Author Archives: Eric
Diaries of early preachers reveal frontier life in the 1850s
A number of preachers from Norway (and other Scandinavian countries) were among the first settlers in the Norwegian Ridge area. They were making rounds to settlers before congregations were officially organized and a pastor was funded and “called” from Norway … Continue reading
Money Creek and other local place names explained
Black Hammer is so-named because Knud Olsen Bergo came upon the prairie bluff after a wildfire blackened its sides, and Money Creek was named after a gust of wind blew the contents of an unlucky early settler’s wallet into the … Continue reading
Southern Minnesota Railroad Company service in Houston County
Early railroads (and their tycoons) were the beneficiaries of a great gift from the government: to run rail lines to the West, railroads were typically granted every odd-numbered section for six or so miles on each side of the tracks … Continue reading
Leprosy epidemic hits Spring Grove in 1886
Sometimes small-town news spreads far and wide. This pair of stories shows that extreme medical conditions gave Spring Grove a small amount of fame in its first few decades.
NYTimes Observes “Our Scandinavian Population” in 1866
Imagine Decorah being at the front of the American frontier when you read this bit from the New York Times, originally published April 20, 1866: Our Scandinavian Population. A correspondent of the American Messenger estimates the number of Norwegians settled … Continue reading
Historic Norwegian “Amtskart” Maps
Continuing my series on maps, here is a beautiful historic map that covers all of Norway and clearly shows farm locations. Provided by Statens Kartverk, this map is actually a searchable composite map created by stitching together multiple historic “Amtskartene” … Continue reading
High-Resolution Plat Maps for Houston, Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties
Plat maps are an excellent resource for local history research. They show where a family lived and farmed, can demonstrate migration over time, and provide context when digging through census records. They can also be used to identify the locations cited … Continue reading
Highland Township’s Early History
It’s hard to believe that Highland Township, in the northeast corner of Winneshiek County, Iowa, was once at the western edge of civilization. Here are excerpts from some early histories that show the difficulties as well as the promise of … Continue reading
Understanding Norwegian Naming Patterns
As you go back through the generations, you will see many different names used to describe the same family. There a few different forces of history influencing this phenomenon. Let’s clear it up a bit.
How to Read an Ahnentafel Report
If you have been poking around your family history, you’ve probably encountered an ahnentafel (“on-en-toffle”) report. You recognize the names, but what’s with all those confusing numbers? It’s not as difficult as you think – there’s a very simple numbering … Continue reading
Reading Old Norwegian Handwriting
When looking at old sources from Norway or even some from the US, reading the handwriting on official forms can be very difficult. There are several forms of script, as well as regional variations to make the job more confusing. … Continue reading
