Historical Timeline

1800. A town was called a kjøpstad (market place). In Norway there were 23 of them.

1800, Tinn now has 1,810 people. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 46.

1801, In Tinn, property owners comprise 56 % of the population. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 48.

1801 Census:

Tveden, Niels Olsen Tveden is 40 and a Innerstar (lodger), his wife Aagoth Gunufsdatter is 34, and son Østein is 12. Also, there are Gunulv Lejufsen (44) and Aagoth Gunufsdater (15) the daughter that inherited Tveden. Gene Estensen Family.

Bøen, Torstein Gunlechsen (60) and wife Birgitte Torjiersdatter (56) are at Havstøl (cotter with land). Their daughter Aase (11) will marry Østein Nielsen Tveden/Bøen. Gene Estensen Family.

Gjøsdal øvre, Kittel Halvorsen (60) and wife Asloug Halvorsdatter (55) are resident. Gene Estensen Family.

1801, The first national census tallies 883,487. Cultivation of potatoes with herring replaced barley porridge as the most common daily food. Nutrition improved and infant mortality dropped.

1801, Smallpox vaccination began. It was 1810 before it was mandatory whereby no person could be confirmed or married before showing their vaccination record, then 1812 when the vaccination records began in the parish records. It was then that the records became standardized.

1801, There were 39,400 husmann, then in 1885 there were 65,000, in 1910 there were 19,800, then down to 6,000 in 1929. From this husmann class came a large percentage of the American immigrants.

1801-1835, Population increase 37 % in Tinn, from 1,810 to 2,481. The potato infusion delayed the consequences of this rapid rise in population. Farms were divided between brothers and marginal land was cultivated higher on the mountain sides. The lower, or landless, classes grew the fastest. Before 1850, people were not driven out by poverty and hunger but by a hope for a better future and an improved social status. The early pioneers were people who had sufficient resources to finance their own move.

1802, The number of farms in Norway was 79,256. By 1820 it was 93,621, then to 112,930 by 1845. By 1860 it was more than 135,000.

1804, Elling Eielsen Syndve, later the famous lay preacher in America was born in Voss and this was the same year that Hauge was imprisoned in Norway for violation of the Conventicle Act. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration 1821-1840, p. 411.

1807-1814, Economic hardship is endured by Norway. A shortage of foodstuffs was common. There is famine 1809-12. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 75.

1807, Norway, as an ally of Napolean, was forced into war with Great Britain. Semmingsen, Ingrid, Norway to America, p. 8.

1808, The Swedes attacked Norway but were driven back. During the years 1800-1814 the sons of Norway's farmers were called in to serve their country in the fight against the Swedes. Infantry soldiers served 10 years, horsemen 12 years, but except for the weekly drill after the sermon outside the church, the companies were only transferred to the front when the enemy attacked. According to law the soldiers, even the most humble cropper's son, were always seated in the front of the church, at the head table at events, and generally being treated above their equals.

1809, Ole Rynning is born at Ringsaker on April 4. He became a teacher at Snaasen. He would later publish an important book, in 1839, that led to emigration of thousands from Norway. Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 85.

1809, Illinois becomes a territory. Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 152.

1810, Kjetil Kjetilsen Gøystdal married Aagot Gunnulvsdatter Tveito. He moves to Tveito. Their daughter is Astrid and she later inherits Tveito. Gene Estensen Family.

1810, Johan Reinert Reierson is born April 17 in Vestre Moland, Norway. See a history of his life in Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration 1821-1840, p. 370. Or see J. R. Reiersen, Pathfinder for Norwegian Emigrants, p. 3.

1810, Ole Bull is born in Bergan. He visited America for the first time in 1843. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 288.

1811, Norway establishes its first University and the sons of the upper classes attend it. Blegen, The American Transition, p. 278.

1812, Astrid's brother Kjitil Kjitilsen Tveito is born. Gene Estensen Family.

1812, America is at war with Great Britain, as is Norway. Skard, Sigmund, The United States in Norwegian History, p.26.

1813, Astrid's brother, Gunnulv Kittilsen is born June 28. Gene Estensen Family.

1813, John Nielsen Luraas was born in Tinn on December 25, 1813. He would later lead the famous Luraas party to America.

1814, After 1814 Norway never experienced years when the country as a whole had more deaths than births. Semmingsen, Norway to America, p. 100. One factor was the potato, another was the return of the herring. Herring and potatoes were the staples in the diet, especially the poor.

1814, Søren Bache was born in Drammen, Norway on March 22.

