Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Boone County The first settler in Boone County was Anders Andersen Strand from Nummedal. He came from Wisconsin and settled at Albion in 1870. Next after him came Ole Knudsen Strand from Nummedal, Mikkel Thompson Fauske from Etnedalen, Valders and Lars Tostensen Rekve† from Voss. They settled on the prairie, dug dugouts and then made preparations for growing wheat, maize and livestock that became the settlement's leading source of income. It was 50 miles to Columbus, their nearest marketplace. They only had oxen to plough and drive with. Here in Albion we have also discovered a pair of descendants of those who came to America on the Sloop in 1825, namely Jacob Tostensen and A. Nelson. The former is a saddler, the other a carpenter, the report does not mention whether they are dead or alive. Mikkel Thompson, one of the aforementioned pioneers tells the following, "When I came to Boone County there were not many white people. In 1872 the first election was held and then there were only elected a Justice of the Peace and a Constable and they had much to do for the lawlessness was great. Just before Christmas I was summoned as a witness in a case. I had to walk 15 miles to the courthouse that was just a sod hut and on the way there there was not a single settler, the whole was like an empty desert. When the case was heard and judged it was evening. I then went homeward but on the way I was caught in a terrible snowstorm. It was now a matter of life and death. I was lightly clad and it was 20 to 30 miles to people if I strayed. Therefore I stopped and thought about it and came to the conclusion that I had to take the first valley I came to and if possible find a creek and follow it down to where it entered a river. In this manner I hoped to reach one or another settler since it was in valleys and at rivers they were to be found, as a rule. It was dark and steep so at times I had to creep on all fours, but I followed the creek through all its twists. Finally I came to a sod wall and I drew a sigh of relief. I felt along the roof with my hands until I came to the door, that I knocked on without an answer. After I had shouted, knocked and waited for a while, I broke the door down and lit a match. To my great happiness and surprise I then discovered that it was my own sod house I had arrived at. In 1875, Halvor Funru from Nummedal was out stacking hay. During the morning it became foggy and wet so he set aside his hayfork and headed home. He walked and walked but did not reach home. Late in the evening he met a Swede but he was far down in another county (Platte). The next day he came home by horse. In 1876 or perhaps it was 1877 that the wife of Iver Løsnæs, a Gudbrandsdøl, went to a pond in the nearest valley to fetch water. Also then, it was foggy. She found the pond however and she filled her pails and went towards home. She had not gone very far before she realized that she had taken the wrong direction. In her confusion she set down the pails and wandered indefinitely. Late in the evening she discovered a sod hut and went to it but the people did not understand her nor she them since they spoke English and she was a newcomer from Norway. But she did understand that she had come a good way into Madison County. And when they heard her mention Newman Grove they knew she was from that area. The next day they took her there, which was 20 miles away. From there she was taken in great haste to her home in Closter, 16 miles further, for they knew that her family naturally would be anxious about her. There were many more occurrences of a similar sort which is not to be wondered at for the prairie is the same everywhere and there are neither roads nor wagon tracks. It was all like an open sea. Now one cannot get lost even if one wished to. The land is cultivated everywhere. The houses are close together and along the roads there is wire fencing that a wanderer would soon collide with if he was a bit confused. In the first years I helped people find land. Even though there was a surplus of it at that time, they wished to see as much as possible before one could make a sale. I remember once, for example, I was with Iver Christensen Løsnes and another Gudbrandsdøl. It was in 1876. After roaming over the endless prairie we spotted a solitary sod house far away on the horizon. Then Iver Løsnes said, 'The man over there must be an escaped slave or he has done something wrong. Without doubt he has settled here so no one can find him.' We agreed then that we would pay a visit to the sod house. When we got there the man, his wife and 4 children were about to sit to dinner and there was no question other than that we should come and eat with them. They were very kind and hospitable people. Iver said later that he had made a shameful mistake when he believed they were escapees. Iver was, as well, good at telling hunting stories from Gudbrandsdalen so the time went quickly for us as we roamed the wild prairie. And he only wished that we could spot an antelope or some other wild animal so he could show that he had been a sharpshooter in the Old Country. But when we finally got near a flock