YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY This book was digitized by Microsoft Corporation in cooperation with Yale University Library, 2008. You may not reproduce this digitized copy ofthe book for any purpose other than for scholarship, research, educational, or, in limited quantity, personal use. You may not distribute or provide access to this digitized copy (or modified or partial versions of it) for commercial purposes. A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF MAGNA SAMSON (Taken from the; "History of Otter Tail County.") Magna Samson, one of the early pio neers of Otter Tail County, was born in Voss, Norway, November 3, 1838. His parents, Peter and Betsy (Satre) Sam son, were both natives of Norway. The father of Mr. Samson died in Dakota county, Minnesota, at the age of eighty- five, his mother died in the same county at the age of ninety-five. One of Mr. Samson's uncles lost his life in the Mex ican war. Magna Samson came to Am erica with his parents in 18 42 and lo cated in LaSalle county, 111. He re mained in that place for 'five years and then moved to Dane county, Wis., near the town of Madison (now the state capital) where he lived until 1864, when he moved to Dakota county, Minn., and stayed in that county until the year of 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil "War. Magna Samson received his education in the schools of Dane County, Wis., and Dakota County, Minn, At the opening of the Civil War, Mr. Samson enlisted as a private in Com pany B of the Fourteenth Missouri Sharpshooters, served with this rank throughout 1861 and 1862. During 1863 he became a corporal and the following year he was made sargeant. In 1865 he was doing Scout Duty for General Dodge who at that time was in charge of the Fifteenth Army Corps. Mr. Samson served in the battles of Mt. Zion Church, the taking of Fort Henry, Tennessee, Fort Donelson and was at the famous battle of Shiloh, Apr. 6 and- 7, 1862; at Corinth, Mississippi, in the spring of and again in the fall of 1862; and at the battle of Buzzard Roost, Reseaca and Kenesaw Mountains. He was honorably discharged in 1863, but he re-enlisted, and served until the end of the war, taking part in the At lanta campaign and was with Sherman on the march to the sea. Mr. Samson accompanied his regi ment through North and South Caro lina and Virginia in 1865; was present at the Grand Review in Washington, D. C, and soon afterward he was must ered out of service in Dakota County, Minnesota. He- was wounded four times, on two occasions being sent to a hos pital in Georgia". He has two honorable discharges from the service and a special certificate was granted him by the government in recognition of long and faithful service. F or faithful service and gallant conduct he receives a pension of thirty dollars ($30) a month. After the war, Mr. Samson continued to lead a strenuous life — exploring; hunt ing, trapping, fishing, locating settlers and surveying from the effects of which he is somewhat crippled. Magna Sampson became surveyor of Dakota County, Minn., serving two terms of two years each. He remained in Da kota County, Minn.,, until 1880 when he came to Otter Tail County and' settled on his present farm near Clitherall in Leaf Mountain township. He now owns two hundred acres of land on which he lives, sixty acres of which is under cultivation. His place is called "Shiloh Farm." His second wife was Mrs. Kari (An derson) Haagenson and to them have been born these children. Betsey, wife of Axel Fjeldseth; Carrie, wife of Iver Jacobson; Anna, wife of Martin Jacob- son. Mr. Samson is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church, to which a large number of his countrymen belong. Mr. Samson was surveyor of different counties of Minnesota in the early days. He located settlers under the pre-emp tion law and later under the homestead law. In fact, Mr. Samson has taken a prominent part in the affairs of his com- munity. in several different ways. He was postmaster at Eureka, Dakota Coun ty, Minn., from 1855 until the opening of the Civil War. He has also served as township clerk and chairman of the township board. He was appointed as justice of the peace and served in that capacity for many years. In all these capacities he has done his work well and earned the commendation of his fellow citizens. Mr. Samson is a Re publican. He has been a member of the Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Samson has a great fund of rem-' lniscehces of the early days in Minne sota and Dakota. He has some espe cially fine stories to tell about the In dians, whose language he learned. He is one of the few remaining pioneers of the past generation, and few old settlers in the county can tell of more hair-breath escapes or thrilling adventures. It is by such men as these that the farms have been developed -and Otter Tail county brought to it's present state of agricultural prosperity. The following concerning Mr. Sam son's war record is compiled from offi cial sources by the Regimental Annuls, Inc., Washington, D. C: ' He re-enllsted December 24, 1863, and after an honorable discharge, faithful and distinguished service, he was must ered out with his company and regiment June 7, 1865, as sergeant. Mr. Samson came from a pioneer fam ily of the great northwest, and he was of that hardy type originally selected for this organization. He was a marks man of the first rank. He was wounded in the head and shoulder by a fragment of shell at Shiloh April 6, 1862, and later in service re ceived three other slight wounds. The Regimental Annuls has come into possession of the information that the service of this soldier was marked by great personal bravery and fortitude. He was known as one of the best shots in his regiment of wonderful marksmen, and was a soldier of the type which this great nation should ever honor. Pa pa Ra «a History of Sixty-Sixth Infantry. The Sixty-Sixth Infantry was organ ized at Benton Barracks, near St. Louis, Mo., during the months of September and October, 1861. It was originated under the special patronage of Major General John C. Fremont, and was de signed as a Regiment of "Western Sharpshooters," to be used as skirmish ers. Eight companies were collected, three from Illinois, three from Missouri, and two from other points, embracing the states of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minne sota, Indiana and Ohio. The Regiment was mustered into the United States service November 23, 1861, by Lieut. Bundy, U. S. A., with John W. Birge as Colonel, and Benjamin S. Compton as Lieut. Colonel, and was assigned as the Fourteenth Missouri Infantry Volun teers. A ninth company was organized and added to the Regiment December 5, and on the 12th the Regiment was or dered to the field, not being yet thor oughly organized or equipped. It was armed with Demmick, American Deer and Target rifle, but with meagre ac coutrements. The regiment moved by rail to Centralia, Mo., and camped upon the prairies. From the 14th to the 28th of December the Regiment was constant ly engaged in fighting and skirmishing with rebel bushwhackers of Sterling Price's Army. On December 20th, Com panies "H' 'and "I" had a brisk skirmish with Colonel Keene's Confederate scouts, in which Lieut. T. D. Mitchell and the rebel colonel were exchanging shots with their revolvers, the rebel being the better shot and seemingly getting the best of Mitchell when Privates John,V. Tompkins and Charles F. Kimmel came to the rescue and captured Colonel Keene. On December 25 in a skirmish at. Silver Creek, William D. Kyler of Co. H and John Kile of Co. I were killed. At daylight, December 26, captured Col umbia. December 28th, engaged in the Battle of Mt. Zion. The enemy was re pulsed and the next day the Regiment marched to Sturgeon, Mo., where it join ed the command of General B. M. Pren tiss, who highly complimented the Regi ment for gallantary in the battle of Mt. Zion. During the month of January, 1862, the Regiment was scouting and skirmishing at Renick, Macon and Cen tralia. It was a severe winter, the weather very cold and snow a foot deep. February 4th, they left Sturgeon by way of the North Mississippi Railroad, arriving in St. Louis on the 5th and em barked on the steamer "Belle Memphis" and steamed down the Mississippi River arriving at Cairo at 7 p.m. February 6th they steamed up the Ohio River, ar riving at Paducah, Ky., February 7th, just in time to hear the news of the capture of Fort Henry. They left Padu- cuh at 8 p.m., steamed up the Tennessee River, arriving at Fort Henry at 9:3 5 a.m., February 8, 1862. February 9th they disembarked at 8 a.m. and marched into Fort Henry, occupying the vacated rjuarters of the Tenth Tennessee, C.S. A. They left Fort Henry on the 12th of February v[a the Dover road, with Col. Jac oj, Q .Lauman's Fourth Brigade, con- sis'cing of the Second, Seventh, and Four teenth Iowa, Twenty-fifth and Fifty- ?eL^ond Indiana. On the 13 th, Compan- les. A, E, H, and I were sent to the front ancj were soon engaged with skirmishers, ,iT1 ving them back. Three companies, A> E, and H directed their attention to a r£'>el battery on the Dover road which '"(;y soon silenced, and kept it silenced eY'iry day during the threes day's battle ;lt Fort Donelson. The Regiment was uPon the front line every day during the bJHtle. Sunday, february 16, 1862, when tn,3 Fort was surrendered, the Regiment m£irched in.' Sergeant R. F. Larimer of Co mpany E captured the flag of .the £* ghteenth Tennessee, and Private C. F, K;,mmel captured the rebel mail. Gen. c-i F. Smith and Colonel Lauman con gratulated "Birge's Sharpshooters" for gallantry in the battle of Fort Donelson. |On February 24th they left camp, mfirching through Dover, and embarked °"; the steamer "Champion No. 3" for Nashville, but the order was counter manded and the Regiment marched back t°i camp at 9 p.m., March 5, they march es to Metal Landing on the Tennessee River. On the 14th, embarked on the "^Lancaster No. 4," and sailed up the "Ver to Savannah, Tenn., the headquar ters of General C. F. Smith. March 17th, 'hjey left Savannah and sailed up the ri ver to Pittsburg Landing. Disembark- °rl, and marched one mile to Camp Wal- ,ace, and was assigned to the Second B irgade, Second Division, Army of the Tennessee. March 20, Major Charles W. Slmith took command of the Regiment, vjice B. S. Compton, resigned. , On the 6th and 7th of April, the Regi ment was engaged in the terrible battle °f Shiloh. April 18th, 1862, General R. J. °>glesby took command of the Brigade. \pril 20 a new company, Captain George ^¦i Talor, from Lima, Ohio, joined the K4'giment as Company K. Up to this "¦¦t,o the Regiment was knowns as '^Urge's Western Sharpshooters," but 'h e name was now dropped and tbe R;egiment was known as the Fourteenth Missouri Volunteers. April 20 they left ['Imp at Owl Creek, Tenn., and started •n the siege at Corinth, skirmishing '.