1814, May 17 becomes Independence Day (syttende mai) and began a period of 50 years called embetsmannsstaten, or government by elite (top 1,000 families). During the late winter of 1814 during the final months of the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was quite cordoned off from Denmark by the British and Swedes. The Norwegians organized a Constitutional Assembly that worked out a Constitution (Grunnlov) that was signed on May 17, beginning the return to independence after the country had been at first from 1397 in a union with Denmark and Sweden, then from 1533 a dependency of Denmark.

1814, November, Norway enters into a union with Sweden but retains a sense of Nationalism. Now began a rapid raise in Norway's population. Denmark was forced by the outcome of the Napoleonic wars to cede Norway to Sweden and was left in a bankrupt condition. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 46.

1814, "While the nobility was abolished in Norway in 1814, the lines between the upper and lower classes, the wealthy and the poor, were tightly drawn and social classes were well defined.". Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 72.

1815, Mass emigration from Europe begins with America a preferred destination because of an almost unlimited need to populate the "west".

1815, Ole Haugen becomes the first Norwegian in Massachusetts. Norwegian Immigration to the United States, Flom, George, p. 197.

1815, July 2, Østein Nielsen Bøen and Aase Tostensdatter Vemork are married at Dal Parish. Both are 25 years of age. Gene Estensen Family.

1815, Niels Østeinsen Bøen is born to Østein Nielsen and Aase Tostensdatter. Gene Estensen Family.

1816, December 8, Jon Gunlichsen Mæland, age 29, marries Liv Gunnuvsdatter Ingolvsland, age 24. Witnesses are Gunlich Hansen Mæland and Gunnuv Gunuvsen Ingulsland. Jon Gunlichsen Bøen later accompanies his daughter Astrid (wife of Ole Østensen Bøen) to America in 1851. Gene Estensen Family.

Ole Østeinsen Bømogen was born in Tinn. Gene Estensen Family.

1817, A shipwrecked Dutchman came into the port of Bergan with 500 German emigrants on their way to America. America now became a hot topic in Norway. Skard, Sigmund, The United States in Norwegian History, p.43.

1817, This was the first year that America became a topic of common conversation. Semmingsen, Ingrid, Norway to America, p. 8.

1817, May 26, Tosten Østeinsen Bakuus is born to Østein Nielsen Bakhuss and Aase Tostensdatter Vemork. Gene Estensen Family.

1818, Astrid's brother Ole Kjitilsen was born in Vestfjorddalen. He married Turid Torgiersdatter Mogen (Såheimsmogen) born 1832. Gene Estensen Family.

1818, Illinois becomes a state. Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 152.

1819, Fort Snelling is built at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. Hansen, Carl, My Minneapolis, p. 13.

1820, Claus Lauritz Clausen is born in Denmark on November 3 on the island of Aero Fyen Stift. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration 1821-1840, p. 417.

1820, February or July 26, Aagoth Østeinsdatter Rollaug is born to Østein Nielsen Rollaug and Aase at Mæl parish. Gene Estensen Family.

1821, Cleng Peerson (Klein Pedersen Hesthammer) goes to America from farm Hesthammer, Tysver Parish, Stavanger along with Knude Olsen Eide of the small island near Stavenger called Fogn. They went from Stavenger to Goteborg, then New York. Cleng returns in 1824 and causes quite a stir. 1782, Cleng Peerson is born on May 17at farm Hesthammer in Stavanger Amt. Norwegian Immigration to the United States. Flom, George, p. 49. See also Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 114.

1821, Astrid's sister Aslaug is born. Gene Estensen Family.

1822, August or September, Birgit Østeinsdatter Rollaug is born to Østein and Aase. Gene Estensen Family.

1823, December 17, Astrid Kittlesdatter Tveden (Tveito) is born to Kittle Kittlesen Tvedten and Aagoth Gunnufsdatter. Gene Estensen Family.

1823, The first steamship ascended the Mississippi as far as Ft. Snelling, which was then just built. Nelson, O. A., History of Scandinavians in the United States, p. 298. See Gresham, Nicollet and Le Suer Counties Minnesota, p.3.

1824, Niels Østeinsdatter Berge is born to Østein and Aase. Gene Estensen Family.

1824, Cleng Peerson returns to Norway from America in 1824 and causes quite a stir. He returned immediately, the same year, and was there to great the Sloopers when they arrived in America. Andrew Stangeland returned with him.

1824, Hauge dies this year. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 48.