of antelope, they were too light on their feet and Iver too heavy. However he did take land in the area and even became the Postmaster. In the years 1874-75 and '76 we were visited by grasshoppers that ate up our maize crop. Yes, they even went after the tobacco. But father had an answer, he sprayed water on the tobacco plants and then he set fire to the dry grass around them. The grasshoppers could not tolerate the smoke but they became angry. Father maintained that while he was protecting his tobacco plants with a hay fork the grasshoppers spat tobacco juice in his face and eyes so it was necessary to leave. Once I met a man with an old horse and a small sled, upon which there was a box that was covered. The man walked beside the sled since there was poor sledding. When I asked him what he was transporting, he answered that it was his eldest son who had died and needed to be buried. He was alone. It was a sad funeral procession. Nor was there any cemetery here. When someone died they were buried on the homestead and likely when others came with bodies they were buried alongside. I know two places that are now in the middle of a field. The people who live there probably do not know that in its time this was a 'cemetery'. It is different now when someone dies. Now the bells toll at the church, a priest is present and there are large processions and lovely fenced cemeteries. We have returned to civilisation and Christian customs." Pastor Ole Torgersen of Hauge's Synod was the first priest to visit Boone County. But Trefoldigheds (Trinity) Congregation (at Petersburg) and Shell Creek Congregation, that were established by Pastor G. Erdahl of The Norwegian Synod, were the first congregations in the county. The first Norwegian church in the settlement was built by Trefoldigheds congregation in 1878. (This shows also that it was the first Norwegian church in the State) For further information on the number of churches and congregations in this settlement - see Madison County. The first Norwegian to hold a county office was Ole Frøistad, he was elected Conmmissioner in 1893. Olsne Post Office has received its name from the Norwegians.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Saunders County The first, or at least one of the first, Norwegians in this county was Edward A. Brødbøll, who settled at Wahoo in 1869. About the same time the Steen family settled there. Brødbøll, who now runs a bank in Lindsay, Nebr. is well known in the State as a financier whereas the Steen brothers are best known for the Civil War days. The first Norwegian to hold public office in the county was Henry Anderson, he was elected Treasurer in 1878. For more information see the sections, 'Norwegians in American Wars' and 'Norwegians in public positions in America'.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Cedar County Bernhard Olsen from the Kristiania area was the first to settle in this county. He came from Allamakee County, Iowa to the vicinity of Hartington in 1869. Martin Bottolfsen from Valders came with him. Both are dead. Olsen served in the Civil War. The new settlers in this settlement, as well as in other places, had to be satisfied with dugouts. Yankton, S.D. was the nearest marketplace in those days. Wheat and oats were the settlers' main sales articles. One of the old Norwegian settlers tells that a stubborn German had moved amongst them. There was a short cut through the land, that he came to own and where he dug a dugout He ordered the people to drive in another direction. One moonlit night G. H. came home from town in a happy state and rode right over his dugout. His pony's legs went through the roof but it had such a speed that it got clear, but frightened the enraged German out in just his nightshirt. Later he sold his land and moved away. Bow Valley Congregation, that was the first in this county, was established in 1874 by Pastor E. Christensen, belonging to The Norwegian Synod. Its church was built in 1886. Now there are 3 congregations and 3 churches, 2 belong to The United Church and 1 to The Norwegian Synod.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Clay County The founder of the little Norwegian settlement in the visinity of Harvard was Paul Sampson (Simonsen) from Bømmelhavn. He came there in 1869. There is a congregation belonging to The Norwegian Synod. Many of its members can be found in ¨'Sammenstillinger af Norske Sambygdinger i Amerika'

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/lcC.2ACI/313.4.1 Message Board Post: To the best of my very limited knowledge of this branch of the family only the children came over, and that would have been in the early teens of the 1900's. So I guess that tells us that there are many Soren Torjusens in the world! Ellen