•'ally with the enemy. May 21 was in i he battle at Phillips Creek, and on May 0 entered Corinth. On June 1, proceed- , ,d to Booneville, Miss., via Farmington, Oahville, Rienzi and Blackland; had a skirmish near Booneville June 8th, re- urned to Camp 'Montgomery, at Sulphur Springs, Ord's headquarters. On June 23, Captain P. E. Burke, First U. S. Ar tillery, took command of the Regiment and it was assigned for duty at General Grant's headquarters In Corinth. August 25th the Regiment relieved the Twelfth Illinois Infantry on provost duty In Cor inth. August 28, a portion of the Regi ment, with the B ourteenth Wisconsin, were sent on a scout to Bethel, Tenn., engaging in two skirmishes with the en emy. Returned to Corinth, August 30, and on September 18 marched to Gen- dale and Iuka, Miss., with General Ord's command. September 19 was engaged in heavy battle at Iuka. September 21, returned to Corinth, and on the 3rd and 4th' of October, 1862, was engaged in battle at Whitehouse and at Corinth, losing 19 men killed and wounded. Gen. R. J. Oglesby, commanding the Brigade, was among the seriously wounded. Oct. 5th, followed the rebels to the Hatchie River and had a skirmish with them on| the 9th. On the 10th returned to Reinzl, Colonel August Mersey commanding the Brigade, which consisted of the Ninth and Twelfth Illinois, Eighty-first Ohio and Thirteenth and Fourteenth Missouri Infantry. November 2, went out on an other scout to the Hatchie River. On November 20, 1862, by order of the Sec retary of War, E. M. Stanton, and Rich ard Vates, Governor of Illinois; the Regiment was changed from the Four teenth Missouri Infantry to the Sixty- sixth Illinois Infantry, by which desig nation it was thereafter known. Nov. 26, the Regiment left Reinzi, marched through Danville, and camped on the Tuscumbia Hills, where it established a stockade camp, enclosing 15 acres of ground, as an outpost to the garrison of Corinth, which was afterward named "Camp Davies." While here the Sixty- sixth was engaged at the following places with scouts and guerillas: At Tuscumbia Bridge, December 19; Hatchie Bridge, 30; Danville, Dec. 20th; Reinzi, January 7, 1863; Danville. Tuscumbia Bridge and Reinzi, January 24 and 25; Danville February 8; Ripley Cross Roads, March 25; Booneville April 1; Glendale April 14; Jumpertown, May 12; Kossuth, May 24; Cartersville, June «; Yellow Creek, June 8; Seward House and Jumpertown, July 19; Jacinto, Aug. 9; Reinzi, Aug. 11; Whitesides aFrm, September 9. November 1, 1863, the Sixty-sixth was relieved at Camp Davies by the Seventh "Kansas Jayhawkers," and on the 2nd, left camp, passing iPne Ridge, Glendale, Burnsville. On the 5th of November crossed the Tennessee River at Eastport and marched, to Bluffton, Ala., General T W. Sweeney commanding the Divi sion, and the Sixty-sixth Illinois in the advance. Skirmishing occurred at Bluff Creek, Waterloo, Lauderdale and Lex ington, in Alabama. Arrived at Pulaski, Giles county, Tenn., Nov. 12, 1863. December 16, members of the Sixty- sixth began to re-enlist in the Veteran service and by December 23, 470 men had re-enlisted, and they were mustered in as veterans by Captain T. D. Mitchell, mustering officer of the second brigade. The greater portion of the men supplied themselves with Henry Rifles at their own expense, which cost $43 each. Jan. 16, 1864, left Pulaski and marched via Petersburg and Lynville to Columbia, Tenn. January 17, a very cold day, ford ed Duck River and marched to Dark Station and . embarked on the cars for Nashville, where they arrived at 10 o'clock p.m. Took cars again for Louis ville .arriving on the 18th, and marched to Park Barracks. January 22, the men received four months' pay and $100 veteran bounty. On the 23rd, left Louis ville , and took cars for Chicago, where they arrived January 28, and marched to North Market Hall. Here the Regi ment received its thirty days veteran furlough. On March 3,1864, the Regiment re assembled at Joliet, 111., ancl on the 5th left that city bound once more for Pul aski, Tenn., where it arrived on the 8th. From this time to April 29, .the Regi ment was engaged in scouting and for- againgj-with occasional skirmishes with the enemy. On the 29th, the Sixty-sixth left Pulaski, with the Second Division, Sixteenth' Army Corps, for Chattanooga, which place was reached May 4. On the 6th moved forward with the Grand Army on the Atlanta campaign. The Sixty- sixth had the honor of opening the cam paign by driving Wheeler's cavalry and a brigade of rebel infantry through Snake Creek Gap, and holding until night, the high hills of Resaca. Was under fire 120 days, being engaged in all the noted battles from Chattanooga to Atlanta. On this campaign the sixty- sixth lost '225 men in killed and wounded. Aug. 26, 1864, the non-veterans, whose terms of enlistment had expired, were mustered out. July 22 the Sixty-sixth was hotly en gaged, it's colors showing 65 bullets through it. The Regiment lost many of its best officers in this campaign, but it never wavered or lost heart. After the fall of Atlanta, Sept. 26, left East Point, Ga., for Rome. October 12, was engaged with Wheeler's cavalry. On the 13th, marched to Coosaville, Ala., to intercept General J. B. Hood's Rebel Army, and was engaged in several skirmishes with the enemy until the 24th, when the Regiment returned to Rome. Novmeber 10, destroyed Forts Johnson and Stone wall Jackson and burned Rome, an the 11th started on the March to ' Sea. On the 15th, assisted in destroji, Atlanta. On the great march the Si:'. sixth had its share of battles and s mishes with the enemy. On Novem 27 and 28, was engaged with Jacks< rebel cavalry, and on the 29, dr ' Cobb's Legions through Wrightsbi Ga. December 5, destroyed a railr,' bridge over the Ogeechee River on Macon and Savannah railroad, and ag had to fight with Cobb's Legions. the 9th, the rebels opened on the Six sixth with a two-gun battery. The Re ment charged upon the battery, capt ing a fine Blakely gun and seven pi oners. At Eden Cross Roads, unai< ¦ and alone,' the Sixty-sixth defeated i Georgia Militia, who fought behi' breastworks. On December 21, march into Savannah, and General Sherrr1^ conferred the honor on the Sixty-si:*' of assigning it to Oglethorpe Barrac** January 28, 1865, left Savannah on Sh <¦ man's picnic through South Caroli.' February 5th camped at Bald Rid where everything combustible was fire. On the 7th, joined the comma of General John A. Logan at Hicko Hill, where we received the first m.'1 since leaving Savannah. Was at Be tonville, N, C, March 20, at Goldsbo March 23, and assisted in the Capture Raleigh April 13. On May 24, 18' participated in the Grand Reviaw Washington, D. C. Left Washingl June 3, for Louisville, Ky., arriving the 8th. July 7th, 1865, the Regim. was mustered out of service by Capta W. B. Guthrie, at Camp Logan, Ky. then proceeded by cars to Camp Butl where it was paid off July 15 and di charged, and the men bade each ol adieu never to meet again as the Six, sixth Regiment of Illinois Infantry. The following is a list of the m s important battles in which the Regime11 was engaged: Mount Zion, Fort Donelson, Shi]'11 Phillips Creek, iSege of Corinth, Ad\ ',r on Booneville, Iuka, White House, inth, Hatchie, Whitesides Farm. Sn Creek Gap, Resaca, Lays Ferry, R, rf, Cross Roads, Adairsville, Dallas, I. oil Mountain, New Hope Church, Big Shaii ty. Fayetteville, South River, BentoJ' ville, Goldsboro, Kenesaw Mountain Marietta, Ruffs Mills, Nickajack Ciee,'- Howes P^erry. Chattahoochie River, 1 " catur, Bald Hill, Howard House, Atlanti E-^ra Church, Proctors Creek, siege o Atlanta, Jonesb'oro, Loveioy Statior Rome, Sherman's March to the Sea, Edei Cross Roads, Savannah, Congaree Cree' Columbia, Camden, Oheraw, Raleigh THE FIRST CHARTER OF NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION, (1W21-1H40) ITS CAUSES AND RESULTS. WITH AN INTRODUCTION ON THE SERVICES RENDERED BY THE S(!AW)WAVIAKS TO THE WORLD AND TO AMERICA. BY Rasmus B. Anderson, ll. d., EX-UNITED STATES MINISTER TO DENMARK; AUTHOR OF "NORSE MYTHOLOGY," "AMERICA NOT DISCOVERED BY COLUMBUS," AND OTHER WORKS. SECUN1J EDITION. Madison, Wisconsin: PUllLlbHED HY THE AUTHOR. 1896. Copyright, 1895, by RASMUS B. ANDERSON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. YALE 1 *2 5a]p MY FATHER AND MOTHER WERE AMONG THE IMMIGRANTS WHO LANDED IN AMERICA IN 1836 AND TO THEIR MEMORY I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME. Rasmus L. Anderson. PREFACE. The greater part of the contents of this vol ume has never before appeared iu any book and much of it appears now for the first time in print. To gather the materials for this work I have traveled hundreds of miles to interview old set tlers; I have written hundreds of letters in or der to secure facts, and I have also examined all the printed documents within mv reach. More than fifty years have come and gone since the time with which this book ends, ancl of those who assisted in founding the first half dozen Norwegian settlements there are but few living now. They kept no journals or records of the events, and the memories of old men are sometimes treacherous. The author himself, though a son of one of the early immigrants, was not born until after the first chapter of Nor wegian immigration had been completed, and hence the difficulty of presenting absolutely re liable information is manifest. The critical reader may find some inaccura- VI PREFACE. cies aud some conflicting statements, aud I shall be greatly obliged to him if he will make the necessary corrections either publicly or in pri vate communications to me, in order that I may make the necessary corrections in future edi tions of this book. The reader will also find a number of repetitions. The author would have been pleased to eliminate many of these, but as the book is written mainly for plain people it was thought better to repeat some of the things that had already been told than to be continually referring the reader to some other part of the volume. The aim has been to give as full an account as possible of each of the six separate settlements, and as will be seen the same persons sometimes appear among the pioneers of more than one settlement. It seemed better to restate some of the facts in regard to such persons than to refer the reader back to other pages of the book. Doubtless there are many names omitted, that ought to have been mentioned, and some of those introduced may have been given more prominence than they are entitled to; but the reason for this is the author's inability to see with sufficient clearness through the veil of time that covers the first epoch of emigration from Norway. PREFACE. vil The sketches of pioneers are not well bal anced. Some are long, while others are very short. This could not be avoided. In some in stances I have been able to secure tolerably full accounts of persons, while in other cases my materials have been most meager, and some times the facts are exceedingly limited, where much information would seem to be desirable. All'such blemishes I must beg the reader to ex cuse. In spite of every effort it has in some cases been almost impossible to get mot? than the bare names of persons. In many instances I have been unable to get into communication with descendants, and then again the descend ants have not been in possession of the neces sary records. In this connection I would like to impress upon my readers the importance of keeping good family records for the benefit of their descendants and of future historians. While I make the first chapter of Norwegian immigration end with the year 1840, when we find the Norwegians located in six settlements that became permanent, I have thought best to add to this a short sketch of Norwegian set tlements in Texas, and also a brief account of the first religious work done among the Nor wegian immigrants. I describe the Texas set tlements down to 1850, and trace the religion' Vill PREFACE. work in the settlements down to the dedication of the first three Norwegian Lutheran churches in 1844 and 1845. There are so many to whom I am under obli gations for assistance in preparing this volume, that I shrink from undertaking an enumeration of them for fear that I might forget some of those that ought to be mentioned. My obliga tions to what has been published by Ole Ryn- ning, Johan Eeinert Eeierson, J. W. C. Dietrich- son, Svein Nilson, Knud Langland and others, have been expressed in the body of the work and will be clear to every intelligent reader; but there are a host of others with whom I have been in constant correspondence and while I do not mention them by name in this preface, they k^ow, I think, how grateful I feel toward them for their services. But for their kind as sistance the publication of this work would have been an impossibility. No one can be more conscious than I am of the shortcomings of this volume, and for these I must appeal to the generosity of the reader. All I can say for myself is that I have clone as faithful work as the circumstances would per mit. Twenty years ago I could have rescued much that is now irretrievably lost to history. For a history of the Norwegians in America PREFACE. IX from 1840 down to the present the materials are more abundant, and I am happy to add that besides being still remembered by those living, they are better preserved in written and printed documents. By postponing the publication of this volume a few years, I have no doubt I could improve it in some respects; but delays are dangerous, and so I now give it to the public with the hope that it will not be found utterly without value. RASMUS B. ANDERSON. Asgardj Madison^ Wis., March 28^ 1805. i TABLE OF CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION. Page. Services Rendered by the Scandinavians to the World and to America 1 I. Statistics 37 II. Causes op Emigration 45- III. The Sloop Restaurationen 54 IV. The First Norwegian Settlement in America.. 