Winter 2020 Volume 178

2 3 4 5 11 A Season Gifts for News from Genealogy New Filled with History the Biennial and Women's to the Gratitude Lovers Meeting Names Archives THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION | WINTER 2020 VOLUME 178 NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN CHURCHES Folk Art in Communities of Faith GIFT IDEAS: SEASON OF HISTORY FOR THE HOLIDAYS SAVE GRATITUDE NAHA Gift Membership 10% Share a gift that will be enjoyed all year long, while supporting our Use code association. Along with notification GIFT2020 hat a year! Who could have guessed what 2020 and this pandemic would bring? of your gift, recipients receive your With people around the world experiencing illness, loss, and disruption, this has choice of a NAHA tote bag or mug. been a year that I think few would care to repeat. And yet our association has Throughout the year, members Wmuch to be grateful for. In spite of temporarily shutting the door to the archives, we are fielding enjoy four issues of Currents and ONLINE reference questions, making accommodations for researchers online, and adding major collections an online and print subscription to the archives. We are digitizing materials, and we recently learned that we received a Minnesota to Norwegian-American Studies. ACCESS TO on the Historical and Cultural Heritage grant to digitize the O. E. Rølvaag Collection in 2021. The journal is published OUR JOURNAL cover We are transferring legacy data to a new content management system and supervising the annually each fall and is work of student interns. We are publishing the next volume of Norwegian-American Studies available digitally on JSTOR. Norwegian-American Studies, Bertrand E. as scheduled. We are holding events online, allowing us to better Regularly $55 ($40 for the scholarly journal of the Old's watercolor association, is now published in of the Old connect with members across the nation, in Canada, and overseas. In students). Save 10 percent Muskego Church, so many ways, we are moving forward. with the code cooperation with the University circa 1936. The In my biennial meeting report, I shared my gratitude for our GIFT2020. Order of Minnesota Press. In addition church was the Lifetime members. The contributions of these members created by December 18 to print copies, members of first one built the O. E. Rølvaag Memorial Fund, which fuels our operations and Ole Hendricks & to ensure delivery NAHA have access to the by Norwegian makes carrying out our mission possible, even in difficult times. In His Tunebook, by December 24, journal online, including all Lutherans in the addition to the generous housing of our collection provided by St. Book and CD naha.stolaf.edu. digitized back issues, as a United States, Olaf College, the Rølvaag Fund allows us to move forward despite Archivist and musician Amy benefit of membership. Watch in 1843–44. Its the challenges this year has brought. To those Lifetime members Shaw has preserved the works of Photo Preservation for an email from JSTOR with architecture who may have missed my comments during our biennial meeting, a Norwegian-born farmer, fiddler, Box Album Kit instructions for creating a and building heartfelt thank-you for what your past support has made possible— and band leader Ole Hendricks with Home archivists can enjoy the JSTOR account and accessing techniques are and a special thank-you to those who still actively support us today. a project about his life and music. same supplies professional the journal. If you don’t receive an expression of the instructions, send an email Norwegian folk I am also grateful for the leadership of the association. The Hendricks settled in Minnesota’s archivists use, such as this one- art and craft. dedication and skill of outgoing president Dennis Gimmestad has helped us through a period Red River Valley. Shaw’s book piece, hinged clamshell album. It requesting help to service@ of major transition and into a new era. And with the departure of our term-limited board paints a picture of rural immigrant comes with interior plated O-rings jstor.org with "Attn: Hanaa" in members, new leaders will take the wheel. I want to congratulate our new president, Scott life there and the role of music in to hold polypropylene album the subject line. Mention in your Knudson, and the six new board members who were elected at our biennial meeting. I look the community. More than 100 pages. The pages and a pencil note that you are a member forward to the new perspectives and ideas they will bring to our work. transcribed dance tunes from for safely marking photos are of the Norwegian-American Finally, I am grateful to the entire staff, board, and membership of NAHA. Your interest, Hendricks’ rare 1890s tunebook are included. $60.50. For a full range Historical Association. support, and engagement are the heartbeat of our association. You make our mission possible: included. University of Wisconsin of supplies and tools available to locate, collect, and interpret the Norwegian-American experience, and to preserve these Press (2020), 264 pages, $28.95, for the home archivist, visit priceless materials for generations to come. uwpress.wisc.edu. The companion gaylord.com. CD includes 20 lively dance tunes Be well, from Ole Hendricks’ tunebook, revived and reimagined by Nordic dance musicians. Available at store. Amy Boxrud, Executive Director INDEX OF AMERICAN DESIGN E. OLD, BERTRAND IMAGE: COVER vesterheim.org, $15. 