutherans, under the protection and aid of England, came to America. They settled in New York, Penn- sylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. Penn- sylvania especially attracted them, on account of which it has been called the German-American's Holy Land. In 1790, 176,707, or 5.6% of the people in the United States had German surnames. During the past 100 years they have come to America for religious, political and economic reasons. Between 1839 and 82 Norwegian People in America Distribution of Germans (From E. A. Ross' "The Old World in the New." Copyright, 1914, by The Century Co., New York) 1845 many Lutherans left their Fatherland because they re- sented the attempts of their leaders to unite the Lutherans and Reformed faiths. Here in America their conservatism in doc- trine and practice has created the Missouri and Wisconsin Synods and the Synodical Conference. The chief reason why Germans have come to America has been the economic one — America needed men to open up the West and America paid better wages than did Germany. When Germany began to develop her own industries, the migration from Germany began to fall off. Over 90% of the German im- migrants have come from the poorer classes, who settled on the frontiers and worked in the humbler stations in the cities, fac- tories and mines. Political exiles, who came here after the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, were mainly from the upper classes. Among them were university professors, professional men, journalists, and aristocrats, who have been influential in creating a sentiment for German culture, political idealism, social radicalism and religious skepticism. The great body of Germans have been God-fearing, law-abiding, hard-working and thrifty, loyal to this country in war and peace. They have been rather slow to give up the German language and ways entirely, but this is no evil trait, and America has richly gained thereby. The Germans have given America, not only willing workers on The Norwegians in America 83 Distribution of Scandinavians (From E. A. Ross' "The Old World in the New." Copyright, 1914, by The Century Co., New York) farms and in factories, but large contributions in education, science, music, art and religion. The German is of close kin to the Englishman and the Scan- dinavian ; originally these peoples were of the same race and language. He had the same spirit and ideals as they. From the time of Charlemagne Germany has been rather too much under the influence of Rome, on account of which the real Teutonic spirit as shown by the Norwegian Vikings, has at times been suppressed. It broke out in Luther and the Reforma- tion, but not as completely as in Scandinavia and Great Britain. Hence 40% of Germany is still Roman Catholic. The Germans make good neighbors and excellent citizens, but they have never taken a leading part in politics to the extent of furnishing the country with its chief executives. "In the colonial period," says John W. Burgess, "almost the entire western border of our country was occupied by Germans. It fell to them, therefore, to defend the colonists from the at- tack of the French and Indians." Had it not been for Germans like Conrad Weiser this country might still have been French instead of English. The Germans were the first to protest against English misrule. Washington had a German bodyguard. Baron Steuben and Peter Muhlenberg were two of Washington's most trusted generals. The first speaker of the House ofRepresenta- tives was F, A. Muhlenberg. The first protest against human 84 Norwegian People in America slavery on American territory was made by Germans at German- town, April 18, 1688. Lincoln seems to have had a German ancestry, his family name being Linkhorn. Thirty per cent of the soldiers in the Union Army were German, although at that time the Germans comprised less than 20% of the people. The first ten Amendments to the Federal Constitution providing for religious freedom and other natural rights, have their roots in the German Reformation. In the recent World War when nearly all the powers of the world fought against their Fatherland, German- Americans were loyal to the United States despite- a propaganda of suspicion and uncalled for persecution. The Swedes and Danes are in race, language, history, cus- toms, religion, etc., more like the Norwegians than any of the other peoples in America. They have as a The Swedes rule occupied the same sections of the country, worked at the same tasks, been equally suc- cessful. They have been on good terms, often working hand in hand. In church matters, for example, there has been much cooperation. Of the Norwegian men who do not take Norwegian girls to wife, 55.1% marry Swedish girls, 10.8% marry Danish, 4.5% marry Finnish, 8.5% marry German, and 14.8% marry British and Canadian, whereas only 6.3% marry non-Teutons. Of the Norwegian women who do not take Nor- wegian men as husbands, 52.4% marry Swedes, 18.0% marry Danes, 2.6% marry Finns, 8.6% marry Germans, 12.9% marry Britishers and Canadians, whereas only 5.5% marry non- Teutons. The Norwegians, then, seem to be closer to the Swedes and Danes than to any of their other neighbors. This is, at least, the case with the first generation, concerning which these statistics apply. The Swedes in America, as also in Europe, are as numer- ous as both the Norwegians and the Danes put together. Sweden was one of the great European powers in the 17th century, and her king, Gustavus Adolphus, called the "Lion of the North" and the "Snow King," intended to compete with England and Holland in the colonization of the New World. But there was being waged at that time a most bitter and bloody struggle, the Thirty Years' War, between the Catholic and Protestant forces in Germany. The Swedish king took his army into Germany and saved Protestantism, although at the price of his own life, for he was killed at the Battle of Liitzen in 1632. It was not until 1637 that the plan to establish a colony in America could be taken up in earnest, and, unfortunately it had soon to be abandoned. The first expedition of Swedes to reach America arrived at Fort Christina (now Wilmington), Delaware, in March, 1638. The west bank of the Delaware as far north as The Norwegians in America 85 Philadelphia was at once bought of the Indians; forts, churches and other buildings were erected and arrangements were made for farming, trading with the Indians and doing missionary work among them. New Sweden, as the colony was called, was to include Delaware, New Jersey and parts of Maryland and Penn- sylvania. In 1655 the Dutch made war on these peaceable neighbors and laid claim to the territory. In 1664 the English took possession of the land. Meanwhile the Swedes developed their colony as best they could under Dutch and English suprem- acy, and are in many respects the finest of the early colonists. They issued an edict of toleration the very first year of their stay, and were, in fact, with the exception of Pennsylvania, the only colony that practiced toleration. They were the first to treat the Indians fair and square and to try to Christianize them. When William Penn in 1682 sailed up the Delaware looking for a site for a city, he chose a spot where stood a Lutheran church and a Swedish village. The Swedes had been there almost fifty years when he arrived and took possession. He called the vil- lage Philadelphia. Two of the early Swedish churches are still standing, the Wilmington, dating from 1699, and the Gloria Dei Church, in Philadelphia, dating from 1700. On July 4, 1776, the Liberty Bell was rung by a member of the Lutheran Church. The first American flag was made by Betsy Ross and the women of the Swedish Gloria Dei Church. Between 1642 and 1779 Sweden sent to this colony 41 pastors. After the Revolution- ary .War the missionaries were recalled and the Episcopal Church gradually took over all the Lutheran congregations of the early Swedes as their brothers, and on various occasions the Indians state that they were unlike the white people of Virginia, "who always shoot the Red Man dead when they find him in the woods." William Penn said of them: "They have fine children and al- most every house full; rare to find one of them without three or four boys and as many girls ; some six, seven and eight sons. And I must do them right — I see few young men more sober and industrious." In the colonial period John Hanson, a Mary- land Swede, was the first president of the "United States in Congress assembled," and John Morton, a Pennsylvania Swede, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. J. Fenimore Cooper, the novelist, was of combined English and Swedish descent. The Swedes of more recent immigration have all the good qualities of the settlers on the Delaware and have made good in many conspicuous ways. The country still talks of Jenny Lind and .Christina Nilsson, Swedish singers who sojourned in America for a season. The country will not soon forget the services of John Ericsson and John A. Dahlgren during the Civil War. Ericsson was the inventor of the Moni- tor, which defeated the Merrimac, and Dahlgren was the in- 86 Norwegian People in America ventor of the Dahlgren gun. These two inventions revolutionized naval warfare. Citizens of Swedish lineage have contributed in great share to the material progress of America and have made valuable additions to its cultural life. They have cleared and cultivated over 12,000,000 acres of land, a little over 4% of the total cul- tivated area. They gave 12.5% of their total population to the United States in the World War. On the same basis, if all nationalities, including the native-born, had contributed an equal share, our armies during the war would have totaled 12,500,000 men. They have built over 2,000 churches and contributed more to church schools per capita than any other nationality. They have a good record as authors, editors, musicians, artists, inven- tors and manufacturers. They have held many political offices, including six governorships. In an article under the caption "Minnesota," by George Fitch, copyrighted in 1912 by the "Globe," the author writes in part as follows about Gov. John A. Johnson : "But Minnesota's greatest feat in citizen-producing was John A. Johnson, who would have mixed up the Democratic convention in Baltimore more than ever had he lived. Minne- sota mourns his death sincerely, but has 100,000 more Johnsons in training and will yet produce a president of that name." Thomas F. Bayard, who had lived in a Swedish community, said in 1888, at the 250th anniversary of the Swedish immigration: "I make bold to say that no better stock has been contributed (in proportion to its numbers) towards giving a solid basis to society under republican forms, than these hardy, honest, law- abiding, God-fearing Swedish settlers." The Danes comprise a relatively small group, their total number being only about 1% of the white population in the United States. They rank in point of numbers The Danes eleventh among the white races in America, the Germans being No. 1, the English No. 2, the Irish No. 3, the Canadians No. 4, the Austria-Hungarians No. 5, the Russians No. 6, the Italians No. 7 , the Swedes No. 8, the Scotch No. 9, the Norwegians No. 10, the Danes No. 11, the Dutch No. 12, the Welsh No. 13, the Mexicans No. 14, the French No. 15, etc. While the Scandinavians are found in all parts of the United States they are not distributed everywhere in the same proportion. In the eight New England and Middle Atlantic States, for example, the foreign-born Scan- dinavians in 1920 were distributed as follows: Danes 16.7%, Norwegians 12.1%, Swedes 24.2%. In the 16 Southern states for that year 2.8% of the Danes were located, 1.4% of the Nor- wegians, 1.9% of the Swedes. In the eleven Mountain and Pacific states were to be found 25.2% of the Danes, 18.2% of The Norwegians in America 87 the Norwegians, and 17.5% of the Swedes; and in the twelve North Central, also called Northwestern, states we find 65.3% of the Danes, 68.3% of the Norwegians, and 56.4% of the Swedes. As to the ranking states, California had 9.9% of the Danes, Iowa 9.5% and Illinois 9.0%; Minnesota had 24.8% Norwegians, Wisconsin 12.5%, North Dakota 10.5%; Minne- sota had 17.9% Swedes, Illinois 16.9% and New York 8.5%. The Danes were early interested in America. It will be remembered that King Christian I of Denmark sent the John Scolvus expedition to America in 1476 to discover the "Cod Fish Country." In 1568 King Frederick II sent an expedition to re- discover Greenland. In 1579 he sent another expedition to find Greenland, and after that various parties were sent in 1605, 1607, 1612, 1652, 1653, 1654, etc. In 1721 Hans Egede, a Norwegian pastor, was sent to Greenland to take up missionary work, and in 1619 the Norwegian captain Jens Munk was sent by King Christian IV to find the Northwest Passage. Munk re- discovered the Hudson Bay, only eight years after Hudson him- self, and took possession of Canada naming it New Denmark. He had along a Lutheran pastor, Rev. Rasmus Jensen (Aarhus), who was the first Lutheran pastor in America. In 1724 King Frederick IV sent Vitus Bering on an exploring expedi- tion, which resulted in the discovery of the Bering Strait between Asia and North America. In 1733 Denmark bought the Virgin Islands in the West Indies from France, and in 1916 these Islands were sold to the United States. It has been claimed that Henrik Hudson was a Dane. How- ever that may be, it is certain that there were Danes with him when he discovered the Hudson River, which he at that time called Mauritius Floden. There were many Danes in those days that made the trip between the Danish West Indies and Denmark and many who were in the service of Holland. Captain Henrik Christiansen, for instance, made ten trips between New York and Holland in the years 1611-1614. In 1614 he was killed by his friend, the Indian chief Orson at Ft. Nassau. There were many prominent Danes in the Dutch colony at New York ; perhaps the most noted of these was Jonas Bronck, whose name is per- petuated in Bronx Borough of New York, Bronx Park and Bronxville. Bronck came to New York in 1639 and died in 1643. Another Dane who has given his name to a section of our country was Peter Lassen, who in 1841 founded the first permanent American settlement in California. Mt. Lassen, the only volcano in the United States, is named after him; also Lassen County, California, Lassen Pass and Lassen's Big Meadows of Feather River. The Danes were distinctive in Washington's army and in all the more recent wars. The Danish farmers, dairymen and buttermakers are famous in this 38 Norwegian People in America land. The first creameries, the first cow-testing association, the first co-operative dairy-farming on a large scale, were estab- lished by Danish farmers. Qualities of good citizenship are highly developed in the Danes. Recognition of this was given by Theodore Roosevelt in referring to his friend Jacob Riis as "the best American citizen." Riis was a social worker in the slums of New York, and is the author of "How the Other Half Lives" and "The Making of an American." The population of Iceland is hardly 100,000, so small in numbers as apparently to be of no importance in immigration, but viewing the history of this remarkable people, The Icelanders one can truly use the current expression : "Little, but oh my !" It was through Ice- land that Greenland was settled and America was discovered. It was Iceland that wrote the eddas and sagas of the Middle Ages. It is in Iceland that we find the Teutonic race and language and spirit in its purest forms. Icelanders have, of course, immigrated to this country, but until recently they have been included with the Danes. They have settled in the north- western states, particularly North Dakota and Minnesota, and in the Canadian province of Manitoba, besides Washington and Alaska. Most of them are engaged in agricultural pursuits and fishing. They have a fair sprinkling of literary men, profes- sional men, statesmen and artists. There are, of course, contrasts among the Scandinavian peoples. The Danes are the most sociable and pleasure loving, and they run to moderation in virtues as in vices. The Norwe- gians are the most unsociable and independent in their ways. The Swedes are the most refined and aristocratic. O. N. Nelson called the Danes, the Germans of the North; the Norwegians, the Englishmen of the North ; and the Swedes, the Frenchmen of the North. Finland, called by the natives Suomi (Marshland), is a land of a thousand lakes, — "du tusen sjo'ars land," as Runeberg calls it. The Finns were originally a Mongolian The Finns race, but through intermixture with the Swedes, Norwegians and Russians, they are Caucasian in appearance. Christianity was forced on them in the 12th and 13th centuries by Swedish steel. From 1157 to 1809 Finland was a province of Sweden, during which time Swedish was made the official language. In 1524, under Gustavus Vasa, king of Sweden, the country became Lutheran. Under Sweden the land enjoyed most of the privileges of a free state and made rapid progress in industry, religion, literature, art and science. The Norwegians in America 89 In 1743 a part of the land had to be surrendered to Russia; in 1809, the whole land. For 100 years Finland was the freest part of the Russian Empire. The late Czar, about 30 years ago, began the policy of Russianizing Finland. The Russian language took the place of Swedish and Finnish as the official medium. A severe censorship of the press was enforced. The Lutheran religion, claiming 99% of the people, was subordinated to the Russian Catholic. The Finnish army was disbanded. A Rus- sian governor with absolute authority displaced the Finnish par- liament and officials. There was no need for this change, for the Finns were peaceable and loyal to Russia. They were as honest and intelligent as any people in the world, and their patience and industry had extorted a livelihood out of a cold and sterile soil. So when Russia began to rob them of their ancient rights, they began to leave for America. Finland had in 1897 a population of 2,352,000. In the 13 years from 1893 to 1905 Finland lost 128,000 by emigration. All except 37 came to America. From 1906 to 1914, 105,146 emigrated. After the World War Finland obtained her independence, on account of which only a few Finns are emigrating — only 26,105 from 1915 to 1922. In 1920 the Finnish population in the United States was as follows: Finns born in Finland, 150,770; Finns born here, 1st generation, 145,506; Finns born here, second generation, 75,842; total 372,118. They generally take to the occupation of their homeland, as farmers, fishermen, lumbermen and miners. They are located in greatest numbers in Upper Michigan (23.7%), Northern Minnesota (20.8%), Massachusetts (8.8%), Washington (7.1%), and New York (6.1%). The remaining one-third is scattered over the other 43 states. Except for their race and language they can be considered Scandinavians. In race they are about one-fourth Scandinavian. Those Finns who do not marry within their own race prefer to marry Swedes or Norwegians. The neighbors thus far mentioned have been in the main Teutonic — hence related in blood, language, literature, religion, customs, ideals, history, government, etc. They The Other have therefore understood each other pretty White Races well and have been readily assimilated by the American Republic. They began to settle America first and are known as the "Old Immigration." The other white races — especially from southern and east- ern Europe ; from Russia, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, etc. — have been coming here in great numbers only the last thirty or forty years, but during this time they have supplied America with over three-fourths of the immi- 90 Norwegian People in America grants. These are called the "New Immigration." And, since they are remote from the original American stock as to race, language, religion, ideals, history, government, etc., they are found not to assimilate so readily and rapidly as the "Old Im- migration." Therefore they are much feared and many laws are made to restrict and regulate their coming. They are con- sidered a menace to American lahor and standard of living, are often declared to be criminal, degenerate and hostile to demo- cratic institutions. It is true that southern and eastern Europe is mainly Catho- lic, while northern and western Europe is mainly Protestant. It is also true that northern and western Europe has been more literate, progressive and free than southern and eastern Europe. The eleven countries of northern and western Europe, for example, in the period 1899-1910 had only sixteen persons in a thousand above 14 years old that were unable to read and write, while southern and eastern Europe in this period had, in eleven countries, not less than 415 in a thousand unable to read and write. Scandinavia leads the world in literacy, with only .4% who cannot read and write ; Portugal is at the tail end in Europe with 68.2% illiterate. But the danger from southern and eastern Europe is prob- ably not so great as it is thought to be. The people from these lands came here because of oppression or poverty at home. They appreciated the greater political and religious freedom that America offered them, and the better wages for the labor of their hands. So they came, in ever swelling numbers, until the World War held them in check. The migration from the northern and western parts began to fall off when the "New Immigration" be- gan to set in. There were three reasons why the "Old Immi- gration" was falling off : The best American land had been taken ; the home countries were advancing industrially and giving about as good wages as America; and the people from northern and western Europe could not compete in salary with the people of southern and eastern Europe, whose living standards were much lower. There were three reasons why the "New Immi- gration" was on the increase : America began an industrial ex- pansion, has changed from an agricultural to a manufacturing and commercial nation, and needed cheap labor ; the people from southern and eastern Europe could make more money here than they could at home; and they had begun to long for the freedom of a democracy. Meanwhile, the Americans, especially those of English descent, looked upon these last newcomers with much concern. The best students of immigration do not think that America is able to assimilate them and remain English in web and woof. Hunter thinks that the newcomers are inferior and degenerate The Norwegians in America 91 and that, by intermingling and intermarrying with the natives, they will lower the standards of American manhood and ulti- mately annihilate the English stock! El wood urges that we avoid "introducing into our national blood the degenerate strains in the suppressed peoples of southern and eastern Europe." Burr, Hall, Jenks and Lauck, Roberts, Ross, and Warne, each leans strongly toward restricting the "New Immigration" to a minimum. The legislation of Congress is decidedly in the di- rection of restriction. The Ku Klux Klan has declared war on this immigration. Other organizations and agencies work for restriction and suspension. America must be for Americans and those who will quickly become Americans. This is the burden of their cry. Still, we are not convinced that the "New Immigration" is a menace. These "new" immigrants are trying to be good citi- zens. They love America and obey the laws of the land. They are less criminal as a group than the native-born, public-school- trained Americans. In 1904 one out of 6,404 native-born Americans was in prison but only one out of 6,500 of the dreaded "degenerates" from southern and eastern Europe. There has always been an unwarranted fear of the foreigner, especially if he speaks a foreign language. As far back as 1817 Niles' "Register" urged that the immigrant be shoved into the interior. In 1819 a Society for the Prevention of Pauperism bewailed the menace of the foreigner. In 1845 the native American National Convention expounded loud and long on the imminent peril of the Irish immigration. In 1852 the American Party, better known as the Know-Nothing Party, terrified by the swelling tide of immigration from Germany and Ireland, set up the slogan: "Americans must rule America." The name "American Party" was adopted because its members as 100% Americans advocated that only Americans should hold office. The name "Know-Nothing" was applied to the party because the meetings of the party were secret, and the members, when asked the aims and work of the organization, invariably answered: "I don't know." The Civil War put an end to this party, for the German, Irish and Scandinavian foreigners re- sponded to the call of Abraham Lincoln and saved the Union. Thus there have always been writers and speakers who fear the foreigner. On the other hand, there have been good men who have pleaded for the foreigner. Thus Hourwich and Steiner, for example. In an address before the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, at Cleveland, in 1912, Cyrus L. Sulzberger, a Russian Jew, said : "On the Fourth of July, 1876, the Centennial of American Independence, every cell in a Siber- ian prison was decorated with scraps of red, white and blue. 92 Norwegian People in America For months these exiles and prisoners had saved every scrap of suitable color, and on the morning of our Independence Day, their cells blossomed forth with this expression of admiration and love for American freedom In all generations, the saviors of mankind have come from among the poor. Let us not have it on our conscience that we have closed the door of opportunity to one of these." Up to the close of 1919 the United States had issued five ''liberty loans" — two in 1917, two in 1918 and one in 1919, the last being known as the Victory Liberty Loan. In these five loans $18,500,000,000 was called for. Over $24,000,000,000 was actually subscribed. 21,000,000 people subscribed for the Fourth Loan. One of the posters in the Victory Liberty Loan of April, 1919, was drawn by Howard Chandler Christy, en- titled "Americans All!" It had the picture of an American flag, a woman in front of it placing a laurel wreath above the honor roll of men who had given their lives for the United States. There were five names of men from northern and western Europe : Smith, O'Brien, DuBois, Haucke and Knutson ; there were nine names of men from southern and eastern Europe : Gonzales, Villotto, Andressi, Pappandrikopolous, Chriszanevicz, Kowalski, Turovich, Cejka and Levy. These were all Americans — "Americans All !" Here were both Jew and Gentile, Greek and Barbarian ; all were, as Gavit calls them : "Americans by choice." America had been to them, as Craig puts it: "God's Melting Pot." The massing here of represen- tatives from many lands should not hinder them from becoming one nation. They all have something to supply and something to surrender for the making of an ideal people. "Stop calling the immigrant a problem," says Shriver. "How would you like somebody to call you a problem?" Among the interesting things in Shriver's book, "Immigrant Forces," is a table showing the proportion of immigrant employees in various industries. For example: 94% per cent of the people engaged in making clothing are immigrants; 53% of those engaged in the manu- facture of boots and shoes; 71% of the iron and steel workers; 79% of the copper miners; 72% of the coal miners; 89% of the oil refiners; 80% of the furniture makers; 76% of the meat packers; 93% of the sugar refiners. The variety of races in America is astonishing. America is a Babel. A newspaper reporter observed that in New York City, 66 languages are spoken by as many groups, 49 newspapers are published in foreign languages, and the school at Mulberry Bend has children of 29 nationalities. Yet all these eventually become one people, with one language and one flag. The Norwegians in America 93 For mankind is one in spirit, and an instinct bears along, Round earth's electric circle, the swift flash of right or wrong; Whether conscious or unconscious, yet Humanity's vast frame Through its ocean-sundered fibers feels the gush of joy or shame, — In the gain or loss of one race all the rest have equal claim. The language problem is no doubt the most important and dif- ficult of the problems that confront any immigrant to America who can not speak English when coming here. The Language The native language is the chief medium by Problem which an immigrant can hold on to the cul- tural heritage of the people from which he sprang; the English language is the chief medium by which he can gain recognition and make progress in this country. At first he struggles hard to learn the English, and then, if he loves his heritage, he will have a still harder struggle on his hands, to keep up the use of his native tongue in his new home. In itself it is no impossible task to learn to speak two languages readily. The difficulty lies especially in this, that in this country the bi-ling- ual situation is regarded as an evil that may be tolerated, but should not be encouraged. Those who use two languages in their homes are branded as "hyphenates" and "foreigners" and are often handicapped in the race for position or power. The little children at school pledge themselves, not only to one nation and one flag, but also to one language. During the recent World War the for- eign-language population suffered much humiliation and persecu- tion at the hands of those who could speak only English. In at least one state (Iowa) it was forbidden even to preach in a for- eign language; conversation over the telephone could be carried on in English only. It was urged to prohibit the printing of books and papers in foreign languages. Men were actually killed on the streets for using a foreign language. The language problem has, of course, affected the Norwegians, and that in a variety of ways, for weal or woe. In studying the language problem it is well to have in mind the general laws of language rivalry in the case of race mixture. Ac- cording to George Hempl, there are four conditions under which language rivalry takes place. Under two of these conditions the foreign language wins over the native, and under two the native wins over the foreign. When vast hordes of foreigners come into a country and con- quer it, their language displaces that of the natives. Examples of this condition are the Anglo-Saxons in England and the English in America. English is now the language of America, enriched by a few native Indian words of things, as : tomahawk, toboggan, wigwam, squaw ; and many place names, as : Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakota, Decorah, Winona, Minnehaha, Missis- sippi, Missouri, etc. 94 Norwegian People in America When the conquerors are neighbors who reduce the conquered territory to a province, which they colonize and denationalize, the language of the conquerors prevails in time, but is apt to be learned by sound substitution and to be considerably mixed with the native language. Examples of this situation are : The Romans in France, Spain and Portugal, and the Danes in Norway. During the Danish supremacy in Norway, Danish became the official lan- guage of Norway, but with Norwegian pronunciation and a good supply of Norwegian words. Since 1814. and especially since 1905, the Norwegians have been striving to make their language like the modern dialect offshoots of the Old Norse. When the conquerors are a comparatively small body, their language in time dies out, but implants upon the native language its terms pertaining to government, army, navy, and all spheres of life that the consquerors control. Examples are the Northmen in France and the Normans in England. Skeat mentions thirty- four words which the Normans in England had brought with them to France from Norway. Thus bondage, from the Norwegian "bon- de," a small farmer. Scott, in his "Ivanhoe," makes one of his characters say : "Swine is good Saxon. And so when the brute lives, and is in charge of a Saxon slave, she goes by her Saxon name, but becomes a Norman, and is called pork (Lat. porcus, swine), when she is carried to the castle-hall to feast among the nobles." When the foreigners are immigrants and come in scattered bands and at different times to make their homes in a new country, then the native language wins out over the foreign language. As a class immigrants become servants and follow the humbler call- ings. As long as they have the marks of the foreigner, they can not expect to occupy many ruling positions in their adopted coun- try. The immigrant came here to better his economic position and to live here. It is to his advantage in a financial and social way to learn English as fast as possible. He is given to under- stand that it is also to his advantage to remove from himself as much as possible every taint of foreign speech, or otherwise, which may keep him from making headway as an American. The lan- guage of the immigrant is, according to this stern condition, this relentless law, bound to die out sooner or later, making, as a rule, little or no impression on the native language. There are more Germans than English in America, but German is the language of an immigrant people, while English is the language of the rul- ing class, therefore English must prevail. Though German has been spoken in the United States for 300 years and by great num- bers of people, and though it has been taught extensively in the public schools, it has scarcely added a word to the English dic- tionary of words. English is the dominant language in America. In the light of these laws, then, the Norwegian language in the The Norwegians in America 95 United States is doomed. Individuals and groups may keep it up, and even speak it better than the English, but English will never- theless go marching on as the dominant language of the land. The public schools of the land encourage the study of foreign lan- guages — a little Latin and less of something else — but they do not see, or want to see, the pedagogical value of encouraging and aiding each child to keep up the language of his immigrant parents or grandparents. It is through this language, more than anything else, that the child can keep in touch with his forefathers and their culture. Without this language tie, a person does not, as a rule, seem to know, or care to know, what his ancestors stood for. Norwegian Period 162:5 - 1660 Norwegian - American Period 1660 - 1690 American Period 1690-1925 Nt On >'0/7 &<* &l ao<>; \c& & eP XA in *e, £at, I6W IS60 1&90 1925 Periods of Norwegian- American History The story of the Norwegians in America may be divided into three periods — the Norwegian Period, 1825-1860; the Norwegian- American Period, 1860-1890; and the Ameri- The Historical can Period, 1890-1925. Periods j n the Norwegian Period the Norwegian- Americans were more Norwegian than Amer- ican. They were more Norwegian than English, in language, ideas, ideals, worship and ways. In the Norwegian-American Period they were as much Amer- ican as Norwegian. They spoke both languages readily, kept pace with the events in both countries, built their own higher schools and supported the public schools with holy zeal, celebrated the Seventeenth of May and the Fourth of July with equal fervor, and loved to float the two flags of Red, White and Blue side by side. 96 Norwegian People in America In the American Period most of them speak English only, though many of these understand Norwegian well enough and can, if hard pressed, also talk it. Most of the Norwegian higher schools have been dismantled ; the Norwegian summer schools are dying, and Norwegian in the Sunday School and young people's society is of the past. English services are supplanting the Nor- wegian. Associations are formed to save the Norwegian — literary, cultural, religious, national. Both press and pulpit try by fits to revive and maintain the interest of the young in Norwegian and things Norwegian. The Norwegian language is introduced into many universities, high schools and even common schools, but it is fast disappearing from the home and the pulpit. The home is the best language training school in the world, and the cheapest. In the American Period English becomes the language of the home. The Norwegian-American has become an "American" in the sense that he can speak only one language and looks with disfavor upon the "foreigners," or "hyphenates," who try to keep up a bi-lingual existence. 4. Their Place in History The Norwegians Discovered America first : In 876 Gunnbjo'rn discovered Greenland and stayed there over the winter. The Viking Period In 983 Eric the Red rediscovered Greenland and made it his home. In 983 Ari Marson discovered Great Ireland (the Chesapeake country) and made it his home. In 986 Bjarni Herjulfson discovered the New England coast, but did not land. In 1000 Leif Erikson set out to find the land that Bjarni had seen, and found it. In 1476 John Scolvus made an expedition to find the "Cod Fish Country" (Newfoundland) and found it. In 1477 Christopher Columbus visited Iceland. In 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered San Salvador, an island 400 miles to the southeast of Florida. The Norwegians Settled America first : Greenland is a part of North America and Erik the Red was not only a colonist, but a promoter of colonization. He called the land Greenland in order, as he said, to attract settlers. Babcock says of Erik the Red: "No one who follows the career of Eric, as outlined by the often unsympathetic saga-men, will grudge him this hardly won triumph. Few characters, if any, are more clearly presented in history ; few are stronger and more interesting. A sea-king who never marauded ; a just man, careful of what was • The Norwegians in America 97 confided to him, yet insisting promptly on his rights at every cost ; a conservative, who could turn explorer off hand with better re- sults than the work of the very best ; a deadly fighter who fought defensively only; a man of hospitality, cordiality, cheerfulness, who never complained except when his Christian wife turned against him for remaining a pagan. He made the Norse Green- land, which stood as his monument for nearly five hundred years. He gave the name by which we know it still. If Greenland be America, he was the first explorer of any part of America, so far as we know. He may have been the first white man to view the more immediate American shores. At any rate he gave to the world, and sent forth upon his ventures, the historic Leif who is first of record as making that discovery. He also aided in sending forth the expedition which bore Thorfinn Karlsefne and Gudrid to these shores, giving Gudrid in marriage from his house and seeing his son Thorvald sail off to death in their company." Great Ireland was a part of North America and was settled by Ari in 983, Bjarni in 999, Gudleif in 1027, and possibly others. Vinland was a part of North America and Norsemen from Greenland attempted at various times to settle it. History tells of Thorvald's attempt in 1002, and Thorfinn's in 1007. Bishops of Vinland were regularly appointed from 1112 to 1409. There were Norwegians in America throughout the Colonial Period, not many, but up and doing. A Norwegian captain, Jens Munk, under Danish colors, tried to find the The Colonial Northwest Passage, later, in 1912, discovered Period by another Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, also the discoverer of the South Pole. The Nor- wegians numbered about one-fourth of the early Dutch colony of New Amsterdam and have for 300 years been contributing to the upbuilding of these United States. This book will try to show in part what the Norwegians have been doing in the last one hundred years. The whole story can not be told within the covers of any one The Modern Period book. At this point, we shall let the editor of the "Chicago Dailv Tribune" speak in an editorial September 25, 1924, on "Leif Erikson's Day" (Sept. 29) He is speaking of the Scandinavians, and not of Norwegians alone, and the other members of the group deserve these kind words as much as do the Norwegians. "Swedes make good citi- zens ; Danes and Norwegians make good citizens. They have set- tled in large numbers in the Northern Middle West. They have given the new country social stability, hard work, and a well de- veloped countryside. In Chicago there are 90,000 born in Scan- dinavia. In Illinois there are 150,000. In the United States there 98 Norwegian People in America are more than a million. There are few Scandinavians in the jails and poorhouses. Their stock adapts itself well to American conditions and American life. Saturday is Leif Erikson's Day. He was the first Scandinavian immigrant. He came in the year 1000. His people built a tower or so and drifted out again into nowhere. But Leif Erikson gave all Scandinavians a proper introduction to America. He made the first trans-Atlantic trip. The other day, Eric Nelson, along with Smith, Harding and Arnold, arrived by air from around the world. The Norsemen are up to their old stunts. Scandinavians are born pioneers and fighters. America can never have too many of them. They are builders, whether it be a farmstead or a nation, and when the time for building stops they move along to other fields. We may hope that America never will be satisfied. If it can offer always something to build and a new hope there always will be good men around with yellow hair to do the job." August Weenaas David Lysnes Bjug A. Harstad Three Norwegian Church Pioneers The Norwegians in America 99 NOTE ON THE NORSE-AMERICAN CENTENNIAL MEDAL (As soon as Congressman O. J. Kvale of Minnesota was assured by the Post Office Department that the two special postage stamps would be issued he prepared and introduced in "the House of Representatives a bill authorizing the striking of a medal at the United States Mint at Philadelphia in commemoration of the Centennial. This bill was in- v. \ V* V The Norse-American Centennial Medal, Front View troduced in the House February 4, 1925, and later introduced in the Senate by Senator Peter Norbeck of South Dakota. When the bill had passed both the Senate and the House Mr. Kvale was authorized by the Centennial Committee to secure an artist, and to make all arrangements connected with the coining of the medal. Ac- cording to the bill the medal was to contain "appropriate emblems and in- scriptions." Mr. Kvale made a rough sketch of what he considered proper for the obverse and the reverse side of the medal, with the inscriptions 100 Norwegian People in America to be placed on it, and took these to New York, where he secured the services of James Earle Fraser, considered the foremost medalist in the United States. Mr. Fraser at once accepted the suggestions both as to the emblems and the inscriptions, and put other work aside to design the medal. Mr. Fraser himself considers it "one of the best medals he has ever done." And The National Commission of Fine Arts, in passing on \ \ \ The Norse-American Centennial Medal, Back View the medal, not only approved it, including the date, "A. D. iooo," but went out of their way to say it had "especial artistic merit." The medal will be coined to the number of 40,000. As the photograph shows, it is octagonal in shape. It is made of silver identical with that used in the Nation's silver coins, and approximating a half dollar in size. It is worthy of note that this is the first commemorative medal to be issued in the history of the United States Mint. Other medals have been, coined, but these have been for awards in the case of expositions and similar events.) Statue of Liberty Chapter V THE NORWEGIAN PERIOD, 1825-1860 The Norwegian Period covers approximately the 35 years from 1825 to 1860. It begins with the coming of the Sloop "Restaurationen." It ends with the outbreak of the Civil War. 1. The Historical Background The Norwegian immigration, being a part of a world move- ment, can best be understood in the light of contemporary world events. A few such events are accordingly herewith set forth. Marvellous, indeed, is the 19th century. During this century Europe was able to give to North America about 25,000,000 of her sons and daughters, besides many millions to South Amer- ica, Africa and Australia, and at the same time she more than doubled her population at home. In 1800 the population of Europe was 175,000,000; in 1900, it had increased to 400,600,000. The century was an age of invention. Invention is stimulated by the increased contacts between men and the needs of great masses of people. Necessity is the mother of invention. Inven- tion, in turn, helps to bring about still greater intercourse among men and adds to their wants. Among the inventions of the first half of the 19th century was the application of steam power to transportation and to industry. In 1807 Robert Eulton built a steamboat and sailed it up the Hudson. In 1838 ocean travel 102 Norwegian People in America by steam was also accomplished, in that the "Great Western" crossed the Atlantic in 15 days' time, thus shortening the voyage by about eight weeks. In 1851 the time had been reduced to eight days. In 1825 George Stephenson perfected a locomotive that could pull passenger cars on rails at the speed of eight miles an hour; he improved it so that in 1829 he could move along at the rate of 35 miles an hour. In addition to this change in transit and transportation there were many improvements in the mail service, and other methods of communication. The postage stamp came into use. Mail routes and regular schedules were instituted. Express companies were established, as, for example, the Adams, dating from 1840. In 1844 Samuel Morse conceived the idea of the electric telegraph. In 1854 Cyrus W. Field began to lay a submarine cable and in 1866 he had one laid across the Atlantic. The first message sent over the cable was : "What wonders God hath wrought." The cable had revolutionized methods of trade, for by it the market prices of the world are daily reported in the newspaper press. The 19th century was an age of machine-made, instead of hand-made, wares. It was a factory age. Water power was harnessed. Coal was mined. Steam, electricity, gas, oil, were applied in a thousand ways to run the factories. Machines were invented, one after the other, to do the work formerly done by hand. The invention of Portland cement in 1825, friction matches in 1827, the reaping machine in 1834, rubber boots in 1839, daguerrotype photography in 1839, the steam hammer in 1842, the typewriter in 1843, ether as anesthetic in 1846, the sewing machine in 1846, Bessemer steel in 1855, are a few out of hundreds of epoch-making inventions in the first part of the 19th century. In 1790 only three patents were taken out in the United States ; in 1860 the number of patents issued was 4,778. Between 1790 and 1860 the total number was 43,431 ; between 1790 and 1916 the total was 1,125,000. These inventions promoted immigration. Distance did not mean what it formerly did. The continents were brought closer together. The crossing of the sea had lost much of its danger and terrors. Besides, there were going on great changes within the people themselves, which affected them even more profoundly than the external changes. Compulsory education at public expense was gaining a foothold in all the more progressive lands. The era of popular education, the day of the public school, was being ushered in. The greater intercourse among the nations and between the people within a nation, resulted in a growth of fellow-feeling, not strong enough indeed to end wars, but yet strong enough to live through wars and increase in spite of wars. Politically, the keynote of the 19th century was dem- The Norwegian Period 103 ocracy; but the democracy that was obtained was in most cases purchased at great cost, on account of injustice, persecution and suffering, through riot, revolution and war. These educational, social and political changes all gave an impetus to obeying the call of America : "Come over and help us." America needed workers. Here were dense forests to be cleared, rich mines to be developed, fertile prairies to be cultivated. Here was a land that had an open door policy and welcomed the stranger warmly. Great Britain was in the midst of an industrial revolution following immediately upon the wars with Napoleon and with the United States (1812-1814). The newly Europe invented machinery put men out of work and yet increased production. The return- ing soldiers added to the crowds of idle and hungry men. The Ole Paulson Knut Bj0rgo Elias Harbo crops were poor ; the prices were high. High protective tariffs (Corn Laws) made it well-nigh impossible to get food supplies from abroad. Distress and discontent stalked throughout the land. Out of this wide-spread and deep-felt misery came a cry for redress, a cry that took on the form of a persistent agita- tion for legislative reform. Happily many reforms were in- stituted. Among these may be mentioned : The working day was shortened from 15 hours to something less; child labor was prohibited ; slavery in the colonies was abolished ; Dis- senters and Catholics were given the right to vote ; free trade was established ; the House of Commons was made supreme, with the sovereign as a figure head. During this period England adjusted herself to the new order of things and settled down to become a manufacturing and commercial nation. She therefore sought to strengthen her colonial possessions and power, a policy that led to the Opium War, the Crimean War and the East Indian War (Sepoy Rebellion). In the years 1820-1860, 744,285 emigrated from England to the United States, 47,622 104 Norwegian People in America from Scotland, and 1,952,943 from Ireland, a total of 2,744,850 from Great Britain. A disease called "potato rot" destroyed the potato crop of Ireland in the years 1845-1849, causing much suffering. 300,000 starved to death. Over 1,500,000 came to America. On the Continent there was even more restlessness than in Great Britain. At the Congress of Vienna, in 1814-1815, the map of Europe had been readjusted. The commissioners at this Congress seemed to have but one aim — to put everything back as nearly as possible in the shape it was before the French Rev- olution. They had no care for the people; the princes were their only concern. France was made a monarchy. Italy and Germany were divided among a horde of petty tyrants. The partition of Poland was ratified. And so forth. But the day of democracy had arrived, and there were many uprisings which upset the decrees of the Vienna autocrats. In 1814 Norway declared herself a free nation. In 1830 and 1848 there were revolutions in France, which lighted the signal fires of liberty throughout Europe. A new republic was established in France in 1848, only to be overturned again in 1852. Belgium broke lose from Holland in 1831 and established a constitutional kingdom. Italy had uprisings in 1820, 1830, 1848 and 1859, which resulted both in political freedom and national unity for the Italian states. Of all the European states, Germany had suffered most under Napoleon's cruelty and was most dismembered, but was reviving again and striving towards a more perfect union of the German people. The rivalry between the German states of Prussia and Austria led inevitably to war, in which Prussia came out as victor. There was a revolution in Greece in 1828, in Poland in 1830, in Hungary in 1848, out of which came some measure of greater liberty, especially in Greece, which was freed from Turkish rule. In 1584 serfdom had been legalized in Russia. Peasants were bought and sold with the land they worked. The land belonged to the nobility and the peasants had to stay there from generation to generation. In 1858-1863, yield- ing to the urgent cry for redress and the spirit of the times, Czar Alexander II emancipated the serfs of Russia, by which these semi-slaves could, under certain conditions, acquire land and move from place to place. From 1820 to 1860 the total number of emigrants from the continent was 1,899,833 — from Germany 1,555,508; France, 207,692; Scandinavia, 45,957; and from all other lands, 90,676. Of the total immigration to the United States during the period 1820-1860, 54.3% came from Great Britain, 30.7% from Germany, 4.1% from France, .9 a /c from Scandinavia, and the remaining 10% from the other lands of the earth. America was the haven for freedom and the land of opportunity for all that were poor and oppressed. The Norwegian Period 105 Norway and Sweden became a dual monarchy in 1814. Their first king was Bernadotte, a French marshal under Napoleon. The Swedes had chosen him as heir to the Norway throne, hoping thereby to gain the friend- ship of Napoleon, and that thus through his help they might regain possession of Finland, which they had lost to Russia in 1809. They reckoned, however, without their host, for Napoleon and Bernadotte did not long remain friends after Bernadotte's elevation. Hardly had Bernadotte, or Charles John, as he called himself in Sweden, come into power, when he joined with Russia, Prussia and England in a new (sixth) confederacy against Napoleon. Denmark sided with Napoleon and against England, because England had in 1807 bombarded Copenhagen and taken the Dano-Norwegian fleet. The Powers promised Charles John Norway as the price foi his aiding them against Napoleon. Napoleon went out to fight the Allies and met them at Leipzig in 1813, where he met defeat (the "Battle of Nations"). At the Peace of Kiel (Jan. 14, 1814) the Powers gave Norway to Sweden. As stated in an- other place in this book, Norway objected to being given away by anybody to anybody. Norway declared herself free and, on the Seventeenth of May, 1814, adopted a constitution. When Norway finally accepted Charles John as her king, she did it with the understanding that she was a free country and in no sense a province. Charles John remained a Frenchman all his days. He never learned to speak Norwegian, not even Swedish, although he lived at Stockholm 32 years. The peace conference at Vienna had tried to restore the power and dignity of the monarchs as they were before the French Revolution, and Charles John, though himself not of royal birth, had caught the spirit of the old school and was jealous of his authority. Yet he was, on the whole a good king. There was, naturally, some friction between him and the democratic Norwegians. He and the Norwegian Storthing, for example, differed on a number of questions, as: The payment of the war debt, the celebration of the Seventeenth of May, the equality of the kingdoms, the naval flag, the treat- ment of diplomatic matters, amendments to the constitution, etc. He took upon himself in 1828 to forbid the celebration of the Seventeenth of May as the national holiday. In answer to this tyrannous act the poet Wergeland sang hymns to liberty so effectively that the people in 1829 were determined at all costs to celebrate. The king sent his troops to disperse the multitudes, but without avail. Fortunately, he did this only once — in 1829. Since that date, the day has been celebrated in peace. In 1836 the king proposed constitutional changes, but the Storthing promptly tabled the proposal and passed a law as to a Norwe- 106 Norwegian People in America gian merchant flag. The king therupon rashly dissolved the Storthing; the Storthing brought the case before the courts and had the action declared unconstitutional. The king, awe- struck by their boldness, made concessions, and, by appointing a Norwegian, Wedel-Jarlsberg, as viceroy, became justly popu- lar. From this it appears that the Norwegians of this period were fearless in asserting their rights, moderate and persistent in their demands. Eventually they obtained every right and privilege they asked for. In 1844 Oscar I, son of Charles John, came to the throne. He tried to conciliate the Norwegians. He gave them their own flag. Under his reign many good laws were passed and many reforms in the means of communication and in trade were carried into effect. In 1859 Oscar I was succeeded by his son Charles XV. During this period Norway was very poor. England had destroyed or seized her ships and had blockaded her ports. It took many years to overcome this handicap. The financial panics which swept over Europe in the '30s and '50s affected also Norway. Norway's poverty was the main cause for the emi- gration from Norway at this time. The emigration going on from the rest of northwestern Europe was also felt as a stimu- lating factor in Norway. Cleng Peerson, who had been in Ger- manv, France, England and America, became the apostle of immigration to America, and the Sloop "Restaurationen," setting out from Stavanger on July 4, 1825, was the first boatload of Norwegian immigrants to the United States in modern times. In 1825, when the Sloop "Restaurationen" came, this nation was scarcely fifty years old. The Revolutionary War began in 1775, the Declaration of Independence was United States made July 4, 1776, the Articles of Con- federation were agreed upon by the Contin- ental Congress in 1777, the Constitution of the United States was written in 1787. It was a document of compromises. Some men, for example, wanted a strong central government — these came to be known as Federalists ; others believed that the states should have as much power as possible — these came to be known as Anti-Federalists, or Democratic-Republicans. George Wash- ington became the first president, the unanimous choice of both factions. He served from 1789 to 1797 and was succeeded bv John Adams, the nominee of the Federalist Party. Adams' term was from 1797 to 1801. The third president was Thomas Jefferson, candidate of the Democratic-Republicans. He served eight years, from 1801 to 1809. The fourth president was James Madison, twice elected by the Republicans; and after him came James Monroe, the fifth president, also Republican, whose term The Norwegian Period 107 of office extended from 1817 to 1825. Up to this time— 1825— the Federal Constitution had been tried out only thirty-six years. The administration of Washington was a period of organization. The administrations of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were periods ot experimentation in foreign and domestic policy, end- ing in a second war with Great Britain (1812-1814). The pur- chase of Louisiana, in 18U3, was one of the most notable events in this period. Then came the Era of Good Feeling, which last- ed ten years — from 181:) to 1825. The Monroe Doctrine, first announced on December 2, 1823, has since been one of the fun- damental rules of America with respect to European inter- ference in American affairs. The Norwegian Sloopers arrived in America just as the Era of 111 Feeling began to set in. The new era lasted from 1825 to 1861, which are the years marking the beginning and end of the first period of the story of the Norwegians in Amer- ica. It might seem that this era should be one of Good Feeling. The country had made great progress from 1775 to 1825 and was about to witness a growth which had never before been paralleled. In 1775 the population was less than 3,000,000; in 1825 more than 11,000,000. And in 1860 it had increased to more than 31,000,000. In 1775 there were 13 colonies; in 1825 there were 24 states , and in 1860, 33 states. The country had grown from about 350,000 sq. miles in 1775 to about 2,000,000 sq. miles, most of it uninhabited and untilled, in 1825. In 1860 the area was over 3,000,000 sq. miles, most of it occupied and partly tilled. Alongside of the political and territorial growth there had been much progress in agriculture, mining, manufac- turing, commerce, invention and internal improvement. Europe had begun to look to America for supplies of cotton and grain. American factories had begun to supply domestic needs and even to offer their wares in foreign markets. American ships fly- ing the American flag could be seen in every principal port. To the poor and oppressed immigrant from Europe, America seemed a haven of peace, a land of prosperity and freedom. Nevertheless, this period is rightly called the Era of 111 Feeling, politically, socially, economically and otherwise. One of the causes of ill feeling was the question of internal improvements by the Federal Government at national expense. The Democratic-Republicans opposed such a system. The Federalists advocated it. John Quincy Adams, president in 1825-1829, boldly recommended appropriation for national ob- servatories, a university, and scientific enterprises of various kinds, as well as for public roads, canals and defences. The country was not ready for such liberal views, and Adams became very unpopular. He was succeeded by Andrew Jackson, who sternly opposed such improvements as unconstitutional. With 108 Norwegian People in America Settlements in 1820 (An attempt to reproduce the U. S. Census Color Plates by the camera — not very successful. The population west of the Alleghanies is consid- erably lighter than indicated in this reproduction.) The Norwegian Period 109 Settlements in i860 (An attempt to reproduce the U. S. Census Color Plates by the camera — not very successful. The population west of the Alleghanies is consid- erably lighter than indicated in this reproduction.) 110 Norwegian People in America the introduction of railroads it was necessary to give them a grant of land along the line of their route. This grant was man- aged in this way, that Congress gave the land to the states in order to enable them to give the land to corporations within their boundaries. The first grant for railroad purposes was made in 1850, when the state of Illinois gave 2,500,000 acres to the Illinois Central Railroad. Another bone of contention was the Protective Tariff. The trouble over this question began also with John Ouincy Adams. New England favored protection to aid her growing manufac- tures, especially that of woolens. The cotton-growing states of the South did not have factories and did not want any tariff. \ tariff law was passed in 1828. which was called "The Tariff of Abominations." Under Jackson it was modified, but was so un- popular even at that, that South Carolina passed an ordinance of nullification declaring the tariff acts of 1828 and 1832 void. President Jackson acted with energy, ordering General Winfield Scott to collect duties by force of arms. The United States Bank was a third source of trouble. It was a part of Hamilton's financial scheme. It had been opposed by Jefferson, Madison and other advocates of state rights. Andrew Jackson was an enemy of the bank, and would not per- mit its rechartering in 1836. From 1833 to 1836 he withdrew the government monev and placed it in state banks. This was at a time when the West was opening up and there was a great boom everywhere. It became easy to borrow money and a wild orgy of speculation ensued. New banks, called "wild cat banks," were formed on little or no capital, since paper money could be issued with little or no specie back of it. The madness in money and speculation could not go on forever. In 1837 occurred a terrible financial panic which paralyzed all industries, one of the most painful and prolonged crises in our financial history. It seems to have been the intention of the founders of our government that civil officers should retain their positions during good behavior. Andrew Jackson introduced the "Spoils System," making a clean sweep of all who differed with him in politics. Since his day public office has been considered a reward for party service, except in so far as civil service reform has been introduced. The great political parties during this period were the Demo- cratic-Republicans, now called Democrats, and the Federalists, now called Whig. The Democrats elected Jackson, Van Buren, Polk, Pierce and Buchanan, a total of 24 years in office. The Whigs elected Harrison and Tyler, Taylor and Fillmore, a total of 8 years in office. John Quincy Adams was elected by the House of Representatives for one term. He was a Federalist. The campaign of Harrison was the first political campaign, since The Norwegian Period 111 so familiar, having - mass meetings, political speeches, songs, torch lights and slogans. 'Tippecanoe and Tyler too" won his election. There were, several smaller parties advocating this or that reform measure. Thus, in 1826-1835, the Anti-Masonic Party opposed Free Masonry. A prohibition movement was on foot, which made Maine a prohibition state in 1846, Vermont in 1852, New Hampshire in 1855, Connecticut in 1854-1872. New York in 1855-1857, and restricted the sale of liquor in Ohio, Michigan and other places. The Know-Nothing Party in 1856 confined itself to vigorous opposition to aliens and Catholics. Texas, originally a part of Mexico, from which it declared its independ- ence, was annexed to the United States in 1845. This brought on the War with Mexico, won by the United States. Mexico ceded to the United States in 1848 522,568 sq, miles of land, including California, and in 1853, through the Gadsden Pur- chase, the United States obtained an additional 45,535 sq. miles of territory. Gold was discovered in California in 1848, re- sulting in a wild rush of adventurers and settlers to California. The northeastern boundary difficulties with Great Britain were settled in 1842. The northwestern boundary question was settled in 1846. The chief source of ill feeling during this period was the subject of slavery. The South wanted slaves because it was profitable to the South. The North had originally favored slaves, but had found it unprofitable, and slavery died a natural death. The moral side of the question was early recognized and boldly proclaimed, but the matter was hushed and compromised at the framing of the Constitution. The South wished to introduce slavery into new territory. The North tried to prevent it. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 recognized the power of Congress to exclude slavery from new territory. The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, but gave the other territories the right to decide for themselves as to slavery. The Kansas- Nebraska Bill likewise left the states to decide the question. The Fugitive Slave Law made it the duty of Congress to pro- tect slavery. The Dred-Scott Decision declared slaves to be property, not people. Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," a story of slave life in the South, published in 1852, had an immense sale, and was largely instrumental in changing the poli- tical question to a moral one. Garrison started a newspaper in 1829 advocating immediate abolition of slavery. He was fined and his paper was suppressed. He started another paper, "The Liberator," declaring the United States Constitution, because of its compromising attitude on the slavery question, to be a "covenant with death, and an agree- ment with Hell." He had many followers. They were often 112 Norwegian People in America persecuted. Lovejoy, an Illinois abolition editor, was mobbed and killed in 1838. The Liberty Party, organized in 1840, opposed slavery. It was succeeded by the Free Soil Party, in 1848, and this in turn was succeeded by the Republican Party, in 1856. Its first candidate was John C. Fremont, and the slogan of the party was "Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Men and Fremont." The second candidate, in 1860, was Abraham Lincoln, who. was elected. The German and Scandinavian vote put him into office. His election brought on the secession of the South and the Civil War, in which struggle slavery perished. 2. The Norwegian Immigration, 1825-1860 We have learned that the brave and adventurous Norsemen found their way to America during the Colonial Days and as far back as the Viking Age. Gunnbjo'rn Cleng Peerson came to Greenland in 876; Leif Erikson, to Vinland, in 1000. But to Cleng Peerson belongs the honor of having started a steady stream of im- Stavanger in 182= migration to America. He was the Pathfinder of Norwegian Settle- ments in the Northwest and Southwest. Peerson was born on the farm Hesthammer, in Tysvaer Parish, north of Stavanger, Norway, May 17, 1782. He went originally by the name Kleng Pedersen Hesthammer, but in later years he came to be known by the shorter name. He is reported to have married a rich widow considerably older than himself and to have traveled in Scandinavia, Germany, France and England. He is said to have acquired some speaking knowl- edge of the languages of the countries through which he journeyed. He returned to Norway, and was sent to America in The Norwegian Period 113 Cleng Peerson (Copyrighted by 0. M. Norlie) (Drawn by Ivan Doseff and approved by five of Cleng F'eerson's friends as a reasonably good likeness) 1821, as an advance agent for a group of Quakers in Stavanger. They wanted more freedom than they were having in Norway. and hoped to find a place where they could live and worship as they pleased, without suffering any persecutions or restrictions at the hands of anybody. Quakerism was a new movement in Norway. It had been 114 Norwegian People in America brought to Norway by Norwegian sailors who had been held prisoners of war in England during the Napoleonic Wars. The leader among these was Lars Larson i Jeilane, who in 1807 attempted to ship a cargo of lumber to France, but was cap- tured by an English man-of-war and held prisoner until 1814. Upon his release he worked one year for Mrs. Margaret Allen, a Quakeress, who had visited him in prison. He accepted the Quaker faith, returned to Norway and organized at his house in Stavanger the first Society of Friends in Norway. In 1818, two Quaker missionaries from England visited Stavanger. They i I bB&mw^^ Cleng Peerson's Dream Fulfilled : A Typical Norwegian Farm Home in 1925 were William Allen, a son of Larson's benefactress, and Stephen Grellet, a Frenchman who had lived twelve years in the United States. Grellet no doubt had told the Norwegian Quakers about the greater religious freedom in America, to which country he himself soon afterward returned. While the history of Norway is relatively free from religious persecutions, the State Church naturally has not welcomed dis- senters and separatists, and has at times called upon the civil government to restrict their interference in church matters. In the case of Hans Nielsen Hauge, the great Lutheran revivalist, the Church and State joined hands to suppress the revival move- ment. Hauge was imprisoned from 1804 to 1814 and his fol- lowers were subjected to various kinds of annoyance by the regular clergy and the state officials. Hauge remained a Lu- The Norwegian Period 115 theran until his death, in 1824, but the Quakers were thorough- going separatists and wanted nothing to do with Lutheran doc- trines and practices. They would not baptize and confirm their children, which were church requirements, and they objected to military service, which was a state requirement. When the church and civil authorities began to insist on the observation of these demands, the Quakers were much annoyed and longed for a land where they could worship according to the dictates of their own conscience. Besides, the Quakers of Stavanger were humble and poor and would appreciate the economic ad- vantages offered by America. So it was decided to send Cleng Peerson over here, together with one companion, Knud Olson Eide, and funds were raised among the Friends and given the travelers to defray their expenses. Cleng Peerson came to the United States in August, 1821, and remained three years. His companion took sick and died. "Peerson," says a writer in the "New York American" for Oct. 22, 1825, "procured the best medical attendants, still laboring with his own hands for his support, and debarring himself of the comforts of life to administer to the necessities of his friend. After the decease of his friend, the survivor . . . proceeded on foot to examine the country, the character of the soil, our mode of agriculture, engaged without any hesitation at any kind of em- ployment to meet the current expenses of the day, by which means he obtained a knowledge of our customs, laws, language and agriculture. In this manner he scoured the vast regions of the West and left a journal from day to day." He returned to Norway in 1824, reported to his Stavanger friends as to con- ditions in America and urged them to emigrate. As a direct result of his report and stay in Stavanger the Sloop "Restaura- tionen" set sail the next summer for America. Peerson hastened back to America to prepare for the arrival of the immigrants, this time too with a comoanion — Andrias Stangeland. In a letter written at New York Dec. 20, 1824, a copy of which is in the Minnesota Historical Society Library, Peerson says: "Dear father, brother, sister, brother-in-law and friends : This will inform you that I have arrived in America, happy and well. After a voyage of six weeks, we reached New York where we found all my friends in good health." In this letter he tells furthermore that he had gone to Albany by steamboat, and then, by way of the Erie Canal, as far as Farmington, in western New York. "I then went overland to Geneva, where the land commissioner lives, in order to purchase land, both for myself and you The land commissioner is very friendly and has promised to aid us as much as he can. We reached an agreement in regard to six pieces of land which I 116 Norwegian People in America f nS/sj/rfr / ^^: » » 4 * ■i- /t y>' WMtfLVh v The Beginning of Cleng Peerson's Letter have selected, and this agreement will he in force until next fall. I already have a house in process of construction, 24 ft. long by 20 ft. wide, which I hope to complete by New Year's Day When I was in Rochester I bought a stove for $20.00. It is fully equipped, with such things as pans, pots for meat, a baking oven, etc " He says further : "I am very much concerned in my mind about your coming to America How happy I should be to receive word that you were coming to New York and I might meet you there I must entrust everything to Providence. You also would do the same. You must not allow yourselves to be frightened away by talk. I have experienced the help of Providence as long as I remain steadfast in my faith. More than that we can not do. I have told you everything orally and I will stand by my promises. Do not fail to write me in good a 'f%*fW JycU^uu The Closing of Cleng Peerson's Letter (Photostat used by permission of Prof. Theodore C. Blegen, Minnesota State Historical Society.) The Norwegian Period 117 season and I shall do my best My friends in New York have promised to do all in their power to sell the vessel as ad- vantageously as possible. On the other hand, if you could in- vest your money in Swedish iron and hire a vessel, that would accomplish the same end I hope that you will write me a letter as soon as you are ready, to acquaint me with your plans. Above all, deal with one another in a brotherly spirit. Do not fail to love one another Let us see ourselves as we really are, wretched and feeble, then we shall understand that we always have need of help and salvation from the hand of the Almighty. Then we will obey His call and heed His admon- itions. Up to the present I have been in good health, as has my comrade, Andrias Stangelan Your friend and servant unto death, Kleng Pedersen." "This letter," says Theodore C. Blegen, the biographer of Cleng Peerson, "proves clearly that Cleng Peerson was the ad- vance agent of the immigrants of 1825, that he was directly urging the enterprise and encouraging its backers, that he arranged in 1824 for the purchase of land for his friends, that he was attempting to arrange for the sale of their ship should they purchase one for their journey That he was indeed the trail-blazer and advance agent for the Sloop Folk, and that his name stands properly at the head of the Norwegian immi- gration leaders of the last century, can no longer be disputed." Cleng Peerson was not only the Father of Norwegian Immi- gration to America, but he was also the Pathfinder of the Nor- wegian settlements in the West. He was not satisfied with the conditions in the Kendall Colony. The great Mississippi Valley was now opening up. People were moving westward, some by way of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes, others by the prairie schooner, trekking slowly toward the setting sun. Aided largely by this stream of settlers, Ohio increased its population in the decade of 1820-1830 by 256,469, Indiana by 195,853, Illi- nois by 102,234, and Michigan by 22,743. Peerson caught the spirit and started for the West to find a new site for his col- onists. He walked as far as Chicago, which was then, in 1833, a little village of only 20 huts. A French half-breed offered him an 80 acre farm in what is now the Loop district for a pipe and a change of clothing, but Cleng would not take the bargain. The marshes of Chicago did not appeal to him. He proceeded on to Milwaukee, then a hamlet of only three rude huts, surrounded by deep and dark forests. Returning to Chicago, he set out across the open plains of 118 Norwegian People in America Illinois, almost due west. After some days' wandering, weary one day he lay down on top of a hill under a tree to rest. "He slept and dreamed," says Anderson, "and in his dream he saw the wild prairie changed into a cultivated region, teeming with all kinds of grain and fruit most beautiful to behold; that splendid houses and barns stood all over the land, occupied by a rich, prosperous and happy people. Alongside the fields of waving grain large herds of cattle were feeding. Cleng interpreted this as a vision and as a token from Almighty God that his countrymen should come there and settle. He forgot his pain and hunger and thanked God that He had permitted his eyes to behold this beautiful region and he decided to advise his country- men to come west and settle there. He thought of Moses, who, from the mountain, had looked into the land of promise. Re- freshed and nerved anew by his dream, he went back to Kendall and persuaded his friends to emigrate to La Salle Co., 111." Cleng's dream has been fulfilled. And on the spot where he dreamed this dream, at Norway, 111., there should be placed a proud monument in memory of his great services to the Norwe- gian people in America. Every one with Norwegian blood in his veins should contribute his mite to this memorial. Just a word or two about his later life, full both of realistic and romantic incident. In 1834 he brought the main body of the Sloopers to La Salle Co., 111. In 1837 he founded the Shelby County settlement in Missouri. In 1838 he made a second visit to Norway. In 1839 he returned to America. In 1840 he made a settlement in Lee County, Iowa. In 1842 he made a third trip to Norway. In 1847, having sold his farm lands in Missouri and Iowa, he joined the Erik Janson colony at Bishop Hill, Henry Co., 111. This was a Swedish communistic settlement, established in 1846. He contributed all his posses- sions to the colony, and, though 65 years old, he married a young- Swedish woman, a member of the Jansonite sect. Shortly after his marriage he departed from the colony and left his wife, never to return to her, "stripped," as he said, "of everything except his honor." The next two years he spent in the Fox River Settlement, La Salle Co., which he had been instrumental in founding, and which now had become populous and prosperous. A man past 65, he could now have lived here at Fox River, among friends, to the end of his days. But he was still the restless seeker after new fields. In 1849 he went to Texas to investigate as to a new site for a Norwegian settlement. In 1850 he went back to Illinois, only to return to Texas, with a com- pany of immigrants. He lived near Dallas, Texas, from 1850 to The Norwegian Period 119 1854, and in Bosque County, Texas, from 1854 to the day of his death, Dec. 16, 1865. According to T. T. Colwick, postmaster at Norse, Texas, the Texas Legislature present- ed Peerson with a gift of 320 acres of land in Neils, Bosque County, Texas, as an apprecia- tion of his services as a pio- neer leader. He was a car- penter by trade and a sample of his skill is seen in the pic- ture of his chair which was furnished for this book by Cleng's friend, Jacob Olson, Clifton, Texas. Though twice married, he had no children. In his first marriage he took to wife an elderly woman, Cath- erine who gave him wealth. In his second marriage he married a girl at least 40 years his junior, and her sect got his last cent. Her name was Charlotte Marie . She died of the cholera in 1849. He never had any children. A monument on his grave, erected in 1876 at a cost of $300.00, bears an inscription in Norwegian on one side and in English on the opposite side, which reads : Cleng Peerson the first Norwegian immigrant to America, born in Norway, Europe, May 17, 1782, came to America in 1821, and died in Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Grateful countrymen in Texas erected this monument to his memory. Cleng Peerson's Chair (Made by Cleng himself, now owned by Jacob Olson, Clifton, Texas) In 1921 a centennial was held at Norse, Tex., at his grave, O. M. Norlie delivering the anniversary address. A similar cele- bration was held also at two of the chief Norwegian cultural centers in America, at Decorah, la., with Gisle Bothne as the chief speaker, and at Minneapolis, Minn., with Theodore C. Blegen as the centennial orator. 