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Platte County Hans Olsen from Gudbrandsdalen was the first in this county. He settled here in 1869 in that part of the county that abuts Madison County and the Newman Grove Settlement. This settlement also stretches over the adjoining corners of three counties, Madison, Boone and Platte. The oldest Norwegian in the State lives in this county. Her name in Norway was Thone Gundersdatter Løfto and she was born in Mo Parish, Telemarken in 1826. In 1851 she emigrated with her husband Gunnul Kaas. After a 14 week trip they reached Buffalo, N.Y., where Gunnul found found work nearby but he died within 6 weeks and there she was with two children and empty hands, far from friends and countrymen and without the ability to speak or understand the language of the land. She was certainly a newcomer. In some manner she got to the Norwegian settlement at Koshkonong, Wis. but that was just at the time the cholera raged there, so she quickly left with her children. She got to travel with a farmer who was going from Milwaukee to Stoughton with oxen and 'kubberulle'. In Stoughton, where she lived for a few years before moving to Nebraska, she got married for the second time. But she has now been a widow for over 20 years. As said, she is still alive despite all she has undergone. She says that arthritis bothers sometimes. Otherwise she is quite healthy. For clerical information, see Madison County.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Stanton County John Johnson† from Nordre Aurdal, Valders was the first Norwegian in this county. He came from Iowa and settled at Stanton in 1867. Next after him came Knut Evensen† from Telemarken as well as Svend and Halvor† Johnson from Nordre Aurdal, Valders. Potatoes, maize and wheat were the settlement's main source of income. When they wished to deliver their produce and made purchases of life's necessities, they had to go all the way to Omaha, 107 miles away. They went there with oxen. Pastor P. T. Hilmen of The Norwegian Synod established a congregation in the settlement in 1876.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Torjusen Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/lcC.2ACI/313.4 Message Board Post: Hi, I'm slowly researching my family too. One of my great great great grandfathers was Søren Emile Torjusen. He was a ship captain and settled in louisiana. From what I can tell he was born around 1823. Could he have been a relative to the person you are looking for?

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Madison County Nils Nilsen from Valders and a veteran of the War with the South was the first Norwegian in this county. He settled in the vicinity of Newman Grove in 1867 where there is now a large Norwegian settlement. In the 80s he moved to Dakota where he later died. Next after Nils Nilsen came his father, who was also called Nils, and a pair of relatives, Haldor Halvorsen and Anders Larsen (Kreft-Anders), all from Valders. Newman Grove was an army camp at that time and life in the area was dangerous. It often happened that the settlers were shot at by the Indians. But the gunshot wounds were not always dangerous. Gunder Hamre was the first merchant in Newman Grove. He opened a store in 1872. People reckoned his worth at $20,000 but it was certainly not that much. He was always a bachelor and a remarkably queer duck he was! For his countrymen here he was both bad and good. The people were poor and he sold on credit. So he took mortgages for everything they had, at 10 percent interest. When fall came they paid a portion of their debt with new papers for the remainder - always at 10 percent interest. It went on credit all the time. The farmers, however, did not wish to get their life necessities from gentler hands with someone else. But the credit he gave was tempting. Besides he was popular and always full of jokes. And then the way he dressed! He looked worse than a tramp. Once, when he was at West Point to sell five horses to a liveryman, he was barefoot, ragged and dirty. And when he went into the bank to cash a check for several hundred dollars that he had received for the horses, the bank teller was frightened and sent a clerk to the liveryman with the request that he come to the bank immediately. He asked him if the man who presented the check was Gunder Hamre and when he was told yes, the money was paid out quickly. Hamre's name became known throughout the whole State. Once he went to Columbus to purchase goods for his store. The weather was cold and he had wrapped some coffee sacks around his legs. Like that he went in to the wholesaler and presented a big order for supplies. He asked how long it would take to fill the order. Three hours, was the answer. He left saying he would be back before the precise hour. However the wholesaler and his clerk were suspicious and no goods were packed for him. They could not believe that anyone with his appearance would come to collect them, let alone pay for them. But he came. And when he asked how much the goods cost he put a good face on things and said $500.00, whereupon Gunder took out his billfold and counted out the requested amount without making a visible dent in his money roll. Now the clerks moved quickly. It did not take long before the goods were ready. At Grand Island he was refused food at a hotel if he did not pay in advance. The hotelkeeper believed he had a vagabond on his premises. Gunder took out his billfold and immediately pulled out a 20-dollar bill whereupon the hotelkeeper was as bewildered as he was taken aback. Needless to say, our countryman