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Knut Halverson diary, 1872-1879
- Title
- Knut Halverson diary, 1872-1879
- Identifier
- P0126
- Date
- 1872-1879
- Creator
- Halverson, Knut
- Description
- A kept by an immigrant from Telemark who came to Wisconsin in 1865. The file includes an edited translation with an introduction by Malcolm Rosholt, who published it in the "Iola Herald," Iola, Wisconsin (date unknown).
Two volumes of a journal or diary kept by a 1865 emigrant from Telemark who settled in the "Indian Land [Native American]" in central Wisconsin, Portage County. The first volume covers May 1872-April 1878. The second volume covers 1890-1896, with occasional entries (not always chronological) through 1934 A letter (May 9, 1955) from a niece, Hannah Halvorson Teslow, gives information about the family. Malcolm Rosholt, who knew Halverson and gave the diaries, translated the first volume. Two versions of the translation, with introductions and notes, are included (55,56 p.).
Most of the translation was published in the "Iola Herald" in spring 1970. Rosholt published an article, "A pioneer diary from Wisconsin," in "Norwegian-American Studies," volume 21 (1962), pp. 198-211. He says the diary "may be the most significant early document relating to Portage County, Wisconsin, in the Norwegian language" for the period, giving a "fairly comprehensive picture of pioneer farm life on the Wisconsin frontier." The second volume, which was discovered later, has not been translated except for a few pages. The surname is spelling variously; this is the one used in Rosholt's article.
Location:
1/A/6 - Extent
- 3 folders
- Language
- Norwegian
- English
- Subject
- Halverson, Knut
- Telemark (Firm : Poland)
- Iola (Wis.)
- Immigration & society
- Emigration and immigration
- Pioneer
- Portage County (Wis.)
- Halvorson Teslow, Hannah
- Rosholt, Malcolm Leviatt, 1907-
- Farm life
- Rights
- Rights undetermined.
- Type
- Diaries
Collection
Citation
Halverson, Knut, “Knut Halverson diary, 1872-1879,” Norwegian American Historical Association, accessed October 17, 2026, https://norwegianamericanhistory.org/catalog/items/show/9809.