1825, The Erie Canal was completed for 363 miles and opened up the upper Mississippi to settlers. Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 148. This gave the pioneers access to the upper Mississippi lands. Odd Lovoll, The Promise of America, p. 44.

1825, Astrid's brother, Halver Kjitilsen, born. He married Aagot Torjiersdatter Mogen (Såheimsmogen). Gene Estensen Family.

1825, Sondre Norheim is born June 10, 1825 at Øverbø. He became the most famous of Norwegian skiers. To see the history of skiing, see Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 353.

1825, Emigration from Norway begins, but not annual emigration. On July 4 or 5, 1825 the Restauration sailed from Stavenger with 52 aboard. A child was born, Margaret Allen Larsen (9-2-1825), to Lars Larsen and his wife before they reached New York after 14 weeks on October 9. They were the Sloopers. Lars Larsen Geilane was the leader and he was a Quaker. Earlier, Cleng Peerson and Knut Olsen Eide were sent to America to check it out. Eide died and Peerson returned in the summer of 1824. He immediately returned to America to await the Sloopers the following year. Most of them were from Rogaland. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 24. Norwegian Immigration to the United States, Flom, George, p. 46. Lars Larsen's home in Rochester New York became a Mecca for immigrants. Lars died by accident in November of 1845. Also see Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 57. Also Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 120.

The first fifteen settlements in America are said to be 1. Kendall, N.Y (1825); 2. Fox River, Ill (1834); 3. Chicago, Ill (1836); 4. Beaver Creek, Ill (1837); 5. Shelby County, Mo. (1837); 6. Jefferson Prairie, Wis (1838); 7. Rock Prairie, called Luther Valley, Wis (1839); 8. Muskego, Wis (1839); 9. Koshkonong, Wis (1840); 10. Sugar Creek, Ia (1840); 11. Wiota, Wis (1841); 12. Spring Prairie and Bonnet, Wis (1845); 13. Washington Prairie, Wis (1850); 14. St. Ansgar, Ia (1853), 15. Fillmore County, MN (1853). Rønning, N. N., The Saga of Old Muskego, p. 69.

First Settlement in America, Kendall, Orleans County, NY
1825-1836, Kendall Township, on the shores of Lake Ontario, at Orleans County, New York becomes the first settlement with the arrival of the Sloopers, some 53 of them. It was actually named Murray. Cleng Peerson bought the land there on the shores of Lake Ontario. The land was sold by Joseph Fellows at $5 per acre. They had no money to pay for it but Mr. Fellows agreed to 10 annual payments. The land was heavily wooded and each male head of household purchased 40 acres. During the first two year, they suffered greatly as the land had to be cleared. They longed to be back in Norway but they had burned their bridges behind them. Twenty-four of them crammed into a newly built house that was 12 x 12. They passed the winter and soon they were earning a living helping their wealthy American neighbors by threshing out grain with a flail. They got every 11th bushel. The next year, 1826, they cleared an average of two acres per farm. Then they raised wheat, which gave them bread for the next winter. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 53. Also see Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 77. For a list of the 53 passengers and a detailed history of each see Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 91.

1825-1836, No more ships arrive with Norwegian immigrants. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 57.

1826-1908, Svein Nilsson, the father of Norwegian immigrant history is born in Namdalen, Norway. By 1856 he was working in Oslo for Morgenbladet (The Morning Paper). He came to America in 1867. Clausen, C. A. A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, Introduction.

1827, January 28, Ole Østensen Berge is born to Østein Nielsen Berge and Aase Tostensdatter Vemork. They are tenant farmers at Berge and Ole is baptised at home on April 22. That same year John Torsteinsen Rue was born. Both came to America as pioneers, early. John Torsteinsen Rue eventually went west to seek gold. About the time he was ready to call it quits in California, he came across a job that the U. S. Government was having problems keeping filled. It involved carrying the mail across the High Sierras. To make a long story short, John Torsteinsen Rue carried the mail on skis for 26 winters and became the legend of the old west Snowshoe Thompson. Each trip was two days down the mountains, and three days back. A statue to him stands at Donner Pass with a dedication by some of the worlds best skiers, the Olympic Ski Team of Telemark, Norway. Gene Estensen Family. "SnowshoeThompson "towered above most of his contemporaries in physical perfection and courage." Lovoll, Odd, The Promise of America, p. 295.

1827, Jon Torsteinsen Rui, later Snowshoe Thompson, is born in Tinn, Telemark.

1828, Kjitil Kjitilsen Gjøstdal had to move off farm Tveito (to Såheim). As they left the farm, my g-g-grandmother Astrid led one child by the hand, carried another, and wept. Gene Estensen Family.