120 Norwegian People in America There has been considerable controversy as to Cleng Peer- son's character and historical importance. He has been called a shiftless tramp, and it must be admitted that he had some of the characteristics of a vagabond. He was a rover, but not an aimless one. Blegen is right in his characterization of his person and work : "In truth, he appears to have been actuated constant- ly by the high aim of searching out favorable places for settle- ment by Norwegian immigrants, and he served again and again as leader and guide and instigator of movements of immigration to America and to the settlements in the West in the future of which he had faith. He usually owned land, even though he did not actually cultivate it ... . Never content to remain in one place and win the ordinary rewards of patient work, he traveled back and forth across the Atlantic, and trudged from frontier to frontier, always searching for desirable lands, and leading to these lands groups of settlers who possessed the qualities which he lacked, who founded settlements, who built homes, and, con- quering the wilderness to which they came, achieved that pros- perity which was the lode-star that had drawn them to the West. Professor Svein Nilssen, who published in 1869 and 1870 the results of numerous interviews and extensive researches in the old settlements, declares without qualification that Cleng Peer- son exercised a greater influence upon the early Norwegian im- migration and settlement than any other man." Says Nilssen: "Despite his faults and shortcomings, Cleng Peerson was certainly the right man to head the movement. Unsteady though he was, none could deny him honor and uprightness. He was good- hearted and always prepared to help others He was always a faithful friend of the needy and suffering. His goal was to work for the temporal happiness of his fellow-beings." His Texas friends, who knew him well, all accord him high tribute. T. T. Colwick writes: "His inherent honesty, nobility and benevolence were expressed in the mild and pleasant fea- tures of his face Suffering was repugnant to him in any form. He believed in the power of love instead of force. He was the most unselfish man I have known. His chief ambition was to promote the welfare of his countrymen and fellow-men." The history of the Norwegians in America can not be written without giving him an honored place as the first leader. *On July 4, 1825, occurred one of the most important events in the history of Norway, an event which at the time was scarce- ly noted by public officials and the press and The Sloopers which the Norwegian historians have hardly yet considered worthy of mention in their voluminous writings. This event was the sailing of the first emigrant boat to America. The Norwegian Period 121 When Cleng Peerson returned to Stavanger in 1824 he had much to tell and there were many willing ears to listen to him. Lars Larson, the Quaker leader, determined to emigrate and began to organize a company of emigrants. Together with five other men he purchased a small ship to take them across the At- lantic to that wonderful land from whence Peerson had just come. This ship was only a large boat, a 54-foot long sloop of only 38 or 40 tons, and costing 1,800 Norwegian "specie" The Sloop "Restaurationen" dollars, approximately $1,350.00 in American coin. Some of the present-day boats are over 1,000 times as large and costly. The Sloop had been built in Hardanger in 1801 and went by the name "Restaurationen" (The Restoration). Larson hired a captain, Lars Olson Helland, and a mate, Nels Erikson. Larson himself was a ship carpenter and most of his party had had experience on the sea as fishermen. They freighted their little bark with iron, which they intended to market in New York, and all told they numbered 52 passengers when they departed from Stavanger on July 4th, and 53 when they arrived at New York on Oct. 9, 97 days later, a girl baby having been born to Mr. and Mrs. Larson on Sept. 2nd. This child was named Mar- 122 Nonvegian People in America garet Allen Larson, in honor of Mrs. Allen, the Quakeress, of London, already mentioned. The party consisted of 9 married couples, with 21 children, of whom 4 are known to have heen boys, and 13 girls, while four are simply listed as children. There were also 13 single men and 1 single woman. The names of these Sloop Folk, together with the years of their birth and death, are given herewith, based largely on R. B. Anderson's "First Chapter of Norwegian Im- migration :" Family Heads: (i) Larson, Lars (i 787-1845). (2) Larson, Martha Georgiana, nee Peerson (1803-1887). (3) Hersdal, Cornelius Nelson (1789-1833). (4) Hersdal, Caroline, nee Peerson ( -1848). (5) Hersdal, Nels Nelson (1800-1886). (6) Hersdal, Bertha, nee Hervig (1804-1882). (7) Hervig, Henrick Christopherson ( -1884). (8) Hervig (Harwick), Martha, nee — ( -1868). (9) Lima, Simon. (10) Lima, (11) Madland, Thomas (1 778-1826). (12) Madland, (1768-1829). (13) Rossadal, Daniel Stenson (1779-1854). (14) Rossadal, Bertha, nee Stav0son ( -1854). (15) Stene, Johannes (1779- ) (16) Stene, Martha (nee Kindingstad) (1780- ). (17) Thompson (Thorson), Oyen (1795-1826). (18) Thompson, Bertha Caroline, nee (1790-1844). Children : (19) Larson, Margaret Allen (1825-1916). Mrs. John Atwater. (20) Nelson (Hersdal), Ann (1814-1858). Not married. (21) Nelson (Hersdal) Nels (1816-1893). Married Catherine Iverson. (22) Nelson (Hersdal), Inger (1819-1896). Married John S. Mitchell. (23) Nelson (Hersdal), Martha (1823- ). Married Beach Fellows. (24) Lima, (25) Lima, (26) Lima, (27) Madland, Rachel (1807- ). Mrs. Lars Olson Helland. (28) Madland, Julia (1810-1846). Mrs. Gudmund Haugaas. (29) Madland, Serena (1814- ). Mrs. Jacob Anderson Slogvig. (30) Rosdail (Rossadal), Ellen (1807-1884). Mrs. Cornelius Cothren. (31) Rosdail (Rossadal), Aave (Ovee) (1809-1890). Married Gertrude Jacobs (1); Mrs. Martha Haagenson (2). (32) Rosdail (Rossadal), Lars (1812-1837). Not married. (33) Rosdail (Rossadal), John (1821-1893). Married Quam (1) ; Caroline Peerson (2). (34) Rosdail (Rossadal), Helga Hulda (1825-1914). Mrs. Erasmus Olson. (35) Stene, Helene Cora (1812- ). (36) Stene, (37) Thompson, Sara (1818- ). Mrs. George Olmstead (1) ; Mrs. Wm. W. Richey (2). (38) Thompson, Anna Marie (1819-1842). Mrs. Wm. W. Richey. (39) Thompson, Caroline (1825-1826). The Norwegian Period 123 Single Men : (40) Bjaadland, Thorstein Olson (1795-1874). Married Guro Olson. (41) Dahl (Dall), Endre (Andrew). Married Mrs. Sven Aasen. (42) Erikson, Nels. (43) Haugaas (Hogas), Gudmund (1800- 1849). Married Julia Madland (1) ; Caroline Hervig (2). (44) Helland, Lars Olson. Married Rachel Madland. (45) Hettletvedt, Ole Olson ( -1849). Married Chamberlain (1); (2). (46) lverson, Halvor. (47) Johnson, George ( -1849). Married Nordboe. (48) Johnson, Ole (1798-1879). Married Mrs. Malinda Frink (1) ; Ingeborg (2); ingeborg lverson (3). (49) Slogvig, Jacob Anderson (1807-1864). Married Serena Madland. (50) Slogvig, Knud. Married Olson Hettletvedt. (51) Stangeland, Andrew. Married Susan Cary. (52) Thompson, Nels ( -1863). Married Mrs. Bertha Caroline Thompson. Single Woman :. (53) Larson, Sara. Deaf and dumb sister of Lars Larson. Not married. Thorkild Johannesen, bookkeeper, Portland, Oregon, writes that his grandfather, Johannis Stene (John Sten), had two children, Svend and Helena Cora, and that only the daughter went along to America. Svend remained to get confirmed and had instructions then to take a boat and come to America. As he did not hear from his folks any more, he stayed in Norway and died in 1867 as a sea captain. B. F. Stangland says that his father, Andrew Stangeland, came over before the Sloop, and did not, as far as he knows, return to Norway and come back on the Sloop. If these two statements are correct then the question is, Were there 53 or only 51 that came on the Sloop? If 53, who were the other two taking the place of Svend Stene and Andrew Stangeland? In a letter dated May 8, 1925, C. B. Olmstead, Springdale, Arkansas, grandson of Oyen Thompson, follows the order of all the Sloopers except B. F. Stangland in insisting that Andrew Stangeland came over on the Sloop. Though 81 years of age Olmstead is going to be at the Norse- American Centennial. He is a member of the German Missouri Synod. It has often been claimed that the whole party was made up of Quakers, but such can not have been the case, since there were not more than 10 or 12 Quakers in the whole country of Norway in 1825. This sect has never made much headway in Norway. "In 1846," says Tverteraas, in his "Stavanger, 1814- 1914," "these Quakers numbered 58 members and 107 adherents." In 1920 the official census reported only 88 Quakers in the whole land. It is sufficient to say that this expedition was started by Quakers and under the leadership of Quakers. The Sloopers landed at Funchal, Madeira, and were kindly treated by the natives and the American consul, John H. March. In the "New York Daily Advertiser," Oct. 15, 1825, the captain and passengers of the Sloop publicly acknowledge their thanks to the American consul for his hospitality to the company when 124 Norwegian People in America they touched the island. After a three days' stop at Madeira, in which they replenished their provisions, they set sail again, on July 31st for the New World, and arrived ten weeks later in New York Harbor, every one hale and hearty. Concerning their reception at New York, Rynning says : "It created universal surprise in New York that the Norwegians had ventured to sea in so small a vessel, a feat hitherto unheard of. Either through ignorance or misunderstanding the ship had car- ried more passengers than the American laws permitted, therefore the skipper and the ship with its cargo were seized by the authorities. Now I can not say with certainty whether the gov- ernment voluntarily dropped the matter in consideration of the ignorance of the law and child-like conduct of our good country- Route of bloopers Kendall Colony October 1525 men, or whether the Quakers had already at this time interposed for them ; all I am sure of is that the skipper was released, and the ship and its cargo were returned to their owners." They re- ceived some contributions from the Quakers and were led by Cleng Peerson by way of Albany to Rochester and Kendall, N. Y. The party passed through Albany on October 22nd, and attracted the attention of a reporter on the ' 'Albany Patriot," who remarked in his isssue for Oct. 24th that the newcomers "appear to be pleased with what they see in this country, if we may judge from their good-humored countenances. Success at- tend their efforts in this asylum of the oppressed." Lars Larson remained behind in order to sell the boat. He finally disposed of it at a considerable loss, receiving only $400.00 for it, after which he made his way to his party, from Albany to Rochester, on skates. Two of the party remained in New York — the captain, Lars Olson Helland, and the mate, Nels Erikson. Lars Larson was a ship carpenter by trade and settled down at Rochester as a The Norwegian Period 125 builder of canal boats. The rest of the Sloopers moved on to Kendall, Orleans Co., N. Y., about thirty-five miles northwest of Rochester. There, by the shore of Lake Ontario each man pur- chased 40 acres of land at $5.00 per acre and started with might and main to clear the forest primeval : It was no sweet task and for many years these poor pioneers suffered great need. They had no money and work was scarce. It is said that 24 of them lived in a single log house, having only one room. At the end of the second summer they were able to harvest two acres of wheat. This gave them renewed courage, and they attacked the forest Clara Larson (Millits), Martha Larson (Patterson) Elias Larson, Martha Peerson-Larson, Margaret Larson (Atwater) Photo of Some of Lars Larson's Family, ca. 1858 (From a Daguerrotype owned by Jane S. Atwater) with new vigor. And yet, during the first years, they often wished themselves back to Norway. But they had no money to get there and were too proud to return as beggars. And so they toiled on, with a helping hand now and then from well-to-do neighbors. With such help and by their own industry and thrift, they at last got their land in such condition that they could make a living from it, and could live better than in their native land. As a result of their growing prosperity and adjustment to American conditions, their letters home to Norway began to be happier and more encouraging, and in consequence many o£ their 126 Norwegian People in America friends over there began to feel the call of the far-away and to venture out upon the deep, determined to make their fortunes in America. Soon other boats, much larger than the Sloop, set out from Norway, filled with hopeful passengers, who in due time landed at New York and hastened on to Rochester, and then on again to the Far West, which Cleng Peerson in 1833 had dis- covered and made known to his Norwegian countrymen. The story of the Sloopers has not yet been told. By the term "Sloopers" is here meant those who came over on the Sloop in 1825 and all their descendants. In 1895, R. B. Anderson pub- v* Vl : ; • P^Cs^ ^ fctiirfiiim Jfr* M** ^l ^s s - W*™\ / vH George Larson, Georgiana Larson Tnger Larson (McFaden), Ole Johnson, Lydia Larson (Whittelsey) Photo of Some of Lars Larson's Family and Uncle Ole Johnson, ca. 1858 (From a Daguerrotype owned by Jane S. Atwater) lished his "First Chapter of Norwegian Immigration," in which he devotes about 75 pages to these very interesting people. He describes with considerable detail the original 53 and 153 of their descendants, in all 206. But his list was not complete. Besides, in the thirty years since Prof. Anderson made his investigation the Slooper tribe has multiplied fast, so that for the 100-year period it numbers at least 1000 names. An intensive study of the whole group for the whole period would no doubt make a fairly good picture of the character of the Norwegian people in America. The present writer has been on the trail of the Sloopers for The Norwegian Period 127 five years and has already discovered 500 of the tribe, many of whom he has talked with personally. They are all at work and are found in every representative occupation. About two-thirds of them are on the farm. They are literate, most of them trained ex- clusively in the public schools. A number of them have college and professional degrees. Some of them can still understand Norwe- gian and a few can speak it. Five of them have attended Lutheran colleges ; fully as many have attended Reformed in- stitutions of learning. Most of the Sloopers are now of mixed blood due to frequent intermarriages. Nearly one-half of them live in Illinois, but they are found in goodly numbers also in Iowa, Utah, New York, Min- nesota, Kansas, Cali- fornia and Michigan, with here and there a Slooper in Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Mis- sissippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ontario, South Dakota, Texas, Oregon, Washington and Wis- consin. Nearly one-half of them are known to belong to some Chris- tian church — 15% Lu- theran, 1% Catholic, 12% Methodist, 6% Congregationalist, 5% Baptist, 2% Adventist, 1% Episcopalian, 1% Campbellite, 2% Qua- ker. Quite a few are members of the Mor- mon Church ; a few are followers of Christian Science. Not one of them has been imprisoned for crime. They are thrifty and prosperous, law-abiding and patriotic. Many of them bear old American names; all of them are full-fledged Americans. A few names, by way of illustration : Lars Larson, the leader of the Sloopers, was a highly respected citizen of Rochester until the day of his death, November 13, 1845. He built a house, in 1827, which still stands at 41 Atkinson St., Rochester. At this house Larson received thousands of Norwegians who were on their way from Norway to Illinois or beyond. He is known to Georgiana Larson and Lars Larson's House, Built in 1827 128 Norwegian People in America have housed over 100 at one time and fed and entertained them for days at his own expense while giving them valuable informa- tion and advice about America. One of his children, Georgiana, still owns this house, although she lives in a statelier mansion close by. His daughter, Margaret Allen, born on the Sloop, mar- Rochcster. '- ■> . / / Lars Larson's Check (Presented to Luther College Museum by Captain Louis Larson.) ried John Atwater, city superintendent of schools at Rochester, later a physician in Chicago. One of Margaret Atwater's sons, John Larson Atwater, was a Baptist pastor at Western Springs, 111., and the inventor of the Vive cameras, which for many years competed with the Kodaks. He is now retired, a strong man of John L. Atwater Jane Sara Atwater Three Larson Children Mabel A. Truesdell 73, living with two of his sisters, Jane Sara Atwater, a teacher in the Chicago Public schools nearly fifty years and principal of the Parkside School, and Mrs. Mabel Truesdell, whose daughter Charlotte is taking her A. M. in biology at the University of Chicago this year. Elias Tastad Larson, a son of Lars Larson, was a gold miner in California, one of the '49ers. A daughter of Larson, Martha Jane, began to teach private school in 1844, though only 12 years of age. She was the first Norwegian to The Norwegian Period 129 teach English school in America, the first of a thousand Misses Larson who have labored in the school room or are still teach- ing the young in the way they should go. She married Elias Clark Patterson, a New York inventor of milling and threshing machinery. One of her sons, Elmore Clark Patterson, is the in- Cecilie Miller (Granddaughter) Svend Johannesen (Son) Martha Andersen (Granddaughter) Thorkild Johannesen (Grandson) Svend Johannesen (Grandson) Some Descendants of Johannes Stene, Slooper ventor of an auto shade lens, a manufacturer of auto accessories, at Chicago, and is rated as a millionaire. Ole Johnson, half-brother of Mrs. Lars Larson, returned to Norway in 1827 to secure a wife. He lived on his farm at Kendall nearly 50 years and spent his latter years at Rochester, N. Y. One of his daughters, Inger Marie, born in 1839, is still owner of the Johnson home at Rochester. A great niece, Mrs. Anna Danielson Parker, is still living at Kendall, and is the only relative of the Sloopers there who is a full-blooded Norwegian. A grand-nephew, Joseph M. Johnson, is police lieutenant at Chi- cago. A grandson, Frank Edward Raymond, was employed 130 Norwegian People in America CO fr rv % 5 — -s ^3 1 Vt i -&~ —- V>r "O .vc ~ '-, •$* «y~ •£ >*i J *. '"T>mt /» r."i 5j » y* >e /V" "Wiffi innnanipKiiiiif The Norwegian Period 131 for many years as assistant general manager of the Santa Fe Railroad. Another grandson, Ole Johnson Raymond, is a phy- sician at Wichita, Kans. A third grandson, Edmund Desire Colon, is a shop efficiency engineer of the Pere Marquette, at Detroit, Mich. Miss Emily Jane Raymond, a great-grand- daughter, is an instructor in English at the high school in Holly- Caroline C. Bower Benjamin Franklin Stangland wood, Cal. She has in her possession Ole Johnson's Bible, which he had along with him on the Sloop in 1825. Her brother Ed- ward is taking his B. S. in chemistry at Knox College this coming June. -?4 The family of Cornelius Nelson Hersdal has distinguished Inger Marie Johnson Emily Jane Raymond itself in many ways. Mrs. Cornelius Nelson Hersdal was a sister of Cleng Peerson. The oldest son, Nels, born in 1816, became a farmer at Norway, 111. He died Aug. 29, 1893, and was the last male survivor of the Sloop party. A daughter, Sarah, born in 1827, began to teach district school at Fox River, 111., in 1845, and is the first Norwegian girl to teach public school. She married Canute Peterson Marsett, who came from Norway in 1837, and who afterwards became a Mormon bishop 132 Norwegian People in America at Ephraim, Utah. In 1852-56 Bishop Peterson acted as Mormon missionary in Norway, and brought with him to Utah about 600 Scandinavian immigrants. In 1895 she had seven children and thirty-two grandchildren. A son of Cornelius Nelson Hersdal, Peter C. Nelson, was a farmer at Larned, Kans., having, in 1895, nine children and twenty-three grandchildren living. One of Peter Nelson's daughters married Judge Henry W. Johnson, president of the Illinois Central Life Insurance Co. of Chicago. He died April 4, 1925. Another daughter married J. A. Quam, a banker at Sheridan, 111. There are in all 212 names in the Cornelius Nelson family. Nels Nelson Hersdal, brother of Cornelius, was the progeni- tor of a large and prosperous family, located in La Salle County, 111. Rev. Helmer T. Haagenson has located 106 of the Nels Nelson offspring. In La Salle County lived also Daniel Stenson Ros- =adal, as do most of his descen- dants to this day, 255 strong. Thomas Madland had three daughters, and all three mar- ried Sloopers — Rachel married Lars Olson Helland, the cap- tain; Julia married Gudmund Haugaas, who became a Mor- mon preacher and practised medicine in La Salle Co., dying of cholera during the epidemic of 1849 ; Serena married Jacob Anderson Slogvig, who later died as a man of wealth at San Diego, California. One of Dr. Haugaas' daughters, Caroline Cecilia, married Dr. Reuben W. Bower, in 1867. She is still living. Among her children are: Dr. George S. Bower, Galesburg, Illinois; Mrs. Dr. George C. Poundstone, Chicago; and Dr. Willis H. Bower (dentist), Sheridan, Illinois. A. S. Anderson, a son of Andrew Dahl, was a member of the Utah Constitutional Convention in 1895. Haugaas is the progenitor of 203 descendants. Knud Anderson Slogvig went back to Norway in 1835 to find a wife. He not only found one in the person of a sister of Ole Olson Hettletvedt, but he was also the main cause of the great exodus from Norway in 1835. Ole Olson Hettletvedt was the first Norwegian layman to preach the Lutheran doctrine in America, the first to teach Norwegian parochial school and to act as Bible colporteur. He is said to have preached even on the Earl Nelford Larson, 1924 (6th generation of Daniel Stenson Rossadal's race) The Norwegian Period 133 ■ "^vi Hi jB^^ : >* 'ff^^^Mrtf jHUil jh Jr r Sp| I^hIvW Bgj Top Row : Eric, Jesse, Gertrude, Lee Roy, Jacob, Jr. Bottom Row : Jacob, Sr. t Calvin, Orvil, Glenn, Mrs. Jacob, Sr. The Jacob Rosdail, Sr., Family (Jacob's father, Aave Rosdail, came over on the Sloop) Nels Nelson (Hersdal) (Came over on the Sloop) Mrs. Emily Rosdail- Fruland (Daughter of Aave Rosdail) Daniel Rosdail (Son of Aave Rosdail) Sloop. He was married twice, both times to American women. He had three sons and a daughter. The three sons enlisted in Co. F., 36th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, in the Civil War. Their names were James Webster Olson, Soren L. Olson and Porter C. Olson. James Webster came home again without a 134 Nonvegian People in America Norwegians scar. Soren L. had his head blown off at the Battle of Mur- freesboro, Tenn., in 1862. He was a good sergeant. Porter C. was killed in the Battle of Franklin, Tenn., Nov. 30, 1864. He had been a student at Beloit College, and at the opening of the Civil War he was teaching school at Lisbon, 111. Through his efforts a company was recruited at Newark, made up largely of He was elected captain and later promoted to colonel. A monument to his memory has been erected at the Newark- Millington Cemetery, 111. A centennial service, was held January 11, 1925, at Newark, 111., in honor of his father as the first Nor- wegian lay preacher in America. The address was made in Norwegian by O. M. Norlie. As one result of the celebration a monu- ment will be placed over the resting place of Ole Olson Hettletvedt. His grave is on Lot 17, Block 3, Newark - Millington Cemetery. Mr. Howard \V. Derby, a great-grand- son of Ole Olson Hettle- tvedt, is a senior at the College of the Pacific, Stockton, Cal. He has written a "Sketch of the Hettletvedt Family" for his aunt, Mrs. Chas. J. Platten, High- wood Park, St. Paul, Minn. Sven Miller, in the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway, is a great-grand- son of Johannes Stene. The wife of President C. J. Eastvold of the Southern Minnesota District of the Norwegian Lutheran Church is a grand niece of Ole Olson Hettlevedt. She writes about the Slooper and her grandfather Knud, his brother, in "Visergutten," May 7, 1925. Like Hettletvedt, Andrew Stangeland also married an Amer- ican lady — Susan Cary. This was in June, 1827, before he had learned to speak English. He lived at Kendall, but later sold his land to Ole Aasland and got in exchange some land at Wolf Lake, in Noble Co., Ind. The Aaslands, now calling themselves Orslands, still live in Kendall, N. Y. One of Andrew Stange- land's sons, Benjamin Franklin Stangland, is a mechanical Monument of Col. Porter Olson (Son of Ole Olson Hettletvedt, Slooper) The Norwegian Period 135 engineer of New York City, with homes at Morton and Ro- chester. B. F. Stangland (note the spelling) is the eighth of nine children. The other children are: Elezar (1829), Lydia (1830), Talock (1832), Bela (1834), Rosetta (1836), Maria (1839), Mary E. (1844), and Andrew (1849). Rosetta married Rev. A. D. Olds, is still alive and on Feb. 22, 1925, celebrated her dia- A "Kubberulle" (Home-made wagon used by Norwegian pioneers. Made by L. D. Reque, Koshkonong, Wisconsin. Now in Luther College Museum) Anders A. Klove Andrew Jensen James M. YYahl Leland, 111. Edgerton, Wis. Worthing, S. D. Norwegian Pioneer Fanners (Prominent also in local and state politics, church and school work) mond (75th) wedding anniversary. He is the only descendant of the Sloopers who has succeeded in getting a place among the notables in "Who's Who in America." He is a cousin of Charles Emil Stangeland, Ph. D., listed in "Who's Who" as a political economist, a graduate of Augsburg Seminary, 1898, secretary to the American Legation at La Paz, Bolivia (1912-1913), at Lon- don (1914-15), and secretary of the Nonpartisan League, Bis- marck, N. D., during the World War. 136 Norwegian People in America The Sloop "Restaurationen" reached our hospitable shores in 1825. Over a decade passed before the next boatload of Norwegians came to America. Then, in 1836, Later Arrivals, two Norwegian brigs, "Norden" (the North) 1825-1860 and "Den Norske Klippe" (The Norwegian Rock), left Stavanger July 12th with a total of approximately 160 passengers. Meanwhile every year had brought some Norwegians to America. According to the United States Bureau of Immigration the number of immigrants from Sweden-Norway from 1820 to 1835 was as follows: 1820 3 1828 10 1821 12 1829 13 1822 10 1830 3 1823 1 1831 13 1824 9 1832 313 1825 4 1833 16 1826 16 1834 42 1827 13 1835 31 The total number of immigrants from Sweden-Norway during these 16 years was 509. Some of them were no doubt Swedes ; most of them were surely Norwegians. In many ways the census figures are puzzling. Only four immigrants are re- ported for 1825, and yet there is overwhelming evidence to prove that 53 came over on the Sloop. In 1832 313 are reported as having arrived. So far we have no other evidence to prove this. Knud Langeland, who came to America in 1843, on the boat with which Cleng Peerson returned from his last visit to his father- land, writes in his work on Norwegian immigration that indi- viduals in those days who wished to come to America went by way of Gothenburg, Hamburg or Havre. R. B. Anderson lists among the immigrants of this period the following: Christian Olson and Gudman Sandsberg, 1829; Knut Evenson, Ingrebret Lar- son Narvig, and Gjert Gregorius Hovland, 1831; and Johan Nordboe, 1832. Flom adds the name of David Johnson as having arrived in 1832. With the exception of Johnson they all stopped for a season at Kendall, N. Y. Christian Olson moved to La Salle Co., 111., in 1837. His son Erasmus married Helga, one of the daughters of Daniel Rossadal, the Slooper. Gudman Sandsberg made his home at Mission, 111., in 1836. His daughter married M. B. Mitchell, a cigar dealer in Ottawa, 111. Knut Evenson settled in Kendall, where he died. His daughter Catherine married Nels Nelson (Hersdal), Jr., the last male survivor of the Sloop. Ingrebret Narvig joined Cleng Peerson on his journey to Illinois in 1833. He tired of the march and went to work for a farmer at Erie, Monroe Co., Mich., where he remained until 1856. Then he moved to Green Lake Co., Wis., where he resided until 1885, and finally he moved to Tyler, The Norwegian Period 137 Minn., where he died in 1892. He was married twice, to Amer- ican women, and had twelve children. He was the first Norwe- gian to settle in Michigan. He practised medicine as a side calling, but did not ask for fees. Gjert Hovland was probably the first emigrant from Har- danger. After a four years' stay at Kendall he moved to La Salle Co., 111., in 1835. He wrote letters home to friends urging emigration, and hundreds of copies of his letters were circulated far and wide and were no small factor in leading many people in southwestern Norway to emigrate. Johan Nordboe came from Ringebu in Gudbransdal in eastern Norway and is one of the first to come from some other region of Nor- way than Stavanger. He settled in Kendall in 1832; in La Salle Co, 111., in 1836; in Shelby Co., Mo., in 1837; and in Dallas, Tex., in 1838, where he lived on a farm of 1920 acres and practised medicine. He was the first Norwegian to settle in Texas. David Johnson had been a sailor. In New York he secured work as pressman. In 1834 he went to Chicago as operator of the newly installed cylinder press of the "Chicago Democrat." He was the first permanent Norwegian settler of Chicago. In 1835 Knud Anderson Slogvig, the Slooper, returned to Norway to get married. For ten years the people had been reading the letters from America, and with growing interest. Some of the letters were sad and discouraging, telling of hard times and advising people to stay at home; most of the letters were joyful and optimistic, portraying victory after struggle and recommending emigration. These letters had been read with the deepest interest, but here was a man who had spent ten years in the New World. The news of his arrival spread like wildfire and he was the hero of the day. People came from far and near to see Slogvig and to interview him. Through him Norway got its first real taste of the "America Fever," and he unwittingly became one of the chief promoters of emigration. The two ships, "Norden" and "Den Norske Klippe," which left Stavanger in 1836, were a direct answer to his tale. Most of the passengers on these boats went directly to La Salle Co., via Larson's home in Rochester. Larson's patience in dealing with the newcomers never waned and his generosity in helping them, never was withdrawn. The next year, 1837, witnessed two more ships depart from Norway with passengers that could not be accommodated in 1836. One of the ships was called "Enigheden" (Harmony) and sailed from Stavanger with 93 passengers, from the city and county of Stavanger. The other ship bore the name of the sea- god Aegir. It departed from Bergen on July 4th, carrying eighty-four passengers from Hardanger, Voss and Bergen, with 138 Norwegian People in America also one man, the famous Ole Rynning, from Trondhjem. Thereby a new movement in immigration was inaugurated, in that other sections of Norway than Stavanger began to con- tribute their quota of immigrants to America. There are many names out of the 337 on these four ships in 1836 and 1837 that are worthy of special mention. BjoYn Anderson Kvelve, for example, one of the passengers on the "Norden," was the first settler in the town of Albion, Dane Co., Wis., and a very active and useful man in Norwegian-American history. He lived through the hardships of pioneer life at a time when the nearest town was 70 miles distant and the fastest conveyance was the oxcart through a trackless wilderness. And just as fortune began to smile upon his labors, the cholera came and ended his life. He had 10 children: Andrew Anderson became a farmer ; Bernt, a merchant ; Abel, a Lutheran pastor ; two girls married Lutheran pastors ; two girls married farmers ; two children died before maturity ; and Rasmus B. Anderson is in- ternationally known as university professor, author, editor, lec- turer, business promoter, diplomat and authority on things Norwegian- American. Another notable in this group was Hans Valder, a passenger on the "Enigheden." Valder lived one year in Michigan, then moved to Mission, 111., in 1838. In 1844 he became a Baptist preacher, the first Norwegian Baptist preacher in the world. In 1853 he retired from the ministry and became a farmer and hotel keeper at Newburg, Minn. In 1871 he served as a member of the Minnesota State Legislature. In 1892 he had sixteen children and more than 150 descendants living in six different states. His son Charles was the proprietor of the Valder Busi- ness College and Normal School, Decorah, Iowa., 1888-1922. Another important character who emigrated with "Enig- heden," was Hans Barlien, a native of Overhalden, Trondhjem. He had been a member of the Norwegian Storthing. A radical in politics and a liberal in religion, he had as editor of a paper in Norway provoked the enmity of the ruling classes and was subjected to considerable persecution. Therefore he emigrated. Barlien was a member of Cleng Peerson's party that settled in Shelby Co., Mo., in 1837, and in 1840 he was a member of the party that settled at Sugar Creek, Lee Co., la. This was the first Norwegian settlement in Iowa, and Barlien is considered as its real founder. A number of important men came over on the Aegir, notably the following : Mons Adland, Nels Finland, Anders Nordvig and Ole Rynning. Adland came from Samnanger, near Bergen. He settled at Beaver Creek, Iroquois Co., 111., and together with his wife was the last to abandon that marshy and malarial settlement. He then moved to Racine Co.. Wis., becoming the founder of The Norwegian Period 139 the Yorkville Settlement. His daughter Martha became the wife of Rev. Adolph C. Preus, one of the early patriarchs of the Nor- wegian Synod. Adland was a brother of Knud Langeland, well known journalist. Nels Frpland also came from Samnanger and settled in Beaver Creek. His son, Lars Fruland, born March 15, 1831, is still alive and resides at Newark, 111., spry as a man of 60, in spite of his 96 years of hard labor. He has seven children and 18 grandchildren. Anders Nofdvig was a brother-in-law of Mons Adland. He died in the Beaver 'Creek Settlement. His daugh- ter Malinda married Iver Larson Bo\ who emigrated from Voss, Norway, in 1844. Vic- tor F. Lawson, editor and publisher of the ''Chicago Daily News," the largest newspaper in the world, is her son, born 1850. He has been president of The Asso- ciated Press, is Father of the Postal Savings Bank in America, estab- lished Daily News Fresh Air Fund and Lincoln Park Sanitar- ium for sick poor chil- dren and has been ac- tive i n philanthropic work. Ole Rynning was a graduate of the Univer- sity of Christiania, class of" 1830. He settled in the Beaver Creek marshes, south of Chi- cago, and like the rest of the colony, took sick. While he lay confined to his death bed he wrote a small book about America, which one of his com- panions, Ansten Nattesta, took with him to Norway in 1838 and had it printed in Christiania (now Oslo). The title page of the book reads : "True Account of America for the Information and Help of Peasant and Commoner. Written by a Norwegian who ar- rived there in the month of June, 1837. Christiania, 1838." It is the first book written by a Norwegian-American and the first book written about the Norwegian-Americans. It is simple, clear, Snn&f»rrT>i5 Ocrcliung u m er if (if III ©pbjsmug ej Ui;ttr for (ton* »9 IttrtiiamonJ*- Iri ->?<.>!•(?, \o>" torn dcrottcr i ^ uni fr ^„. •> ^« - C '. r i 1" I i .! ii i a. !»•:**• Facsimile Picture of First Page Rvnnin.o's Book 140 Norwegian People in America accurate, scholarly, and might have been written by a man who had spent a long life in America, instead of a newcomer fighting fever in a swamp. The book is in the form of questions and answers, questions which he asked himself about America before coming here, and answers which he had been able to make after having come here. The questions cover such ground as: Loca- tion, distance, history, topography, climate, population, govern- ment, Norwegian settlements, cost of land and living, wages, religion, schools, language, dangers from disease, wild beasts and Indians, kind of people who should emigrate, dangers on the sea and as to slavery, and guiding advice for travelers. The book had a wide distribution and a profound influence for over a decade, and Rynning has been considered second in importance only to Cleng Peerson, as one of the fathers of Norwegian im- Ole K. Nattesta H. O. Nattesta Charles Orrin Solberg Three Generations of Nattestas migration. Rynning was not married, but he had a sister, whose son, Rev. Bernt J. Muus, immigrated in 1859 and distinguished himself as one of the most energetic and stalwart of Lutheran pastors in the pioneer days, numbering among his achievements also the founding of St. Olaf College, Nov. 6, 1874. Some of the immigrants from this year (1837) came by way of Gothenburg. They came from Numedal and Telemarken in south central Norway and are a sort of advance guard from those districts. From Vaegli in Numedal came two brothers, Ole and Ansten Nattestad, and from Tinn in upper Telemarken came Erik Gauteson Midb0en, Mrs. Thorsten Thorson Rue, and several others. The Nattestad brothers, known as Nattesta in this country, were also members of the ill-fated Beaver Creek Settlement in 1837. Ole Nattesta wrote an account of his journey, beginning April 8, 1837, with his departure from home, until Feb. 21, 1838, just before leaving Beaver Creek. From Beaver Creek the The Norwegian Period 141 brothers went to La Salle Co., 111. In July, 1838, Ole Nattesta entered Wisconsin and made his home at Jefferson Prairie, also known as Clinton, thus becoming the first Norwegian settler in Wisconsin. His brother Ansten returned to Norway with the two manuscripts about America, Rynning's "True Account of America" and Ole Nattesta's "Day Book." The latter was printed in Drammen in 1839. The original manuscript was re- covered by a son, James Nattesta, on a trip to Norway in 1900. A printed copy of the first edition is in the possession of the youngest son, Henry O., who still occupies the original home- stead, a farm that has so far never failed of a crop. A grand- son of Ole Nattesta is Dr. Charles Orrin Solberg, president of Augustana College and Normal School, Sioux Falls, S. D. The Rev. N. E. Boe Hon. Oley Nelson Veterans of Three Wars Gen. Alfred Wm. Bjornstad significance of Nattesta was that he led the stream of Norwegian migration into Wisconsin. The direction of the stream was un- certain until he took the step he did. One of the leaders from Tinn was Erik Gauteson Midbo'en. "He had a large family," says Anderson, "and settled in La Salle County, but fortune does not appear to have smiled on him. He became a Mormon, and in the capacity of a Mormon preacher, he made a visit to Norway and died soon after his return to America." That is, he was one of the first Mormon missionaries to Norway, if not the very first. Mrs. Thorsten T. Rue was a widow with two sons, Thorstein and John. They made their home at first in La Salle County, 111.; then moved to Shelby County, Mo., in 1838 ; in 1840 they departed for Lee County, la. ; and in 1846 they became a part of the Blue Mounds Settlement in Dane County, Wis. John Rue took the name 142 Norwegian People in America John Thompson, better known as "Snowshoe" Thompson from the fact that for twenty years (1856-1876) he was the U. S. mail carrier from Carson Valley, Ida., to Placerville, Cal., over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, covering the ninety mile route on skis. He had gone to California as a gold hunter in 1851 and is said to have worked faithfully for the postal department twenty years without any other pay than fine promises. His life was rilled with heroic adventure. Only once in his life was he afraid, he is reported to have said, and that was when he had to pass six hungry, howling wolves. Thompson's skis are on exhibit at the capitol at Sacramento — silent witnesses of a day that is gone forever. It is impossible to list all the ships and representative men that came from Norway after 1837. It is also impossible to say just how many immigrants did come. The immigration statis- tics of the U. S. Bureau of Immigration places Norwegians and Swedes in one rubric until 1869. It has been estimated that during this period at least two-thirds of the arrivals from Sweden-Norway were Norwegians. The statistics of immigra- tion kept by the U. S. officials do not agree with those kept by the officials of Norway. The two lists, for the period 1836-1860, are as follows : IMMIGRATION STATISTICS, 1836-1860 As reported by As reported by the U. S. Census the Norw. Census Swedes-Norwegians Norwegians only Year Number Number 1836 57 200 1837 290 200 1838 60 100 1839 324 400 1840 55 300 1836-1840 786 1200 1841 195 400 1842 553 700 1843 1748 1600 1844 1311 1200 1845 928 1100 1841-1845 4735 5000 1846 1916 1300 1847 1307 1600 1848 903 1400 1849 3473 4000 1850 1569 3700 . 1846-1850 9168 12000 The Norwegian Period 143 As reported by As reported by the U. S. Census the Norw. Census Swedes-Norwegians Norwegians only Number Number 1851 2424 2640 1852 4103 4030 1853 3364 6050 1854 3531 595o 1855 821 ioco 1851-1855 14243 20270 1856 1 157 3200 1857 1712 6400 1858 2430 2500 1859 1091 1800 i860 298 1900 1856-1860 6688 15800 1836-1860 35620 54270 1825-1860 36094 54323 The United States Census for 1860 enumerates 43,995 Nor- wegians born in Norway and 18,625 Swedes born in Sweden, 2.3 times as many Norwegians as Swedes. On the basis of this report the immigration figures of the United States Bureau are too small and those of Norway are too large. 3. The Norwegian Population, 1825-1860 The Sloop Folk comprised nine married couples whose average age was thirty-two years. They had twenty-one children whose average age was about eight years. And there were thirteen single men and one single woman, the average age of these fourteen being about 24 years. The average age of the whole group was 20.4 years. There were therefore several chil- dren born to these young married couples before 1830 and there- after. Lars Larson, for example, had, in addition to the Sloop baby, Margaret Allen, several other children: Inger Marie, born Feb. 18, 1827, married Wm. F. McFaden, 1872. Lydia Glazier, born Nov. 18, 1828, married Fred C. Whit- telsey. Elias Tastad, born July 9, 1830, married Effie . Martha Jane, born July 30, 1832, married Elias C. Patterson, 1879. Clara Elizabeth, born July 30, 1834, married Alfred E. Willets. George Monroe, born July 8, 1841, married Louise . Georgiana Henrietta, born July 19, 1845, not married. The other families had as a rule large families The young bachelors married as soon as they could get around to it . Andrew 144 Norwegian People in America Stangeland met Susan Cary and it proved to be a case of love at first sight, so they married, in 1827. He had two children by 1830 — Elezar, Jan. 11, 1829; Lydia, Feb. 20, 1830. Ole Johnson went back to Norway to find a bride in the person of Mrs. Malinda Frink. He married three times and had in all ten children, born be- tween 1827 and 1850. Oyen Thompson died in 1826 and his brother Nels married his widow in 1827. Nels had three chil- dren: Serena, born March 18, 1828; Abraham, born Dec. 23, 1830; and Caroline, born July 15, 1833. The children that came over on the Sloop soon were of age and got married. Julia Madland, for instance, married Dr. Gudmund Haugaas, in 1827, and had ten children by him before her death in 1846 ; her sister, Serena Madland, married Jacob Anderson Slogvig in 1831. Rachel, the oldest, married Captain Lars Olson Helland, pos- sibly in 1825. Ellen Rosdail married Cornelius Cothren in 1832 and had six children, twenty-three grandchildren, thirty-nine great-grandchildren, and twenty-five great-great-grandchildren (sixth generation from Daniel Rossadal, Slooper). Caroline Ros- dail was born April 1, 1829; she married Jens Jacobs, and had six children by him. She had fourteen grandchildren and twenty- eight great-grandchildren. Margaret Allen Larson married John Atwater, in 1851, and had nine children, five of them within this period: John Larson, born August 7, 1852, married Emma F. Scran- ton, 1874. Margaret Elizabeth, born Nov. 12, 1854, died Sept. 25, 1855. Jane Sara, born March 3, 1858, not married. Lydia Eva, born Oct. 12, 1860, died August 27, 1861. Clara Josephine, born Feb. 5, 1863, died Dec. 6, 1866. Mary Anna Lincoln, born May 6, 1865, died Dec. 11, 1866. Emma Mabel, born Oct. 4, 1868, married Chas. Harvey Trues- dell, 1895. Grace Lillian, born Nov. 6, 1870, died Sept. 15, 1872. Sarah Nelson, daughter of Cornelius Nelson Hersdal, was born Feb. 16, 1827, and on July 2, 1849, married Canute Peter- son (Marsett), afterwards a Mormon bishop. Her first son, Peter Cornelius, was born June 2, 1850, at Salt Lake City. In 1895 she had seven children and thirty-two grandchildren. All this is written to illustrate that the Norwegian-Americans were a prolific race. 106 Nels Nelsons have been traced, 203 Haug- aases, 212 Cornelius Nelsons, 255 Rosdails, etc. In the absence of full facts as to the second and third generations the following con- servative estimate has been made : The Norwegian Period 145 Year ist Generation 2nd Generation 3rd Generation Total 1830 *ioo *5 *I05 1840 *i,ooo *ioo o *i,ioo 1850 12,678 *i,902 *2 *I4,582 i860 45,995 *io,999 *64 *55,o58 * Estimate. 4. Norwegian Settlements, 1825-1860 Birds of a feather flock together. So do immigrant new- comers from foreign lands, whenever possible. Thus our Sloop- er friends found it expedient to settle down together at Kendall, N. Y. Later, most of these moved farther west and made new settlements, similar to the one they forsook. In" 1830 there was as yet only one Norwegian settlement. In 1840 there were seventeen, located in six different states. In 1850 there were fifty-three or more, distributed throughout a dozen states. In 1860, more than 110 counties, scattered over fifteen states, had one or more Norwegian settlements. In addition to this there were Norwegians who for valid reasons did not live in a Nor- wegian settlement. Thus, Lars Larson, the leader of the Sloopers, did not go to Kendall, but preferred to remain at Rochester, where he could ply his trade as boatbuilder. The U. S. Census of 1850 shows that there were Norwegians in 26 states, that is, in fourteen states besides those that had Norwegian settlements. The U. S. Census for 1860 shows that there were Norwegians in thirty-six states, that is, in twenty-one states besides those that had Norwegian settlements. The Nor- wegian foreign-born population had increased from about 100 in 1830, to about 1000 in 1840, to 12,678 in 1850 and 43,995 in 1860. " The following table, with accompanying map, gives a bird's eye view of the progress in settlement making during this period. NORWEGIAN SETTLEMENTS BY COUNTIES Year 1825 1834 1835 1836 1837 1837 1837 1838 1838 1838 1839 1839 1839 1839 1839 No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, 9 10, 11 12 13 14 IS State County New York Orleans Illinois La Salle Indiana White Illinois Cook Illinois Iroquois Missouri Shelby Illinois Stephanson Indiana Nobles Illinois Boone Wisconsin Rock Illinois Kendall Illinois Grundy Wisconsin Waukesha Wisconsin Racine Wisconsin Milwaukee 146 Norwegian People in America No. Year State 16. 1840 Wisconsin 17. 1840 Io ^" a 18. 1841 ^ isconsin 19. 1841 Wisconsin 20. 1842 Wisconsin 21. 1843 Wisconsin 22. 1844 Wisconsin 23. 1845 Wisconsin 24. 1845 Wisconsin 25. 1845 Iowa 26. 1845 Texas 27. 1846 Illinois 28. 1846 Wisconsin 29. 1846 Wisconsin 30. 1846 Wisconsin 31. 1847 Utah 7,2. 1847 Michigan 2)2>- 1848 Wisconsin 34. 1848 Wisconsin 3$. 1848 Wisconsin 36. 1848 Wisconsin 2,7- 1848 Wisconsin 38. 1848 Texas 39. 1849 California 40. 1849 Iowa 41. 1849 Wisconsin 42. 1849 Wi sconsin 43. 1849 Wisconsin 44. 1849 Wisconsin 45. 1849 Wisconsin 46. 1850 Minnesota 47. 1850 Wisconsin 48. 1850 Wisconsin 49. 1850 Wisconsin 50. 1850 Wisconsin 51. 1850 Iowa 52. 1850 Iowa 53- 1850 Minnesota 54. 1850 Minnesota 55- 1851 Michigan 56. 1851 Wiscons : n 57- 1851 Minnesota 58. 1852 Wisconsin 59- 1852 Iowa 60. 1852 Minnesota 61. 1852 Minnesota 62. 1852 Pennsylvania 63- 1853 Iowa °4- 1853 Minnesota 65- 1853 Minnesota 66. 1853 Iowa 67- 1854 New Hampshire 68. 1854 Wisconsin 69. 1854 Wisconsin 70. i8^4 Wisconsin 71. 1854 Texas 72. 1854 [owa 73- 1854 Iowa 74- 1854 Iowa 75- 1854 Iowa County Dane Lee Iowa Lafayette Walworth Dodge Green Columbia Fond du Lac Clayton Henderson Jo Davies Osaukee Manitowoc Winnebago Salt Lake Muskegon Brown Crawford Jackson Jefferson Vernon Kaufman Fayette La Crosse Monroe Pierce Portage Richland Ramsey Adams Juneau Waushara Waupaca Allamakee Winneshiek Ram sey Goodhue Manistee Door Fillmore Burnett Michel! Carver Winona Potter Worth Dakota Houston Clinton Coos Kewaunee St. Croix Trempealeau Bosque Benton Chickasaw Iowa Story The Norwegian Period 147 No. Year State 76. 1854 Minnesota jy. 1854 Minnesota 78. 1854 Minnesota 79. 1854 Minnesota 80. 1855 Wisconsin 81. 1855 Illinois 82. 1855 Iowa 83. 1855 Minnesota 84. 1855 Minnesota 85. 1855 Minnesota 86. 1855 Minnesota 87. 1855 Minnesota 88. 1856 Wisconsin 89. 1856 Iowa 00. 1856 Michigan 91. 1856 Minnesota 92. 1856 Minnesota 93. 1856 Minnesota 94. 1857 Minnesota 95. 1857 Minnesota 96. 1857 Minnesota 97. 1857 Nebraska 98. 1857 Kansas 99. 1858 Illinois 100. 1858 Minnesota 101. 1858 Minnesota 102. 1858 Kansas 103. 1859 Wisconsin 104. 1859 South Dakota 105. i860 South Dakota 106. i860 South Dakota 107. i860 Minnesota 108. i860 Kansas 109. i860 Kansas no. i860 Iowa W County Dodge Olmsted Steele Mower Grant Livingston Hamilton Faribault Freeborn Rice Sibley Waseca Buffalo innebago Oceana McLeod Meeker Watonwan Blue Earth Chippewa Red Wood Dixon Greenwood Lee Kandiyohi Wright Atchison Polk Clay Yankton Union Jackson Brown Doniphan Woodburv Oettlemento by Decades (The diagonal lines represent decades beginning with the '30s. For every 10 years the line moves northwestward about 100 miles) 148 Norwegian People in America NORWEGIAN SETTLEMENTS BY STATES Foreign-born Foreign-born State No. Settlements Norwegians, 1850 Norwegians, i860 Wisconsin 37 8651 21442 Minnesota 27 7 8425 Iowa 15 361 5688 Illinois 10 2415 4891 Kansas 4 223 Michigan 3 no 440 Dakota (S. D.) . . . 3 • • • • 129 Texas 3 326 Indiana 2 18 38 New York 1 392 539 New Hampshire 1 2 5 Missouri 1 155 146 Nebraska 1 California 1 715 Utah 1 .... Total— these 15 states no 121 n 43007 Total — other states o 567 088 Grand total no 12678 43995 In the above list it will be seen that 37 of the settlements were located in Wisconsin, 27 in Minnesota, 15 in Iowa, 10 in Illi- nois, four in Kansas, three in Michigan, three in Texas, three in South Dakota, two in Indiana and one each in New York, New Hampshire, Missouri, Nebraska, California, and Utah. In 1860 nearly fifty per cent of the Norwegians were located in Wis- consin. It should be noted that these early Norwegian settlements were all pioneer settlements, and that they were on the very out- skirts of civilization at the time they were made. They lacked practically all the modern conveniences in the home and on the farm; they had no church, school or market awaiting them. Neighbors were few and far between. There were no roads; the prairies were trackless. The rivers and marshes were diffi- cult to ford. The woods and forests were almost impassable. Even the matter of reaching their destination was a work of no small concern, because the steamboat and the railroad were as yet only in the earliest pioneer stage of their development. Wild beasts and hostile Indians were their neighbors; destructive prairie fires and death dealing plagues made their annual visits. The Erie Canal had just been opened in 1825, the year in which the advance guard of Sloopers came. In Pennsylvania, the opening of this canal caused great excitement, and well it might, for traffic would now go by water through New York for about one-third what it would cost over land. The people of The Norwegian Period 149 Pennsylvania demanded canals and roads at state expense to meet the competition. The energy of Pennsylvania alarmed the neighbors in Maryland, who now demanded a speedy and cheap route to the West, which all felt was now opening up. It was decided to build the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and on July 4, 1828, the work of construction began. In 1830 the road was opened — a distance of fifteen miles. The rails were of wood and the cars were drawn by horses. An era of railroad building began. In 1835 there were twenty-two railroads in the United States, but only two were west of the Alleghanies, and not one was 140 miles long. Steam engines began to come into use in 1830, and after 1836 became the sole locomotive power. In 1840 Prairie Schooner the railroad mileage had increased to 4,026 miles for the whole country. In 1850* to 9,021 miles, and in 1860 to 30,626 miles. The Norwegian people, however, went on ahead of the rail- roads in the making of the 110 settlements listed above and others not listed. Most of the immigrants went by the canal route through New York and then by steamboat on the Great Lakes to Mil- waukee and Chicago. Some stepped off at Detroit and then pro- ceeded by ox cart the rest of the way, while others journeyed the whole distance, from New York to the Mississippi Valley in their prairie schooners. The first Norwegian settlement, as already stated, was at Kendall, Orleans County, New York, in the northeastern corner of the county on the shores of Lake Ontario New York, 1825 m northwestern New York. The land here was heavily wooded and the clearing of the 150 Norwegian People in America forests required hard work, but no income. The people naturally suffered great privations and often longed to get back to the Old Country, a fact shown very plainly in some of the letters home, which have been preserved, and in the traditions which have been handed down to their descendants. In 1923-1924 Gunnar Malmin was sent by the Carnegie Foun- dation and the American-Scandinavian Foundation to Scandinavia to make researches concerning immigration. Malmin found a large number of interesting letters and newspaper accounts, some of which have been published serially in "Decorah Posten" under the title "Norsk Landnam i U. S." (Norwegian Landtaking in the U.S.). A number of these letters are bright and cheerful; others are gloomy and sorrowful. "Fruitful land," remarks Tor- sten Gaarden, Racine, October 28, 1843, but he tells a sad tale of 31 who died of the cholera that fall. Wisconsin is best, thinks Gunder Misbo'; Texas is best, is Halvor Aslakson's dictum. JpY- gen A. Wibelve writes from Pein Lek (Pine Lake), Weskontien (Wisconsin), October 12, 1841, that he made the trip in eight weeks. John N. Gjo'sdal relates that 68 from Tinn were already dead of the swamp fever, in 1844. One man writes from Decorah, Eovei (Iowa), August 1, 1857, saying that he was bid $2,000.00 for his 120 acres. An anonymous writer from Milwaukee, August 12, 1853, complains: "Woe is me, that was so foolish as to leave Norway, and I surely have been punished for my folly." "Glorious land!" writes Halvor H. Bjornestad of Chicago, January 4, 1844, "my advice is: Come here." Halvor J. Nymoen of Modum tells, January 9, 1840, that he left Gothenburg on an American boat May 25, 1839. The immigrants on this boat, "The Constitution," were badly mistreated. "We were kept as prisoners," he writes. "The captain had a vicious dog on board who went about loose and bit both adults and children many times, but the crew just laughed at this. They called us devils. The sailors threatened to hit me with a hammer in order to force me to drink whiskey. Many of us were beaten up." Another one writes that he had his collar bone broken by the captain of his boat. He had riot understood the captain. Most interesting and judicious of all the letters are those by Munch-Rseder, a law graduate, who wrote for the "Norske Rigstidende," November 6, 1847-July 3, 1848, 20 letters in all. He prophesies that the United States will become one of the greatest of nations and that the Norwegians will con- tribute largely to its making. In 1871 Arad Thomas published a pioneer history of Orleans County in which he speaks about the first Norwegian settlement, in part, as follows : "They came from Norway together and took The Norwegian Period 151 up land in a body. They were an industrious, prudent and worthy people, held in good re- pute by people in that vicinity. After a few years they began to move away to join their countrymen who had settled in Illinois, and but a few of that colony are still in Kendall. They thought it very important that every family should have land and a home of their own. A neighbor once asked a little Norwe- gian boy, whose father happened to be too poor to own land, where his father lived, and was answered : 'Oh, we don't live nowhere. We hain't got no land.' ' Concerning the prog- ress of this colony, in- teresting information is Lahe Ontario Lewis Parker and Wife, nee Anna Danielson, Kendall, N. Y. given in three letters found in Anderson's "First Chapter." One is a letter by H. Harwick, being the Henrick Hervig, Slooper. He says : "After the land was clear- ed, we found the soil to be very good, and a crop grows here as good as in few places in the vicinity." At the time of his letter, "January 20, 1871, the land was worth from $50.00 to $100.00 an acre. Now (in 1925) it is the best Baldwin apple tract in the world. The main part of his letter relates to the church conditions in the colony. He says that they have many churches and various denominations, but he does not mention either Quakers or Lutherans. It seems that they Northeast Corner of Orleans County Kendall Settlement 152 Norwegian People in America never had either Quaker or Lutheran congregations in this colony. For that reason, Ole Johnson, a Quaker, finally left the colony and moved to Rochester where he could attend Quaker meetings. He was a Hicksite Quaker, whereas Lars Larson was an Orthodox Quaker. A well-thumbed copy of Hicks' "Sermons" published in 1826, owned by Ole Johnson, is now in the Luther College Mu- seum, presented by Ole Johnson's daughter, Inger. A letter from Canute Orsland dated January, 1895, shows that the colony had at least seventeen Norwegians at the time, 16 of whom had moved in at various times after the founding of the settlement — 1838, 1840, 1852, 1853, 1857, 1858, 1870, 1871, 1882, 1883, 1887, and as recently as 1891. The only direct descendant of the Sloopers living in the colony in 1895 was Andrew J. Stangeland, whose father was Andrew Stangeland, Slooper. The third letter dated February 28, 1895, and written by Anna Danielson, now Mrs. Lewis Parker of Ken- dall, gives a good deal of information about the early times and the condition in 1895. She still resides in Kendall, has been a seam- stress, raises strawberries, writes for the papers, and is proud of her Norwegian lineage. "When I was little," she writes, "I used sometimes to hear the people say : 'Oh, they are Norwegians,' in a tone as though we did not count for much. They made fun of the Norwegians and it cut so deep the wounds have never healed exactly. The scars are very tender." Kendall should have a proud monument in memory of the Sloopers. Illinois was made a territory in 1809; a state, in 1818. Its population in 1800 was 2,358, largely French. La Salle County received its name from the French explorer, La Illinois, 1834 Salle, who sailed down the Mississippi in 1682 and proclaimed the Mississippi and all the land it drained, the property of France. La Salle County was organ- ized in 1830 and the first settlers were a mixed class from New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, and immigrants from Germany, Ireland and Norway. (a) La Salle The Norwegians settled along the Fox River in the north- eastern part of the county, in Rutland, Mission and Miller town- ships. The land had not yet been surveyed into sections. The newcomers on their arrival selected claims and squatted on them until they were placed on the market. The records at Ottawa, the county seat, reveal that when the land was put on the market in 1835 the following Norwegians purchased land: On June 15th Jacob Slogvig, 80 acres in Rutland; and Gudmund Haukaas (Haugaas), 160 acres in Rutland. On June 17th, Cleng Peerson, 80 acres in Mission ; and his sister, Carrie Nelson, widow The Norwegian Period 153 Kendall Co Grundy Co Northeast Corner of LoSolle County Fox River Settlement of Cornelius Nelson Hersdal, 80 acres in Mission. On June 25th, Peerson bought 80 acres more for himself. On June 17th, Gjert Hovland, who im- migrated in 1835, bought 160 acres in Miller; and on the same date Thorstein Olson bought 160 acres, of which he sold, on Sept. 5th, 80 acres to Nels Nelson Hersdal. On June 17th, Nels Thompson bought 160 acres in Miller; and on Jan. 16, 1836, Thor- stein Olson purchased 80 acres more. This was the beginning of the Fox River settlement in La Salle County, in point of time the second settlement, and in point of interest, perhaps the first, in Norwegian-American history. (b) Chicago Chicago is the second Norwegian settlement in Illinois. The first Norwegian settler in Chicago was the sailor David Johnson, who came to Chicago to run the new press of the "Chicago Democrat," Chi- cago's first newspaper. This was in 1834, and Chicago was then a very small village. It was not yet incor- porated, and no man could have fore- told its marvellous growth, which sur- passes any of the fictitious tales of the Arabian Nights. The progress of Chi- cago truly amazes mankind. Think of it: A dismal swamp, surrounded by water on the one side and a trackless desert on the other, within the span of a single life, has been transformed into one of the mightiest cities on the globe, with a population of nearly 3,000,000 busy people from all parts of the world. Lars Fruland, still hale and hearty, living within the shadow of Chicago's sky scrapers, came to Chi- cago in 1837, the year it became in- corporated, and has beheld all this fabulous growth within his own lifetime. The rapid growth of the city ceases to be an enigma Lars Fruland at 96 154 Norwegian People in America when one studies intelligently the conditions which have led to it. It has in reality only kept pace with the country of which it is the natural commercial center. The Norwegians have been pioneers in opening up this west country whose commerce is drained by Chicago, and they have been prominent also as citizens of Chicago in its building. In 1925 Chicago has about 100,000 citizens of Norwegian birth or descent — 20,481 born in Norway, 24,480 born here of foreign-born par- entage, and over 50,000 belonging to the third, fourth and fifth generations. It is the largest Norwegian settlement in America. It would be impossible to name all the prominent Norwegians in Chicago, even during the period 1825-1860. Suffice it to say, that in 1836 there came a number of Norwegian immigrants who settled in Chicago. Among these were Johan Larson from Kob- bervik, Svein Lothe from Hardanger, Nils Rothe from Voss, and Halstein Torrison from Fjeldberg. Torrison worked as gardener for W. L. Newberry, the founder of the Newberry Library. Torrison built himself a fine house on the spot where the North- western Depot now stands. In 1840 Iver Larson, the father of Victor Lawson, the present publisher of the "Chicago Daily News," landed in Chicago. Also Jens Olson Kaasa, a master mason and builder of Our Savior's Church at Erie and May Streets. He and the pastor, Rev. Jens Krohn, were the most generous givers to the building of this house of worship. Kaasa donated $3,230.00 and Krohn $2,370.00, magnificent sums in those pioneer days. John Anderson from Voss arrived in Chicago in 1846, then a ten- year-old lad. His father died of the cholera in 1849, and thereby John's school days were at an end. He peddled apples and sold newspapers on the streets, got a job in a printing office and became the best compositor in the city. Then, in 1866, he founded "Skandinaven," now in its 60th year, one of the best newspapers in the country, and organized the John Anderson Publishing Co., which is still doing business at 511 N. Peoria Street. Paul Anderson, one of the earliest Norwegian pastors in Chicago, was the first Norwegian pastor to use the English lan- guage in his pulpit and Sunday School. There could hardly have been a call for it at that time, but Paul Anderson believed in the use of English to the extent that he did not teach his own children Norwegian. There are others equally foolish even in our en- lightened day. (c) Beaver Creek Brief mention will here be made of only one more Norwegian colony in Illinois — the ill-fated Beaver Creek Settlement. It was located in the northeast part of Iroquois County, near the present town of Beaverville, about 60 miles due south of Chicago. It had been founded in the summer of 1837 by the party of immigrants The Norwegian Period 155 that came over on the Aegir in June of that year. At Detroit they had been joined by the Nattesta brothers, Ole and Ansten. At Chicago they met Bjp'rn Anderson Kvelve who then lived at Fox River in La Salle County, but advised them not to settle there because they would all die of the malarial fever which raged there. They paused in despair. Ole Rynning, their leader, could talk English and was advised by two Americans, with whom he conferred, to go south to Beaver Creek. A delegation of four — Ole Rynning, Ole Nattesta, Ingebrit Brudvig and Niels Veste — was sent down there to explore the country. These returned with a favorable report. And so these people — eighty-six in number — went to Beaver Creek. When the rains came, it was discovered, too late, that the settlement was situated in a vast marsh. In this low and unhealthy climate most of the party died next spring. Also Ole Rynning died, this great and good man, who on his death-bed wrote "A True Account of America," already referred to. The settlement disappeared the next year. The last one to leave it was Mons Adland (Aadland), who staid on until 1840. Later, the marshes were drained and Frenchmen ploughed the sod under which the Norsemen of 1837-1838 lay buried. Visiting the Beaver Creek region in 1917, the author found that boys and girls on the streets of Beaverville conversed in French in prefer- ence to English. Indiana was the third state to be settled by the Norwegians. The first European visitor to these parts- was La Salle, who coasted along the Ohio River in 1669. Indi- lndiaim, 1837 ana was taken from the English in 1778. It became a territory in 1800 and a state in 1816. Indiana is an unbroken, undulating plain and has rich alluvial soil, which should have been attractive to the land-hungry Norwegians. Our first information about Norwegian settlements in Indi- ana is that by Ole Rynning, who, in answer to the question, "In what part of the country have the Norwegians settled?" answers: "Norwegians are to be found scattered about in many places in the United States. One may meet a few Norwegians in New York, Rochester, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and New Or- leans, yet I know of only four or five places where several Norwegians have settled together." He then names Orleans County, N. Y., La Salle County, 111., White County, Ind., Shelby County, Mo., and Iroquois County, 111., as the only Nor- wegian settlements at that time (1838). Concerning the Indi- ana settlement he says : "There are living in this place as yet only two Norwegians from Drammen, who together own up- wards of 1100 acres of land; but in the vicinity good land still remains unoccupied." R. B. Anderson tried, but was unable, to discover anything further about these two Norwegians. 156 Norwegian People in America Another Norwegian settlement in this state was in Nobles County, dating from 1838. In that year Ole Aasland, a wealthy farmer of Flesberg, Numedal, Norway, sold out and came to America, via Gothenburg. He stopped at Kendall and got into the hands of a speculator who sold him 600 acres of land in Nobles County, Ind., near Fort Wayne, at a good price. Aas- land, or Orsland, as he called himself, had paid the passage of twenty of his countrymen on condition that they should work for him here until their debt was paid. They accompanied him to Indiana, but, as the land was swampy and the people took sick of swamp fever and many of them died, he returned to Kendall. He traded his 600 acres in Indiana to Andrew Stangeland, Slooper, for 50 acres of Kendall property. There, along the Norwegian Road, some of his descendants have been living in peace and prosperity to this day. The Stangelands moved to Indiana, but later returned to Kendall. B. F. Stangland, above mentioned, was born in Nobles Co., Jan. 20, 1848. In spite of its good soil, Indiana has never attracted the Nor- wegians. The number of foreign-born Norwegians within the state in 1850 was 18; in 1860, 38; in 1870, 123; in 1880, 182; in 1890,285; in 1900,384; in 1910, 531 ; and in 1920, 544. Missouri (Indian name, meaning Big Muddy) was discovered by Marquette and Joliet in 1673 and claimed for France. The Louisiana Purchase made by President Thorn- Missouri, 1838 as Jefferson from Napoleon in 1803 included Missouri. Missouri became a territory in 1812; a state, in 1820. As to surface, soil, climate and products, it is one of the most diversified of the great western states. Cleng Peerson explored Missouri and planted a colony in Shelby County, in March, 1837. The first colonists were Jacob Anderson Slogvig, the Slooper, Anders Askeland, and 12 others. To recruit the Shelby Settlement Peerson went to Stavanger, Norway, in 1838, returning in 1839 with a company of immi- grants. A good description of the Shelby Colony and its troubles is found in Peter Tesman's "Short Description," printed in Sta- vanger in 1839. Peter Tesman, together with his two brothers, William and Hans, and three other persons, emigrated in 1838 by way of Bremen. After an eight weeks' voyage they reached New York and there met Cleng Peerson, who persuaded them to follow him to Missouri. They took the Erie Canal-Lake Erie route as far as Cleveland, but stopped at Rochester to add a few more Norwegians to their company, making a total of twenty- two. From Cleveland they followed the Ohio Canal down to Portsmouth, from whence they transferred their belongings to The Norwegian Period 157 Ohio River boats. Eventually they reached St. Louis and the Shelby homesteads. The situation so far had not been very in- viting — summer heat, hard labor and death-dealing sickness, and the money going fast. The settlement was a wilderness and was far from town. Sickness and poverty stalked in every household. The squatters had an opportunity to buy their land at the public auction that year, but they were all too poor to take advantage of it. Others then bought the land, and the Nor- wegians had to leave house and home and squat again on some unoccupied spot. Peter Tesman paid for his land, and in con- sequence he had so little money that he would either have to go out as a day laborer or go back home. He decided to go back home. Peerson had gone by the Ohio River route because Slog- vig and Askeland had returned to La Salle County dissatisfied, and he feared that if he went by the La Salle Settlement, his new recruits would refuse to go to Missouri. Tesman re- turned by way of La Salle and found that people there, too, had their full share of pioneer hardships, including the ravages of the cholera. The Shelby County Settlement was short lived. The settlers were dissatisfied. It was too much of a wilderness and too far to market. One of the settlers, Peter Gjilje, once walked for nine days before he found a human habitation. During these days he lived on wild strawberries. Cleng Peerson is said to have chosen a new place for settlement at Sugar Creek, about eight miles west of Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa. Most of the Shelby County settlers, following the lead of Andrew Simonson, moved in 1840 to Sugar Creek, but Peerson remained behind and did not sell his Missouri farm until 1847, when he was about to join the Swedish Communistic Colony at Bishop Hill, 111. At Sugar Creek Barlien and others were already coming in from the east. It has been said that the Shelby Settlement was badly chosen, but Andrew Simonson gave this testimony in 1879 : "No settle- ment ever founded by Norwegians in America had a better ap- pearance or better location than this very land in Shelby County, of which the Norwegians took possession at that time, and which they in part still own." In 1920, according to the U. S. Census, Shelby County had four foreign-born Danes and two foreign-born Swedes, but no foreign-born Norwegians. Missouri has never been a Norwegian state. In 1850 it had 155 foreign-born Norwegians; in 1860, 146; in 1870, 297; in 1880, 373; in 1890, 526; in 1900, 530; in 1910, 660; and in 1920, 610. Missouri was a slave state, and Norwegians hated slavery. Besides, the state lay too far south. The Norwegians preferred the North. 