]]> Civil War]]> Wisconsin ]]> Minnesota]]> Aurlie, Bernt]]> Norgaarden, Lena]]> Østerud, Ole O.]]> Papers of a Norwegian-born artisan and farmer of Ostrander, Minnesota, consisting of correspondence, diaries, legal papers, and pamphlets. The correspondence, 1854-1894, consists of Norway letters, a Civil War letter, and letters from New Ulm, St. Peter, Spring Valley, Walnut Grove, Preston, Hurdal, Red Wing, Minnesota; Coon Prairie, Sparta, Muskego, Wisconsin; and Revillo, Dakota.]]> Osterud, Ole]]> Wisconsin]]> Evjue, William Theodore, 1882-1970]]> Evjue, William Theodore, 1882-1970]]> Civil War]]> Wisconsin Senate]]> Biography/History:
John Anders Johnson was born in Telemark, Norway, on April 15, 1832. He was the oldest of five children who were born to Anders Johnson (1804-188) and Aaste Killing Koven (1808-1893). The family emigrated to the United States in 1844. By 1852, the family moved to Pleasant Springs, Wisconsin – near Koshkonong. Johnson first married Karen Thompson in 1856. Before she died, they had a daughter, Caroline. Both died in 1860. He remarried in 1861 to Kaia Nicoline Kildahl, and had six children together: Frederick, Ella, Ida, Carl, Hobert, and Maurice. Johnson’s brother was Ole Skipness Johnson, a Norwegian-American soldier who served in the Civil War (Scandinavian Regiment). 

He was founder and president of Fuller & Johnson Manufacturing Company, of Gisholt Machine Company, and of Hekla Fire Insurance Company. In 1896, he was elected president of the National Association of Implement and Vehicle Manufacturers. Johnson helped found Amerika, a Chicago newspaper, in 1873. He wrote frequently on political, economic, and social topics such as tariff free silver, temperance, slavery, and education. 

Johnson was a member of the Wisconsin legislature in 1857 and 1873-1874 and county clerk (1861-1869). His philanthropies included the University of Wisconsin, St. Olaf College, and the Gisholt Home for the Aged. NAHA published John A. Johnson, by Agnes M. Larson, in 1969.

Scope and Content:
Papers of a Norwegian-born industrialist, inventor, and philanthropist from Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. Materials include articles, clippings, contracts, correspondence, indentures, patents, pamphlets, receipts, records, reports, scrapbooks, and statements. Besides several pamphlets, publications include Det skandinaviske regiments historie (1869) and Fingerpeg for farmere og andre (1888).

]]> Digital collection available online here.]]> Johnson, John A., 1832-1901]]> Kensington Rune Stone]]> Landsverk, Ole]]> ]]>
Includes:
  • Thesis for the degree of Ph. D. entitled "The American School Controversy among the Norwegian-Americans, 1845-1881" Submitted to the Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum, Michigan State University, 1968.
  • Articles: "The Norwegian-American's Image of America" published in "Illnois Quarterly" (April 1974); "A Test of Andrew M. Greeley's Six Step Theory of Ethnic Assimilation by the Use of Norwegian-American Historiography" published in "Journal of the Midwest History of Education Society" (1982).
  • Article: "The School Controversy among Nineteenth Century Norwegian-American Immigrants" published in "Norwegian-American Studies" v.26 (1974). 
]]> Nelson, Frank ]]> Berntsen, Bernhard]]> Nelson, Marion J. ]]> Luther College (Decorah, Iowa)]]> Landsverk, Torkjel Halvorson ]]> Høiland, Michael ]]> Norwegian-American Museum]]> Holmes, Mabelle Linnea]]> Landsverk, Halvor]]> Morpurgo, Vilna Jorgen ]]> Mindrum, Margit Landsverk]]> Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum]]> Biography/History: 
Vesterheim Museum, officially known as Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, is a renowned cultural institution in Decorah, Iowa, dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history, art, and traditions of Norwegian immigrants in the United States. Founded in 1877 as a collection at nearby Luther College to document the Norwegian-American immigrant experience, it has grown into one of the most comprehensive museums in the country devoted to a single immigrant group, housing more than 33,000 artifacts and a Heritage Park of historic buildings that together showcase the breadth of Norwegian-American life and culture. The museum also operates a vibrant Folk Art School, offering classes in traditional crafts like rosemaling, woodworking, fiber arts, and more, fostering both preservation and creative evolution of these arts. Vesterheim’s name, meaning “western home” in Norwegian, reflects its mission to connect visitors with the stories, heritage, and creative legacy of Norwegian Americans.

Scope and Content: 
Collection of membership directories, bulletins, correspondence, and publication materials for Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Iowa.

]]> Pacific Coast Norwegian Singers Association ]]>
Includes:
  • Clippings (1903-1996). 
  • Souvenir programs from the annual Sangerfest held by the Association (1903-1949)
  • Other programs and miscellaneous (1909-1995)
  • Souvenir programs from the annual Sangerfest held by the Association (1950-1981)
]]> Washington, George]]> Leif Erikson]]> Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865]]> Warren, Earl]]> Gunderson, Carl M. Ringen]]> Thompson, Snowshoe, 1827-1876]]> Furuseth, Andrew, 1854-1938]]>
Includes:
  • "Leif Erikson Genealogy: Lists all forefathers and known relatives" (1969).
  • "Famous Americans of Norwegian Descent: 13 Presidents of the United States, 11 Signers of the Declaration of Independence" (1969)
  • "The Leif Erikson Stamp, Issued by the United States Post Office Department, 1968" (1969)
  • "Norwegian Ancestors of General George Washington, First President of the United States" (1969)
  • "Biography and Ancestry of Andrew Furuseth, 1854-1938" (1970)
  • "Ancestral Chart of John Anon 'Snowshoe' Thompson" (1970)
]]> Ringen, Carl M. ]]> North Dakota]]> Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865]]> Blegen, Hans O.]]> Kirkeide, Jon ]]> Rude, Clarence]]> Froholm, Peter]]>
Includes: Copy of Governor L. B. Hanna's appointment of Blegen as member of the committee to present a bust of Abraham Lincoln from North Dakota to Norway (22 April 1914) and a program from the Unveiling and Presentation of the bust in Frogner Park, Kristiania, 4 July 1914; Photographic negative of "three of the many 'hired men' whom Blegen encouraged to strike out for themselves and not continue to work for others. They homesteaded in McKenzie County, North Dakota about 1903." The men are Peter Froholm from Innvik, Nordfjord; Clarence Rude from Stewartville, Minnesota; and Jon (Joe) Kirkeide from Stryn, Nordfjord. Added clipping from Curtis Eriksmoen (2006) "N.D. Artist [Paul Fjelde] lift Norway hopes during Nazi rule"]]> Blegen, Hans O.]]>