1828, Ole Johnson Eie and another slooper return to Norway. Ole married, then returned to America.

1828, Torgier Torgiersen (Thompson) was born in Tinn. Norwegian Immigration to the United States, Flom, George, p. 199.

1830, Gunnuf Østeinsdatter Berge is born to Østein and Aase. Gene Estensen Family.

1830, May 29. The Preemption Act allows pioneers first shot at the land they are living on as the government opens up that land. The price is $1.25 per acre. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 67.

1830, Ole Rynning graduates from the University of Christiania. Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 139.

1831, Astrid Johnsdatter Bøen is born on 11 April. In 19 years she will leave for America with baby in arms. Gene Estensen Family.

1831, Gjert G. Hovland went to Kendall this year, then on to Fox River in 1835. His "America Letters" would have a big impact in Norway. The letters were given wide newspaper publication from 1835 to 1843. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 65. See also, Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 83. Also Semmingsen, Norway to America, p. 17. These letters were widely read in Tinn, and early (1837). Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 52. Also Lovell, Odd, The Promise of America, p. 13.

1832, Chicago consists of five log cabins. Odd Lovoll, The Promise of America, p. 47.

1833, November Tosten Østeinsen Berge is confirmed. Gene Estensen Family.

1833, Kari Østeinsdatter Bøen is confirmed. She will marry Tosten Østeinsen Bøen. Gene Estensen Family.

1833, Aagoth Østeinsdatter Bøen is confirmed, belongs to Østein Nielsen Bøen and Aase. Gene Estensen Family.

1833, Cleng Peerson, with two companions, sets out on foot to explore the great west and started a second colony, the Fox River Colony in La Salle County, Illinois in 1834 (below). Peerson is said to have walked 2,000 miles in this adventure. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 61. Peerson left from the 1st settlement at Kendall, New York. Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 53. Chicago was then a village of about 20 huts. Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 117.

1834, The Kendall colony reaches 400 families, then it begins to break up.

1834, Second settlement in America is formed at Fox River, Mission, La Salle County, Illinois, not far from Ottawa.

1834-1835, Cleng Peerson led the Kendall people to the second settlement at Fox River, Mission township, La Salle County, Illinois. Six families moved in 1834 to found the second colony in America. Land was $1.25 per acre. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 61. See also, Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 55.

1835, The number of tax-listed farms grew by nearly 50% from 1835 to 1865. Semmingsen, Norway to America, p. 102. A large portion of the small landowners, the cotters, and the craftsmen, lived in constant struggle to gain enough from the soil and their craft to secure not only survival but a small degree of security.

1835, There are 157 cotters in Tinn. In 1855 there were 140 and 134 in 1865. This compares to only 25 in 1900. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 78.

1835, One of the sloop passengers, Knud Anderson Slogvig, returned to Norway after 10 years in America. The people of his home district, Skjold, traveled for hundreds of miles to hear him speak. This led to the exodus of 1836. He married a sister of Ole Olsen Hetletvedt, father of Porter C. Olson of the Civil War. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 70. See also, Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 62 and 84. Also see Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration 1821-1840, p. 147. Also, Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 132 and 137.

1836, The Norwegian government begins to collect statistics on emigration. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 38.

1836, Wisconsin becomes a territory. Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 158.

Third settlement in America, Chicago, Ill.
Founded in 1836 by Halstein Torrison and Johan Larson. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 38.

1836-45, Emigration totaled 6,200 with 2,800 (45.1 per cent) coming from Bratsberg, Amt, now called Telemark. See the chart in Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 359.

1836-1845, Lars Larson receives thousands of visits from new immigrants from Norway at his home in Rochester, New York. His house is the oldest in America, built by an immigrant from Norway. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 60.

1836, The territory of Wisconsin was organized and in 1848 it became a state. Ole Nattestad (see below) became the first Norwegian settler in Wisconsin. He founded a settlement that became known as Jefferson Prairie, Rock County, Wisconsin Territory. It grew rapidly when his brother Anstein brought a party in 1839 aboard the Emilie, mostly from upper Telemark. This colony was also called the Luther Valley settlement. Many of these farmers owned gaards but were burdened with interest and other payments. Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 50.

1836, Annual emigration begins. Knud Andersen Slogvig leads the first group on the Norden. Lovell, Odd, The Promise of America, p. 13. Mass emigration did not occur until the mid 1860's. Two brigs, Den Norske Klippe (June 8) and Norden (May 25) sailed from Stavenger to New York with 167 people. Most went to the Fox River settlement. Some went to Kendall but moved on to Fox River within a few years. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 72. See also Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 91. There are a lot of names here. Also, Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 43. Also Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 136.