158 Norwegian People in America The Norwegians entered Wisconsin in 1838 and came there to stay. Wisconsin was visited by the French explorer Nicollet as early as 1634. In 1763 it was ceded to Wisconsin, 1838 England; in 1783, to the United States. It became a territory in 1836; a state in 1847. Rock County was organized in 1838, that is, the same year in which Ole Nattesta captured it for the Norwegians. Wisconsin had been from time immemorial one of the best happy hunting- grounds of the Indians and an Eldorado for the French traders. Southern Wisconsin supplied the French and Indians with lead, and in 1821 the Americans opened operations, until the output reached 25,000 tons of lead a year. In developing the lead mines the lands of the Indian tribes of the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes were overrun. The Indians protested and began what is known as the Black Hawk War, from the name of the Indian leader. At the close of the war, in which Captain Abraham Lincoln took part, the Indians were forced to give up 10,000,000 acres of land and to move further west. In this way, Rock County was fairly cleared of its Indians. Americans who had seen the beautiful landscapes in Rock County, took part in that great frenzy of speculation, which ended in the panic of 1837. There were many towns on paper, in which there was not a house or a citizen, and the town lots thereof were sold at fabulous prices. In 1837, for example, Newburg, one of these "wild cat" towns, was sold for $20,000.00 and shortly after- ward resold at $95,000.00. Luckily, the panic came, with much suffering in its train, after which people came to their senses again. (a) Rock County The Norwegians found the land delightful in every way and cheap in price. The speculation boom was over. In place of speculation now came a season of settling and building, the like of which Wisconsin had so far never seen. Rock County became, as far as Norwegians are concerned, a doorway, not only to Wis- consin, but to all the Northwest. Thousands of immigrants had in view Rock County as their first objective, if not their last, and throughout the Northwest will still be found hundreds of set- tlers who came first to Rock County before deciding on where to go further. Some of them settled at Jefferson Prairie; others at Rock Prairie ; still others at Beloit, Janesville, Brodhead, etc. P. O. Langseth, in his history of the Norwegians in Rock County, calls it the "Inexhausible Rock County." In this county many of the great Norwegians of America have been nurtured ; many of the most vital historical events have there taken place. The first three Norwegian Lutheran pastors in America — Eielsen, Clausen and Dietrichson — each The Norwegian Period 159 WlSCONSl N D. N,..h Sy~oa. o . M.vcis SUoJe 6 . T«.lt.p|rtN E . FLL,- 5S S,~oW« y ILLINOIS Illustrating Location of Norwegian Lutheran Congregations and Settlements 160 Norwegian People in America lived and labored in this county at about the same time. Three synods first saw the light of day in this county — the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Eielsen Synod), 1846; the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Norwegian Synod), 1851; and the Scandinavian Augustana Synod, 1860. (b) Muskego Muskego was the second Norwegian settlement in Wisconsin. In the summer of 1839, 40 people from Tinn, Telemarken, took a Gothenburg boat for America, together with twenty from Sta- vanger. They came up through Rochester and the Great Lakes. Their boat on the Lakes was a miserable, unseaworthy craft, carrying a cargo of powder. It might have been blown up. Twice the boat came near sinking. At last they reached Milwaukee and were about to depart for La Salle County, 111., but were pre- vented from doing so by the enterprising business men of Mil- waukee, who pleaded eloquently against the open, storm-swept plains of Illinois and the terrible malarial epidemic down there. Finally, the newcomers were persuaded to settle in Muskego, a low, marshy place, about 20 miles southwest of Milwaukee. In the summer, when everything was dried up, Muskego looked good to them, but when the fall rains came, the poor immigrants found that they lived in a swamp and that for several months a year they were visited by the dreaded cholera and malaria. In 1843 every home but one was visited by the cholera. In 1849 the cholera came like the angel of death in Egypt, ending lives in every hut and house. Strong men, retiring at night, often were found stiff in death in the morning. The pastor, H. A. Stub, sometimes buried a dozen or more a day. Few settlements, if any, thinks H. R. Holand, have seen so much struggle and privation, sickness and poverty, sorrow and blasted hopes, and yet no settlement can present a brighter picture of victories won and great things accomplished during the early pioneer days than can Muskego. Muskego is located in the southwestern corner of Milwau- kee County, the southeastern corner of Waukesha County, but mainly in Yorkville, Raymond and Waterford townships in Racine County. The eastern Part of Racine County is often referred to as North Cape and Yorkville Prairie; the western section is usually called Norway or simply Muskego. There were many accessions to the settlement, notwithstanding the severe hardships it had to undergo. Every one bragged of his own settlement, of course, and tried to discourage immigrants from going to other fields. Johan R. Reierson, for example, settled in Texas in 1847. He wrote a book, "Veiviseren" (The Pathfinder), in which he specifically warns immigrants against Muskego. Consequently, many parties of immigrants made it a point to avoid The Norwegian Period 161 Muskego. Still Muskego kept on growing, and is today one of the finest and richest parts of Wisconsin. Big ditches have drained the swamps. The heavy forests have been felled. The land is a garden, in the midst of which stand numerous substantial resi- dences and barns in the place of the dug-outs and log sheds the pioneers occupied. Here is a partial list of the pioneers : John Luraas was the leader of the first party that settled at Muskego. He was a good man. John Evenson Molee, a member of Luraas' party, has given in Anderson's "First Chapter" an interesting account of the three months' journey from Tinn to Muskego. In 1855 Molee moved to Blue Mounds, Wis.; in 1873, to Bloomfield, Fillmore County, Minn. His son, Elias J. Molee, of Tacoma, Wash., has tried to create a universal language, which he calls "teutonish." In 1840, the settlement had important accessions in the per- sons of So'ren Bache, Johannes Johanneson and Elling Eielsen, the first two from Drammen, the last from Voss. These three had come over together on the same boat in the summer of 1839 and had made their way to the Fox River Colony in La Salle. Johanneson did not like the Illinois prairies, so he and Bache walked up along the Fox River until they came to Wind Lake, and settled down there in the black forests, near the present Norway postoffice. Eielsen came later. Bache was a rich man, and very generous. He accidentally killed a woman when out hunting and, almost crazed with grief, he returned to Norway. Johanneson died in 1845 of the cholera. Eielsen was a lay preacher of the Haugean school in Norway. In 1841 he built at Fox River the first Norwegian house of wor- ship in America. That same year he walked to New York to get the Lutheran catechism printed. He succeeded in getting it printed in English. Again, in 1842, he footed it to New York, and got Pontoppidan's "Sandhed til Gudfrygtighed" and the Augs- burg Confession printed in one volume in Norwegian, "in Gothic type." On Oct. 3, 1843, he was ordained, thus becoming the first Norwegian Lutheran pastor in America. On April 13-14, 1846, he organized » the first Norwegian Lutheran synod in America, of which he was president until his death, Jan. 10, 1883. Of other immigrants to Muskego, let it suffice to mention Mons Adland (Aadland), Claus L. Clausen, Anund Drotning, Hans Friis, Jens O. Hatlestad, Even Heg, John Homme, Peter Jacob- son, Nels Johnson, Knud Langeland, Johan R. Reymert, Hans Andreas Stub and Hermo N. Tufte. Adland has already been mentioned as being the last man to leave the Beaver Creek settlement. Clausen was a Dane. He had accepted a call to come to Muskego as parochial school teacher. When he came, his people wanted him as their pastor and he was regularly ordained, 162 Norwegian People in America Oct. 18, 1843. His first wife was Martha Rasmussen, the author of the well known hymn: "Saa vil vi nu sige hverandre farvel" (And now we must bid one another farewell). In 1845 Clausen accepted a call to Koshkonong, Wis. ; in 1846, to Rock Prairie, Wis. ; in 1853, to St. Ansgar, la. He helped to organize four synods and was editor of two papers. He was a member of the Iowa Legislature and a commissioner of immigration. He was a chaplain in the Civil War. Through his influence Luther Col- lege was not made merely a preparatory school for ministers. Luther College therefore welcomes any youth who desires a higher Christian education as well as those who intend to prepare for the ministry. C. W. Clausen, his son by his second wife, Bergette Brekke, was the state auditor at Olympia. Washington, for many years. Anund Drotning reared a good son in Edwin, for many years postmaster at Stoughton. Wis., an exemplary American citizen in every sense, though a pacifist. Hans Friis was a sea captain who had brought nine emigrant ships across the Atlantic between 1837 and 1847. In 1847 he became an American citizen and sailed the Great Lakes. He en- listed in the Civil W 7 ar. was wounded, and spent his old age on his farm in Muskego. He died in 1886, at the age of 75. Jens O. Hatlestad was the father of Rev. Ole J. Hatlestad, Norwegian Lutheran pastor, 1854-1892. Ole Hatlestad has dis- tinguished himself as one of the first editors and publishers among Norwegian-Americans. The verv first Norwegian paper was called "Nordlyset," published in "Muskego, 1847-1849. "Nord- lyset'' was purchased by Hatlestad and his brother-in-law, Knud Langeland. Its name was changed to "Democraten," and it was issued during 1849-1850. Hatlestad served thirteen vears as president of the Norwegian Augustana Synod, 1870-1881, 1888- 1890, and wrote in 1887 one of the first histories of the Nor- wegian people in America. Even Heg was a sort of Lars Larson in Muskego. His place was the haven and hospice of all immigrants who came through or to Muskego. His son, Hans C. Heg, was the colonel of the Fifteenth Wisconsin, a volunteer regiment of soldiers in the Civil War, whose membership was over 90% Norwegian. Col. Heg was born at Drammen, Dec. 21, 1829, and emigrated in 1840. He was one of the Norwegian '49ers on the California gold fields. He was a brave soldier and a good commander. He was killed in action at the Battle of Chickamanga, Tenn., Sept. 20, 1863. A fitting monument to his memory is soon to be erected at Madison. The money has been raised mainly through the efforts of Waldemar Ager, Heg's chief biographer. His sister Andrea was one of the first Norwegians to teach school in Wisconsin. She The Norwegian Period 163 married Dr. Stephen O. Himoe (Holmo), a surgeon in the Fifteenth Wisconsin. John Homme was the father of Rev. Even Homme, the founder of the first Norwegian orphanage and the first home for the aged, and one of the first to issue Sunday School papers for children and youth. The town of Wittenberg, Wis., was founded by Homme. Peter Jacobson was the progenitor of a large tribe of Jacob- ft f J % 1 % 4 ?K •X* 3 i m _ The Samuel Jacobson Family (Relatives of Peter Jacobson. with home at Port Washington. Wi in ^ij :-* " « o J3 X • x a "o < lutu M I W X 188 Norwegian People in America the newly appointed governor, his wife and other functionaries. They all hailed from Springfield, the home of Lincoln, then just elected president of the United States. Jacobson had attended the Illinois State University, Springfield, 1852-1860, and had been a school mate of Robert Todd Lincoln, who attended that school. Jacobson describes the primitive conditions — the slow ox cart, the sod cellars without windows or roofs, the open prairies and prairie fires, the Indians and their ways, the political tension, the hunger for God's Word. During a rain, Jacobson had to seek shelter at a shack. The husband was not at home. The wife and children slept in the wagon box, for there was no other bed. So Jacobson sat on a bench in the corner of the cellar, holding an umbrella over his head all night, to ward off the cold November rain. Hos- pitality was freely shown in those days. Everyone was willing to share his last morsel with a traveler. And these settlers were young and full of faith and hope and charity. When asked if she did not think the situation looked rather hopeless out there on the cold, bleak prairies, a woman replied : "Better times are coming." They came. South Dakota has been a favored state with regard to the Norwegians. Of Norwegians born in Norway it had in 1850, none; in 1860, 129; in 1870, about 800; in 1880 about 8,000; in 1890, 19,257; in 1900, 19,788; in 1910, 20,018; and in 1920, 16,813. 5. Churches, 1825-1860 Since 1536 the Lutheran Church has been the State Church in Norway. At the time of the departure of the Sloop, in 1825, the whole country was nominally Lutheran except about a dozen dissenters. Even today nearly 99% of the people belong to the Lutheran Church, in spite of the fact that there is complete re- ligious toleration and that Roman Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, Salvation Army people, Mormons, Quakers, and other denominations have carried on a very active propaganda in Nor- way for many years. The American Methodists, for example, began work in Norway in 1853, in Sweden in 1854, in Denmark in 1857, and in Finland in 1883. From 1851 to 1920 they con- tributed $2,636,141.00 to establish themselves in Scandinavia and $746,760.00 among the Scandinavian immigrants to the United States. In 1920, according to the Report of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Church North, there were 27,688 Meth- odists in Scandinavia, of whom 6,406 were in Norway. Nearly all the sectarian movements have come from England and America, and, while they have not caused much of an exodus out of the Lu- theran Church, they have nevertheless in places profoundly affected the thought, life and literature of the Norwegian Lutherans. Thus, the Quaker movement which began in 1816 with Lars Larson, Elias Tastad, and a half dozen others, had increased outwardly to only 86 in 1920, but inwardly it had affected many of the The Norwegian Period 189 Lutherans so that they were dissatisfied with the Lutheran Church and bore a spirit of dissent against it. The Norwegian immigrants to America carried with them as religious heritage from Norway, not only the Lutheran faith, but also the religious tendencies within the Lu- Religious Situation theran Church over there. There were three in Norway marked tendencies which can possibly be ex- pressed by the terms high schurch, low church and broad church. The high church tendency w r as one that highly respected the Church as a divine institution, the Word and the Sacraments as the Means of Grace, and the ministry as a holy office. The pas- tors of Norway and the upper classes generally were high church- ly. Now, unfortunately, during the 18th century Rationalism came like a black shroud over the State Church of Norway. Under cover of this darkness there was much indifference both to pure doctrine and Christian living. The high churchly view then came to be associated with worldliness in teaching and practice. The low church view came as a protest to this worldliness. It demanded that men should repent and believe. It called for per- sonal experience in the power of the Gospel to save sinners and the privilege of every man, nay, even the duty, to bear witness of the fact that he has himself found peace with God and that God can save sinners. It called for Bible reading and prayer, prayer meetings and lay preaching, in addition to the regular work by the pastor. But, unfortunately, since the pastors and official classes as a rule opposed the low church movement, the men who held the low church views began to look upon everything con- nected with the high church as dangerous — the Church, the min- istry, the ritual, the ordinances, the ministerial training. They regarded seminaries as spiritual cemeteries. Hans Nielsen Hauge, the great reformer, was clear in his own mind as to the value of the Church and the ministry, but some of his followers, called Haugeans, were more extreme in their opposition to the high church party. The broad church view saw the need, on the one hand, of law and order, of ministry and ceremonies, and, on the other hand, they acknowledged also that there must be Christian living according to the true teaching of the Word and that lay people must have the privilege, as they have the duty, to bear witness and "show forth the excellencies of Him Who called them out of darkness into His marvellous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). But, unfor- tunately here, too, the men of the broad church view were apt to include the bad as well as the good in the other two tendencies. These tendencies were found in Norway in 1825. The leaders were high church people. The Haugeans were low church. The 199 Norwegian People in America majority of the people were broad church, tolerant and easy going. In addition to these three movements within the Lutheran Church there was the sectarian movement which refused to con- form to Lutheran doctrines and practices. The Quakers of Stav- anger were such dissenters and schismatics. And while possibly not more than five of the Sloopers were Quakers, the members on the boat were to a large extent affected by the Quaker spirit of dissent. Norway had only one recognized church in 1825 ; America had over 100, most of them of the Reformed group. Here was perfect religious freedom with high churchly, Religious Situation low churchly and broad churchly groups of in America every description. Here you could belong to church or not, as you pleased. What a strange world to these newcomers of ours who had been compelled to baptize their children and confirm them in the Lutheran faith ! But there was some difficulty in knowing just what to do here. Should they join the great throng who did not belong to any church? Should they join one of the American churches? If so, which one? Even the Quakers in the party found it difficult to agree as to whether they should be Orthodox, Hicksite, Wilbur- ite or Primitive. Lars Larson remained Orthodox Quaker ; Ole Johnson chose the Hicksite brand. Their children became Bap- tists. The Adventists made a strong bid for their support ; they put up a school right in the heart of the Fox River Settlement, which is still standing as a witness of missionary zeal. The Bap- tists and Methodists labored among them both long and faith- fully, but there were a dozen kinds of Baptists and #s many Methodist denominations, so it was rather difficult to know whici. one was in the right. Campbellites and Congregationalists, Pres- byterians and Episcopalians, all looked upon the Norwegian im- migrants as their rightful possession and added to the religious confusion. Possibly the boldest of all, and the most successful, were the Mormons. In La Salle County Mormon and Meth- odist congregations are still at work, whose membership is to a large extent drawn from the descendants of the Sloop Folk and later arrivals from Norway. As a concrete illustration of the effects of the religious confusion in America the case of the Rossadal family is typical. Daniel Rossadal was a good man and a good Quaker. He had a large family and no doubt tried to bring them up in the Quaker faith. His descendants are numer- ous — 255 — and representative citizens and churchmen. But they are distributed among a great number of denominations, in the following order, beginning with the denomination that has had most of them as members, — Lutheran, Methodist, Congregational- The Norwegian Period 191 ist, Adventist, Catholic, Quaker, Campbellite, Mormon. And in addition 40% of them are not known to belong to any church. Such are the conditions in America. And yet, in the midst of all the preaching, it seemed to many that there was a famine in the land, "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Lay Preachers words of the Lord" (Amos 8:11). The words of their friends in Norway came true, that "they would feel like a people in captivity among the heathen peo- ple, when they could not gather about the Word of God according to their custom ; they would think of the ringing of the church bells in their home valley ; they would remember the festive march to church on a clear, glorious Sunday morning, call to mind the singing, the sermon, the communion, the chanting at the altar, and feel so unutterably forsaken and poor." So great would their want and longing be, that their wail of woe, as A. O. Vinje had predicted, would be likened to that of the children of Judah in captivity: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof" (Ps. 137:1-2). That many of the immigrants felt such a hunger and sorrow is really a fact, as can be seen from the letters which they wrote home and from the personal witness of men and women who have lived through the pioneer days before the Lutheran Church came to feed their hungry souls. And this situation was perfectly natural, for the Word of God has been taught in its truth and purity in the Old Country, and His Word does not return void unto Him (Isa. 55:11). It was especially the Norwegian Lutherans of high churchly leanings that felt that it was a great hardship not to have a Nor- wegian Lutheran Church in their midst. The low churchly group had recourse to prayer meetings, by means of which they strength- ened one another. Practically everyone took along his Bible and hymn book and possibly also his catechism and postil. Occasion- ally, of course, this had been neglected. Still, most of the goodbyes had been said amidst prayers by the old folks and admonitions to read the Bible and follow its precepts to watch and pray. John W. Arctander, in his book, "Tr0st for Tvivlere" (Comfort for Doubters), relates that when he left his home, his pious parents duly prayed with him and admonished him to be a child of God. Then, with these parental blessings, he set out. As soon as he came out in the harbor, he went to his trunk, for he was sure to find a Bible there. And there it was, a brand new one. At that time, and for many years afterward, he hated all this talk about Christianity, so his object was to get a hold of the Bible and throw it away. He took the Good Book, spit into it and then 192 Norwegian People in America The Norwegian Period 193 heaved it into the sea. But there came a day when he had to have it again to get peace for his troubled soul. The immigrants of the low church group held prayer meetings. At these devotional gatherings, some one acted as leader. He would read a Bible selection, which he then proceeded to expound and to apply. Sin and grace was the general theme of every lay sermon, and exhortations to repent and believe were as much a part of the sermon as the amen was a part of their prayers. Any- one in the gathering could take part in prayer, praise, personal wit- nessing or song. The prayer meetings were serious occasions, at which sinners came to the throne of mercy for pardon and peace. Ole Olson Hettletvedt was the first lay preacher among the Norwegian settlers. He preached on the Sloop and was engaged in preaching until his death in 1849, 24 years later. There arc men still living who can testify to having heard him and to having been edified by his glad tidings. O. J. Hatlestad writes about him these words of fitting tribute : "He was the first one in the Fox River Settlement to gather the people about the Word of God. This humble and serious-minded man later became known in wider circles among our countrymen, in that he was sent out by the American Bible Society as a Bible agent. In that capacity he vis- ited the Norwegian settlements in Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Iowa." Hatlestad mentions also a number of other laymen in Il- linois and Wisconsin who served their people as lay preachers. His list, which is not exhaustive, includes : Aslak Aae, Endre Os- mundsen Aagerbo\ Herman Osmundsen Aagerbo 7 , John Brakestari, BipYn Hatlestad, Even Heg, Peder AsbjoYnson (Melius), and Kleng Skaar. AsbjoYnson became ordained in 1856. The people felt the need of more fixed forms and regular ser- vices than they were getting through the prayer meetings and lay preachings. JoYgen Pedersen was called by the Haugean Lutherans to administer the Sacraments as well as to preach the Word. He accepted the call, and once administered the Lord's Supper at Indian Creek, near Leland, 111. Shortly afterward he joined the Mormon Church. In 1837, Ole Olson Heier came to La Salle. He had been a school teacher in Norway and was an earnest Haugean of fine presence and great ability as a speaker. He was then called to take Pedersen's place. He accepted. For a time he warned against the heresies of the Mormons, but not long afterward he also joined them. He became an elder in their church and then a bishop, but eventually he joined the Baptists. The third layman to be called as minister was the greatest of all Norwegian lay preach- ers in those days, and perhaps since. He remained faithful to the Lutherans to the end. This man was Elling Eielsen. Eielsen was born at Voss, Norwav, September 19, 1804. He was just 35 years old when he arrived in America. Trained as a blacksmith and carpenter, when he "got religion" he dropped his 194 Norwegian People in America profession and began to witness. In the footsteps of Hauge he traveled as a revivalist back and forth all over Norway, from North Cape to Lindesnes. He had suffered under the cross — had been mocked and threatened, and cast into prison. Still he kept on undaunted, bearing testimony to the faith that was within him. He was assured that a disciple was not above his Master. In his sermons he was true to Scripture. His sermons were exposi- tions and exhortations, well seasoned with quotations from the Bible and the hymn book and illustrations from life. He had little use for the established order of things in church work, especially with regard to rituals, vestments, scholastic training and the like. He was suspicious of the regular clergy because they had perse- cuted him and defended the sham and hypocrisy of the Church. He was therefore often intolerant and hard to cooperate with. Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Elling Eielsen He came at the right time, and he came to work while it was day. He preached in Chicago the day he arrived there. He preached in Fox River and at all places where he went. At Fox River he built a house of oak, with two rooms on the ground floor to be used as a hospice for immigrants and one room on the sec- ond floor as a church auditorium for his services. This house was actually used as a church from 1841 to 1847 and as hospice for many more years. It is the first Norwegian Lutheran church edi- fice in America. When he discovered that there was a shortage in Norwegian school books he secured a supply by going to New York to get them printed. This he did twice, in 1841 and in 1842. In 1841, when he was in New York, the good ship "Emilia" came in with another boatload of immigrants. Eielsen went on board, caused the people to pause a few minutes before landing, and then he conducted a devotional meeting as a fitting entrance to this land of promise. On that boat he met a young woman, Sigrid Nelson Tufte, who two years later became his wife. The cane which Eielsen used and which comforted him in his long pilgrimages he gave to his friend, Rev. Ole E. Hofstad ; Hof stad gave it to The Norwegian Period 195 his favorite deacon, Mathias J. Aus, Canton, S. D. ; Aus gave it to O. M. Norlie, reared on the Dakota prairies as his neighbor ; Norlie gave it to the Luther College Museum, the greatest deposi- tory of Norwegian pioneer articles in America. See "Ellings Stav" in "Visergutten," October, 1920. He came at the right time, and his influence is felt to this day. Drinking, dancing and other forms of worldliness were get- ting the upper hand in the Norwegian settlements. His was a voice in the wilderness, calling to repentance. The work of the sects, as stated, was bewildering. Eielsen was a dissenter, but not a sectarian. He knew what he wanted, and proceeded in a bold, uncompromising manner to get it. He wanted people to be con- verted Christians according to the Lutheran doctrines. He es- tablished congregations. He organized the first Norwegian synod in America. In the constitution of this synod he makes provision for the teaching of the young in both languages (Norwegian and English). He was the first Norwegian to publish books in Amer- ica. He was the first home mission superintendent. He helped to found three higher schools — Lisbon Seminary, Lisbon, 111., 1855- 56; Eielsen, Seminary, Cambridge, Wis., 1865-68; and Hauge College and Eielsen Seminary, Chicago, 111., 1871-1878. He ad- vocated doing mission work among the American Indians, a "for- eign" mission work that his synod still is engaged in. He intended to build an orphans' home in memory of his son Elias, who was killed while working as a carpenter on the Palmer House, Chicago. His greatest influence is perhaps in this, that he got the Norwegian people to start doing definite congregational work and, by his un- compromising attitude in favor of lay preaching and conversion, he kept the extreme high churchmen from becoming too much like the State Church. Blessed be his memory. It is written : "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things" (Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15). This Bible passage ap- Pastors, 1825-1860 plies with peculiar fitness to the pioneer pas- tors among the Norwegian settlers. In the period 1825-1860 there were 38 Norwegian Lutheran pastors. The honor roll is given on Page 196. These 38 ministers averaged 26 years of service in the Nor- wegian Lutheran Church of America. Eielsen, Clausen, Andrew- son, Anderson, Scheie, Hatlestad, AsbjoYnsen. Olsen, Boyum. Strand, Johnson, Scheldahl, Amlund and Fjeld were parochial school teachers and lay preachers who had been pressed into the service as preachers. J. W. C. Dietrichson, Stub, A. C. Preus, Brandt, G. F. Dietrichson, H. A. Preus, Ottesen, Koren, Duus, Munch, Thalberg. Brodahl, Claussen, Larsen. Jensen, Magelssen, and Muus, held the degrees of Master of Arts and Candidate 196 Norwegian People in America o c £ S3 ^ c c c c ^ c.2 c C C,w c c q rt rt rt rS 'q cS'q 2 2-«0.5 En g 'Sc'bc'Sb'Sb g '5b g 'Sc'Sj'Sc c "5c -r G w D w uG UG w u WG CJ Si GOOOOGOGOOOGO y^ZZ2 CU X cu X X X ly St J3 JH ^ X C^GG^'^'iGGGGGCCCCGrt to to ro'o'o'n ^VrtDrtrtortrtrtC be G fc£ bC G G C ~ ~ bC~ 00 00 -£ be CO 00 5 O G O O C G G >/ s- ►-?■ »^ j-. u u. 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Larsen and Johannesen were graduates of Hartwick Seminary, New York, founded in 1798 as a Lutheran school. Hartwick Seminary be- longed to the Hartwick and Franckean synods. Rasmussen was a graduate of Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Ind., a school belonging to the Missouri Synod. Norem, Petersen and Jacob- son were graduates of the Illinois State University. This was the name of the college and theological seminary of the Illinois Synod and the Northern Illinois Synod of the English Lutherans. An- derson had attended Beloit College, but no seminary. Just 50% of these pastors were college-trained men, but this percentage is higher than for the Norwegian Lutheran pastors for the 70-year period 1843-1913. In this 70-year period only 40% of the min- isters had college degrees. It should now be noted that the university-trained men from Norway all except Thalberg joined the Norwegian Synod, while the lay preachers were at first followers of Eielsen. The Nor- wegian Synod represented a high church type of Lutheranism ; Eielsen, a low church type. Eielsen's ministerial followers de- 'serted him in 1848 and in 1851 took part in the organization of the Northern Illinois Synod, a broad church synod. In 1850 he obtained a valuable ally in P. A. Rasmussen, but Rasmussen and Eielsen parted in 1856. In 1858 Arne E. Boyum became an "El- lingianer," but in 1876 he became president of the Hauge Synod. A word or two about a few of these pastors: Claus Lauritz Clausen was a Dane, born Nov. 3, 1820, at Aero 7 , Fyen. He had studied business, law and theology, but was not a graduate from any school. He had wanted to go to Zulu- land as a missionary, took to lay preaching, went to Norway, received a call to come to America as parochial teacher, and came. Shortly after his arrival he was examined by Rev. L. F. E. Krause of the Buffalo Synod and ordained at the wish of the Muskego Congregation. He lived at Muskego ; Eielsen was his neighbor at North Cape. They often met, but they could not exactly agree. They agreed to disagree. Eielsen was too extreme. When Dietrichson, a high church extremist, arrived in 1844, Clau- sen joined him, although at heart he was really a broad church man. In 1845 Clausen became pastor at Koshkonong; in 1846, at Rock Prairie, ill health compelled him to resign and seek a new climate. In 1853 he removed to St. Ansgar, la. Here he founded congregations that he served several years, 1853-1856, 1861-1872, resigning again on account of sickness. He was a member of the Iowa Legislature, 1856-57, and a commissioner of immigration, 1857-60. He was a chaplain in the Fifteenth Wisconsin, 1861- 62. In 1851, H. A. Preus, A. C. Preus and Clausen met at Rock- Prairie, and organized the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran 198 Norwegian People in America Church in America. The constitution of this body, which it was claimed contained too much leaven of Grundtvigianism, was re- voked next year, and the Norwegian Synod arose in 1853 on its ruins. Clausen was made the president of the former in 1851. In 1868 he withdrew from the Norwegian Synod on account of a resolution, adopted in 1862, relating to slavery. In 1870 he was one of the leaders in establishing the Norwegian-Danish Confer- ence, a broad church synod. In 1890 he assisted in organizing the United Norwegian Lutheran Church. In 1872 he removed to Vir- ginia to regain his health. He was pastor at Philadelphia, Pa., 1875-77.; at Austin, Minn., 1877-85. He spent the last years of his memorable life at Paulsbo, Washington, with his son, who for several years was auditor of Washington. Says J. C. Roseland of him: "His name is woven into the principal events of the history of the Norwegian Lutherans of this country, down J. W. C. Dietrichson to recent years. Zealously and faithfully he administered to the spiritual wants of the pioneers, traveling continually between the small and scattering settlements throughout the Northwest." He died Feb. 20, 1892. Johannes Wilhelm Christian Dietrichson was 31 years old when he came to America as a missionary among his people who were literally scattered as sheep without a shepherd. He was a disciple of Bishop N. F. S. Grundtvig and succeeded in swinging Clausen over to his views. A zealous man he was, with a firm hand, and a mighty exponent of the high church view. He had great respect for the office of the ministry and performed his of- ficial duties with authority and in full regalia. U. V. Koren said of him: 'There is in the 'Ordinance of Christian the Third' a rule, saying that 'Pastors shall always be dressed in the proper vestments.' Dietrichsen observed this command literally, and it is related of him that, even when he hauled wood, water or other stuff, he was clad in his long preacher's gown and with a clerical ruff about his neck." Eielsen, on the other hand, did not use any uniform to distinguish him from others. He was terrified at Die- The Norwegian Period 199 trichson's high church manners and especially his Grundtvigian doctrines. Grundtvig was a Danish reformer who had awakened the Danish Church out of a rationalistic sleep, but he himself had promulgated some heresies. He strangely declared the Apostles' Creed to be the living Word and the Bible to be a dead word and that there was a possibility for conversion and salvation after death. Eielsen declared war on Dietrichson and Dietrichson on Eielsen. ''With Dietrichson's arrival," declares Norelius, "com- menced the great church war, which has raged among the Nor- wegians up to the present time." Dietrichson made a trip to Norway in 1845 to get more men to come to his assistance. He and Clausen could by no means serve the multiplying and grow- ing settlements. In 1850 he returned to Norway for good, where he labored as pastor until 1874, and then as postmaster until 1882. Dietrichson was a worthy exponent of the high church view, a Christian man with both knowledge and zeal. He shared pioneer life with his people without a murmur. He preached his first sermon at Amund Anderson's barn in East Koshkonong on August 30, 1844, and his second service he held under a large oak tree on Knud Aslakson's farm in West Koshkonong. He wanted clean- cut rules to go by ; his aim was to transplant the Norwegian Lu- theran Church to American soil. He was a good husbandman. Paul Anderson represented another element in the life of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America. He had attended a Congregational College (Beloit), and had seen and heard things there which he thought worth taking along. He favored the use of English. He was much wrought up about the slavery question. In 1848 he joined the Franckean Synod of New York, chiefly be- cause of the vigor with which this Synod combatted slavery. The name Franckean sounded good to him and the one Franckean pastor he knew was a fine Lutheran. That this Franckean Synod was rather weak on the Augsburg Confession he at that time knew little or nothing about. In 1851 Anderson joined in the movement to establish a Northern Illinois Synod. Swedish, Norwegian, German and English Lutherans joined hands in the venture. Anderson served both as secretary and president of this new synod. The new synod was to be a part of the Gen- eral Synod, whose leading theologian at the time was S. S. Schmucker, a man of liberal tendencies. The English Lutherans of the N. Illinois represented Schmucker's views all too well, for they wrote a constitution in which the Augsburg Confession was referred to as only "mainly correct." In 1852, upon motion by Paul Anderson, the words "mainly correct" were stricken, but the spirit which had put them there remained as strong as before. It finally caused the Scandinavians to withdraw and or- ganize a more staunch Lutheran synod, the Scandinavian Au- gustana, in 1860. Anderson translated the Illinois Constitution 200 Norwegian People in America into Norwegian in 1847 and the United States Constitution, in 1854. He wanted the Norwegian people quickly to become Amer- icanized and Anglicized. Hans Andreas Stub was a much-beloved pastor, whose name is still a household word. Adolph Carl Preus was an energetic president of the Norwegian Synod during many trying years, 1853-1862. Nils O. Brandt was the first pioneer pastor west of the Missisisppi, a teacher at Luther College, 1865-1882, and a man of long and inspiring influence. His wife, nee Didrikke Ot- tesen, was a wonderful mother in Israel, of blessed memory. She never tired in behalf of students at Luther College ; thousands enjoyed her hospitality. Hundreds of the great Norwegians, as well as those not so famous, have had their stockings darned and their pantaloons mended by this kind woman and her ladies' P. A. Rasmussen Knud Henderson L. M. Bi0rn aids. Her brother, Jakob Aall Ottesen, was one of the must learned of the early pastors. Herman Amberg Preus was the man who reorganized the Norwegian Synod and commanded it through thick and thin, from 1862 to 1894. And those were strenuous days, with doctrinal controversies and practical problems every day. Ulrik Vilhelm Koren, pastor at Washington Prairie, Iowa, 1853-1910, succeeded Preus as president of the Norwegian Synod, 1894-1910. A staunch Lutheran, a learned scholar, an ex- cellent writer, a wise administrator, mighty in debate, inspiring in his contacts with men. Ole J. Hatlestad added much to out- knowledge of pioneer conditions by his "Historiske Meddelelser" (Historical Communications) based on 40 years' experience as church worker, a man among men. Peter Andreas Rasmussen, at first a disciple of Eielsen, then a member of the Norwegian Synod, then, again, a leader among the Anti-Missourians who fought the Norwegian Synod, and finally, one of the organizers of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church. Pastor at Lisbon, 111., 1854-96; president of Lisbon Seminary, 1855-56; founder of the Lisbon Norwegian Lutheran Society for the Publication of Norwegian School Books and Devotional Literature, 1856; pub- The Norwegian Period 201 lisher of "Kirkelig Tidende" (Church Times), 1856-61; "Opbyg- gelsesblad" (Devotional Paper), 1877-1887; printer of many books ; friend of foreign missions ; father of four sons in the min- istry—Gerhard (1883—), Henry Edmund (1890—), Wilhelm Augustin (1890 — ) and Halbert Jacob (1898 — ). Laur. Larsen, the grand old man and Nestor among Norwegian educators, pas- tor, 1857-1915, professor, 1859-1915; and president of Luther College, 1861-1902. Arne E. Boyum, a Haugean, faithful unto death, pastor, 1858-1916, first president of Hauge Synod, 1876- 1887. Bernt J. I. Muus, pastor at one time of 28 pioneer congre- gations, in a district as large as Denmark, and which now numbers over 150 self-supporting Norwegian Lutheran congregations. Whole books might be written about each of these men and also about the other pastors of this period. Their lives are epics. Two books have already been written about Eielsen — Bro'- haugh and Eisteinsen's in 1883 and E. O. Mo'rstad's in 1917. There are good sketches of him in various other books, as : one by John Johnson, in 1887; J. C. Roseland, in 1890; O. M. Norlie, in 1915; and M. O. Wee, 1919. R. Andersen has pub- lished the Life of Clausen, 1924; L. M. Bi0rn wrote one on P. A. Rasmussen in 1905. Mrs. Elisabeth Koren's "Era Pioneer- tiden" (From the Pioneer Days), extracts from a daybook and letters in 1853-1854, was published by her children in 1914. The historical magazine "Symra" contains spirited accounts about some of these heroes : Svein Strand writes about C. L. Clausen (1913) ; H. G. Stub, about H. A. Stub (1907); A. Bredesen, about N. O. Brandt (1907), and H. A. Preus (1910) ; C. K. Preus, about H. A. Preus (1906) ; L. S. Swenson, about Laur. Larsen (1909) ; Th. Eggen, about B. J. I. Muus (1910) ; Clara Jacobson, about A. Jacobson (1912) ; also one on "Nogle Gamle Minder" (Some Old Recollections), by Laur. Larsen, 1913. In his speech before the House of Representatives, February 24, 1925, Congressman O. J. Kvale, himself a Norwegian Lu- theran pastor (1894-1923), says about the pioneer pastors: "An inspiring thing it is to recall the stories of the lives of the young men, many of them university graduates, who had been ordained to the ministry in Norway, with splendid openings and careers ahead of them there, but who, nevertheless, at great sacrifice, were willing to abandon these confident hopes and throw their lot with their countrymen who so sorely needed their ser- vices in the New World. Of these there were many; more than could be enumerated here. But the roster of their names in- cludes, among others, the names of Eielsen, Clausen, Dietrichson. Anderson, Stub, Preus, Brandt, Ottesen, Koren, Hatlestad, Ras- mussen, Larsen, Magelssen, Muus, Hanson, Dahl, Homme, Lys- nes, Weenaas, Ylvisaker, Wright, Hoyme, Mohn, Oftedal, Sver- drup. Surely these names are chiseled in adamant by the Record- 202 Norwegian People in America ing Angel of God. Their work lives forever in the hearts of their blood brethren, in the history of this Nation." Pastoral calls were extended to Jo'rgen Pedersen in 1836 by the Fox River Lutherans; to Ole Heier, in 1837. Ole Nattesta, on behalf of the Jefferson Prairie Lutherans, Congregations, sen t a letter of call to Norway in 1839. Elling 1825-1860 Eielsen was called in 1843 at Fox River, al- though he had previously served the Lutherans there four years and had built them a church there in 1841. C. L. Clausen was called to serve Muskego in 1843. J. W. C. Dietrich- son tells in his book on the settlements ("Reiser blandt the norske Emigranter") just how he proceeded to organize the congregations at Koshkonong in 1844. These were the first attempts at gather- ing the Norwegians into organized congregations and securing regular pastoral care. The following is a list of the congregations organized before 1850. There were also preaching stations, but they are not included. For a description of the congregations see "Norsk Lutherske Menigheter i Amerika, 1843-1916". The first Norwegian Lutheran Synod was the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, commonly called the Eielsen Synod or the Elling Synod. It was organized in 1846 Synods, 1825-1860 a t Jefferson Prairie, Wis., "where a few of the widely scattered believers were assembled at a publicly called church meeting." A constitution was then and there drawn up. "Eielsen dictated and Andrewson wrote" that constitution which has since been called the "Gamle Konstitution" (Old Constitution). It was quite polemical. In Paragraph 1 it refutes the charge that the followers of Eielsen are a sect — they are true Lutherans. In Paragraph 2 conversion is demanded as a condition for membership — Clausen and Dietrichson accepted nominal Lutherans as members. Paragraph 6 is an attack on the "papal authority" and the clerical gowns of the State Church pas- tors and a warning is put on record against the "scribes which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, to be seen of men" (Luke 20:46). Paragraph 6 rejects the laying on of hands in Communion, practised by the Norwegian Synod. The second synod with which the Norwegians were connected was the Franckean Synod of New York. It was organized in 1837 by four German-English Lutheran pastors and four delegates. In 1908 it united with the Hartwick Synod (1830) and the Synod of New York and New Jersey (1872) to form the New York Synod, since 1918 one of the constituent synods of the United Lutheran Church in America. Paul Anderson was the only Norwegian pas- tor who officially belonged to the Franckeans. Andrewson sup- ported it in 1848-1851. The Norivegian Period 203 r^O QOO O t^ 10 O u-) OfO r)- O rO N Omn to r^rv-. O ir;\0 n-. ton-. c*} 10 01 n-. r^n-. o-. in ir.o-' O ^O 0< On-, r^ ^ ro OOO O O OO OoOo Cfl C/5 cfl C/2 t/) C/D 1/3 :s O § S 2 % « S rt Ov ;-, fr> rt 41 „, w w) > "C . ^ o 2~~ ^^^r^.^ <" ^ c c u <" »- c^v: •£ a3 £ <3 * &s g 8|«| g soil »sf g^La i w* 1 9l S s 1—1 3 s "g £ .52. ?£ £ 3 c c c „ g.S 8 ,. -3 ■ - > 5 o K 8 o «"3 ° °.S R 52 M •« ^ c c > c.S 2 o w j «f«li|!li! iliffPi fO rOOO N • • O 100 ^t t^ • . t-i 000000 00 • • o\ fOroco^-^-^t^-^-^-^-^-Tt^-r+^-TfiO mvO KNN r^OO 00 00 On oooo oo oooo oo oo oo oooo oo oo oo oooooo oooo oo oo oo oo oooooooo oo 204 Norwegian People in America A. C. Preus, N. S. 1853-62 H. A. Preus, N. S. 1862-94 Dr. U. V. Koren, N. S. 1894-10 The Northern Illinois Synod is the third attempt of the Nor- wegians to establish synodical connections. Paul Anderson was the Norwegian leader in the movement; Lars P. Esbjo'rn was the Swedish leader. This synod had 8 pastors, 20 congregations and 653 souls in 1851, and in 1859 it had 5,316 souls; while in 1860, after the Swedes and Norwegians withdrew, it had only 1,551 souls. In doctrine and practice, largely through Reformed influ- ence, the English members of the Northern Illinois Synod were rather liberal. Esbj0rn desired to have included in the minutes of the organization meeting a note showing the doctrinal position of the Swedish churches, to the effect that the Bible is the in- fallible Word of God and the highest authority and rule of faith and practice, and that the symbolical books of the Lutheran Church contain a correct summary and exposition of the Bible. The rea- son why he did this was, that Article 2 of the constitution of the N. Illinois Synod referred to the Augsburg Confession as only "mainly correct." Anderson moved the objectionable words struck out, and this was done, without changing the views of the English members. Esbjo'rn became the Scandinavian professor of theology at the Illinois State University, at $700.00 a year. The first presi- dent, Francis Springer, 1852-1855, was an ultra-liberal. The sec- Paul Anderson, N. T. 1857-58 C). J. Hatlestad, A. S. j 870-81, 1888-90 Synodical Presidents Wright, A. S. 1885-88 The Norwegian Period 205 0sten Hanson, H. S. 1887-93 M. G. Hanson, H. S. 1899-05, 1 9 10- 1 7 Johan Olsen, N. C. 1872-81 ond president, Simon W. Harkey, 1855-1858, was mediating. The third president, Wm. M. Reynolds, foolishly opposed the theology, the practices and the languages of the Scandinavians at his school, and the results were as sudden as they were emphatic. The Scandi- navians picked up their hats and hooks and departed. The rupture came in 1860, the year in which Dr. Reynolds resigned his post. He joined the Episcopal Church in 1864, to get, as he said, some- thing to do. The fourth synod, organized in 1851, hy C. L. Clausen, H. A. Stub and A. C. Preus, was dissolved in 1852 on account of H. A. Preus's objection to Paragraph 2 of the constitution. This para- graph read as follows : "The doctrine of the Church is that which is revealed through God's Holy Word in our Baptismal covenant, also in the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments." As this paragraph, according to the constitution, could never be al- tered, it was found necessary to dissolve the organization and to start anew. This was done. The fifth synod, usually called the Norwegian Synod, was of- ficially named the Synod for the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was organized February 3, 1853, under the direction of H. A. Preus. Six other pastors were present at the M. BioYn, A. M. 1886-90 Dr. T. H. Dahl, U. C. E. E. Gynild, L. F. 1902-17 1899, 190.S. 1909, 191 2 14, 1923— Synodical Presidents 206 Norwegian People in America organization meeting — C. L. Clausen, H. A. Stub, A. C. Preus, N. O. Brandt, G. F. Dietrichson, and J. A. Ottesen. A. C. Preus be- came the first president, 1853-1862; H. A. Preus, the second, 1862-1894; U. V. Koren, the third, 1894-1910; and H. G. Stub, the fourth and last, 1910-1917. Of the 38 congregations repre- sented at the first meeting 31 were located in Wisconsin. Since this synod for several decades had its main strength in Wisconsin, is was often called, by friend and foe alike, the Wisconsin Synod. Purity of doctrine was its slogan. It has fought for purity of doctrine, sometimes on the offensive, oftener on the defensive, and has been the bulwark of conservatism among the Norwegian Lu- therans. It early formed friendships and connections with the Missouri Synod, the most conservative and exclusive of the Ger- man synods in America. The chief among the theological giants of Missouri was Dr. Carl F. W. Walther, rated as the greatest Lutheran in American history. German immigration to America was heavy. Nearly 1,000,000 came over from Germany in the fifties; nearly 500,000 had come in the forties. They came on ac- count of economic, religious and political oppression at home. Walther came because of religious oppression. He was intensely pious and strictly Lutheran. The Union movement was on ; Ra- tionalism and Indifferentism held honored places in nearly all church circles. Walther became involved in difficulties with his rationalistic superiors and cast his lot with the Saxon emigrants who left the Fatherland in 1839. He rallied them here, founded congregations, synod, schools, publishing plant, church periodi- cals, missions ; he called his people to the banner of the pure doctrine and left a deep impress, not only on his own synod, but on the remotest Lutheran bodies. The impress on the Norwe- gian Synod was indeed great. Beginning with 1859 the Norwe- gian Synod sent its prospective ministers to the German theo- logical seminary at St. Louis, Mo. At this school — Concordia Seminary — Rev. Laur. Larsen that year began work as Norwe- gian theological professor. In their controversies with the other Norwegian Lutherans — on questions such as Donatism, the Sabbath, slavery and predestination — the Norwegian Synod often sought advice or support from the German brethren. The sixth synod was the Scandinavian Augustana, founded in 1860. It was called Augustana to show that it stood firm on the Augustana, or Unaltered Augsburg Confession. It was organized by Swedes and Norwegians who had belonged to the Northern Illinois Synod and had left that body on account of its halting attitude in doctrinal matters. It was a conservative synod, but not extreme as was the Norwegian Synod. It had large sym- pathies for lay preaching, but not in a pronounced degree, as did the Eielsen Synod. It was a broad church synod, a middle-of-the- road church party. The Norivegian Period 207 Norway is one of the most Lutheran, if not the most Luther- an of all countries in the world. The Lutheran faith is the most evangelical of all the systems of religion Lutheran Doctrine based on the Bible. The Lutheran Church gets its name from Martin Luther, the Hero of the Reformation. As a separate and distinct church, it dates from 1530, when the Augsburg Confession was read before the Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg. In doctrine it is as old as the original Church which came into being on the Day of Pentecost. In its doctrines, the Lutheran Church is a staunch champion of the Bible as the Word of God, inspired by Him, pre- served by Him, authorita- tive, perfect, clear and effi- cacious. It believes in the verbal inspiration of the Bible. "Firm in the faith Immanuel taught, she holds no faith besides." It ac- cepts the ecumenical creeds of Orthodox Christianity — the Apostolic, the Nicene and the Athanasian Creed. It holds also the Unaltered Augsburg Confession to be a correct exhibition of the faith and doctrine of the Lutheran Church, founded upon the Word of God. Every Lutheran congrega- tion and synod accepts this as the fundamental confes- sion. By the side of the Augsburg Confession is Lu- ther's Smaller Catechism, in use throughout the Luther- an Church in the instruction of the young. No Lutheran body rejects the other confessional books in the Book of Con- cord (1580). Many accept all. The Lutheran Church is thus seen to be a Bible-loving and creed-loving Church. It is both conservative and progressive, peace-loving and militant, a Mary learning at the feet of Jesus, a Martha serving Him. The Nor- wegian Lutheran synods have suffered less from the inroads of rationalism and sectarianism than any other branch of the Lu- theran Church. Christ Church, Chicago, Illinois, J. H. Meyer, Pastor 208 Norwegian People in America As to worship, there may he differences in details, because the Lutheran Church grants great liberty in such matters. But in the essential things Lutheran worship is practi- Lutheran Worship cally the same everywhere. The typical Lu- theran building has an evangelical sym- bolism. The tall, slender steeple, for example, points heaven- ward and summarizes the Gospel of Atonement, God's plan of salvation. The ground plan of the church building is in the form of a cross. The furniture includes a pulpit, a baptismal font and an altar, representing the three Means of Grace — the Word, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The Lutheran congregation First Lutheran Church, Albert Lea, Minnesota Dr. Martin Anderson, Pastor assembles in God's house to meet God, and the congregation and pastor as God's ambassador are two equally important elements. Most congregations follow a beautiful, but simple, liturgy, in which the two principal elements of worship the sacramental and the sacrificial — appear in splendid balance. In the sacra- mental, God comes to the worshiper and offers him grace. In the sacrificial, man goes to God and offers Him prayer and praise and thanksgiving. The church year is observed, with its stated pericopes, and the sermon is made a vehicle for the expounding of the Scripture without fear or favor. The whole congrega- tion sings ; the choir is of secondary importance. The minister is the shepherd of God's flock, the servant of all. Everyone has a right to approach the throne of grace; everyone has a duty to proclaim His praises, There is room for men and women, for The Norwegian Period 209 young and old, in this ministry. The Norwegian Lutherans regard the Church as a divine institution and the ministry as a holy calling. The old Muskego Church indicates in its structure what a great regard the pioneer Norwegians had for the Means of Grace. One-third of the building was occupied by the pulpit, font and altar. Scandinavian Zion Church, Richmond, Staten Island, R. O. Sigmond, Pastor at Time of Building Organically, there is no such body as the Lutheran Church of America. Not yet, and perhaps there never will be. The Lutheran Church does not stress organic union very Lutheran Organize much, if at all. It believes in doctrinal unity, tion and Polity rather than external union. The form of gov- ernment, it believes belongs to the human side of the Church, in which liberty is granted. It has thrived under every type of polity — episcopal, presbyterial, congregational and synodical. The synodical is the favorite one among the Norwegian Lutheran synods of America. The individual congregation has the 210 Norwegian People in America right to govern itself, possessing all the privileges granted by the Gospel, and governed only by the Word of God. It can unite with other congregations of the same faith into larger units, such as synods, in order to promote the unity of doctrine and practice, and carry out the program of the Church. Hence, there is much striving also in the Lutheran Church, not only to promote church unity, but also church union, though, as stated, the duty of creating church unions is regarded as a practical measure, not as a doctrinal tenet. Among the early Norwegian Lutheran congregations and church leaders there were therefore attempts to form synods and to unite the synods into one Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. And ever since, such efforts toward a more perfect union have been going on, and there have been mergers of synods into new synods, and the organization of associations, federations, conferences, commissions, councils and inter-synodical corporations. In this way the Norwegian Luther- an Church has better been able to do its work at home and abroad, in the fields of publication, education, foreign missions, home mis- sions, inner missions or charity, as well as the regular work of the pastor. It is difficult to tell just how much work was done by the non- Lutheran denominations among the Norwegian settlements for the reason that the greater part of this work IS on-Lutheran was done in English. Even the history of the Denominations work conducted in Norwegian is hard to write about because it has not been adequately recorded. A complete history of the non-Lutheran activities among the Norwegians would involve most of the denominations and fill many volumes. a. Quakers The Quakers, or Friends, own as their founder George Fox, who began to preach holiness of life in 1647. They have no creed, no liturgy, no sacraments. Their most distinctive doctrine is spiritual baptism. Periods of silence occur in their meeting, when no one feels called on to speak, while waiting for direct inspira- tion from the Holy Ghost. They are opposed to war and empha- size brotherhood in all human relationships. They came to Nor- way in 1815 through Lars Larson, Elias Tastad, Ole Frank and Even Samuelsen, Norwegians who had been held prisoners of war in England. They gave to Norway its first and greatest temperance advocate, AsbjoYn Kloster, and made Stavanger the open door into Norway for sectarians. They were the immediate cause of the coming of Cleng Peerson and the Sloop in 1825. They had a hold on the first company of immigrants, whose The Norwegian Period 211 leaders were Quakers, and who settled at Kendall through Quaker influence. But gradually this hold was lost, and the number of Quaker congregations among Norwegians have dwindled down to one (in 1916), with a membership of 92. b. Mormons The Mormons call themselves the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This sect was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith at Seneca, N. Y. It began an active propaganda but met with an equally active opposition, especially after 1843, when Smith announced a revelation in favor of plural marriages. He was shot by a mob in 1844 and Brigham Young became his successor. In 1847 there was a general migration from Illinois, where they then had their stronghold, to Utah, where they in 1916 numbered 91.8 per cent of the total church population. In 1916 there were 1,530 Mormon congregations, of which 463 were in Utah. There were 462,329 Mormons, of whom 258,282 lived in Utah. They claim to accept the Bible and the "Book of Mormon," both of equal authority. As to their doctrines read the expositions by O. L. Kirkeberg and I. G. Monson. The Mormons and the Sloopers came to Illinois about the same time and the Mormons soon convinced many of the Fox River Norwegians that Mor- monism was the true religion. Jeirgen Pederson. Ole Heier, Canute Peterson, Dr. Gudmund Haugaas, and others became Mormon preachers. A Mormon congregation was established near Norway. 111., which still is' flourishing. Some of the branch presidents, or pastors, at Norwav have been: Yonce (Jens) Jacobs, 1862-63; Thomas Hougas.' 1863-1900; John Midgorden, 1902-07; Thomas Hougas, 1907-19; and O. T. Haver, 1919 . Missionaries were sent to Norway. Canute Peterson was one of them, returning with 600 converts bound for Utah. Some of the greatest men of Utah today are of Norwegian blood and Mormon faith. Reed Smoot. United States Senator since 1903, an apostle in the Mormon Church, had a Norwegian mother — Anna K. Mauretz. John Andreas Widtsoe, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Latter Day Saints, has been president of the Utah State Agricultural College and the University of L T tah and the International Dry- farming Congress. c. Baptists The Baptists appear in history as early as 1523. Persons who had been baptized in infancy, on professing conversion and ap- plying for admission to Baptist churches, were baptized again, hence they were often called x\nabaptists. Roger Williams of Rhode Island fame, was the first American Baptist. The first Norwegian Baptist convert and preacher in America, and in the 212 Norwegian People in America world, was Hans Valder, La Salle Co., 111. He was converted through the instrumentality of Elder Harding, June 22, 1842. In August, 1844, he was ordained as Baptist minister. He was earnest, aggressive, a gifted and winsome speaker, and was able, after four years of zealous work to baptize seven adult Nor- wegians in January, 1848 — the first fruits. They organized a con- gregation at Norway, 111., and took up a subscription of $13.00 as pastoral salary. In view of the fact that they were not able to earn more than 25 cents a day at splitting cord wood, this sub- scription was considered very liberal, and it was. An application was made to the American Baptist Home Missionary Society for an annual assistance of $50.00 from its treasury. Later it was found expedient to unite Valder's Norwegian congregation with the nearest English Baptist congregation. A goodly share of the Sloopers became English Baptists. The further work of the Baptists will be dwelt on in the succeeding chapters. d. Methodists Methodism is the result of a movement begun in 1729 at ( >xford University by John and Charles Wesley. John Wesley's conversion was occasioned by his reading Luther's "Introduction to Romans." Subsequently he made a journey to Germany, but he did not become a Lutheran. The Moravians whom he met there were too quiet to suit his militant nature. Men could not be saved without holiness. God's people must be a holy people. The cause was urgent ; the time was short. He must be up and doing, inviting, inciting, compelling men to come to the marriage feast. Naturally, the Methodist preachers would feel concerned about the spiritual welfare of the Norwegian immigrants. They have also been the most successful in converting Norwegians from Lutheranism to Methodism. Methodism was first planted in Norway in 1853 when Rev. O. P. Peterson, a Norwegian who had been converted in New York, was sent as missionary to his native land. The first Norwegian Methodist congregations in America were organized in 1853 at Norway and Leland, 111., by John Brown, a Danish convert to Methodism. The pastoral ap- pointments of the Norwav Congregation have been : John Brown (Dane), 1853-1854; Halvor H. Holland (Norwegian), 1854- 1859; Nels O. Westergren (Swede), 1859-1860. The Leland charge was served by John Brown and Halvor H. Holland. e. Episcopalians At Nashotah, 30 miles west of Milwaukee, Wis., the Protestant Episcopal Church had erected a theological seminary as early as 1842. Tt is still in operation under the name Nashotah House and has a school plant and endowments valued at upwards of The Norwegian Period 213 $1,000,000.00. One of the first students, if not the very first, was Gustaf Unonius, a Swedish Lutheran, who had come to Pine Lake, Wis., in 1841. The Pine Lake Swedes hold a position among Swedish-Americans somewhat similar to that of the Sloopers, being the vanguard of the Swedish immigration to the United States. Unonius graduated in 1845 and was ordained, first as deacon and then as pastor in the Episcopal Church, being the first Episcopalian ordained in Wisconsin. He organized Episco- palian congregations at Pine Lake and elsewhere among the Swedes and Norwegians. Thus the Norwegian St. Johannes or Pine Lake Congregation, located six miles northeast of Ocono- mowoc, Waukesha County, was organized in 1844 by Unonius as an Episcopalian congregation, but through the efforts of Die- trichson, Stub and Clausen it was won back to the Lutheran fold. Rev. J. C. Walledom is the pastor in 1925. St. Olaf Congregation, sometimes called Ashippun, ten miles south-southwest of Hart- ford, Dodge County, Wisconsin, also owes its origin to Unonius. This congregation, too, is under the spiritual care of J. C. Walle- dom. Unonius took up a new field of labor in 1849, at Chicago, posing both as a Lutheran and an Episcopalian. Through the aid of Jenny Lind, who gave him $1,500.00, he built St. Ansgar Episcopal Church in Chicago. In 1858 he returned to Sweden. His book "Minnen" (Recollections) give a true account of his 17-year stay in America and is a valuable source book of pioneer history. The success of the Episcopalians among the Norwegian Lutherans has never been very conspicuous. From the first, the Episcopal Church has been friendly and has urged amalgamation, due mainly to the fact that the Scandinavian State Churches live under an episcopal organization. The Lutherans do not stress episcopal succession, but justification by faith, and therefore have not desired an organic union or federation with the Episcopalians. 6. Education The ''Report of the Immigration Commission, 1820-1910" speaks in the highest terms of the literacy of the Norwegians. An illiterate in census statistics is a person at Literacy least ten years of age who can not read and write any language. In the United States it is considered very necessary for the well-being of democracy that all citizens be able to read and write. A literacy test is ap- plied to immigrants and compulsory school laws exist in every state. Nevertheless, the census returns show an uncomfortably large per cent of illiterates. Thus: In 1880 — 17 per cent were illiterate; in 1890—13.3 per cent; in 190O— 107 per cent; in 1910- — 7 .7 per cent ; and in 1920—6 per cent. Illiteracy is not a 214 Norwegian People in America problem in Norway. Says the "Report of the Immigration Com- mission" just referred to : "The character of the Norse element in America is well enough known to need no detailed descrip- tion. In Norway the rate of illiteracy is the lowest in Europe. In religion the Scandinavians are Protestant almost to a man — over 99 per cent, according to the censuses of these countries." In the "Report of the Commissioner General of Immigration for 1923," as in all other years, the Scandinavians are rated the most literate. In 1923, 37,630 Scandinavians were admitted, of whom 3 were illiterate, less than 1-10 of 1 per cent. Mother Norway had taught her children the importance of letters. Norwegian children had to be confirmed, and that meant that they had first to be instructed in the catechism, Bible history, Bible and hymnal. To receive such instruction they had to learn to read. Hence, in Norway, as in all other Lutheran lands, it became a practical necessity to learn to read and write. The early immigrants were literate. On the fly-leaf of his New Testament Daniel Stensen Rossadal writes : "Jeg denne bog eier, Til lykke og seier ; Den give mig Gud Frimodigt at straebe Alt syndigt at draebe Min levetid ud." Also the inscription: "Daniel Stensen og hustru Berthe Stavo'datter, Sluppen Resteration den 28 juli, 1825. Lig- gende i Spanske So'e " (Dashes indicate matter too faint to decipher). The universal passion for letters which the Norwegian in- herited from Norway was not lost in this country. In fact, in this country all immigrant groups vie with Public Schools one another to give their children a good edu- cation. In the Census for 1920, for example, 2.5 per cent of the native white are illiterate, 22.9 per cent of the native Negroes; 13.1 per cent of the foreign born whites are illiterate, but only .8 per cent of their children. There is no class in America more anxious to get an education than the children of the foreign-born, and there is no class of foreign-born more eager than the Norwegians. The average per cent of illiteracy among the people of foreign-born parentage in the states where the Norwegians are quite numerous is a trifle over .4 per cent. The actual average for the Norwegians is possibly not over .1 per cent. These Norwegians have been faithful patronizers of the public schools, both elementary and higher, from the kinder- garten to the university. They have promoted the public schools in every possible way. They have built them and paid taxes for their support. They have sent their children to them and urged their sons and daughters to teach in them. They have tried to keep the schools non-sectarian and free from anti-Christian doc- trines and practices. The history of the public schools show that The Norwegian Period 215 they have had their greatest relative strength and progress in the Northwest, where the light-haired Scandinavians have come to stay. In Norway it was customary for the parents to teach the children the rudiments of reading and the essentials of the cate- chism at home. The Norwegian children could Church Schools as a rule read before they began to go to school. They received aid from father and mother, particularly from mother, every day they attended the elementary school until they were confirmed. Confirmation took place about the years 14-16. This home instruction was most fundamental, in that it included both religious and secular instruc- tion, both the common house duties of every sort as well as book learning. a. Parochial Schools In America they had to adjust themselves to new conditions and provide for new emergencies. Life was more strenuous here, and there was less time for home instruction. Besides, it was not customary in this land to pay so much attention to parental teaching. The public schools were secular; they could not teach religion there if they would, and they would not if they could, on account of the many creeds represented in this country, all on an equal footing before the law. Furthermore, the language of the public schools was exclusively English, and the parents could not keep pace with the children in acquiring it. In this way the parents could not very easily assist the children in their school work, and the religious instruction was bound to be neglected even in the best of families. The congregations, therefore, made provision for maintaining parochial schools, in a very few cases to supplant the public schools, in nearly all cases to supplement them. These schools were held at the most convenient times, whenever the public schools were not in session and the farmers could most easily spare their children, for in those days all children had to work side by side with father and mother, and there was no talk about getting an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to forbid the employment of children under 18. So these schools were held, in the heat of summer or the cold of winter, as the case might be, from a month to three months at a time. The subjects were mainly religious, along doctrinal, historical, Biblical and practical lines. The Smaller Catechism by Luther and some Explanation of it — Pontoppidan, Sverdrup, Synodens — were learned by heart. The Bible history, with a taste of church his- tory, was carefully mastered. The Bible became a familiar book 2)6 Norwegian People in America through much reading and discussion. The most select hymns and tunes in the hymn book were committeed to memory. A master- ful system of education, this; a truly liberal education. School masters were chosen almost as carefully as were the pastors. Parochial school teaching became a profession, not well paid, but respected. Ole Olson Hettletvedt, Slooper, was a parochial teacher. Elling Eielsen no doubt would have been one, had he not been too busy with finding the lost sheep. His wife was an excellent parochial teacher, and her fame still lingers. C. L. Clausen was called to come to Muskego as a parochial teacher, not as a preacher, and answered : "Lord, here am I." Illinois State University: The "Coffee Mill" b. Illinois State University, 1852-1860 (1867) But it was manifestly hard to secure teachers and pasturs. They had to be Norwegian; they had to be Lutheran. It was clear to all that the harvest truly was great, but the laborers few. It was equally clear that the State Church of Norway was not going to send a sufficient supply of workers. Those that had come, had come of their own initiative or at the call of the Norwegians here. The Norwegian Lutheran synods therefore discussed the problem of building higher schools whose aim should be to train teachers and pastors. The first synod to take definite action was the Northern Illi- nois. There had been a Lutheran academy at Hillsboro, Illinois, since 1839. In 1847 this school became a college — Hillsboro Col- lege. In 1852 the school was moved to Springfield, the capital of the state, and was made a university — the Illinois State Univer- sity. This Illinois State University was not a state institution but a Lutheran academy, college and seminary, the property of The Norwegian Period 217 the Illinois and Northern Illinois synods. The English members of these synods were not particularly concerned about the Scandi- navians and their need of men to teach and preach in the Scandi- navian tongues. They elected men of prominence in state politics, to membership on their board of trustees, good men withal, but most of them non-Lutherans. Even Abraham Lincoln was a patron of the school, gave of his money to its support, and sent his son Robert to study there for a number of years, 1853-1859. A let- ter from Robert Lincoln to the author testifies that it was a good school. The school had a faculty of about 10 men. In 1852 the attendance was 79 in the academy, and 3 in the college ; in 1858 it was 101 in the academy, 41 in the college, and 4 in the seminary. Only boys in attendance. In 1853 there were seven Norwegians in attendance: Abra- Lars P. Esbj0rn ham Jacobson, Decorah, Iowa ; John G. Johnson, Decorah; Knud Knudson, Mission Pointy Illinois; Nelson Lawson, Chicago; Lars H. Norem, Chicago; Chris- tian Olson, Chicago; and P. H. Peterson, Clay, La Salle County, Illinois. Most of the students were in attendance because the school was near at hand. In 1852, 77 per cent of the students came from Springfield; in 1859, 63 per cent. Abraham Jacobson, whose daughter Helga is wife of Dr. L. W. Boe, president of St. Olaf College, the largest Norwegian college in America, was the first Norwegian student at the University. The first Swede to enroll was A. Andreen, the father of Dr. G. A. Andreen, pres- ident of Augustana College, Rock Island, the largest Swedish school in America. The courses were standard. The college had four years of Greek and Latin and mathematics through calculus, no subject elective. The financial support came mainly from the constituent congregations. The school stranded in 1867 on ac- count of the withdrawal of the Scandinavians in 1860 and the lack of sufficient support by the remaining congregations. The buildings in 1874 became the property of the Missouri Synod, which has since that date conducted there the Concordia Theolo- gical Seminary. c. Lisbon Seminary, 1855-1856 The second Norwegian synod to establish a higher school was the Eielsen. It is known as the Lisbon Seminary and was located at Lisbon, Illinois. It had only one teacher, Rev. P. A. Rasmus- sen, the Lisbon pastor. Rasmussen had arrived in America in 1850, a bright 21 year-old youth. He came directly to Muskego 218 Norwegian People in America intent on meeting Rev. H. A. Stub in order to get his bearings in this new land. Stub was about to set out for his congregations at Whitewater and directed Rasmussen to take the road to Mons Adland. Rasmussen set out for Adland's, but met Elling Eielsen on the way, who picked up a conversation with him and con- vinced him that he ought to join his party. Rasmussen did so. He taught parochial school at Neenah, Jefferson Prairie, Fox River and other places, 1850-1852. He at- tended Concordia Seminary, a Missouri Synod school at Ft. Wayne, Indiana, from which he graduated in 1854. That year, at the synodical meeting at Lisbon, the Eielsen Synod determined to erect its own school Bj0rn Holland and appropriated $2,000.00 for a suitable building. An old hotel at Lisbon was pur- chased for $1,800.00 and Lisbon Seminary began work in October, 1855, with three students in attendance. The names of these men are Bj0rn and Syver Holland, Hollandale, Wisconsin, and Olaus Landsvaerk. In "Ungdommens Ven" for 1910 BjoYn Hoi- Lisbon Seminary land gives a spirited account of his year at this school. He studied "church history, penmanship, composition, etc." The Augsburg Confession was committed to memory in toto. At Primrose, Wisconsin, June, 1855, Professor Rasmussen attacked Paragraph 2 in the constitution of the Eielsen Synod as con- taining Donatistic leaven. Donatists held that a holy church must The Norwegian Period 219 consist only of holy members. Eielsen would not yield to the criticism, and the controversy forced Rasmussen to withdraw from the Eielsen Synod. His withdrawal stopped the activity of the school. The building still stands and is used as a dwelling. d. Augnstana College and Seminary, 1860 The third higher school to see the light of day was Augustana College, the child of the Augustana Synod. The formal orga- nization of the synod was on June 5, 1860, at Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin. The Norwegian contingent consisted of 13 congrega- tions, 8 churches, 1,220 communicant members and 8 pastors. The purpose of the school was "to educate young men for the Gospel ministry in the Lutheran Church, and also to prepare young men for the profession of teaching.'