Chapter I: Foreword

This volume is intended to present the progress of immigration from Norway to this country from the beginning down through what may be termed the first period of settlement. It is possible that I may at some future time return to these studies to trace the further growth of the Scandinavian element and its place and influence in American life.

Four years ago I contributed an article to _The Iowa Journal of History and Politics_ upon "The Scandinavian Factor in the American Population," in which I discussed briefly the causes of emigration from the Northern countries. This article forms the basis of chapters VI-VIII of the present volume, much new evidence from later years having, however, been added. In a subsequent issue of the same Journal I published an article on "The Coming of the Norwegians to Iowa," which is embodied in part in chapters III-V of this volume. The remaining thirty-six chapters are new. During the last three summers I have continued my investigation of that part of the subject which deals with the immigration movement. This book represents the results of that investigation down to 1848.

For invaluable assistance in the investigation I gratefully acknowledge indebtedness to the numerous pioneers whom, from time to time, I have interviewed and who so kindly have given the aid sought. I wish to thank, also, several persons who generously have accepted the task of personally gathering pioneer data for certain localities. For such help I owe a debt of gratitude to the following persons: J. W. Johnson, Racine, Wisconsin; Reverend A. Jacobson, Decorah, Iowa; Reverend G. A. Larsen, Clinton, Wisconsin; Henry Natesta, Clinton, Wisconsin; Rev. O. J. Kvale, Orfordville, Wisconsin; Rev. J. Nordby, Lee, Illinois; Dr. N. C. Evans, Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin; M. J. Engebretson, Gratiot, Wisconsin; Dan K. Anderson and wife, Woodford, Wisconsin; Ole Jacobson, Elk Horn, Wisconsin; Samuel Sampson, Rio, Wisconsin; T. M. Newton, Grinnell, Iowa; Harvey Arveson, Whitewater, Wisconsin; and Reverend Helge Höverstad, Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. My thanks are also due to Reverend G. G. Krostu of Koshkonong Parsonage for having placed at my disposal the Koshkonong Church Register from 1844-1850; as also for verifying my copy of it in some cases of names and dates; for the privilege accorded me of using these so precious documents I am most grateful. Reverend K. A. Kasberg of Spring Grove, Minnesota, has given me certain important data on part of the immigration to East Koshkonong in 1842, and similarly N. A. Lie of Deerfield, Wisconsin, for immigration from Voss in 1838-1844, and Mr. Elim Ellingson and wife of Capron, Illinois, on the founders of the Long Prairie Settlement. Many others might be mentioned who have given valuable assistance by letter and otherwise in the course of the investigation, and to whom I owe much. Finally, I wish to thank Dr. N. C. Evans of Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, for the loan of _Cyclopedia of Wisconsin_ (1906) and _Illustreret Kirkehistorie_ (Chicago, 1898); Mr. O. N. Falk of Stoughton, Wisconsin, for loaning me _Billed-Magazin_ for 1869-1870, and my brother, Martin O. Flom, of Stoughton, for securing for my use several Wisconsin Atlases and a copy of _The Biographical Review of Dane County_ (1893).

Of published works on Norwegian immigration which I have found especially useful are to be mentioned S. Nilsen's _Billed-Magazin_ on causes of immigration and the earliest immigrants from Telemarken and Numedal; R. B. Anderson's _First Chapter on Norwegian Immigration_ for the sloopers of 1825, and their descendants; Strand's _History of the Norwegians in Illinois_ (1905) for the Norwegians in Chicago; H. L. Skavlem's sketch of _Scandinavians in the Early Days of Rock County, Wisconsin_, _Normandsforbundet_ for February, 1909, and several articles in _Symra_, 1905-1908. I must also mention a most valuable series of articles on the Rock Prairie Settlement, Rock County, Wisconsin, which appeared in _Amerika_ in 1906. (See further the Bibliography at the end of this volume.)

No one who has never been engaged in a similar undertaking can have any conception of the difficulty of the task and the labor involved in the collecting, weighing and sifting of the vast amount of detail material. I have tried to write a work which shall be correct as to details and historically reliable. That errors have crept in I doubt not. I shall be grateful to the reader who may discover such errors if he will call my attention to them.

Finally, I wish to say that I have attempted nothing complete with reference to the personal sketches of the earliest pioneers; this was manifestly impossible. I have thought also that this was not here called for except in cases of founders of settlements, and even here I have sometimes lacked the full facts. To many it will also undoubtedly seem that the early days of the church and the founding of congregations should have received more attention. I can only say that this volume deals specifically with the causes, course and progress of Norwegian immigration and that this plan precluded a discussion in this volume of religious and educational movements among the pioneers, or of social questions, occupations, public service, and like topics. The work thus aims to keep only what the title promises, and I hope it will be found to be a real contribution to history within the scope marked out for it.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 15

CHAPTER I. Norway. Population, Resources, Pursuits of her
People, Social Conditions, Laws and Institutions 18

CHAPTER II. Emigration from Norway 27

CHAPTER III. The Earliest Immigrants from Norway, 1620 to 1825. 35

CHAPTER IV. The Sloopers of 1825. The First Norwegian
Settlement in America. Kleng Peerson 45

CHAPTER V. The Founding of the Fox River Settlement.
Personal Notes on Some of the Founders 55