1836, Conditions in Telemark are described, interesting. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 83. Also, Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 23. During the age of Absolutism, the Dano-Norwegian kings, in accordance with the ideas of mercantilism, frequently granted monopolies to owners of foundries and sawmills to purchase timber from the Norwegian bonder in the surrounding areas. The Blairs, Cappelens, and the Løvenskiolds became wealthy merchants as well as owners of land. Certain aspects of this system lasted until 1860.

1836, Ole and Anstein Nattestad, brothers, and peasants, from Veggli, Numedal, returned from a business venture to Rogaland Semmingsen, Norway to America, p. 26 and passed through Tinn on skis and stayed at the Lurås-Rue farm in the fall. In Tysvær, they had hear about America. The early settler Knud Slogvig had visited that community the previous year. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 51. Some months later, on April 8, 1837, the Nattestad brothers visited the Lurås-Rue farm again on their way to America, heading westward toward Stavanger. Rønning, N. N. The Saga of old Muskego, p. 7. Thus, the locals heard about emigration to America and spoke enthusiastically about it to the people of Tinn. As a result, the so-called Rue party of 1837 left Skien on May 22 for Goteborg, then America with 59 people, mostly from Tinn. This was the first emigration from Eastern Norway. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 87. Also, see the original Norwegian account of the Nattestad's visit to Tinn in Tinn Soga, by Einung, p. 483. For a complete history of the Nattestad's learning of America, see Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 102 or Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 50. On page 110 Flom speaks of Erick Gauteson MidBöen, Thore Kittilson Svimbil, and John Nelson Rue who had large families, and two single men Gunder Gauteson Midböen and Torsten Ingebrigtson Gulliksrud. These form the advance troupe of emigrants from the Parish of Tinn. John Nelson Rue became one of the founders of the earliest Norwegian settlement in Winneshiek County, Iowa. Clausen, C. A. A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 12. Gunder Gauteson was a school teacher in Tinn and came over in 1837. He went to Fox River and worked as a day laborer before moving to Muskego. Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 22. Ole and Ansten Nattestad started their journey on April 8. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 51.

Serious crop failures struck Tinn in the years 1837-39. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 76.

1837-1843, Four-fifths of the emigration from Tinn in Telemark from 1837 to 1843 was family emigration. Semmingsen, Norway to America, p. 37. These people were not really poor. "It was the boldest that set off first", from Vilhelm Moberg. Semmingsen, Norway to America, p. 38.

1837, First to leave for America from Tinn, the Rue party. At Sandven at the shores of Lake Tinnsjø a crowd gathered on May 17. Fifty-nine from Tinn and Hovin were leaving. The minister and sheriff (lensmann H. A. Bernaas) made speeches. The emigrants wore old costumes, had trunks and supplies with them, and rowed down the river as family, left behind, waved. In the south end of Tinnsjø the emigrants had to walk through Gransherad and Heddal down to Lake Heddalsvatn. They by boats along Lake Heddalsvatn and thereafter Lake Norsjø they almost reached Skien. The last distance was made by foot. Five days after departure from Tinn the group embarked, went onboard the sailing vessel "Paketten" in Skien (May 22) with Ole Halvorsen as Captain. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 53. The ship arrived at Gøteborg/Gothenburg, Sweden a few days later. The emigrants changed ships and left for New York with "Niord" about May 31. The ship arrived August 15 in New York after 10 weeks. From New York it was to Chicago(in early September) and the Fox River Settlement south-west of the City in Illinois. Most of them settled there, including Snowshoe Thompson. What happened on the shore of Sandven really was the beginning of a wave. The event was a sensation. Newspapers and magazines made articles. The authorities didn't say much, but they did not discourage emigration. From a letter by Anfinn Bernass.