now received princely treatment. Another time (after he had quit the store business) a land company was fooled by his appearance. He went into the office with the description of a large piece of land and asked if it was for sale and for how much. Yes, it was for sale and they quoted a low price, they wished to have a bit of fun with him for they could not believe that he meant or had the means to buy what he asked about. However he took them at their word and said, "Give me the papers for the land, here is the money." And they had to obey. Appearances are deceptive, or something similar, he said as he left. This was told to me by a reliable man, one of his old neighbours. He (Hamre) died suddenly alone in a barn. His heirs left with his money. And so ends the account of Newman Grove's first businessman and Madison County's first Norwegian official (County Commissioner). He gained that position at the end of the 70s. The first Norwegian congregation in this county (and the first in the State) was established in Newman Grove in 1873 by Pastor Ole Torgersen, belonging to Hauge's Synod. In this settlement which stretches to the southwest corner of Madison and the adjacent parts of Boone and Platte Counties there are now 5 Norwegian congregations and 5 churches, 3 of the congregations belong to The Norwegian Synod and 2 to Hauge's Synod.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Dixon County The founder of the Norwegian settlement in the vicinity of Lime Grove, the oldest Norwegian settlement in Nebraska, was Mons Nilsen from Vossevangen. He settled there in 1857 or 1868. Otherwise, many of the families living there are from communities east of Kristiania. There are two Norwegian congregations and two churches, one of the congregations belongs to The United Church, the other to The Norwegian Synod.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Alabama Who was the first Norwegian in Alabama is not known. For a long time Mobile has been visited by rather many seamen of Norwegian ancestry but they are of an indeterminable nature, they come and go unendingly. There are also a number of Norwegian businessmen and tradesmen, a Norwegian Seaman's Home with a reading room and a Norwegian Seaman's Church in Mobile. In Thorsby, Chilton County there is a little Norwegian colony. The first Norwegian here was Andrew Wamben from Hardanger, he settled there in 1896 and still lives there. In 1897 a Norwegian congregation was established that belongs to The United Church. Pastor H. Engh was its first priest. Its church was built in 1902. In Cleburne County there is also a small Norwegian settlement and a congregation belonging to The United Church. Thorsby is the only Norwegian place name in the State. The main sources of income in Alabama are mining (iron and coal) and growing cotton, grapes and sugar cane.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Florida The seaport of Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida has long and frequently been visited by Norwegian seaman - and a number of Norwegians, probably seaman families can be found there. Who was the first is not known. In Tallahassee, Leon County, Hans B. Raa from Hedemarken was the first. On the east coast of Florida (in Brevard Co.) lives a small group of patriotic Norwegians. There patriotism is shown in that they have two post offices with Norwegian names (Oslo and Viking). The settlement where these post offices lie was established in 1895 and consists of the brothers Jens, Ole, Andreas, Elias and Olaf Helseth as well as Jacob and Andrew Kjøstwig, all from Romsdalen, Bendik Bendiksen from Tromsø, Julius Olsen from Østre Toten and J. Strande, L. H. Hovelsrud and possibly several others whose birthplace in Norway is unknown to the author. Andrew Kjøstwig is the Postmaster at Viking and Ole Helseth manages the Oslo Post Office. In Pensacola there is a Norwegian Seaman's Church (with a reading room), the only Norwegian church in the State. In Gadsden County there is a post office by the name of Norway but there are no Norwegians.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Virginia This State's coastal towns have been visited by Norwegian seamen for a long time but real settlers have not been found before recent times, which will be seen below. Andrew Elseth, a Telemarking and a veteran of the Civil War, was the first Norwegian who started farming here. He settled 12 miles from the City of Norfolk. The next year came Thomas Osmundsen† from Hardanger. In the aforementioned city these were the first; Karl Tennefoss from Sogn as well as Thomas Narum, Olaf Narum and Albert Lofthus, all from Stavanger and a Trønder by the name of Halland. They work for the most part in shipyards. --------------- James City County C. M. Bergh from Lands Parish was the first Norwegian in this county. He settled in Toano in 1896 and was the founder of the Norwegian settlement there. Now there is a post office called Norge there. Zion congregation, the first Norwegian congregation in the State, was established in that settlement by Pastor H. Rue in 1898 and is served by priests of The United Church. The congregation has its own meeting house. Another congregation was recently established in Barhamsville, where there are also a number of Norwegians now. Also this congregation is served by priests from The United Church. --------------- Princess Anne County A Sogning by the name of Jens Pedersen settled here as a farmer in 1897. But there is no Norwegian settlement. --------------- Places with Norwegian names in Virginia: Norge, James City County; Norland and Norman, Dickinson Co.; Norman, Culpepper Co.; Strom (clearly a form of Strøm), Botetourt Co.; Hagan (Hagen), Lee Co. and Jørgensen, Lunenburg Co. The first of these, however, is the only one in which one finds a gathered number of Norwegians.