* It was located at Chicago, L. P. Esbj^rn and Abraham Jacobson were the first teachers. Instruction was given in the following subjects the first year: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry; geography, history ; English grammar, Norwegian grammar, Swedish gram- mar, German, Latin, Hebrew, Greek New Testament; rhetoric, logic; sacred history, church history; dogmatics, symbolics; pas- toral theology, homiletics. The attendance for 1860-1861 was 21 boys. One of the students that year was Ole Paulson, of Carver, Minnesota, who makes brief mention of his experiences at the school in his "Erindringer." Paulson enlisted and rose to the rank of captain in the Civil War. He became pastor at Minne- apolis and was instrumental in locating Augsburg Seminary there and is lovingly referred to as the Father of Augsburg. He died April 20, 1907, with 39 years in the ministry to his credit. The oldest higher school among the Norwegian immigrants was not a Lutheran institution. It was founded in 1850 at Green Bay, Wisconsin, by Nils Otto Tank. Tank Other Schools was born in 1800, at Fredrikshald, Norway. Trained at continental universities and at Herrnhut, Germany, he married a Dutch girl and departed for Dutch Guiana as a missionary in 1825. His wife having died, he again sought a wife among the Dutch damsels. Through this second marriage and careful business enter- prise in South America, he is said to have been in possession of $1,500,000.00 when he came to Milwaukee. In 1846 a Norwe- gian Moravian congregation was started in Milwaukee by John Olson, a lay preacher from Farsund, Norway. In 1849 Andreas M. Iverson, a graduate of Stavanger Mis- sion School, was ordained a Moravian missionary among the Norwegians. Hav- Nils Otto Tank 220 Norwegian People in America ing heard of this venture in North America, Tank resolved to come here too and lend a hand. He arrived in 1850. Like the Swede Erik Janson in Henry County, Illinois, Tank was a Com- munist and determined now to carry out a communistic experi- ment. He purchased 969 acres of forest at Green Bay, platted it like a city, and 9,000 acres adjoining the town. He there- upon invited the Norwegian Moravians to come and get free land. They came together with Pastor Iverson and a German, Pastor Fett. He erected a two-story school building, and, with five students in attendance, he conducted an academy during the year 1851-1852. Mr. Ingebretson, merchant, Green Bay, was one of the five. Tank lived in a palace and had a library of 5,000 Dutch books, which in 1868 was donated to the Univer- sity of Wisconsin. H. R. Holand has written an epic on this romantic figure in "Nordmandsforbundet," December, 1924. He relates that Fett sowed seeds of suspicion which bore plenteous fruit. The people demanded warranty deeds to their land. They were refused these papers because this was a communistic colony. They departed and established a new colony and called it Ephraim, which name it bears to this day. Tank's old home is now a mu- seum and his town is called Tank Town. 7. Publications, 1825-1860 The literary beginnings of the Norwegian pioneers in America are humble, yet noteworthy. They will be listed under four heads : Books published in Norway ; books published in America ; secular papers ; religious papers. These books are all written to serve as guide books for emi- grants or to warn them against leaving the Fatherland. Rynning was a graduate of the University of Christiania Books Published and his book was written on his death bed. in Norway It is the first, and perhaps the best, literary effort by a Norwegian during this period. Nattesta was the first Norwegian settler in Wisconsin. His ac- count of his trip to America is quite charming in its simplicity. He was much surprised to find the buildings in New York five to six stories high. They are now ten times as high as in 1837. Testman had tried a year of pioneer life and, finding it too strenuous, he returned to Norway and published this account to warn people against coming here. Haalim had emigrated in 1836. He had tried farming at Medelport (Middle Point?), Illinois, and Shelby County, Missouri ; had met with one dis- appointment after another — the huts were miserably poor, land was hard to get, work was killing and sickness raged everywhere. He had tasted sickness and dire want and warned his countrymen to stay away from America. Knudsen tells about the trip from The Norwegian Period 221 Drammen to New York and Detroit, June 6 to September 30, 1839. Reierson was a very competent editor who had explored the Norwegian settlements and had chosen Texas as his home. His book is, as it aims to be, a pathfinder for the immigrant. He advises to keep away from Wisconsin. Dietrichson was the first State Church pastor from Norway to the Norwegian colonies. He writes about his journeys in and out among his countrymen and his efforts to establish congregations and bring order out of apparent religious chaos. Fribert was a Dane who had lived here several years as a farmer. His book has 45 instructive chapters. In Chapter 7 he advises all to settle in Wisconsin. LoVenskjold was a consul general to the Norwegian Government. This is a report, dated October 15, 1847, describing his visit to the Nor- wegian settlements in the summer of 1847. A very judicious and enlightening book. Schytte was a Norwegian physician who had practised medicine here from 1843 to 1848. The title of Bollin's book indicates that it was a geographical and political handbook for emigrants. Eleven smal Author books belong to this class, namely : Year Rynning, Nattesta, Testman, Ole Peter 1838 1839 1839 Title of Book Sandfaerdig Beretning om Amerika" Ole "Dagbog : Beskrivelse" .... Kort Beskrivelse over de Vigtigste Erfaringer un- der et Ophold i Nord- Amerika" Beretning om en Reise til New York" 1840 Haalim, Sjur J "Oplysnins:er om Forhol- dene i Nordamerika" .... "Veiviser for Norske Emi- granter til de Forenede Nordamerikanske Stater og Texas" 1844 "Reise blandt de Norske Emigranter i de Forenede Nordamerikanske Stater" "Haandbog for Emigranter til Amerikas Vest" "Beretning om de Norske Settlere i Nordamerika".. "Vagledning for Emigran- ter" Bollin, J "Geografisk Politisk Beskri- velse over de Forenede Nordamerikanske Stater, i Saerdeleshed for Emi- granter" 1853 Place of Publication Christiania Drammen Stavanger Knudsen, Knud Reierson, J. R Dietrichson, J. W. C. Fribert, L. T. (a Dane) L0venskjold, Adam .. Schytte, Theodor A... 1840 Drammen 1842 Christiania 1844 Christiania 1846 Stavanger 1847 Christiania v8 4 8 Bergen 1849 Stockholm Christiania 222 Norwegian People in America DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER'S small Catechism, WITH FOR CHILDREN, AND SENTENCES FROM THE WORD OF GOD TO STRENGTHEN THE 'FAITH OF THE MEEK, Translated from the Danish, and published by I3Uius Elitluin. Suffer little Children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.— Matt x. 14, PRINTED AT 176 BOWERY 1841. (A Photograph, exact size, of Title Page of First Book Printed in America by a Norwegian.) The books published in this country, with the exception of one, a veterinary book ("Dyrlsegebog", 1859, by Chr. Krug), were all reprints of religious books — school books, Books Published hymnals and devotional works — for use in the in America school room, church and home. Bibles were secured through the New York Bible Society and the American Bible Society. These associations handled Nor- wegian books printed in Christiania. In 1848 the American Bible Society published its own first edition of the New Testament in Norwegian; in 1857 the whole Bible was issued in Norwegian- The Norwegian Period 223 Danish. Many of the pioneer Norwegians acted as Bible colpor- teurs. As, for example, Ole Olson Hettletvedt, Slooper, Andreas A. Scheie, Peder L. Asbjo'rnsen, Lars H. Norem, Nils Olsen Fjeld. The American Tract Society issued Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" as early as 1850, and some devotional books by Richard Baxter and Ph. Doddridge even earlier. These books were sold by book agents. Krug's "Dyrlaegebog" was the first scientific treatise published by a Norwegian- American. It sold at $1.00. Elling Eielsen was the first one to have any book printed in this country. It is interesting to note that, just as the first book written by a Norwegian-American and printed in Norway, is entitled "A True Account of America," so the first book pub- lished by a Norwegian in America was printed in the English language. A copy of the book is in the possession of Mrs. Ellen Serine Runden, a daughter of Eielsen. Its title page is reproduced herewith. Note that Eielsen's name, through poor proof reading, is misspelt. Note also that the book was translated by Eielsen into English and that it was printed in 1841, at 176 Bowery, New York. Through the kindness of J. M. Hestenes and Mrs. Ellen Runden the present writer has secured the loan of this precious book and is reprinting the book, using^ photograph copies of each page. The original Pontopidan's "Sandhed til Gud- frygtighed" which Eielsen had reprinted in 1842 is now at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, having been placed there by Rev. J. A. Bergh, church historian. He secured it from Rev. J. C. Roseland, formerly pastor at Jefferson Prairie, Wis. Books were published as individual enterprises, as association efforts or as synodical undertakings. Eielsen issued his catechism on his own initiative; also Pontoppidan's "Sandhed til Gud- frygtighed" (Truth unto Godliness) and the Augsburgske Kon- fession. Ole Andrewson had a printing press in Norway, Illinois, on which he printed Guldberg's "Psalmebog" (Hymn Book) in 1854 and Pontoppidan in 1856. As an example of Norwegian publication societies may be mentioned the Scandinavian Printing Association and the Lisbon Society. The Scandinavian Associa- tion was organized at Inmansville (now Orfordville), Wisconsin, in 1851, by Revs. C. L. Clausen, A. C. Preus and H. A. Stub and a number of other shareholders. This society published two editions of Pontoppidan, 1853 and 1856, Linderot's "Praedikener," 1853, Wexels' "Bibelhistorie," 1854, Guldberg's "Psalmebog," 1854, "Luthers Bekjendelse," 1856, "Fader Vor" (short stories), 1856, "Symbolske Bp'ger," 1856, etc. The Lisbon Society pub- lished the "Symbolske Bo'ger" in 1855 and other works. In 1857 C. F. Solberg published Luther's "Kirke- og Huspostille" in Madi- son. This is a very large book, but paper, print, ink, binding and gilt edges are of excellent quality, fully equal to the best in Europe. 224 No rweguin Pcoph merica HaMor Hanson, specialist in old books, thinks that this monu- mental work printed for a small band of impoverished newcomers, must show the great faith which these publishers had in their Lutheran religion and their Norwegian countrymen. The Norwegians waited 23 years before they attempted to publish a Norwegian newspaper. Their first venture was called . "Nordlyset" (Northern Lights), 1847-1849, Secular Periodicals and was published in Heg's log barn at Muskego, with J. D. Reymert as editor. A full set of this rare paper is now on file at the Wisconsin Historical Library, and partial sets are in safekeeping at the Koren Library, Luther College, and the Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul. It was a political newspaper. It favored the Free Soil Party, the forerunner of the Republican Party. The first issue \ 4 iff' Mil L am. Mm ■ — ■ — • P 'lUfjl Elling Eielsen's Home, Jefferson Prairie, Wis. bears the announcement that the price is $2.00 a year, or 6 cents a copy. The opening editorial states the aim of the paper to be to enlighten those of the Norwegian nationality who cannot read English, by giving news of general interest, and particularly news of interest to Norwegians. An editorial is written in praise of JoYgen Pedersen, a Norwegian of Chicago, who under the name of George Pilson had enlisted in the Mexican War which was then raging, and who had met his death at the Battle of Buena Vista. An American flag appears at the head of the column. A portion of the Declaration of Independence is printed in Nor- wegian version. There is, furthermore, considerable war news, market news, local news and advertisements. There is also a sample of church controversy to give the paper its proper pep. In the following list of papers it will be noted several of the papers were Democratic in politics. When the Republican Party was formed, and war was imminent, the Norwegian editors and the Norwegian settlers everywhere in the North were found on The Norwegian Period 225 the side of the Union and Honest Abe. In the South the North- ern sympathizers were handled — like the Pro-Germans and the Pacifists in the recent World War — rough. Waerenskjold was murdered because he favored the North. Langeland and Hatlc- stad bought up the "Nordlyset" in 1849 and changed the name of the paper to "Democraten," in order, as they thought, to get more subscribers. Editor Rey inert was a Democrat, but edited a Free Soil paper; Langeland was a Free Soilcr, but edited a Democratic sheet. Later on, Langeland became the most ardent advocate of the Republican Party. The secular papers are nine in number, eight political and one an organ of the people from Voss. See Page 215. The first church paper appeared four years in the wake of "Nordlyset." It was edited by Norwegian Synod pastors in sup- port of their synod and its growing work. The Religious name of the periodical was "Maanedstidendc Periodicals for Den Norsk Lutherske Kirke i Amerika." It was published in 1851-1853. It resumed publication in 1856 under the name "Kirkelig Maanedstidende" and continued under that name until 1874, when it again was rebaptized, this time being called "Evangelisk Luthersk Kirke- tidende," 1874-1917. In 1851 O. J. Hatlestad began the publica- tion of "Den Norske Lutherske Kirketidende," 1851-1853, as organ for the Norwegians of the Northern Illinois Synod. From 1856 to 1866 Eielsen published a paper in Chicago which bore the name "Organ," the aim of which was to promote the cause of his synod. Fox River Church, 1841 226 Norwegian People in America *T3 c u g JS o w >> 04 *5 be c oJ M g ^ F «- £ fe Q O O rj- in > PQ CO in IT) IT) s in On in 00 00 00 00 00 00 •-I ■- 1 1-1 •"• JJ, ,1, 0< t^ ** t^ IT) in in in in in 00 00 00 00 00 00 .2 Z .5 c/) •!-< 00 in 00 g jT £ £ I .3= Z u > C G en O O en G 03 T3 '-o _-r 03 o3 u 4h s s H-l R O Jj o ft oJ z ~ *> 5 £ Z P Principal Norwegian Counties in the Northwest. Chapter VI NORWEGIAN- AMERICAN PERIOD, 1860-1890 The Norwegian-American Period covers approximately 30 years. It begins with the Civil War, which called the Norwegians to the American colors, and ended with the organization of the United Church, which marked the beginning of a new day in Norwegian Lutheran church history. 1. Historical Background The events of this period are best understood in the setting of European and American history. The inventions and dis- coveries of the first half of the century have taken a new and more practical turn. People no longer are hostile to inventions as something that takes the bread and butter from the toiler; they look upon them now as work-saving and money-making de- vices. Men are adjusting themselves to the new conditions. There is plenty of work and food for all. Crowded Europe hears the call from America still sounding : "We need you to conquer our great plains ; we welcome you and will give you a homestead." In England two opposing policies are conspicuous — an im- perial and a reform. Disraeli was an exponent of imperialism ; Gladstone, of reform. Ireland especially was Europe crying out for needed reform. The Fenians demanded complete separation from England and demonstrated their wants by insurrections. Gladstone was elected to redress Irish grievances. He dis-established the Epis- 228 Norwegian People in America copal Church in Ireland and proposed new land laws and a res- toration of the Irish Parliament. He would give the poor farmers fair rents, fixity of tenure and free sale of their interest in im- provements made as renters. He went farther in his reforms than the English people could stand, and so he was succeeded hy Disraeli. Disraeli wanted new worlds to conquer. His policy was: That they should take who have the power, And they should keep who can. In brief, during this period, through the advocacy of reform, there was much internal progress and improvement, and through the advocacy of imperialism, England extended her world power immensely. By defending the Turk against Russia she got pos- session of Cyprus and a foothold in the Near East and Egypt. By the partition of Africa, she got the lion's share of that con- tinent. She entertained opposing opinions as to our Civil War. The common people favored the North ; the wealthier classes and the government wanted to aid the South. Queen Victoria was neutral. In March, 1867, the British provinces of North America, with the exception of New Foundland, became united into one dominion, with the constitution of a substantially independent state. On the continent there were wars and rumors of wars, striv- ings toward freedom and some advances. The unification of the German states and the establishment of the German Empire were the most significant events. Prussia was the leader. Bismarck was her chief statesman, and his policy was blood and iron. There was a controversy with Denmark about Schleswig-Holstein. It ended very abruptly in the Danish War in 1864, in which Den- mark was promptly defeated and stripped of the disputed ter- ritory. Austria was jealous of Prussia's growing power and, being much more powerful than Prussia, sought every pretext for a dispute with her northern rival. Prussia quickly settled the dispute in the Seven Weeks' War, in which Austria was com- pletely humbled. After the debate with Austria was over, Prussia formed the North-German Union in 1867. In 1870 the vacant throne of Spain was offered to Leopold, a member of the reign- ing Prussian family (Hohenzollern). Leopold refused the crown so as not to offend France, but France, like a cock on the walk, rudely demanded that no member of the Hohenzollerns should ever become a candidate for the Spanish throne. The demand was refused and a French army rushed into Germany. The result of the Franco-Prussian War was a sudden and decisive defeat of France. Germany established an empire in 1871. The empire in France was overthrown and a republic was built on its ruins. The Turk was busy with his outrages in the Balkans and Asia Minor, F. A. Schmidt, D.D. Jobs. T. Ylvisaker, D.D. M. 0. Bockman, (53) (40) D.D.. LL.D. (38) Sven Oftedal, A.M. Georg Sverdrup, A.M. 0. E. Brandt, D.D. (33) (27) E. Kr. Johnsen, D.D. Elling 0. Hove, A.B. A. A Helland, A.M. (27) (26) (23) Hans II. Bergsland C. M. Wesvvig, D.D. G. M. Bruce, S.T.D. (20) (19) (17) Lutheran Theological Professors (Figure after name stands fur years teaching) 230 Norwegian People in America England supported him and urged on the massacres. Russia pro- tested and plunged into a new war, 1877-1878, with Turkey. England prevented Russia from ousting the Turk, but, at the Treaty of Berlin, Turkey was stripped of some of its territory, and the Balkan states of Servia, Montenegro and Rumania were made independent of the sultan. The oppression in Russia was great, and men longed for freedom. This longing took the form of Nihilism, and was a fierce, though smothered, volcanic fire in the breasts of the lowly. With Europe in such turmoil, and America offering so many advantages to the poor and oppressed, it is no wonder that im- migration during the years 1860-1890 should increase by leaps and bounds. The immigration to the United States in the 30 years, 1830-1860, was 4,910,590; and for the 30 years, 1860-1890, it was 10,373,628, more than twice as great. Norway was, on the whole, more happily situated from 1860 to 1890 than the European nations just mentioned. She enjoyed domestic peace and progress. Her merchant Norway marine, flying the Norwegian flag, was visit- ing the remotest ports. Lumbering, manu- facturing and trade quickened everywhere the pulses of life. The law against Dissenters was abolished in 1843; the law excluding Jews was repealed in 1851. The telegraph was extended; rail- roads were built. The Storthing met annually after 1869 and its demands for full sovereignty and equal rights were being granted one by one. The consular question was about the only one un- solved. Norway brought forth great sons in literature, art, science and statesmanship. Ibsen, Bjo'rnson, Kielland, Lie, Aasen, Vinje, Arne Garborg, Gustav Storm, C. P. Caspari and Gisle Johnson, are names of representative literary heroes of this period, Behrens, Bull, Grieg, Kjerulf, Lindeman and Nordraak are names of rep- resentative musicians. The poets, orators, musicians and painters were aggressive, even declamatory, in their patriotism. The Nor- wegians seemed to be proud of their past, contented with their present and hopeful of the future. Still, there was a deep-felt longing in the heart of many a Norseman to see his people in Vinland the Good; he listened to the call of the prairies and said goodbye to Mother Norway. The war which Ole Rynning in his "True Account of Amer- ica" in 1838 clearly foresaw, came. It had long been abrewing. It was fierce and destructive when it came. It The United States called for men as cannon fodder, many men — strong men, young men. The North fur- nished 2,269,588, 95 per cent of them under 21 years of age; the South furnished almost as many. The result of the War was The N or we gian- American Period 231 that the United States remained a united and free country, with freedom for the black man as well as for his white brother. After the war came a period of reconstruction. The troubles attending reconstruction were aggravated by the Ku Klux Klan, whose purpose was to terrify the Negro and the foreigner. The Atlantic Cable was successfully laid in 1866. The Union Pacific Railroad was opened in 1869. Alaska was purchased in 1867. A financial crisis took place in 1873. Frances Willard began the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1873. A centennial celebration was held in Philadelphia in 1876. This brought the results of industry and invention before the people to a degree impossible by any other means, instructed them in the knowledge of their own and other countries, and greatly educated the taste of the whole community. There were many labor troubles, strikes and riots. The land was filling with people, the West was being dotted with farm homes and villages. The railroads were extending their lines in every direction, increasing their mileage from 30,626 in 1860 to 163,597 in 1890; the Western Union Telegraph Company increased its miles of wire from 183,832 in 1876 to 678,997 in 1890. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883. The Chinese Exclusion act was passed in 1883 and other immigration restric- tion laws were enacted. The Census of 1890 gave a population of 62,947,714, of whom 60 per cent lived west of the Alleghanies. People were taking the advice of Horace Greeley : "Go West, young man." 2. Norwegian Immigration, 1861-1890 According to the American statistical authorities 334,340 Nor- wegian immigrants came to the United States from 1861 to 1890; according to the Norwegian census authorities, 346,477 left Nor- way from 1866 to 1890. That means that Norway gave the United States nearly one-fifth of her population during these 24 years. Nearly 80 per cent of this army was under 30 years of age, men, women and children in their best years, strong, healthy, vigorous, full of life and hope. It was quite a drain on the vitality of the nation, and it never met with the hearty approval of Norwegian statesmen and patriots. About 22 per cent of the immigrants came from the towns, 78 per cent came from the rural parts. Stavanger and its con- tingent territory (Rogaland), had furnished approximately one- half of the immigration during the period 1825-1860; during 1860-1890 it furnished only 24,559 out of 346,477, or barely seven per cent of the total stream. Opland, consisting of the great Gudbrandsdalen and Valdres valleys together with Toten and Land near Lake Mjo'sen, was the banner district. It contrib- uted 50,140, or 14 per cent of the exodus. Norway is divided 232 Norwegian People in America into 20 "fylker," or counties. The emigration bv counties from 1866 to 1890 is as follows: No. County Emigration No. 1. Oslo City 24,610 n 2. 0stfold 12,301 12 3. Akershus 18,305 13 4. Hedemark 31,681 14 5. Opland 50,140 15 6. Buskerud 27,047 16 7. Vestfold 7,752 17 8. Telemark 19,161 18. 9. Aust-Agder 9,655 19 10. Vest-Agder II, 135 20 County Emigration Rogaland 24,559 Hordaland 16,962 Bergen City 4,936 Sogn & Fjordane 18,409 M0re 12,211 S0r-Tr0ndelag . . 21,893 Nord-Tr0ndelag . 16,729 Nordland 9,901 Troms 4,395 Finmark 4,685 Total.... 346,477 3. Norwegian Population, 1860-1890 Below is a tabulation of the population by decades, genera- tions, states and mixed marriages. The United States Census figures are used. The inquiry as to country of birth of the foreign- born has been made at each census, beginning with 1850. The foreign-born Norwegians here comprise all Norwegians born out- side of the United States. The earliest complete statistics pertain- ing to the number of children of the foreign-born are those of 1890. The United States Census makes no attempt to determine the national origins of its people beyond the first generation (for- eign-born) and the second generation (children born of foreign or mixed parentage). The third and fourth generations will have to be estimated. BY DECADES Census 1st Generation i860 43,995 1870 114,246 1880 181,720 1 890 322,665 Increase 3i,3i7 70,251 67,483 140,936 BY GENERATIONS 1st • ( ensus Generation i860 43,995 1870 114,246 1880 181,246 1890 322,665 2nd 3rd 4th Generation 1 ieneration ' retieration Total 10,999 64 55,058 45,698 1,261 1 161,206 109,037 9,503 3-' 300,301 273,466 48,651 673 645,455 The Norwegian- American Period 233 NORWEGIAN POPULATION BY STATES, i si Generation State i860 Alabama 51 Arizona Arkansas 5 California 715 Colorado 12 Connecticut 22 Delaware District of Columbia I Florida 11 Georgia 13 Idaho Illinois 4,891 Indiana $& Iowa 5,688 Kansas 223 Kentucky 10 Lousiana 63 Maine 27 Maryland 7 Massachusetts 171 Michigan 440 Minnesota 8,425 Mississippi 15 Missouri 146 Montana Nebraska 103 Nevada j6 New Hampshire ... 5 New Jersey 65 New Mexico 2 New York 539 North Carolina .... 4 North Dakota ..." Ohio 19 Oklahoma Oregon 43 Pennsylvania 83 Rhode Island 38 South Carolina 4 South Dakota 129 Tennessee 14 Texas 326 Utah 1 59 Vermont Virginia 8 Washington 22 West Virginia Wisconsin 21,442 Wyoming Rank Rank 1870 1880 1890 i860 1890 21 24 47 18 4i 7 45 59 40 19 33 60 35 10 1,000 1,765 3,702 5 10 40 354 893 30 20 72 168 523 23 23 6 14 47 5 19 70 40 47 16 79 179 3i 30 14 23 88 29 35 61 276 74i 21 11,880 16,970 30,339 4 3 123 182 285 20 27 17.554 21,586 27,078 3 4 588 i,358 1,786 9 17 16 21 120 32 33 76 78 136 17 32 58 99 311 22 26 17 108 164 34 3i 302 639 2,519 10 12 1,516 3,520 7,795 7 9 35,940 62,521 101,169 2 1 78 56 54 27 40 297 373 526 12 22 88 174 1,957 15 506 2,010 3,632 M 11 80 119 69 26 37 55 79 251 36 29 90 229 1,3^7 16 18 5 17 42 39 42 975 2,185 8,602 6 7 5 10 13 37 48 25,773 5 64 178 5ii 36 25 24 45 76 574 2,271 19 13 115 3& ^3^ 15 M 22 56 285 21 28 5 23 38 46 19,257 13 6 37 25 A* 28 43 403 880 1,313 8 19 613 1.21 4 1,854 11 16 34 10 3S 44 17 29 IQ2 32 34 104 580 8,324 24 8 1 3 7 49 40,046 49,349 65,696 1 2 28 74 345 25 234 Norwegian People in America Mixed marriages are of infrequent occurrence among the im- migrants from Norway — less than 0.2 per cent ; among their chil- dren — the second generation — in 1890 they reached 14 per cent. Among the descendants of the third, fourth and later generations they are increasingly higher. 4. Norwegian Settlements, 1860-1890 During this period the Norwegians entered every state in the Union and the eastern provinces of Canada. Following is a tabula- tion to show how widely the Norwegian newcomers were dis- tributed. They were planting themselves in the Far East as well as the Far West ; in the sunny South as well as in the invigorating North. DISTRIBUTION OF SETTLEMENTS Counties Geographical Total with Norwegian Division State Counties Immigrants New England 6 67 64 Middle Atlantic 3 148 125 East North Central 5 434 303 West North Central 7 612 531 South Atlantic 6 438 1 1 1 East South Central 2 194 65 West South Central 3 369 161 Mountain 5 126 112 Pacific 3 124 124 40 2,512 1,596 Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Nevada, New Mexico, Okla- homa, Tennessee and West Virginia in 1890 had a combined total of 260 counties. They are not included in this tabulation, because the census does not indicate how many of them had foreign-born Norwegian settlers. Of the other counties 63.5 per cent are listed as having Norwegian immigrants. New Hampshire and Rhode Island in the New England states had foreign-born Norwegians in every county; Wisconsin in the East North Central division like- wise ; Minnesota in the West North Central ; Montana and Idaho in the Mountain division ; and Washington, Oregon and California in the Pacific group of states, all had Norwegians in every county. No less than 80 counties had more than 1,000 foreign- born Norwegian citizens. Minnesota had 29 such counties out of 80 ; Wisconsin 19 out of 68 ; Iowa 8 out of 99 ; North Dakota 8 out of 53 ; South Dakota 5 out of 68 ; Illinois 3 out of 102 ; New York 2 out of 60; Washington 2 out of 35; Pennsylvania 1 out of 67; Oregon 1 out of 36; and California 1 out of 53 counties. According to rank these counties are : The Norwegian- American Period 235 LARGEST NORWEGIAN COUNTIES (Foreign-born only) 1890 ank County State 1 Cook Illinois 2 Hennepin Minnesota 3 Polk Minnesota 4 Dane Wisconsin 5 Ottertail Minnesota 6 Kings New York 7 La Crosse Wisconsin 8 Fillmore Minnesota 9 Trempealeau Wisconsin 10 Eau Claire Wisconsin 11 Norman Minnesota 12 Ramsey Minnesota 13 Traill North Dakota 14 Grand Forks North Dakota 15 Goodhue Minnesota 16 Vernon Wisconsin 17 Winneshiek Iowa 18 Dunn Wisconsin 19 St. Louis Minnesota 20 Minnehaha South Dakota 21 Clay Minnesota 22 Lac qui Parle Minnesota 23 St. Croix Wisconsin 24 Pope Minnesota 25 Freeborn Minnesota 26 Kandiyohi Minnesota 27 Walsh North Dakota 28 Jackson Wisconsin 29 Cass North Dakota 30 Yellow Medicine Minnesota 31 Barron Wisconsin 32 King Washington 33 Chippewa Minnesota 34 Pierce Washington 35 Renville Minnesota 36 Woodbury Iowa 37 Houston Minnesota 38 Worth Iowa 39 Milwaukee Wisconsin 40 Winnebago Iowa 4i Richland North Dakota 42 Pierce Wisconsin 43 Story Iowa 44 Swift Minnesota 4.) Mower Minnesota 46 Grant Minnesota 47 La Salle Illinois 48 Marshall Minnesota 49 Rock Wisconsin 50 Hamilton Iowa 51 Day South Dakota 52 New York New York 53 Douglas Minnesota 54 Brookings South Dakota Norwegian Immigrants 22,365 13,014 6,861 6,728 5,955 5,002 4,37i 4,i7i 4,118 3,897 3,821 3,636 3,572 3,5i8 3,485 3,387 3,347 3,167 3,038 2,953 2,700 2,641 2,638 2,623 2,600 2,562 2,523 2,507 2,428 2,384 2,373 i,999 1,995 1,992 1,980 i,947 1,934 1,910 1,904 1,871 1,837 1,835 1,824 1,822 1,787 1,770 1,718 1,711 1,632 1,613 1,582 i,575 1,569 i,54o 236 Rank 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 7i 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 Norwegian People County Becker Philadelphia San Francisco Chippewa Lincoln Polk Rice Allamakee Waupaca Faribault Jackson Buffalo Barnes Steele Muskegon Kendall Bayfield Douglas Yankton Rock Portage Dodge Watonwan 1 luniboldt Multnomah Nelson ; in America Norwegian State Immigrants Minnesota 1,527 Pennsylvania 1,500 California 1,396 Wisconsin 1,379 South Dakota 1,324 Wisconsin i,3li Minnesota 1,288 Iowa 1,283 Wisconsin 1,270 Minnesota 1,264 Minnesota 1,232 Wisconsin 1,165 North Dakota 1,150 North Dakota 1,118 Michigan 1,116 Illinois 1,099 Wisconsin 1,085 Wisconsin 1,058 South Dakota 1,054 Minnesota 1,049 Wisconsin 1,048 Minnesota 1.044 Minnesota 1 ,042 Iowa 1,031 Oregon 1,014 North Dakota 1,008 The old Kendall Settlement in Orleans County, New York, is not in the above honor roll. It had only 25 foreign-horn Norwegians in 1890. There were 18 settlements in New York considerably larger than that of Orleans County, in 1890. La Salle County is CW~^y-J3# ZZ.Li* ,-z4.4% Distribution of Norwegians as to City, Town and Country way down to the 47th place; Rock County, Wisconsin, is 49th. There were over one hundred settlements more populous than Muskego. This tells the story of the steady advance westward. County by county, state by state, the land is laid under the plow, and every year ushers out upon the western plains a brand new regiment of Norse immigrants, eager to conquer the wilderness for Uncle Sam. The city begins to make a stronger appeal to the Norsemen. In 1890 there were 85 cities having 25,000 inhabitants or more. There were foreign-born Norsemen in 83 of these cities, an army of 61,302 people, nearly 20 per cent of the foreign-born Norse- men in America. The Norwegian- American Period 237 Space does not permit even a catalog, not to say a description. of the thousand and one settlements made by the Norwegians during 1860-1890. But a few words must be North Dakota, 1869 devoted to North Dakota and her neighbors to the west. North Dakota was not discovered by the Norwegians before 1869, but when they did discover it they claimed it for them- selves and their children and children's children. It is relatively the strongest Norwegian state; 30 per cent of its inhabitants are Norwegians. The state is a perfect network of Norwegian farms. It is said that a man can cross the state in almost any direction without stepping off Norwegian land. In 1914 Alfred Gabrielsen prepared a map showing the land holdings of the Nor- wegians in North Dakota. The map is reproduced in this book by permission of the Normanden Publishing Company, Grand Forks. Like South Dakota. North Dakota was a part of the French province of Louisiana, bought from Napoleon in 1803. It had been the familiar haunts of the Red Man for ages before the French traders came. The first trader located at Pembina in 1780. North Dakota was a part of Dakota Territory from 1861 to 1889; it became a separate state in 1889, with Bismarck as capital. Up to 1875 there were less than 1,000 whites in all North Dakota, but after that a great flood of immigration came in, favored by the advance of the railways — the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern and the Soo (Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie R. R.). Another factor that aided the rapid settling of North Dakota and other western states was the home- stead law of 1862. Under this law a citizen, or an alien having declared his intention of becoming a citizen, has the right to 160 acres of land free after actual residence and cultivation for five years. In addition to a homestead, under the timber culture law, he might acquire an additional 160 acres tree claim by cul- tivating ten acres of trees for eight years. The first Norwegian to reach North Dakota and to become a permanent settler there was N. E. Nelson, appointed a tax col- lector at Pembina in 1869. That same year Paul Hjelm Hansen was sent by the Minnesota Board of Immigration to explore the Red River Valley and write it up in the Norwegian press. Hjelm Hansen was born in 1810. He had studied law, but had spent most of his life in journalism. He came to America with the intention of getting first-hand information by means of which he could in some measure check the heavy emigration from Norway, which was sapping the country of its best man power. But he found this country, with its freedom and vast possibilities, exactly to his liking and could not speak against it. So he settled down The Norwegian- American Period 239 here as an editor. On this happy exploring trip to North Dakota he came by steamboat from La Crosse to St. Paul ; from St. Paul to St. Cloud he journeyed by rail; from St Cloud to Alexandria, on horseback. So far the journey had consumed 17 days. At Alexandria he obtained an ox team and food sufficient for a month. He set out and reached as far as Georgetown, Marshall County, Minnesota, returning at the end of three weeks. He now wrote his first epistle to the readers of "Nordisk Folkeblad," Minneapolis. Again he set out, this time for Ft. Abercrombie, Richland County, North Dakota, and was absent a whole month. As a direct result of the letters that he wrote about the Red River, Concordia College, Moorhead. Minnesota, Dr. T. A. Aasgaard, President The Norwegian College of the Red River Valley letters that were published in many papers here and in Norway, there was an eager rush of Norwegian farmers toward the Red River Valley and a quickening of immigration. The number of Norwegian immigrants leaped from 3.216 in 1870 to 9,418 in 1871, 11,421 in 1872 and 16,247 in 1873. Many of these immigrants had the Red River Valley in mind as their objective. On the Minnesota side, Clay County received its first Norwegian settlers in 1869, Wilkin and Becker Counties in 1870; Norman and Polk Counties in 1871; Marshall in 1878; Kittson in 1879. On the Dakota side. Richland and Cass Coun- ties were settled in 1870; Traill and Steele in 1871 ; Grand Forks in 1872; Walsh in 1878. The financial crisis of 1873. due chiefly to excessive railroad building, put a damper on immigration, and the terrible grasshopper plague of 1875-1877 held the line of the settlers so that they did not attempt to go farther west than the first tier of counties just mentioned. Beginning with 1877, the 240 Norwegian People in America Norwegians added Barnes County to their possessions. Then in rapid succession came Ransom and Griggs (1878), Nelson, Sar- gent and Dickey (1880), Morton (1881), Stutsman, Ramsey and Rolette (1882), Bottineau, Benson, Eddy, Foster, and Mercer (1883), and so on, steadily advancing for 30 years until the whole state lay at their feet. This state in 1909 produced 116,781,886 bushels of wheat, 18.5% of the total crop in the U. S., and the Rep! River Valley dis- covered by the old and faithful spy, Paul Hjelm Hansen, has appropriately been entitled the "Bread Basket of the World." It is quite significant of the democratic character and native fitness to become American sitizens that Hjelm Hansen so readily became con- verted from an avowed enemy of America to an enthusiastic friend. At 60 a man's character is pretty well established and he finds it difficult to make adjustments. Hjelm Hansen, the Norwegian patriot, did not have to make many adjustments to become an ardent American. In recognition of his services a large bronze memorial has been placed in the Library of the Minnesota His- torical Society at St. Paul. Though Hansen had been a very active and useful man during the ten years he labored in Minne- apolis, he was already well-nigh forgotten. He had edited "Norsk Maanedstidende," "Nordisk Folkeblad," and "Minnesota Skandi- nav." His letters on the Red River Valley were published in Norway under the title "Om Nord Amerika" (About North America). In 1878 he had published a "Business Directory of Paul Hjelm Hansen Norwegian Deaconess Hospital, Grafton, North Dakota The Norwegian- American Period 241 Scandinavians in Minnesota." All worn out by a life of ceaseless activity he died at the home of his friend, Dr. Chr. Gro'nvold, at Holden, Goodhue County, May 5, 1881, and was buried at Aspe- lund, hard by. Still he was practically forgotten until the Nor- wegian-Danish Press Association advocated this bronze memorial. North Dakota will no doubt also do justice to his memory. The Norwegians did not really seek land in Montana to any great extent before the eighties, nineties and the first decade of the twentieth century. Still, in 1890, every Montana, 1863 county in Montana had Norwegian settlers. The Census for 1880 lists 174 Norwegians born in Norway. Martin T. Grande settled at Lennep, Meager County, in 1877. He entered the territory by way of Wyoming. Sheep-raising was his occupation, and Helena, the nearest town, was 140 miles distant. The first Norwegian in the state was Anton M. Holter, called the "First Citizen of Montana," who arrived in 1863. Montana is an empire larger than Norway and Denmark com- bined. In 1920 the population was only 548,889, or 3.8 to the square mile. Minnesota has 29.5 per square mile; Massachusetts has 479.2. In 1870 the total population was 20,595, most of them newly arrived. Montana, as the name indicates, is a mountainous country, a high plateau with tremendous ridges and vast plains. It has been the paradise of the rancher and cowboy. Said the president of the State University at an after-dinner speech : "I represent a state that has more cows that give less milk, that has longer rivers and less water, that has loftier points of view and fewer things to see, than any other state in the Union." In 1860 this vast territory was occupied by wandering Indians, and the only civilized dwellers were fur-traders and Catholic priests of the lonely Canadian missions. The gold discoveries in 1861 at Alder Gulch, yielding $25,000,000.00 of gold dust in a few months, drew an army of adventurers from all over the world. Most of them were from the Confederate States, and the state has been a Democratic stronghold ever since. It was made a territory in 1864 and a state in 1889. In the early mining days Montana was the Wild West, such as the movies depict, where robbery and murder are of hourly occurrence. Here, in 1876, the Indians made a last stand, and in the fight General Geo. A. Custer and his troops were annihilated to the last man. Since the era of farm- ing and railway-building set in, line after line of rails has been built, thousands upon thousands of farms have been cultivated, and homes, schools, churches, villages, factories, libraries, have dotted the erstwhile lone land. The scenic wonders of Montana now draw tourists from afar. Here is located the insurpassable 242 Norwegian People in America C. A. Naeseth, A. M. English, Luther C. M. Christiansen, Pd.M. Education, Augustana T. F. Grose, A. M. English, St. Olaf national parks, Glacier Park and the Yellowstone Park, the latter being just across the line in Wyoming. The slogan : "See America First," was invented by Jim Hill, the late president of the Great Northern, to boost the Glacier National Park. When Governor R. B. Smith of Montana was asked to send to the Omaha Exposition a picture of Montana's most represen- tative pioneer he sent a bronze medallion of A. M. Holter with the legend, "The First Citizen of Montana." Who was Holter? He was a Norwegian. Born June 29, 1831, at Moss, 0stfold, Norway, he emigrated in 1854 and came to Decorah, Iowa, by way of Quebec. At Rock Island his party had been quarantined on account of cholera. He took his trunk, carried it on his back until he sighted a boat and thus escaped. He was a carpenter. The wages were only $1.00 a day at best. He hired out for $20.00 a month, then invested his savings in land and had saved $3,000.00 by the end of the first year. The panic of 1857 took his every cent. He made exploring trips to Missouri, western Iowa and northern Minnesota more than ten years before Hjelm Hansen electrified his countrymen. In 1859 he lay sick of malarial and brain fever. In 1860, together with his brother, Martin M., he set out for the land of Pike's Peak, now Colorado. In 1863 he decided to go to the gold fields of Montana, not as a miner, Olav Lee, A. M. Latin, St. Olaf J. L. Nydahl, A. B. Science, Augsburg J. H. Blegen, A. B. Greek, Augsburg The Norwegian- American Period 243 Nils Flaten, Ph. D. Spanish, St. Olaf E. I). Busby, A.M. C. A. Mellby, Ph.D. Mathematics, Augsburg Economics, St. Olaf but as a manufacturer of mining supplies. He loaded an ox cart with the machinery for a saw mill, and, with a man by the name of Evanson as a companion, he started the lon^ march through the trackless wilderness and across well-nigh impassable ridges and gulches. But he came through in spite of deep snow and wild countryside. He built his mill and sold his lumber at fabulous prices. He became one of the richest and most enter- prising men in the state. In 1907 he was president of the A. M. Holter Hardware Company and 15 other larger mercantile estab- lishments, mines, banks, land agencies, lumbering concerns, and development companies. He was also a director of 32 other im- portant agricultural, mining, manufacturing, transportation and commercial companies. He was a multi-millionaire, whose indus- tries stretched from coast to coast. The waves of the Pacific splashed against his forests in western Oregon at the same time that the foam of the Atlantic dashed against his copper works at Bridgeport, Connecticut. He found time to do church work and serve his town (Helena) as alderman and mayor, and his state, though Democratic, elected him Republican member of the legislature and railroad commissioner. He was president of the Montana Pioneer Association for many \ears, and held other P. G. Schmidt, A.M. A. M. Rovelstad, Ph.D. O. A. Tingelstad, Ph.D. Mathematics, St. Olaf Latin, Luther Philosophy, Luther 244 Norwegian People in America offices of trust. In the days of highway robbery and vigilantes he was often in danger of life and limb, but he outwitted his pursuers, escaped their bullets, and lived to a ripe old age. He died in 1921. His son Norman has the degree of M. E, from Columbia University, is president of his father's hardware com- pany and other enterprises, and is a director of the Federal Reserve Bank, Minneapolis. His wife is Florence Jeffries, and he is a member of the Episcopalian Church. It is hard to tell whether Idaho became an American posses- sion as a part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 or as a section of the Oregon Country which in 1846 was Idaho, 1876 ceded to the United States by Great Britain. The first white men in Idaho were the Lewis and Clark exploring party in 1805. For another fifty years, after their visit, the rich valleys of Idaho lay in mountain-walled soli- tude. Gold was discovered in 1860 on the Oro-Fino Creek, and the pristine solitude was broken by the fighting of the rough miners and the war-whoops of the disturbed Indians. Idaho be- came a territory in 1863 ; a state, in 1890. In area it is of the size of Minnesota; in density of population it has only 5.2 per square mile (1920). It is the twelfth American commonwealth in size, being larger than New England, but in density of population it is 43rd. The population of Idaho in 1920 was considerably less than that of the* city of Milwaukee. The climate varies greatly. Per- petual snows of mountain-walls look down on lovely temperate valleys. The sunshiny days number 250 a year. The soil yields abundant crops of grain and fruit, and grass for grazing summer and winter. The mines are rich in precious metals. The railroads — Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Union Pacific and Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound — have brought the remotest corners of the state in touch with the whole sisterhood of states. Tonnes Moller, according to the researches of Martin Ulve- stad, that great chronicler of pioneer events, was the first Nor- wegian to find his way to Idaho. He came from Wisconsin and settled at Genesee, Lotah County, in 1876. That same year he was joined by other Norwegian settlers; John Tetly, from Lev- anger; Ditlef and Hans Smith, from Manger; Knud Bergquam, from Sogn ; Hans Tvedt, from Lindaas, Nordhordland ; and many others. Their chief industry was raising wheat. Wages were 50 cents a day. The nearest town, Lewistown, was 20 miles away. It will be seen that two migratory streams have reached the far western states. The main stream was slow acoming, because it deposited the Norwegians all along the line Washington, 1847 until the country was fairly well. filled up. In 1834 it had reached La Salle County, Illinois. The Norwegian- American Period 245 In 1840 it had reached a line running diagonally northeast and southwest 100 miles farther west. In 1850 this line was removed another 100 miles west ; in 1860 another 100 miles ; in 1870, yet another 100 miles ; and so forth, about 100 miles for each decade up to 1880. After that more than 200 miles was covered pet- decade. Now, this slow and steady movement would not have reached Washington in time for the Norse-American Centennial, unless there had been some artificial quickening. The railroads came to the rescue. They lifted the newcomer clear across Mon- tana and Idaho into Washington. This happened right along in the 70s, '80s and '90s. The other stream was small, but reached Washington before there was any Norwegian settlement in Minnesota. Martin Zaka- rias Tofteson landed at Oak Harbor, Widbye Island, Island County, in 1847. He was a native of Levanger, Norway, who had sailed on an English ship to New Orleans, and then, in company with a Swiss he had started to journey across the great American desert on horseback. The Swiss deserted him. He continued his fatiguing march alone. He awoke one morning to find his horse gone. In the distance he sighted smoke and proceeded to dis- cover who lived there. It was an Indian band, and there was his horse in their camp. He was permitted to get on the horse's back, but then he set off on a gallop with his animal. They set out in pursuit, but did not overtake him. He reached California a year before gold was discovered there. In Washington he became a ranchman. Wahkiakum County was settled in 1863 by John Ericksen, a Stavanger man, from California. Also John P. Nassa, Ole Svorkmo, and others. Lewis County was occupied in 1863 by Harold Hansen and William Johansen, also from California. Skagit County received a Tr^nder by the name of Hanson in 1869, by way of British Columbia. Whatcom and Pierce Counties were settled in 1870; Snohomish in 1874; Kitsap and Clark in 1875; King County in 1876; Chelan, Douglas and San Juan Counties in 1884; Spokane County in 1886; Skamania, Chehalis and Stevens Counties in 1889; and every county had its quota of Norwegians in 1890. Washington is a great state, and is destined to be a truly mighty Norwegian- American province. In 1789, the first year of our national republic, Captain Robert Gray came to Washington on his sloop, the "Lady Washington," to trade with the Indians for furs. Gray's Harbor is named after him. He called the great river that he discovered Columbia in honor of one of his ships. In 1805, Lewis and Clark descended the Columbia and wintered on the coast. Together with Oregon and Idaho, Washington lay in the territory held in dispute by England and the United States. The dispute was settled by arbitration in 1846 and the 49th 246 Norwegian People in America parallel was made the northern boundary of Washington and the United States as far east as Lake Superior. Washington be- came a territory in 1853, and a state in 1889. Warmed by the Japan Current, the climate is equably warm and moist. They have only two seasons in Washington — rainy in winter, dry in summer. Roses bloom in Seattle in December and pansies blossom in Walla Walla in January. Peach flowers open in February, while the eternal snows of Mt. Tacoma sparkle in the summer sun. Wheat farms and apple orchards occupy a large share of the work of the citizenry of the state. The mining of coal and iron will make Washington the Pennsylvania of the West. The pine forests are the densest in the world, with the possible exception of Oregon. The trees are 200 feet tall and 20 feet thick. The fisheries are far in excess of those of any other state except Massachusetts. In 1915 Washington's output was 158,983,478 pounds, valued at $5,317,080. Most of the Washington fisher- men are Norwegians. A century ago five powerful nations — Spain, France, Russia, England and the United States — laid claim to Oregon and the Oregon Country. Since 1846 it has been a Oregon, 1872 part of the United States, without any dispute as to rights. The country was unsettled. It had been visited by the American explorers Lewis and Clarke in 1805 and a settlement had been made at Astoria in 1811. These American undertakings were the main argument for the right of America to own the land. The part of the dis- puted territory now known as Oregon was in itself an empire, twice the size of England, rich in natural resources, but empty of people. The majestic Columbia River was called by the Indians Oregon, whence the name of the whole section. Where rolls the Oregon, and hears no sound Save its own dashing. In 1836 Dr. Marcus Whitman, perceiving that Oregon was on the point of being lost to the United States on account of the lack of settlers, tried to prevent this disaster. He rode to Mis- souri on horseback and managed to get a party of men to go and make settlements. He proceeded on to Washington, D. C, and urged upon President Tyler and Daniel Webster that Oregon was worth saving for the Union. Webster thought that Oregon was so "far off that it could never be governed by the United States" and that a delegate to Congress "could not reach Wash- ington until a year after the expiration of his term." Oregon became a territory in 1845; a state, in 1859. Like Washington The N orwegiari- American Period 247 it is a land of dismal forests and fruitful soil, with rich yields of gold and silver and large deposits of iron and coal. The capital city is Salem; the commercial metropolis is Portland. Portland is the w@rld's greatest lumber manufacturing city. It handles one-sixth of the lumber in the United States. Portland is down grade from every one of the 250,000 square miles forming the Columbia basin. Freight does not have to climb into Port- land—it rolls. Into this fairy land the Norwegians began to come as early as 1872. P. K. Johnson, from StjoYdalen, Norway, was the first arrival. He settled at Silverton, which to this day boasts of a strong Norwegian contingency. No less than 20 Norwegian Lu- theran pastors have at some time been stationed there — O. R. Slet- ten, N. J. Ellestad, C. M. No'dtvedt, J. C. Reinertsen, O. J. Olsen, H. M. Mason, H. Hjertaas, I. Lium, J. S. Sneve, J. C. Roseland, W. H. Sjovangen, A. O. Dolven, N. Pedersen, A. O. White, Geo. Henriksen, J. B. Byberg, J. O. Arevik, B. A. Borrevik, J. A. Stavney and Leif H. Awes. Oscar A. Tingelstad, noted profes- sor of philosophy and education at Luther College, hails from Silverton. Tennessee is chosen to illustrate the attempts of the Nor- wegians to find a home in Dixieland. Tennessee was one of the first states west of the Appalachian Moun- Tennessee, 1887 tains to be settled. It was made a state in 1796 without previous territorial organization. It is a land of cotton and tobacco, of hogs and mules. Both lumbering and mining bring large monetary returns to its in- habitants. Tennessee had 14 foreign-born Norwegians in 1860; 37 in 1870; 25 in 1880; 41 in 1890; 141 in 1900; 89 in 1910; and 63 in 1920. In 1910 the number of Norwegians of the second generation was 153; in 1900, 131. The largest Norwegian settle- ment in the state, according to the census, is that at Lawrence- burg, Lawrence County, in south central Tennessee. The first Norwegian to settle here was Lars Syverson, from Drangedal, who came to these, parts in 1887. In 1910 this settlement consisted of 14 born in Norway and their 11 children. Though small, the settlement, in true viking fashion, managed to have two congrega- tions — for a season. O. S. Skattebol organized the Zion Nor- wegian Lutheran Church at Lawrenceburg in 1894 and had 184 members. This points to the fact that there were more Nor- wegians in Lawrence County than the census reveals. The Zion Church was served bv P. J. Fadnes in 1898-1904 and had 102 members. In 1904-1908 J. C. T. Moses led them through this earthly wilderness toward the Promised Land. In 248 Norwegian People in America 1910, for want of a pastor and on account of an exodus, only 24 remained on the congregational books. The other congregation was served by a United Norwegian Lutheran pastor, said to have come down from Frankfort, Morgan County. At Frankfort the pastors have been: Simon J. Nummedal, 1893-1894; P. T. Stens- aas, 1896-1897; Hagbart Engh, 1899-1902; C. K. Helland, 1902- 1908; T. O. Juve, 1908-1913; Th. M. Bakke, 1924 , with Deer Lodge as postoffice. Frankfort reported 72 members in 1896; 64 in 1907. Juve was born in Telemarken. He had migrated in 1852. Was a graduate of Luther College, Iowa, and Concordia Seminary, Missouri. Had been a teacher, pastor and member of the Wisconsin Legislature. Was a farmer at Lancing, Ten- nessee, 1895-1913, principal of the high school at Lancing, 1895- 1896. He wrote once that he felt lonesome in the South and wished himself back to the Northwest where Norwegian is the language of the streets. He died in 1913, way down south in Dixie. Bakke is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the United Church Seminary. He has been a pastor on the plains of Minne- sota and in the woods of Wisconsin. He has broken the Bread of Life to his countrymen on the outstations of Alberta to the North; he now is ministering to their spiritual wants in the moun- tain fastnesses of the South. Maine is chosen to represent the states of the East. Maine is called the Pine Tree State from the fact that mast pine, an evergreen of towering height, is the pride of Maine, 1872 its vast forests. In 1652 Massachusetts began to govern it as a district, but in 1820 it was set off as a state without any previous independent territorial organization. The climate is cold and bracing. It is a land of variable winds and seafogs. Lumbering and ship-building, fish- ing, farming, maritime trade, are the chief occupations. Port- land is the largest city, once the home of Longfellow, the poet. Longfellow was no mean student of Norse language and literature and had spent a year of study in the Scandinavian lands. His "Saga of King Olaf" is concrete proof of his interest in the land of the Northmen. This book has no doubt inspired one of our young Norwegian-Americans, Gustav Melby, a Baptist preacher, to pen the beautiful drama, "Saga of King St. Olaf." Maine has a few place names of Scandinavian origin. Thus, in Oxford County, there is a town called Denmark, another town called Norway, and a lake called Norway Lake. But these places have received their names rather because there were no Scandi- navians there than because the county was Scandinavian. Wil- liam Berry Lapham, in his "Centennial History of Norway, Ox- ford County, Maine" (1886), discusses the improbability of The Norwegian- American Period 240 the name having been chosen because of the presence of Nor- wegians in that town. And concerning the discussion as to whether the Viking Norwegians ever visited Maine, he says : "Whether it be true or not that the rude Northmen were the discoverers of this continent, is of little consequence, as they left no lasting- monuments of their occupancy, laid no claim to the lands dis- covered, and if they occupied for a short time territory along the coast, they accomplished thereby nothing in the interest or direc- tion of human progress." Lapham's opinion may be matched by that of O. J. Kvale in the "Congressional Record," March 10, 1925 : "Norse sagas and early histories carry reports of Viking trips to Vinland, the name the first explorers gave to America. They came in part to obtain lumber, which was not to be procured in Greenland ; they tell of efforts to colonize, of the Indian natives, trade with them, battles with them .... Adam of Bremen, who died in 1076, a year after he had completed a book on North European Christianity, which included historical and geographic facts re- garding all the countries he mentions, tells of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, and then tells of Vinland, the new land to the west. His book was authentic ; it was widely circu- lated in his day and after Surely Columbus, one of the learned men of his day, well educated and informed, would have known of this book and its contents. Furthermore, Columbus, a geographer and a navigator, had sailed many seas. There is indisputable evidence, contained in letters written by his son Ferdi- nand, that Columbus visited Iceland in February, 1477. There everyone was familiar with reports of the Norse expeditions to the wonderful land to the southwest — Vinland. He also visited the cloister in Huelva, Spain, in 1484; and his son again tells of the conversation word for word, between his father and the monks, in which Columbus convinced the monks of his certain knowledge of a land to the west .... His dogged determination in the face of threatened mutiny of his crew, bears this out. Columbus did not conjecture; he did not hope; he knew. The evidence which he possessed of a land to the west was supplied to him by the descendants of the very people who had themselves discovered the land of promise." Maine had 12 Norwegians, foreign-born, in 1850; 27 in 1860; 58 in 1870; 99 in 1880; 311 in 1890; 509 in 1900; 580 in 1910; 581 in 1920. In 1890 every county but one had some foreign-born Norwegians; Cumberland had 171; York had 29; Penobscot, 22; Aroostook, 18; etc. In 1910, 433 of the Norwegians were urban; 147, rural. The first Lutheran Church of Portland was organized by N. J. Ellestad, August 24, 1874, with 150 members, of whom 80 were Norwegians. In 1914 this congregation had 300 mem- 250 Norwegian People in America Celia Oakland N. E. Glasoe Airs. Julia Christianson, Sunday School teacher, Parochial School teacher Ph.D., 57 years 61 years Author of S. S. books bers, of whom 250 were Norwegians. The pastors since 1880 have been: K. G. Faegre, 1800-1884; G. A. T. Rygh, 1884-1889; K. O. Storli, 1890-1900; Wm. Williamson, 1900-1902; M. K. Hartmann, 1903-1904; C. L. Rachie, 1904-1906; K. O. Storli, 1906-1912; Wm. M. Pettersen, 1912-1915; Anders Bersagel, 1915 . Dr. Martin Andrew Nordgaard, now of St. Olaf Col- lege, was an instructor in mathematics at the University of Maine, 1913-1916. John Cabot, a Venetian in the employ of England, discovered the North American continent at Cape Breton in 1497. Five centuries earlier the Norsemen had cruised Canada, 1862 along the Canadian shores. Jacques Car tier made voyages of exploration to Canada in 1534-1543, on the basis of which France claimed the land and called it New France. In 1608 Champlain was appointed the first governor and he founded Quebec as his capital city. Ottawa is now the capital. In 1620 the population of Canada was 20 white persons. Indians and Eskimos were not enumerated. Nova Scotia, or Acadia, as it was also called, was claimed by England, and, in the struggle for supremacy between the two rival nations, Nova J. O. J0ssendal Author of Reader Olav Refsdal Author of Reader K. O. L0kensgaard Author of Readers, etc. The Norwegian- American Period 251 Svein Strand Advocate of Parochial Schools L. P. Thorkveen Friend of Parochial and Sunday Schools J. N. Andersen Advocate of Sunday Schools Scotia exchanged masters several times before its cession to England in 1763. In 1763, as a result of the French and Indian War, all Canada was ceded to England. In 1755 a great number of the French inhabitants of Acadia were deported and dispersed among the English colonies, many finally reaching Louisiana. Longfellow's sad but beautiful story, "Evangeline," is an incident in this deportation. This is Longfellow's appeal : Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient, Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion, List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy. The population of Canada in 1706 was 16,417; in 1806. 355,718; in 1916, about 6,200,000. Since the creation of the Dominion of .Canada in 1867, de- cennial censuses have been taken in 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1921. New Foundland is not a part of the Dominion. There are 9 provinces "and two territories: Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Yukon Territory and Northwest Territory. Carl Raugland Author of Handbooks Sunday School Teacher II. P. Grimsby Author of Graded System Gabriel Fedde Author of Handbooks Sunday School Teacher 252 Norwegian People in America Laur. Larsen ( D.D. (56) C. K. Preus (23) O. L. Olson, Ph.D. (30) The population at the first dominion census (1871) showed that at that time the ratio between the British and the French was as two to one. In detail the British had 60.55 per cent; the French, 31.07 per cent; and other races 8.38 per cent. Since the English and French are both dominant races, the country is bi- lingual. The government reports are issued in French and English. Since it became a dominion Canada has had a spectacular expansion. It began rairoad construction in 1836. Its first trans- continental line was completed in 1885. The Canadian Pacific Railroad contracted to build this line for the consideration of $25,000,000.00 and 25,000,000 acres of land. The last spike on the main line was driven November 7, 1885. This road and other intercolonial and transcontinental rairoads have opened up the country, and a vigorous and generous policy of securing immi- grants has peopled the wide domain of Canada with an industrious, prosperous and happy people. Captain Jens Munk came to Canada in 1619 and wintered in the Hudson Bay. Captain John Svendsen settled at Bury, Quebec, in 1857. Gaspe was the first Norwegian settlement in Canada. Gaspe is the name of a county forming the south bank of the St. Lawrence River, right at its mouth. There is now also a town by that name ; also a bay and a cape. Two T renders, fisher- Th. N. Molin (25) J. N. Kildahl, D.D. L. VV. Boe, D.D., LL.D. (21) (21) College Presidents, with Years of Service The Norwegian- American Period 253 Schmidt (37) D. G. Ristad (18) J. A. Aasgaard, D.D. (15) men at Lofoten, had come to Montreal in 1859. Canada resolved to start a Norwegian colony at Gaspe, and these two, Peter and Ludvig Brandt, accepted the offer of the government and became the first settlers in Gaspe, in 1860. In July, 1861, a ship landed their brother Fredrik and his family and mother; also Didrik Nilsen and wife, Karen Brun and son Nils Christian Brun, be- sides a girl passenger — Ovidia Olsen. N. C. Brun was a cousin of the Brandts. In the historical magazine "Symra," H. R. Holand and N. C. Brun give each a vivid account of the fearful experiences with hunger and cold in this forsaken and weather- beaten spot. Canadian officials employed a Norwegian, Christo- pher Kloster by name, to act as immigration commissioner. Kloster was a brother of the great Norwegian temperance reformer, As- bjo'rn Kloster ; he was active and successful. Soon other boats arrived with precious boatloads of hopeful Norwegians. There were about 30 families living in Brim's neighborhood and 70 families scattered along the coast for 30 or 40 miles. They came there to make their living as fishermen. But the coast was so steep that it was impossible to land. Where a landing could be made the land was already taken by Frenchmen. The Norwegians had to accept homesteads of 100 acres each, situated in the deep, primeval forests. They started to make lumber, but had no market. They had no towns or stores, no place to sell P. M. Glasoe, Ph.D. (24) H. S. Hilleboe (31) A- G. Tuve (29) College Presidents, with Years of Service 254 Norwegian People in America or buy a thing. They had little money and the market price for flour was $20.00 a barrel. Starvation and despair walked hand in hand. Kloster had taken their money to buy food, but he did not return for many months. Waiting time is long. Here it was also desperate. When Kloster did return, he had with him only a portion of his intended purchase. Brun had a cow, but had to carry hay five miles through the woods to feed her. They secured some corn and ground it in a handmill that some one had sense enough to- take along from Norway. This mill was busy grinding for the colony day and night, each one taking his turn to grind. Those who lived through the winter took the first steamboat that docked at Gaspe. When they reached Montreal they met Kloster and demanded in no mistakable language to know why he had not come to their support. He had invested the money in lead mines. They met also Rev. Abraham Jacobson, who had been sent by the Norwegian Synod to meet the incoming immigrants at Montreal and give them advice and aid and a Godspeed on their way to the States. The immigrant missionary was needed possibly more then than now. The author's mother came by way of Quebec. She and her party could not understand the direc- tions given by the functionary in charge. He swore fearfully and took a rawhide, beat them into a cattle car and then sealed it. The newcomers were thus shipped across Ontario as "dumb, driven cattle." The N. C. Brun of Gaspe fame later became a distinguished pastor in the Norwegian Conference and the United Lutheran Church. 5. Churches, 1860-1890 By this time a new generation of Norwegians are in com- mand. The ranks of the original Sloopers are pretty well thinned out. Their children are in command of the ship. The fathers came to America and became Americans by choice. Though good Americans in every sense, yet they remained Norwegians to the end. They could not change their nature any more than the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots. They were more at home with the Norwegian language than the Eng- lish. The Norwegian land and its scenery, the home in which they had lived and its surroundings, the laws and their lawmakers over there, the customs, ideals, culture, all had a peculiarly sweet and sacred charm altogether different to them from the things here in America. "This," says Kristian Prestgard, poet-editor of "Decorah Posten," "does not prevent them from becoming as good Ameri- cans as ever trod the earth. It was for the purpose of becoming Americans that they left all that was dear to them, and came here. They did not come like tourists on a visit, or like students, to return after a short stay. They came of their own choice to build The Norwegian- American Period 255 their homes here and to become Americans. No other group of citizens has sacrificed so much to become Americans as these im- migrants. Through their work and their achievements they are united to America by the strongest ties. But through their memo- ries they are united to Norway. This is the peculiar position of the immigrant, his tragedy." There is a tragedy, thinks Prest- gard, enacted in the heart and life of every immigrant. The parting was tragic. Parting is sweet sorrow, bitter sweet. The building of the new home was tragic. It must have something about it to remind him of the old home over there ; it was the holy of holies. The enstrangement from the children was tragic: They did not seem to understand when he spoke about the land of his birth. The death of the wife was tragic. She and he had sprung from the same root, had breathed the same national atmos- phere, had roamed about in the same surroundings, had sung the same songs, and had cherished the same thoughts ; she alone could understand when he asked : "Do you remember ?" Her death brought him only sadness and an increased feeling of loneliness. His visit to the homeland was tragic. He did not find what he sought. "And what did he seek? Without knowing it, he was in reality seeking his own youth ; and he did not find it. He found nothing of what he sought. Most of his old friends were resting in the churchyard, where he could read their names on the gravestones. The people he met were strangers to him. Everything was changed. But he did not realize that he himself had changed most of all. The picture of the old home district which he had carried in his soul for forty years did not seem real. It was false. This was not his home district, his home, or his people .... Poor, stripped of every illusion, he hastened back to Christiania, where he took passage on the first steamer going to America. Neither steamer nor railway train could carry him back fast enough." The men and women of the second generation are Norwegian- Americans in the truest sense. They did not have this silent, all- consuming, tragic sorrow with regard to the land of their fathers. Norway was never their home. America has always been their home. But they have learned to understand more than their im- migrant fathers imagined they would or could and to feel a deep and a true love for things Norwegian. They spoke both languages with the same ease and perfection. They understood too, that the Norwegian heritage can not be transplanted to American soil without much sacrificing labor. They must prepare the soil and plant the seed, thev must keep out the weeds and have sufficient rain and shine. The second generation has, therefore, realized very keenly the necessity of working to transplant the culture and religion of the fathers to their own children. It was especially in the field of religion that they appreciated 256 Norwegian People in America the heritage of the fathers and worked for its perpetuation. The second period ushers in a most vigorous era of church work. Congregations, synods, schools, missions, publications, charities, societies, all seem to be inspired by the need of work : Work through the morning hours, Work for the night is coming. This period witnessed also a most intense loyalty to purity of doctrine. In the midst of a babel of sects there must needs be many heresies. They could not all be in the right. Some of these heresies might easily creep into the teachings and beliefs of the Lutheran Church unless the watchmen watched. And then there was the temperamental divisions — the high church, low church and broad church groups. The churchmen in every synod were keyed up to wage a stiff fight for what they thought was right according to God's Word. They all wanted to be Lutherans, and Lutherans only, of the purest dye. They felt that ordinarily it was a shame and a sin to have controversy, but when it came to correcting a wrong or defending a truth, it would be a shame and a sin not to have a controversy. The doctrinal battles were, on the whole, carried on in a commendable manner. There was relatively very little personal enmity. On the whole, the disputants conducted themselves in a respectable manner. They regarded one another as earnest Christian seekers after the truth. If they could not come to an agreement, they said so and parted com- pany. They tried hard to unite their forces on the basis of unity of doctrine. They prayed fervently in the words of the General Prayer in their liturgy: "Unite us and make us strong." The discussions surely brought large spiritual returns. They increased the interest in Christian doctrine in an age of doctrinal indiffer- ence and heresy. They made the second generation a race of Bible readers and seekers after truth. They saved the Norwegian Lutherans from being swallowed up by the sects. If the ideal life for a Norwegian-American is to live the dual life of a Nor- wegian-American, the doctrinal discussions promoted this state, and never before or since has the Norwegian-American been so Norwegian-American as during this Norwegian-American period. The first 35 years of Norwegian history in America had pro- duced 38 Lutheran pastors. This second period of 30 years pro- ,„™ * nnn duced 614. Arranged by synods the new ac- Pastors, 1860-1890 , r n 0^*7 cessions year by year are as 101 lows on p. zrv : As representatives of these synods a list of 140 are selected almost at random (See Appendix). Brief sketches of them and photographs can be found in "Norsk Lutherske Prester i Amer- ika," commonly called simply "Prestekalenderen." The average length of service for these 140 men was 37.8 years. The Norwegian- American Period 257 ORDIXATIOXS OF NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN PASTORS, 1861-1890 o > l86l. 1862. 1863, 1864. 186^. 1866. 1867. 1868. 1869. 187c. W 1 o 1 1 o o 3 3 10 17 Ih [861-1870. 47 20 1871. 1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. I 3 2 7 3 13 I 8 3 13 2 2 1 14 I M 2 15 6 IS I 1 6 4 1 16 2 3 2 14 2 2 7 3 3 1 10 116 14 50 4 2 14 1 9 3 18 7 1 20 3 6 4 16 2 5 7 15 4 4 5 1 4 2 12 3 7 13 1 9 7 1 2 7 1 9 6 1 4 10 3 7 5 9 12 6 20 30 23 17 II 23 18 14 1871-1880. 1881. 1882. 1883. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1888. 1889. 1890. 194 29 26 34 31 29 29 4-' 38 35 42 1881-1890 7 129 17 68 47 43 24 335 1861-1870 11 47 20 2 5 8S 1871-1880 10 116 U 50 4 194 1881-1890 7 129 17 68 47 43 24 335 1861-1800. 28 29: 20 33 123 43 24 614 258 Norwegian People in America In the period 1825-1859 157 congregations had been organized and 12 other preaching stations had been maintained. In the period 1860-1889, 2,272 new congregations Congregations, were organized and 176 extra preaching places 1860-1890 were listed. By decades the growth in congre- gations and preaching places was as follows : Decade New Congregations New Preaching Stations 1860-1869 255 13 1870-1879 935 54 1880-1889. 