1837, John Nielsen Rue of Tinn leads the "Rue party" to America from Skien on May 22, Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 52. then Goteborg on May 31 to August 15, almost 11 weeks. Three ships sailed this year, the Enigheden, the Ægir captained by Behrens with eighty four passengers including Ole Rynning, and separately the Noord. Three families from Tinn and a couple of single men were on the Noord. Those from Tinn went directly to the Fox River settlement. Those on the Enigheden (Harmony, or Unity), captained by Jensen, started from Egesund, south of Stavanger, then to Stavagner, then to America with 93 passenger who join the Sloopers at the Fox River settlement, then two years later move to Muskego. Many of those on the Ægir (god of the sea) reached Chicago where they were warned by Bjørn Anderson from the Fox River Settlement that they would be ravaged by malaria if they went to Fox River. Their leader, Ole Rynning, was on the latter ship, arriving in June, and he took the bulk of the passengers to the ill-fated Beaver Creek settlement in Iroquois County, Illinois on the advice of some Americans. Ole died there a year later, apparently of dysentery, along with many others. Unmindful of his own suffering, he continued bravely to aid and comfort the settlers. On his sickbed in the winter of 37-38 he wrote a truthful and optimistic account of America. This account of 39 pages did more than anything else to stimulate the early immigration movement. The rest of the settlers fled to the Fox River settlement, arriving in the summer of 1838. The Beaver Creek settlement was abandoned by 1840. Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 85. Also see Semmingsen, Norway to America, p. 27.

1837, Three families from Tinn were on the Noord. One was Erik Gauteson Midboen and settled at La Salle. A second was Thor Kittelson Svimbil who died at Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. The third was John Nielsen Rue who in 1869 was living on a farm at Winneshiek county, Iowa. Torstein Ingebrigtson Gulliksrud died in Illinois, was single. Also single, but an educated teacher, and probably a leader of the group was Gunder Gaueteson Midboen. He lived at Fox River from 1837 until 1842, and moved to Muskego where he prospered and has 200 acres of land in 1869. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 232. See page 233 for the reasons for leaving Telemark. Also see the names of the two wealthy landowners, Brevig and Cappelen of Skien. They owned vasts tracts in upper Telemarken. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 233. Ole Hier Omdal of Tinn also came over in 1837 and located at Fox River but moved to Iowa in 1868. Clausen, C. A. A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 12.

Two children of the Rue party died at sea. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 54.

Ole Rynning and his life story appear in Norway. Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 202. Ole was born at Ringsaker but moved to Tronhjem in 1825. He wrote a poem on the AEgir regarding his love of Norway. Page 206.

1837, in the local newspaper "Ugeblad for Skien og Omegn" dated May 23, 1837 was written the following: "Yesterday 56 people from Tinn departed for North-America in order to find a better destiny. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 53. Some of them is said to be supplied with more than 800 Specie daler, and they have agreed among themselves that they will support each other with money and labour. They had also seen to that in the party there were carpenters, blacksmiths, etc. Two of these people intended to go back then next year together with 2 men from Numedal in order to tell their neighbors and family back home of their destiny and prospects for the future. If the prospects were favorable, one third of the people of Tinn and Numedal wished to emigrate the next year".

1837, The Aegir sailed from Bergen under Captain Behrens on July 4. Each adult paid 60 specie dollars. Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 100 and 224.

1837, Snowshoe Thompson comes to America with his mother, Widow Rue. They made their home at La Salle County, Illinois, then move to Shelby County, Mo. In 1838. In 1840 the departed for Lee County, Iowa, and in 1846 the became part of the Blue Mounds Settlement in Dane County, Wisconsin. Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 141. Snowshoe carried the mail from 1856-1876. See Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 54 for material on the name issue (Torstein instead of John), plus the fact that Torstein left later (1839) with his sister Kari.

1837, Ellen Sanders, daughter of Østen Sondrason and Aasta, came to America this year from Tinn. Her parents and a sister named Margaret perished at Beaver Creek. Ellen became a Mormon. See story in Lovoll, Odd, The Promise of America, p. 92.

1837, The local administrative unit of Kommune is now formed from the previous "herred" or herad (plural herader). The living conditions at Fox River had been unattractive and out of this disappointment grew an attempt to establish a settlement in Missouri. Cleng Peerson set out and instead of going north, he went southwest to Shelby County, Missouri. In 1837 he led a party of 12-15 to the settlement. It was short-lived, as their was distaste with a slave state, and the Wisconsin land was opening up.

1837, Cleng Peerson founds a third settlement, in Shelby County, Missouri. It did not thrive and the settlers moved to Sugar Creek in Lee County, Iowa. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 112.

1837, there were some 200 public schools in Norway with an enrollment of 15,500 students. Some 160,000 students received instruction in country homes too. Schooling started at eight and often ended at age 12. Blegen, The American Transition, p. 278.

1837, Bishop Neumann called upon people to stay in Norway. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 154. , Bishop Jacob Neumann pictured the desire to emigrate as a contagious disease.

1838, Upper Telemark suffers from hungersnød, or famine, and the people were forced to share in the food with their cattle as a result of the bad years. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 168.