CHAPTER VI. Causes of Emigration from Norway. General Factors,
Economic 64

CHAPTER VII. Causes of Emigration Continued. Special Factors.
Religion as a Cause. Emigration Agents 73

CHAPTER VIII. Causes of Emigration Continued. The Influence
of Successful Pioneers. "America-Letters." The Spirit
of Adventure. Summary 80

CHAPTER IX. Growth of the Fox River Settlement. The
Immigration of 1836. Further Personal Sketches. 89

CHAPTER X. The Year 1837 Continued. The Sailing of _Aegir_. 97

CHAPTER XI. Beaver Creek. Ole Rynning 102

CHAPTER XII. Some of the Immigrants of 1837. The
First Pathfinders from Numedal and Telemarken 108

CHAPTER XIII. Ansten Nattestad's Return to Norway in 1838.
The Year 1839. Immigration Assumes Larger Proportions.
The Course of Settlement Changes 116

CHAPTER XIV. Shelby County, Missouri. Ansten Nattestad's
Return from Norway in 1839. The Founding of the Jefferson
Prairie Settlement in Rock County, Wisconsin 125

CHAPTER XV. The Earliest White Settlers on Rock and Jefferson
Prairies. The Founding of the Rock Prairie Settlement.
The Earliest Settlers on Rock Prairie 135

CHAPTER XVI. The Rock Run Settlement. Other
Immigrants of 1839. The Immigration of 1840 147

CHAPTER XVII. The Settlement of Norway and Raymond Townships,
Racine County. The Founders of the Settlement.
Immigration to Racine County in 1841-1842 155

CHAPTER XVIII. The Establishment of the Koshkonong Settlement
in Dane County, Wisconsin 164

CHAPTER XIX. The Settling of Koshkonong by Immigrants from
Numedal and Stavanger in 1840. Other Accessions in
1841-1842 172

CHAPTER XX. New Accessions to the Koshkonong Settlement in
1840-1841. The Growth of the Settlement in 1842 180

CHAPTER XXI. The First Norwegian Settlement in Iowa, at Sugar
Creek in Lee County 190

CHAPTER XXII. The Earliest Norwegian Settlers at Wiota,
La Fayette County, and Dodgeville, Iowa County,
Wisconsin 198

CHAPTER XXIII. Growth of the Jefferson Prairie Settlement
from 1841 to 1845. The First Norwegian Land Owners
in Rock County 204

CHAPTER XXIV. Immigration to Rock Prairie from Numedal and
Land in 1842 and Subsequent Years 211

CHAPTER XXV. Immigration from Hallingdal, Norway, to Rock
Prairie from 1843 to 1848. Continued Immigration from
Numedal. Other Early Accessions 216

CHAPTER XXVI. Economic Conditions of Immigrants. Cost of
Passage. Course of the Journey. Duration of the Journey 221

CHAPTER XXVII. Norwegians in Chicago, 1840-1845. A Vossing
Colony. Some Early Settlers in Chicago from Hardanger 230

CHAPTER XXVIII. The Earliest Norwegian Settlers in the
Township of Pleasant Spring, Dane County, Wisconsin 241

CHAPTER XXIX. The First Norwegian Settlers in the Townships
of Dunkirk, Dunn, and Cottage Grove, in Dane County,
Wisconsin 249

CHAPTER XXX. The Expansion of the Koshkonong Settlement
into Sumner and Oakland Townships in Jefferson
County. Increased Immigration from Telemarken. New
Settlers from Kragerö, Drammen and Numedal 255

CHAPTER XXXI. The Coming of the First Large Party of
Immigrants from Sogn. New Accessions from Voss 265

CHAPTER XXXII. Long Prairie in Boone County, Illinois;
A Sogning Settlement 272

CHAPTER XXXIII. The Growth of the Racine County (Muskego)
Settlement, 1843-1847 278

CHAPTER XXXIV. The Heart Prairie Settlement in Walworth Co.,
Wis. Skoponong. Pine Lake 289

CHAPTER XXXV. The Earliest Norwegian Settlers at Sugar Creek,
Walworth County, Wisconsin. The Influx from Land,
Norway, to Wiota and Vicinity, 1844-1852 300

CHAPTER XXXVI. Continued Immigration from Aurland, Sogn,
to Koshkonong. The Arrival of Settlers from Vik
Parish, Sogn, in 1845 305

CHAPTER XXXVII. Kirkeregister. Church Register of East
Koshkonong, West Koshkonong and Liberty Prairie
Congregations as Constituted During the Years of Reverend
J. W. C. Dietrichson's Incumbency of the Pastorate from
1844 to 1850, and as Recorded by Reverend Dietrichson 314

CHAPTER XXXVIII. The Founding of the Norwegian Settlements
of Norway Grove, Spring Prairie and Bonnet Prairie in
Dane and Columbia Counties, Wisconsin 331

CHAPTER XXXIX. Blue Mounds in Western Dane County, Wisconsin 340

CHAPTER XL. The Hardanger Settlement in Lee and De Kalb Counties,
Illinois. Big Grove in Kendall County, and Nettle Creek
in Grundy County, Illinois 350

CHAPTER XLI. The First Norwegian Pioneers in
Northeastern Iowa 362

CHAPTER XLII. Survey of Immigration from Norway to
America. Conclusion 375

APPENDIX I 383

APPENDIX II 386

BIBLIOGRAPHY 387

INDEX 389