1082 109 1860-1889 2272 176 These are all new congregations located as a rule in new settle- ments that had no congregations before. In some cases the doc- trinal controversies split old congregations and congregational organizations were thereby multiplied. In many communities there were both Norwegian Synod (Missourian) and Anti-Missourian congregations, or Norwegian Synod and Conference or Augustana congregations. Many of the congregations existed only a year or two, or perhaps five, ten or fifteen years, and then dissolved. On account of the great mortality among the congregations the actual number of the congregations during this period is consider- ably less than the total number organized. In the '40s congregational work was attempted only in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the '50s new congregations were created in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Texas. In the '60s Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and South Dakota were added to the church states. In the '70s there was the further addition of California, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. In the '80s the home missionaries entered Colorado, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wyoming. In all 29 states and 3 provinces had been covered by the Norwegian Lutheran pastors. They usually had three or more congregations each. The pastor would live near one congregation and then serve two or three or more congre- gations from 10 to 100 miles distant. He would also look around for Norwegian settlements and try to organize more congrega- tions. At times he would be burdened with a dozen or more con- gregations before the mission board could find a man to come out and help him. Never have the Norwegian-Americans lived through such hard times as during the '70s. There was the money panic, and to this was added failure of crops and the grass-hopper plague. It never rains but it pours. But these great trials did not hinder the work of the Church. Quite the contrary, as in the days of Israel. Never has the Norwegian people been more churchly than during The Norwegian- American Period 259 the 70s. The growth of the congregations was truly remark- able; the attendance and the contributions were such as to please both God and man. The total of 144 pastors in 1873 increased to 310 in 1883; the 587 congregations in 1873 increased to 1,185 in 1883 ; the 108,694 members in 1873 grew to an army of 193,776 in 1883. There were only three Norwegian Lutheran synods in the field in 1860 — the Eielsen, the Norwegian and the Scandinavian Au- gustana. In June, 1870, the Scandinavian Au- Synods, 1860—1890 ^ustana was disrupted. A Swedish Augustana was organized to take care of its Swedish members and a Norwegian Augustana was created to look after the Norwegians. In August, 1870, there was a division in the Norwegian Augustana, which added another synod to our list — • John E. Haugen Pharm.D., Manager St. Paul Hospital Julius C. Hallum President Fairview Hospital Alfred O. Fonkalsrud, Ph.D., Consultant Hospital Service the Norwegian-Danish Conference. In 1875, the Eielsen people went to work and revised their constitution. The reorganized synod was called the Hauge Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod in America. Eielsen was not able to see the need of mak- ing the changes and continued the old organization under the old constitution. In 1886, the Anti-Missourian wing of the Nor- wegian Synod withdrew from the parent body, and marshalled its forces under the name Anti-Missourian Brotherhood. In 1890, the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood, the Norwegian Augustana and the Conference merged their forces and became the United Nor- wegian Lutheran Church. The Eielsen Synod depended for its supply of ministers on the converted laymen who are gifted with power to preach. Eleven such men were discovered during the '60s and prevailed on to accept a call as ambassadors in Christ's stead. This synod made two more attempts to solve the school problem. A preparatory school for ministers was begun at Cambridge, Wisconsin, in 1865 and continued three years under the principalship of Andreas 260 Norwegian People in America P. Aaser^d. The second venture was at Chicago. Trinity Church on North Peoria Street had secured an energetic and ambitious pastor in J. Z. Torgerson. His congregation offered to build a church so as to accommodate both a congregation and a school. The offer was accepted and the corner stone of the new structure was laid August 27, 1871, on which occasion Elling Eielsen de- livered the main address. Thus began Hauge College and Eiel- sen Seminary, as the school was named. Classes began at once. Torgerson was the president of the school. The great Chicago fire which occurred that fall made it hard for the Chicago people to carry out their promises. Torgerson tried for seven weari- some years to maintain the school, and then gave it up. as the Ingeborg Sponland Sister Superior, Chicago Lena Nelson Sister Superior, Minneapolis Lena Brechlin Sister Superior, Brooklyn Eielsen Synod was not back of him. Thev wanted a school at Red Wing. The Norwegian Augustana Synod was organized mainly on account of the language question. The Scandinavian Augustana was not thriving as much as its Norwegian founders had ex- pected. The theological candidates from Norway all went over to the Norwegian Synod ; the lay preachers were heading into the Eielsen. The students did not want to go to the Illinois State University, for that was felt to be too much of an American insti- tution and would not fit them for the Norwegian ministry. The Augustana College and Seminary was felt to be too Swedish. A Norwegian supply professor — Johan Olsen — was appointed in 1867; a regular Norwegian professor — August Weenaas — was secured in 1868. He suggested that the Norwegians separate from the Swedes — there could be two schools within the one synod. This was granted. The Norwegian Augustana located at Marshall, Wisconsin, in 1869, and, on motion by O. J. Hatlestad it was renamed Augsburg — the German name for Augustana. The Swedish Augustana College remained at Paxton, to which place it had been moved from Chicago, in 1863. Since 1872 the Swedish Augustana has been situated at Rock Island. It now owns buildings, grounds and endowments valued at over $1,000,000 The Norwegian- American Period 261 and has over one thousand students in attendance. The Norwegian Augustana is now, in 1925, represented by the Augustana College and Normal at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the Augsburg Semi- nary, Minneapolis, the Canton Lutheran Normal and a part of the Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul. In 1870, the Nor- wegians proposed one more change, namely, that they should establish an Augustana Synod independent of the Swedes. This was granted and the Norwegian Augustana Synod came into being in June, 1870, at Andover, Illinois. The Norwegian-Danish Conference was organized in August, 1870, by a number of Augustana pastors in conference with C. L. Clausen, who had in 1868 forsaken the Norwegian Synod on MB h ^ HD *' w I f 1 * f u Group of Nurses, Good Samaritan Hospital, Rugby, North Dakota account of an old resolution (1862) on die slavery question. The occasion for the conference was the coming of B. B. Gjeldaker to America, a candidate from the Norwegian University. Gjeldaker somehow had not applied for admission to the Norwegian Synod. Johan Olsen and August Weenaas were also graduates of Chris- tiania, so there was now no necessity for uniting with the Nor- wegian Synod. It was suggested : Why not start a new synod with a different name? This was done — the name chosen was Conference, Norwegian-Danish Conference, so as to gather the scattered Danes along with the Norwegians. The Norwegian Augustana was also entitled Norwegian-Danish and for the same reason. In 1869 the Swedes of the Augustana Synod had 46 pastors ; the Norwegians, only 19. Twelve of the 19 went along in the making of the new synod, and only 7 remained in the Nor- 262 Norwegian People in America wegian Augustana. The Augustana never fully recovered from this blow. It claimed the school at Marshall, and forbade Ween- aas the use of its buildings. Weenaas, nothing daunted, turned his own residence into a seminary, until, in 1872, Augsburg Semi- nary was removed to its new quarters at Minneapolis. There Father Ole Paulson was on hand to welcome teachers and stu- dents. The Conference was fortunate in getting strong leaders into its school and chief offices — Weenaas, Sven Oftedal, Georg Sverdrup, Gjermund Hoyme, and^ others. Oftedal and Sverdrup were university graduates from Christiania and fully as able in debate and strategy as their opponents in the rival synods. They carried on an aggressive fight, attacking with broadsides the weak points in "Wisconsinismen," as they termed the marks of peculi- arity in the Norwegian Synod. Oftedal had been here hardly a year when he issued his famous "Aaben Erklaering" (Open Declara- tion), which he threw into the camp of the Norwegian Synod like a bomb shell. He and Sverdrup paid more attention to polity than to doctrine and established a consciousness of there being a great difference in polity between the synods and the Confer- ence. The congregations in the Conference had greater freedom than in the synods, said they. They began also to develop the idea of "living congregations" as opposed to the "dead congrega- tions" of the synods. Naturally, the Conference as a body could not keep pace with Sverdrup and Oftedal, and two parties arose — the New (Nye Retning) championing the Augsburg professors, and the Old (Gamle Retning), opposing them. J. A. Bergh, N. C. Brun and N. E. B0e are well-known names in the "Gamle Retning." The Hauge Synod was a re-organization of the Eielsen and dates its origin from 1846 instead of 1876. The Eielsen Synod still writes 1846 as the year of its genesis. The Anti-Missourian Brotherhood was a child of doctrinal strife. During the '50s there was strife between Eielsen and the Norwegian Synod; during the '60s, between Augustana and the Norwegian Synod ; during the '70s, between the Conference and the Norwegian Synod ; and during the '80s, between the Anti- Missourians and the Norwegian Synod. This last strife was a civil war and by far the most intense ever waged by Norwegians anywhere in any cause. The war had raged among the Germans, especially between the Missouri and the Joint Ohio Synod, be- fore the Norwegians were drawn into it. Professor F. A. Schmidt, a German, professor at Luther Seminary, Madison, Wisconsin, and Professor Ole B. Asperheim, a Norwegian, pro- fessor at Concordia Seminary, Springfield, Illinois, may be said to have brought the Norwegian Synod into the fray. These men were Anti-Missourians. They accused Missouri of Calvinism; The Norwegian- American Period 263 Missouri charged them with Synergism. To save the Norwegian Synod from a threatened division, the membership in the Synodi- cal Conference was given up, in 1883. In 1884, Dr. U. V. Koren wrote a "RedegjoYelse," in which he stated in the form of theses the position of the Norwegian Synod, in favor of Missouri. It was signed by 87 pastors and professors. Drs. F. A. Schmidt and M. O. Bo'ckman, in 1886, were chosen by the Anti- Missourians to start a new seminary — the Lutheran Divinity School, at Northfield, Minnesota. St. Olaf's School, at that place, was made a complete college — St. Olaf College — and was promised the support of the new body. The last of the synods to be founded during this period is the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. It was founded June 13. 1890, at Minneapolis, Minnesota. And the event is of so great importance that it easily marks an epoch, not only in Norwegian Lutheran church history, but also in the his- tory of the Norwegians without regard to church connections. In fact, it is the beginning of a movement in church history which has great possibilities in store. The United Norwegian Lutheran Church was a union of three competing Norwegian Lutheran synods, sprung from the same Mother Church, with the same doctrines and rituals, the same language and customs. They differed only in temperamental Gjermtind Hoyme, Church Statesman E. J. Homme the Norwegian Francke Homme's Orphanage (1881) 264 Norwegian People in America matters and minor practices. Some had been brought up in a high church atmosphere; some in low church; just now they were all broad church organizations. Several free conferences were called— St. Ansgar, 1881; Roland, 1882; Holden, 1883; Gol, 1884; Chicago, 1885; Kenyon, 1886; Willmar, 1887; Baldwin, 1888; Scandinavia, 1888 — for the purpose of discussing the doc- trinal basis. They found that they were in hearty agreement on all the essentials and mostly everything else beside. They decided to combine their camps, for in unity there is strength. And so, on June 13, 1890, the men of Augustana met at Augsburg Semi- Canton Normal School, 1920 — John X. Brown, President (Former Augustana College, 1884-1918) nary and ratified the proposed constitution of a United Church ; the Anti-Missourians met in St. Paul's of the Hauge Synod and voted for the new constitution ; and the Conference people as- sembled at Trinity Church and accepted the constitution. This done, the three groups met in joint session at Trinity Church. The Conference men took places in the rear. The Anti-Mis- sourians came marching to the front, at which the assembly burst forth into a hymn of praise: "God's Word Is Our Great Herit- age." Then the Augustana delegation entered in stately proces- sion, during which another song : "Praise to Thee and Adoration," pealed forth from a thousand thankful hearts. Thereupon the convention united in the "Te Deum," prayer and confession and another hymn of praise, "Min Sjael, min Sjael, lov Herren" (My The Norwegian- American Period 265 Soul, Now Praise Thy Maker). After this the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was formally organized. Gjermund Hoyme of the Conference was elected president; L. M. BioYn of the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood, vice president; J. N. Kil- dahl of the Anti-Missourians, secretary; Hon. Lars Swenson of the Conference, treasurer. Later, in 1894 (1894-1917), J. C. Roseland of the Augustana served as secretary of the United Church. In the evening a festive gathering was held at the Coliseum, which had seating room for five thousand people. It was filled to overflowing. The atmosphere was filled with joy and thanks- giving: "The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad" (Ps. 126:3). At the annual conventions of the United Church from 1890 to 1917 the attendance ranged from 3,000 to 15,000. The United Norwegian Lutheran Church was the first merger of Norwegian Lutheran synods in America. It was the first merger of any Lutheran synods in America, at which the merging bodies became extinct. It was the first merger of its kind among all the denominations of the United States. The tendency in the United States is to talk about union, but to keep on multiplying denominations and organizations. In the United States Religious Census for 1890 143 distinct religious bodies are listed; in 1906, 186 religious bodies; and in 1916, 202. The growth of the synods from 1860 to 1890 can be seen from this table: PASTORS, 1860-1890 Synod i860 1870 1880 1890 Eielsen 3 14 3 8 Norwegian 17 60 155 138 Scandinavian Augustana 9 65 . . Norwegian Augustana 9 24 28 Conference 14 60 115 Hauge . . 18 66 *Anti-Missourian . . 78 98 United Norwegian . . . . 241 ^Figures from 1886. The synods increased from a total of 144 pastors in 1873 to 310 in 1883; from 587 congregations in 1873 to 1,185 in 1883; from 108,694 members in 1873 to 193,766 in 1883. The Nor- wegian population increased from 1880 to 1890 125 per cent; the membership in the synods increased only 67 per cent. Still many new congregations were organized — approximately 600, and about 600 new pastors were secured. The largest congregation was the one at Scandinavia, Wisconsin, having 1,530 members; the smallest was at Juanita, Nebraska, having only 3 members. Ac- 266 Norwegian People in America cording to the United States Census for 1890 the congregations of the Norwegian Synod, Hauge Synod and the United Church were distributed as follows: CONGREGATIONS, 1890 Norwegian Hauge State Synod Synod California 3 o Colorado 1 o Idaho 1 o Illinois 14 10 Indiana 2 1 Iowa 40 17 Kansas 1 1 Maine o o Maryland o o Massachusetts 2 o Michigan 14 1 Minnesota — 164 55 Missouri 2 o Montana 3 o Nebraska 21 8 New Hampshire o o New Jersey 1 o New York 5 o N orth Dakota 53 16 Ohio 4 o Oregon 3 o South Dakota 46 36 Texas 4 o Washington 1 2 Wisconsin 95 28 Total 489 175 1122 1786 The Norwegian Synod in 1890 owned 275 church edifices and 182 "halls for church services, with a total valuation of $806,825.00; the Hauge Synod owned 100 churches and 75 halls, valued at $214,395.00; the United Church owned 669 churches and 393 halls, valued at $1,544,455.00. In 1853 the Norwegian Synod had 38 congregations and seven pastors ; in 1862 over 100 congregations and 20 pastors, of whom two were also professors. The congregations were small, but widely scattered over the prairies, and the road to the church, school house, log hut or sod cellar, where services were held, was pretty long for the average church goer. The roads were poor at the best, and the conveyances were heavy and slow. Rev. B. J. Muus walked from Goodhue County to Stearns County, Minne- sota, with a satchel on his back. The air line distance was 100 miles ; the actual route taken was over 250. The "Big Woods" lay between him and his destination, almost impassable. Rivers, swamps and lakes beset his path. Muus swam the streams and United Church Tot 3 1 27 5i 3 113 179 7 9 2 2 1 1 2 27 42 405 624 1 3 2 5 13 42 1 1 1 1 6 162 231 4 5 8 148 230 4 19 22 187 310 The Norwegian- American Period 267 walked around the lakes and swamps, burrowed his way through the woods and reached Meeker, Kandiyohi and Stearns. There he organized new congregations, baptized a large number of children, confirmed several groups of overgrown youth, and promised to find some one to send them as pastor. Part of the route on the plains he covered in an oxcart, as in the accompany- ing picture sketched by Eben E. Lawson of Willmar. In 1872 the Eielsen Synod had 17 pastors; the Norwegian Augustana had 8; the Conference had 36; the Norwegian Synod had 74 — total 125. The pastors of the Norwegian Synod served 335 congregations and 77,415 souls; the pastors of the Confer- UTT^T: "V A Crow River Farmer and B. J. Minis Rounding up the Settlers, 1861 ence had 121 congregations and 16,409 souls. Augustana and Eielsen pastors had together about 100 congregations and 10,000 members. There was a gain of 400 congregations during the decade. The line of Norwegian congregations was far-flung, and extended from New York to California, from Canada to Texas. With regard to the Danes in the Norwegian synods, the Nor- wegian-Danish Augustana Synod never had a single Danish pastor on its roster. The Norwegian-Danish Conference had a total of 11 foreign-born Danes in the ministry — Anton M. Andersen (ordained 1874); Hans Peder Berthelsen (1879); Gotlieb B. Christiansen (1881); Claus L. Clausen (1843); Adam Dan (1871); Hans Hansen (1874); Niels Madsen (1874); Anders Rasmussen (1883); M. C. H. Rohe (1877); Hans M. Thorup 268 Norwegian People in America (1872); and Peter J. 0stergaard (1884). The Danes withdrew from the Conference in order to form a Danish Synod. In 1884 they organized the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church Associa- tion. In 1896 they united with another Danish body, the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and organized the United Danish Lutheran Church, still in operation, with head- quarters at Blair, Nebraska. The Norwegian Synod, while never making a bid for the support of the Danes, in 1903 could boast of 24 Danish pastors and twice that number of Danish congrega- tions. Among the Danish names are: Johannes N. Andersen (ordained 1895); Hans Peter Berthelsen (1894); Johannes R. Birkelund (1897) ; Peter P. Blicher (1906) ; Paul Borup (1898) ; Peter N. M. Carlson (1899); Severin E. S. Meisel (1893); Nils Pedersen (1877) ; Emil J. Petersen (1879) ; Christian Falck (1903); Hemming H. Frost (1894); Lars P. Hansen (1894); Sjzfren Hansen (1882) ; Anders K. Henriksen (1908) ; Anders H. Jensen (1898) ; Eskild P. Jensen (1871) ; Frederik C. M. Jensen (1883) ; Lars P. Jensen (1884) ; Jens Johansen (1880) ; Anders Larsen (1878); Lauritz P. Lund (1909); Svend G. A. Marck- mann (1910) ; Julius C. Molil (1891) ; Carl J. O. Nielsen (1901) ; Hans C. Olsen (1895) ; Lauritz Rasmussen (1908) ; Harold W. So-rensen (1902); Ditlev W. Turnjzfe (1908); Jens D. Wein (1904) ; Anders O. White (1903) ; and Markus F. Wiese (1869). The Hauge Synod has in Martin J. Westphal (1890) a good representative of the Danes. The United Church numbered among its clergy such Danes as Christian H. Hjortholm (1896), Niels A. Stubkjaer (1893), Nils P. Thorp (1897) and Nils Juel Holm (1907). Nils J. Thomasberg (1893) and James Falk (1918), at one time of the Lutheran Free Church, are Danes; so also Lars C. Pedersen of the Lutheran Brethren Synod (1914). Of pastors from other nationalities may be mentioned : Alfred E. Backman (1877), Heinrich Thurunen (1885) and William Williamson (1887), born in Finland. Alfred Picard (1908) is a native of France. John Bjarnason (1884) , Hans B. Thorgrim- sen (1882) and Paul Thorlakson (1875) hailed from Iceland. Rudolf H. Gurland (1893), Emanuel N. Heimann (1903), Theodor C. Meyersohn (1881) and John Resnick (1899) were Russian Jews. Frederick H. Carlson (1869), Karl O. Eliasen (1910), Martin Engen (1893), Anders J. Hulteng (1887), Carl W. Landahl (1896), GoYan Norbeck (1885), Nicholaus Oker- lund (1902), Olof Olson (1906), Gustav Rast (1891), Johan O. Seleen (1871)', Johannes Telleen (1907), Gustav Westerlund (1887) and Albert Wihlborg (1892), were born in Sweden. Hans P. Duborg (1860), Claus H. Fechtenburg (1897), Max F. Momm- sen (1909), Peter Mortensen (1887), Carl Otte (1882), Friedrich A. Schmidt (1861), Vijlads B. Skov (1889) and Hans J. Wein The N or we gian- American Period 269 look to Germany as their native land. Paul Werber (1882) was a Galician Jew. Gabriel N. Isolany (1893), Christian Pedersen (1908), Ludvig C. C. Pedersen (1899) and Eugene A. Rateaver (1911) came from Madagascar. Heinrich Otte (1896) came from Natal; Christopher U. Faye (1912), from Zululand. Sigurd Folkestad (1909) was born in England of Norwegian parentage. 6. Education, 1860-1890 This period witnessed a great activity in the building of church schools. The public schools taught everything except the cultural heritage of the immigrant races and the Chris- Aim tian religion. Private schools had existed in this land for three hundred years, while public schools were yet in their infancy in 1860. The state universities are younger than most of the church colleges surrounding them. The University of Illinois dates from 1867 ; the University of Wisconsin, from 1848; the University of Iowa, from 1855; the University of Minnesota, from 1869. Harvard was founded in 1634; Yale, in 1701. The first American high school was estab- lished in Boston in 1821. There were only 64 public high schools in 1850, but that same year there were 6,085 private high schools, or church academies. The situation is, of course, quite different in 1925. In 1915 there were 12,003 public high schools, and only 2,203 private high schools. It was quite natural for the Norwegian pioneers to want to build higher schools. They knew that knowledge is power. They wanted to give their national heritage and their Lutheran faith to their children. The public schools could not teach the Christian religion if they would, and they would not teach the culture of the immigrants if they could. So they proceeded to build church schools. From 1860 to 1870 these schools were founded and maintained : By Eielsen Synod : a. Eielsen Seminary, Cambridge, Wisconsin. 1865-1868. b. Hauge College and Eielsen Seminary, Chicago, Illinois, 1861-1878. By Norwegian Synod: c. Conoordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (jointly with Missouri) 1859- 1 874. d. Luther College, Halfway Creek, Wisconsin, 1861-1862; Decorah, Iowa, 1862 . e. Holden Academy, Aspelund, Minnesota, 1869-1874. f. St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, 1874 . g. Concordia Seminary, Illinois, 1874-1876. h. Luther Seminary, Madison, Wisconsin, 1876-1889; Robbinsdale, Minnesota, 1889-1899; St. Paul, Minnesota, 1899-1917. i. Monona Academy, Madison, Wisconsin, 1876-1881. j. Coon Vallev Lutheran High School, Coon Valley, Wis., 1878-1879. k. Franklin School, Mayville, North Dakota, 1878-1880. 1. Willmar Seminary, Willmar, Minnesota, 1883-1919. 270 Norwegian People in America m. Gran Boarding School, Mayville, North Dakota, 1880-1889. n. Bode Academy, Bode, Iowa, 1887-1903. o. Stoughton Academy, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 1888-1900. p. Lutheran Normal School, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 1888-1918. q. Luther Academy, Albert Lea, Minnesota, 1888 . r. Aaberg Academy, Devils Lake, North Dakota, 1888-1903. s. Bruflat Academy, Portland, North Dakota, 1889-1918. By Scandinavian Augustana Synod: t. Augustana College and Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois. 1860-1863; Paxton, Illinois, 1863-1869. (Continued under Norwe- gian Augustana Synod). By Norwegian Augustana Synod: u. Augsburg Seminary, Marshall, Wisconsin, 1869-1870. t. Augustana College and Seminary (Marshall Classical School), Marshall, Wisconsin, 1870-1881. t. Augustana College and Seminary, Beloit, Iowa, 1881-1884. t. Augustana College, Canton, South Dakota, 1884-19I8. t. Augustana College and Normal, Sioux Falls, S. Dak., 1918- v. Salem Seminary, Springfield, Iowa, 1876-1878. w. Augustana Seminary, Beloit, Iowa, 1884-1890. Philadephia Seminary also used, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By Norwegian-Danish Conference : u. Augsburg Seminary, Marshall, Wisconsin, 1870-1872 (From Nor- wegian Augustana). 11. Augsburg Seminary, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1872- x. St. Ansgar Seminary, St. Ansgar, Iowa, 1878-1910. y. Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home, Brooklyn, N. Y., 1883- z. Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1889-.... By Hauge Synod : ae. Red Wing Seminary, Red Wing, Minnesota, 1879-.... By Anti-Missourian Brotherhood: f. St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota (From Norwegian Synod). 0. Lutheran Divinity School, Northfield, Minnesota, 1886-1890. aa. Wittenberg Normal School, Wittenberg, Wisconsin, 1887-1890. Capital University also used, Columbus, Ohio, 1873-1890. a. Eielsen Seminary The Eielsen Synod was somewhat afraid of higher learning, but clearly saw the need of some training in secular and religous branches. Eielsen Seminary was intended to Higher Schools be an academy and seminary combined in a two or three years' course. Andreas P. Aasero'd (1823-1907) was a "seminarist" from Norway and had had eight years of experience as a parochial teacher. The at- tendance was about 20 each year. Aasero'd became a pastor at Badger, Iowa, 1871-1878. Then he farmed, 1878-1882. He closed his career as a music teacher at Portland, Oregon, 1891-1907. b. Hauge College and Eielsen Seminary This was the most auspicious of the school enterprises of the Eielsen Synod. The president of the school, John Z. Torgerson, had attended Lawrence University, 1860-1863, Illinois State Uni- The Norwegian- American Period 271 versity, 1863-1865, and Chicago University, 1865-1867. As col- porteur for the Chicago Bible Society, 1867-1869, he had visited 15,000 homes. As pastor of Trinity Congregation from 1869 to 1905 he is said to have officiated at 15,000 marriages. But the times were hard. Torgerson and Eielsen did not agree. Torger- son left the Eielsen Synod in 1876 and soon afterward the school closed for want of support. G. O. Brohough (44) H. H. Elstad (39) A. K. Feroe (28) G. H. Gilbertson (26) H. T. Ytterboe (22) c. Concordia Seminary This was the school of the German Missourians. A very thorough school. The professors lectured in Latin as readily as in German. The students had to have a mastery of both of these languages. Laur. Larsen was the first Norwegian teacher at Con- cordia, 1859-1861. F. A. Schmidt represented the Norwegian Synod at Concordia, 1872-1876, as professor of theology. 138 Norwegians have graduated from the school with the degree of C. T. (Candidate in Theology). Concordia has given the degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) to U. V. Koren, 1903, Laur. Larsen, 1903, H. G. Stub, 1913, and Joh. T. Ylvisaker, 1914. Concordia Seminary was founded in 1839. From 1839 to 1922 it graduated 2,641 men for the ministry. It has upward of 400 students each year and is the largest theological school in the land, if not in the world. 272 Norwegian People in America d. Luther College The beginnings of Luther College were humble. It was started in a parsonage at Halfway Creek, Wisconsin, with 16 students in attendance and two instructors — Rev. Laur. Larsen and Rev. F. A. Schmidt. It had been planned by the Norwegian Synod pastors, graduates of the University of Christiania, to be a uni- versity fully as good as the university where they had been trained, and for 20 years it was frequently referred to as "The Univer- sity." The times were very difficult. The panic of 1857 had left its marks. The Civil War was raging. The most pressing needs were met by the aid which Concordia Seminary was furnishing. But Concordia was down in Missouri, a slave state, and this placed the school between the fighting lines. The connection with Con- cordia was not broken by the war, and it was not until 1876 that the Norwegian Synod founded its own seminary. The Synod felt the need of a preparatory school and decided to begin in 1861, despite the war. It was not a university. It began as a six-year gymnasium, leading to the A. B. degree. It was a classical school. College classes were added as fast as students who could take such work were developed. The first graduating class was turned out in 1866, the members of which were: R. B. Anderson (1846 ), J. E. Berg (1842-1905). G. Erdahl (1840-1914), T. O. Juve (1840-1913), L. J. Markhus (1842-1885), Ellef Olsen (1841 ) and H. G. Stub (1849 ). The second school year opened in Decorah, Iowa, in the St. Cloud Hotel. The first college building was completed in 1865 at a cost of $75,576.23. The site for the school had been chosen by U. V. Koren. The task of raising so large a sum as $75,000.00 in the dark days of the Civil War can hardly be appreciated now. Eggs were six cents a dozen, butter five to ten cents per pound. The markets were far away, the roads to town were wretched. Money had no stable value, evervthing to be bought in town was way up in price. In 1860 the Norwegian Synod had only 7,500 baptized members. In 1865, not much over 15,000. But they raised the money gladly and promptly. And when they dedicated their building they met up over 6,000 strong. Among the things deposited in the corner-stone was an his- torical sketch of the Norwegian Synod. The following words from the sketch state specifically the aim of Luther College, but also reflect the general aim of all the schools of the Norwegian Lu- therans : "Emigrated Norwegians, Lutheran Christians living in Wis- consin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, united in erecting this build- ing to educate teachers of the Church, through whose ministry. o ■J. -£=: v re J« a; C3 fc-H 274 Norwegian People in America by the grace of our Lord, the saving truth of the Gospel in Word and Sacraments might be preserved for their descendants un- adulterated according to the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as set forth in the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. The Lord grant this. Amen." Luther College has made good. It. stands in the front rank of American colleges with regard to scholarship and is an accredited school. It has graduated (1866-1924) 861 men with the A. B., 358 of whom have been ordained as clergymen in the Norwegian Lutheran Church; 195 other students have become clergymen without having attained to the bachelor's degree. Its property is now valued at over $1,000,000.00. Laur. Larsen was president 1861-1902; C. K. Preus, 1902-1921; Oscar L. Olson, 1921 . e. Holden Academy Founded by B. J. Muus at his parsonage, Holden, Minnesota, as a preparatory school. Muus encouraged his best confirmation pupils to go to school. An unusually large number of the leaders among the Norwegian people have come from his congregations and from the parishes of other pastors who followed his example in leading the young. Holden Academy was discontinued to make way for St. Olaf's School. f. St. Olaf College St. Olaf College was founded November 6, 1874, at North- field, Minnesota, under the name St. Olaf's School. It was the first co-educational school in the Norwegian Church. It remained an academy until 1886, when it was extended upward as a col- lege. That year it became the college of the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood. In 1890 it became the college of the United Nor- wegian Lutheran Church. In 1894 it was placed on its own re- sources, and, but for the heroic labors of H. T. Ytterboe, it might have entirely collapsed. In 1899 it again received the support of the United Church and has since made great advances. Harald Thorson, one of the founders of the school and a true friend of it until his dying hour, bequeathed to it at various times a total of about $1,000,000.00. The school now has a faculty of about 75 and a student body of nearly 1,000. For lack of room it has to limit its attendance. The academy was discontinued in 1917. From 1890 to 1924 it graduated 1,090 men and 603 women, a total of 1,693. In 1924 314 were employed as clergymen and missionaries; 778 as teachers; 152 were employed in other pro- fessions ; 449 were engaged in other occupations. Th. N. Mohn was the first president, 1874-1899; J. N. Kildahl, the second, 1899-1914; L. A. Vigness, the third, 1914-1918; and L. W. Boe, the fourth, 1918 . Old Main, St. Olaf College, 1876 New Science Hall, St. Olaf College, 1925 276 Norwegian People in America g. Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary is the practical seminar}' of Missouri. It was founded in 1846 at Ft. Wayne, Indiana. In 1874, when the Missouri Synod purchased the Illinois State University school property, it was moved to Springfield, Illinois. It was conducted for such theological students as did not have a full college pre- paration. In 1874 the Norwegian practical students began to attend there. In 1875 Ole Bugge Asperheim, a graduate from the University of Christiania, became the representative of the Nor- wegian Synod on the faculty of the school. He was transferred to Luther Seminary, Madison, Wisconsin, in 1876. Concordia graduated seven men into the Norwegian ministry. The school is in a flourishing condition. In 1922 it had a total of 1,540 alumni, an attendance of 147 studying for the ministry, and sev- eral substantial buildings at its disposal. h. Luther Seminary The Norwegian Synod established its own seminary in 1876, at Madison, Wisconsin. It never came to Decorah, as was first the intention when"The University" was being planned. Luther Seminary was located at Robbinsdale, Minnesota, in 1889, in a suitable building erected for it. This school plant was destroyed by fire in 1894, and the school sought temporary quarters in a hotel. A new, modern school building was made ready for use in 1899, at a cost of over $100,000.00. It was situated within St. Paul, at Hamline, Minnesota. In 1917, due to the merger of the Norwegian Synod, the Hauge Synod and the United Church into a new synod, the Norwegian Lutheran Church, the three seminaries of these church bodies were also merged into one — Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul. The Hamline building of Luther Seminary and the theological plant of the United Church Seminary at St. Anthony Park were both used during 1917-1918; but since then the Hamline building has been used by the Miller Lutheran Bible School. The teachers at Luther Seminarv, 1876- 1917, were: O. B. Asperheim, 1876-1878; K. K. Bj^rgo, 1881- 1882; O. E. Brandt, 1897-1917; J. B. Frich, 1888-1902; B. A. Harstad, 1889-1890, 1910-1911; Elling Hove, 1902-1917; W. M. H. Petersen, 1894-1899; F. A. Schmidt, 1876-1886; H. G. Stub, 1878-1896, 1900-1917; and Joh. T. Ylvisaker, 1879-1918. From 1876 to 1915 451 ministers were trained at this school. i. Monona Academy A co-educational school, with an attendance from 41 to 79. It occupied the buildings of the defunct orphanage that had been sold to the Norwegian Synod for $18,000.00. The school was The N or we gian- American Period 277 discontinued in 1881 for lack of suitable quarters. J. J. Ander- son, formerly president of Augustana College, was the president of the school. j. Coon Valley Lutheran High School Founded by Hagbart Engh, a graduate of Luther College. He conducted the school one year, 1878-1879, and then accepted a position at Monona Academy. k. Franklin School Franklin School was conducted in Rev. Bjug A. Harstad's parsonage, about 7 miles southeast of Mayville, North Dakota. Harstad proposed to two of his friends, Stephen H. Hustvedt and Jens Menus, both Luther College boys, that they start a school for confirmed youth of Traill County. He would furnish his residence as a school house if they would be content with the tuition fee from the pupils. The agreement was made. The attendance was about 55 each year. The school was in session only two vears. 1. Willmar Seminary Willmar Seminary was at one time one of the largest and most popular high schools in the state of Minnesota. It started in 1883 with 116 students. In 1891 it had 371. Its president, Hans S. Hilleboe, was considered one of the best school men in the state. He was, in addition to busy tasks as executive and teacher, often called on to lecture on educational and temperance subjects. He was a fine orator and a dangerous enemy of the saloon. The high schools and the War ended its days of useful- ness. 7,110 students were in attendance from 1883 to 1919. The school property was largely the gift of the two brothers Lars O. Thorpe and Mikkel O. Thorpe. Hans S. Hilleboe was con- nected with the school, 1884-1899, 1904-1907; J. C. Jansrud, 1894- 1905; Oscar K. Omlie, 1895-1904; Alfred C. Pederson, 1910- 1919;Albert Struxness, 1896-1897, 1906-1918; Jonetta Thorpe, 19U-1919; and S. O. Tjosvold, 1893-03. 65 other teachers have also taught at Willmar for a shorter term. m. Gran Boarding School This is also the creation of B. Harstad, that great friend of church schools for youth of high school age. Gran was started in 1885 and was in operation until 1891. This school was held in the church building of the Gran Congregation one-half mile south of Harstad's parsonage. The first two years A. Ingberg and T. C. Sattra were teachers. Sattra was the housefather; Mrs. Sattra, the mother. There were up to 85 in attendance. On Friday even- 278 Norwegian People in America ing they went home to their folks, and on Sunday they came back to church services and school. n. Bode Academy Erected in 1887 by the Bode Norwegian Lutheran Congrega- tion as a high school for the youth of the vicinity. It was con- ducted eight years by the congregation. The attendance varied from 40 to 100. It was found that the building used by the school was too small and the drain on the congregation too great, hence the congregation voted to discontinue the school. Enthusiasts for the cause kept the work agoing another stretch of 7 years, and then it was quietly laid to rest, in 1902. It had a total of 800 students. Among the teachers may be mentioned: John E. Gran- rud, 1889-1890; Celia Gullixson, 1890, 1895-1896; Andrew C. Kirkeberg, 1891-1894; Lars O. Lillegaard, 1889-1896; O. L. Olson, 1893-1895. The building was later converted into a public school house. o. St ought on Academy Stoughton is one of the strongest Norwegian communities in America. K. A. Kasberg planted a school there in 1888. In 1894, an association of Norwegian Synod men came to his aid. In 1899 it received the full backing of the Synod, but on March 25, 1900, fire destroyed the building. The building was restored, and the school was run for a while as a business college by non- Lutherans. During the 12 years of its existence it had a total attendance of 2,124 young men and women. p. Lutheran Normal School The Lutheran Normal School opened October 1, 1889, with a faculty of three teachers and 52 students. The Norwegian set- tlers of this country had long felt the need of a Norwegian- American normal school, which could train teachers both for common and parochial schools. For a number of years, 1865-1885, Luther College maintained a normal school department for train- ing men parochial teachers. The attendance was never large — 12 in 1883, 10 in 1884, 8 in 1885. The department was discon- tinued in 1886, and reestablished at Sioux Falls in 1889 as a normal school. The total attendance from 1889 to 1918 was 4,197; the actual number of persons in attendance was 2,200. Nearly 750 have been teachers in the parochial and common schools ; 28 have later entered the ministry. In 1918 Augustana College of Canton and the Sioux Falls Normal were united under the name Augustana College and Normal. The presidents of the Sioux Falls Normal have been: Rev. Amund Mikkelsen, 1889-1892, 1896-1908; Rev. S. C. N. Peterson, 1892-1893; Rev. H. B. Hustvedt, 1893-1896; Rev. Z. J. Ordal, 1908-1917; Professor H. S. Hilleboe, 1917- 1920; Dr. Charles Orrin Solberg, 1920 . The Norwegian- American Period 279 q. Luther Academy Another child of faith in the Christian education of the young. The presidents of Luther Academy have been : Hon. L. S. Swenson, 1888-1897, now United States minister to Norway. Rev. E. I. Strom, 1897-1902, now pastor, Watson, Minnesota. Professor Martin L. Ullensvang, 1902-1903. Rev. J. E. Thoen, 1903-1914, now pastor, Oklee, Minnesota. Professor Sigurd S. Reque, 1914-1919, now professor of French, Luther College. Professor Kalmar J. Jacobson, 1919-1921, now Augustana College. Luther Academy and Dormitory, Albert Lea, Minn Luther Academy, J. O. Tweten, President Professor Eli A. Jensen, 1921-1924, now busines smanager, Wittenberg College. Rev. Jacob O. Tweten, 1922 , Albert Lea, Minnesota. The school had an attendance of 4,970 — 2,590 boys and 2,380 girls during the years 1888-1923, an average of 142 each year, 74 boys and 68 girls. r. Aaberg Academy Aaberg Academy was organized as a private enterprise by Rev. Ole H. Aaberg, pastor among the Norwegian Lutheran pioneers of Ramsey, Benson, Rolette, Bottineau and Ward coun- ties, North Dakota. A religious junior academy for newly con- firmed and other youth. Aaberg built a school house costing $2,000.00. The school had a Norwegian department, 1888-1903, and an English department, 1891-1903. It was conducted only in the winter months, yearly, but had no graduates. Ole H. Aaberg, Albert Hesla and Stener Svennungsen are numbered among the teachers. 280 Norwegian People in America s. Bruflat Academy A few lines from the 1915 catalog of the Bruflat Academy: "Bruflat Academy was founded in 1889. It had its origin in the desire of the Norwegian Lutherans of Rev. B. Harstad's con- gregations to provide better parochial school facilities than could be had by means of the usual parochial schools held at various times of the year in each of the congregations of this charge. Some three years before a boarding school had been organized at Gran Church, about seven miles southeast of Mayville, North Dakota. This school soon proved too small for the whole charge, and being located at the extreme eastern part of the settlements, four of the congregations, lying farther in the west, decided to organize a similar school of their own at Portland. As it was necessary to build anyway, it was suggested to erect a larger building than was needed for the parochial school only, and thus make room for an academy to be maintained in connection with the parochial school .... A great deal of credit is due to the early settlers for their courage in undertaking the task of estab- lishing a school of this character, always difficult under the most favorable circumstances, and certainly a tremendous undertaking in a comparatively new country and with small resources. The one man who seems to have had the clearest vision, and the cour- age and enthusiasm to inspire the rest was Rev. B. Harstad, whose portrait we present in this issue (of the catalog). Let the knowledge and 'remembrance, of the sacrifices that the pioneers made for the cause of higher Christian education inspire the rising generation to do their share in aiding Bruflat Academy to fulfil its mission." The younger generation to whom this appeal was addressed inherited much wealth from their pioneer fathers and live in a day when money can more easily be made; still they allowed Bruflat to die. It died in 1918. 2,354 boys and girls of high school age received a Christian education at Bruflat. The principals of Bruflat were: Professor John G. Halland, 1889-1892, state superintendent of schools, North Dakota, 1897-1901. Rev. John O. Tingelstad, 1892-1900, now professor of Scandi- navian, University of North Dakota. Professor Knut M. Hagestad, 1899-1904, now high school instructor, Santa Cruz, California. Professor Alfred C. Pederson, 1904-1906, now superintendent, Argyle, Minnesota. Professor T. E. Thompson, 1906-1908, high school teacher, Chicago, Illinois. Professor A. T. Felland, 1908-1911, 1916-1918, principal, Benson County Agricultural School, North Dakota. The N or we gian- American Period 281 Professor Martinus C. Johnshoy, 1911-1912, pastor, Starbuck, Minnesota. Professor Erick J. Onstad, 1913-1916, attorney, Madison, Wisconsin. t. Augustana College and Theological Seminary This school has been on wheels. The idea of the school was conceived at the Illinois State University, Springfield. It was established at Chicago in 1860 and was moved to Paxton in 1863, being then the school for the Swedes and the Norwegians of the Scandinavian Augustana Synod. In 1869, the Norwegian students Augustana College and Normal, Dr. Charles O. Solberg, President and their professor — A. Weenaas — were moved to Marshall, Wis- consin, where a building had been purchased to accommodate the school. The Norwegian Augustana congregations lay to the south and especially to the west of Marshall, so it was generally agreed that Marshall was not a good location for it. Through the energetic work of Hon. James M. Wahl the school was moved to Beloit, Iowa, in 1881. In 1884, the college was separated from the Seminary and moved to Canton, South Dakota, then a rival town of Beloit on the opposite side of the Big Sioux River. Canton furnished the Naylor House as a school building on con- dition that the school would stay in Canton 10 years. Under the able management of President Anthony G. Tuve the college at Canton grew large and strong. In 1918 it had 324 students and had had for 14 years an average of 250 a year, men and women. 282 Norwegian People in America It had a total enrollment of 6,990 from 1860 to 1918. The powers that were decided in 1918 to put the school on wheels again. They rolled it up to Sioux Falls, where it is now happily united in lawful wedlock with the Lutheran Normal. The presidents of Augustana have been: Rev. L. P. Esbjjzfrn, 1860-1863; Rev. T. N. Hasselquist, 1863-1869; Rev. A. Weenaas, 1869-1870; Pro- fessor J. J. Anderson, 1870-1874; Professor Dorman, 1874-1876; Professor Fred S. Huntington, 1876-1877; Professor J. W. Den- nison, 1877-1881 ; Hon. J. M. Wahl, 1881 ; Professor M. D. Miller, 1881-1889; Rev. C. S. Salvesen, 1889-1890; Professor A. G. Tuve, 1890-1916; Dr. Paul M. Glasoe, 1916-1918; Professor H. S. Hilleboe, 1918-1920; Dr. C. O. Solberg, 1920 . At Mar- shall it was commonly called the Marshall Classical Academy. Main Building, Augsburg Seminary, George Sverdrup, Jr., President u. Augsburg Seminary Augsburg Seminary dates its existence from the time that the Norwegian professor (A. Weenaas) and his students left Paxton in 1869 and settled down at Marshall. The school was called Augsburg by synodical resolution. Now, as already related, Augsburg became the school of the Norwegian-Danish Confer- ence. In 1872 it was located permanently at Minneapolis, where it stands today in a thriving condition. From 1870 to 1890 it was the seminary of the Conference; from 1890 to 1893 of the United Church ; and since 1893, of the Lutheran Free Church. It has always been a strong school, with strong personalities at its head. The names Sverdrup and Oftedal are some of the best known and most respected names in Norwegian-American history. The Norwegian- American Period 283 The presidents of the school have been: A. Weenaas, 1869-1874; Georg Sverdrup, 1874-1907; Sven Oftedal, 1907-1909; George Sverdrup, Jr., 1909 . Theologians at Augsburg holding full professorships: August Weenaas, 1869-1876; Sven Oftedal, 1873- 1904; S. R. Gunnersen, 1874-1883; Georg Sverdrup, 1874-1907; B. B. Gjeldaker, 1876-1877; M. O. Bookman, 1890-1893; F. A. Schmidt, 1890-1893; E. G. Lund, 1891-1893; H. A. Urseth, 1899- 1909; Andreas Helland, 1905 ; George Sverdrup, 1908 ; J. O. Evjen, 1909-1919; E. P. Harbo, 1909 ; Lars Lillehei, 1920 . College professors of long standing: J. H. Blegen, 1885-1916; Theo. S. Reimestad, 1885-1900; Wilhelm M. Petter- T -v °K G - Fdland J. C. M. Hanson Karl T. Jacobsen Ubr., St. Olaf College Librarian, U. of Chicago Libr., Luther College ^ 1886_1910; J" J" N ^ dah1 ' 1891 J H - N. Hendrickson, 1900 ; S. O. Severson, 1904-1915; Wm. Mills, 1907-1919; P. A. Sveeggen, 1915 ; R. B. Nell, 1916-1924. The aim of the school was to meet the demands of our Lutheran immigrants for earnest, consecrated ministers of the Gospel. But if this aim was to be attained the very foundations of the school would have to be a true, living Christianity, Lutheran profession, and a close allegiance with the congregations,-. The school has therefore stressed conversion, prayer meetings, and other manifestations of Christian life, as well as careful and prayerful study of God's Word. The total number of students (men), from 1869 to 1923, was 6,988. The school has a four-year academy, a four-year col- lege and a three-year theological seminary. It has been the most successful of the colleges in getting its college men to study theology. From 1869 to 1914 348 of its graduates became pastors. 54 per cent of its college graduates have taken up the study of theology. Since 1922 the school has been co-educational. v. Salem Seminary Started by Rev. David Lysnes, pastor at Springfield, Iowa, six miles south of Decorah, in his parsonage. Lysnes was a pro- 284 Norwegian People in America found Bible student and a pietist, akin to the great mystics of medieval history. He was a very earnest and inspiring preacher and teacher, and fortunate were those who sat at his feet. The Springfield congregation has given a number of good men to the Church — Abraham Jacobson, K. Salvesen, Iver Andreassen, A. E. Erikson, K. O. Lomen, C. S. Salvesen, and Olaf Lysnes, all min- isters, and Professor A. G. Tuve, president of Augustana College, 1889-1916. The Salem Seminary did not have a large attendance. It was moved to Marshall in 1878, and from that time it was called Augustana Seminary. Rev. C. J. Roseland of Philadelphia is one of the Salem boys. w. Augustana Seminary Augustana College and Seminary came to Beloit, Iowa, in 1881. In 1884, Augustana College was detached from the Semi- nary and moved to Canton. The Seminary kept right on at Beloit until 1890, when the Augustana Synod voted to merge the semi- nary with the Augsburg. Professor K. O. Lomen, a graduate of Marshall, Thiel College, and Philadelphia Seminary, died Janu- ary 1, 1890; Professor Lysnes, August, 11, 1890. They were the whole faculty at Augustana in 1890. x. Red Wing Seminary Red Wing Seminary is now one of the leading college pre- paratory schools of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. The equipment of the institution at Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minnesota, includes a pro-seminary (pro-theological) department, a school of commerce, a Bible school, and a school of music and dramatic art. It has a faculty of twelve members. In 1879 the Red Wing Seminary became the successor of the Red Wing Col- legiate Institute, an independent institution which in 1871 erected the present Sande Hall, now a dormitory for boys. In the early '80s Sumner Hall, now used as a woman's dormitory, was added. The seminary opened in 1879 with two departments : an academy with a four-year course and a divinity school with a three-year course. One of the first teachers, G. O. Brohough, Ph. D., is still a member of the faculty. The owner of the school was the Hauge Norwegian Lutheran Synod, an organization which in 1917 united with two other Norwegian Lutheran synods to form the Nor- wegian Lutheran Church of America. In 1899 an expansion toward a junior college began, and by 1910 the school had a senior college department, graduating in the year its first class to re- ceive the A. B. degree. Because of the church union in 1917 the theological department was moved to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, and the college department to St. Olaf College. At the same time various other departments as indicated above were either added or enlarged. The present main building, a very fine structure of pressed brick, was built in 1903. The school has a fine heating plant, a hospital, and a residence for the president. The Norivegian- American Period 285 The number of students annually in attendance varies from 150 to 200. During the last few years co-education has been in force. The school has distinguished alumni organized into an active alumni association. The following educators have been presidents of the institution: The Rev. Ingvald Eisteinsen, 1879-1881 (acting) ; Rev. August Weenaas, 1882-1885; Rev. J. X. Kildahl, 1885-1886 (acting) ; Rev. M. G. Hanson, 1886-1887 (acting) ; Rev. O. S. Meland, 1887-1889; H. H. Bergsland, 1889-1897; Rev. M. G. Hanson, 1897-1910; Edward W. Schmidt, 1910-1918; Red Wing Seminary, H. E. Jorgensen, President Rev. M. J. Wick. 1918-1920; Herman E. Jorgensen, 1920 . Of the many able teachers who have taught at the seminary seven deserve special mention for long and efficient service. Thev are : G. O. Brohough, 1879 ; H. H. Elstad, 1887 ; C. R. Hill, 1887-1895; Julius Boraas, 1895-1900; E. O. Ringtsad, 1900-1917; George H. Ellingson, 1908-1917; O. O. Stageberg, 1908 . The names of Hans Markusen Sande, Ole Ellingson and Rev. 0sten Hanson should be mentioned as the original purchasers of the old Alain Building, in 1878. This involved an expenditure of $10,000.00 and was an act of foresight and courage on their part which deserves to live on in fond memory. Total attendance, 1879-1923. 6,127. Pastors trained at Red Wing, 1879-1914, 177. y. Lutheran Divinity ScJwol The seminary of the Anti-Missourians, 1886-1890. Dr. M. O. Bockman and Dr. F. A. Schmidt, professors. 29 men were graduated. The school merged with Augsburg Seminar}- in 1890. 286 Norwegian People in America z. Wittenberg Normal School Rev. E. J. Homme had established at Wittenberg an orphanage, an old people's home, a printing press, a Sunday school paper, a young people's paper, an almanac, etc. He wanted also a school. Wittenberg Normal School was established as the training school for teachers within the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood. Two ex- ceptionally good teachers were secured — Knute O. Ljzfkensgaard and Peter J. Eikeland. The school was in session three years (1882-90) and had an attendance of 35, 41 and 50 boys and girls. Herman W. Sheel William Paul Sihler Frederick Zilliox 40 years Chemistry 35 years Greek 30 years Commerce Three German Professors at Norwegian Colleges ae. St. Ansgar Seminary St. Ansgar Seminary was a great school in its day, 1878-1910. The history of St. Ansgar dates from October 1, 1878, when Professor Halsten S. Houg, a teacher at Augsburg Seminary, encouraged by Revs. Johan Olsen and B. B. Gjeldaker, opened a private high school in two vacant rooms in the public school building of St. Ansgar. The school continued here for two years, and then the two following years it was conducted in two rooms above one of the down-town stores. In 1882 Professor Houg had secured the backing of the St. Ansgar Circuit of the Conference and a suitable building was erected for his school. In 1890, Knute O. Ljzfkensgaard and P. J. Eikeland of the Wittenberg Normal were added to the faculty, making six teachers. The general aim of the school was "to give to young men and women an oppor- tunity of acquiring a thorough, practical education on a Christian foundation." The total attendance at the school was 2,868. It had 56 teachers. The presidents were as follows : Halsten S. Houg, 1878-1890, later county auditor, Mitchell County, Iowa. Knute O. Lpltensgaard, 1890-1893, president elect, Gale College. The Norwegian- American Period 287 Knut Gjerset, Ph. D., 1893-1895, now professor of history, Luther College. John Olaf Sethre, A. M., 1895-1898. Deceased. L. J. Sigurd Olsen, 1898-1901, pastor, Minneapolis, Minnesota. John P. Tandberg, 1901-03, pastor, Weldon, Saskatchewan. Matias R. Odegaard, 1903-1905 (teacher, St. Ansgar, 1893- 1910), Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ivar Ramseth, 1905-1907, now pastor, Luther Valley, Wis. George T. W. Mohn, 1907-1908, now business manager, Mohn Printing Company, Northfield, Minnesota. Carl C. Swain, Ph. D., 1908-1910, president, Mayville State Normal School. a. Baptist From 1884 to 1913 the Norwegian and Danish Baptists con- ducted the Dano-Norwegian Baptist Seminary at Morgan Park, Chicago. The school had organic connection Reformed Schools with the University of Chicago and its Divin- ity School, which is Baptist. The first head of the Morgan Park school was a Dane, N. P. Jensen, 1884-1895. His first associate was a Norwegian, Edward Olsen, Ph. D., who had been professor of Greek at the University of Chicago, 1875- 1885. In 1887 Dr. Olsen was elevated to the presidency of the University of South Dakota. He lost his life on a visit to his brother, the merchant prince, S. E. Olsen of Minneapolis, in the Tribune fire, November 30, 1889. Another Norwegian, Dr. Hen- rik Gundersen, took Olsen's place at the seminary in 1887 and he became the dean of the school in 1895 upon the death of Dean Jensen. He has been assisted by a Norwegian, C. J. Ol- sen, and a Dane, Dr. Nils S. Lawdahl. In the first 20 years of its existence 170 men were in attendance, many of whom are now in the ministry Northern Baptist Seminary in Norway, Denmark, America and foreign mission fields. In 1910 the Norwegians organized a General Conference and in 1913 they established a Norwegian Seminary, which, since 1921, has been in affiliation with the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Chicago. Dr. Gundersen continues as the dean of the school and professor of New Testament Greek. 288 Norwegian People in America In the 1924 catalog of this school it is stated that there are ahout 2,000,000 Norwegians in America. "To give this people the Gospel, free from human inventions and admixtures, is both a duty and a privilege for us as Baptists. The progress, however, of our Baptist work among them, has been somewhat hampered on account of the strong attachment of the Norwegians to the Lutheran Sacramentalism in which salvation is connected with outward forms and conveyed through them. There are about 2,000 Norwegian Baptists in the United States and Canada and 40 churches. They have formed an organization called the Norwegian J. H. Johnson A. Haagensen T. Ottman Firing Norwegian Methodist Divines Baptist Conference of America, for the promotion of the welfare of the churches connected with it and for the spread of the Gospel." 1). Congregationalist In proportion to their numbers the Congregationalists spend more money on educational and missionary work than perhaps any other denomination in the world. The Mayflower people who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were Congregationalists. They developed great strength in New England and have wielded a tremendous influence throughout the whole country in all fields of thought and endeavor. Being Separatists, they naturally were interested in the early Norwegians, of whom many were Dis- senters. There was a Norwegian Congregational church organized in connection with the Tabernacle Church in Chicago in the early '80s and one in Tacoma, Washington, a little later. The present system of Norwegian Congregational congregations had its be- ginning as a result of the work originating in the Chicago Theo- logical Seminary, which was opened to Scandinavian students in 1884, with Rev. P. C. Trandberg as their teacher. Trandberg was a Danish Lutheran, who had been a dissenter in his native land, and had established there The Danish Evangelical Free Church. He was on the faculty of the Congregational School until 1890 The Norivegian- American Period 289 and then withdrew in order to found a new school, The Evangel- ical Lutheran Free Church Seminary, Chicago. This seminary he conducted until 1894. He died in 1896. In 1885 R. A. Jern- berg, a graduate of Yale, became Trandberg's assistant. Dr. Jern- berg' was a professor at the Dano-Norwegian Institute of the Chicago Theological Seminary, 1885-1916, and at its successor, Union Theological College, Chicago, 1916-1923. He was the founder of the church paper "Evangelisten" and its editor ten years, 1889-1899. Rev. O. C. Grauer has been an associate pro- fessor in the Seminary. During its first 20 years of work the school had 123 Norwegian and Danish students, of whom 52 com- pleted the full course. Six of these eventually came back into the Lutheran Church. From 1887 to 1915 21 of the graduates of this Congregational school sought admission to the ministerial ranks of the Norwegian Lutherans. c. Methodist The Norwegian-Danish Theological Seminary at Evanston, Illinois, dates from 1870, when three Norwegian Methodist pas- tors — Andrew Haagen- sen, John Henry John- son and P. H. Rye, all Norwegians, and two lay- men — Ole Wigdal and O. M. Oren, resolved that Carl Schou, then a student at Northwestern University, should start a school for those who desired to enter the Nor- wegian-Danish Method- ist ministry. C. B. Wil- lerup succeeded Schou in 1873, and after him came B. Johannesen, Marcus Nilsen and Martin Han- sen in turn. In 1886 Nels Edward Simonsen, A.M., D.D., was elected president of the semi- nary. He was connected with the school as presi- dent and teacher over 30 years. I. Ottman Firine Methodist Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois is in charge of the school at present. H. P. Bergh, John O. Hall, Tobias Foss, Herbert Hansen, Carl W. Schevenius, T. H. Loberg and AsbjoYn Smedstad 290 Norwegian People in America have been on the teaching staff at various times. The school was chartered in 1875 and obtained its own building in 1889. It has close relations with the Garrett Biblical Institute and Northwest- ern University. From 1870 to 1905 the school graduated about 45 ministers. d. Quaker The Norwegian Quakers, according to Ulvestad, maintained a school at LeGrand, Marshall County, Iowa, for a number of years. Ole T. Sawyer was the principal. The attendance, ranged from 20 to 25. a. Valdcr Business College and Normal School Founded in 1888 by Charles H. Valder, teacher of penman- ship at Luther. The first year he sent out 12,000 catalogs to country youth and they came by scores. Sub- Private Schools sequently he had up to 400 students a year. The growth of the public high schools grad- ually diminished his attendance. He had 10,000 students in all and 900 graduates. He died in 1922, and his school closed down in 1923. b. Albion Academy In 1889 Peter Hendrickson, at one time professor of Latin at Beloit College and editor of "Skandinaven," bought the Albion Academy property and re-opened the school in 1890. The attend- ance the first year was over 100 — boys and girls. In 1900 Hen- drickson sold his school to a corporation composed of sixteen Norwegian Lutheran congregations of the Norwegian Synod, and the school took a new lease of life in the fall of 1901 under the name H. A. Preus Academy, which a few years later was changed back to Albion Academy. In 1918 it closed its doors for good. Albion Academy was an old school, founded in 1854 by the Seventh Day Baptist Church, under the leadership of Dr. C. R. Head. The people of the Seventh Day faith had that year organized two academies ten miles apart — Milton Academy at Milton, and Albion Academy at Albion. These schools are only four years younger than the University of Wisconsin and nine years older than the oldest public high school in that state. They had a fairly good attendance. R. B. Anderson was added to the faculty of Albion in 1866 as teacher of languages, and the at- tendance rose by leaps and bounds. Anderson was a Norwegian and attracted the Norwegians from the neighboring Koshkonong settlements. Milton also appointed a Norwegian teacher, Edwin E. Evenson. He secured a number of students from Edgerton and Stoughton. The most outstanding of these is the well known Dr. Anthony Rud, Chicago, whose son, Anthony M. Rud, is the author of a novel, "The Second Generation." Ludwig Kumlien, The Norwegian- American Period 291 son of Thure Rumlien, the noted naturalist, was on the Milton faculty, 1889-1902. R. B. Anderson's work attracted the at- tention of Madison educators, and in 1869 he was asked to take a position at the University of Wisconsin. Anderson is the first Norwegian to hold a professorship of Scandinavian at an American university. K. A. Kasberg was a teacher at Albion in 1884-1888. Owing to the growth of the high schools, the Baptists found that they could not keep two schools going and offered Albion for sale. Professor Hendrickson bought it. In the list of its graduates are such names as Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota; Governor Alva Adams of Colorado; Hon. O. A. Buslett H. H. Boyesen Early Literary Men Kr. Janson C. V. Bardeen, judge of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin; Dr. J. F. A. Pyre, professor of English, University of Wisconsin. In 1901 Albion Academy became a church school, having been transferred to an association consisting of 16 Norwegian Lutheran congregations of that vicinity. D. G. Ristad (1901-1904), Theo. R. Ringo'en (1904-1914), and Torger C. Torgerson (1914-1918), were the presidents. In its last published catalog, 1917, the last message of this school to the Church which supported it and the world which tolerated it, we read: "While the Church recognizes the great work done by our free public schools, it nevertheless laments the fact that the spiritual nature of the student must of necessity in these schools be more or less ignored in order to conform to the laws of our free Republic. Our church schools then fill a gap in the American plan which every fair-minded citizen will be forced to admit. What the twentieth century needs more than anything else is, men and women of Christian faith and character, true to their convictions and ideals, honest and upright in all things. That is the type of men and women a Christian school always aims to develop. Having this aim, our church schools ought to commend themselves to all who have the highest interest of the young at heart." 292 Norwegian People in America c. Wraamann s Academy Wilhelm \Y. Wraamann studied at Luther College, 1868- 1869, taught at St. Ansgar Academy and Augsburg Seminary, and served as county superintendent of schools, Hennepin County, Minnesota, 1886-1888. He established in 1890, a private high school, known as Wraamann's Academy, which he was able to conduct until 1897. The school was located in South Minne- apolis, but was kept in different buildings according to the attend- ance. H. Borglund, a Swede, was the most important assistant. The strength of the school was built on Professor Wraamann's great popularity as a teacher. The last year the attendance dwindled down to 26 and the school closed. Wraamann was the author of a textbook on learning English, "Praktisk Laerebog i Engelsk." The number of Norwegians seeking a college education was on the increase. At the Norwegian Lutheran colleges the total attendance of college students in 1860 was Graduate Work 0; in 1870 it was 36; in 1880 it was 131 ; and in 1890 it was 145. A number of these were encouraged to do postgraduate work at standard universities, and others felt the urge from within to get more wisdom and win scholastic degrees. Luther College, famed for its thorough classical scholarship, took the lead. Sixteen of her grad- uates won the Master of Arts degree between 1883 and 1890. in the 70s there were only two Norwegians who attained to the Doctor of Philosophy degree. From 1881 to 1890 there were six who graduated with this degree. From 1891 to 1900 there were 15; from 1901 to 1910, 26; from 1911 to 1920, 43. From 1877 to 1925 at least 112 Norwegian-Americans became Ph.D.'s. A list of these doctors will be found in the Appendix. It is probably not complete. The following won their doctorate during this period : Anton B. Sander, Luther College, A.B., 1874; Yale, Ph.D., 1877. Magnus C. Ihlseng. A.B.. 1875. Ph.D.. 1879. Thorstein B. Veblen. Carleton, A.B., 1880; Yale, Ph.D.. 1884. Albert E. Egge, Luther, A.B., 1879; Johns Hopkins, Ph.D., 1887. Andrew Fossum, Luther, A.B., 1882 ; Johns Hopkins, Ph.D., 1887. Ole Edward Hagen, Wisconsin, A.B., 1882 ; Leipzig, Ph.D., 1890. Joseph S. Schefloe, Luther, 1885; Tohns Hopkins, Ph.D., 1890. Agnes M. Wergeland, Nissen, A.B., 1878; Zurich, Ph.D., 1890. The Norwegian- American Period 293 Sander was the first Ph.D. He was a teacher at Flushing for one year, 1877-1878, and at Luther College for one year, 1878- 1879. His subjects were Hebrew, Greek, Latin and German. He died young — only 30 years old. Ihlseng has been instructor at Pennsylvania State College and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and is a civil engineer in the employ of the New York Central. Veblen has been professor of economics at the universities of Chicago, Leland Stanford and Missouri and the New School for Social Research, New York. He has written ten or more scholarlv books on economic and social problems and is considered one of the world's greatest authorities in his field. Egge was an English philologist and teacher at St. Olaf, University of Iowa, State Col- lege of Washington and Willamette University. He died in 1919. Andrew B. Sander Agnes M. Wergeland Andrew Fossnm Andrew Fossum has been a teacher of Greek and French at St. Olaf, Park Region and Concordia Colleges and has written on the Greek theater and Norse discovery of America. He has been a wonderful pedagog in Greek. Hagen was a professor of lan- guages at the University of South Dakota, 1891-1901. Schefloe was a professor of Romance languages at Johns Hopkins. Miss Wergeland was a professor of history at the University of Wyoming. She has written two volumes of poetry and other books. She was the first Norwegian woman in the world to re- ceive a Ph.D. 7. Publications, 1860-1890 This country guarantees to its citizens freedom of speech and freedom of press. The Norwegians early made use of their privilege and right to use the press. From The Press I860 to 1890 they established no less than 169 journals — 91 news and political papers, 25 cultural and reform, 35 Lutheran religious and 18 non-Lu- theran religious. A list of these periodicals will be found in the Appendix. The aim of the newspapers was to chronicle the news of Nor- 294 Norwegian People in America way and America and as much of the rest of the world as would be of special interest to the Norwegian readers. These papers introduced the Norwegian immigrants to the ideals and practices of the Americans, recounted the best news of the Norwegian settlements and kept the Norwegians here in touch with the course of events in their former home land. They contain hundreds and thousands of little poems written by the immigrants, expressing in lyric lines their love for the land they forsook as well as their loyalty to the land they had of their own free will sworn allegiance to. They give first hand glimpses of the Norwegians at work in, B. Anundsen Gustav Amluncl John Anderson Pioneer Founders of Publishing Houses that Bear Their Names home and school, in church and state, on the broad prairies and in the busy marts. It is indeed sad to think that most of these papers have been destroyed, and of some of them there is not a single copy left in any historical depository. Only a newspaper ! Quick read, quick lost, Who sums the treasure that it carries hence? Torn, trampled under feet, who counts thy cost, Star-eyed Intelligence? It may be that the books penned by theNorwegian immigrants and their children during this period, 1860-1890, cannot be called immortal. The pioneers were as yet too busy Books with the work of clearing the ground and building the foundations of home, school, church, state, industry, society, to find time to write artistic litera- ture, belles lettres. What books they did write, were written as a rule to meet some practical requirements, to satisfy some deep- felt want. a. Theological Works Next to their homes and their work the pioneers were con- cerned about their religion. They had to be supplied with Bibles, hymn books, catechisms, postils and other Christian literature. The N or we gian- American Period 295 There was no attempt by the Lutherans to write anything in the field of Biblical theology, such as commentaries and introduction. Most of the books were written by clergymen. One bibliography enumerates 115 books by Norwegian Lutheran pastors, 1860-1890, — 26 in dogmatic theology, 38 in historical theology, and 51 in practical theology. In dogmatic theology there was consider- able writing on the subject of Predestination by such men as: N. Amlund, A. Bredesen, O. N. Fosmark, H. Halvorsen, U. V. Koren, J. I. Krohn, I. G. Monson, P. A. Rasmussen, F. A. Schmidt and H. G. Stub. A. H. Gjevre wrote on the Sabbath, O. Juul and O. J. Norby wrote on Baptism, A. Wright wrote on Redemption, N. T. Ylvisaker wrote on the Gospel and Absolution. The doctrines of the sects were analyzed by Dean C. P. Lommen Dr. H. P. K. Agersborg J. A. O. Larsen. A.M. Biology, U. of S. Dak. Zoology, Jas. Millikin U. History, U. of Wash. O. L. Kirkeberg and I. G. Monson; the religion of the lodges, by J. B. Frich and H. G. Stub. In historical theology the ground covered was general church history, the history of the synods, the story of the colleges, personal memoirs. Among the historians were such writers as: O. B. Asperheim, J. A. Bergh, S. R. Gun- nersen, S. M. Krogness, H. A. Preus, A. Weenaas, M. Shirley, J. T. Ylvisaker and J. C. Roseland. In practical theology E. K. Thuland, a "Norsk Lsesebog," 3 volumes (1882) ; B. J. I. Muus, 'Til Mine Konfirmander" (1890); K. L. Lundeby, "Fra Mis- sionsmarken i Dakota" (1884); J. A. Bergh, "Hans Egede" (1886) ; K. B. Birkeland, "Missionens Betydning for den Kristne Menighed" (1888); Georg Sverdrup, "Diakonissegjerningen" (1888); N. T. Ylvisaker, "Seks Prsedikener" (1876); F. E. Wulfsberg, "Praedikener over Kirkeaarets Evangelier" (1888); D. Lysnes, "Scrivers Sjseleskat" (1874); J. M. Eggen, "For- lovelsen" (1889); M. P. Ruh, "Guds Evige Pagt" (1874); C. O. Broliaugh, "B0rnenes Harpe" (1879) ; M. F. Gjertsen, "Hjem- landssange" (1887) ; J. P. Gjertsen, "Missionssange for Israel" (1881) ; G. Hoyme and L. Lund, "Harpen" (1878-88) ; E. Jensen, "BoYneharpen" (1883); "Scandinavian Songs" (1890), "Koral- 296 Norwegian People in America J. J. Fuhr bog" (1880); Isaac Jenson, "Nogle Aandelige Sange" (1860) ; T. S. Reime- stad, "Afholdssange" (1888) ; O. Walde- land, "Missionssalmer" (1888); M. F. Wiese, "Lidt Salmehistorie" (1879); A. Wright, "Turtelduen" (1877) ; P. G. 0st- by, "Sangbog for Bom" (1885). Of religious books by non-Lutherans mention may be made of the works of Andrew Haagensen and J. H. Johnson, Methodist pastors, and Kristofer Janson, Unitarian pastor. Haagensen was editor of the Methodist church paper "Mission- aeren," 1870-1877, of the church organ "Den Kristelige Talsmand," 1880-1884, 1890-1897. He was author of a "trench- ant volume entitled 'Methodism and Lu- theranism Compared' ; also The Norwe- gian and Danish Mission History' and an illustrated Bible history, all in the Nor- wegian language." J. H. Johnson issued a volume of sermons, "Opvaekkelses Prae- dikener," in 1880. Kr. Janson (1841- 1917) had been a poet, novelist and school teacher in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway. In 1879 and 1880 he made a visit to the United States. In 1881 he returned to become pastor of a Nor- wegian Unitarian congregation at Minneapolis. While here, he kept up his remarkably productive literary ac- A. X. Rygg P. O. Thorson Publishers and Editors Carl G. O. Hansen The Norwegian- American Period 297 tivity. Among his writings were: "Sal- mer og Sange for Kirke og Hjem," 1883 ; "Jesus-Sangene," 1893; "Lys og Frihed : Praedikener," 1892 ; "Har Ortodoxien Ret?" He published a Unitarian paper, "Saamanden," and several novels dealing with Norwegian- American life. Unitari- anism did not make very strong appeals to the Norwegians. Janson himself drifted over to Spiritualism, and the Uni- tarian congregations he founded have faded away with the exception of one, on Mt. Pisgah, at Hanska, Minnesota, served by Amandus Norman. Janson returned to Norway in 1894. The Norwegian Con- gregationalists published a hymnal that has been quite extensively used in some of the Norwegian Lutheran churches of Chicago. b. Poetry and Fiction The oldest piece of poetry written by a Norwegian-American was composed for a Fourth of July celebration on the good ship iEgir in 1837. The poet was Ole Rynning. The poem struck the key- note for two or more generations of sweet singers of Norwegian birth and descent — a love of two countries. It was entitled "Til Norge" (To Norway). The second stanza has been rendered, in free transla- tion, by Theodore C. Blegen as follows : Kr. Prestgard Wm. M. Pettersen Ton Xorstog Poets and Novelists Peer O. Stromme 298 Nonvegian People in America N. N. Ronning K. C. Holtcr Though Destiny; as Leif and Bj0rn, Call Northern son to alien West, Yet will his heart in memory turn To native mountains loved the best, As longs the heart of a lone son To his loved home once more to come. It is believed that the first Norwegian- American who seriously took up the task of writing literature was Hjalmar Hjort Boyesen. He was born in Norway in 1848 and died in New York in 1895. He immigrated to America in 1868 and was assistant editor of the Norwegian paper "Fremad," Chicago, in 1868-1871. There- upon he obtained a position as teacher of German at Urban University. Ohio* 1871- 1874; at Cornell University, 1874-1880; and at Columbia University, 1880-1895. His first book was the novel "Gunnar," a story of Norway. His first volume of poetry was "Idyls of Norwav and Other Poems," 1882. The Father of Norwegian-American Literature is Ole A. Buslett. He was born in Gausdal, Norway, May 28, 1855. Came to Northland, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, in 1868. Has been a farmer, merchant, postmaster, justice of peace, member of the legislature, editor and author. His writings are a battle for the best in Norwegian-American life. His own life was very honest and noble. On May 17, 1909, when he was at Madi- son, the state legislature adjourned to hear him give a Seventeenth of May ora- tion in the capitol. His writings have ap- peared in a great variety of periodicals. In January, 1922, he began a magazine, "Buslett's," in which he aimed to reprint these articles in 30 issues. But he died, June 5, 1924, before this goal was reached. His first book was a story, "Fram," which appeared in 1882. The next year he published two poems in book form, "Skaars Skjaebne" and "Oistein og Nora," pioneer tales in verse; also a history of the Fifteenth Wiscon- A. M. Sundheim Norwegian Publishers of Note The Norwegian- American Period 299 sin Regiment, enlarged and re-issued in 1893. These were succeeded by a six- act drama, "De To Veivisere," in 1885 ; "Digte og Sange," in 1889; a tragedy, "Et Dozens Tegn," and a comedy, "Snip- snap-snude." Most of his writings are in prose, not poetry. Other Norwegian poets in the '80s are Edvard Larssen ("Politiske RoVere," 1885), John Benson ("Ved Grv og Kveld," 1889), and Wil- helm M. Pettersen ("Digte," 1890). Boyesen was the first Norwegian to publish a novel in English. It seems that Andreas Wright was the first to publish a story in Norwegian. His allegory, "Gjenlo'ser blandt Syndere," was set up, printed and bound in 1881 in the Wright parsonage at Rushford, Minnesota, by Wright and his daughter Anna, who is now a ward school principal at Minne- apolis (Jackson and Clay Schools). In 1882 Buslett published his story "Fram" and Kristofer Janson his collection of his- torical stories, "Vore Bedsteforaeldre." Two other writers of fiction appeared — Hans A. Foss and Bernt Askevold. Boyesen's novels were all in English — "Gunnar," 1874; "Norseman's Pil- grimage," 1875 ; "Tales from Two Hem- ispheres," 1876; "Falconberg," 1878; "Against Heavy Odds," 1880; "Ilka on the Hill Top," 1881; "Oueen Titania," 1882; "A Daughter of the Philistines," 1883; "Norseland Tales," 1884; "A Dar- ing Fiction," 1885; "The Modern Vik- ings," 1887. Buslett's tales are in Nor- wegian — "Rolf Hagen," 1893 ; "Saga- stolen," 1900; "Folkefaerd og Dumfaerd," 1908; "Glans-om-sol," 1911. Kr. Janson's chief aim seemed to be to undo the work of the Norwegian Synod pastors, never- theless his stories are very interesting — "Praeriens Saga," 1885; "Vildrose," 1887; "Et Arbeidsdyr," 1889; "Bag Gar- dinet," 1890; and others. His wife, Drude Krog Janson, published in 1887 a novel entitled "En Ung Pige" ; in 1888 Four Editors of Lutheraneren Thore Eggen J. M. Sundheim 300 Norwegian People in America she had another novel ready, "Ensomhed," and in 1894, yet another, "En Saloonkeepers Datter." Another woman writer, Ingrid Berrum, made quite a success with her idyllic "Familien paa Stjerneklip," published late in the '80s. H. A. Foss is a newspaper man. He has edited "Nordmanden," Grand Forks, and "Nye Nor- manden," Minneapolis, and other journals. Born in 1851, he emigrated from Norway in 1878. He taught school and worked as a farm hand. In the winter of 1884 he wrote his "Husmands- gutten," which he published first as a serial in "Decorah Posten." The story was popular. It increased the subscription list of "Decorah Posten" by 6.000 new subscribers in one winter. It is still a good seller in book form. In 1885 he wrote "Kristine." Later he wrote "Livet i Vesterheimen," "Hvide Slaver," and "Den Amerikanske Saloon." The last mentioned book has been Amandus Norman Unitarian Dr. R. A. Jernberg Congregationalist Dr. Henrik Gundersen Baptist translated into English by J. J. Sk^rdalsvold and bears the title, "Tobias, a Story of the Northwest." It is perhaps Foss's best work. Askevold's "Familien paa Skovsaet," "I de Gamles Sted," "Et Barns DoM" and "Trang Vei" are worthy stories by a worthy pastor. c. Other Books Books cover many fields besides theology, poetry and fiction, but not many of these were cultivated during this period. Boyesen tried his hand at history and literary criticism. His "Story of Norway" (1876) is found in public school and private libraries generally; it was written 1,000 years after the Norsemen dis- covered Greenland (America). His standard book on "Goethe and Schiller" (1879) has been translated into German, Norwegian and Russian. His work on Ibsen (1893) was sold out within ten years — cannot now be had at any price. His "Essays on Scandinavian Literature" (1895) is a work of the first order. Knud Henderson was the first Norwegian in America to teach Norwegian singing school and the first to write a "Koralbog" (Choral book) and instruction books for playing and singing The Norwegian- American Period 301 J. Dorrum O. E. R0lvaag Professors of Norwegian J. A. Holvik (1865). Emil J. Petersen wrote a text book in shorthand in 1886, and H. Roalkvam wrote a text book in catechetics in 1881. These were forerunners to a many-sided literary activity in the Third Period, 1890-1925, when the Norwegians have become thoroughly acclimatized and have leisure to write. 