1838, There are no churches or ministers in America. See Blegen, The American Transition, p. 102.

1838, Forth settlement in America is at Clinton, Rock County, WI and is called the Jefferson Prairie settlement.

1838, Norwegians became to establish themselves in Wisconsin. Ole Knutson Nattestad from the ill-fated Beaver Creek Colony came to Rock County, Wisconsin and settled at Clinton on July 1, 1838 where a few American families had built homes. While Ole was exploring, Ansten went back to Norway and brought a group of settlers back to join Ole (see below). This became the important Jefferson Prairie Settlement. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 114. Also see Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 237. See page 238 for an interesting testimony of why they left Norway and how they heard about America and how he later became the first Norwegian to settle in Wisconsin.

1838, Ansten Knutson Nattestad returns to Norway, from the Rue party, causing a great sensation. He was like a second Slogvig. He brought back the manuscript of Ole Rynning, of Tinn, that when it was published became the first of what became known as the "America Books". It was titled "Sandfædig beretning om Amerika til oplysning og nytte for bonde og menigmand", ie, True Account of America for the Enlightenment and Benefit of the Peasant and the Common Man. Ansten would bring a load of immigrants to America the following year. Twenty two years before the Civil War, speaking about slavery, Ole Rynning wrote "there will probably soon come either a separation between the northern and southern states or bloody civil conflicts". Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 100-102 for a list of suggested items required on the passage to America. Ansten also brought back his brother Ole's journal of 39 pages and published that. The two books were complimentary. See also Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 85 and 116. Also see Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 215.

1838, Ole K. Nattestad bought land and settled at Clinton, Rock County, Wisconsin. This settlement would be called Jefferson Prairie. He was the first Norwegian settler in Wisconsin. His brother Ansten would join him the next year. Nelson, O. A., History of Scandinavians in the United States, p. 109 of History of Wisconsin. Also Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 141.

1838, Ole Rynning wrote that the Fox River Settlement is up to 16-20 families. He wrote that the "infamous slave traffic" would inevitably lead to a Civil War. Blegen, The American Transition, p. 418.

1838, Birgit Østeinsdatter Bøen is confirmed. She belongs to Østein Neilsen and Aase. Gene Estensen Family.

1838, As late as 1838 there was only one Norwegian ship arriving in New York. Skard, Sigmund, The United States in Norwegian History, p.35.

1839, "Most of the first Norwegian settlers at Muskego came from Tinn, Telemark, in 1839. Tinn is one of the most secluded and mountainous districts in Norway, famed in song and saga for wild beauty and a sturdy people. There the majestic mountain Gausta towers in lonely grandeur above all the other mountains; there the river Rjukan plunges with deafening roar into a yawning abyss and rushes madly through a narrow gorge. During the short winter days, the sun cannot be seen at all by the people in the deep valleys, but during the long sunny summer days, flowers bloom in meadows and woodland, grain grows I the miniature fields, and birds pour out a flood of melody." Rønning, N. N. The Saga of old Muskego, p. 7.

1839, Wergeland wrote his poem "Famine", a lament to the cold-hearted stars, which look down so smilingly on the bitter famine and suffering in Norway. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 169 for the wage rates of various professions during this time, and to 1860.

1839, Niels Østeinssen Berge is confirmed. He belongs to Østein Neilsen and Aase. Gene Estensen Family.

1839, Ansten Nattestad, in June, assembles a group in Drammen from Rollaug and Veggli in northern Numendal. They were about 140 people and set sail on June 12 on the Emilie and arrived in New York on August 26. The "Emilie" carried its passengers to New York for 33 ½ specie dollars per person. Some took the brig "Bunian" for Boston. They took the usual route to the west, up the Hudson River, then by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo, then through the Great Lakes to Chicago. Although Americans and Norwegians alike tried to get Ansten to lead the people to Muskego, most of these people followed Ansten to the area selected by his brother Ole at Rock County, Wisconsin, the Jefferson Prairie settlement. Two, however, Gullik Gravdal and Gisle S. Halland went on and founded the Rock Prairie (or Luther Valley) settlement at Rock Prairie. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 119. Also see, Nelson, O. A., History of Scandinavians in the United States, p110 in History of Wisconsin. Also see much detail in Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 127 and Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 56.