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Mississippi Nor does this State have many Norwegians. There are two, however, that must be mentioned, Sivert Hansen Berg of Aberdeen and John Kyllingstad of Lexington. Berg, who emigrated from Voss, settled in Aberdeen right after the Civil War and became one of the State's best known contractors. He died in 1905. Kyllingstad was born in Madagascar, where his father was a missionary. A few years after his arrival he was appointed as Postmaster in Melette, S.D. but later moved to Mississippi where he has worked in the newspaper business, first as the editor of 'Durant News' and later as the editor of 'Lexington Advertiser'. In 1904 he was strongly considered as a candidate for the State Legislature.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Ohio In this State there has been no attempt to start Norwegian settlements. We find, though, some Norwegians in the big cities. In Toledo, for example, we find Thorenius Holst (Holter) from Ullensaker. He has lived in that city over 30 years and is a foreman in the Wabash Line's workshop. His son William Holst was for a time a Member of and President of Toledo's City Council and later City Clerk. Lauritz Holst (Thorenius Holst's brother) is similarly an old settler here; he runs an orchard near the city. His eldest son, Bert Holst, is a physician in Rossford. In Cleveland they have a small congregation, partly Norwegian and that belongs to The Norwegian Synod. A few of our countrymen are also found in Fairport Harbor, Columbus, Canal Dover*, Canton and Blooming Green.** See, 'Sammenstilling af Norske Sambygdinger i Amerika'. See also the accompanying map of 'Norge i Amerika' *Post Office name in Dover that was closed in 1915. OK. **Probably an error for Bowling Green. OK

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Potter County It was here that Ole Bull founded a Norwegian settlement in the beginning of the 50s. His colonisation attempt was almost as impossible as, for example, Kristoffer Kloster's attempt to establish a fishing colony down on the Gaspe's windswept cliffs. But Ole Bull could not bring himself to believe that. Down here between the Pennsylvania hills the great performer put his money (and later much of his strength and spirit). Here he bought a great deal of land on instalments, here he laid out towns and built bridges and roads and to it he brought his countrymen. Here Ole Bull's memory would be honoured forever. The future capital was called Oleana, where they built "Bull's Castle" with music and song, and where a hotel was raised so travelling Scandinavians could get food, rest and a roof over their heads. They believed that this would become the West's paradise. And they sang: "I Oleana er det godt at være. I Norge vil jeg ikke slavelænken bære. Ja, reis til Oleana, saa skal du leve; En fattig stymper derbort' er Greve." That people streamed in is shown by the fact that during the colony's golden period there were close to 1000 persons. But the whole thing was a dream. Ole Bull was a great dreamer, a great spirit and a great genius. On the violin he was a world master. And this sort of person is the easiest to dupe. This the land speculators who sold the aforementioned land to him clearly knew, since the documents they issued him were not worth 5 cents. Neither he nor any other Scandinavian received the right to the land that he had bought. When he then learned that nothing could be done either legally or any other way, he left the colony quietly. They saw him ride away along the river bank on his Norwegian horse. But what he thought, he showed later: There was only one way in which he could rescue himself and his poor countrymen out of the pinch - and only one way he could restore his name - he had to go back and play on the stage. He was as fortunate as before. The laurels he could keep, but for the money he earned he bought wagon load after wagon load of provisions that he sent to the colonists in Oleana. And over time as he was able, he helped many of them move away from there. Ole Olsen, one of Bull's faithful admirers and defenders - the only one that stayed in Ny Bergen - died there recently (1903) at the age of 87 years. He was the last to yield! But the Norwegian names - Oleana, Odin and Ny Bergen - names that Bull gave the future cities - they still live. The settlers, with few exceptions, then moved away - to other places with greater possibilities. The colony's first child, Ole Snyder as well as some of the older people we have found in