77 V. The Sloop Party 91 VI. From 1825 to 1836 '. 132 VII. The Exodus op 1836 146 VIII. The Second Norwegian Settlement in America. 170 Xii TABLE OF COK TENTS. IX. Page. Kleng Peerson 179 X. The Third Norwegian Settlement 194 XI. The Exodus op 1837 , . . . 195 XII. The Beaver Creek Settlement 198 XIII. Ole Rynning 202 XIV. Other Pioneers op 1837 219 XV. The Fourth Norwegian Settlement" 237 XVI. The Fiptii Norwegian Settlement 266 XVII. The Adland Family 284 XVIII. Other Early Settlers in Muskego 290 XIX. Eev. C. L. Clausen 296 TABLE OF CONTENTS. xiii XX. John Evenson Molee 300' XXI. The Sixth Norwegian Settlement. 326- XXII. Miscellaneous Matters 350 XXIII. Capt. Hans Friis 3G0 XXIV. Retrospect 364 XXV. TEXAS. Johan Reinert Reierson 370- XXVI. Elise "W^erenskjold 379' XXVII. Ole Canuteson 386 XXVIII. Resume 395< XXIX. RELIGIOUS WORK AMONG THE NORWEGIANS IN AMERICA DOWN TO THE YEAR 1845. Introductory 396 Xiv TABLE OF CONTENTS. XXX. The Mormons 399 XXXI. Ole Olson Hetletvedt and Others 408 XXXII. Elling Eielson 410 XXXIII. John G. Smith, Ole Consulen, G. Unonius 414 XXXIV. C. L. Clausen 416 XXXV. The First Controversy Among the Norwegian Lutherans in America 420 XXXVI. J. W. C. Dietriciison 423 XXXVII. List op Leaders 429 XXXVIII. Pioneer Life 432 APPENDIX. Briep Sketch op the Author 444 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page- Adland, Mons K 286 Amundson, Abel Cathrine 157 Anderson, Amund, and his wife, Ingeborg Anderson. . . 1G7 Anderson, Arnold Andrew 163 Anderson, Einar ( Aasenj 150 Anderson, R. B Opposite title page. Anderson, Mrs Serena, daughter of Thomas Madland. 100 Atwater, Margaret A 91 Canuteson, O 385 Canuteson, Ole, residence of, in Waco, Texas 300 Clausen, Rev. C. L 41G Davidson, Lars (Rekve) 22. > Dietrichson, Rev. J. W. C 423 Eielson, Elling 410 Evenson, John (Molee), and his wife, Anne a 300 Fellows, Mrs. Martha 127 Friis, Capt Hans S60 Gravdahl, Gulleik 258 Gravdahl, Mrs 259 Harwick, Henry 63 Harwick, Martha 104 Johnson, Gjermund, and wife 292 Johnson, Nelson 290 Johnson, Mrs. Nelson 291 Johnson, Ole 87 Langland, Knud 225 Larson, Ingebret (Narvig) 141 Larson, Lars (Brimsoe) 151 Larson, Lars (i Jeilanei, from a daguerreotype taken after his death 45 XVI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, Page. Larson, Lars. The oldest house now standing built by a Norwegian in America. It was built by Lars Lar son in Rochester, N. Y., in 1827, and still stands on the original site 47 Larson, Martha Georgiana 06 Mitchell, Mrs. Iuger 109- Myhra, Bergit 257 Myhra, Jens Gulbrandson 256 Nattestad, Ansten 2; 9 Nattestad, Ole 247 Nelson, John (Luraas) 268> Nelson, Malinda 228 Nelson, Nels (Jr.), the last survivor of the sloopers, and his wife, Kathrina : . 94 Nelson, Peter (OvrebO) 230 Nilson, Nils (Hersdal), and his wife, Bertha 93 Oak trees on Juve's farm where Rev. J. W. C. Dietrich- . son preached, September 2, 1844 426 Olson, Gunnul (Vindeg', the house built by him in Christiana, Dane county, Wis., in 1840 338 Olson, Hulda, daughter of Daniel Rossadal, widow of Rasmus Olson 29 Olson, Lieut. Col. Porter C. (36th Illinois) 121 Patterson, Mrs. Martha J ' 69 Peterson, Bishop Canute 403 Peterson, Mrs. Bishop Sara A 401 Reierson, Johan Reinert 370' Richey, Sara T 98 Rosdal, Ove 107 Saue, Kolbein Olson 328 Siverson, Nels (Gilderhus) 327 The first Norwegian church dedicated in Dane county, Wis.... 424 The Norwegian Lutheran church dedicated in the Mus- kego settlement in 1844 427 Thompson, Ole (Eie) 176 Thompson, Thomas A 227 Valder, Hans 219 Waerenskjold, Mrs. Elise 379' INTRODUCTION. Services Rendered by the Scandinavians to the World and to America. Scandinavians is a term used to designate the inhabitants of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland. In the early centuries, that is, during the so-called Viking age, they are usually treated as one people under the common name of Northmen or Norsemen, but as we proceed into the full daylight of history, it gradually be comes customary to discuss the Scandinavians separately, as Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and Icelanders. Thus, while we designate the old asa-faith pf the Scandinavians as Norse myth ology, we are expected to know to which of the four countries a modern celebrity or institution belongs. It is necessary to say the Swedish singer, Jenny Lind; the Norwegian violinist, Ole Bull; the Danish story-teller, Hans Chris tian Andersen, and the Icelandic lexicographer, Gudbrand Vigfusson. & NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. The total number of Scandinavians, including those who have emigrated during this century, is probably less than 11,000,000; 4,775,000 in Sweden, 2,300,000 (including 70,000 Icelanders) in Denmark, 1,800,000 in Norway, and, say, 2,000,000 in America, the British colonies and other countries. But though they be few in number, they in herit considerable renown. Though confined to the more or less inhospitable northwest cor ner of Europe, they have rendered the world some services, the memory of which will not willingly be allowed to perish. In Iceland they have preserved and still speak one of the oldest of the Teutonic languages, a monument of the Viking age, which still furnishes the means of illustrating many of the social and political features of those remote times, and is held in deserved veneration by all the great philolo gists of our day. In the Icelandic tongue we have a group of sagas, a literature which in many respects is unique, and which sheds a flood of light upon the customs and manners of the dark centuries of the middle age. The Icelandic sagas tell us not only of what hap pened in Scandinavia, but they also describe conditions and events in England, France, Rus- ' sia and elsewhere. We are indebted to the SERVICES RENDERED. O Scandinavians for the eddas, for Saxo Gram- maticus, and for various other sources of infor mation in regard to the grand and beautiful mythology of our ancestors. Our knowledge of the old Teutonic religion would have been very scanty indeed, had not the faithful old Norsemen given us a record of it on parchment. The grand mythological system conceived and developed by the poetic and imaginative child hood of the Scandinavians commands the atten tion of the scholars of all lands, and as we enter the solemn halls and palaces of the old Norse gods and goddesses, where all is cordiality and purity, we find there perfectly reflected the wild and tumultuous conflict of the robust northern climate and scenery, strong, rustic pictures, full of earnest and deep thought, awe-inspiring and wonderful. We find in the eddas of Iceland that simple and martial religion which inspired the early Scandinavians and developed them like a tree full of vigor, extending long branches over all Europe. We find that simple and mar tial religion, which gave the Scandinavians that restless, inconquerable spirit, apt to take fire at the very mention of subjection or restraint, that religion by which instruments were forged to break the fetters manufactured by the Ro man Caesars, to destroy tyrants and slaves, and 4 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. to teach the world that nature, having made all men and women free and equal, no other reason but their mutual happiness could be assigned for their government. We will find that sim ple and martial religion, which was cherished by those vast multitudes, which, as Milton says, the populous North * * * poured from her frozen loins to pass Rhene or the Danaw, when her barbarous sons Came like a deluge on the South and spread Beneath Gibraltar and the Libyan sands. During the Viking age we find the Scandina vians everywhere. They came in large swarms to France, England and Spain. During the crusades they led the van of the chivalry of Europe in rescuing the holy sepulcher; they passed through the Pillars of Hercules, devas tated the classic fields of Greece and penetrated the walls of Constantinople. Straying far into the East, we find them laying the foundations of the liussian empire, and swinging their two- edged battle axes in the streets of Constanti nople, where they served as captains of tho Greek emperor's body guard, and the chief sup port of his tottering throne. They ventured out upon the surging main and discovered Iceland, Greenland and the American continent, thus becoming the discoverers, not only of America, SERVICES RENDERED. 5 but also of pelagic navigation. The Vikings were the first navigators to venture out of sight of land. And everywhere they scattered the seeds of liberty, independence and culture. They brought to France that germ of liberty that was planted in the soil of Normandy, where the Normans adopted the French tongue and were the first to produce and spread abroad a vernacular literature; that germ of liberty which, when brought to England, budded in the Magna Charta and Bill of Rights and which, in course of time, was carried in the Mayflower to America, where it developed full-blown flowers in our Declaration of Independence. The Scandinavians in Denmark, Sweden, Nor way and Iceland gave a hearty reception to the gospel and preserved its teachings for many centuries free from Romish corruption. In the Swedish ruler, Gustavus Adolphus, protestant ism found one of its most efficient and valiant defenders. The Scandinavians are still faith ful to the banner of protestantism. They are distinguished for the earnestness of their re ligious worship, for their ardent advocacy of the cause of civil and religious liberty, and for the well-nigh total absence of great crimes. Wherever they settle in the world, we find them associated with the most loyal and law-abiding 6 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. citizens, giving their best energies to culture, law and order. Proofs of this statement are abundant both in Russia, Normandy and Eng land, and in their more recent settlements in the various Western states of America. As stated, they have enriched the world with a whole class of literature, which is held in de served respect. Is not Beowulf, the most im portant surviving monument of Anglo-Saxon poetry, a Swedish and Danish poem? And was it not first published from the British Museum manuscript by the great Danish scholar, G. J. Thorkelin? And is not the world indebted to Denmark and her traditions for Hamlet, the hero of the greatest drama written by the im mortal Shakspere? In Saxo, Hamlet was found as the son of the viceroy, Horvendel, in Jutland, and of Gerude, who was the daughter of Rerek, king at Leire, in Seland, Denmark. The Scandinavians present to all oppressed nationalities the gratifying example of a people, who, being true to their countries and to the traditions handed down from the mists of ages in the far past, have vindicated for themselves against many opposing and oppressing powers, and in the midst of many obstacles and vicissi tudes, their distinctive rights and liberties. A mere glance at the history of Scandinavia is SERVICES RENDERED. 7 sufficient to reveal to the student many events and the names of many individuals of far-reach ing importance. I have already enumerated a few of the many services rendered to the world by the Scandi navians of antiquity, and in this connection I may be permitted to mention some of the Scan dinavians who in. more recent times have achieved world-wide fame. I do this with a view of demonstrating the fact that the Scandi navians, though comparatively few in number, easily rank with the most prominent nations in ,the domains of science, art and literature. There is the great Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, one of the most marked individuals of the sixteenth century. From his Uranienborg obseravtory his fame spread throughout Eu rope, and the little island near Elsinore became the trysting-place of savants from all lands. Even kings and princes did not think it beneath their dignity to make pilgrimages to the isle of Hveen. Brahe made his name immortal through his services to astronomy. For thirty years he made regular and careful observations in regard to the movements of the planets, and it was only on the foundation of his vast pre liminary labors, which in accuracy surpassed 8 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. all that practical astronomy had previously achieved, that Keppler was able to produce his celebrated theories and laws. With perfect jus tice, it has been said, that Tycho Brahe made the observations, that Keppler discovered the law, and that Newton conceived the nature of the law. Geology is at the present time a most highly developed science, but its devotees should not forget that the world's first geologist was the Dane, Niels Stensen, who was born in 1G38. He was not only the most celebrated anatomist of his time, but he also laid the foundation of the science of geognosy and geology by study ing the mountain formations and examining the fossils of Italy, and the result of his investi gations were embodied in his "De Solido intra solidum naturaliter contento dissertationis pro- dromus," a work which may rightly be regarded as the corner stone of geological science. Archaeology serves as a magnificent tele scope by which we are able to contemplate social conditions far beyond the ken of ordinary historical knowledge, and this valuable science was born and cradled in Denmark and Sweden, where the renowned Dane, Christian Thomsen, and the Swede, Sven Nilsson laid the founda- SERVICES RENDERED. SJ tion of the systematic study of all the weapons, implements and ornaments gathered from pre historic times. , Then we have the science called comparative philology. Where did it begin? Who unrav elled its first complicated threads? The answer comes from every philologist in the world. It shed its first rays in Denmark, and there Ras mus Rask discovered those laws and principles upon which the comparative study of languages is built. Rask found the laws and they were used as the corner stone of that beautiful and symmetrical pyramid which has since been con structed by the brothers Grimm, by Max Miiller, by our own W. D. Whitney and by many other famous linguists, to take the place of that tower of Babel, which the old linguistic students had built with their clumsy hands and poor mate rials. In this connection I may also mention the Dane, J. N. Madvig, the greatest Latin scholar of this century, a scholar who created a new epoch in the study of the old Greek and Latin texts. The scholars of all lands accept his views as final. He who would write the history of electricity, must study the life of the great Dane, H. C. Oer sted. His discovery in 1820, of electro-magnet ism — the identity of electricity and magnetism 10 NORWEGIAN I ^MIGRATION. — which he not only discovered, but demon strated incontestably, placed him at once in the highest rank of physical philosophers and he thus led the way to all the wonders of this subtle force. He supplied the knowledge by which Morse was enabled to build the first tel egraph line, and he is in fact the father of Morse, Edison, Tesla and of that brilliant galaxy of men who have astonished the world by all their wonderful inventions in the domain of electri city. The celebrated Danish atronomer, Ole Romer, born September 25, 1644, was the first man to calculate the velocity of light (in 1675), and this fact marks a new era in scientific research. The numerous instruments which he devised gave him the name of "The Danish Archimedes." Suppose we cross the sound and enter the territory of Sweden. There we at once dis cover the polar star in the science of botany, in the name of Carl von Linn<5. In his 24th year he established the celebrated sexual system in plants, whereby the chaos of the botanical world was reduced to order and a fruitful study of botany was made possible., His extensive in vestigations rightly secured him the title of the king of botanists. As Linn6 became the father of botany, so another Swede, Carl W. Scheele,. SERVICES RENDERED. 11 might be called the founder of the present sys tem of chemistry. He is one of the greatest or naments of science, and the world is indebted to him for the discovery of many new elemen tary principles and valuable chemical combi nations now in general use. Hardly less conspicuous is J. J. Berzelius, the contemporary of Scheele. Like the latter Berzelius published a number of works, the most of which contained capital discoveries, either the explanation of a phenomenon or re action previously misunderstood, or the de scription of some new element or compound. The discoveries made by Scheele and Berzelius in the domain of chemistry are most important, but too numerous to mention in this paper. Berzelius also devoted himself to mineralogy and published his "Treatise on the Blow Pipe," and he set up for himself a regularly graduated system of minerals, the value of which was felt to be so great that the Royal Society, of London, voted him its gold medal for it. Scheele unfor tunately died at only 54 years of age, but his works, many of which are regarded as the most important in the whole field of chemical litera ture, appeared after his death in French, Ger man and Latin editions. In Linne", Scheele, Berzelius, and in the naturalist and archaeolo- 12 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. gist, Sven Nilsson, mentioned above, Sweden touched the zenith of scientific fame. Before leaving Sweden, we may be permitted to mention N. A. E. Nordenskjold, who is fa mous for his various Arctic expeditions, and who, with his Vega accomplished the work so often attempted by many brave explorers, the discovery and navigation of a northeast pas sage by sea from the North Cape, the extreme northwestern point of Europe, to the extreme northeastern point of Asia, that is, a passage by sea from the north Atlantic ocean eastward to the north Pacific ocean. Nordenskjold has the honor of being the first man to double Cape Cheljuskin, the northern point of the continent, and by his voyage he made many new and val uable additions to our geographical knowledge of the Arctic regions. His signal triumph well deserves the most distinguished marks of honor showered upon him during his homeward jour ney. Entering the domain of Norway, we at once meet the brilliant name of the immortal math ematician, Henrik Abel. I have observed that the great mathematicians of our time can scarcely open their mouths w-ide enough when they want to say A — bel. He unfortunately died too young, but his great fame keeps on in- SERVICES RENDERED. 13 creasing. He is justly designated as one of the greatest geniuses ever born in the domain of exact science, and the solution of problems made by the youthful Norwegian everywhere provokes the greatest wonder and admiration. In some of his problems there is incorporated work for a lifetime Though but 27 years old at his death, he Bad gained wide distinction by his discoveries in the theory of elliptic func tions, and was highly eulogized by Legendre. Norway has also produced the distinguished Arctic explorer, Frithiof Nansen, who in 1888, with three other brave Norwegians and two Lapps, crossed Greenland from the east to the west on about the 65th degree north latitude. This crossing was done on skees, a kind of long snow shoes, and with small sleds, on which they carried their provisions. An account of this first and only crossing of Greenland was published by the explorer, and it is universally conceded that he not only performed a feat of the greatest courage and bravery, but that he also made important contributions to our fund of geographical and scientific knowledge. Nan- sen has also presented a new plan for reaching tbe great goal of all Arctic explorers, the north pole, by following the current supposed to flow from the New Siberian islands across or near 14 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. the north pole to the sea between Spitzbergen and east Greenland. He has now been absent two years on this voyage of discovery and time alone will demonstrate whether he is destined to become the discoverer of one of the two points on the earth's surface in which it is cut by the axis of rotation. Ask the Icelanders whether they have pro duced any name of world-wide reputation, and that whole little island wall unite ,in shouting Albert Thorwaldsen, and the mountains of Ice land will re-echo "Thorwaldsen." He was a de scendant of Snorre Thorfinson, who was born in America (Vinland), in the year 1008, ancl though born of humble parents, he succeeded in devel oping his talents and became the greatest sculp tor of modern times. I have enumerated only a few of the many services rendered to the world by the Scandina vians. I could easily have added a discussion of such brilliant names as Hans Christian An dersen, Grundtvig, Swedenborg, Tegner, Bell man, Rydberg, Holberg, Wergeland, Bjornson, Ibsen, Snorre Sturlason, Gudbrand Vigfusson, Gade, Hartmann, Grieg, Svendsen, Sinding, Ole Bull, Jenny Lind and many others; but enough has been said on this point to demonstrate the fact that the Scandinavians are the peers of SERVICES RENDERED. 15 any other race in every field of intellectual ef fort. Considering their numerical strength, they have contributed their full share toward the enlightenment and progress of the world. The brilliant services here cited, and which are universally admitted, have been rendered to the world generally, but I shall now demon strate by indisputable facts that the Scandina vians have an honorable place in the annals of America. America is indebted to them for special services. The civilized history of Amer ica begins w-ith the Norsemen. Look at your map and you will find that Greenland and a part of Iceland belongs to the western hemis phere. Iceland became the hinge upon which the door swings which opened America to Eu rope. It was the occupation of Iceland by the Norsemen in the year 874, and the frequent voyages betwreen this island and Norway that led to the discovery and settlement, first of Greenland and then of America, and it is due to the culture and fine historical taste of the old Icelanders that carefully prepared records of the Norse voyages were kept, first to teach pelagic navigation to Columbus and afterwards to solve for us the mysteries concerning the first discovery of this continent. In this connection I want to repeat that the old republican Vikings 16 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. fully understood the importance of studying the art of ship-building and navigation. They knew how to measure time by the stars and how to calculate the course of the sun and moon. They were themselves pioneers in ven turing out upon the high seas, and taught the rest of the world to navigate the ocean. Every scrap of written history sustains me when I say with all the emphasis I can put into so- many words, that the other peoples of Europe were limited in their nautical knowledge to coast navigation. The Norse Vikings, who crossed the stormy North sea ancl found their way to Great Britain, to the Orkneys, the Fa- reys and to Iceland, and all those heroes who found their way to Greenland and Vinland taught the world pelagic navigation. They demonstrated the possibility of venturing out of sight of land and in this sense, if in no other, we may with perfect propriety assert that the Norsemen taught Columbus how to cross the Atlantic ocean. Into every history of the world I would put this sentence: The navigation of the ocean was discovered by the old Norsemen. A most admirable introduction of the hon orable place held by the Scandinavians in the annals of America is the brilliant fact in the world's history and the lustrous page in the an- SERVICES RENDERED. 17 nals of the Scandinavians, that the Norsemen anticipated by five centuries, Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci, and that the New World was discovered by Leif Erikson in the year 1000; for the finding of America is the most prominent fact in the history of maritime discovery, and has been fraught with the most important consequences to the world at large from that time to the present. About the year 860, the Norsemen discovered Iceland, and soon afterwards (in 874), they established upon this island a republic which flourished for 400 years. Greenland was seen for the first time in 876, by Gunnbjorn Ulfson, from Norway. About a century later, in the year 984, Erik the Red resolved to go in search of the land in the west, which Gunnbjorn, as well as others later, had seen. He sailed from Iceland and found the land as he had expected, and remained there exploring the country for two years. At the end of this period he returned to Iceland, giv ing the newly-discovered country the name of Greenland, in order, as he said, to attract set tlers, who would be favorably impressed with so pleasing a name. Thus, as Greenland be longs, geographically, wholly to America, it will be seen that Erik the Red was the first white man to boom American real estate. And 2' 18 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. he did it successfully. Many Norsemen emi grated, ancl a flourishing colony, writh Gardar for its capital, and Erik the Red as its first ruler, was established, which in the year 1261, became subjcet to the crown of Norwray. We have a list of seventeen bishops who served in Greenland. This is the first settlement of Eu ropeans in the New World. Erik the Red and his followers were not Christians when they settled in Greenland, but worshipers of Odin and Thor, though they relied chiefly on their own might and strength. Christianity w'as in troduced among them about the year 1000, though Erik the Red continued to adhere to the religion of his fathers to his dying day. The first white man whose eyes beheld any part of the American continent wras the Norse man, Bjarne Herjulfson, in the year 986. The first white man who, to our certain knowledge, planted his feet on the soil of the American continent, wras Leif Erikson, the son of Erik the Red, in the year 1000. The first white man and the first Christian who was buried beneath American sod was Leif's brother, Thorvald, in the year 1002. The first white man wrho founded a settlement wdthin the limits of the present United States was Thorfin Karlsefne, in the year 1007. The first white woman who SERVICES RENDERED. 19 came to Vinland was Thorfin's talented and enterprising wife, Gudrid. In the year 1008, she gave birth to a son in Vinland. The boy was called Snorre, and he wras the first person of European descent to see the light of day in the new world. From the accounts of these voyages and settlements, wre get our first knowl edge and descriptions of the aborigines of America. In 1112, Helge and Finnboge, with the woman Freydis, made a voyage to Vinland. In 1112, Erik Upse settled as bishop in Green land, and in 1121, this same bishop went on a missionary journey from Greenland to Vinland. This is the first visit of a Christian minister to the American continent. The last of these in teresting voyages before the re-discovery of America by Columbus, was in the year .1347, when a Greenland ship with a crew of 18 men came from Nova Scotia (Markland) to Straum- fjord, in Iceland. Thus it appears that the Vinland voyages extended over a period of about 450 years and to within 144 years of the re-discovery by Columbus in 1492. While Leif Erikson was the first white man who planted his feet on the eastern shores of the American continent, it was left to another plucky Scandinavian to become the discoverer of the narrow body of water which separates 20 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. America from Asia. Vitus Bering was a Dane, born in Jutland, in Denmark, in 1680. He en tered the Serivce of Russia, and in 1725, he was made chief commander of one of the greatest geographical expeditions ever undertaken. He explored the sea of Kamchatka, and during this voyage he discovered Bering strait, in 1728, and ascertained that Asia was "not joined to America. Thus, as the Norwegian, Leif Erik- son, is the first white man who sets foot on the extreme eastern part of this continent, so the Dane, Vitus Bering, becomes the discoverer of its extreme western boundary line. They stand at the rising and setting sun and clasp what is now the territory of the United States in their strong Scandinavian arms, and we might here fittingly add a Swede to complete the trio. Did not Sweden give us John Erics son, who, with his little cheese box, the famous "Monitor," gave most valuable help to this beloved land in the hour of its greatest danger? Who will deny that the Scandinavians have rendered important services to this country? But we must hurry on. The first visit of Scandinavians to America proper in post Columbian times is in the year 1619, one year before the landing of the pil grims at Plymouth. In the spring of that year, SERVICES RENDERED. 21 King Christian IV. fitted out two ships, "Een- bjorningen" and "Lamprenen," for the purpose of finding a northwest passage to Asia. The com mander of this expedition was the Norwegian, Jens Munk, born at Barby, in southern Norway, in 1579. He sailed from Copenhagen with his two ships and 66 men, May 9, 1619. He ex plored Hudson bay and took possession of the surrounding country in the name of his sov ereign, and gave it the name of Nova Dania. All the members of this expedition perished, except Jens Munk and two of his crew, who returned to Norway September 25, 1620, the undertaking having proved a complete failure. The ship chaplain on this expedition was the Danish Lutheran minister, Rasmus Jensen Aarhus, and my friend, Rev. Adolph Bredesen, of Stoughton, Wis., has called attention to the fact that he wTas the first minister of the Lutheran church in the New World. Mr. Bre desen speaks thus touchingly of this minister and his ministry among all those who perished from disease and exposure during that terrible winter of 1620, in the Hudson bay country: "Rasmus Jensen Aarhus, a Danish Lutheran pastor, ministered faithfully to these unlucky men, almost to his dying breath. He died Feb ruary 20, 1620, on the southwestern shore of 22 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. Hudson bay, near the mouth of the Churchill river. His last sermon was a funeral sermon, preached from his own deathbed." It is strange that Jens Munk is not mentioned in our Eng lish and American cyclopedias. Norwegians and Danes certainly arrived in New Amsterdam, now New York, at a very early period. The Rev. Rasmus Andersen, of Brooklyn, N. Y., has given this matter much attention, and he claims that he can find traces of Scandinavians in New York as early as 1617. He states that several Danes (more probably Norwegians) were settled on Manhattan island in 1617. In 1704, he says they built a hand some stone church on the corner of Broadway and Rector streets. Here regular services were held in the Danish language until the property was sold to Trinity church, the pres ent churchyard occupying the site of the early building. He adds that "an examination of the first directory published in New York shows many names of unquestionably Danish origin." I have taken the liberty of assuming that these people were Norwegians rather than Danes, and my reason for so doing is that the descend ants of those people, whom I have met or with whom I have corresponded, invariably claim to be of Norwegian descent. A very large num- SERVICES RENDERED. 23 ber belong to the Bergen family, and their fam ily history was published some years ago in a substantial volume. From this volume I gather the salient fact, that Hans Hansen Bergen, the common ancestor of the Bergen family of Long Island, New Jersey, and their vicinity, was a native of Bergen, in Norway, a ship car penter by trade, and had removed thence to Holland. From Holland he emigrated in 1633 to New Amsterdam, now New York. In the early colonial records, his name appears in va rious forms, among which may be found that of "Hans Hansen van Bergen in Noorwegan," "Hans Hansen Noorman," "Hans Noorman," "Hans Hausen de Noorman," "Hans Hansz," "Hans Hansen," and others. The term "Noor man," meaning Northman, clearly refers to Nor way, like "in Noorwegan," and was applied to natives of that country. Another Very clear instance of this sort is that of Claes Carstensen, who was married in New Amsterdam in 1646. In the marriage entry this Claes Carstensen is said to be from Norway, and he was subse quently called "the Noorman." Finding a baronial family in Europe by the name of Bergen, some people of that name in this country have flattered themselves that they were scions of that stock, and thus link them- 24 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. selves by imagination with the aristocracy of the old world. But, as Teunis Bergen, the au thor of the interesting and exhaustive volume on the Bergen family referred to above, sug gests, they may as well descend from this im aginary eminence and make up their minds that they belong to the commonality and not to the nobility. The Bergens and the Carstensens, like the great mass of the original immigrants to this country, belonged to the humble class of society and came to America to better their prospects and fortunes. It must be sufficient for their descendants to know that their Nor wegian ancestors came from a country where the feudal system w'as never known, where the land wras held under no superior, not even the king. They are scions of those Vikings who laid the foundations of Russia, founded a king dom in France, and another in Italy, and who conquered and carried their institutions into England. They may point with pride to the fact that their ancestors discovered America five centuries before Columbus, but they need not boast of aristocratic blood. We next come to the Swedish settlement on the Delaware, founded in 1638. This is w ell- known to most readers, and I will only add that the Swedish language was used in a Philadel- SERVICES RENDERED. 25 phia church as late as 1823. But I will here call attention to a fact probably not so w^ell known, that John Morton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and an active member of the continental congress, born at Ridley, Pa., in 1724, was a descendant of the Swedes on the Delaware. Robert Anderson, the gallant defender of Fort Sumter, against "which the first guu of the rebellion was fired, was also a scion of the Swedes on the Delaware. In the language of W. W. Thomas, Jr., "love of freedom and patriotism and state-craft and valor came over to America not only in the May flower, but also in that Swedish ship, the Kal- mar Nyckel." The first Swedish settlers on the Delaware came in the ship Kalmar Nyckel and the yacht Vogel Grip in 1638. Among the distinguished representatives of our Swedish American group we may also men tion the famous rear admiral of the United States navy, John A. Dahlgren, who wras born in Philadelphia in 1809. During the late war he silenced Fort Sumter and received a safe anchorage, for the Monitor inside the bar of Charleston, and in this manner effectually put a stop to the blockade running, which had been before so successfully practiced. His name is thus linked with that of the wrorld-renowned 26 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. John Ericsson, the inventor of the Monitor, and our navy is largely indebted to Dahlgren for the great improvements in its ordnance, which has taken place since 1840. Thomas F. Bayard, late secretary of state, and now ambassador to England, is proud of the fact that he is de scended on his mother's side from the Swedes on the Delaware. Passing now to the War of the Revolution, many Scandinavians are found serving in the American navy, and doubtless, too, in the army. While investigating this and similar matters some years ago my attention was called to the somewhat remarkable case of Thomas Johnson. In volume 28 (1874) of the New England Histor ical and Genealogical Register, I find this inter esting account of him: "Johnson Avas the son of a pilot in Mandal, a seaport on the coast of Norway, where he was born in 1758. In the absence of his father, he towed the first Amer ican Vessel, the Ranger, commanded by Paul Jones, into the harbor of Mandal. After their arrival Jones sent for the young pilot, and pre senting him with a piece of gold, expressed his pleasure at his expert seamanship, which he had minutely watched during the towing of the ship into harbor. He (Jones) had made the port of Mandal for the purpose olSrecruiting SERVICES RENDERED. 27 the crew of the Ranger, and satisfactory ar rangements having been made with his father, Johnson was received on board as a seaman. On assuming command of the Bon Homme Richard, Jones transferred some thirty volun teers from the Ranger, among whom was Thomas Johnson, who, following the fortunes of his leader, went with him to the Serapis and Al liance, and finally arrived with him in the Ariel in Philadelphia, February 18, 1781, when 23 years of age — the first time he had seen the land of his adoption. At this time congress was sit ting in Philadelphia, and several members were removing their families to that city. Application having been made to Capt. Jones to furnish a man to take charge of a sloop to Boston to con vey the furniture of John Adams to Philadel phia, he appointed Johnson, who performed the service. This circumstance often brought John son in contact with Mr. Adams, who knew that he was one of the crew of Capt. Jones, and con sequently must have been in the conflict of the Serapis and Richard, which having occurred so recently, was a subject of general conversation. Many of the sailors frequented the hall of con gress, and Johnson became so interested in listening to and observing what was new to him, that he was a daily visitor. When the 28 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. members found that the sailors were part of the crew of Capt. Jones, they frequently left their seats and came over to them to inquire the particulars of the recent engagement. Mr. Adams particularly engaged the attention of Johnson. To use the veteran's (Mr. Johnson's) own words, he says 'a nervous sensation seemed to pervade the patriot, as he listened to the de scription of the battle given by the sailors; fire flashed from his eyes, and his hair seemed per fectly erect; he would clasp his hands and ex claim, What a scene!' During the time they remained in Philadelphia, Gen. Washington ar rived and wras presented to congress. Johnson was present and listened to the, introduction by President Hancock, and the reply by the gen eral. Some days after, wrhen the sailors were in the hall, Mr. Adams brought Gen. Washing ton to them, wrho kindly shook each by the hand, calling them our gallant tars, and asking them questions relative to the many successful ad ventures they had recently achieved. Johnson soon after left the navy and engaged in the merchant service for some years, but eventually returned to it again, where he remained till near the end of life's voyage." This Thomas Johnson assisted Jones in lashing the Bon Homme Richard to the Serapis, and was prob- SERVICES RENDERED. 29 ably the last survivor of this celebrated com bat. He died at the United States Naval Asy lum, Philadelphia, on the 12th of July, 1851, 93 years old, where he had been for many years a pensioner and was known by the soubriquet "Paul Jones." Miss Stafford, who was still liv ing in 1873, had been a frequent visitor to Thomas Johnson while living, and after his death she annually visited his grave, "a trib ute," adds the writer, "the humble sailor does not often receive, whatever his services." This account of Thomas Johnson led me to in vestigate further into the history of John Paul Jones, and in his biography, written by John Henry Sherburne, register of the navy of the United States, and, published at Washington, in 1825, I found the roll of officers, seamen, ma rines and volunteers who served on board the Bon Homme Richard in her cruise made in 1779. In this roll the native country of every man is given, and in it I found two seamen, born in Norway, viz.: Lewis Brown and George John son; and no less than seven born in Sweden, viz.: Peter Nolde, Charles Peterson, Daniel Emblon (m), Peter Biorkman, Benjamin Garti- neau, Peter Molin and Oliver Gustaff. Thomas Johnson is not mentioned, but he is given in correctly as George Johnson and is mentioned 30 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. s as Thomas Johnson in the list of wounded. Suf fice it here to say that there were Scandina vians who fought and bled for this country in the war of the revolution, as there were thou sands, whose blood dampened American soil in our recent war to put down the Southern rebel lion. The brilliant Swede, Colonel (afterwards field marshal) Alex. Fersen, who in 1779 went to France where he was appointed colonel of the royal regiment of Swedes, must not be for gotten. At the head of his regiment he served with distinction in the latter campaigns of the American war, distinguished himself on various occasions, particularly in 1781, during the siege of Yorktown, where he was aide-decamp to Gen. Rochambeau. He also took part in the negotiations between Gen. Washington and Gen. Rochambeau. He afterwards became marshal of the kingdom of Sweden. I have myself known Norwegians who served under Gen. Scott in the Mexican war. I have mentioned John Morton and Capt. John Erics son, and I could have gone on and enumerated many others of Scandinavian birth or descent who have acquired a lasting reputation in the annals of America. To enumerate them all Would exceed the limits of this paper, and I SERVICES RENDERED. 31 might be charged with partiality if I should attempt to make a selection. Anyone inter ested may easily find them among our state of ficials, among our members of congress, among the officers of our army and navy, among our au- journalists, and among our leading merchants and manufacturers, and many of them have played no unimportant part in the history of our country. This much is at least clear, that a complete history of America cannot be writ ten without some account of wrhat Scandina vians have contributed in connection with the discovery and development of this country. In the above rapid sketch of the Scandina vians in European and American history, I have made many bold and emphatic assertions, and as some of these may be regarded by some of my readers who do not have the time or oppor tunity to search the records for themselves and find out whether or not these things are so, as wild, unfounded and unsustained by the highest authority, I take the liberty of closing this pa per with a few quotations from authors, who can not be suspected of being biased by national or race prejudice. In discussing the story of Sigurd, the Vol- sung, as portrayed in the old Norse eddas and sagas, H. A. Taine, the great Frenchman, who i)2 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. was himself a disciple of Guizot, the historian of civilization, says: "This is the conception of a hero as engendered by the Teutonic race in its infancy. Is it not strange to see them put their happiness in battle, their beauty in death? Is there any people, Hindoo, Persian, Greek or Gallic, which has founded so tragic a concep tion of life? Is there any which has peopled its infantine mind with such gloomy dreams? Is there any which has so entirely banished the sweetness from enjoyment and the softness from pleasure? Energy, tenacious and mourn ful energy, such was their chosen condition. In the somber obstinacy of an English laborer still survives the tacit rage of the Norse warrior. Strife for strife's sake. Such is their pleasure. With what sadness, madness such a disposition breaks its bonds we see in Shakspere and Byron. With what completeness, in what du ties it can employ and entrench itself under moral ideas, we see in the case of the Puritans." In thus tracing American and English great ness back to the hardy Norsemen, no one will accuse Taine of being influenced by a desire to eulogize his own kith and kin. In his history of the United States, our Amer ican historian, Benson John Lossing uses these pregnant words: "It is back to the Norwegian SERVICES RENDERED. 33 Vikings we must look for the hardiest elements of progress in the United States." The eminent American scholar, B. F. De Costa, says: "Let us remember that in vindi cating the Norsemen we honor those who not only give us the first knowledge possessed of the American continent, but to whom we are indebted for much beside that we esteem valu able. 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." Let us take a look into the works of the French historian, Paul Henri Mallet: "History has not recorded," he says; "the annals of a people, who have occasioned greater, more sud den, or more numerous revolutions in Europe than the Scandinavians, or whose antiquities at the same time are so little known. Had, in deed, their emigrations been only like those sudden torrents of which all traces and remem brance are soon effaced, the indifference that has been shown to them would have been suffi ciently justified by the barbarism they have been reproached with. But during those general 3 34 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. inundations the face of Europe underwent so to tal a change, and during the confusion they oc casioned, such different establishments took place; new societies were formed, animated so entirely with a new spirit, that the history of our own manners and institutions ought neces sarily to ascend back ancl even dwell a consid erable time upon a period wmich discovers to us their chief origin and source." After giving a brief description of Scandina vian influence in Europe and the downfall of the Roman empire, Mr. Mallet adds: "It is easy to see from this short sketch how greatly the nations of the North have influenced the different fates of Europe, and if it be worth while to trace its revolutions to their causes, if the illustration of its institutions, of its po lice, of its customs, of its manners, of its laws, be a subject of useful and interesting inquiry, it must be allowed that the antiquities of the North, that is to say, everything wdiich tends to make us acquainted with its ancient inhab itants, merits a share in the attention of think ing men. But to render this obvious by a par ticular example: Is it not well knowm that the most flourishing and celebrated states of Eu rope owe originally to the Northern nations whatever liberty they now enjoy, either in their SERVICES RENDERED. 35 constitution or in the spirit of their govern ment? For although the Gothic form of govern ment has been almost everywhere altered or abolished, have we not retained, in most things, the opinions, the customs, the manners, which that government had a tendency to produce? Is not this, in fact, the principal source of that courage, of that aversion to slavery of that em pire of honor, wmich characterized in general the European nations, and of that moderation, of that easiness of access, and peculiar atten tion to the rights of humanity, which so happily distinguish our sovereigns from the inaccessible and superb tyrants of Asia? The immense ex tent of the Roman empire had rendered its constitution so despotic and military, many of its emperors were 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 for ever vanished from their hearts and minds, in somuch that if all Europe had received the yoke of Rome, in this her state of debasement, this fine part of the world reduced to the inglorious condition of the rest could not have avoided falling into that kind of barbarity which is of all others the most incurable, as by making as many slaves as there are men, it degrades them 36 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. so low as not to leave them even a thought or desire of bettering their condition. But nature had long prepared a remedy for such great evils in that unsubmitting, unconquerable spirit with which she had inspired the people of the North; and thus she made amends to the hu man race for all the calamities which, in other respects, the inroads of these nations and the overthrow of the Roman Empire produced." We will close the quotations with the follow ing enthusiastic words of the Scotch author and traveler, Samuel Laing: "All that men hope for of good government and future im provement in their physical and moral condi tion — all that civilized men enjoy at this day of civil, religious and political liberty — the Brit ish constitution, representative 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 reforma tion, 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 the New World, may be traced to the spark left burning upon our shores by these Northern barbarians." Not much barbarism in that! FIRST CHAPTER' OF NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. i. Statistics. How many Norwegians landed in [America between the years 1492 and 1821 it is impossi ble to determine. We have no government statistics to guide us, and we know there was no regular and systematic emigration from Nor way or from any of the other Scandinavian countries. Certainly no Norwegians came in collective bodies and formed settlements, and we are able to trace them only either through their descendants who have kept family records or in the public documents or published works where they happen to be mentioned. In this way Hans Hansen, from Bergen, Claes Carsten sen, Thomas Johnson, and the others mentioned 33 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. in the introductory chapter have been found. But it is fair to presume that a considerable number of enterprising Norwegians found their way to their old Vinland during the seven teenth and eighteenth centuries, and particu larly during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. In the early days of the republic diplomatic and consular relations were established with the Scandinavian countries, and there was more or less commerce between Norway, Sweden and Denmark and the United States. This official and commercial intercourse would naturally induce some Scandinavians to visit the United States and others to settle within our gates. The many Scandinavian names found in the old directories of New York, Philadelphia and other eastern cities are largely to be accounted for in this manner. From the year 1820 the United States govern ment supplies us with immigration statistics^ but unfortunately for our present purpose Swe den and Norway are grouped together in these down to the year 1868, and hence it is impos sible to determine how many came from each country. From the year 1836 we are helped out by Norway, where the government in that year began to collect and preserve statistics of emi- STATISTICS. 39 gration. These early tables are, of course, more or less imperfect, and we are justified in assum ing that the actual number of emigrants was larger than the one given in the official tables. In the American statistics the number of pas sengers and immigrants from Sweden and Nor way from 1820 to 1835 inclusive, is given as fol lows: 1820, 3; 1821, 12; 1822, 10; 1823, 1; 1824, 9; 1825, 4. In evidence of the incompleteness of early statistics1 I may call attention to the fact, that while the number of immigrants from Sweden and Norway in 1825 is here given as only four, we know that at least fifty-three arrived in that year from Norway alone. The reader will find this statement fully confirmed when he gets to our description of the voyage of the sloop "Restaurationen." The American statistics are continued as follows: 1826, 16; 1827, 13; 1828, 10; 1829, 13; 1830, 3; 1831, 13; 1832, 313; 1833, 16; 1834, 42; 1835, 31. For 1836 the American tables give us 57 immigrants from Sweden and Norway, while we know that at,, least 200 emigrated from Norway in that year. We now turn to the tables published by the government of Norway and find them given as follows: 1836, 200; 1837, 200; 1838, 100; 1839, 400; 1840, 300; 1841, 400; 1842, 700; 1843, 1,600. From this time on the Norwegians came 40 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. to America by the thousands every year and the means and conveniences for emigrating in Norwegian vessels instead of going by way of Gothenborg, Hamburg or Havre, became thor- ourghly organized and systematized. The immi gration from Norway culminated in 1882, in which year 29,101 Norwegians' landed in the United States. The total number of immi grants from Norway from 1820 to the present time (1894) is in round numbers about 500,000. The immigration from Sweden during the same period amounts to fully 600,000, and that from Denmark and Iceland is about 150,000, making an aggregate of 1,250,000 Scandinavian immi grants. Subtracting those wrho have died or who may have returned to Europe, and adding the children, grandchildren, and great-grand children of the immigrants, the Scandinavian group largely domiciled in the great Northwest, but having representatives in every state and territory in the Union will be found to consti tute no small part of our present population. I think we can safely estimate this grand total at 2,500,000, or double the number of actual immigrants. It is a fact well wrorth noticing in passing, that a larger percentage of the Scan dinavians engage in agriculture than of any other group of our population. One out of four STATISTICS. 41 of the Scandinavians engages in farming, while only one out of six of the native Americans, one out of seven of the Germans and one out of twelve of the Irish chooses agriculture as his occupation. According to a carefully prepared article by S. Sorensen in Minneapolis Tidcnde for Decem ber 23, 1894, and based on the United States census of 1890, it appears that the number of inhabitants in America who were either born in Scandinavia or of Scandinavian parents, was: Swedes, 726,430; Norwegians, 596,131; Danes, 213,036, making a total of 1,535,597, but this does not, of course, include grandchildren or great-grandchildren. While the Scandinavians are most numerous in the northwestern states, representatives of these nationalities are found in every state and territory as is shown by the following table: States and Territories. Maine New Hampshire. Vermont Massachusetts. . . Rhode Island. .. . Swedes. 2,546 1,418 947 24,664 4,227 Connecticut 13,878 New York 39,768 New Jersey | 5,739 Nor Danes. wegians 433 1,099 355 82 38 79 3,082 2,057 310 142 543 2,018 9,444 8,182 1,530 4.339 42 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. States and Territories. Pennsylvania Delaware Maryland District of Columbia Virginia West Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Ohio Indiana Illinois Michigan Wisconsin Minnesota Iowa Missouri North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Kentucky Tennessee ... Alabama Mississippi Louisiana , Texas Oklahoma ¦ , Arkansas Montana , Wyoming Colorado New Mexico Arizona Utah Nevada Idaho Washington Oregon California Swedes. Nor wegians. 27,840 1,458 388 16 496 253 215 82 299 139 137 9 88 15 143 29 337 115 833 272 4,875 659 7,910 478 181,966 48,091 37,941 11,451 29,993 130,737 155,089 195,764 52,171 59,822 9,537 948 7,974 47,877 12,233 38.897 47,318 6,997 31,492 3,444 477 43 591 76 423 76 526 113 698 240 4,655 2,526 219 92 586 102 4,465 2,662 1,940 519 12,975 1,299 215 71 273 93 10,321 3,247 421 92 2,332 1,313 12,868 11,591 5,235 3,267 15,248 5,421 Danes. 2,677 58 230 137129 50 4571 111179 1,487 1,200 17,090 10,180 23,882 22,182 25.240 2,470 4,0327,199 22,267 5,581 162 159143184 536 1,216 67 229 1,014 1,074 2,515 93 411 19,736 558 2,665 3,949 1,967 11,86* STATISTICS. 43 The Swedes have their strongholds in Min nesota, Nebraska, Washington, Kansas, Colo rado, Utah and Illinois. The Norwegians are comparatively most numerous in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Washing ton and Iowa. The Danes predominate in Utah and Idaho. The Scandinavians are particu larly numerous in the following cities: Chi cago, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Bos ton, St. Louis, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Omaha and San Francisco. As will be seen from the statistics which I have quoted above, Norwegian immigration did not amount to much before the year 1836. In that year two ships brought immigrants from Stavanger, an ancient city on the southwest coast of Norway to New York. These were the so-called Kohler brigs, the one named "Nor- den" (The North), and the other "Den Norske Klippe" (The Norwegian Rock), owned by the Kielland Company. My father, Bjorn Anderson, from the farm Qvelve in Vigedal, north of Stav anger, my mother, born Abel Cathrine von Krogh, from Sandeid, the next parish west of Vigedal, and my two oldest brothers were pas sengers in the "Norden," which left Stavanger on the first Wednesday after Pentecost, Capt. Williamson commanding, and arrived in New 44 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. York July 12, 1836. The other brig, "Den Norske Klippe," sailed from Stavanger a few days later and arrived about three weeks later in New York. The following year (1837) a ship called "Enigheden" (Unity), Captain Jensen, from Egersund, a small seaport town south of Stavanger, brought ninety-three passengers, and another ship "^Egir" (the name of the god of the sea in Scandinavian mythology), com manded by Capt. Behrens, and carrjdng eighty- four emigrants; sailed the same year from Ber gen, the chief city on the Avest coast of Norway. From that time on the stream of Norwegian im migration gradually broadens, though it does not become particularly large before the year 1843, but a discussion of it does not come within the scope of this volume. My investigations so far as the actual emigration from Norway is concerned, ends wdth the year 1839, while so far as the immigrants in the New World are concerned I propose to watch their progress down to the year 1840, when we shall find them located in half a dozen Norwegian settlements destined to become more or less prosperous. I shall also give some account of the first Norwe gian settlements in Texas and give a brief ac count of the religious work done among the Norwegians in America down to the coming of Lars Larson (i Jeilane.) (From a dayuerreutype taken after his death.) CAUSES OF EMIGRATION. 45 Rev. J. W. C. Dietrichson and the dedication of the first three Norwegian Lutheran churches, in 1844 and 1845. II. Causes of Emigration. The two Kohler brigs came from Stavanger in 1836, but just as the Puritans had their May flower in 1620 and the Swedes on the Delaware their Kalmar Nyckel in 1638, so the Norwegians had their little sloop called Restaurationen (The Restoration) in 1825, and it was loaded with no less precious human freight. We are therefore now prepared to go back to the year 1821, where we shall find the be ginning and the causes of the modern Norwe gian immigration to the United States. Lars Larson (in Norwegian, Lars Larson i Jeilane) was born in Stavanger in Norway, September 24, 1787. He became a ship-carpenter and served on board a Norwegian merchant vessel. During the Napoleonic, wars Russia compelled Denmark to make war on England, but was unable to prevent England from sending a fleet to the sound, where a bloody naval engagement 46 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. was fought on the second of April, 1801. Six years later in September, 1807, to cross the plans of Napoleon, England bombarded Copen hagen and captured the Danish fleet. The al lies of Denmark afforded her no protection. In the Danish war wdth England from 1807 to 1814, of which the struggle with Sweden in 1808 and 1809 was a mere episode, the commerce and finances of Denmark were ruined, and Den mark as the ally of France was put on a war footing with nearly all of Europe. At the peace which was secured in Kiel in 1814, Denmark lost Norway ancl other possessions and was left in a bankrupt condition. In the first year of this war, that is in 1807, the ship in wdiich Lars Larson wras employed, was captured by the Eng lish, ancl he. and the rest of the crew remained prisoners of war for seven years. In 1814, that is immediately after the treaty at Kiel, he with the other prisoners was released, and he there upon spent a year in London in the employ of a prominent Quaker lady, the widowr, Margaret Allen, mother of Joseph and William Allen, who at that time held high positions at the Eng lish court. During the period of his imprison ment and during his subsequent sojourn in Lon don, Lars Larson had acquired a pretty thor ough knowledge of the English language and O -! g-o o • p cr £ c p • >-> ? p bo cr c <* 5 W „-, Er. >. o i — ¦ C, i-j « 3 O CD£' p CAUSES OF EMIGRATION. 