2 Currents, Winter 2020 naha.stolaf.edu 3 relations for Northfield Hospital and Clinics. FINDING WOMEN IN GENEALOGY He has been active in the community, serving in leadership positions for the Northfield Area RECORDS BY DALE HOVLAND Chamber of Commerce, the City of Northfield’s Economic Development Corporation, Northfield ame variations Historical Society, Northfield Healthy Community are common in NEWS FROM THE BIENNIAL MEMBER MEETING Initiative, and Northfield Rotary Club. church books Nand other records used for embers across the United States, Canada, and Norway of Oslo. He has appeared in several KRISTEN WALSETH, Bloomington, Norwegian genealogy, and came together for the 2020 biennial member meeting. nationally televised documentaries Minnesota, is a retired teacher and there’s an added wrinkle Held online on October 24, the event included a on Scandinavia and its history, and reading specialist for at-risk high when searching for women Mkeynote presentation from Erika Jackson, professor of history at is a knight in the Royal Norwegian school students at Jefferson High who married. Traditionally, Colorado Mesa University, titled “Becoming White: The Case of Order of Merit. He regularly School in Bloomington. A graduate a woman has taken the Scandinavians in Chicago.” A discussion followed, moderated leads tours of Scandinavia for the of St. Olaf College, she co-chairs her surname of her spouse. Not by NAHA Editor Anna M. Peterson. Smithsonian Institution and the class’s 50th reunion gift committee. She is a former knowing her maiden name can make tracing her lineage difficult, but Following the presentation, the association held its biennial University of Washington Alumni board member of Norway House in Minneapolis there are sources that can help: business meeting, including updates from the staff and board, Association. and chaired its Midtsommer Gala Committee for recognition of the association’s Lifetime members, and election of Erika Jackson several years. For the past year, she has served on • A marriage record, particularly a church record, might include the new board members. The association also thanked board members KAREN LILLEHAUGEN the NAHA Development Committee. names of the fathers of both the bride and the groom Dennis Gimmestad, Dave Holt, and Bruce Willis for their service. NASBY, • A Norwegian census record might show a woman’s maiden name; Minneapolis, if that name includes a patronymic—Thorsdatter, for example, signifying attended St. Olaf Executive Committee, 2020–22 that she is the daughter of Thor—then her father’s first name is known In a session held immediately after the WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS Each of these new directors College and later • An obituary will sometimes include the names of a woman’s parents biennial meeting, the NAHA board of was elected to a four-year term at the biennial meeting. earned her J.D. from and when or where she was born directors elected the following officers the William Mitchell College of Law for the 2020–22 biennium. ANNETTE ATKINS, Olaf College and taught Norwegian in St. Paul. After working in parish Spelling variations also must be considered in searches for anyone, female Minneapolis, is language at the University of education and serving two years in President: Scott Knudson or male. A search for Tarand on genealogy sites returned records with all professor emerita Washington while pursuing his the Peace Corps in the Philippines, St. Paul, Minnesota of these valid spellings: Taran, Tarand, Tarran, Tarrand, Tharan, Tharand, of history at Saint master's degree in Scandinavian she served for 27 years as a public Vice President: Kim Kittilsby Tharran, Tharrand. And in America, Tarand was known as Trina. John’s University studies. A doctoral student at the NAHA defender for Hennepin County. Seattle, Washington FamilySearch.org automatically includes spelling variants in search and the College University of Illinois at Urbana- directors She is an active member of Trinity Secretary: Ronald Johnson results unless you specifically narrow your search to one spelling. of Saint Benedict. A teacher and Champaign, his research centers re-elected to Lutheran Church in Hovland, Madison, Wisconsin FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, and the digital archives of Norway at scholar of Minnesota history, on neoliberal globalization, a second term Minnesota. She is also a member of Treasurer: Kyle Jansson Digitalarkivet.no/en, also allow the use of “wildcards” in searches, she is the author of Creating Norwegian teacher education, and at the biennial the Friends of the Hong Kierkegaard Monmouth, Oregon Scott Knudson represented by an asterisk.

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