Buffalo, N.Y. The colony's first baby girl, the daughter of the later well-known bookbinder Suckow (in Madison, Wis.) ended up finally in the City of Cedar Rapids, Ia. where her husband became the Mayor. Halfdan Eckholdt, who was one of those who with his parents emigrated to Bull's paradise, is now a lawyer in Rochester, Minn. P. J. Moe, who also came to that place with his parents, moved to Springfield, Minn. etc. In brief, most of them went west and settled among their countrymen in the Northwest. --------------- However, the State of Pennsylvania is not completely free of Norwegian settlements. One was established at Rowland, Pike Co. in 1901. The first to settle there was S. Christiansen from Grimstad. There are ca. 15 Norwegian families. Logging and mixed farming is their main source of income. --------------- In the City of Philadelphia* there are naturally some Norwegians even though they have essentially become Americans, which is the case in other big cities as well. Where they are so scattered that it is difficult to find one another and where one cannot start Norwegian congregations or societies, they soon forget that they are Norwegians. In Philadelphia, however, there are a couple of small congregations that one can call Norwegian. The first of these was established in 1890 and belongs to The United Church, the other to The Seaman's Mission. There are no churches. --------------- Of other places where Norwegians can be found - but in small numbers - can be mentioned Erie, Correy, Allegheny, Pittsburg, Carlisle, Harrisburg and Huntingdon. See the accompanying map. --------------- There are some Norwegian place names in Pennsylvania, the aforementioned Oleana, New Bergen, Odin as well as Nansen, Elk Co., Norway, Chester Co. and Varden, Wayne Co. *I have been sent an account of a "Walking trip from Philadelphia, Pa. to Willmar, Minn." but because of its length the account is too long for the book. However it goes so: Peder and Christian Amundsen from Mo i Ranen had a ticket no further than to Philadelphia, where they worked for a farmer for $4.00 a month and since this princely pay was not sufficient, they took to heir feet. Peder now lives in Lynn, S.D. (They suffered as well a shipwreck on the Atlantic when the ship they came on collided with another).

Hi all! Olaf, Wade and I have been having lots of fun working on the Ulvestad translations for all to view and read for free. It appears that one thing that was consistent throughout is the mention of the oxen. Think of how important they were to all the immigrants to get around in their travels. If you have never seen oxen, here is a picture of the last pair of oxen in Norman County Minnesota. They were owned by Peder Andersen Sakrismo who came from Trøndelag to America at the beginning of 1900. He was grandpa to the 3.5 Twins down the road. :-) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~maggiebakke/oxen.jpg http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~maggiebakke/ulvestad.html Enjoy! Margit

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. District of Columbia Who was the first Norwegian to settle in Washington, the capital of the United States, how many of our countrymen ended up here, either as lawgivers or to fill one or another creditable position in government offices, is not easy to say. But it is probably true that Nikolay Jensen, the son of former Captain Jens Jensen of Moss, was the first. Nikolay Jensen came to Washington in 1850 and immediately got employment in a jewelry store on Pennsylvania Avenue where he stayed for 36 years. Most bigwigs and their families came to this store and he (Jensen) was able to see all the Presidents from Fillmore on up. He had conversations with Daniel Webster, to whom he was introduced by Henry Clay, and with Lincoln and McKinley. Jensen was otherwise a brave hunter and the bigwigs often took him on their hunting trips. At the end of the 50s he was robbed of thousands of dollars and his marriage to the youngest daughter of Dr. John Hawkins of Maryland had to be postponed until 1861. Her ancestors were high-ranking officers in the Revolutionary Army. In his older days he held the office of translator for the Pensions Bureau. Now he is dead. In the District of Columbia there are no Norwegian organizations with the exception of those who live here in the capital. They have also established a Norwegian Society - in 1902. And Pastor Kr. Kvamme of The Norwegian Synod established a small congregation here in 1905. The Norwegian N. H. Nelson from Decorah, Iowa was the first Scandinavian to serve as an officer (Lieutenant) in the Capitol Guard.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Sevier County Here there is a post office with the Norwegian name Sigurd but the author has not been able to find Norwegians at that place. The accompanying map shows the places and areas where the Norwegian population lives.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Boxelder County A number of scattered Norwegians can be found, some of them belong to The Mormon Church and others to The Methodist Church which has a small congregation here. There are also some who are outside of any church.