8. Miscellaneous Matters A number of other interesting and vital topics belong to the history of this period, such as, occupations, publishing houses, foreign missions, home missions, charitable institutions, associa- tions, science and art, home life, public life, representative men and women, relative place and influence, but space does not permit any discussion at all. "The half has never yet been told." Some day these noble deeds of the Norwegians in America will be adequately written up. And many of them will live in the memory of the nation. For the good deed, through the ages Living in historic pages, Brighter grows and gleams immortal, Unccnsumed by moth or rust. F. L. Tronsdal Taaraand Vik Julius J. Hopperstad Book and Subscription Agents Laurits Selmcr Swenson Minister of the U. S. to Norway Helmer H. Bryn Minister of Norway to the U. S. Chapter VII AMERICAN PERIOD, 1890-1925 The third period of the century that we are reviewing may be called the American Period. It begins around the year 1890 and occupies 35 years of time. In this period we shall find that the Norwegians in America are far more American than Nor- wegian and that they are assuming positions of trust and influence in state and nation as though they were to the manor born. In 1925, at least five of the 48 governors of the United States happen to be Norwegian and a sixth governor is Norwegian in his re- mote ancestry. In the Norwegian Period, no Norwegian could ever have reached the governor's chair. Such things do not happen. In the Norwegian-American Period, it might have happened, but it didn't. In the American Period, there is no reason why it should not happen. to a man of Norwegian descent as well as to a des- cendant of Irish or English forebears. The Norwegians in this period are in every way native to the American soil just as their fathers before them were born and bred in America. They are Americans all, even if one-half of them still can speak Norwegian and are familiar with Norwegian culture. They are 100 per cent Americans even if they all nourish kindly thoughts of the land of the North that gave birth to their grandsires. It can be truly said even of the immigrant, theNorwegian of The American Period 303 the Norwegian Period, if you please, that he, too, can be 100 per cent American, notwithstanding all the unjust things which have been said to the contrary during the recent War and since. Speaking on this point, Kristian Prestgard very aptly remarks : "Lately much has been spoken and written about this matter, but the amount of nonsense which has been uttered reveals an astonishing ignorance of the difficult position of the immigrant. I do not refer merely to the hysterical absurdity to which we were treated during the war. But even highly cultivated and intelligent men and women have talked away about these things without thinking. Even former President Roosevelt, who was such First Norwegian Church Built in Washington, at Stanwood, 1878, Destroyed by Fire, 1892 a master in coining striking phrases, said once that it was just as impossible to love two countries at the same time, as to be faith- ful to two women. Now, I am sure that I am 'in no way an ex- ception when I state that I have loved two women at the same time, and that, as far as I know, I have been faithful to both. One of them was my mother; the other, my wife. It has never occurred to me that I loved my wife less because I also loved my mother, and I am sure that President Roosevelt would have said the same. But without thinking he coined a phrase that has done great harm." Now, if it can be said of an immigrant that he can be 100 per cent American and still be deeply attached to the land he for- sook, it surely ought to be true of the Norwegians of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth generations born on American soil and carefully nurtured in American ideals. "The American-born Nor- wegians would love America even if they had never been taught to do so. It is natural for a man to love his native land, as natural as for him to care for his kith and kin. 304 Norwegian People in America Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land ! Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned, From wandering on a foreign strand ! 1. Historical Background, 1890-1925 Modern civilization, through railroads and telegraphs, through steamships and cable-grams, through airplanes and radio, tends to draw mankind closer together in under- Europe standing and sympathy and unity of purpose. It should make it easier to understand the Gospel message that all men are brothers. But, sad to say, national rivalries and antipathies have been developing alongside the growth in internationalism. The countries of Europe have been promoting patriotism at any cost, deifying their own flags, and engaging in a mad race to get ahead of their neighbors in the amount of land possessions and the ability to fight. America has been just as imprudent as the European powers. When Roose- velt visited Norway, he addressed the Norwegian Storthing. "If you want peace," said he, "prepare for war. Prepare so well that they will not dare to touch you." Meanwhile, the nations of Europe had been pursuing a policy of intense national expansion. They built up their countries internally and then looked around for colonies to annex. Ger- many was most aggressive in her industrial and commercial work, rapidly gaining on England, which had held the lead for a cen- tury. There was a good deal of war talk and much preparing for war. Carnegie endowed a Peace Palace and kept a Peace Tribunal at the Hague, but the commissioners who were sent there returned home only to find that their countries were going into militarism and navalism w T orse than ever. Carnegie wrote strong tracts to prove that we could never again have a war be- cause we were so highly civilized and had so much commercially at stake, but he let his factories construct warships and manufac- ture ammunition. The nations were afraid of one another in spite of the influences toward internationalism. Germany, Austria and Italy in 1882 formed a Triple Alliance to go to each other's assistance in case of need. France and Russia promptly made a Dual Alliance, in 1884, and England joined them informally in a Triple Entente. So the great powers of Europe were aligned in these two hostile bands. They had sown the wind and in due season they reaped the whirlwind. During the intense race for national improvement from 1890 to 1914, when the war broke out, times were very good in Ger- manv and England, and the emigration was reduced very ma- terially. In the decade 1881-1890, 1,452,970 Germans came to The American Period 305 America, while in the decade 1891-1900, only 543,922 arrived here, and in 1901-1910, only 341,498. The falling off of English emigrants was also great. Now the War is over, leaving so much wreckage in its trail, many would naturally like to get away from all their war debts and sorrows, and start anew here in America. Our immigration which was much reduced during the war, would be larger in volume than ever before. But there are at least two factors which have kept the Central Europeans at home : They have been too poor to come, and we limited the number of those who may enter. Norway was one of the few countries that did not enter the World war. Like the rest of Scandinavia, Norway maintained its neutrality throughout those terrible years, Norway 1914-1918. On the whole Norway fared well during the war and has made much material progress since 1890. The greatest event in this period is the peaceful negotiation with Sweden and the house of Oscar II, which resulted in the separation of Norway from Sweden, in 1905. Norway was an independent nation before the separation, but since the separation this fact does not have to be asserted and proved in season and out of season. The country has wit- nessed a phenomenal industrial growth since 1905. There have been hard times, especially since the War. The newer arrivals from Norway are as a rule city bred people and they prefer to settle in the cities. In the United States, since 1890, Benjamin Harrison (1889- 1893), Grover Cleveland (1893-1897), William McKinley (1897- 1901), Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), Wil- America H am H. Taft (1909-1913), Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921), Warren G. Harding (1921- 1923), and Calvin Coolidge (1923 ) have been elected to the presidency of the country. Vast changes have taken place during the 35 years here marked off. Under Harrison the McKinley Protective Tariff (1890) was passed. By means of this law the trusts of the United States have been protected at the expense of the consumer, and a fine crop of millionaires was produced. Roosevelt was made a civil service commissioner in 1890, and he was able to rally fresh enthusiasm about him in the hope of getting reforms in an "orgy of spoils/' Under Cleveland the Columbian Exposition was held in Chi- cago in 1893. The attendance was 27,000,000. The fair brought the world to Chicago and Chicago to the world. The world went Columbus-mad. A secret order, the Knights of Columbus, was organized in 1882 within the Roman Catholic Church, and a Columbus Day as a legal holiday was inaugurated 306 Norwegian People in America in many states. The references to Leif Erikson in the school histories were weeded out of most of them. Men sneered at the idea that the Viking could have crossed the ocean in an open boat. Spain decided to make three ships exactly like the three of Columbus fame and they were towed to America by a man-of- war. The pride of the Norseman, Magnus Andersen, was hurt. He would vindicate the historical name and fame of his native land on the seas. He made an exact replica of the Viking ship found at Gogstad, and with eleven men sailed over to the United States without the aid of anything except a small sail and twelve pairs of oars plied by twelve pairs of stout arms. They left Bergen May 1, 1893, and reached New London, Vinland, June 13, after 44 days' sailing, — "with Jesus in the boat," as F. T. Bullen says in his book "With Christ at Sea." Norway did not take any notice of the deed of Captain Magnus Andersen until 25 years later, and then not until Captain The Viking Boat, 1893 Rasmus E. Rasmussen Andersen himself had given an anniversary dinner to the sur- vivors of the expedition. America was for the moment very enthusiastic about the success of the venture and greeted the boat as it sailed up to the Chicago Exposition Grounds with the boom- ing of cannon. The American historians paid no attention to the feat and gradually eliminated from the American consciousness the story of the Norsemen five centuries before the coming of Columbus. A student at Luther College, high school trained, said to his teacher : "The story of the Norse voyages is a myth. You believe it because you want to." Although Andersen's boat is on exhibition at Lincoln Park, Chicago, the possibility and prob- ability of the Viking voyages is generally scoffed at. A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still. History is made to order, and it is hard to recast it. One of the twelve who rowed over in 1893, Rasmus E. Rasmussen, fell in love with America and finally made it his home. He became a slum mis- sionary in Brooklyn and like Hercules cleaned out abodes of the Devil in Hamilton Avenue. He exchanged his sailor's togs for The American Period 307 the pastor's frock. He died in 1912 as a Lutheran pastor at Cox, South Dakota. His son, Elias, was a pastor in Chicago, 1914- 1921, and since 1921 he has been located at Windom, Minnesota. The financial panic of 1893-1896 hit the country under Cleve- land. There was a revolt of the West. Coxey's Army marched on to Washington. For many years the farmers had been organiz- ing themselves under various names, to discuss matters belonging to their occupation and interests. They organized the People's Party and demanded many reforms that were sorely needed. They agreed with the Democrats in thinking that the free coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one would be a cure for the panic and voted for William Jennings Bryan for president. Bryan was then a young man, whose marvellous speech "The Cross of Gold," won him instantaneously national recognition and the presidential Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home, Brooklyn, N. Y. C. O. Pedersen, Rector, Mathilde Gravdahl, Supt. of Nurses nomination. His progressive views and noble life have endeared him to the Norwegians, even when they have felt that it would be more practical to vote for a Republican candidate. McKinley advocated a full dinner pail a la Mark Hanna on the gold stan- dard basis, and won the election. During McKinley's presidency the Spanish-American War was fought, and since then America has been obliged to have an imperialistic policy. Under Roosevelt there was some attempt made to curb the trusts. He advocated the conservation of natural resources — for- ests, coal, oil, gas, parks. He got the Panama Canal built, though not completed before 1914. During Taft's peaceful reign Marconi succeeded in sending wireless messages through 'the air and the Wright brothers took the lead in inventing ships that could navigate the air. Wilson "kept us out of the War" during his first term and 308 Norwegian People in America brought us into it as soon as he was re-elected. The entrance of America seemed to have been the most decisive factor in ending the War. The American effort includes 4,000,000 men drafted, $21,850,000,000.00 spent, and 50,572 deaths in action. Another bumper crop of millionaires was produced by the War, an increase of nearly 300 per cent. The number who had a net income of $50,000.00 and over in 1918 was 43,037; 67 of these had a per- sonal income of $1,000,000.00 and over. Harding called the country back to normalcy again and Coo- lidge is doing his best to keep down the taxes. This period has been one of great advances in almost all ma- terial lines. The best prairie lands have all been taken, and people are flocking to the cities. The farmer may think that he has not received his just share of the labor of his hands, still he lives in a modern house, and drives his Ford or Buick as proudly as his town brother. The changes in town life are just as notice- able as are those in the country. Houses and streets are better. Candles and oil lamps are replaced by gas jets and electric lamps. Pianos and victrolas are a thousand times more common than spinning wheels. Schools provide ample education for everybody. The daily news is delivered free to the farmer as to the towns- man. Libraries freely dispense the best books and magazines. Industrial workers have reduced the hours of labor from 16 to 8 hours per day and have increased the minimum wage. Child labor is restricted. Immigration is checked by a network of "ver- botens." A number of successful expositions, national in scope, have been held, each one adding a chapter to the story of amazing- progress in the United States. The Chicago Fair in 1893 was a world's fair and one of the most impressive. In many ways the succeeding fairs have even surpassed the great Columbian. In 1895 the Atlanta Exposition, in 1898 the Omaha, in 1901 the Buffalo, in 1904 the St. Louis, in 1905 the Lewis and Clark at Portland, in 1907 the Jamestown, in 1909 the Alaska-Yukon, in 1915 the Panama-Pacific at San Francisco and San Diego, in 1920 the Plymouth, in 1921 the America's Making at New York, each has tried to tell from some point of view the most up-to- date story of progress, the like of which the pioneer fathers never dreamt. Cleng Peerson's dream has been realized, thirty, sixty, a hundred fold. Soli Deo gloria. And "God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask and think" (Eph. 3:20). 2. Norwegian Immigration, 1891-1924 The census figures for emigration from Norway and im- migration to the United States never agree. The discrepancies during this period vary from 2 in 1907^ to 4,005 in 1905. The The American Period 309 Norwegian statistics include all who leave Norway for any for- eign lands — United States, Canada, Australia, etc. And yet the Norwegian statistics are often considerably smaller than the ac- tual number of Norwegians registered at the American ports of entry. For example, in 1908 Norway lost by emigration 8,497, but we gained by immigration of Norwegians 12,412 and Canada gained approximately 2,000 that year. That is, 5,915 more people are recorded as having arrived in the United States and Canada from Norway than actually left Norway. In 1909 the United States received only 12,627 of the 16,152 who emigrated from Norway. The comparative tables are given herewith. COMPARATIVE IMMIGRATION TABLES Year 1891, 1892 i893 1894 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. 1899, 1900. u. s. Norway Discrepancy Immigration Emigration U. S. Statistics Statistics Larger Smaller 12,568 I3,34i 773 14,325 17,049 2,724 15,515 18,778 3,263 9,111 5,642 3,469 7,58i 6,207 i,374 8,885 6,679 2,306 5,842 4,669 i,i73 4,938 4,859 79 6,705 6,699 6 9,575 10,931 i,356 95,045 94,854 8,307 8,116 12,248 12,745 497 17,484 20,343 2,859 24,461 . 26,784 2,323 22,808 22,264 544 25,064 21,059 4,005 21,730 21,967 237 22,133 22,135 2 12,412 8,497 3,915 12,627 16,152 3,525 17,538 18,912 1,374 -1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1005. 1906. 1907. 1908. 1909. 1910. 1901-1910 188,505 190,858 8,464 10,817 1891-1910 283,550 285,712 16,771 i8,933 1891-1918 343,503 339,220 25,151 20,968 the 27-year period, These comparative figures show, in 1891-1918, a discrepancy of 4,283 in favor of the United States. That is, the United States has received 4,283 more Norwegians than emigrated from Norway. These must have, like the famous Sloop baby, Margaret Allen Larsen, been born on the passage across! In 1911 Canada made a census -of the birthplace of her people. Also the same in 1921. In 1911 14,354 of the Canadian citizens were born in Norway ; in 1921, 68,856. Some of these may have come into Canada by wav of the States, but not all of them. 310 Norwegian People in America The census statistics for Norway in this period are therefore manifestly too small. It should be noted that the immigration from Norway as well as from other countries fluctuates with the business cycle. When times are hard in America, immigration is slight; when times are good, immigration is heavy. Good times over there keeps people at home. Hard times brings them to us. Hunger breaks down stone walls. Money makes the mare go. 3. Norwegian Population, 1890-1925 A question often asked, but never answered satisfactorily, is : How many Norwegians are there in America ? It is hard to answer for several reasons : Madison Normal School, E. R. Rorem, President (1) The census lists only two generations of Norwegians — those born in Norway, who came here as immigrants (1st genera- tion) and their children born here (2nd generation). The census counts all children born af native-born parents as Americans. (2) In the case of mixed marriages no inquiry is made beyond the 1st generation. Mixed marriages are on the increase among all the generations. Thus, in the earlier periods practically all Norwegian men were married to Norwegian women and vice versa. In 1890 0.16 per cent of the marriages — only one out of 600 — among the immigrants were mixed — Norwegian husband and Swedish wife, Danish husband and Norwegian wife, etc. In 1910 the number of mixed marriages among the 1st generation had increased to 8.4 per cent; in 1920, to 11.2 per cent. In 1890, 11.1 per cent of the Norwegians born here secured a help- meet from some other nationality; in 1900, 22.9 per cent; in 1910, 28.6 per cent ; and in 1920, 33.8 per cent. In the third generation the tendency to secure a spouse from some other race is still greater, and in the fourth, fifth, and sixth generations marriage The American Period 311 with a Norwegian is the exception, not the rule. Very few of the Slooper descendants have married Norwegians. None of the 57 descendants of Lars Larson has married a Norwegian; only one of the 36 descendants of Qle Johnson had a Norwegian mate. The blood of a dozen nationalities flows in the veins of the Ros- dails; B. F. Stangland has been in the public eye of New York and Rochester for 50 years, but nobody knew that he was a Nor- wegian until the other day when he was mentioned in an article on the Sloopers by Mrs. Anna Danielson Parker of Kendall. His mother was an American and all the rest of the Stanglands have married outside of the Norwegian race. It is impossible to esti- mate correctly how many persons have a Norse strain. The white population in 1820 was 7,866,297. If we use two as the multiplier on the number representing the 1st two genera- tions of immigrant population, which is approximately the same as the total immigration during the century, then we shall still have a balance of over 22,000,000 whites to account for. They can be accounted for by supposing that while the immigrants have doubled their numbers, the 7,866,297 who lived in this country in 1820, have trebled their numbers. Three times 7,866,297 equals 23,598,891. This was the size of the old colonial stock in 1920. Even C. S. Burr, who is particularly biased toward the Anglo- Saxons, in his "America's Race Heritage," does not call for a much larger figure than this. He says that 25,046,962 is a fair approximation in the year 1920 for the descendants of the Old Immigration, that is, the white population of 1820. (3) The census depends for its correctness on the complete- ness and accuracy of the returns. It was not popular after the War to have been born in a foreign land or to be of foreign descent other than British. Looking at the census returns, one is forced to think at least that there must have been some pretty tall lying during the taking of the census. But people want to know how many Norwegians there are in America, and so many guesses have been ventured, ranging from 1,000,000 to 5,000,000. The two following methods are given as being fairly scientific and reasonably accurate : In 1920 the foreign white stock in the United States numbered 36,398,958, made up of 13,712,754 foreign-born and 22,686,204 native born of foreign-born parentage. Since Method of 1820 the immigration to the United States Multipliers has been very heavy. During the 100 years from 1820-1919 the white immigrants totaled 31,200,103. The immigrants raise large families. Counting the immigrant parents who came as the 1st generation, then from three to six generations have lived in this country. Some of the Norwegian Slooper families, for example, have six generations. 312 Norwegian People in America The census accounts for only the first two generations. On the basis of individual studies of families, it is reasonable to sup- pose that the census returns for the two generations can be multi- plied by two as a general average multiplier. For the newer races — Russians, Italians, Austrians — this multiplier is too high; for the older races — English, Irish, German — this is too small. For the Norwegians it is just right. They have been coming the whole century and belong rather to the Old Immigration than the New. Now, two times 1,023,225, the census statistics of Norwegians for 1920 equals 2,046,445, an estimate of Norwegians in 1920. Another way is to estimate the number of Norwegians in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth generations of each census and add these numbers to the census returns. The Method of estimate must be based on a fixed reasonable Generations standard, as, for example, five children to each Norwegian family. Adopting this standard, one arrives at the following conclusion : NORWEGIAN POPULATION BY GENERATIONS First Generation (Census) Year Norwegians Year Norwegians 1830 100 1880 181,729 1840 1,000 1890 322,665 1850 12,678 1900 338,426 i860 43,995 1910 403,858 1870 114,246 1920 362,174 Second Generation (Census) 1830 5 1880 109,037 1840 100 1890 273,466 1850 1 ,902 1900 449,410 i860 io,999 1910.. 575,241 1870 45,698 1920 661,174 Third Generation (Estimate) 1850 2 1890 48,651 i860 64 1900 167,912 1870 1,261 1910 446,202 1880 9,503 1920 989JH Fourth Generation (Estimate) 1870 11 1900 6,136 1880 32 1910 36,250 1890 673 1920 151,613 Fifth Generation (Estimate) 1890 o 1910 370 1900 17 J 920 3,714 Sixth Generation (Estimate) 1910 o 1920 12 The American Period 313 Total Nonvegians 1st 2nd Year Gen. Gen. 1830 100 5 184O I, OCX) 100 1850 12,678 1,002 i860 43,995 io,999 1870 114,246 45,698 1880 181,246 109,037 1890 322,665 273,466 1900 338,426 449,410 1910 403,858 575,241 1920 362,051 661,174 3rd Gen. 2 64 1,261 9,503 48,651 167,912 446,202 989,711 4th Gen. 1 (>73 6,136 36,250 151,613 5th Gen. 6th Gen. 17 37o 3,794 Total 105 1,100 14,582 55,058 161,206 300,301 645,455 961,901 1,561,921 2,168,355 I3t Generation 362051 2nd Generation 661.174 3rd Generation 989.711 4th Generation 151,615 5th Generation 5,794 6th Generation \Z Norwe§i&n:> in America, 1920, By Generations The increase of the white population in the United States has varied from 35.8 per cent in 1790-1800 to 16.0 per cent in 1910- 1920. If the normal increase of the Norwegians is 20.0 per cent for a decade or 2 per cent per year, then in the years 1920-1925 they will have increased 10 per cent, or 216,835. The total Nor- wegians in 1925 is then 2,385,290. This makes no allowance for intermixture of races. Allowing for those who are partly Nor- wegian, the total will far exceed the 2,500,000 mark. Ragnvald J^nsberg, chief of the Statistical Central Bureau of Norway, has published a similar calculation, which the writer did not come across until he had made his own. Jo'nsberg allows for onlv five generations and keeps down his total in 1920 to 1,532,000—362.000 (1st), 597,000 (2nd), 450,000 (3rd), 120,000 (4th), 30,000 (5th). The writer has found 25 Rosdails belonging to the sixth generation. O. E. Rolvaag made a canvass of the St. Olaf students and found the third generation largest, in harmony with the above estimate. The American Period 315 4. Norwegian Settlements, 1890-1925 In this third period there have been several movements of the Norwegians into the western counties of North Dakota and South Dakota and the northern counties of Wisconsin and Minnesota; into all the counties of Montana, Idaho and Washington and other parts of the Far West; clear up into remotest Alaska and far down into the Sunny South — Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, etc. ; and, last, but not least, into Canada — Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. On page 315 is a map showing where the Norwegians lived in 1910, in the United States and Canada. This map indicates by shad- ing the density of the larger settlements. The heaviest shading shows the greatest Norwegian population. In the other counties the Norwegian Land in Central Alberta, 1904 census population of the first and second generations are given for the United States, and for Canada the census population of Norwegians born in Norway is multiplied by four. About 50 per cent of the Norwegians living in Canada were born in the United States and are therefore not listed in the Canadian census as Nor- wegians, but as Americans. Foreign-born Norwegians plus their children, plus the Norwegians counted as Americans, make a number three or four times the census figures. The map shows that the Norwegians are found in 1949 out of 2938 counties of the United States and in 164 out of 218 pro- vincial districts of Canada — in 66.3 per cent of the American coun- ties, 75.2 per cent of the Canadian districts. In the most north- eastern corner of Quebec — Rimouski Provincial District (county) — they located four foreign-born Norwegians in 1911. In the most southeastern corner of Florida — Dade County — in 1910 10 316 Norwegian People in America R. Bogstad (26) N. J. Hong (25) Hans Allen (22) Norwegians were found. Way clown in San Diego County, Cali- fornia, to the southwest, the census reports have discovered 339 Norwegians. Far up to the northwest in the remotest regions of British Columbia lies Comox-Atlin Provincial District, with 3,644 Norwegians. There are 3,156 counties and districts (counties) in America. Norwegians of the first generation have found their way into 2,113 of them. They are rovers and pioneers as of old. A census of the Scandinavian pioneers of Alberta was taken in 1904. The accompanying map of the land holdings by Nor- wegians in Central Alberta was made at that time. The pioneer days of Alberta were pioneer days, with the hardships and pri- vations incident to such conditions. Excepting for the C. P. (Canadian Pacific Railroad) crossing Lower Alberta and sending a sideline up to Edmonton, the country had no railroads. Many of the farmers had 100 to 150 miles to town. There were few roads, and they were abominable. Central Alberta was full of woods and swamps and lakes, and it sometimes took a whole day to cross a creek with a wagon. A man had been to Edmonton to get a load of provisions. It took two weeks to go to town. When he came within 14 miles H. S. Houg (21) J. P. Fossum (18) Carl Tyssen (17) Academy Principals, with Years of Service The American Period 317 O. O. L0kcnsgaard (16) A. H. Solheim (14) K. O. Eittreim (14) of his home, while crossing a stream his wagon tipped over, and his flour, sugar and other supplies were gone in the twinkling of an eye. A Galician woman chanced to be there when he was crossing. She stopped. Out there one could travel a whole day and not see a human being, therefore any kind of person, Nor- wegian, Galician, Indian or what-not, was a precious sight to be- hold. This woman understood the cost and sacrifice represented by the overturned load, so she stripped off some clothes and dived into the icy waters and fetched up sack after sack and package upon package. The Norwegian said "Thank you" and "Mange tak," in as many languages and gestures as he could invent, and bade goodbye with the feeling that "these foreigners" are not all bad anyhow. Out there in the wilderness was a little store surrounded by marsh and fen. The storekeeper related that in the early spring his place is situated in the midst of a lake. "Do you then have any trade in the spring?" "Certainly. Why, the first day that I discovered that I had located in a lake, two women came to my store in the afternoon. I asked them if they had a boat. They said no. I asked how thev had come across. Thev said thev had C. B. Helgen (14) A. O. B. Molldrcm (13) H. E. Jorgensen (12) Academy Principals, with Years of Service 318 Norwegian People in America H. A. Ustrud, S. Dak. J. G. Halland, N. Dak. C. G. Lawrence, S. Dak. State Superintendents of Schools waded. I asked how they escaped getting wet. They said: 'We carried our clothes and shoes over our heads.' ' Such was pioneer life in 1904. And these pioneers lived in log cabins and sod cellars as their fathers had done in South Dakota and their grandfathers in Wisconsin. Their farm tools were not quite as primitive. Still, some of the settlers were obliged to use primitive tools. Hakon C. Norlie made his own wagon and plow. He made even the hinges and knobs on the door of his house, and everything that he made was very well done. The horses and cattle imported from the States died of swamp fever, and much sickness raged among the settlers too. A little girl broke her arm in several places. It happened in early March when the country resembled a vast lake. It happened on a cold, rainy day. Her father picked her up and carried her in the dead of night on a pony's back to the home of a country doctor 15 miles away. He was happy when he found the doctor at home. The pioneer doctor, like the pioneer pastor and store keeper, has gladdened many a soul. The Norwegian people in Alberta felt keenly the loss of their wonted church services. They began to organize Sunday Schools, J. A. Widtsoe, Ph.D.. LL.D.Aven Nelson, Ph.D. Pres., U. of Utah Pres., U. of Wyo. Edward Olsen, Ph.D. Pres., U. of S. Dak. The American Period 319 Gertrude M. Hilleboe, Elsa Ueland Beatrice Olson, A. M. A. M. Pres., Carson College Dean U. of N. Dak. Dean, St. Olaf College ladies' aids and congregations. They made use of their best lay preachers to expound the Word unto them and sent for regularly ordained pastors to come over and help them. As soon as they could — scarcely ten years after they had begun to settle in Alberta — , they founded a college in their midst — Camrose College — at Camrose, now a thriving town of 1,892 people. In 1904 there was no town there at all. Many of the Norwegian names end in "son" — "Anderson," "Johnson," etc. These are good names, but the Alberta land of- ficials found trouble in keeping track of the many "sons." So they recommended that the names in "son" be changed — not to Smith and Jones, but to Norwegian place names — Groven, Ekland, Ostrom, Kjo'sness, Bjerke, Levang, etc. Near Camrose lived a Norwegian. Before going over to this man's farm, the census enumerator asked about him, his name, and the like. "Well, his name had been So'renson," said the informant, "but he has fol- lowed the custom here of changing it." "And what is his name now?" "His name now? It is Olson," was the reply. J. O. Evjen, Ph. D. V. O. Skyberg, A. M Pres., Mayville Normal Gallaudet College C. C. Swain, Ph. D. Pres., Mayville Normal 320 Norwegian People in America Manitoba is the most easterly of the prairie provinces of Canada and the first to be rated as a province. It is iii area four times as large as Iowa, having 231,926 square Manitoba miles of land and 19,906 square miles of water surface. It is twice the size of the British Isles. It became a province in 1870. It is typically an agricultural country, especially on the southern plains. Lake Winnipeg is situated in the heart of the province and abounds in fish. East and north of this lake the country is rough and covered with woods. Copper mining and lumbering are as yet infant industries which are bound to grow to lusty manhood. Winnipeg, the capital, had a population of 241, in 1871 ; 7,985, in 1881 ; 25,639 in 1891 ; 42,340, in 1901; 136,035, in 1911; and 179,087, in 1921. It is the third largest city in the Dominion, being surpassed only by- Montreal and Toronto. The provincial government of Manitoba resembles that of Saskatchewan and Alberta. There is a lieutenant governor, ap- pointed by the government at Ottawa. He holds office five years. He is assisted by a cabinet, consisting of a minister of public works, an attorney general, a minister of agriculture, a provincial treasurer and a provincial secretary.. In local matters there is much self-government, as in the United States, but the laws are more strictly obeyed and enforced. Laws in Canada seem to be meant to be observed. The Norwegians are said to have made their first settlement in Manitoba in 1887. at Brown, near the Dakota line. B. O. Holo, of Sogn. came to Brown from Pembina County, North Dakota. Holo was a veteran of the Civil War and well acquainted with pioneer hardships. Jacob Spangelo, Nils O. Vigen, Ole B. Nelson, Knud Halvorsen, Gisle K. Gundersen, Halvor Halvorsen. Thore Halvorsen, and Lars H. Lien are other first settlers mentioned by Martin Ulvestad in his great work "Nordmsendene i Amerika" (The Norwegians in America). These first settlers established a post office called Nummedal, in honor of the district in Norway from which most of them hailed. The Norwegian foreign-born population of the provincial districts of Manitoba for 1911 and 1921 was as follows: District 191 1 1921 Dirtrict 191 ] 1921 Brandon 33 114 Winnipeg Centre . 405 489 Dauphin 144 159 Winnipeg North . ... 183 Lisgar 49 221 Winnipeg South ... ... 246 MacDonald 273 132 Xeepawa 84 Marquette 150 517 Xelson ... 165 Portage la Prairie. 19 197 Springfield 239 Provencher 118 452 — — Selkirk 203 905 1434 4203 Souris 40 100 The American Period 321 Camrose College J. J. Akre Martha 0stens0 Henrik Voldal Pres. Norw. Luth. Winnipeg Founder of Det Norske Church, Canada Winner of $13,500.00 Selskab and For Literary Prize Faedrearven Outlook College 322 Norwegian People in America Manitoba has been the favorite province of the Icelanders. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the artic explorer, recently voted the most distinguished alumnus of the University of North Dakota, was born in the Icelandic settlement of Arnes in Manitoba. Martha 0stens0\ the Norwegian girl who in 1924 won the $13,500.00 "Pictorial Review" Prize for the best novel (the Curtis Brown Prize), was born in Bergen, Norway, but had her training at the University of Manitoba. There were 1,500 contestants for the prize, but she won out. Her plot is taken from a little Icelandic settlement in Manitoba. Her story, "Wild Geese," will be filmed. Icelandic immigration to America began in 1870. The first company settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rev. Jon Bjarnason, D.D., an Icelander, educated in Iceland, came to the United States in 1873, was engaged as a professor at Luther College 1874-1875, was editor of "Budstikken," Minneapolis, 1875-1877, and then he moved to Ny Island, a little settlement of Icelanders on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. Rev. Paul Thorlaksson of the Nor- wegian Synod organized the Vidalius, Flotsbygd, Gudbrands, Hallgrims and Winnipeg congregations in 1876. T. K. Thorvil- son, J. P. 0ien, T. Castberg, A. H. Bergford, Otto Lock, S. G. Nelson, A. O. B. Molldrem, L. M. Skunes, R. Bogstad, J. K. Lerohl, O. H. Haugen, G. A. Sovde, Olof Olson, A. O. Breivik, S. O. Vangstad, H. H. Hagen, J. J. Akre, are some of the Nor- wegian Lutheran pastors who have brought the Good News to the Norwegians of Manitoba. 29 Norwegian congregations have been established. Rev. R. O. Sigmond is a Norwegian pastor, formerly of Staten Island, N. Y., now on the faculty of Jon Bjarnason Academy, Winnipeg. Saskatchewan is a province situated right west of Manitoba, and of nearly the same size — 242,808 square miles of land and 8,892 of water. It became a province in 1905. Saskatchewan The country consists for the most part of open rolling prairie at an average altitude of 1,500 feet above sea level, while in the north it assumes a more broken aspect, and is abundantly watered by lakes and rivers and rich in coal and timber resources. The south is almost treeless. Saskatchewan is the greatest wheat producing state in America. In 1921 it had over 12,000,000 acres sown to wheat, one-sixth as great an acreage as the total wheat fields of the United States, and its wheat yield is 18% of the total of that of the United States, and of better quality, No. 1 hard. Norwegian farmers are scattered all over the Saskatchewan plains and take the lead in wheat raising. The total number of Norwegians in Saskatchewan in 1911 was 7,625 born in Norway; in 1921 it was 31,438. It would have been larger but for the World War, in which Canada made such heroic The American Period 323 sacrifices. Saskatchewan is the most Norwegian of the Canadian provinces. If we count all the Norwegians from the States as well as from Norway, and of all generations, then Saskatchewan in 1921 must have had from 100,000 to 125,000 of them. The first Norwegian settlement, according to Ulvestad, was Glen Mary, about 40 miles from Prince Albert. It was made by Christian and Ole Bjzfe, from SoloY, Norway. Carl C. Larsen, from Ho'nefos, Tollef Knp'ntvedt, from Nummedal, and Carl Hovdeby, from Kongsberg, Norway, joined this first colony; also others. In 1903 Rev. H. C. Holm, of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church, then mission superintendent, organized at Norden a congregation, and S. H. Njaa became the first pastor, 1903-1908, followed by H. O. Gro'nlid, 1908-1914, and T. Thompson, 1914. Christian N. A. Grevstad Ex-Minister to Uruguay and Paraguay L. S. Reque Consul General to Rotterdam Roald Amundsen Discoverer of Northwest Passaee and South Pole Bo'e, Ole Orvedal, Carl Larsen, Jo'rgen Svenkesen, M. Jacobsen, Iver Nelson, Carl Thompson, M. Breimon, J. Petersen, Iver Nes- heim, Hans Thompson, O. Hamre were among the first officers of the congregation. In 1903 they paid a salary of $30.00 per year, in 1914 they had raised it to $75.00. Their first church cost $1,200.00. The oldest congregation in the province is the Sas- katchewan First Norwegian Lutheran Congregation, situated 10 miles southwest of Langham, Eagle Creek, P. D., organized in September, 1903. H. Jensson was the first pastor, followed by O. J. Hungness, K. O. Eliassen, O. J. J. Tollerud, and others. The pastor at Shell Brook and Prince Albert, 1910-1913, and at Mistawasis, 1913 , is Sigfried Wessel, born and bred in the glamor of Oslo, capital city of Norway, an officer in the Nor- wegian Army, an excellent pianist and a composer of piano music, yet freely and faithfully sharing the trials of the prairie pioneers. It is said of his young bride that when she stepped across the threshold of his shanty she could not hold back her tears. The change was so great — from the cultured homes of Oslo to a miserable shack in the wilderness of Saskatchewan. 324 Norwegian People in America Gltn. Dir.J • EdgtrteA at cox fttD DkZK CA LGAftY •„ . Strv.thyrior« #Co.»gary 4 ^FwrS Sfettler _ , 3 • SB*** f.«v-. HA!* • ^ CoTtbeeT f. • -j/ * Monitor PtVn • *• Cor*b« fittlrr * (j • #Do#)7^ec*VV)k MEDICINE HAT fWllJ< Carls Sehul • /,ost/.o»*e * Bar thin Redely Groisy • w • »S«r«?iflprjoi1S Lf« Bow Island Co*e« M0.1*>J •Tho»*p*« • GlenSo***) Vforado km™.". Pendant d'Or«*n* ■4— VI Norwegian Lutheran Congregations in Alberta, 1915 The Norwegian Lutherans in the period 1903-1916 established 224 congregations and 98 preaching stations in Saskatchewan, the work of the home missions. Many faithful men of the type of Wessel, Njaa and the other pastors alluded to above, have along- side of their farmer friends up there been "sowing in the morn- ing, sowing seeds of kindness, sowing in the noontide, and the dewy eve." The Norwegian Lutherans erected Outlook College in 1916. Hjalmar O. Gr^nlid, A.B., C.T., was the first president. He joined the colors during the War, serving as chaplain with the rank of captain. He is now located at Trinity Church, Brook- lyn, N, Y. as Rev. Sven O. Sigmond's first assistant. The American Period 325 Alberta is a trifle larger than its sister to the east, Saskatche- wan. It has 252,925 square miles of land and 2,360 of water. It is larger than Germany and Bulgaria together. Alberta Formerly almost exclusively a ranching coun- try, it has now become a great grain, lumber and coal producing region. It yields enormous crops of wheat, oats, barley, rye, flax and potatoes. The southern part is an open prairie, suitable for winter and summer grazing and all sorts of grain farming. The middle and northern portions are covered with a belt of forests, with open patches here and there. The south is dry, has little rain and few streams. The middle and northern sections have more rain and many streams and lakes. The climate loses some of its severity by the presence of the warm Chinook winds from the west. The Rockies on the western border rise to a height of over 15,000 feet. Coal beds crop out of the hills; coal mines can be unearthed by digging a cellar. Alberta is said to possess a trillion tons of coal, 87 per cent of the coal fields of Canada. It has also gold and gas in great storer Here, too, the Norseman has built himself a kingdom. Calgary was the first district in Alberta to receive Norwegian settlers. Bernt Thorp, Conrad Anderson and a dozen other men from Oslo, Fredrikstad and Farsund, Norway, came to Calgary in 1880 and made their home among the Indians and Canadian halfbreeds. New Norway was organized in 1893 in central Alberta by Even O. Olstad of Hedemarken, Gulik Iverson of Nummedal, and Peder O. Haukedal of Ringerike, Norway. New Norway was soon reinforced by settlers from the States, especially South Dakota, and it became a prosperous community. It is very beauti- fully located. Seminarist Peder O. Olufson, schoolmaster from Bangor, South Dakota, was the first parochial teacher at New Norway, and, if he is not dead, he no doubt still plies his beloved profession. H. C. Wik (1901-1902), C. M. N^dtvedt (1903- 1907) were the first pastors in New Norway. Not far from New Norway Jacob M. Stole settled down, com- ing up from North Dakota. One of his sons is Dr. Michael J. Stolee, formerly missionary at Ft. Dauphin, Madagascar, and now professor of missions at Luther Theological Seminary. Another son of Jacob Stole is Rev. Haakon J. Stolee, superintendent of Coeur d'Alene Old People's Home, Idaho. Rev. Hans Mosby, of Torquay, Saskatchewan, is also from this vicinity. A few miles to the north of New Norway lies Bardo, or Northern, on beautiful Beaver Lake. This place was founded in 1894 by men from Bardo, Nordland, Norway. The first settlers included P. B. Anderson, son of the pioneer Hauge missionary, Rev. Bersvend Anderson, who was the first Hauge pastor in the Red River Valley (1878-1894), and the first Lutheran pastor in 326 Norwegian People in America Alberta (1894-1918), a man whose whole life as a sailor, farmer and pastor was spent in doing good to others. He came to Bardo in 1894 and organized the Bardo Congregation in 1895. In 1897 the congregation had 67 members. A son of the congregation is the Rev. Albert Anderson, Fancheng, Honan, China. In 1916 Alberta had 159 Norwegian Lutheran congregations and 20 preaching places extra. It had a college at Camrose and an old people's home at Bawlf . Rev. N. R. T. Braa is the superintendent of the home. Rev. A. H. Solheim is president of the college. A bi-lingual church paper, Hyrden (The Shepherd), is edited by Rev. Knute O. L^kensgaard, of Edberg, Alberta. Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home, Chicago, 111. British Columbia lies in the far west on the coast and border- ing Alaska. It is, next to the province of Quebec in the far east, the largest of the Canadian provinces. It has British Columbia 353,416' square miles of land area and 2,410 square miles of lakes. It is as large as the United Kingdom, Norway and Italy together. The many islands along the Pacific coast, notably Vancouver Island with an area of 13,500 square miles, belong to the province and are remark- able for their temperate climate and abundant natural resources. In some respects British Columbia is the most favored part of Canada. Within its boundaries are reproduced almost all the varied climates of the Dominion and almost every natural feature The American Period 327 and resource. The mineral and lumber wealth of British Columbia is simply fabulous; the fishing and agriculture possibilities are stupendous. The mountain scenery is the wildest and vastest in North America. Mt. Fairweather is 15,287 feet. British Columbia became a province in 1866. Says the chronicler Martin Ulvestad: "The first Norwegian to become a permanent resident of British Columbia, as far as we know, is the Hon. Hans Helgeson, who has lived in the neigh- borhood of Victoria since 1860. He is a well known and influential man, a fact that is proved also by the circumstance that he has Br 1 1 IB " r I r n^&&, 1 */ 1 1 1 iliiil HE5E - ~**"»~ * ., „" :i '■ - ^ -"Tx| . - 5 'M. Ml -Ml, m iSSilfeijiiSte^i^M HHnabk. Munua L-_i/-«s 3aJ ^ r «^j^"^ | "r || J^^ gUFff*"**^" ' Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home, Minneapolis, Minn. been a member of the British Columbia Legislature." The first Norwegian settlement, near Matsqui and Aldersgrove, New Min- ster, was organized in 1884, by John L. Broe, from Fayette County, Iowa. He was soon joined by John L. Wilson, a Stav- anger man, and others. The Census for 1911 reported 3,732 Norwegians born in Norway located within British Columbia; in 1921 there were 6,570— -4,084 men, 2,486 women, pretty evenly divided through- out the 13 provincial districts of the province. The actual Nor- wegian population is three or four times as large as the number born in Norway. In 1916 there were 20 Norwegian Lutheran congregations in the province, all located in Vancouver and West- 328 Norwegian People in America minster districts near the Washington boundary. There the Nor- wegians have lived longest and closest together. The chief settlements are in Vancouver and New Westminster provinces, where some 15 congregations had been organized be- tween 1890 and 1916. The Norwegian Synod had 7 congrega- tions; the United Church had also 7; the Lutheran Free Church had 2. There was a Free Church congregation at Hagensborg, Comox Atlin, a United Church congregation at Waldo, Kotenay, and a Hauge Synod congregation at Pauce Coupe in the Peace River country of Yale-Cariboo. Rev. H. N. Running, brother of Editor N. N. Running, of Minneapolis, and formerly a missionary in Central China, was the pastor at Peace River from 1908 to 1917. Among the pastors who have worked in British Columbia are: G. M. Aasheim, A. O. Bjerke, O. Borge, K. O. Eliassen, E. A. Ericksen, O. J. Eriksen, C. Forthun, L. C. Foss, E. A. Hage, O. Hagoes, G. N. Isolany, E. O. Lane, C. J. Olsen, O. J. Ordal, A. C. Quale, P. O. Qualen, H. O. Sageng, B. O. Sand, C. T. Saugstad, W. N. Sjovangen, M. Skonhovd, M. C. Stensen, H. O. Thormodsgaard, S. R. Tollefsen. A word should be said about the extension of the Norwegian settlements to Alaska, farthest northwest. The Norwegians are scattered over Alaska from Petersburg to Alaska Nome. The city of Petersburg was named after a Norwegian, Peter Thams Buschmann, who in 1891 with wife and nine children left Norway and settled in Tacoma, Washington. He put in the first salmon trap at Lummi Island, Puget Sound, in 1892, a location that soon sold for $90,000.00. In 1894 he moved to Alaska, as he figured that Alaska was the future fishing country. And his judgment was correct. Alaska's fisheries in 1923 yielded over one-half as much as the 48 states of the Union together — $38,678,825.00 for Alaska and $76,326,000.00 for the United States excluding Alaska. Buschmann started a cannery, and later on more canneries. On his homestead a town grew up, named Petersburg in his honor. It is a Norwegian town. Nome, too, is quite a Norwegian town. One of its leading citizens is Judge G. J. Lomen, a Decorah boy, formerly an attorney in Minneapolis, since 1900 a resident of Alaska. He is one of the great promoters of the reindeer industry, which supplies the American markets with venison. He controls a herd of 30,000 animals. The Alaskan reindeer were imported from Norway through the kindly offices of Hon. R. B. Anderson, United States minister to Denmark, 1884-1888. The Dane, Vitus Bering, explored Alaska for Russia in 1741. Siberian fur-hunters exploited the land for nearly a century, killing off the Eskimo natives as well as the polar bears. Russian mis- sionaries began to work among the natives in 1818. In 1867 the The American Period 329 United States purchased the land for $7,200,000.00, or less than one-half cent per acre. The area is 531,000 square miles. It is over twice the size of Texas, nearly ten times the area of Iowa. In 1920 the population was 55,036 — 27,883 whites, 26,558 Indians (Eskimos) and 595 of other races. There are 11,597 foreign-born whites in Alaska. 2,169 of these were born in Norway, 1,687 in Sweden, and 371 in Denmark, that is, 37.6 per cent of the foreign- born whites were born in Scandinavia. Many of the Scandinavians in Alaska were born in Canada and the United States, so that over 50 per cent of the whites are Scandinavians. About 25 per cent of the whites in Alaska are of Norwegian blood. The United States Government asked the Norwegian Synod in 1893 for a competent teacher at the Government School at Port Clarence, Alaska. Rev. T. L. Brevig was sent. He occupied this post four years and preached the Gospel to his countrymen, be- sides the Lapps and Eskimos on the side. He returned to the States and prevailed on the Synod to start a mission among the Eskimos at Teller and neighboring points — Agiopak, Mary's Igloo, Council, Nook, Cape Wolly, Grantly Harbor. An orphanage was built at Teller — the Mrs. T. L. Brevig Eskimo Orphanage, which now harbors 35 Eskimo orphans. Schools were set in operation, running eight months a year. The sick were cared for. In 1908 D. R. T^rnoe relieved him; in 1910 H. M. Tjernagel took ToYnoe's place. In 1913 Brevig returned to the task. In 1917 Olaf Fosso was sent to Teller and C. K. Malmin to Igloo. Fosso returned to Minnesota in 1920 and Malmin in 1921. Elmer H. Dahle went into the breaches from 1921 to 1924. There have been a number of women assistants, as: Sisters Agnes Nostdahl (Mrs. John Reed) and Sister Anna Huseth, Miss J. Enestvedt and Mrs. T. L. Brevig. Leonard Soologuak, an Eskimo, attended Red Wing Seminary two years to prepare himself for work among his people. Finally, a word should be said about the extension of the Nor- wegian settlements to Florida, farthest southeast. Florida was the first region of North America to be colonized Florida by Europeans and is one of the last to be colonized by Norwegians. Like Maine in the northeast, Florida has a post office called Norway (Gadsden County), but no Norwegian lives there. Ponce de Leon landed in Florida in 1513 in search of the water of life. In 1565 Menendez massacred the French colony at Ft. Caroline, leaving the grim inscription on their hanging bodies : "Not as to French- men, but as to Lutherans." In 1568 De Gourgues's expedition captured the Spanish fort on the St. John's and hanged the garri- son: "Not as to Spaniards, but as to traitors, thieves and mur- derers." In 1819 Florida was obtained by the United States. It 330 Norwegian People in America {Copyright, Edmonston) g enator ]y[_ Jj Johnson {Copyright, Edmonston) Senator Reed Smoot Senator Asle J. Gr0nna became a territory in 1821 ; a state, in 1845. It is a land of lum- bering and fishing, cotton and corn, tobacco, rice, sugar cane, oranges, bananas, lemons and limes, grapes and grape fruit. Palm Beach is the Nation's most exclusive winter resort. There have been foreign-born Norwegians in Florida at every census— 17 in 1850; 11 in 1860; 16 in 1870; 79 in 1880; 179 in 1890; 235 in 1900; 304 in 1910; 610 in 1920. The favorite haunts of Norwegians in Florida are: Pensacola, with 129 foreign-born in 1920; Jacksonville, with 48; Miami, with 38; Tampa, with 31; Palm Beach had 31 and Dade County had 59. In St. Lucie County Norwegian congregations were organized at Oslo and Viking in 1914. H. O. Helseth and A. L. Stowell of the Lutheran Free Church have been the pastors. The Norway Seamen's Mission keeps a pastor at Pensacola. Floridans have made several attempts to induce Norwegians to settle down there. A typical example is that of the Kissimmee project of 1893-1895. The Henry Disston Saw Company, Phila- delphia, owned large tracts of land in Central Florida, which they wanted disposed of to the mutual advantage of good settlers (Copyright, Harris & Ewing) {Copyright, G. J. Rogers) Nils P. Hailgen Senator H. O. Bursum Senator H. Shipstead Congressman The American Period 661 Kittel Halvorson Haldor E. Boen Herman B. Dahle and themselves. They erected sugar mills and other conveniences for the settlers. They sent Norwegian agents out to paint the glories of the Florida climate and resources to the Norwegian farmers of South Dakota suffering, as they were, from winter blizzards and summer droughts. In the year 1893 there was a great exodus of farmers from Dakota to Kissimmee and Narcoos- see, Osceola County. Among these settlers were John and Perry Juel, brothers; Ole H. and Hakon C. Norlie, father and son; M. J. Aus and Shulson, brothers-in-law ; Rev. Ole E. Hof- stad and many others. They settled to the south of Lake Tohopekaliga at Narcoossee. They built themselves bungalows and planted orange groves. They enjoyed the climate and urged all their friends to leave the North and come to beautiful Florida, each man to live under his own fig tree and date palm. Here grew the best oranges in the world, 50 varieties. Everything was lovely — until the frost came and killed their orange crop. They had no immediate prospects as farmers. Wages was only 50 cents per day. Times were hard. They were in the midst of the Cleve- land Panic. They asked their friends in Dakota to send them (Copyright, Harris & Ewing) Halvor Steenerson (Copyright) Gilbert N. Haugen Congressmen of Norwegian Descent (Copyright, Harris & Ewing) A. J. Volstead 332 Norwegian People in America John M. Nelson Sydney Anderson Henry T. Helgesen money to keep them alive and to enable them to come back. So they all came back, after a two years' sojourn in the land of "cotton and cohn." Sometimes now they long for the magnolia blossoms and the live oaks, the razor back hogs and the drowsy alligators, the friendly southern neighbors and the happy darkies, and they sing : I wish I was in de land ob cotton, Old times dar am not forgotten. Or, still better : Way down upon de Suwanee Ribber, Far, far away. Visiting Narcoossee in 1921, the writer asked a storekeeper what he thought of the South Dakota settlers. "Those foreigners were fine," he replied. "Why call them foreigners ?" "They spoke a foreign language." "Why call them fine?" "They paid their debts." "Why do you suppose they did that ?" "They were brought up that way." Floridans still welcome Norwegians to settle in their midst. The Norwegians are considered first class settlers. {Copyright, Harris & Ewing) (Copyright, Clinedinst) Chester B. Van Dyke Harold Knutson C. A. Christopherson Congressmen of Norwegian Descent The American Period 333 {Copyright, Hoff) Alger B. Burtness M. A. Michaelson (Copyright, Harris & Ewing) William Williamson 5. Steamship Lines Robert Fulton was ahead of his time when he made his ex- periment on the Hudson with his steamboat, the Clermont. The usefulness of the invention was not appreciated. Still, he slowly convinced the skeptical world that it was possible to apply steam power to transportation by water. One of the first shipping men to realize the practical advantages of steamboats over sailing ships was Samuel Cunard, a Halifax ship owner. In 1838 Cun- ard sailed for England to raise the necessary capital for starting a steamship company. In 1840 he launched the Britannia, which was 207 feet long and registered 1,154 tons. The first trip of his boat was begun on July 4, 1840. The event assumed interna- tional importance. When the boat anchored at Boston, Cunard was the embarrassed recipient of no fewer than 1873 dinner in- vitations during his first twenty-four hours' sojourn in that place. He had a good deal of powerful opposition, especially from the competing Collins Line. Still he went on with his program, and the Cunard Line has grown to become one of the greatest in the world. The largest Cunarder in commission in 1880 was the (Copyright, Edmonston) Klllld Wcfald O. J. Kvale Congressmen of Norwegian Descent August H. Andresen 334 Norwegian People in America Gallia, of 4,880 tons, four times the tonnage of the Britannia. The Saxonia in 1900 displaced 14,027 tons, 12 times as much as Britannia. The Berengaria in 1920 had a tonnage of 52,000, forty- five times the size of the Britannia. Among the well known vessels of this line are the Aquitania, 901 feet long, 97 feet wide, and 60,- 000 horsepower ; the Mauretania, 790 feet long, 88 feet wide, and 67,000 horsepower. The Cunard Line has swallowed up minor lines such as the Anchor and the Donaldson, both of which, as well as the Cunard itself, have been instrumental in transporting ^4 Stavanger fjord of the Norwegian- America Line thousands of Norwegians to America. Commodore Vanderbilt, one of the mighty organizers of the Cunard Line, was of remote Norwegian ancestry. A Norwegian Steamship Company was organized a little over a decade ago. It bears the name Norwegian-America Line. Be- sides a whole fleet of freight boats, it has had two boats — Ber- gensf jord and Stavanger fjord, looking after the passenger traffic. They are of large tonnage and modern in every respect. In the twelve years, from 1913 to 1924 inclusive, The Norwegian-Amer- ica Line carried 120,586 passengers westward and 82,077 easward, a total of 202,663. Magnus Swenson is the president of the Nor- wegian-America Line Agency, Inc., with residence in Madison and offices in New York. "His life," says "The Wisconsin Engi- The American Period 335 neer," for April, 1918, "should serve as an inspiration to all pres- ent and future engineers. If the details of his varied experiences could be written, they would read more like a romance than a chapter from real life." He was born April 12, 1854, at Lange- sund, Norway. In 1868 he left his native land in a sailing ves- sel bound for America. The voyage was long and tempestuous. It lasted twelve weeks, during which time 22 of the 60 passen- gers died of starvation and exhaustion. The ship finally landed at the island of Anticosti at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The ship was towed to Quebec. There was not a friend to meet him. A thunder storm was raging such as Magnus had never seen or heard in Norway. He was a stranger in a strange land, but he made his way "to Wisconsin, secured employment in a blacksmith shop belonging to the Chicago and Northwestern Railway at Janesville, Wisconsin. He made up his mind to go to school and become an engineer. He sent for a catalog of the University of Wisconsin, and came to Madison to attend Com- mencement, but to his surprise, he learned that Commencement was the end of the school year, not the beginning of it. Four years later, he took his Bachelor's degree. In 1883 the univer- sity gave him the M. S. degree; in 1899, an honorary M. E., and in 1921, an honorary LL.D. He was instructor in chemistry at his alma mater, 1880-1883. The United States Department of Agriculture offered a prize of $2,500.00 for the best paper on making sugar. This prize Magnus Swenson won, and with it came an offer of the manage- ment of a sugar factory in Texas. He made many improvements in sugar machinery and processes. In 1886-1905 he was a chemi- cal engineer and manufacturer at Fort Scott, Kansas, and Chi- cago. In 1906-1915 he constructed hydro-electric plants of the Southern Wisconsin Power Company at Kilbourn and the Wis- consin River Power Co., at Prairie du Sac, being president and general manager of both companies. These plants, next to Keo- kuk are the largest in the West. Since 1905 he has been first vice president of the Central Wisconsin Trust Company and since 1919 vice pres. of the First Nat. Bank, Madison. Since 1920 he has been chief executive director of the Norw.-Am. Line Agency. He has held many civic offices of trust, such as: President of the Board oi Regents of the University of Wisconsin ; chairman of the Wisconsin Capital Commission; chairman. State Council of Defence; Federal Food Administrator for Wisconsin, and chief of Mission for Northern Europe, American Relief Administra- tion^ He has received the John Scott medal in recognition of his services. The King of Norway has created him a Knight of St. Olay. The president of Finland has decorated him with the White Rose and Star of Finland. America has bestowed on him the United States Liberty Service medal. The "Wisconsin 336 Norwegian People in America Engineer" says: "Mr. Swenson possesses those qualities that go to make up a sturdy and loyal citizenship. He loves America and never tires of speaking of her as the land of opportunity for those who have vision, and are not afraid of hard work." The "People's Favorite Magazine" for February, 1921, has an article about him by Walter A. O'Meara, which calls attention to his motto : "Save the Waste." His whole life has been spent saving for others, whether the waste be in dollars, power, or lives. "He was the pioneer in what has become almost a national passion — efficiency. Out of the industrial scrap heap he has extracted a fortune." The "North Star" for October, 1919, quotes from a Copen- hagen paper concerning Swenson. Here are a few lines taken Ole Nilsen G. T. Lee John Peterson Editors of Lutheran Periodicals almost at random : "A pessimistic Swedish observer once said that Scandinavians who emigrated to America became the slaves of the Anglo-Saxons. Magnus Swenson is decidedly of another opinion; he holds that the descendants of these immigrants will be among America's leaders Magnus Swenson repre- sents the plain, democratic America We are pleased to have had him with us. His great nation wishes to win the con- fidence and good will of all nations ; by being represented by such men as Magnus Swenson it will succeed in this effort." 6. Railroads No history of America could proceed far without some men- tion of "the iron rails." The development of the Mississippi Valley and the Far West of Lower Canada and the Prairie Provinces, could be followed step by step if there were such a thing as the diary of the railroads intersecting these parts. Some of the railroads that have been of great service to the Norwegians in their work of building the West should receive a passing recognition here. Between New York and Chicago the Baltimore and Ohio, Erie, Pennsylvania, Wabash, and, last but The American Period 337 not least, the New York Central, are most conspicuous. Between Chicago and the Northwest the following have sometimes gone ahead of, or usually followed upon, the heels of the Norwegian set- tlers : Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, Chicago and Northwest- ern, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Chicago Great Western, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapo- lis and Omaha, Illinois Central, Minneapolis and St. Louis, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie. In the Southwest the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe have received most patronage. In Canada the great roads are the Canadian Pacific and the Canadian National Railways, the latter including the Grand Trunk and Canadian Northern systems. H. M. Saeterlie Dr. J. R. Birkelund C. S. B. Hoel Secy Foreign Missions Sec'y Foreign Missions Sec'y Home Missions The first of the railroads heading for the West was the Balti- more and Ohio, organized in 1827 to offset the activity in Penn- sylvania and New York in finding a speedy and cheap route to the West. In 1828 the work of construction began ; in 1830 the road was opened a distance of 15 miles. The cars were drawn by horses. In 1831 four 3 1-2-ton engines were ordered. In 1854 the line was extended as far as Chicago. The eastern road most used by Norwegians was the New York Central. It was begun in 1828 as the Hudson and Mohawk Railroad. On August 9, 1831, it ran its first train, drawn by the famous locomotive "DeWitt Clinton," and this event marks the beginning of steam railroading in America. This historic locomotive and train now stand at the outer edge of the east gallery of the Grand Central Terminal in New York City, where it can be plainly seen from any point in the concourse. The Hudson and Mohawk was but a tiny, short road. A number of other little roads were con- structed. In 1843, it took a dozen of these together to make a line from Albany to Buffalo. The fast express that year made this run in 30 hours. Now it takes about 5 hours and 55 minutes. In 1854 a number of other little roads had been built, connecting 338 Norwegian People in America up with Chicago. The New York Central as it is now organized, includes what was originally 315 separate companies. It has 6,899 miles of main line. It reaches directly 162 cities having over 10,000 people, and serves 50.3 per cent of the population of the United States. It carries 70 per cent of the passenger traffic between New York and Chicago. It used 79,600 tons of steel rails in one year (1923) just for repairs in the lines east of Buffalo alone, and 1,646,100 new ties to replace those worn out in the same region. The leading spirit in the creation of this great railway system, the greatest in the world, was Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who is generally considered the first out- standing genius in the railroad world. Vanderbilt was a descend- The DeWitt Clinton: New York Central's First Locomotive, 1831 ant of the Dutchman Jan Arentzen Van der Bilt, who settled in New Amsterdam and married the Norwegian maid Anneken Hen- dricks, from Bergen, Feb. 6, 1650. This girl at that time owned a farm on which New York's mightiest sky scrapers now stand. Wall Street is in the heart of it. The Wabash Railroad was the first railroad in Illinois, having laid its first rail in 1838. Now it has 2,473 miles of track stretch- ing from Omaha and Kansas City to Buffalo. 87 years of ser- vice. The present Illinois Central Railroad comprises more than 130 separate railroads that have been joined by purchase or lease to the original Illinois Central, which was chartered in 1851 and built in 1852-1856. It was then only 705.5 miles long; now, in 1925, it has 6,220 miles extending from Chicago to New Orleans on the south, and from Chicago to Omaha, Sioux City and Sioux Falls on the west and Minneapolis on the north. In the two dec- ades 1850 to 1870 the number of acres under cultivation in Illinois increased from 5,000,000 to 19,000,000. In 1867 the Illinois Central began its expansion westward into Iowa. It The American Period 339 pierced the heart of the great agricultural country of north cen- tral Iowa, and the part it played in shaping the early agriculture, industry, commerce and trade in Illinois it also had in Iowa be- tween 1867 and 1880. It has done its share in solidifying the economic interests of the North and the South, the East and the West. The Illinois Central ranks 14th in mileage and 4th in amount of freight traffic handled annually. The Rock Island is also a combination of many former roads. It was first known as the Mississippi and Missouri Rail- road Co., and secured its right of way in 1852-1853. A charter Twentieth Century Limited : "The Greatest Train in the World" (From "Shipper and Carrier," Sept., 1924) was granted permitting a bridge to be built across the Mississippi at Rock Island, and the bridge was built, a wooden structure 1,582 feet long, glistening white by day and standing by night like a monster spider, resting on five stone piers. It was dedi- cated Sept. 1, 1854, by James Grant, speaker of the House of Representatives of Iowa. Fourteen days after the crossing of the first train, the bridge was hit by a boat, and boat and bridge were burned. The Bridge Co. was sued and an attempt was made to prohibit the reconstruction of the bridge on the ground that it was an obstruction. Abraham Lincoln appeared as the at- torney for the railroad and won the case. In 1866 the road was incorporated as the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Co. In 1852 it had 40 miles of road in one state ; in 1862 it had 444 miles in 3 states; in 1872 it had 1,298 miles in 4 states; in 1882 it had 2,216 miles in 4 states; in 1892 it had 5,229 miles in 10 states; in 1902 it had 6,351 miles in 12 states; in 1912 it had 7,309 miles in 13 states ; and in 1922 it had 7,961 miles in 13 states. 