47 he had also become converted to the Quaker religion. Some of his Norwegian companions in captivity had likewise accepted the Quaker faith. In 1816 Lars Larson returned to Nor- Avay and he and his friends at once began to make propaganda for Quakerism and to organ ize a society of Friends. Two of them, Enoch Jacobson and Halvor HalVorson went to Chris- tiania, the capital of Norway, and made an un successful attempt at starting a Quaker con gregation there. Lars Larson remained in his native city of Stavanger, and there he and Elias Tastad and Thomas and Metta Hille became the founders of the society of Friends in Nor way. This society never became large and never spread beyond the limits of Stavanger county, but it still flourishes and to-day num bers about 200 adult members. The first Quaker meeting in Norway was held in Lars Larson's house in 1816. He was not a married man at the time, but his deaf and dumb sister Sara kept house for him. At Christmas in 1824, he married Martha Georgiana Peerson, w7ho was born October 10, 1803, on Fogn, a small island near Stavanger. During the time of which we are now speak ing, Norway, and particularly the southwest coast districts contained a large number of 48 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. semi-dissenters from the established church,. the so-called Haugians or Readers, followers of Hans Nielson Hauge, a reformer born in Smaalenene, in Norway, April 3, 1771. Though he had only a common peasant's edu cation he began to preach in 1795. He pro tested against the rationalism and seculariza tion then prevalent among the clergy of Nor- waj-. He advocated the right of laymen to preach, and laid special stress upon the spirit ual priesthood of all believers, while he was. on the other hand charged with an ex travagant undervaluation of an educated min istry, of ordination, and of the ceremonies adopted by the state church. As indicated,, his zeal secured him many followers, particu larly among the peasants, who did not, however,. like the Quakers, withdraw from the estab lished church. Still they were looked upon with disfavor by the governing class, and their lead er, Hans Nielson Hauge, was imprisoned from 1804 to 1814. He died March 29, 1824. It will be readily seen that the Haugians looked upon their leader as a martyr, ancl this fact intensified the strained relations existing be tween the Haugians and the civil and religious rulers of the kingdom. I mention these facts here as they will be found to have some bear- CAUSES OF EMIGRATION. 49 ing on the story which is to be told in this vol ume. It may be said without the least exaggeration that many of the government officials, not only those who had charge of secular affairs, but also the servants of the church, were inclined to be arbitrary and overbearing, and all dis senters from the Lutheran church, which was the state religion, were more or less persecuted by those in authority. The treatment accorded to Hans Nielson Hauge is evideuce of this. Al though he was guilty of Uo crime known to the code of morality, and although he was one of the most earnest and sincere Christians in all the land, he, like John Bunyan in England, was made to languish for ten long years within the walls of a prison, simply because he held profouud religious views and insisted on prac tising them. All the followers of Hauge were made to feel more or less the keen edge of scorn from their superiors. But the persecution of the Quakers is particularly a dark chapter in the modern ecclesiastical history of Norway. On a complaint of the state priest, the sheriff would come and take the children by force from Quaker families and bring them to the priest to be baptized. People were fined for not go- 50 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. ing to the holy communion. Parents were com pelled to have their children confirmed, and even the dead were exhumed from their graves in order that they might be buried according to the Lutheran ritual. These cruel facts are perfectly authenticated, and there is not a shadow of doubt that this disgraceful in tolerance on the part of the officials in Nor way, as in the case of the Huguenots in France and the Puritans in England, was one of the main causes of the first large exodus from Norway to the United States of America. The very fact that Norwegian em igration began in Stavanger county, and that the emigrants wrere dissenters from the estab lished church, is conclusive proof of the correct ness of this view, nere it was that Lars Larson, Elias Tastad and Thomas and Metta Hille had founded the Quaker society. In the city of Stavanger and in the adjoining county many had been converted to the Quaker doctrine, and there were no Quakers in Norway outside of Stavanger county. As in all lands and times, the beginning of emigration can often be traced to religious intolerance and persecution. Did not France lose half a million of her most desir able citizens on account of the persecution of the Huguenots? Did not the Huguenots flee to CAUSES OF EMIGRATION. 51 Switzerland, Holland, England and to Amer ica? Wherever they settled they brought with them art and manufacture and the refinements of civilization, and so they enriched their adopted countries. Ancl .what of the pilgrim fathers who landed at Plymouth in 1620, and founded the first settlement in New England? Were they not men of strong minds, good judg ment, and sterling character, and did they not rigidly conform their lives to their principles? Persecution led them to emigrate and in New England they embodied their principles in a framework of government, on wrhich, as a most stable foundation, our own great American republic has been built up. History repeats it self in Norway in the early years of this cen tury, and the sloop, Restaurationen, of w~hich we are soon to speak, left Norway in 1825, be cause Quakers were not permitted to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. The story of William Penn is re peated in Norway. Of course there were economic reasons also, and the emigrants hoped to better their mate rial as well as their religious conditions. It should also be remembered that there was a wide-spread feeling of suspicion and distrust among the common folk of Norway against the 52 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. officeholding class. There were many unprin cipled officials, who exacted exorbitant and even unlawful fees for their services and with such officials ordinary politeness to the com mon man was out of the question. Thus pov erty, oppression on the part of the officials, aud religious persecution cooperated in turning the minds of the people in Stavanger city and county toward the laud of freedom, equality and abundance in the far wrest. While Vve are compelled to present this gloomy picture of conditions in Norway in the early part of the century, we are happy to be able to state that things have changed there since then. A broad religious tolerance has been introduced, the best kind of educational laws have been enacted and the official class as a rule, both deserve and get the respect of the humblest citizens. Doubtless the large emigration had a tendency to make the officials less overbearing. It is due to Norway to em phasize the fact that the Norway of to-day is in no way subject to the criticisms we have made upon the Norway of the first half and particularly of the first third of this century. About 1840 a more humane and progressive spirit began to control the legislators and gov ernment of Norway, thanks to nenrik Werge- CAUSES OF EMIGRATION. 53 land, to Ole Gabriel Ueland, to Ole Vig, to A. M. Schweigaard and to many other heroes of reform, and a number of laws have been passed entirely remodeling the old and narrow insti tutions of Norway. Laws promoting religious liberty were passed in 1842, in 1845, and in 1851. This liberal spirit culminated in the abolition of the constitutional provision against the right of Jews to reside in Norway. In line with this progress, trial by jury wras adopted in 1887, and introduced iu 1890. The tendency since 1840, has been steadily toward more freedom and larger opportunities for all classes of cit izens. The emigration from Stavanger afterwards inspired people in other parts of Norway to leave the fatherland and seek homes in Amer ica. In each succeeding group there was a pioneer, a leader, and several of these leaders will be more or less fully presented and dis cussed. While each exodus down 'into the forties is a link in a chain beginning with the sloop, Restaurationen, and while religious persecution was one of the chief causes that led to its de parture, we shall try to point out what circum stances Were mainly influential in promoting emigration from the various districts, and in 54 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. this connection we shall call attention to fully a dozen persons who are to be remembered by posterity as the fathers and promoters of Nor wegian emigration, as the pioneers and found ers of Norwegian settlements in America and as the first ministers to the spiritual and intellect ual wants of the Norwegians in the country of their adoption. In some cases we shall let the emigrants themselves tell how and why they came to America. III. The Sloop Restaurationen. All reports agree that Kleng Peerson, from the farm Hesthammer, Tysver parish, Skjold district, Stavanger county, was the man Avho gave the first impetus to the emigration of the Norwegians to America. In the year 1821, he with a comrade, Knud Olson Eie, or more properly Eide, from the small island Fogn, near Stavanger, left Norway and went by the way of Gothenborg, Sweden, to New York to make an investigation of conditions and opportuni ties in America. From all the information I have been able to gather, and I have inter viewed a large number of the oldest Norwe- THE SLOOP RESTAURATIONEN. 55 gian settlers in America, there, remains no doubt in my mind that Kleng and Knud were practically sent on this mission by the Quakers of Stavauger county. It is nowhere positively stated that Peerson and Eide were themselves Quakers, but I have complete evidence from persons who knew both of them well that they were dissenters from the established church. Kleng Peersou was strongly attached to the Quakers and doubtless sympathized with their religious views, so far as he gave religion any thought, but neither Peerson nor Eide had at this time (1821) any very pronounced religious convictions. While they dissented from the state church they had not accepted the tenets of any other. They appear to have lacked to a great extent the religious temperament. Later on I shall have occasion to discuss this subject more fully, as I intend to present as full an account as possible of the character and career of Kleng Peerson. After a sojourn of three years in America, all that time presumably spent in and around New York city, where they did such work as they could find, Kleng Peerson, being a carpen ter by trade, they returned to Stavanger and to Tysver in 1824. Here their reports of social, political and religious conditions in America 56 NORWEGIAN IMMIGRATION. and their description of opportunities in the New World awakened the greatest interest and culminated in a resolution to emigrate. Lars Larson (i Jeilane), the same man at whose house the first Quaker meeting had been held in Stavanger in 1816, at once undertook to organ ize a party of emigrants. Being successful in finding a' number of people who were ready and willing to join him, six heads of families con verted their scanty worldly possessions into money and purchased a sloop which had been built in the Hardanger fjord, between Stav anger and Bergen, and which they loaded with a cargo of iron. For this sloop and cargo they paid the sum of $1,S00.00 (Norwegian money). While six of the party owned some stock in this vessel the largest share wras held by Lars Lar son, who was in all respects the leader of the enterprise. He had acquired a pretty thor ough knowledge of the English language, dur ing his eight years' sojourn in England, and the general supervision of the preparations and of the voyage naturally fell into his intelligent hands. The captain, Lars Olson and the mate Erikson were engaged by him. This little Norwegian Mayflower of the nine teenth century received the name Restaura- tionen (The Restoration), and on the American THE SLOOP RESTAURATIONEN. 57