1839, June 28, Johannes Johansen and Soren Tollefsen Bache left Store Walle in Lier and came to America. Johannes would go on to write the Muskego Manifesto. Soren would write a book about Muskego. They went to Muskego in the summer of 1840 from Fox River. The Muskego site seemed to Bache to be unfavorably located so he selected lands on the shores of Wind Lake in Norway Township. This led to most of the Muskego folks to move here. Soren returned to Norway in 1842, left again in 1843, returned once more in 1847 and settled in Lier parish where he died in 1890. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 118.

1839, the "America Letters, begin to flow with accounts of freedom and equality. There was no need to bow to officials and "betters" in this land. The letters became an indictment of Norwegian class distinctions but also told of toil and hardship. The letters were copied and sent from farm to farm and community to community. Many were reprinted in newspapers.

1839, For a discussion of horrible things that could happen to the immigrants, like being eaten alive by Indians, see Clausen, C. A. A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 11.

1839, The "Americas Books" begin to appear. Peter Testman's "Brief Account of the Most Important Experiences during a Sojourn in North America" appeared. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 240. Other such books are described here.

1839, The Gullik O. Gravdal letter attests to the strength of the Rynning book. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 103.

Fifth settlement in America was at Muskego, Wisconsin.
1839, John Nielsen Luraas, the eldest son on the Luraas farm led a party from Tinn. The Rynning book and letter from earlier emigrants motivated him. Also, Ansten Nattestad was leading a group to America this season. John married Anna Olsen Berge on April 8, 1839. By September 8 they were in America. Of the 40, half were from the Luraas families. These 40 left from Drammen with the sloop "Enighteten" on May 5, 1839, then from Goteborg aboard the "Clarissa Andrews" to Boston , sailing from June 1 to July 20. The immigrants went west by way of New York and Buffalo, and after a perilous voyage on the Great Lakes (a miserable journey, see Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 160) arrived in Milwaukee seventeen weeks after they left their native land. Their original plan was to go to the Fox River Settlement in Illinois. They were talked out of it by a couple of Americans and they went to Muskego instead. John Evenson Molee was one of seven children and he left Norway because of the Law of Primogeniture (odelsretten). Later in life John wrote that in 1835 the trades were overstocked. A laborer was not allowed to eat at the same table as the landowner. Labor commenced before sunrise and lasted until after dark. Most of these folks went to Muskego in Waukesha County and founded this settlement, the second settlement in Wisconsin. John Molee there married Anne Jacobsen Einong, sister of Gunhild. At the same time, Gunhild's sister Aslaug married Hans Tveito. These were the first Norwegians at Muskego. See Luraas reasons for leaving on page 115 of Blegen. John Evensen Molee reasons are on page 116. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America. Also, see Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 66 and 119. Also see Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration, p. 268. See the story of John Nielsen Luraas on page 269, and also Norlie, The History of the Norwegian People in America, p. 161. Also Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 13.

See the John Eivindsen Møli (John Evenson Molee) story. Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29, p. 83. John Nielsen Luraas on the next page.

For detail on the Luraas party see Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 120.

1839, For the detail on why John Nielsen Luraas left for America, see Rønning, N. N. The Saga of old Muskego, p. 8. and Clausen, C. A. A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 11.

John Evanson Molee of Tinn was with the Luraas party. See his story beginning Anderson, Rasmus, Norwegian Immigration 1821-1840, p. 300. There is detail here as to the route taken to Muskego. On Lake Michigan the wife of Halvor Lonflok Vinlette was drowned (page 313). Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 14.

1839-41, The reports of the death of Ole Rynning effectively stop all emigration during this time.

1839, Swamp fever, ague, and malaria plague the early settlers at Muskego. They moved out of the low lands, on to Norway Township and adjoining lands in Racine County. They retained the name Muskego however. Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 118.

The name Muskego was Muskeego, which is derived from the Indian word Muskeeguiac which means cranberry. These berries are abundant in the low regions of the area. Clausen, C. A., A Chronicler of Immigrant Life, p. 17.

1839, Elling Eielsen emigrated to the Fox River settlement Lovoll, Odd, The Promise of America, p. 78 and carried the word of Hans Nielsen Hauge (Haugean gospel or Haugeanism) throughout the western settlements. Haugeanism was a movement directed against officialdom and the clergy of the Norwegian national church. Elling Eielsen was a Lutheran lay minister that towered above all others in force and ability. Other reasons for emigrating to America can be found listed by Blegen, Norwegian Migration to America, p. 167. Also, see Flom, Norwegian Immigration to the United States, p. 75.

1839, Halvor Johansen Nymoen crossed the ocean on an American ship and told of passengers who were kicked and struck while the crew called them "devils" and laughed at their agonies. Blegen, the American Transition, p. 22.