340 Norwegian People in America It runs eight main tracks from Chicago to the Mississippi, carry- ing mighty locomotives — power units of 300, 400 or 500 tons' weight each. The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway is the second longest system in the United States. Like other large railways, it began with a consolidation of numerous small railroads. A study of the industrial map of the United States in connection with a map of this road, discloses that along its lines is produced every kind of mineral taken from the soil of the United States; every variety of lumber milled in the country may be found along the company's lines ; and its farms and factories, its cities and marts, portray a most astounding variety and vigor of progress. The road began in 1863 with a track of less than 300 miles and its mileage on Dec. 31, 1922, was 11,032, with tracks stretching from Chicago to Seattle, and criss-crossing back and forth throughout the great Northwest. This road, possibly more than any other, penetrates the Norwegian settlements. It has the largest engine in the world and the longest stretch of electrified road, 440 miles across the Rockies and 209 miles across the Cas- cades. The Chicago Great Western dates back to 1886, when the Old Mason City and Fort Dodge line was built. From this line and the Iowa and Pacific, started in 1870, the present Chicago Great Western, or Maple Leaf Route, has been built. It has the short- est track between Chicago and Minneapolis, Minneapolis and Kansas City. The traveling public calls it the "friendly line." The Chicago and Northwestern is an old line with 8,463 miles of track. One of the Northwestern passenger trains between Chicago and Minneapolis in 1925 was named "The Viking." Closely af- filiated with this road is the Omaha Road with 1,749 miles in oper- ation. The Minneapolis and St. Louis has 1,650 miles and the Burlington has 9,401. The Northern Pacific has 6,669 miles, the Northern has 8,254, and the Soo has 8,254, and the Soo has 4,396. James J. Hill is the great name connected with the Great Northern Road. He obtained control also of The Northern Pacific and the Burlington, competitors of the Great Northern. He came to St. Paul from Canada in 1856, an 18-year-old boy of Scotch-Irish parentage, said to have been not so very remotely also of Norse strain. He worked in steamboat offices at St. Paul, 1856-1865; was in business for himself, 1865-1870; established the Red River Transportation Co. between St. Paul and Winni- peg, 1870; organized the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway, 1878 ; reorganized this company into the Great Northern, 1890, extended it from St. Paul to Puget Sound, served as its president, 1893-1907, its chairman, 1907-1916. Owned and directed steamship lines, banks, iron mines, steel mills, scientific farm stations, and many other industries throughout the United The American Period 341 States. He was one of the greatest empire builders and was voted the First Citizen of Minnesota. A philanthropist, he gave large gifts to church schools. In 1903 he gave $50,000.00 to the Luther College Endowment Fund; in 1915 he gave $50,000.00 to the St. Olaf College Endowment Fund. He affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Egil Boeckmann is married to one of his daughters. Dr. Egil is one of the best foot ball stars Min- nesota has had and a son of Dr. Eduard Boeckmann, illustrious Norwegian surgeon. California was admitted as a state in 1850, and a plan was inaugurated to bind her firmly to the Union by a great railroad, built at national cost. By 1856 the people began to demand it, and in that year the Republican party, and in 1860 both the Re- publican and Democratic parties, pledged themselves to build one. Two companies were chartered. One, the Union Pacific, was to begin at Omaha and build westward; the other, the Cen- tral Pacific, was to begin at Sacramento and build eastward until the two met. The roads received aid from the Government to the extent of $55,076,000.00 plus every odd numbered section in a strip of public land twenty miles wide along its entire length. The roads met on May 10th, 1869, thus making the first trans- continental system. In 1924 the Union Pacific operated 3,709 miles. The Santa Fe road runs in a southwesterly direction from Chicago to Kansas and Galveston, Texas, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and west to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Santa Fe is the fifth largest railway in the United States in mileage, operating 8,957 miles of track. The largest railroad in the United States is the Southern Pacific with 11,119 miles. The Southern Pacific takes us farthest south. It starts at New Orleans and follows the southern boundary of the United States as far as California, then it proceeds north as far as Portland, Oregon. The trip to California by any trans- continental route is fascinating. Not least the one over the South- ern Pacific. You cross great mountain ranges, and pass through sections made famous by the colorful exploits of hardy pioneers. Here are stately snow-capped peaks; here are rich valleys. A desert which is strange and beautiful contrasts with gardens of rare blossoms from all the world. Green, rolling foot-hills and vast, fearful forests. Wide sandy beaches throw back the long breakers, rocky headlands battle the thundering surf, in the soli- tude of the mountains lie charming camps. Down by the deep blue sea are gay and giddy multitudes. Imperial Valley, Salton Sea, San Jacinta, Mt. Lowe, Yosemite Valley, Mount Shasta, beauty spots of nature of surpassing charm. This is the lure of California. The first Canadian railway was constructed in 1836, between St. Johns, Quebec, and LaPrairie. It was 16 miles long and was 342 Norwegian People in America operated by horses. In 1850 Canada had 66 miles of railway; in 1860, 2,065; in 1870, 2,617; in 1880, 7,194; in 1890, 13,151; in 1900, 17,657; in 1910, 24,731; and in 1920, 39,384. The railway era in Canada may be said to have begun in 1851 when an act was passed providing for the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway between Montreal and Toronto. In 1871 the terms un- der which British Columbia entered the confederation pledged the Dominion of Canada to commence the Pacific railway with- in two years and complete it within ten years. As a matter of fact, the main line was not completed before 1885. The Canadian Pacific is the longest railroad in America, having 13,350 miles to Lars Swenson Lars O. Thorpe Halle Steensland Financiers and Philanthropists its credit. A second transcontinental railway, the Canadian Northern, was begun in 1896. In 1921 this road had 9,717 miles of single track. These two railroads were instrumental in open- ing up the prairie provinces and bringing hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Europe and the United States into Canada. The Grand Trunk began to look with envy at the large and in- creasing revenue drawn by the Canadian Pacific from the great Northwest. In 1902, therefore, this road submitted to the Do- minion Government a plan to construct a third transcontinental — the Grand Trunk Pacific. The original Grand Trunk had 3,589 miles of single track, and the Grand Trunk Pacific has 2,743. The World War checked immigration and reduced the income of these railroads so that they got into dire financial difficulties. Ultimately the Dominion Government had to take over all the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk properties. In 1923 these two roads were amalgamated and together with some other Canadian government roads now constitute the Canadian National Railways. In 1921 the total length was 20,738 miles. Many Norwegians have risen to prominence in the railroad world, some as railroad commissioners working for the state, others as railroad officials working for the railroads. Typical of the officials of the railways are the building and economy engi- The American Period 343 neers, such as Olaf Hoff of the New York Central and O. L. Lindrew of the Illinois Central. John L. Erdall, born June 5, 1863, at Deerneld, Wisconsin, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin (A. B., 1885; LL.B., 1887), was a lawyer at Madison, 1887-1901; district attorney; asst. attorney general, Wisconsin, 1895-1899. In 1901 he became asst. general attorney for the Chicago Great Western, with office at St. Paul ; in 1908 he became general attorney of the Soo, and in 1922 he was promoted to the office of general solicitor, with office in Minneapolis. His son Arthur is assistant solicitor for the Milwaukee Road. Commodore Vanderbilt Gerhard M. Dahl Hauman G. Haugan Captains of Industry: Railroad Builders Hauman G. Haugan was the comptroller of the Chicago, Mil- waukee and St. Paul, with offices at Chicago, 1901-1921. Haugan was born November 7, 1840, at Oslo, and died in Chicago in 1921 at the age of 81. He came to the United States in 1858. Be- came a store clerk, then a bank clerk, then cashier. In 1870 he was made paymaster and auditor of the Southern Minnesota Rail- road. When this road was purchased, in 1880, by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul he moved to Milwaukee and became private secretary of Sir W. C. Van Home of this road. He next served as land commissioner including the placing, naming and developing of many new towns. In 1884 he became a mem- ber of Haugan and Lindgren, bankers ; he was a director and con- trolling factor in the State Bank of Chicago, one of the great Norwegian banks of America. He was one of the founders of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce and the Norwegian- America Line. He worked hard for the Mindegave (Memorial Gift) to Norway in 1914. Fostered at the Christiania Orphanage, he re- membered this institution with gifts of money from time to time, including $5,000.00 in his will. 344 Norwegian People in America The street railways have also had in their employ Norwegian talent. As, for example, Nils Marcus Thygeson, who was the general counsel for the Twin City Traction Lines. Tygeson was a law graduate of Wisconsin, 1887. Gerhard Melvin Dahl, a son of Rev. Theodore Dahl, D.D., former president of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church, is the chairman of the Brooklyn- Manhattan Transit Corporation, the largest street railway system in the world. Mr. Dahl is a law graduate of Wisconsin, 1896, and an A.M., 1921. In 1912-1917 he was vice president of the Electric Bond and Share Co., New York; in 1917-1923, vice president of the Chase National Bank; since 1923, partner in Hayden-Stone and Co. He is a director of the Alabama Power Co., the Alabama Traction, Light and Power Co., the American Foreign Banking Corporation, the Electrical Utilities Corporation, the Lehigh Power Securities Corporation, the Philadelphia Co., the Chase National Bank, the New Orleans Public Service, Inc., the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Co., the Williamsburg Power Plant Corporation, the Nassau Electric Railroad Co., the Duquesne Light Co., New York Rapid Transit Corporation, etc. He has been decorated by the Emperor of Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun. The com- panies of which he is chairman or director have a total valuation running up into the billions. The Norwegian farmers have started building several railroads, which later have become integral parts of larger systems. One of the promoters of Norwegian railroad building is Julius Rosholt. Born at Scandinavia, Wis., August 27, 1854, trained at the Osh- kosh State Normal, he became a high school superintendent. In 1881 he moved to Mayville, N. D., and settled down as a farmer. In 1885 he was induced to take shares in a bank. In 1887 he or- ganized the Mayville National Bank, and later he did likewise at Hatton, Aneta, Sharon, Lawton, Edmore, Hampden, Willow City, Omemee, Westhope, Sawyer, Ryder, Hunter, Maddock, and Don- nybrook, all in North Dakota; Halstad and Hendrum in Minne- sota; Homestead in Montana; Waupaca in Wisconsin; and Rosholt in South Dakota. In 1906 he began his career as a railroad build- er. He built the Hill City Railroad which connects with the Great Northern at Swan River, Minn., and this road he sold to the Ar- mour Co., Chicago. In 1912 he built a 90-mile line for the farm- ers of Roberts and Marshall counties, S. D., and sold it to the Soo. It cost the farmers only 62.5 cents per acre, and "it is no wonder," says Harriet E. Clark in "Scandinavia," June, 1924, "that Mr. Rosholt is held in high esteem by the farmers residing along that line." The War stopped his building of railroads. He has land investments as far north as Prince Albert, Sarsk., and rice fields in Texas and Louisiana. The American Period 345 7. Occupations, 1890-1925 The whole earth bears impress of the law of work. It is a very busy place. The ground on which we walk, the air above and the waters beneath us, all teem with busy life. As Cole- ridge says : All nature seems at work ; slugs leave their lair, The bees are stirring — birds are on the wing, And Winter, slumbering in the open air, Wears on his smiling face the dream of Spring. The Norwegians who came to America and their descendants have been workers. They came here to work; they teach their children the dignity of labor in any honest calling. They enjoy their work. Most of them settled on the farm; and though one- half of them still live on the farm they are not like Markham's "Man with the Hoe" : Bowed with the weight of centuries he leans Upon his hoe and gazes upon the ground; The emptiness of ages in his face, And on his back the burden of the world. Who made him dead to rapture and despair, A thing that grieves not and that never hopes, Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox? Not so the Norwegian. He came here as a free man, sprung from a free race that has never known bondage, the most inde- pendent and individualistic people that history knows about. He came here because this was a free country after his own heart and because he would have the privilege of carving a home and an empire out of the wilderness. His heart was full of sadness at parting with beloved land and people across the sea, but it was filled with gladness that he had a great work to do here and that God was near him with His blessing. So he rejoiced at his task, like Mackey's "Miller of the Dee" : There dwelt a miller hale and bold Beside the River Dee ; He worked and sang from morn till night, No lark more blithe than he ; And this the burden of his song Forever used to be — "I envy nobody; no, not I, And nobody envies me." The question of occupation is a very important one, and state and national government officials, social workers and students of domestic economy, are making one investigation in this field after another. A few of these will be briefly summarized. 346 Norwegian People in America Prior to 1850 no effort was made to obtain a census of the oc- cupations of the people, although in 1820 and in 1840 the number of persons engaged in certain general classes Census of 1890 of occupations was called for. At the census of 1850 an inquiry was made on the popula- tion schedule as to the occupations of free males over 15 years of age, and 323 occupations were listed alphabetically, but with- out any details as to age or nationality. In 1860 a list of 584 oc- cupations was compiled, with census returns. At the census of 1870 occupations were tabulated for all persons 10 years of age and over, and subdivided by sex, age and nationality, and classi- fied under four general heads — agriculture, manufacturing and mechanical and mining industries, trade and transportation, pro- fessional and personal service. There were 338 occupations de- signated. In 1880 the occupations were reduced to 265 classes, and the number of separate nationalities was much reduced. In the 1890 census the occupational list is reduced to 218, and several other changes are made. The census reports are hard to use satis- factorily, because no two are alike in plan. The 1890 Report contains 98 pages of summary and 500 pages of tables on occupa- tions. The statistics of Norway are combined with those of Sweden. Two tables are herewith submitted : OCCUPATIONS OF FOREIGN-BORN NORWEGIANS All Foreign-bom 1880 1880 1890 1890 Occupations Number % Number % Agriculture, fisheries, mining 99,6i5 48.17 182,519 37.93 Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits 36,299 17.66 112,851 23.45 Trade and transportation 15,789 8.06 43,848 9-34 Domestic and personal service 51.592 25.10 135,213 28.10 Professional and public service 2,081 1.01 5,665 1.18 All occupations 205,376 100.00 480,096 100.00 Foreign-born Norwegian Males Agriculture, fisheries, mining 98,983 54-37 179,076 44-15 Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits 33,040 18.15 102,871 25.37 Trade and transportation 15,789 8.67 43,484 10.81 Domestic and personal service 3 2 ,4 I 5 J 7-8o 74,882 18.46 Professional and public service 1,832 1.01 4,910 1.21 All occupations 182,059 100.00 405,223 100.00 Foreign-bom Norwegian Females Agriculture, fisheries, mining 632 2.69 3,443 4-55 Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits 3,259 13.89 9,980 1320 Trade and transportation 149 0.64 1,102 1.46 Domestic and personal service 19,177 81.72 60,331 79-79 Professional and public service 249 1.06 755 i-QQ All occupations 23,466 100.00 75,611 100.00 The American Period 347 In the following statement the total number of persons in each sex is distributed according to the principal occupations in 1890. The data have to do with the foreign-born Swedes and Nor- wegians only. In 1890 there were six foreign-born Swedes in America to every four foreign-born Norwegians. PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS Occupations Farmers, planters, overseers Laborers (not specified) Agricultural laborers Carpenters and joiners Miners and quarrymen Steam railroad employes Saw and planing mill employes Iron, steel and other metal workers .... Tailors and tailoresses Dressmakers Merchants and dealers Painters, glaziers, varnishers Blacksmiths and wheelwrights Boatmen, canalmen, pilots, sailors Draymen, hackmen, teamsters, etc. ..... Clerks, copyists, stenographers Lumbermen, raftsmen, wood choppers. . Machinists Boatmen, canalmen, pilots, sailors Brick and stone masons Servants Laundresses Cabinet makers, upholsterers Salesmen Wood workers (not otherwise specified) Engineers, firemen (not locomotive) . . . Cotton, woolen, textile mill operatives . . Seamstresses Marble and stone cutters Housekeepers, stewardesses Restaurant and saloon keepers Brick and tile makers Agents (claim, commission, insurance, etc.) Clergymen Foremen, overseers Bartenders Messengers, packers, porters, etc Watchmen, policemen, detectives Leather curriers, dressers, tanners Hostlers, livery stable keepers Other occupations Males Females Number % Number % 110,013 27.12 3,097 4.10 60,637 14.95 45,206 11. 14 .... 21,758 5.36 14,869 366 .... n,057 2.72 9,8i7 2.42 8,253 2.03 7,217 1.78 1,211 1.60 .... 3,930 5-21 7,168 1.77 6,004 1.48 5,473 1-35 5,320 1.31 5,272 1.30 5,041 1.24 4,945 1.22 4,732 1.17 4,692 1. 16 4,582 1.13 4,401 1.08 53,644 71.04 3,o66 4.06 2,992 0.74 2,225 o.55 2,201 0.54 2,189 o.54 2,095 0.52 1,460 1.93 .... 1,915 2.54 1,784 0.44 .... .... 1,785 2.36 1,767 044 1,508 0.37 1,141 0-34 1,305 0.32 1,298 0.32 M74 0.29 1,162 0.29 1,128 0.28 1,118 0.28 1,013 0.25 33,120 8.10 5,402 7.16 All occupations 405,677 100.00 75,510 100.00 348 Norwegian People in America The Immigration Commission was created by Congress in 1907. Its object was to make full inquiry into the subject of im- migration. The "Reports of the Immigration Immigration Com- Commission" make up a series of 40 volumes mission, 1910 f detailed information on the immigration from 1820 to 1910, the emigration condition in Europe, the immigrant races, immigrants in industries, im- migrants in cities, education, crime, insanity, distribution of im- migrants, etc. There are several volumes on the immigrant in industries. The following is a digest of these reports with regard to the Norwegians of the 1st and 2nd generations. Male Breadwinners, 1900 'rt 'So v c 'So c c S. sf s w se « £ O ££ £ £S £ Agricultural pursuits 85.093 49.9 53,942 63.0 Mining 2,180 1.3 416 0.5 Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits ... 37,413 21.8 9,071 11.1 Transportation 5, 191 3.0 2,207 2.4 Trade 12,961 7.5 6,372 7.3 Domestic and personal service 21,973 12.8 8,228 96 Clerical service 3,198 2.0 3,514 39 Professional and public service 2,997 1.8 1,914 2.2 All occupations 171,006 100.0 85,658 100.0 Female Breadwinners, 1900 Agricultural pursuits 3,169 13.8 962 3.8 Mining Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits . . . 3,522 15.4 4,564 18.2 Transportation Trade 125 0.5 44 02 Domestic and personal service 14,649 64.0 14,172 56.5 Clerical service 831 3.7 2,408 9.6 Professional and public service .... 600 2.6 2,931 11.7 All occupations 22,986 100.0 25,082 100.0 These tables are self-explanatory and are worthy of much meditation. They show what occupations each generation prefers. They show the relation between the 1st and the 2nd generation, between men and women breadwinners. They do not show what standing the Norwegians have among the races of America, nor do they show what per cent of Norwegians are breadwinners. The following table presents these facts with respect to farming : The American Period 349 American Farmers, 1900 ^ ■ J "^ S rj 1 Norwegian 85,093 49.8 2 Danish 34,951 42.3 3 Swiss 22,831 37.8 4 Swedish 89,806 30.2 5 Bohemian 22,857 32.0 6 German 348,265 27.3 7 French n,355 22.1 8 English Canadian 41,659 21.8 9 Scotch 23,710 18.3 10 English 79,340 18.1 11 French Canadian 22,850 13.6 12 Irish 97,454 13-6 13 Polish 19,256 10.5 14 Russian 19,490 10.2 15 Austrian 12,314 8.0 16 Italian 16,614 6.0 17 Hungarian 2,854 3.2 18 Other races 84,370 24.5 a u no C g bfl O ■a in G & s 53,942 63.O I 11,622 50.3 2 14,597 42.0 6 29,067 43-1 3-5 13,997 42.8 5 426,910 28.6 9 14,845 26.9 10 54,992 30.9 7 27,111 43-1 3-fi II7,760 26.6 11 21,109 22.1 15 179,499 16.5 16 6,236 24.0 14 4,284 29.3 8 3,812 26.1 12 I,6l3 9-5 18 371 9.6 17 89,823 25.0 13 1,071,590 25.9 All races 1,034,176 21.2 The census figures indicate that 21.2 per cent, or more than one-fifth, of the foreign-born have gone to work on the farm, and that the percentage in the second generation has increased to 25.9, or more than one-fourth. It should be said that the increase is really not in the per cent of farmers, but in the per cent of farm laborers. It should be noted that some of the nationalities are represented by very small numbers in the second generation as compared with the first. This is true of the Austrians, Hungarians, Italians, Poles and Russians. It results from the fact that the immigration of these people is of comparatively recent origin, so that the second generation in 1890 consisted principally of chil- dren, few of whom were old enough to take up an occupation in 1890. Finally, it should be noted that the Norwegians are far in the lead in agriculture. The Norwegian farmer is unique. Long may he live ! Greatly may he thrive ! The average size of the Norwegian farms in 1920 was 240 acres over against 180 acres for the country at large. The average price of land in the Northwest where the Norwegians live was $25,518.00 in 1920 over against $12,084.00 for the country at large. That is, the land in the Northwest is more than twice as valuable as the average for the whole country. The Norwegians in Iowa own the best land in that state, averaging nearly $40,000.00 350 Norwegian People in America per farm. In Wisconsin they have the best land. In Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana, the same. Only 15 per cent of the Nor- wegians are tenants in Iowa, as over against 41 per cent of the state as a whole. In the adjoining states the same condition pre- vails. The Norwegian farmers have been making America. Rev. H. C. Holm, Eagle Grove, Iowa, president of the Iowa District of the Norwegian Lutheran Church, happened to be in Washington once while Theodore Roosevelt was in office. He called on President Roosevelt to pay his respects. Now, Holm is a very imposing looking man. Six feet tall, large-boned, weigh- ing easily 250 pounds, with open, kindly face, deep, expressive voice that can carry a half mile or more. In short, a manly man, sure to delight the Rough Rider Roosevelt. These two men looked at each other in mutual admiration and clasped hands long and vigorously. "So you are a Norwegian," said Teddie. "Yes, sir," answered Holm, "and it looks as if we Norwegians are going to rule the land at last." "What do you mean, sir?" asked the Presi- dent in surprise, as he withdrew his fist. "Mean? I mean that we Norwegians are buying up the land and raising the children, and the future of America is ours." "Shake again," said Roosevelt. In 1901 Martin Ulvestad published his "Norge i Amerika med Kart" (Norway in America with Map). In this work he lists 64,682 Norwegians by name, and gives Martin Ulvestad: their occupation and post office. On the basis 1901 of his researches he concludes that in that year 64 per cent of the Norwegians were engaged in farming, 18 per cent worked -in towns and cities, 7 per cent were occupied on the water as sailors, etc., 6 per cent were lumbermen, 3 per cent miners, and 2 per cent fishermen. A recount of the names, however, gives the following occupational distribution: NORWEGIANS IN THE OCCUPATIONS Representative Occupation Men Per cent Agriculture 41,533 64.2 Mining 56 0.1 Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits 2,108 3.2 Trade 7,289 11.3 Transportation 322 0.5 Domestic and personal service 7878 12.2 Professional and public service 5406 8.5 All occupations 64,682 100 o The American Period 351 Volume IV of the Census of 1920 is devoted exclusively to occupations. It deals with the enumeration and classification of occupations, the number and sex of occupied Census of 1920 persons, color, nativity, parentage, age, mari- tal condition, etc., of the people who work, but it does not give any information about nationality. People are interested to know how many Norwegians are in this and that occupation, how many are physicians, clergymen, druggists, hold public office, and the like. With the help of this census report and other data an estimate can be made. This report shows the number and proportion of males and females 10 years of age and over engaged in gainful occupations. It is 78.2 per cent of the men and 21.1 per cent of the women. In the 1890 Report it is shown that the per cent of Norwegians engaged in gainful occupations was 4.5 per cent greater than the average for the whole country. Let us then assume that 80 per cent of the Norwegian men are breadwinners and 20 per cent of the women. Volume II of the Census Report for 1920 gives the distribu- tion as to ages. 21.7 per cent of the people are under 10 years of age; 78.3 per cent are 10 years and over. The total Nor- wegian population in 1925 is approximately 2,500,000, 1,250,000 males, 1,250,000 females. 78 per cent of the males is 975,000; 78 per cent of the women is 975,000. 80 per cent of the males 10 years and over are at work— 80 per cent of 975,000 is 780,000 ; 20 per cent of the females 10 years and over are at work — 20 per cent of 975,000 is 195,000. 780,000 Norwegian men and 195,000 Norwegian women at work. Volume IV of the 1920 Report shows, furthermore, the per cent of males and females in total persons 10 years of age and over in each general division of occupations. Thus : PER CENT AND SEX OF OCCUPIED AMERICANS, 1920 Per cent Per cent No. Occupation male female 1. Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry . . . 29.8 12.7 2. Mining 2-3 0.0 3. Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits ... 33.0 22.5 4. Transportation 8.6 2.5 5. Trade 10.8 7.8 6. Domestic and personal service 3.7 25.6 7. Clerical service 5.1 16.7 8. Professional service 3.4 11.9 9. Public service 2.3 0.3 All occupations 100.0 100.0 If the Norwegians were just typical Americans the above percentages could be applied to them. Thus, 29.8 per cent of the 352 Norwegian People in America men would be on the farm; 12.7 of the women. But they are not typical in many respects. Nearly one-half of them are on the farm, and in that regard they are not typical, for only 29.8 per cent of the breadwinners of the whole country are engaged in farming. The following is an estimate of the per cent and sex of the Norwegians who work for a living. PER CENT AND SEX OF OCCUPIED NORWEGIANS, 1920 No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Occupation Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry . Mining Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits Transportation Trade Domestic and personal service 5.0 Clerical service , Professional service Public service , Per cent male Per cent female 45-0 5.8 1.0 0.0 250 20.0 5-5 2.0 10.0 5-0 5-0 35-0 4.0 20.0 3-5 12.0 1.0 0.2 All occupations 100.0 100.0 Applying these percentages to the Norwegians in 1925, we can arrive at a fair estimate of the number of men and women of Norwegian blood engaged in gainful occupations, to wit : NUMBER AND SEX OF OCCUPIED NORWEGIANS, 1925 Men Women No. Occupation at work at work Total 1. Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry 351,000 11,310 362,310 2. Mining 7,800 7,800 3. Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits 195,000 39,000 234,000 4. Transportation 42,900 3,900 46,800 5. Trade 78,000 9,750 87,750 6. Domestic and personal service 39,000 68,250 107,250 7. Clerical service 31,200 39,ooo 70,200 8. Pofessional service 27,300 23,400 50,700 9. Public service 7,8oo 390 8,190 All occupations 780,000 195,000 975,000 The Norwegians in America in 1925 are nearly as strong numerically as the state of Minnesota. On that account it will be profitable to compare the estimated distribution of workers among the Norwegians with the actual occupational distribution in the state of Minnesota in 1920. The American Period 353 NORWEGIANS AND MINNESOTANS COMPARED No. Occupation Minnesotans Norwegians Male Female Male Female Total population 1,245,537 1,141,588 1,250,000 1,250,000 Population 10 years and over . . 986,877 890,255 975,ooo 975,ooo 1. Agriculture, forestry, ani- mal husbandry 298,258 9,618 351,000 11,310 2. Mining 14,975 19 7,800 3. Manufacturing and me- chanical pursuits 180,607 23,395 195,000 39,ooo 4. Transportation 64,977 5,315 42,900 3,900 5. Trade 87,761 16,670 78,000 9,75o 6. Domestic and personal service 25,482 44,638 39,ooo 68,250 7. Clerical service 35,36o 32,842 31,200 39,000 8. Professional service 24,307 31,175 27,300 23,400 9. Public service 11,220 554 7,800 390 All occupations 742,947 164,226 780,000 195,000 Each of the general groups of occupations has many sub- divisions. Agriculture, for example, in the 1920 Census was sub- divided into 46 divisions and subdivisions. Fishing was classified under farming. Mining had 19 groups. Manufacturing and mechanical pursuits had 290 groups ; transportation, 77 ; trade, 96 ; domestic and personal service. 47; clerical service, 15; professional service, 52; and public service, 23 classes. Thus under Profes- sional Service the actors and showmen are by themselves, the architects, artists, authors and editors, chemists, clergymen, col- lege presidents and professors, other teachers, dentists, designers, draftsmen, inventors, lawyers, judges, justices, musicians, osteo- paths, physicians and surgeons, veterinary surgeons, trained nurses, photographers, technical engineers (civil, electrical, me- chanical and mining), are each by themselves. Also various other professional and semi-professional services are marked off into special classes. There are Norwegians in every one of these oc- cupations. Little by little they are becoming more and more like the typical American. They are entering all the vocations and professions. The Norwegians number now about 2 per cent of the population of the United States. Except in farming, a man can strike a pretty good estimate of how many Norwegians are engaged in any particular line of work, by finding the census figures as to the number of workers engaged in that field and then multiplying by 2 per cent. The answer will be the number of Norwegians engaged in that field. Thus, how many Nor- wegians are in the ministry? The Census for 1920 says there were 127,270 clergymen in the United States. 2 per cent of 354 Norwegian People in America Corn Production in 1909 Wheat Production in 1909 The Norwegians Live in the Food Producing Belt They Head the List as Farmers (From "Statistical Atlas of the United States: 1914") The American Period 355 127,270 is 2,545. The Norwegian Lutherans had 1,554 clergy- men in 1921, and there were many Norwegian pastors in the Reformed denominations. 2 per cent of the physicians is 2,900 — hence, 2,900 Norwegian doctors in America. 2 per cent of the civil engineers is 1,292— about 1.292 Norwegian civil engineers. And so on down the whole list of occupations. It would be pleasant and profitable to make a study of any of these groups of workers. The present writer has made such studies of the Norwegian Lutheran pastors — see "Norsk Luther- ske Prester i Amerika, 1843-1915," a Who's Who of 1,929 pastors in the Norwegian Lutheran synods. He has also made a similar book about the teachers in the higher schools of these synods — tHon. Osmund J. Wing Anton E. Anderson tFingar G. Enger Successful Farmers, Generous Givers, Influential Citizens the "School Calendar, 1824-1924." a Who's Who of 3,600 teach- ers. Hans Jervell has written a few small books about the farmers of North Dakota — "North Dakota," and "Nordmaend og Norsk'e Hjem i Amerika." Jervell has also published a book written by T. A. Hoverstad entitled "The Norwegian Farmers of the United States." These books are very inspirational, but altogether too brief. Now, will some one write about the fishers and miners, the manufacturers and artisans, the transportation by water and by land, the bankers and storekeepers, the doctors and lawyers, the artists and musicians, and so forth? A study of the lives of these men in the many occupations will make us appreciate what they have done in the making of America. 8. Churches, 1890-1925 The Church is still the most conservative, as it is also the most inspiring, influence in the world. The Norwegian Lutheran Church, including all its branches, has been the strongest spokes- man and the hardest worker in the matter of preserving the Nor- wegian language and culture among the Norwegians in America, Hans Gerhard Stub The American Period 357 and yet, in spite of the weighty influence and earnest labor of the Church, the Norwegian people in America during this period have been dropping the use of Norwegian to such an alarming extent that about 50 per cent of them do not even understand the spoken language. Many erstwhile Norwegian congregations have passed over to the exclusive use of English. In "Religious Bodies : 1906," a United States Census report, the Norwegian synods had only 21 English congregations out of a total of 2,639, less than one per cent using English only; but 674, or 25 per cent, used both English and Norwegian. In "Reli- gious Bodies: 1916," the Norwegian synods had advanced to 200 congregations using English only. 200 out of 3,161 is 6.3 per cent; Bethlehem Illustrating the Growth of Congregations 1,598, or over 50 per cent, were bilingual at public services. The progress toward English can be summarized in the following table : ENGLISH IN THE NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN SYNODS Church work 1905 1910 1915 1920 1924 Sermons 5% 13% 22% 34% 47% Catechizations 18% 27% 27% 49% 73% Sunday School pupils ... 17% 21% 27% 75% 89% This rapid departure from the bi-lingual standard to the use of English only is one of many proofs that the Norwegian people are fast becoming Americanized, and that this period can be called the American Period of their story. In reality they are much more Americanized in language and sentiments than these church statistics show. The large number of nominal Lutherans who do not belong to any congregation are more Americanized as a rule than the church members, not in the sense of being better Americans, but in the sense of having sloughed off their best 358 Norwegian People in America Norwegian culture. The homes, the schools, the street, all favor the use of English now. Said an old Norwegian grandma as she was down town shopping: "Ay tank ay gaa to de movies tode." Said another old lady at her side : "Ja, ve do dat, end dan ve gaa to da church end hev aas sahm kafle." Some of these good old dames can not speak English, and they will not speak Norwegian. It is the American Period. The Norwegian Lutheran synods trained and ordained about 1,700 new ministers of the Gospel during the years 1891-1925. The exact figures for the first three decades Pastors, 1890-1925 are as follows : ORDINATIONS, 1891-1900 *5b >h Wen £c/) ffiw 1891 o 17 3 1892 O 22 2 1893 2 16 ' 3 1894 o 11 5 1895 o 17 6 1896 o 14 9 1897 o 12 7 1898 o 17 6 1899 o 7 6 1900 o 14 6_ 1891-1900 2 147 53 ORDINATIONS, 1901 o 14 7 1902 o 21 6 1903 1 18 9 1904 1 10 4 1905 o 14 11 1906 o 21 4 1907 o 14 12 1908 o 19 5 1909 o 18 II 1910 1 16 6^ 1901-1910 3 165 75 ORDINATIONS, 1911 o 12 9 1912 o 20 9 1913 o 11 7 I9H o 13 4 1915 o 16 3 1916 1 10 6 1911-1916 1 82 38 ?1 <-> Pu 29 19 23 13 10 26 14 16 15 19 u u (U w 2 2 II 9 8 12 8 -Ipq o H 49 43 46 31 41 60 42 47 41 47 184 1901-1910 17 15 22 16 24 3o 23 22 22 30 60 7 S 15 12 6 3 3 9 5 6 447 45 Si 65 43 55 58 54 56 59 60 221 1911-1916 18 20 36 30 23 32 74 6 6 11 8 9 9 546 45 58 67 56 61 61 159 49 IS 344 The American Period 359 1917. 1918. 1919. 1920. 1917-1920. 3 & c a "So %-* L ° §3 5 c In »- 3 u 7 7 7 4 25 G bo as a; u o B Wc/i £c/i ffic/3 PU feU Jpq £h4 35 32 32 37 136 ex o 46 o 41 o 40 o 43 o 170 The building of new congregations during this period almost kept pace with the planting of new settlements. The United Nor- wegian Church at its first meeting issued a Congregations, protest to the Reformed denominations against 1890-1925 their proselyting, and organized itself to do vigorous home mission work. It appointed able secretaries and superintendents and aimed to send out into the new fields every year the best pick from its seminary. The home mission superintendents were: N. J. Ellestad, 1891-1900; GROWTH OF THE NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH (Figures indicate number of congregation by decades) 1916 1850 I860 1870 1880 1890 1900 iQlO JBmo-M. Kflmrfhtr 436mgMr I436mdhtr 2629 mdhu 3634 mrth+r 5566 mrfhtr 6J64 men idhete r. H. C. Holm, 1900-1906; O. Glaso'e, 1906-1914; and G. A. Lar- sen, 1914-1917. The other synods were also up and doing and in many places outdistanced the United Church in the race. Then came the World War and the merger of three of the synods in 1917 — the Hauge Synod, the Norwegian Synod and the United Church becoming the Norwegian Lutheran Church. On account 360 Norwegian People in America of financial straits accompanying the War the synods have been forced to adopt a policy of retrenchment, and fewer congregations have therefore been established. Due to the merger of the three synods into a new synod, there have been similar mergers of com- peting congregations. At least 130 such congregational mergers have been recorded by Secretary N. J. Lp'hre of the Norwegian Lutheran Church. From 1825 to 1916 a total of 6,764 congregations and preach- ing places were established by the Norwegian Lutherans — 5,811 congregations and 953 preaching places. The total for the century no doubt reached the 7,500 mark. About one-half of these are still maintained. A comparison of the three periods shows that the church work of the third period is by no means to be de- spised : CONGREGATIONAL GROWTH * * E *% c ^ tn tWO .5 .£ -| l j"Sf2 ■ * 25kr"'9^f8aik I Lutheran Ladies' Seminary, Red Wing, Minn. 1894-20 T T T Some Norwegian Lutheran Academies Pacific Academy, Parkland, Wash. O. J. Ordal, President r t r You May Bend the Sapling, But Not the Tree Park Region Luther College, Fergus Falls, Minn. E. Wulfsberg, President The American Period 373 Some Norwegian Homes for the Aged Aftenro Old People's Home, Dulnth, Minn. New Building, Homme Old People's Home Wittenberg, Wis. Cast Me Not Off in the Time of Old Age Norwegian Christian Home for Aged Brooklyn, N. Y. 374 Norwegian People in America they therefore resent the idea that the Reformed churches should treat them as a foreign mission field that is shrouded in dark- ness. In its report for 1907 the Norwegian-Danish Conference does not deign to admit that the Lutheran churches in the North- west can take care of the Scandinavians. There were 7,773 Lu- theran congregations here, but they were all ignored as of no account. In the annual minutes of the Norwegian-Danish Baptist Church for 1908, it is reported that they have 300,000 people of their nationality in Minnesota. The report reads : "Theref ore our privileges are great and our responsibilities stretch equally far. Others do not know our people's characteristics, and, therefore, we must win them." In 1921, at the Baptist convention held in Des Moines, a Baptist professor from Norway said: "The Nor- wegians discovered America. I ask the Baptists of America to come to Norway to discover the greatest missionary field in the world." His speech met with a round of applause. The Norwe- gians resent the idea that they are "heathens," "350 times as criminal as the native population of America," as a Methodist paper, "The Vanguard" (St. Louis), once put it. The charge is not true. The Census Report on Crime for 1904 shows that one out of 6,404 native-born Americans was in prison, but only one out of 13,139 of the immigrants of Scandinavia and Germany, Lutheran lands. The Norwegians were three times as moral and law-abiding as the average American citizen. The influence of the Reformed churches on the Norwegians is not very great in this "foreign mission" work. It is greatest in an indirect way. Perhaps greatest through its books and papers. Thousands upon thousands of Reformed books are sold in the Lutheran book stores and occupy places of honor in the book shelves of pastors and lay people and are studied in the Lutheran schools. The Lutheran papers freely clip stories from the Re- formed papers and portray the progress within the Reformed camps, with many a word of sympathy and appreciation. About 80 per cent of the material in the English Lutheran hymnals is from Reformed sources, and over 90 per cent of the songs sung in Sunday School are the compositions of Reformed poets and musicians. Much of the work of the Lutheran Church — in the Sunday School, at the expense of the parochial school, in the Bible school movement, in the young people's Luther leagues, in missionary, evangelistic and other church work, is clearly in- fluenced by Reformed models. Whether or not the Norwegian Lutherans are exerting a benefi- cent counter influence on their Reformed friends is harder to say. The Reformed will not buy Lutheran books or use Lutheran hymns or copy Lutheran ways to any great extent. The Lutheran Church has a message for the world, especially in a day like ours, The American Period 375 when Modernism under many forms — Materialism, Spiritism, Evolution, Rationalism, etc. — lifts its horrid head. Concerning the Lutheran Church, the "New Reformation," a Reformed paper, says (November, 1924) : "The Lutherans so far as we have been able to detect, know of no divided ranks. The Church named after the Hero of Worms is compact and solid for the Christ of God." 9. Education, 1890-1925 The fact that the Norwegian people of America have now entered the American stage of their sojourn is very forcibly brought out in the story of their schools. Never before have patriotic Norwegians and consecrated Lutheran Christians pleaded so eloquently for the support of the Norwegian schools, and never have they been maintained with so much difficulty. The period started with practically every Norwegian believing in the whole school system as an absolute necessity — parochial schools for the children, academies for the youth, and colleges for young manhood and womanhood, besides the theological semi- nary for the training of ministers and missionaries, normal schools for the training of parochial teachers and deaconess homes for the training of deaconesses. In the faith of the fathers they founded a number of academies and colleges in the first half of this period, and, up to 1907, the attendance at these schools was steadily on the increase year by year. But, beginning with 1907, the attendance has gradually de- clined and one precious school after another has given up the ghost and is no more. The Norwegian acade- The Academy mies are going. A wind has passed over them, and they are gone; and the place where they stood shall know them no more. Such seems to be the sad edu- cational tale of the American Period. They prospered nicely as long as the Norwegians were Norwegian-Americans, but they were starved out for want of students and other support as soon as the Norwegians became Americans. As Americans the Nor- wegians prefer to give their undivided support to the American school system. The American public schools are free, publicly controlled, tax-supported and non-sectarian. The system extends from the kindergarten to the university. It teaches everything except the cultural heritage of the immigrant and the Christian religion. It often blots out that heritage and robs one of his Christian faith. The friends of Christianity argue that the church academy is needed. The history of the Norwegian Lutherans cannot be fully understood except in the light of the views these Norwegians hold with regard to education. They hold as to the academy that 376 Norwegian People in America ' T T T T Luther Hospital. Eau Claire, Wisconsin Millie A. Jacobson, Supt. F. L. Tr0nsdal, Fin. Sec'y T T T T T T < -^U o-^^ffi v ' : .' ■ ahHsI : ilk -Jiff;. •jilflti; ' 3m T T T T T -<■ T Fairview Hospital, Minneapolis, Minnesota O. S. Meland, Rector Jos. G. Norby, Supt. J. C. Hallum, President T T T T T T T The American Period 377 it is needed in the American Period more than ever before. It is needed especially in early and middle youth, the high school age. Early and middle youth is the time of greatest bodily growth, and of greatest mental, moral and religious development. It is the age of confirmation, conversion, choice and character forma- tion. It is the age of beginning religious indifference, skepticism and criminality. Nearly all are confirmed at this time of life. Over 80 per cent of the registered conversions are of people under 20 years of age. Choice of occupation is made in four cases out of five in the high school age. Character is best molded in early youth, for then there is greater plasticity than at any time m"' at 7 1 g^r^S _ («', (t-. ^A> ll f Why Destroy the Mam Supports of Christian TrAinin^? later in life. You may bend the sapling, but not the tree. Strike while the iron is hot. Most criminals get their start at this early age. All need moral and religious instruction of the right kind at this time. The public schools do not give, can not give, this instruction. Only a true Christian instruction can create a Chris- tian conscience and faith, in short, a Christian character. Only the Christian academy can satisfy this inherent need. The homes, Sunday Schools and churches are not supplying this instruction adequately. Secular instruction alone during these four crucial years, especially if anti-Christian, which sometimes happens, is harmful to conscience and faith and conduct. The secular schools, by their very secular nature, not to speak of their anti-Christian spirit in many places, are de-Christianizing the land, no matter how much some of them try not to do so. 378 Norwegian People in America The Norwegian Lutheran academy has reached more Nor- wegian boys and girls than any other church school, and it has reached them at a more crucial time. It has furnished a pre- paratory training for theological study of nearly all the Norwe- gian pastors during the 75 year period, 1850-1925, while the col- leges have trained only 27 per cent. The Norwegian Lutheran pastors have not been reared in the high schools and universities. If they had been, but few of them would have entered the humble but holy calling of the Gospel ministry in the Norwegian synods. The religious and national heritage of the Norwegians can not be transmitted through the public schools, for the only nationalism that the public schools will tolerate is that of America, and Eng- Agnes M. Kittilsby Principal, Unity School, China Anna E. Bagstad Pacific University, Oregon Anna W. Wright Principal, Clay School, Minneapolis land as the Mother Country. And the only religion that can legally be taught in the public schools is that of the Christian ex- ample of the teachers, which is often present and far-reaching in its influence, and yet not strong enough to counteract the steady trend toward secularization and religious indifference which secularization gives rise to. The system tends to weaken the dis- tinctively Lutheran and Norwegian character of the Norwegians, to erase and efface these from their consciousness, to rob them of their heritage, which should be theirs for ever, and which should be their cultural contribution to America. The Norwegian Lutherans founded 38 new schools during this period. Twenty of these are still alive, 18 have been discontinued. Twenty-two were academies, of which one New Schools (Concordia) has become a college, and another (Park Region) was a college for a few years, but went back to the academy grade. Six of the academies have had to become junior colleges in order to keep alive. The American Period 379 o oj rt u c! ni rt rt 5 IIS "8 ||||"8 '«'& III "& J "S "& "& "S >, J-i ;_»-«-. *-. U l_ »-i t_ rn O -H — 1— 1 .2 -3 -hwaa^ONC>iCMo>^i-io\o\g>ooNog £ r 1 oo oo oo oo oooooooooooo aoo^aoooooo aco aa 'V, M ■3 a> -U G O a OS O o 1 «*«■! liflll 1 if' 11 J3 e b Z b «^ *> £ S -5 .5 2 :§ .2 o « b S .2 > ^ 3 •* S ~ * « 2 ^ > « § us = 8 ^ •£ -2 *« -m 9 «« to c ft « u o. « o ^ .5 i-t ^r w to s S - J l?l| plll| N S if 1-ggll SoSto c/) ^ S to O to to£> OUU PQ O < O > ojo e o £ S? to) OS >> "q », JS iJ « C E u B ^ ^3 5 ~ a> G ^S^B-C o ur/^ B r^O j2 2 *> UOJ^W ^WOPh J ^> to £ u ^ O < O > 380 Norwegian People in America u pq Duu^ -, !h o 0) en o w £ u £ u, £ h u fe O 00 N N N ^t h N mO r>» r^ o\ t^ i-i On On On On • l^ • • On 01 • O • Q\ • • O On • 04 • On HH H-1 0) fC 00 fO O Q O O -. " On On On On On i i i i i i i i K Oi O i-iOOI^t^ONONO i- 1 gOOOO'-H.-.l-H.-iP-H.-HWi-.CNCN OnOnCnOnOnOnOnOnOnOnOnOnOnOnOn § 03 O O S^ 03 ^~ cy Ih & o G O " 3" I 5 v- (U u O (« ft > « fc W fe co W > c o bo ^ 03 Ph o UJ - ^OWUW^U^ o O X U r/i —— <) c X u (J X or. CO CO 3 o (1) n c _ Ih CD pq pq en b/i cy Ih u is 3 ~ 03 Ih Ih _= 1 fl J £ ~ ^ a CO 03 O Z o c a 03 1| •5 ^ o 3 C who in his verse can gently steer From grave to light, from pleasant to severe. Fiction has the same place among the Norwegians as among the rest of mankind. It is the most popular style of writing ever invented. Story telling has always been popular and the desire is deep-rooted in all of us to hear some new thing, and to tell again something deserving remembrance. By fiction is here meant any story, short or long, true or false, real or imaginary, romantic, realistic, naturalistic, idealistic. The Norwegian writers have not plunged headlong into fiction writing. The modern novel and the short story are relatively quite recent types of literature, although story telling is as old as the race itself. The Norwegians seem to have hesitated in taking up this new form. During this period, however, a goodly number of them have been trying their hands at novel writing, and it is quite easy to list at least 100 names of Norwegians who have published works of fiction. Here are fifty names: Wm. Ager, A. E. Anderson, J. W. Arctander, B. Aske- vold, B. Aslagsson, J. A. Bergh, H. Bottelson, Laura Bratager, 406 Norwegian People in America Ulrikka F. Bruun, O. A. Buslett, Dorthea Dahl, Lena Dahl, P. C. Danielson, Hans A. Foss, M. Falk Gjertsen, G. T. Hagen, Haldor J. Hanson, Thor Helgesen, Albert Houeland, Ole Hustoft, Simon Johnson, H. B. Kildahl, J. N. Kildahl, Gunnar Kleven, Olav Krin- gen, A. P. Lea, John O. Lie, Otto Lock, F. Lunde, J. E. Lp'beck, H. LpVik, A. H. Mason, E. L. Mengshoel, Jon Norstog, Torkel Oftelie, O. O. Odegaard, O. Br. Olsen, Palma Pederson, Franklin Petersen, Olav Refsdal, Jacob Rivedal, Sigv. Rp'dvik, O. E. Rpl- vaag, N. N. Running, Ole Shefveland, Peer O. Stro'mme, K. M. O. Teigen, T. K. Thorvilson, D. J. O. Westheim, J. B. Wist. Ole E. Hofstad Nels N. T0sseland S. O. Simundsen (Hofstad baptized, T0sseland confirmed, Simundsen married the author) The author took down from his shelves 100 volumes written by 84 Norwegian-American novelists. These books had a sum total of 17,908 pages, or 179 pages per book. They were all in Norwe- gian. In the front rank of these Norwegian writers, he would place Waldemar Ager, Hans A. Foss, Simon Johnson, O. E. Rplvaag, N. N. Running, Peer O. Stromme, Knut M. O. Teigen, and J. B. Wist. The two Kildahls never really tried to write stories. They are theologians and churchmen busy with a multi- plicity of duties, but they have done everything well that they have attempted to do, including, of course, their one attempt to tell something in story form. J. N. Kildahl's "Naar Jesus Kommer ind i Huset," has been one of the most widely read books published by a Norwegian, as popular as Peer Strp'mme's "Hvorledes Hal- vor Blev Prest." Kildahl's book has been translated into English and bears the title "When Jesus Enters the Home." H. B. Kil- dahl's book, "His Workshop," is not quite so pretentious, but makes good reading. If the popularity of a person is to be judged by the character of editorials written about him during his life and at his death, and by the number of poems which at his death are lovingly placed like floral emblems upon his coffin, then it is quite evident that no Norwegian-American has been more beloved than was Dr. John Nathan Kildahl. The American Period 407 This period bore a fruitful harvest in religious literature in both languages. At least a thousand important books in most branches of theology were written by Nor- Religious Books wegian - Americans. Quite extensive biblio- graphies of these can be found in O. M. Norlie's "Norsk Lutherske Prester i Amerika, 1843-1915," "Lu- theran World Almanac for 1922," and "Cumulative Catalog of Lutheran Books in the English Language." T. O. Tolo A country pastor Locust. Iowa H. B. Thorgrimsen An Icelandic pastor among the Norwe- gians, N. Dak. O. S. Reigstad A city pastor Minneapolis, Minn. There has been considerable activity in all departments of thought. A few illustrations will suffice: In biology, including botany and zoology, are such writers as Hanna Secular Books C. Aase, H. T. K. Agersborg, I. E. Melhus, J. P. Munson, Aven Nelson, P. O. Okkelberg, C. O. Rosendahl and Leonhard Stejneger. In physics such names as H. A. Erikson and L. O. Grpndahl. In chemistry: Edward X. Anderson, E. O. Ellingson, P. M. Glaso'e, L. M. Henderson, C. M. Knutson, J. C. Olsen and F. W. Woll. In astronomy : John A. Anderson. In geology : Thomas M. Dale, F. W. Sardeson and Knud Throndsen. In ethnology: F. I. Monsen. In physiology : Ole O. Stoland. In medicine : Ludvig Hektoen, F. Voss Mohn, Carl M. Roan, M. N. Voldeng. In dentistry: Alfred Owre and Erling Thoen. In agriculture : Peter Hendrickson, T. A. Hoverstad, James Johnson, Carl W. Larson, J. A. Widtsoe. In business: S. P. Ronnei and Harry R. Tosdal. In military science and life : Alfred Wm. Bj^rnstad and Gran- ville Gutterson. 408 Norivegian People in America In law: John W. Arctander, Henry Gjertsen and Lauritz Void. In sociology: H. C. Anderson, B. A. Arneson, J. E. Granrud, A. Furuseth, Ole Hanson, A. J. Lien, M. Mikkelsen, R. S. Saby, Chas E. Stangeland, T. K. Urdahl and Thorstein Veblen. In temperance: Gustav Eide, H. A. Foss, B. B. Haugan, J. L. Nydahl, Elias Rachie, J. J. SkoYdalsvold and Andreas Wright. In library science : Thorstein Jahr and Thorvald Solberg. In art and architecture: Olaf Glasoe, J. E. Granrud, Michael Mikkelsen and A. M. Sundheim. In travels : J. A. Berven, K. B. Birkeland, P. O. Langseth and W. M. Pettersen. In philology: A. R. Anderson, L. I. Bredvold, A. E. Egge, P. J. Eikeland, Nils Flaten, George T. Flom, Andrew Fossum, L. O. Fossum, Knut Gjerset, S. N. Hagen, J. A. Holvik, Thorleif O. Homme, Maren Michelet, O. M. Norlie, J. A. Ness, O. M. Peterson, O. E. Rolvaag and A. M. Rovelstad. In literary criticism: S. B. Hustvedt, Hanna Astrup Larsen, Henning Larsen, O. M. Norlie, Julius E. Olson, Oscar L. Olson, M. B. Ruud. In domestic science : Lilla Frich. In engineering : M. C. Ihlseng and Peder Lobben. In mathematics: J. O. Eiesland, Hans Dalaker, Peter Field, Peder Lobben, Martin A. Nordgaard, A. L. Nelson, Theodore R. Running, Oswald Veblen and Edvard Skille. In statistics: Carl G. O. Hansen, John Hjellum, John Koren, O. M. Norlie and Oscar H. Reinholt. In education: David A. Anderson, David E. Berg, H. W. Foght, Martin Hegland, Andreas Helland, C. B. Larson, Knut L^kensgaard, O. M. Norlie, Sven Strand, O. A. Tingelstad and L. A. Vigness. In musical theory and history: Maja Bang Hoehn, F. Melius Christiansen, John Dahle, Knud Henderson, Erik Jensen, O. M. Norlie, Peter H. P. Rydning. In history: W. I. Brandt, H. W. Elson, B. J. Hovde, M. L. Hansen, Paul Knaplund, Laurence Marcellus Larson, Bert L. Wick. In Norwegian history: R. B. Anderson, A. O. Barton, Theo- dore Blegen, Juul Dieserud, John O. Evjen, A. O. Fonkalsrud, Andrew Fossum, Knut Gjerset, John O. Hall, Carl G. O. Hansen, Einar Hilsen, J. Hjellum, H. R. Holand, J. O. Hougen, T. A. HoVerstad, P. P. Iverslie, Thorstein Jahr, Hans Jervell, J. S. Johnson, O. S. Johnson, P. O. Langseth, Gabriel Loftf jeld, A. E. Norman, O. M. Norlie, Halvor Skavlan, Harry Sundby-Hansen, A. M. Sundheim, Knut Takla, Martin Ulvestad, Andrew A. Veblen and J. U. Pedersen. In Norwegian church history: J. A. Bergh, Adolph Bredesen, N. C. Brun, K. O. Eittreim, John O. Evjen, Halvor Halvorsen, Andreas Helland, O. M. Norlie, E. M. Stensrud and K. B. Birkeland. The American Period 409 In psychology : Julius Boraas, E. O. M. Norlie. M. Broen, CD. Larson and Publishing Houses Lack of space prevents any adequate story of the publication houses. The Augsburg Publishing House is the largest, but a dozen or score of other concerns are just as worthy of honorable mention, as: The Luther- an Free Church Book Concern (since 1920 called the Lutheran Free Church Book Con- cern), the K. C Holter Publishing Co. (1890-1923), the Chris- tian Literature Co., the Lutheran Publishing House, the Waisen- hus Press, the John Anderson Publishing Co., the John G. Mohn Publishing Co., the J. J. Fuhr Publishing Co., the Norrpna Pub- lishing Co., the Hauge Synod Book Department, and many others. A few remarks about Augsburg Publishing House will indicate the character of the work of most of these concerns. Back of its foun- dation is the belief in the power of the written word, especially the Bible. Almost every synod, society and in- stitution feels the need of an official organ, reports, peri- odicals, books, pictures, etc., and with this need comes the demand for a printing house. Augsburg Publishing House was incorporated in 1890 and was the printery of the United Norwegian Church. It was a union of two older establishments — from N.orthfield and Minneapolis, and a third, at Rushford, ceased also to exist through this union. The managers of Augsburg have been : Lars Swenson, 1890-1904; Erik Waldeland, 1904-1917; A. M. Sundheim, 1917 — . The House employs about 100 men and women in its offices and shops, and is also the headquarters for the officials and boards of the synod that operates it, since 1917 the Norwe- gian Lutheran Church. It is a very busy place day and night and the center of the Norwegian Church. It is no doubt the most im- portant spot in the Norway of America. In 1914 it was said in the Jubilee book of the United Norwegian Church that the output of Augsburg every week varied from 50,000 to 100,000 pounds of printed matter. It is the most productive Norwegian printing shop in the world. In 1890 its net valuation was $16,404.97 ; in 1913, $208,776.48; and in 1925, $465,731.94. In 1891 its net profits were $2,399.54; in 1913, $22,948.26; in 1924, $29,677.45. Its total income in 1900 was $56,892.87; in 1919 it was Augsburg Publishing House, . Minneapolis 410 Norwegian People in America $512,599.31— $189,913.92 for books, $221,786.30 for job work, and $100,899.09 for papers. It is rated by Dun as a concern con- servatively worth more than $1,000,000.00 and has Dun's highest rating- as -to credit. Several have been connected with the insti- tution over 20 years : A. M. Sundheim and J. A. Anderson, 35 years ; Erik Waldeland and Alfred C. Haugen, 27 years ; Oscar C. Fremo and Nels Johnson, 23 years. The following are heads of departments : A. M. Sundheim, manager, 1890 — ; P. A. Hovland, printing manager, 1924 — ; A. J. Anderson, mgr. book department, 1890 J. A. Bergh Hospital Missionary and Historian Theodore C. Blegen Professor of History and Librarian L. Lillehei Theologian and Author (1884) — ; Einar Josephsen, mgr. advertising dept., 1920 — ; O. C. Fremo, office mgr., 1902 — ; R. Skabo, circulation mgr., 1924 — ; Ed. Bergum, shipping mgr., 1915 — ; George Lindstrom, billing mgr., 1908 — ; H. G. Meyer, composing room mgr., 1923 — ; A. Bergs^brenden, chief Norwegian proofreader; J. J. Skpr- dalsvold, chief English proofreader; Fred Carlson, press mgr.; W. E. Taylor, folding mgr. ; Phil. Greffin, binding mgr. ; Law- rence Johnson, paper stock mgr., 1916" — ; Nels Johnson mail- ing mgr. A. M. Sundheim was born in Valdres, Norway, Oct. 25, 1861. Came to America in 1878. In 1879 he entered the printing world. Was publisher at Madison, Wis., and San Francisco, Cal. In 1890 he became asst. manager at Augsburg; in 1917, manager. He has been treasurer and president of the Valdris Samband, the Lutheran Publishing House Managers' Assn.; treasurer of the Norwegian-Danish Press Assn., the Mindegaven Assn., and the General Council of Bygdelags. He has been a good member of Bethlehem Cong., Minneapolis, having held many offices of trust. Every task in his hands is handled conscientiously. He has been found faithful in little things and in great. He has wide cultural interests, as is shown, for example, by the Christmas annual, "Jm 1 i Vesterheimen," which he has edited since 1911. There have The American Period 411 been 100 attempts to establish a Norwegian cultural magazine in America and nearly all have failed through lack of support. Sund- heim, with his stubborn perseverance, keen business sense and fine artistic taste, has made "Jul i Vesterheimen" an international event. He is a lover of the out-door life, and there are few wild spots in North America that he has not seen. On May 22, 1925, two of his children, Marcus and Borghild, were elected mem- bers of the Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Minnesota, the highest scholastic honors conferred by the University. His oldest daughter, Marie, also attained to this distinction. As a friend he is faithful and true. N. N. Running, the manager of the Christian Literature Co., was born May 17, 1870, in Telemarken, Norway. Emigrated, 1887. Started to go to school at Faribault. They looked him over and put him in the kindergarten. The 17-year-old boy was tall and the teacher did not know what to do with his legs. After due consultation with her superintendent she promoted Nels to 1st grade. He was brighter than he looked, so he kept on advancing a grade a day until he reached the high school. When spring ar- rived he was in the senior class. He has the distinction of having completed nine grades in one year, and of becoming president of the senior class and licking the biggest bully of the school. He is a Master of Arts from the University of Minnesota, has been edi- tor of Holter's publications since 1899 and also business manager. Is interested in Sunday schools, Luther leagues, foreign missions, evangelization, charity work, etc. A wide awake man, a great force for good. His "Experiences of a Newcomer," "Bare for Moro," "Abraham Lincoln" and "Gutten fra Norge" are samples from his fruitful, brilliant pen. Waldemar Ager, editor of "Reform," has found time to con- duct the Sigvald Qvale Norwegian declamatory contests. Mrs. Anna Qvale established a legacy for such contests, in memory of her son. Over 200 contests have been held. It is considered an honor to write a good book; it should be considered an honor to go out and sell it as a book agent. The general public does not give the book agent Book Agents a very glad hand and the Norwegian people have been slow in trying to sell their wares through agents. They even hesitate to place their books and papers in their own city and school libraries. Augsburg Publishing House is the largest publishing house of the Norwegian people and the biggest publishing plant in Minne- apolis, and yet it is a question whether the Minneapolis City Library has a single book published by this great house by and about Norwegians. It is largely the fault of the Norwegians themselves who are a modest people, and do not demand that their 412 Norwegian People in America literature be placed in public libraries. Canton, S. Dak., is a strong Norwegian community, no finer in the state. The City Library was presented with 103 volumes of Norwegian classics. The Library refused to accept books in the Norwegian language — year 1920. The Norwegians meekly acquiesced. They make up 80 per cent of the population in that town. Occasionally, some Norwegian man or woman feels the call to become an agent can- vassing books and papers. It is part of the work of the Church to do so, it is a noble and needed calling. This history has pictures of three such agents — F. L. Tro'nsdal, Julius J. Hopperstad and Taaraand Vik. Tro'nsdal was trained as a lawyer, but saw the G. B. Wollan Journalist J. E. L0beck Bible Teacher T. C. Wollan Mathematician need of getting Bibles into every home, so he has dedicated his life to this work — and temperance speaking. Hopperstad, a refined poet and choir director, spent 40 years of his life as circulation manager of "Decorah Posten" and "Lutheraneren." Taaraand Vik, a parochial school ma'am, is an exceptional agent. She secured 1,172 new subscriptions to church papers and sold 2,435 "Menighetskalenders" (a $10.00 work) in 1918-1922, while work- ing only part time. G. O. Oudal, Minneapolis, has the largest second hand theological book store in America, if not in the world. Theological works in all languages. A few years ago, when Harding's speech at the funeral of the unknown soldier was heard by wireless in San Francisco, the people marvelled. Now the novelty has worn off, for nearly every- body has his radio. But -radio is just as marvellous today as if it were new. So it is with the printed word. That, too, is a sort of radio, and thousands of years ago, books flashed the greatest messages around the world and across the centuries. Books are more wonderful than radio or movie or phonograph. The moving pictures of the past are thrown upon the screen of our minds through books. The sweetest rhythms of long ago are sung to our inner ear. The American Period 413 Dr. T. R. Chow and Family, Kioshan, China A Christian Daughters Seem As Good to Him As Sons 11. Foreign Missions, 1890-1925 The Norwegian Lutherans have never been anxious to prose- lyte among other Christian denominations. They have, however, distinguished themselves for their missionary zeal among those who do not have the Gospel. Leif Erikson was sent to Greenland by King Olaf Trygvasson to Christianize it, and he succeeded. Except for this work which had to be per- formed, he might have become a permanent settler in Vin- land, which he discovered. Hans Egede came to Green- land in 1721 as a missionary, 72 years before William Carey, the Baptist, went as a missionary to India. The old- est Protestant mission in the world was the Norwegian mission among the Lapps, begun while Luther was still in the heat of the battle for a more Biblical reli- gion and a more Christian order of things. The Norwegian Mis- sionary Society, organized in 1842, is one of the most successful missionary organizations in the world. The Norwegian Lutherans of America began to support foreign m i s- The Fields sions almost as soon as they were organized into synods. P. A. Rasmussen an- nounces in his "Kirkelig Ti- dende" (Church Times) for April, 1859, that he had re- ceived $118.00 in 1857 and $223.02 in 1858, which he had forwarded to the Hermanns- burg and Leipzig Mission so- cieties. The synods did not at first have their own foreign mission fields. They support- ed societies already existing. The Norwegian Synod aided Abraham, the Malagasy, His Bible Reading 414 Norwegian People in America the Norwegian Missionary Society in Madagascar and Zululand, and the Missouri Synod in its work among the Indians and Negroes. The Augustana Synod sent its contributions to the Gen- eral Council East India missions. The Conference aided the Nor- wegian Missionary Society, and this caused the Norwegian Synod to withdraw its support and align itself with the Schreuder Mission in Zululand and Natal. In 1878 a Jewish mission society was founded by J. P. Gjertsen and Sven Rud Gunnersen, called the Zion Society for Israel. It began work in Egypt and Palestine, but especially in Russia and the United States. The United Norwegian Mission Church at Manambaro, Madasgascar Church in 1892, and the Lutheran Free Church in 1895, secured their own mission fields in southern Madagascar. The Norwegian- American China Society was organized in 1890, and a few years later its fields in Honan and Hupeh were taken over by the Hauge Synod and the United Church. The Lutheran Brethren estab- lished themselves in Honan in 1902; the Norwegian Synod, in 1912; and the Lutheran Free Church, in 1914. The Santal Mission of the Northern Churches, which had been begun by Bp'rresen and Skrefsrud in Santalistan, India, in 1867, began to receive weighty support from the Norwegian Lutherans of the United Church and the Free Church, especially after 1893, when a Santal Committee was elected to represent the United States. The Norwegian Synod began work among the American Indians of Wisconsin in 1884; the Eielsen Synod began in 1893. The Norwegian Synod sent its first missionary to the Eskimos of Alaska in 1894. The American Period 415 From 1891 to 1901 the Norwegian Synod kept a missionary stationed at Salt Lake City to win back the Mormons to Lutheran- ism. Three attempts have been made to start a mission in the Near East — in 1878 at Jerusalem, by the Zion Society for Israel; in 1895 to 1909, at Urmia, Persia, by the Chaldean Mission Society ; in 1910 at Soujboulak, Kurdistan, by the Evangelical Lutheran Orient Mission Society. Since 1915 the Sudan Mission Society has labored zealously for the planting of the Gospel in Madagas- car, Zululand and Natal, South Africa, and the Sudan, West Africa. The Jewish work is still conducted by the Zion Society. The Norwegian Lutheran Church has assigned the work among the Eskimos, Indians and Negroes to its Home Mission Board. Erik A. SjzSvik Daniel Nelson O. R. Wold, D. D. Foreign Missionaries to China P. A. Rasmussen, Laur. Larsen, Ole Waldeland, John P. Gjertsen, Sven R. Gunnersen stand among the first Norwegian- American exponents of foreign missions. Mission Leaders Hans Martin Saeterlie has served longest as secretary of the Foreign Mission Board — since 1904. He has written several books on missions — "Til Guds Riges Fremme" (1910), "Madagaskar" (1912), "The For- eign Missions of the United Church, 1890-1915" (1917). He has edited two mission papers (1895-1904) and has furnished the church papers with news of the foreign mission work for 30 years. Another prominent mission promoter is the Rev. J. R. Birkelund, M.D., who has been an emissary and secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Norwegian Church since 1917. He was born in Denmark, has been a missionary in Japan (1892- 1897, 1900-1902), a home missionary in Chicago (1891-1892) and Wisconsin (1902-1905), a city missionary in Chicago (1905-1917), and a mission inspector in China (1912-1913). Lars Lund, Elroy, Wisconsin, was the treasurer of the foreign missions of the Con- ference, 1881-1890, of the United Church 1890-1917, and of the Zion Society, 1881-1924. Peder Tangjerd was a good friend of the missions and mission treasurer of the Norwegian Lutheran 416 Nonvegian People in America Church 1917-1923. Professor Georg Sverdrup started the Madagascar mission movement among the Norwegian-Ameri- cans. He supported it with great energy through the mission paper "Gasseren." John H. Blegen, professor at Augsburg, has been treasurer of the foreign missions of the Lutheran Free Church and also of the Santal Committee since 1893. He has edited "Santalmissionaeren" since 1897 and is the author of a history of the Zion Society for Israel (1903) and a bird's-eye-view account of the world fields white unto harvest — "Al Verden for Kristus" (1910). Professor Andreas A. Helland, of Augsburg Seminary, has been the secretary of the Lutheran Board of Missions of the Lutheran Free Church since 1907 and has written valuable contri- butions about the Madagascar missions. Lars Lillehei has taught missions at Wahpeton, Grand Forks and Augsburg and has writ- M. A. Pedersen Bihar, India T. L. Brevig Teller, Alaska M. J. Stolee Ft. Dauphin, Mad. ten a mission book entitled "Arbeidere in Vingaarden" (Workers in the Vineyard), 1912. Michael J. Stolee was a missionary and superintendent at Ft. Dauphin, Madagascar, 1901-1909, and has been a professor of missions at the United Church Seminary, St. Paul, 1911-1917, and Luther Theological Seminary, 1917...... Mrs. T. H. Dahl founded the Women's Missionary Federation and Mrs. I. D. Ylvisaker is now at the head of this very use- ful organization. These are but a few of hundreds and thousands of mission friends in the Norwegian Lutheran synods, who are working and praying : Savior, sprinkle many nations, Fruitful let Thy sorrows be ! By Thy pains and consolations Draw the gentiles unto Thee ! The statistics of the foreign missions are vibrant with life. The small sums of the '50s and '60s represent great sacrifices and much love on the part of the pioneer giv- Expenditures ers. There has been a happy increase in the general and special knowledge churchmen have of missions, in the number who give and the average annual The American Period 417 donations. In the period 1868-1872, the Norwegian Synod con- tributed $4,015.22. or about 2 cents by each baptized member yearly; in the period 1918-1922, the Norwegian Lutheran Church contributed $1,653,196.17 to its own fields in China, Madagascar and South Africa, or about 80 cents annually per capita. In 1922 the Norwegian Lutheran Church reported an income of $449,245.00 for foreign missions; the Lutheran Free Church reported $39,807.00; the Lutheran Brethren, $12,927.00; these three synods, a total of $501,979.00. If we add the Eielsen and Norwegian Synods, the Santal, Orient and Sudan missions and the Zion Society, the sum total will amount to over $600,000.00, or $1.25 per baptized person for foreign missions. Add to this the work done by the Norwegian Methodists, Baptists, Congrega- tionalists and members of other Reformed branches, and the sum will become quite respectable. The expenditure brings good returns. The converts were few and far between at first. The Norwegian Missionary Society labored in Zululand from 1842 to 1858 — Results 16 long years — before it was able to report a single convert. But the news of this one Baptism — of the Zulu maiden Umatendwase — inspired M. B. Landstad to write the well-known Norwegian hymn "Oplo'ft dit Syn." Similarly, the work of the Norwegian-American mis- sionaries in China, Madagascar and elsewhere at first was rather meagre in converts. But in 1922 the Norwegian Lutheran Church alone had 2,997 converts who had been baptized that year, 392 who had been confirmed, 11,825 who had communed, and a total membership of 36,071, served by 71 ordained missionaries from the Norwegian Church in the United States, assisted by 8 un- ordained men, 57 single women missionaries and 67 married women. There were 960 native men preachers and teachers and 208 native women workers. There were 26 main stations and 272 out-stations. The work had steadily advanced— the missionaries had advanced upon their knees. They had lived through the Boxer Raid and the World War- in China, the French persecution and the Malagasy rebellion in Madagascar. The Gospel has triumphed ; the doors are now open. Mention should be made of a few of the earliest missionaries sent out from the Norwegians in the United States. The follow- ing table does not include the men sent Early Mission out from Norway, but supported by the Nor- Heroes wegians in America, such as : Nils Astrup (1883), Hans J. S. Astrup (1884), Carl 418 Norwegian People in America Diving (1883), and Carl S. Otte (1882), of the Norwegian Mis- sionary Society in South Africa. Missionaries Years Lands Synods ! Conference Free C ChSdi rCh United Church ( Conference Tou, Erik H 1889-1903 Madagascar < United Church \ Free Church Isolany, Gabriel N 1893-1901 Madagascar United Church Sanders, Ole B 1893-1902 Madagascar United Church Pedersen, P. A. G 1893-1900 Madagascar Free Church Halvorson, Peter C 1896-1914 Madagascar United Church H0igaard, Jonas R 1896-1901 Madagascar Free Church Skaar, Johannes J 1896-1902 Madagascar United Church Nestegaard, Ole S., Jr. .. 1890-1902J Hupeh and ch}na Sodety {China Society United Church Norwegian Church Netland, Sigvald 1890-1896 Honan China Society Running, Halvor N 1891-1908 Hupeh China Society Landahl, Carl W 1896- . . . A Hu P eh \ Hauge Synod ( Honan ( Norwegian Church Stokke,KnutS 1896-1921 Honan j ^rweg^Church Wold, Oscar R., D.D. ... 