Ola Johann Saervold was a sailor on the Great Lakes (1886-1889); a student at Luther College (1889-1895); a correspondent for "Inter-Ocean" (Chicago) (1895-1898); a lecturer and newspaper correspondent who described his travels in Norway (1899-1910); a farmer on the ancestral farm in Strandvik, Midthordland, Norway, which he equipped and operated according to American standards (1910-1918); a traveler and correspondent for "Skandinaven" (1921-1925). He was the author of four books: "Erling" (1898), "Det store stevne i Camrose, Canada" (1926), "Reisebreve," 3 volumes (1926), and "The Discovery of America" (1931). 

Abstract:

Biographical miscellany, correspondence, articles, clippings, account books of a Norwegian-born, American-educated, Minneapolis resident, world traveler and lecturer, journalist and linguist, farmer and sailor. His papers contain transcripts of legal documents dealing with the history of the Saervold farm; his Luther College report cards; a recipe book (manuscript) from the Lutheran Ladies' Seminary (Red Wing, Minnesota); a domestic science course (1908-1909); and manuscripts titled "Prestehjemmenes plads i vort folkeliv," "Kirken og det norske sprog i Amerika," and "What Is the Matter with Minnesota and Why" (a study of taxation). Correspondents include B. E. Bergeson, L. W. Boe, Juul Dieserud, Einar Hoidale, Peter Norbeck, and Henrik Shipstead.