1898-.... Hupeh \ Hauge Synod ( Norwegian Church Theodor C. Meyersohn was the first missionary among the Jews. He worked in Egypt and Palestine, 1881-1882, and in Russia, 1882-1913. Another Jewish missionary was Dr. Rudolf A Group of Preachers in Zululand The American Period 419 H. Gurland, missionary at Odessa, Russia, 1896-1905, author of "I Tvende Verdener" and other mission tales. Jewish missionaries in America include the following-: Paul Werber, Baltimore, 1882- 1896; E. N. Heimann, Chicago, 1894-1918; Isadore Schwartz, Chicago, 1918-....; Johan A. Eliassen, Chicago, 1907-1921; Anders H. Gjevre, New York, 1900-1903, Minneapolis, 1913- ; John Resnick, Minneapolis, 1917-1924; Ole Waldeland, emissary, 1895-1903; John J. Breidablik^ emissary, 1903-1913. C. K. Sol- berg is the president of the Zion Society for Israel. The Nor- wegians have not forgotten the Jews, as the chief butler forgot Joseph in the prison. The mission among the Jews is in places very successful. The work of Gurland in Russia, for example, bears comparison with that of the New Testament times. R. H. Gurland Jewish Missionary Axel Jacobson Indian Missionary A. H. Gjevre Jewish Missionary Tollef L. Brevig was the first missionary to the Eskimos (1894). Erik O. MoYstad was missionary to the Indians at Wit- tenberg, Wis., 1884-1886, and to the Indians at Carter, Wis., 1893-1915. The work is continued at Wittenberg by Axel Jacob- son, 1888 — , and at Carter and Soperton by Louis Adolf Dokken, 1913 — . The Pottawattomie Tribe among which Dok- ken works is anxious to hear the Gospel. Nils J. Bakke, a Nor- wegian, was preacher and teacher among the Negroes of the South, 1877-1920. Osa A. Lawrence, a Negro preacher, joined the Norwegian Lutheran Church and worked for a year (1923- 1924) among the colored people of Minneapolis. The Eskimo, Indian and Negro missions are now under the home mission board. Nor have the Norwegians forgotten the Mohammedans. They are of all non-Christians the nearest to the Christian faith and the most hostile. However, even they submit to the beloved yoke of Christ. In 1895 Nestorius George Malech, an archdeacon in the Old Evangelical Apostolic Church of the East, commonly called the Nestorian Church, prevailed on Norwegian Lutherans to support him as a missionary at Urmia, Persia. In 1898-1899 Mons O. Wee was sent by the friends of this cause to investigate 420 Norwegian People in America conditions in Persia. In his book "Fra Undersp'gelsesreisen" (1900) he reported unfavorably concerning this mission but, nevertheless, it was continued until 1909, when Ludvig O. Fossum, Ph.D., after a three years' experience as missionary in Urmia also advised that the mission be not supported. Dr. Fossum there- upon turned his attention to the Mohammedans. He offered his services to the Evangelical Lutheran Orient Mission Society and became a missionary among the Mohammedans at Soujboulak, Kurdistan, Persia, in 1911. Dr. Fossum was a linguistic genius truly exceptional. He learned a language or dialect almost with- out effort. He created the written language of Kurdistan. He wrote grammars, dictionaries and school books, translated Lu- ther's catechism, Christian hymns and the New Testament into Kurdish. His wonderfully romantic and noble career would fill a book in the relating, a book that would hold a creditable place in any series of stories about missionary heroes. Fossum died Octo- ber 10, 1920, 41 years of age, but his work will go on. The boards of foreign missions report that they have more candidates, men and women, who are willing to go to the foreign mission fields than their funds permit them to send. The day of the Viking raids is past and gone; the day of the pioneer settlement is no more ; but the sons of the Vikings ought to do well as missionaries (Ps. 110:3). Up ! the ripening fields ye see, Mighty shall the harvest be ; But the reapers still are few. Great the work they have to do. 12. Home Missions, 1890-1925 By home missions in general is meant the gathering and es- tablishing of congregations in the home land, and the aiding of these congregations in securing pastors and General teachers. Historically, ,it has worked this way, that each mission group after organiz- ing itself into congregations and synods, began to help the immi- grant brethren of the same nationality, also to organize them- selves into congregations and to secure pastors and teachers. The Germans took care of the scattered Germans, the Swedes did likewise for the Swedes, the Norwegians for the Norwegians, and so on. ' The first congregational work was carried on exclusively in the mother tongue of the immigrant. Later on, after these people had become somewhat anglicized, they began slowly to use English at the church services and to reach out to bring into the fold men of other nationalities who were unchurched. The synods using foreign languages most exclusively have sought to build up their constituency from the immigrants of their own nationality and their children. The synods now using English predominatingly seek to win for their denomination the un- The American Period 421 churched and the unconverted people from all nations and classes about them. The term home missions is used also to designate the work among people of non-Christian races within our own land. The missions among the Eskimos of Alaska, the Special Indians of Wisconsin, and the Negroes, were formerly rated as foreign mission work, but are now more properly classified as home mission work. ?W 9/% 77. t% Distribution of Norwegians by Sections, 1906 The Jewish missions within this country as carried on by the Zion Society and supported by the Norwegian synods, can be thought of as home mission work, being in the home country. The home mission board also has charge of a great deal of work which more properly belongs to the inner missions. 9i-sy u x Distribution of Norwegian Lutherans by Sections, 1906 As examples of this work may be mentioned: Evangelistic work, city mission work, slum missions and settlements, camp missions, hospital missions, university missions, work for sol- diers and sailors, prison and reformatory mission work, Bible and tract distribution work among the blind, deaf and epileptics, sea- men's missions, immigrant missions, and the like. Much, and sometimes all, of this work is now being done by home mission boards, although the attempt is made from time to time to shift it over to inner mission boards and charity workers. The home missions among the Norwegians go back almost to the beginning of synodical work. Home mission work was, of course, extensively performed by every pio- Organization neer pastor, but the work was not organized under committees and boards before the 422 Norwegian People in America Oluf Glas0e Supt. Home Missions Ole M. Anderson Evangelist Ole L. Kirkeberg Advocate of Norse Culture synods were established. These committees and boards would look over the field, select competent men to go out and organize congregations and raise funds to pay the home mission pastors. Of the 7,500 Norwegian Lutheran congregations which have been established in the United States, no doubt at least 7,000 have been established under the direction of home mission com- mittees and boards. The difference between a committee and a board is not neces- sarily great and often not very clear. In general, it may be said that a board has greater responsibility and is more carefully chosen and permanently organized. Beginning with 1890, the United Norwe- gian Church immediately planned a vigorous home mission work and appoint- ed a home mission super- intendent, whose sole duty was to travel over the whole field, organize con- gregations, find workers and direct the work. The following men ably filled this position in the United Church: N. J. Ellestad, 1891-1900; H. C. Holm, 1901-1906; Oluf Glas^e, 1906-1914; G. A. Larsen, Bethesda Slum Mission, Brooklyn, N. Y. 1914-1917. h Cleaned Out the Slum The American Period 423 The work increased to such an extent that in 1904 it was found necessary in the United Church to appoint a salaried secre- tary for the joint foreign and home mission board. The work of this office increased by leaps and bounds, and in 1910 two paid secretaries were elected, one for the foreign mission board and one for the home mission board. H. M. Saeterlie served as secre- tary for the joint board. Olaf Guldseth was secretary for the home mission board of the United Church from 1910-1917. Carl Severin Berthinius Hoel has been secretary of the home mission board of the Norwegian Lutheran Church since 1917. The Nor- 111 1 M% K\ * A Hi .^\1r ml i*i L » « UV VI ■ «.-. JH A class of Indians just confirmed, Wittenberg, Wis. wegian Lutheran Church does not maintain the office of mission superintendent. In lieu thereof it has nine district presidents and nine district home mission committees looking after the home missions in their respective districts. There is also an English Association taking charge of the English interests and the estab- lishment of English Lutheran congregations. B. J. Rothnem is the missionary among the state institutions for deaf and dumb at Sioux Falls; H. O. Bj^rlie has a similar position at Faribault, Minn.; P. C. Birkelo is in charge of the immigration mission at the Norway House, 92 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N. Y. In 1867 the Norwegian Synod had established a seamen's mission in New York. C. S. E. Everson was pastor for the Seamen's Mission, 1876-1878, and a member of the immigration committee, 1888-1917. Emil J. Petersen was immigration missionary in New York City, 1889-1919. The United Church appointed Tobias 424 Norwegian People in America Ole O. Fugleskjel A soldier of Uncle Sam and a soldier of the Cross. Born July 10, 1868, in Freeborn Co., graduate of St. Olaf College, 1894, and of the United C h u r c h Seminary, 1909. Had been a sol- dier in the U. S. Army. Became a pas- tor in 1909 and froze to death Dec. 6, 1909, in the woods near Clementson, M i n n., while on his way to a preaching appoint- ment. He was found sitting down with the open Bible in h i s hands. In the Cross of Christ I glory .... A Memorial to Fugleskjel at St. Olaf Colle The American Period 425 Tjp'rnhom immigrant missionary at Ellis Island, 1906-1910. In his wake Christen Westermoe, T. A. Lillehei and Iver Tharald- sen have met- the newcomers at Ellis Island. Seamen's Missions have been maintained at San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Philadel- phia and Galveston for many years. In San Francisco the work was organized by C. M. Hvistendahl, 1870-1875; L. A. K. Carl- sen took charge in 1875-1879 while serving Our Savior's Scan- dinavian Church. He preached to the sailors one thousand times, distributed many thousand tracts, papers and books, visited thou- sands of ships and sick sailors. The pastors following him have been: O. N. Grpnsberg, 1890-1900; A. H. Lange, 1890-1896, 1900-1902; L. A. K. Carlsen, 1902-1912; T. C. Satra, 1912-1913; E. S. Belgum, 1913-1914; and O. N. Gronsberg, 1913—. From 1902 to 1912 this mission was visited by 175,000 Norwegian sailors. It distributed 80,000 letters and over one million dollars in money. The Seattle Seamen's Mission is now conducted by E. B. Slettedahl; the Galveston Mission, by Johan Olsen; the Boston Mission, by Oddmund Nielsen ; the Philadelphia Mission was in charge of A. W. Hvistendahl, 1907-14. The Seamen's Mis- sion of Norway conducts mis- sion of Norway coteaoinnuod sion stations in Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Mobile, Pensacola and New Orleans. Secretary C. S. B. Hoel has a number of evangelists at work, notably: H. N. Run- ning, T. Tjo'rnhom, E. L. Scotvold and Johan Olsen. The home mission work in Alaska among Norwegians is now in charge of John Flint, Petersburg, and C. K. Mal- min, Ketchikan; among the Eskimos it is conducted by the three deaconesses Anna Hu- seth, Mabel Lien and Magda- lene Kleppe besides Leonard Sulooguak. The Indian mis- sion at Wittenberg is conduct- ed by Axel Jacobson, super- intendent, and T. M. Rykken, Pastor. Meet Miss Eskimo 426 Norwegian People in America The smaller synods — Lutheran Free Church, Norwegian Synod, Lutheran Brethren, Eielsen Synod — are actively engaged in home mission work, as are also the Methodists, Baptists and Con- gregationalists. The Congregationalists, known as the Norwegian- Danish Evangelical Free Congregations in America, have estab- lished a mission loan fund of $100,000.00 for the purpose of church extension. Since 1884 they have grown from nothing to a group of 60 congregations, chiefly in the large cities, with a printing press in Chicago, a Bible school, including academy, seminary, business and music courses, at Minneapolis, an orphan- age at Fort Lee, N. J., and another in Chicago, a large share in the Scandinavian Alliance Mission, which has an annual budget of $120,000.00 and labors in China, Africa and South America, besides Denmark and Norway. The contributions to the home missions in the early decades of the church work were rather small owing to lack of syste- matic organization. In 1868-1872 the Nor- Expenditures wegian Synod raised only $2,878.46 for this cause. Most of the home mission work was performed by the individual pastors without any record being made at the central office. From 1873 to 1882 the Norwegian Synod collected $26,000.00, the Conference, $6,000.00, and the Augustana Synod, $3,000.00 for home missions. In 1920 the Norwegian Luth. Church contributed $263,989.00 to home mis- sions ; in 1922, $263,998.00. In 1922 the Lutheran Free Church home mission budget was $46,000.00; that of the Eielsen Synod was $2,280.00. There is, as stated before, a great discrepancy between Hie number of Norwegian Lutherans on the church books and the actual number of Norwegian- Lutheran ad- Literature herents. This fact has been brought out by the Canadian census and other studies. O. M. Norlie published in 1909 a statistical study entitled "The United Church Home Missions." In 1919 he edited Oluf GlaspVs "Omsorg for Sine Egne" (Care for One's Own). Of the many who have written on the home mission situation in the church periodicals, no one has written more instructingly and in- spiringly than Supt. Glasoe. In this day of rapid Americaniza- tion and religious indifference such home mission literature has been of great guiding influence both to boards and officers and the rank and file of congregational supporters. 13. Charities, 1890-1925 Charities, or inner missions, is an organized effort to pro- mote the spiritual and bodily welfare of the destitute and the indifferent who are, at least nominally, within the church. Chris- The American Period 427 tianity is a missionary religion. Christ, its founder, commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel to every creature and to be His witnesses. He Himself set the example. The Church has ever since had its work to do and Christians gladly follow in His foot- steps, not least in emulating His works of mercy. Human needs are so multitudinous, human labor is so diversi- fied, therefore it has been found expedient also to organize the work of charity according to some sort of classification. There is the care of children, for example, through orphanages, home finding societies, day nurseries, slum schools, kindergarten, coun- try holidays for the city poor children, etc. There is the care of the aged through old people's homes, rest homes, relief funds and pensions. There is the care of the sick through hospitals, institu- tions for defectives, convalescent homes, deaconess work, volun- J. A. Wang Supt., Homme Orphanage A. Oefstedal Rector, Chicago Deaconess Home N. A. Stubkjaer Supt., M. Luther Orphanage teer work, flower missions. There is the care of the stranger through hospices, immigrant missions and homes, diaspora mis- sions, seamen's missions and homes, river and canal boat missions, employment bureaus, shelters for homeless, tramps, etc. There is the saving of the lost through juvenile courts, Magdalene homes, temperance work. There is the care of family through coloniza- tion efforts, building aids, housing reforms, temporary loans. There is the work of training charity workers, deacons and dea- conesses, Bible readers and teachers, colporteurs, evening schools for working men and women. There is last, but not least, the work of evangelization through regular evangelistic sermons, tent missions, slum missions and settlements, midnight missions, camp, railroad and factory missions, hospital missions, university mis- sions, work among soldiers and sailors, prisoners and reformatory inmates, Bible and tract distribution, colportage, free libraries and reading rooms, mission by posters and pictures, Sabbath ob- servance, and the like. Charity work is not only almsgiving. It is concerned with teaching the Gospel and to this adds the labor 428 Norwegian People in America of Christian love wherever sin has left its tracks, or is likely to do so, in order to relieve, renew and prevent. It uses the Word and the Work as its two hands of service. The Norwegians, both Lutheran and Reformed, have been laboring in this field, even before they organized their first con- gregation. Christian charity affects even the state so that it re- lieves the Church of much of its load of helping the pauper, the defective and the sick. The first Norwegian to organize charitv work institutionally was Even J. Homme, who, in 1881, laid out the town of Wittenberg, Wisconsin, and there in the wild woods founded the Homme institutions according to the spirit of Wichern and the plan of Francke. He built up one branch of this work after another — an or- phans' home, an old people's home, a normal school and academy, a printing press, Sunday school and young peo- ple's papers, books, almanacs, tracts. From that day the work has expanded to include every kind of charity work mentioned in the classification above. In the Norwegian Lu- theran Church the budget for charities in 1922 was $451,- 671.00, or $1.05 per member. A good deal of money raised does not pass through the syn- odical budget, not even through the treasury of an institution, what the right hand doeth in a If we add the local to the synodi- benevolences of the Norwegian people will surely amount to respectable sums beyond the million dollar mark. The charities of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America for 1922, based on incomplete returns, were as follows : Institutions Employees Orphanages 85 Home Finding 17 Hospitals 625 Hospices 10 Homes for Aged 65 Total 802 63,449 $5,807,479 $1,619,426 The charities of the other Norwegian synods, and the in- dependent institutions added to the above will bring the total for the year nearly up to $2,000,000. Rev. and Mrs. A. Vatne (In charge of Sarepta Old People's Home, Sauk Center, Minn., of the Lutheran Brethren) the left hand does not know great deal of this charity work. cal charities then the annual Inmates Property Income 820 $972,180 $370,495 313 24,023 17,467 54,749 3,673,232 956,23 r 6,991 166,500 i5,9n 576 971,544 259,322 The American Period 429 T T T T Rescue the Perishing f T t t Rescue Mission, Minneapolis Matt. 28:19 Luke 5:5 Lutheran Bible School, Grand Forks, N. D. T T T T f~ Suffer the little children to come unto Me Lake Park Orphanage, Lake Park, Minn. 430 Norwegian People in America The chief charitable institutions of the Norwegians are as follows : DEACONESS HOMES No. Name Place Year Head i. Norwegian Lutheran Brooklyn 1883 C. O. Pederson 2. Norwegian Lutheran Minneapolis 1889 E. Berntsen 3. Norwegian Lutheran Chicago 1896 A. Oef stedal 4. Norwegian Methodist Chicago 1910 Fredrik Ring (Nos. 1-3 are Lutheran; No. 4 is Methodist) CHILDREN'S HOMES 1 Homme, Wittenberg, Wis., 1881, J. A. Wang 2 M. Luther, Stoughton, Wis., 1889, N. A. Stubkjaer 3 Beloit, Beloit, la., 1890, T. T. Thompson 4 Lake Park, Lake Park, Minn., 1895, L. J. A. Jahren 5 Bethesda, Beresford, S. D., 1896, John O. Johnson 6 Wild Rice, Twin Valley, Minn., 1898, N. O. Skauge 7 Parkland, Everett, Wash., 1900, H. H. Holte 8 Coeur d'Alene, Coeur d'Alene, Ida, 1923, H. J. Stolee 9 Martha-Maria, Poulsbo, Wash., 1891, J. L. Bestul 10 Bethesda, Willmar, Minn., 1905, Johan Mattson 11 Norw. Lutheran, Edison Park, 111., 1898, Martha Bakke 12 Children's, Brooklyn, 1915, N. M. Jorgensen 13 Christian Orphans', Fort Lee, N. J. 14 Lydia, Chicago, 111. Nos. 1 — 8 are conducted by the Norwegian Lutheran Church. They had 881 children in 1924. This synod has also an orphanage at Teller, Alaska, for Eskimo children, and two day nurseries and kindergartens, at Brooklyn and Chicago, with 13,535 children. Nos. 9 — 10 belong to the Lutheran Free Church; Nos. 11 — 12 are independent, supported by Lu- therans; Nos. 13 and 14 belong to the Norwegian Congregationalists. Home Finding The Norwegian Lutheran Church has a Home Finding De- partment which placed 247 children during 1924, and over 1900 children since 1917, in Christian homes for adoption. It placed Lauritz Larsen, D.D., S.T.D, L.L.D. Pres., National Luth. Council, 1920-22 Rev. J. C. Roseland, Philadephia, Pres., Knights of Leif the Discoverer J. A. O. Stub, D.D. Sec'y, National Luth. Council for Soldiers' and Sailors' Welfare The American Period 431 169 children in 67 boarding homes, where they are kept at a price until called for. It has seven juvenile court attendants, 15 city and hospital missions, with 24 workers in 15 cities. Rev. Helge HpVerstad first advocated the plan of placing children in homes rather than in orphanages. Rev. H. B. Kildahl is the secretary of the board of charities of the Norwegian Lutheran Church. Rescue Homes The Norwegian Lutheran Church has three rescue homes for girls — Minneapolis, Fargo and Sioux Falls. In 1924 these cared for 242 adults and 216 infants. HOSPICES AND INNS i Seamen's Home, Boston, Mass., 1911, O. Nielsen 2 Luth. Home of Mercy, San Francisco, Cal., 1921, Bertha J. Bragstad 3 Seamen's Mission, San Francisco, Cal., 1870, Ole Gr0nsberg 4 Norway House, Brooklyn, N. Y., 1923, P. C. Birkelo 5 Seamen's Mission, Seattle, Wash., 1907, E. B. Slettedahl 6 Seamen's Mission, Galveston, Tex., 1910, Johan Olsen 7 Norw. Emigrant Mission, New York, N. Y., 1865, Iver Tharaldsen 8 Siloah Scand. Mission, Seattle, Wash., 1907, R. J. Berge 9 Luther Home, Minneapolis, Minn., 1904, F. A. Schaffnit 10 Hospice for Young Women, Minneapolis, Minn., 1918, F. A. Schaffnit 11 Scand. Sailors' Temp. House, Brooklyn, N. Y. 12 Girls' Home, Evanston, 111. 13 Girls' Home, Seattle, Wash. 14 Girls' Home, Los Angeles, Cal. 15 Seamen's Mission, Brooklyn, N. Y. 16 Seamen's Mission, San Francisco, Cal. 17 Young W. Christian Home, Brooklyn, N. Y. 18 Young W. Christian Home, Chicago, 111. 19 Norw. Mission House, Boston, Mass. 20 Salem Y. M. Mission House, Chicago, 111. Nos. 1— 11 are Lutheran; Nos. 12 — 16 are Methodist; Nos. 17 — 20 are Congregationalist. Sec'y Gustav Eide Minnesota Total Abstinence Assoc. Mrs. Ulrikka F. Bruun Temperance and Settlement Worker Hon. E. E. L0beck Temperance Orator and Senator 432 Norwegian People in America Martin Norstad N. M. Ylvisaker J. C. K. Preus Dr. Martin Hegland Executive Board of Young People's Luther League HOSPITALS i Deaconess (Luth.), Chicago, 111., 1896, A. Oefstedal 2 Deaconess (M. E.), Chicago, 111., 1907, Emma Linderud 3 Norwegian-American (Indep.), Chicago, 111., 1896, 4 Central Iowa, Story City, la., 1914, I. T. Heggen .5 St. Luke's, Mason City, la., 1920, O. L. N. Wigdahl 6 Ft. Dodge, Ft. Dodge, la., 1924, S. A. Berge 7 Bethesda, Crookston, Minn., 1898, Anna M. F0rlie 8 Dawson Surgical, Dawson, Minn., 1915, G. S. Froiland 9 Deaconess, Minneapolis, Minn., 1889, Marie Folkvard 10 Ebenezer, Madison, Minn., 1902, Otto Mostrom 11 Fairview, Minneapolis, Minn., 1916, Gina Aaserud 12 St. Luke's, Fergus Falls, Minn., 1903, Margaret Fjelde 13 St. Olaf's, Austin, Minn., 1896, Belle S. Anderson 14 St. Paul, St. Paul, Minn., 1901, J. E. Haugen 15 Deaconess, Brooklyn, N. Y., 1883, C. O. Pedersen 16 Deaconess, Grafton, N. D., 1904, Naema Johnson 17 Deaconess, Grand Forks, N. D., 1899, Amund Othmo 18 Deaconess, Northwood, N. D., 1902, Mildred Olsen 19 St. Luke's, Fargo, N. D.y 1908, A. O. Fonkalsrud 20 Minot, Minot, N. D., 1923, 21 Wittenberg, Williston, N. D., 191 1, Albert Johansen 22 Luther, Watertown, S. D., 1915, N. O. Spilde 2^ Lutheran, Sioux Falls, S. D., 1894 24 Moe, Sioux Falls, S. D., 1917, Frances Moe 2^ Luther, Eau Claire, Wis., 1907, F. L. Tr0nsdal 26 Lutheran, La Crosse, Wis., 1899, J. Mutschmann 27 Lutheran, Los Angeles, Cal., 1924, Mr. Norswing 28 Good Samaritan, Rugby, N. D., 1910, Josephine Stennes he American Period 433 All except No. 2 are Lutherans. Defunct hospitals, such as Zumbrota and Thomas Consumptive, not listed. Hospitals in for- eign mission fields, such as Kioshan, Honan, not listed. The Nor- wegian Lutheran hospitals for 1922 had 625 employees, 54,749 patients, property valued at about $4,000,000.00 and an income and outlay of about $1,000,000.00. From 10 per cent to 40 per cent of the work is charity work. "Be ye therefore merciful," is the spirit that inspires the majority of hospital workers. HOMES FOR THE AGED i Homme, Wittenberg, Wis., 1882, R. P. Wasbotten 2 Skaalen, Stoughton, Wis., 1900, B. J. Larsen 3 Josephine, Stanwood, Wash., 1908, Mrs. John J. Jacobson 4 Bethesda, Beresford, S. D., 1910, John O. Johnson .5 Central Iowa, Story City, la., 1913, A. C. Molstre 6 Aase Haugen, Haugenville, la., 1914, O. E. Schmidt 7 Glenwood, Glenwood, Minn., 1914, H. J. Stormo 8 Coeur dAlene, Couer d'Alene, 1920, H. J. Stolee 9 Bethany, Bawlf, Alta., 1922, N. R. T. Braa 10 Bethesda, Willmar, Minn., 1898, Johan Mattson 11 Ebenezer, Poulsbo, Wash., 1908, Ingebrigt Tollefsen 12 Sarepta, Sauk Center, Minn., 1910, A. Vatne 13 Elim, Minneapolis, Minn., 1914, J. A. Jacobsen 14 Norwood Park, Chicago, 111., 1896, Camilla Andersen 15 Norw. Christian, Brooklyn, N. Y., 1902, Erick Ericksen 16 Northwood, Northwood, N. D., 1910, S. H. Njaa 17 Lvngblomsten, St. Paul, Minn., 1912, Johanne Larson 18 Ebenezer, Minneapolis,' Minn., 1916, Julia Ekern 19 Scandinavian, Milwaukee, Wis., 1918, P. Langbach 20 Aftenro, Duluth, Minn., 1921, Mrs. I. N. Sodahl Extinct homes not included. Nos. 1-9 belong to the Norwegian Lu- theran Church; had 383 inmates in 1924. Nos. 10-11 belong to the Lu- theran Free Church ; No. 12, to the Lutheran Brethren ; No. 13, to the Norwegian-Danish Methodist Church. No. 14-20 are independent, but get most of their support from the Norwegian Lutheran Church. 14. Societies Societies, as here used, are any free-will associations organized for the purpose of furthering some cause. In this sense societies are usually a selective group and labor for love in order that others, as well as they themselves, may reap a rich harvest. To them much of the progress of the world is due, and their history makes interesting and edifying reading. There have been formed many societies among the Norwegians and of many kinds. On account of limited space the societies are regretfully dismissed, except that a few re- A Multitude marks will be made about the "Bygdelags," of Societies through whose efforts the Norse-American Centennial is being planned. This celebration will be held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds, St. Paul, June 6-9, 1925. 434 Norwegian People in America Pictures are submitted of some of the officers of the Norse- American Centennial Committee, namely: Prof. Gisle Bothne, president; Mr. S. H. Holstad, managing director; Dr. Knut Gjer- set, chairman of the Committee on Exhibits. The Norse- American Centennial Committee, with headquarters at the New Nicollet Hotel, Washington Ave. South, Minneapolis, has under their direction a whole army of committees, with a mem- bership of 4,000, who are working day and night to make the Norse-American Centennial a World's Fair not easy to forget. Bothne is the head of the Scandinavian Department at the Univer- sity of Minnesota, a man of great abilities and international fame. Holstad is the president of the S. H. Holstad Coffee Co., a man of unusual executive ability, optimism and tenacity of purpose. Gjerset is the scholarly historian of the Norwegian people and the curator of the pioneer museum at Decorah. The names of other members of the central organization of the Norse-American Cen- tennial are given herewith. NORSE-AMERICAN CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE GISLE BOTHNE, President TRYGVE OAS, Treasurer N. T. MOEN, ist Vice-President A. UELAND, Counsel A. C. FLOAN, 2nd Vice-President J. A. HOLVIK, Secretary S. H. HOLSTAD, Managing Director MEN Program Committee Publicity Committee B. E. BERGESEN, Chairman OSC^R fRNESON, Chairman H. ASKELAND, Secretary GUSTAV B. WOLLAN, Director CARL D. KOLSET Transportation Committee O. H. SLETTEN O. P. B. JACOBSON, Chairman H. K. MADSEN HERMAN MUELLER LEE KUEMPEL Budget Committee M. E. WALDELAND JOS. G. NORBY, Chairman ARTHUR L. JOHNSTON OSCAR J. THORPE Committee on Athletics O. I. HERTSGAARD ARNOLD C. OSS. Chairman r , -c" Committee on Exhibits Committee on Finance K NUT GJERSET, Chairman E. G. QUAMME, Chairman OLAF M NORLIE L. W. GORDER, Vice-Chairman THEODORE C. BLEGEN WOMEN WOMEN'S AUXILIARY Reception Committee ^T^F^rp'ATTTTM^ T7A » MRS ' GISLE BOTHNE Mr£ L }$ A - PAULINE FAR " Chairman %^tLLir± (chairman MRS. J.'E. HAUGEN, Vice Chm. Committee on Concessions MRS. WILLIAM O. STORLIE MRS. J. O: LEE, Chairman A/rt/c" AfAMTt-v rACCT7r , T Committee on Exhibits til ££&!¥ IS! IHIen ^L*1 rborg reque Hospital Committee MRS. BERTHA DAHL LAWS MRS. SOPHIA WETTELAND Vice-Chairman Chairman DR. INGEBORG RASMUSSEN The American Period 435 Program Committee MRS. LAURA BRATAGER, Sec. MRS. A. C. FLOAN, Chairman MRQ . AMANr) A ANDFRSON MISS GUNHILD OFTEDAL MRb " AMANDA ANDERbON Vice Chairman MISS GEORGINA LOMMEN Pictures are also submitted of three temperance leaders in view of the fact that the Norwegian- Americans have been a temperate people and have been voting for the prohibition cause. It was not by mere chance that the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was written by a Norwegian — A. J. Volstead. There are some two million others like unto him in the Norwegian phalanx. The pictures chosen are of the Honorable Engebrit E. Ljzfoeck, Mrs. Ulrikka Feldtman Bruun and Gustav Eide. Ljzfoeck spent a long life speaking the temperance cause, writing about it, and making laws in the state capitol in support of it. Mrs. Bruun built Harmony Hall in the slums of Chicago, established a Hope Mission, lifted the drunkards out of the gutter, saved the girls from lives of shame, organized kindergartens, published a tem- perance periodical, wrote poems, song books, and novels against strong drink, stumped several states — truly a noblewoman. Gus- tav Eide, for about 30 years identified with the Minnesota Total Abstinence Association and the Association for Our Country's Welfare, and serving as a secretary since 1902, being J. J. Sk0r- dalsvold's successor to this important and difficult post. Gustav Eide blir aldrig lei det. In addition to these three temperance workers out of a host of over 300 societies we select three leaders — J. A. O. Stub, D.D., Lauritz Larsen, D.D., S.T., LL.D., and Jens C. Roseland. Dr. Stub was secretary of the National Commission for Soldiers' and Sailors' Welfare during the World War. As pastor of the Cen- tral Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, he has in the short space of five years built up in a dying church community a very strong Lutheran congregation. He is about to build a new $300,000 church. Dr. Larsen was elected secretary of the National Lu- theran Council in 1918 and president in 1920. The National Lu- theran Council under his direction gathered and distributed over 2,500,000 pounds of clothing and $2,500,000.00 for temporal re- lief and reconstruction of church work in 17 European lands and many foreign mission fields. In the work of his office it became his duty twice to visit the devastated lands of Europe, and, on the return from his second trip, which had proved very strenuous, he took sick with the flu and died. He was a great and noble exec- utive, a tall, strong man of handsome appearance and gentle man- ners. Rev. J. C. Roseland is the president of the Knights and Dames of Leif, the Discoverer. He is a Norwegian Lutheran pastor at Philadelphia and Washington, D. C. Has been secretary of the Augustana Synod and the United Church. Is an author, an "Israelite without guile." 436 Nonvegian People in America A "bygdelag" is a society composed of natives from a "bygd," that is, some particular settlement or group of settlements in Norway and of their descendants in this coun- Norwegian try. Thus, the Valdris Lag is a society of Bygdelags me n and women from Valdres, Norway, and their children born here. The members of Telelaget hail from Telemarken; the members of Stavangerlaget came from Stavanger City and County. The objects of the bygdelags are various: (1) To re-unite relatives and friends who lived close together in Norway, but are scattered far and wide in this land; (2) To foster and preserve Andrew A. Veblen Thomas Lajord Torkel Oftelie the traditions and memories of the ancestral home localities; (3) To collect and publish historical and biographical information both regarding immigrants to America who came from the dis- trict which the "lag" represents and also their descendants; (4) To collect charitable and memorial gifts to be given to their an- cestral community. Veblen, in his "Valdris Book," styles the lags "For-auld-lange-syne-societies," but explains that they are much more than that. Since they began their course in 1899 they have printed at least 25,000 pages of biographical and historical material about their members. They have built a large number of hospitals, asylums, and rescue ships, established endowments to help the poor and sick, and in other ways given concrete demonstration of their good will to the land of their birth. The lag movement is unique. No other people seems to have taken part in it. The nearest approach to it in this country is the annual reunion in California of the natives of this or that state, as, for example, former citizens of Iowa meeting once a year at a picnic in Los Angeles. a. Valdris Samband The honor of starting the bygdelag movement no doubt be- longs to Thomas Lajord. Lajord was born Feb. 26, 1842, in Vang, Valdres, and came to America in 1870. He worked for The American Period 437 21 years as a farmhand, parochial school teacher and precentor, until 1891, when he moved to Alexandria, Minnesota, and got an appointment in a furniture factory. His salary as teacher was a dollar a day, but he did very good work. Through his friend, Senator Knute Nelson, he was appointed an inspector of weights and grain. Later, he became Senator Nelson's private secretary at Washington. He died June 7, 1906. On Feb. 2, 1899, Lajord wrote an Open Letter in "Nordvesten," St. Paul, addressed to the Valdrises of the Twin Cities. Couldn't these good people Mons O. Wee Theological Professor Hans Jervell Historian Engebret M. Broen Bible School President have a reunion some time that spring? The letter started a dis- cussion. A picnic-reunion was held in Minneapolis, June, 1899, at which Lajord presided. There were songs and speeches, feast- ing and games, besides informal visiting between long-separated fellow-dalesmen. The Valdris dialect was much in evidence. The Bygdelag Movement Had Begun A similar meeting was held in 1900. In 1901 a permanent society was organized, called Valdris Samband. Andrew A. Veb- len, professor of physics at the University of Iowa, was the first president-elect. He was succeeded in 1920 by Andrias M. Sund- heim, manager of the Augsburg Publishing House. In 1924, Dr. John E. Haugen, manager of the St. Paul Hospital, was elected to this office. In 1903 President Veblen and the secre- tary of the Valdris Samband, Dr. J. S. Johnson, began the publi- cation of a quarterly, bearing the name "Valdris Helsing," as an organ of the lag. In 1910 this magazine was enlarged and made a monthly and bore the name "Samband." It was discontinued in 1917. In 1920 Veblen published "The Valdris Book," telling the story of the lag movement and the Valdris Samband. A. M. Sundheim issued a historical year book in 1922 and an illustrated quarterly magazine, "Samband," in 1924. This society has published over 438 Norwegian People in America 7,000 pages of historical matter about the Valdreses. Now there are 35 other similar societies representing other valleys and dis- tricts of Norway, besides a number of division lags. This happy, thriving brood gladly look up to the Valdris Samband as the mother of them all. The little seed sown by Mr. Lajord has become a mighty tree in the shadow of whose noble branches Norsemen of every clan, from every nook of this land, congregate and relax from toil. As soon as the Valdris Society got well under way a number of similar organizations sprang up to represent the Norwegian people of this or that community in Norway. The order in which these societies were founded is as follows : (2) 1907 Telelaget (3) Hallinglaget (4) 1908 Numedalslaget (5) Gudbrandsdalslaget (6) Tr0nderlaget (7) Nordlandslaget (8) Sognalaget (9) 1909 Selbulaget do) Vosselaget (n) Saetesdalslaget (12) Nordfjordlaget (13) 1910 Landinglaget (14) Totninglaget (15) 0sterd0lslaget 06) S0ndm0rslaget (17) Hadelandslaget 08) Solunjglaget 09) Stavangerlaget (20) 1911 Tinnsj0laget (21) Sigdalslaget (22) Sundalslaget (23) Hardangerlaget (24) S0ndhordlandlaget (25) 1912 Vinger, Odalen & Eidskog Samlag (26) S0ndfjordlaget (27) 1913 Romdalslaget (28) Kristianialaget (29) Nordhordlandlaget (30) Hurdalslaget (3i) 1915 Smaalenslaget (32) Ringerikeslaget (33) Kongsberglaget (34) Mj0senlaget (35) 1920 Opdalslaget (36) 1911 Iowa Telelag (37) Wisconsin Telelag (38) 1912 Bandak Telelag (39) 1911 Twin City Stavangerlag (40) 1912 West Coast Numedalslag (41) Minneapolis Tr0nderlag b. Telelaget Editor A. A. Trovaten, of "Fram," Fargo, North Dakota, was the originator of the Telelag. In 1914 this association had 1,600 members. It has published since 1909 a little magazine in the Telemarken dialect. The name of the magazine is "Telesoga." The articles are all from the pen of Torkel Oftelie, the most prolific collector and writer of lag history in America. The pres- idents of Telelaget have been: Bendik Bondahl, 1907-1908; A. A. Trovaten, 1909-1919; Hans Samuelson, 1919-1922; J. O. Saeter, 1922—. Among the representative men from Telemarken may be men- tioned: B. Anundsen, founder of "Decorah Posten," the largest Norwegian paper in the world; O. Andrewson, pioneer pastor, Wisconsin; H. H. Bergsland, professor of theology, Red Wing Sem. ; Halvor Bj^rnson, pastor, president of "For Faedrearven" ; HerbjoYn Gausta, noted artist ; Osmund Gunderson, tobacco farmer and merchant, Stoughton, Wisconsin; Torjus and Saa- The American Period 439 mund Hemmestvedt, Ada, Minnesota, holding world-records in ski jumping; 0sten Hanson, pastor and synodical president, with four sons in the ministry ; E. J. Homme, the Norwegian Francke, founder of the Wittenberg charitable institutions; J. O. Houg- land, Montevideo, Minnesota, statesman; Samuel G. Iverson, state auditor of Minnesota, 1903-1915; Isaac Johnson, Methodist pastor; K. O. Lundeberg, field missionary; Th. N. Mohn, presi- dent of St. Olaf College, 1874-1899; T. G. Mandt, inventor and wagon manufacturer; A. E. Rice, lieutenant-governor of Minne- sota, 1887-1891 ; N. N. Running, editor of "Familiens Magasin" and "The Friend/' and manager of The Christian Literature Co., Minneapolis; O. G. U. Siljan, Lutheran pastor, Madison, Wis- consin; C. K. Solberg, president of Missionary Training School, Minneapolis; Peer O. Stro'mme, world traveler and journalist, poet and novelist, preacher, teacher and politician; A. K. Strand, successful farmer and county treasurer, Norman County, Minne- sota; Halvor Steenerson, Minnesota congressman, 1903-1923. Governor Carl Gunderson of South Dakota is a Telemarking. c. Hallinglaget Hallinglaget held its first "stevne" (meeting) at Walcott, North Dakota, in 1907, at the suggestion of Halvor Ulsaker of that place. The first president was Dr. Olaf Th. Sherping, Fer- gus Falls, Minnesota, who served eight years. The second pres- ident was S. O. Olstad, piano dealer of Minneapolis, who served for three years. The present president is Prof. Knute Lolcens- gaard, Edberg, Alta., who has served since 1918. The mem- bership is 1,000. In 1914 this lag sent a gift of $20,000.00 to Hallingdal, Norway, as a fund for the benefit of the "worthy" poor, the interest alone to be distributed from year to year. The fund is administered by the local government of the valley. Hallinglaget has since 1912 been publishing a quarterly called "Hallingen," which has a circulation of about 1,200. Rev. Ole Nilsen, Grand Forks, North Dakota, is the editor. The following are fairly representative of the Hallings : Ole H. Halvorson, Litchfield, Minnesota; C. O. Livedalen, Traill County, North Dakota, and Ole O. Thormodsgaard, Hudson, South Dakota, all leading farmers; JoYgen Kvarve, of Houston County, Minnesota, is said to be the first Norwegian in Minne- sota to take a seat in the legislature; K. K. Finseth was a repre- sentative from Goodhue County in 1868; S. G. Gilbertson was the first Norwegian in Iowa to hold the position of state treasur- er, 1901-1907; G. N. Haugen has been a congressman from Iowa since 1899 and is chairman of the Committee on Agriculture; Asle G. Gro'nna was a congressman from North Dakota, 1905- 1911, and a U. S. Senator, 1911-1921, and is said to have made a million dollars in farming; Lars Swenson was the treasurer of 440 Norwegian People in America the United Church and the Hennepin County Court House Com- mission and manager of the Augsburg Publishing House, 1890- 1904; O. S. Swenson was the warden of the South Dakota Penitentiary; Lauritz S. Swenson has been minister to Denmark, Switzerland and Norway, besides a teacher and a banker; A. Weenaas was the first president of Augsburg Seminary; H. Allen was the first president of Lutheran Ladies' Seminary; Ole Neste- gaard was the first Norwegian missionary to China; Ole Lo'kens- gaard was the first president of the Madison Normal School ; O. T. Rikansrud is a Lutheran pastor, having served in Texas; H. S. Houg was a great teacher and so was Svein Strand ; B. K. Savre is the editor of the Glenwood "Herald" ; B. J. Rothnem is a missionary to the deaf and dumb and the winner of the prize for the best cantata for the Norse-American Centennial; Tollef Sanderson is a trusted banker at Harmony, Minnesota; Dr. Eric O. Giere is the surgeon-in-chief of the St. Paul Hospital, St. Paul, with one brother and a son in the ministry, and many near relatives in the learned professions ; Ole O. Otterdokken fell at the Battle of Gettysburg, defending the Union cause; O. H. Slet- ten has been president of the Lutheran Free Church; and Rev. Martin Hailing is, of course, a Hailing, and a goad pastor. d. Other "Lags" Since 1912 the following have been added to the list of lags : (42) Agderlaget; (43) Bergenslaget ; (44) Haugesundlaget ; (45) Nerstrandslaget, and (46) Viktnalaget. In addition to these association^ of natives from a particular valley and their descendants, a few family groups have organized themselves into permanent societies for the purpose of meeting annually to promote acquaintance and intercourse among the respective members and to write their saga. The Aaker Family and the Tollef srude Family are examples of this very interesting and worthy movement. The Solberg Family, Holden, Minn., and the Waldeland Family, St. Ansgar, Iowa, have published genea- logical books. A number of extensive biographies and autobiogra- phies have appeared — R. B. Anderson, J. N. Kildahl, Ole Paulson, Ole Juul and C. K. Preus. The present writer made family trees of the C. K. Preus Family, going back on the father's side, as far as Abraham Preus, 1650, and on the mother's (Hjort) side to 1525. He discovered interconnections with 621 other families in Norway and America. Some of the lags are emphasizing the importance -of holding on to the land and sticking to the soil. Others call attention to the value of keeping the old Norwegian names intact and of getting more place names on the American map. In 1911 only 18 out of 886 of the postoffices in North Dakota had a Norwegian name. No state and no large city has ever been named after the Norsemen. In 1856 the Norwegians The American Period 441 Ole J. Glas^e John P. Johnson John Juel came to Meeker County, Minnesota. They were the first settlers there and called their town Ness, because they came from Ness in Hallingdal. The town was called Ness by the railroad when it came, and Ness was a good enough name for all time. But some Americans came and said : "This will never do. Let's get an English name." The Norwegians meekly yielded and Ness became Litchfield (which means in Old English graveyard). In New York, in the winter of 1924-1925, the Norwegians asked for a Leif Erikson Square, and got it. The story of the "Bygdelags" is of far-reaching interest. Tt is curtailed here for want of room. 15. Cultural and Professional Pursuits Of the cultural and professional pursuits of the Norwegians in America brief mention will be made of a few inventors, architects, engineers, musicians, painters, sculptors, doctors, dentists, and lawyers. Norwegian culture is, of course, represented also by the preachers, teachers, writers, publishers, missionaries, charity workers, society promoters, athletes, public service men, etc., dis- cussed elsewhere in the book. It should be understood that the following is not a catalog or inventory of names and deeds in the fields surveyed. The subject invites further study. Walker says in his "Making of the Nation" : "Agriculture was the chief occupation in the United States at the achievement of independence .... Of two sons of the Norwegian same mother, one became a lawyer, perhaps a Inventors judge, or went down to the city and became a merchant, or gave himself to political affairs and became a governor or a member of Congress. The other stayed upon the ancestral homestead, or made a new one for himself and his children out of the public domain further west, remaining 442 Norwegian People in America A Stoughton Wagon through his life a plain, hard-working farmer. . . . There was then no other country in the world, there is now no consider- able country where equal mental alertness has been applied to soil as to trade and industry." Walker goes on to show that the saying "necessity is the mother of invention," is better illustrated here than in any other land. 'Invention is a normal function of the American brain. The American invents as the Greek chiseled, as the Vene- tian painted, as the modern Italian sings." In this feature of Ameri- canism the Norwegians have from the start been like unto their English brethren, and they have helped in no small measure to improve the known tools of husbandry and to invent new ones. The axe, the spade, the shovel, the plow, the wagon, the thresher, and a hundred and one other implements have been improved in their hands, so that these tools have become marvels of combined efficiency, lightness and strength. The T. G. Mandt and Stoughton wagons and sleds, for ex- ample, have never been excelled. T. G. Mandt invented these and manufactured them. The Vea Brothers and the Moline Plow Co. continued to manufacture them after his death. John P. Johnson (Moen), Litchfield, Minn., invented the first twine binder, or self binder, in 1877. His patent was in- fringed upon, his rights stolen. Ole J. Glasoe, a black- smith at Lanesboro, Minn., early saw the need of a plow that would run lighter, and invented the first sulky plow in the world. The number of his patent is 164,727, dated June 22, 1875. He began to manufacture the sulky plow, and so did other concerns. He had no money to carry on lawsuits, and so his patent did not protect his rights. John Juel, Canton, S. D., a farmer and thresher, found that he could no longer feed his machine by hand, so he invented a self feeder and started a factory at Larchwood, la. His patent number was 474,254, granted May 3, 1892, the first self feeder in the world. He soon learned that other factories were making use of his models, but he was unable to check the infringements. The First Sulky Plow The American Period 443 Then, somehow his factory was set on fire, and he ceased to manufacture. John O. Ulberg had been a contractor and builder from 1890 to 1905, farmer and brick manufacturer, Mott, N. D., 1905-19, and experimenting with rotary engines since 1919. He has spent 20 years planning a rotary engine. In 1914 he visited the Patent Of- fice at Washington, D. C, and found 3,086 patents of rotary engines ahead of him, but not one of them used his principle. He is president of Ulberg and Sons Rotary Engine Co., Sioux Falls. Beecher says that "he that invents a tool or a machine aug- ments the power of man and the well-being of mankind." The inventors just mentioned have surely contributed to the welfare of humanity, and while in this life they received no material rewards for their foresight and sacrifice. It is said of a man that he asked his fellowmen for bread, and they gave him a stone — when he was dead. It is earnestly to be hoped that the world will eventually reward these inventors of machinery of such universal and far- reaching value with proper monuments of stone. It has been estimated that the Norwegians have produced 33, 000 inventions in the United States. In the table below will be found 33 of these chosen to show their variety and practicality. The Juel Self Feeder, Front View L. O. Grondahl C. E. Tharaldsen J. O. Ulberg Some Early and More Recent Inventors 444 Norwegian People in America NORWEGIAN INVENTORS Name Aasen, Mr. Bonhus, C. Alfred Borge, John tCappelen, F. W. Cappelen-Smith, E. A. Dahl, Knut Danielson, Mr. Evenrude. Ole Flood, Eyvind tGisholt (Johnson), J. A. tGlas0e, Ole J. Gr0ndahl, L. O. Guettler, H. W. Heidenreich, E. L. Himle, Th. tHoff, Olaf t Johnson, J. P. juel, John Langemo. Edward Loss, Henrick V. tMandt, T. G. Monson. George S. Nordtop, Gullick Olsen, Tinius Olson, Carsten F. Pihlfeldt, Thos. G. tRigness, John Ruud, Edwin Sageng, H. O. Skille, Edvard Tharaldsen, C. E. Ulberg, John O. Wigtel. Carl tDeceased Place Stoughton, Wis. Minneapolis, Minn. New York, N. Y. Minneapolis, Minn. New York, N. Y. San Francisco, Cal. Cannon Falls, Minn. Milwaukee, Wis. Boston, Mass. Madison, Wis. Lanesboro, Minn. Pittsburgh, Pa. Chicago, 111. Chicago, 111. Spokane, Wash. Montclair, N. J. Litchfield, Minn. Canton, S. D. Minneapolis, Minn. Philadelphia, Pa. Stoughton, Wis. St. Paul, Minn. Millet, Alta. Philadelphia, Pa. Brooklyn, N. Y. Chicago, 111. Norse, Tex. Pittsburgh, Pa. Milaca, Minn. Drummond, Wis. Evanston, 111. Sioux Falls, S. D. New York, N. Y. Invention Sleeping masks Furnace heat regulator Incinerator Reduction plant Copper extracting meth- ods U. S. Navy oil burner "Never-Wiggle" ironing board Evenrude marine motor Milling machinery Simplematic lathe First sulky plow Railway signaling appa- . ratus Barking drum Grain elevator Life preserver Subaqueous railroad tun- nel First self binder First self feeder Threshing machine First rolled steel railway car wheels Mandt wagon Instrument for reproduc- ing movement of hu- man jaws Automatic power engine Testing machine Instrument of precision (for detecting posi- tion of ships at sea) Jack knife bridge Disk harrow (1850) Automatic bake oven Combination engine- thresher Metrical calendar Micro-dissecting machine Rotary engine Hydraulic machinery A remark or two about these inventions is surely in order. J. A. Johnson (Gisholt), the inventor, is the founder of the Gis- holt Manufacturing Company, Madison, Wisconsin, which has for over 50 years been making high grade farm implements and ma- chine making machinery. The Simplematic, for example, is a simplex highly productive lathe which meets the need for a simple automatic machine capable of taking a number of cuts on a variety of chucking and between-centers work. L. O. Grondahl's Rail- way signaling apparatus (Patents No. 1,503,316, 1,503,317 and The American Period 445 1,503,318) uses photo-electric and other light sensitive means of actuating automatic signals for the control of traffic on railways. As director of research for the Union Switch and Signal Co., Swissvale, Pennsylvania, Dr. Grondahl has invented a number of other electrical devices, as : A focus indicator for headlights (Patent No. 1,414,125), a system of submarine detection in alter- nating magnetic fields. He has several patents pending. He is an authority on box photometers, pneumophonographs and other things electric. Th. Himle's life preserver was devised by Pastor Himle during the World War. So many people were being drowned by the submarines, and this set him to thinking. He made a life-saving outfit which provided air, food and electric light. It is easy to put on, and when once on, it will take a man right to the surface. Rev. Th. Himle had been a medical and clerical missionary in China, 1895-1909, and was a pastor at Santa Rosa, California, when he invented this life saver. He is now an evangelist and has been in the spiri- tual life-saving business all hi-, work- ing life. Gulick Nordtop is an Alberta farmer who has applied the principles of the clock and automatic elevator to engines and has made an automatic power engine that runs without fuel, steam, electricity, gas or oil. The Phi- ladelphian, Tinius Olsen, won gold medals on his testing machines as early as the Philadelphia Centennial of 1876. The Texan, John Rigness, invented a disk harrow as early as 1850. Edvard Skille came to America as a 15-year old boy and at once secured a job in a Wisconsin saw mill. He rose from position to position un- til he became a log scaler, a position that called for considerable mathematical knowledge. He became a student of higher mathe- matics all by himself and profoundly efficient. He discovered a method of trisecting an angle, a feat that had never before been performed, and invented a log marker by which he could divide an angle into any required part. And, finally, he devised a Metrical Calendar in which he applies the decimal system to the year. Astronomers and mathematicians regard the work, both as to originality and accuracy, as truly remarkable. Conrad E. Tharald- sen is a professor of zoology at Northwestern University. He has invented a parafin oven and a micro-vivisection apparatus. In connection with inventions may be mentioned a few who Th. Himle and His Life Saving Outfit 446 Norwegian People in America Tharaldsen's Parafin Oven have devised efficiency methods. Thus : Carl G. Barth, Phila- delphia, is the inventor of a system of efficiency in industrial management. John E. Haugen, St. Paul, is the inventor of a plan of hospital bookkeeping which is used generally even in New York. O. M. Norlie, together with G. L. Kieffer, New York, has devised the minimum parochial blanks of the National Lu- theran Council and many statistical blanks for institutions, de- partmental agencies and societies, no doubt the simplest, most systematic and fullest church statistical blanks in the world. Magnus Swenson has in- vented methods of saving in manufacturing sugar and other products. E. A. Cap- pelen- Smith has invented methods of smelting copper. J. C. M. Hanson is one of the chief authors of the Library of Congress Sys- tem of cataloguing. U. S. Senator Norbeck was the champion well-dig- ger of South ^Dakota before he went into politics. He didn't like the way they were drilling with the machines then in use so he invented a combination drilling machine and pump. T. Alvasaker, Chicago, "who is thoroughly conversant with Norse church architecture as well as Lutheran architecture in general," has contributed designs I-XII in Norwegian Glasoe's "Church Designs" (1917). Of course Architects Alvasaker is an expert in other architectural fields, too. Kort Berle, New York, shared with his business partner, Gun- vald Aus, the responsibilities and honors of designing and erecting the Woolworth Building, the tallest of its kind in the world, on Broadway, near City Hall Park, New York. Cass Gilbert was the chief architect. John Engebretsen, San Diego, Norwegian consul, is the leading street contractor and builder in his city. John A. Gade, New York, a high standard architect, has prac- ticed his profession in the great metropolis. He has been knighted by Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Belgian and Italian potentates and given the Navy Cross by the U. S. A. He is the author of "Book Plates, Old and New" (1898), "Cathedrals of Spain" (1911), etc. Nils I. Edward Mohn, St. Paul, oldest son of Thorbjo'rn N. The American Period 447 Mohn, first president of St. Olaf College, is an architect, with offices at 596 Endicott Bulding, St. Paul, Minnesota. Olaf Thorshov, of the Long and Thorshov Co., Minneapolis, has erected many of the tallest buildings of Minneapolis. Olav M. Topp has for 40 years been building some of the largest skyscrapers and churches of Pittsburgh. Topp is at the top of his profession. Rear Admiral Peter C. Asserson (1839-06), in the U. S. Navy, 1862-06, was a civil engineer and builder of dry docks at Norfolk, * Brooklyn, etc. 'The Army and Navy Journal," Engineers December 8, 1906, calls him the "greatest au- thority in America on dry docks." He was from Ekersund. Came here in 1859. Had four sons, two sons-in- law, and 5 grandsons in the U. S. army and navy. One of his sons-in-law, Wm. B. Fletcher, is a rear admiral. The other son- in-law, Lieut. Frank A. Spicer, is descended from Kjerulf, the Norwegian musician. Nils F. Ambursen, New York, consulting hydraulic engineer, inventor of the Ambursen dam. Otto J. Andreason, New York, designing and estimating engineer, for many years with the world famous Wm. Barclay Parsons. Gunvald Aus, New York, consult- ing engineer, designer of steel frame for the Woolworth Building, the "Cathedral of Commerce," the world's highest building. Builder of the United States Custom House, the monumental and artistic structure facing Bowling Green, New York City, and several other important structures, as: U. S. Post Office, New York, Essex Court House, Newark, Armory Building, New York, Union Central Life Insurance Co's Building, Cincinnati. He was construction engineer of the Phoenix Bridge Co., 1888-1894; chief engineer of the U. S. Treasury, 1894-1900. K. Baetzman, Chicago, engineer in large steel plant. A. Berg, Patterson, chemical engineer and expert in silk dyeing. Gustav Bergendahl, Einar Bergendahl. and Carl Bergendahl, brothers, Chicago, engineers and builders. Einar Bergendahl built the bridge between Philadelphia and Camden, the largest in the United States. Ole Berger, New York, paper mill engineer. A. A. Boedtker, Chicago, builder of exhibit buildings, Columbian Ex- position, and railroad engineer. John Borge, New York, engineer, identified with the manufacture of incinerators. John S. Braune, New York, consulting engineer. Frederick W. Cappelen, Minneapolis, engineer, with Northern Pacific Railroad, in Montana, city engineer, 1886-1821, builder of city filtration plant, the Northern Pacific bridge and the Cap- pelen Bridge crossing the Mississippi at the foot of Franklin Avenue. This has the largest concrete span in the world. He also built the bridge at Third Avenue, Minneapolis, and the new Cedar Avenue bridge, which is to be one of the finest in America, 448 Nonvegian People in America is to be built according to/ his specifications. E. A. Cappelen- Smith, New York, chemical and hydro-metallurgical engineer and copper mining expert, winner of gold medal of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America and member of the Guggenheim Corporation. H. L. Christie, Pittsburgh, engineer with American Bridge Co. for many years. Gustav L. Clausen, Chicago, civil engineer and superintendent of sewers of Chicago. Mr. Clausen planned the towns of Pullman and Hyde Park and has planned the sewer systems of many cities. H. Claus- sen, engineer with E. P. Allis Co., Milwaukee. Knut Dahl, San Francisco, is engineer of the Union Iron Works of that city. Sverre Damm, New York, engineer in direct The Cappelen Bridge charge of subway construction, New York, for 25 years. Viggo Drewson, New York, a leading chemical engineer and a recognized authority on paper manufacture. J. A. Dyblie, for years the chief engineer of the Anaconda Mining Company, Montana. At present, chief engineer Illinois Steel Company's Works, Joliet, Illinois. Eyvind Flood, Boston, mining engineer and inventor. Berge B. Furre, New York, subway engineer. Joachim G. Gaiver, Pittsburgh, civil engineer, designer of ex- hibit buildings at Chicago, 1893, bridge engineer. Herbert W. Guettler, Chicago, paper mill engineer, inventor of Guettler Bark- ing Drum, an improved device for removing bark from logs. E. Lee Heidenreich, the foremost engineer in the world of rein- forced concrete construction, inventor of modern type of grain elevators. J. Heyerdahl-Hansen, San Francisco, is president of the Diesel Engine Company. Olaf HofT, Montclair, N. J., con- The American Period 449 suiting engineer, inventor of new method of laying tunnels, builder of the New York Central tunnel under the Detroit River and several tunnels under the Harlem River. Hoff died in New York City, December 23, 1924. About 30 years ago Hoff built a belt line railroad bridge across the Mississippi, near Eleventh Avenue South, Minneapolis. The bridge was built from both sides toward the center. Everything was so carefully designed that when the last pieces met, the bolts shipped into their places without any filing or fitting of any sort. This marvel of engineering astounded the technical world. N. N. Running had a thrilling ac- count of this wonderful man in the April number of "The Friend," 1925. Hoff ar- rived in New York in 1879, a 20-year-old Norwegian newcomer, his breast pocket containing a diploma from the Polytechnic Institute at Copenhagen, and his heart throbbing with the ambition to make his mark in this land of wonderful engineering feats. He started at the bottom in a fitting-up shop. Soon he was an engineer with the Mexican Central Railway, and shortly after that the locating engineer of the line. He lived several years in Minneapolis and took a leading part in the Lutheran church work. He built a bridge across the Mississippi at St. Paul. In 1910 he took charge of the bridge work of the New York Central and, in four years, constructed over 400 bridges. Last year he built the Castleton Bridge for this railroad. His broth- er, J. H. Hoff, is the chief engineer for the American Bridge Co. at Chicago. Leonhard Holmboe, Chicago, has designed and built one of the largest steel plants in America, and has been in the service of the Illinois Steel Co. since 1870. Christian and Severin Holt are engineers and inventors. Christian Holt has specialized in river locks and has worked for the U. S. A. Severin Holt has The Woolworth Building, a product of Norwegian Engineering and Architectural Science 450 Norwegian People in America specialized in farm machinery and has worked for the McCormick Co., now the International Harvester Co. One of his inventions is the Holt Cream Separator. Norman B. Holter is a mechanical en- gineer. He is the son and successor of the illustrious Anton M. Holter, Helena, Montana. Axel Olaf Ihlseng, Brooklyn, N. Y., is a zinc mining engineer, operating in Colorado, Missouri, Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma. M. Rude Jacobsen, Brooklyn, is a tunnel making expert. D. S. Jensen is a prominent paper mill engineer of New York. Halfdan Lee, Pittsburgh, is an engineer in the coke manu- facturing industry. His brother, Leif Lee, is the chief engineer at a large steel plant, Youngstown, Ohio. O. L. Lindrew, Chicago, was a farmer boy at Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin. He became a fireman on the Illinois Central in 1886, an engineer in 1890, trans- Olaf Hoff New Jersey Edward Mohn Minnesota Ingvald Rosok Arizona portation inspector and expert on fuel conservation for the Illinois Central system in 1912. Guttorm Miller, New York, has for over 20 years been con- nected with subway engineering and other big construction enter- prises. A. B. Neumann, Chicago,, is the designer and builder of the largest steel plant in America, possibly in the world, the United States Steel Corporation plant at Gary, Indiana. He planned and laid out the City of Gary. He built the plant of the American Rolling Co. at Middletown, Ohio, and the seamless tube plants for the Pittsburgh Steel Products Co. Alf Otto is the builder of the five-mile long bridge across the Savannah. He was born at Oslo in 1881. J. P. Paulson, San Francisco, is the chief engineer of the C. H. Moore Iron Works of that city. Thomas Pihlfeldt, Chi- cago, is a noted bridge engineer, chief engineer of bridges for Chicago, inventor of the Pihlfeldt-Ericsson, or Chicago type, of jack-knife bridges. The American Period 451 Oscar H. Reinholt, San Diego, is a mining engineer. Was a geographer in the Philippine Forestry Bureau, superintendent U. S. army coal mines, with U. S. Bureau of Mines, consulting petroleum engineer, with Treasury Department, valuation engi- neer of natural resources, awarded bronze and silver medals, St. Louis, and gold medal, San Diego, for mineral exhibit ; geologist, teacher of Spanish, author of "Statistical Handbook," "Treasures and Tragedies of Oildom," associate editor, "U. S. Treasury Manual of the Oil and Gas Industry." Ingvald Rosok, Bisbee, Arizona, is an electrical and mining engineer in charge of electric light plants, ice-making factories and other enterprises. He is mayor of his city and operates oil wells in California on the side. Edwin Ruud, Pittsburgh, where the anvil blows never cease and the smoke always hangs over the city. Inventor of the Westinghouse gas engine, automatic bake ovens, dual fire control services, president of the Edwin Ruud Manufacturing Company. Frederick Schaefer, Pittsburgh, is an engineer, inventor and manufacturer of mechanical devices in use on railroads. A mem- ber of the Norwegian Society of Pittsburgh, which has 30 members, most of them engineers. Eugene Schou, New York, is structural engineer for the board of education of the metropolis, and has for years superintended the construction of the city's numerous school buildings. Benjamin Franklin Stangland, Slooper, is a mechanical engineer. He was in the employ of the Fairbanks Co., Chicago, 1873-1877; with Howard and Morse, New York, since 1879; has designed many ventilating plants in large buildings. Charter member of American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers. Magnus Swenson, Madison, is a chemical and hydraulic engi- neer, the greatest authority on sugar manufacturing and a world exponent of economy in manufacturing and the saving of waste. Halsten J. Thorkelson, E. Orange, N. J., is a mechanical engi- neer. Took his M. E. at the University of Wisconsin, 1901. Was draftsman 7 years, superintendent, J. I. Case Plow Works, Racine, 1901-1902, professor of steam engineering, University of Wiscon- sin, 1902-1914; business manager of same, 1913-1921; now con- nected with the General Education Board, New York. T. D. Yensen, Pittsburgh, is the chief of the Westinghouse Chemical Laboratory. P. G. Zwilgmeyer, a former city engineer of Seattle, and at present a civil engineer in the employ of the Northern Pacific Railroad, is a profound student of theology according to scientific methods, but (sic!) in childlike, orthodox faith. His treatises on Luther, Pascal, Paul's Relation to the Classics, Bible Introduction, are masterpieces. 452 Norwegian People in America Norway has produced a host of musicians, many of them of far fame, as, for example: Ole Bull, M. B. Landstad, Half- dan Kjerulf, Otto Winter-Hjelm, Johan S. Musicians Svendsen, Richard Nordraak, Edvard Grieg, Johan Selmer, Christian Cappelen and Ole Olsen. These men wrote the musical composition distinctly pe- culiar to Norway, and yet of universal charm, for music is a uni- versal language. As Longf ellew says in his "Outre-mer" : "Music is the universal language of mankind," and Pollak says in his ''Course of Time" : He touched his harp, and nations heard, entranced, As some vast river of unfailing source, Rapid, exhaustless, deep, his numbers flowed. And opened new fountains in the human heart. The Norwegian musicians have made an important contribu- tion to the world's music, a contribution different in many re- spects from that of the other races, but yet harmonizing with and enriching the grand orchestra and chorus of the nations. It stands to reason that the sons and daughters of Norway who came to America would carry with them a love for the Norwegian songs and melodies, which meant so much to them over there. And this they did. This heritage is treasured in the Norwegian home. Mother sings her babies to sleep with the Old Country lullabies. Father and mother and children, too, all unite their voices in prayer and praise and thanksgiving at meals and evening devotions. At prayer meetings and Sunday services each one takes part in the congregational singing of the Lutheran chorals, with their measur- ed rhythm and deep devotional content, as well as in the lighter hymns and spiritual songs. In the parochial school and confirma- tion instruction the best hymns and tunes are learned by heart. Many of the older people whose sight has become dimmed by years, can recite hundreds of stanzas by heart ; in fact, it is noth- ing unusual to find Norwegians who know their whole hymn- book by heart. In the congregational choirs, Luther leagues, and singing societies vocal music is fostered. Much attention has been paid by the Lutherans to the publi- cation of suitable song books for congregations, young people's societies, children, choirs and special occasions. The early new- comers took along with them in their traveling box, copies of Balle's "Evangelisk-Kristelige Salmebog" (1797), Guldberg's (1778), Kingo's (edition 1819), Harboe and Guldberg's (edition 1823). In 1854 two editions of the Harboe and Guldberg hymn books were published by the pioneer settlers, one printed by Ole Andrewson at Norway, 111., having 784 pages, and the other printed by the Scandinavian Press Association at Inmansville. The American Period 453 Wis., having 648 pages. The Norwegian Synod published in 1870 a hymnal called "Synodens Salmebog," revised in 1903. The United Church together with the Hauge Synod published in 1893 a revision of Landstad (1869), and added 96 hymns, making 730 instead of 634. Hagen's "Salmetoner" was issued in 1915. The Norwegian Synod in 1898 published "Christian Hymns," a hym- nal for the congregation and Sunday School. That same year the United Church issued the "Church and Sunday School Hym- nal." Of the 309 hymns in the "Christian Hymns," and of the 316 hymns in the "Church and Sunday School Hymnal," about 40 per cent were taken from Lutheran sources, the remaining 60 per cent chiefly from the Reformed. From 1908 to 1913 a special committee of 12 men from the Norwegian Synod, the United Church and the Hauge Synod compiled the "Lutheran John Dahle Carlo A. Sperati Professors of Music F. Melius Christiansen Hymnary." It has 618 hymns, of which 7 per cent are taken from the pre-Reformation times, 40 per cent from Lutheran lands, and 53 per cent from Reformed sources. The aim in these con- gregational books, as in the books for children and youth, is to select only the best as to doctrine, poetry and music. In the cre- ation of the "Lutheran Hymnary Junior," which was published in 1916 as a Sunday school book jointly by the three Norwegian Synods which amalgamated in 1917, no less than 20,000 hymns were tried out. From this rich treasury 164 songs were chosen. The best seller is "Concordia," by Bersagel, Bo'e and Sigmond. Among the compilers and editors of hymnals for children may be mentioned : Erik Jensen, who published 16 song books (1878-1898) ; C. O. Bro'haugh (1879) ; P. G. 0stby (1885) ; D. G. Ristad (1897) ; N. B. Thvedt and O. M. Norlie (1911) ; A. Bersagel, V. E. Bo'e and S. O. Sigmond (1915) ; D. G. Ristad, M. O. Wee, L. C. Jacobson, L. P. Thorkveen and O. M. Norlie (1916). The following have published song books for youth: S. Krogness (1858); J. H. Mvhre (1874); M. F. Gjertsen (1877); A. Wright (1877); G. Hoyme and L. Lund (1878- 454 Norwegian People in America 1888) ; C. O. Brjzlhaugh (1879) ; A. Nelson (1881) ; J. P. Gjert- sen (1881) ; T. S. Reimestad (1888) ; O. Waldeland (1888) ; T. S. Reimestad and M. F. Gjertsen (1897); O. M. Anderson (1898) ; K. B. Birkeland (1898) ; £. Jensen (1899) ; L. O. and O. M. Anderson (1913); O. H. Sletten (1914). The books for the congregation and for the Sunday school children already mentioned also contain hymns and songs suitable for youth. The pedagogical principle in Lutheran hymn book making is this : That children should be taught what they ought to sing and would like to sing when they grow up, and the best is not too good for the children. Therefore a nucleus of the finest hymns are taught at the start, around which are gathered during youth and maturity larger clusters of the best hymns and tunes from all lands. A number of excellent choral and choir books have been is- sued. Knud Henderson, born in 1835 in Voss, emigrated 1849, a wagon painter by trade, studied music under Root, Chant, and Wemmerstad in Chicago. He became an organist and music teacher, and was the first Norwegian in America to organize a singing school. He published the first Norwegian book of chorals in America in 1865, of which over 25,000 copies have been sold. He has also published a volume of national songs, text books for the "salmodikon," and other music books. He was married in 1868 and moved to a farm near Cambridge, Wis. Though 90 years of age, he is in good trim. Erik Jensen in 1880 published a "Koralbog" ; and Olaf Glaspe in 1889 revised Linde- man's "Koralbog." K. C. Holter published "Frydetoner" (I-III) in 1893-1900, the bo6k that has had the widest circulation among Norwegian choir singers. E. Jensen published "Scandinavian Songs" (1890), "Klokketoner" (1896), and "Sangbog for Kirke- kor" (1896). L. P. Thorkveen published "Kirkesange for Blandet Kor" (1905). Together with Glasoe he published the widely used book, "Korsange" (1903). The most productive and influential of the choir book publishers are John Dahle and F. Melius Christiansen. Dahle's "Sangbog for Mandsforeninger" (1891), "Fram" (1898), "Sangbog for Kirkekor" (1908), "Nordisk Sangalbum" (1909), "Jubilate" (1900), are wonderful treasuries of song, Christiansen's "Kor og Kvartet Sange," "Korsangeren" (1901), "Sangerhefte," "Sanggudstjeneste," "Song Service," "Nationale Sange," "Lette Lyriske Sange," "Fifty Famous Hymns," various cantatas, and, particularly, the "St. Olaf Choir Series" (I-V), easily belong to the first order of music. The work of T. S. Reimestad, author of "Sangalbum" (1914), a series of hymns with music of his own composition or interpretation, is also a valuable contribution to music. Alfred Paulsen, of Chicago, has published many valuable compositions for piano, organ and voice. We venture to say that when his "Naar fjordene blaaner" (When the Fjords Are Like Violets The American Period 455 Blue) is forgotten by Norsemen it will be because the last Norse- man will have become so thoroughly Americanized as to have for- gotten his own origin. This song will never die. Instruction in music is given at every Norwegian school, and music is a fixed part of the daily chapel exercises. The most con- spicuous example of vocal training performed by these schools, is no doubt the St. Olaf Choir. Eugene E. Simpson, having heard this choir sing in New York, of his own initiative, wrote a history of it (1921), a book of 192 pages. This choir has sung in all the principal cities of the United States and in many of the great cities of Europe. It has sung before presidents and kings and the best musical critics of the world, and everywhere the enthusiasm is as flattering as it is spontaneous, with never a dissenting note from the keenest critics. "The Sun" (Pittsburgh), remarks: "This organization of fifty young voices sang Bach motets, chorales, double choruses, Mendelssohn and Gretchaninoff works with an ease that was simply staggering." The "Washington Herald" says : "Their work is an exposition of choral singing which is probably without equal." The "Ohio State Journal" (Columbus) said: "As a whole the program was an amazing commentary on the life of real music. From the opening num- ber, Luther's favorite hymn, 'A Mighty Fortress,' it continued number after number, all the work of masters of the earlier days of the Protestant faith. Memorial Hall was the only place where this music would have seemed fitting. This little group of men and women from the small Minnesota college in Northfield dominated the great building and filled it with song until the very rafters rang with their hosannas." Some Negroes who attended the concert at St. Louis said that they thought the angels from Heaven had come down to earth to sing. Says the "Akron Press" : "The atmosphere created by the choir was marvelous — organ-like tones, pure in quality, a unit in expression, made a di- rect appeal to the heart. The entire program was a refreshment, an inspiration and a power. It was a sermon in music, and through the poetic forms one felt that God surely spoke." Hun- dreds of quotations of this sort from the pens of men like Karl Nissen, Johannes Haarklou, Herman Devries, Hubbard, Moore, Gaul, Keeble, Aldrich, Sanborn, Harry Sundby-Hansen, Carl G. O. Hansen, Pierre Key, Gabriel, Krebhiel, Rogers, all critics of the first class in Norway and America, can be given. Suffice it to say that the St. Olaf Choir is the more remarkable in view of the fact that its members are most of them boys and girls from the farms and with little or no musical training. It should be noted that this choir sings "a capella." The Norwegian schools pay much attention to instrumental instruction, piano, organ, violin, orchestra and band. Luther College Band is unquestionably the most famous Norwegian col- 456 Norivegian People in America .$f£ ^^ ^ W-3 IE • "5 «.o 8* bid «a Wo . I* Mo . © 5h 5 c a*? o^M ■h- . O — '-SCO • x >- 1 Mh H ... . >> co .a .- x d- -1 .,"© ■r.i ^ oi « . X .OJ — os 5E r T3 l- C O l 6 i « tf) x •- . 1- - >s "^ • X . c «M" G b'Mt« o . 03 .J . •en.- o a 'O rt -S& SS^ ■ "2 o IN ^ O w « . a 5 >» u ccO 'E~.5i: