VOLUME 41 | NUMBER 1 | FALL 2017

In this issue:• The Remarkable Story ofDiderikke Brandt's Sewing Kit

• Notes from the Naeseth Library

• New Board Member for NAGC & NL

• Chronicle and Coincidence: Fjell

• Connecting Cousins

• Celebrating Centenarians

Exciting nEws from thE norwEgian amErican gEnEalogical cEntEr & naEsEth library

Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, A Biographical Directory, 1825-1850 volumes one through five – now available online via www.nagcnl.org

Including corrections and new entries added to the five volumes since publication and a new database,

Norwegian Immigrants to the U.S., 1850 and Later

The Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library, Madison, Wisconsin, is pleased to announce newly-accessible online databases of great interest to those researching their Norwegian roots.

One of NAGC & NL’s most important publications is the five-volume work entitled “Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, A Biographical Directory, 1825-1850.” Beginning as the dream of our founder, Gerhard Naeseth, the five volumes were published between 1993 and 2009. This massive project is now recognized as an important scholarly contribution to the field of immigration history.

When the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, scanned the volumes as pdf files, an NAGC & NL committee of board, staff, and volunteers then arranged the online availability contained in these volumes, along with new, searchable indexes, as well as new databases for the many additions and corrections that have been gathered in the years since the volumes were published. The volumes are now available on our website via www.nagcnl.org.

With this information now available online, we will pursue a wiki-like future for these databases, inviting and processing information contributed by researchers worldwide. This online database will be one of the most useful records for all those who are seeking information about Norwegian ancestors who came to the U.S. between 1825 and 1850.

New Database Online

The NAGC & NL committee has also placed online a new database containing records for Norwegians arriving in 1850 and later. These records already contain over 25,000 entries on 1,258 pages. Ongoing research additions, as well as wiki contributions, will also make this database extremely helpful to researchers.

New Webinar Will Guide Users

To accompany these new records, we have added a new webinar to our website, researched and narrated by NAGC staff member Jenna Schultz. This instructive and user-friendly guide to the new five-volumes database (as well as to the new 1850 and later database) also contains tips on how to access the additions and corrections databases.

Save The Date!Plans are underway for our

annual benefit dinner, organized by the Madison-area Friends of NAGC & NL, to be held at the

Blackhawk Country Club

In Madison on Sunday, 22 April 2018

Continued on page 3

Norwegian Immigrants to the U.S., as published in five volumes

2 NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

When the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library became independent ten years ago, the by-laws of the new organization required that no board member could serve more than three, three-year terms -- without having at least one year off before being elected to the board again. This clause was written into the by-laws so that new people and new ideas would keep NAGC current and vibrant. At the end of this calendar year, my nine years of service will come to an end. After serving as a board member, secretary, vice-chair, and board chair for the last six years, it is time for me to take a break.

Serving on the board has been an enjoyable experience and has given me the opportunity to meet and work with many interesting and talented people. These, of course, include my colleagues on the board, the volunteers and staff, and also many supporters of NAGC. I have met members and advocates of NAGC not only from Wisconsin, but also from across the country, and even many from Norway.

The staff at NAGC has always been very enthusiastic and willing to help; the current staff and volunteers work well together. For the future, I am certain the board and staff will continue to evolve, with new members added to keep our organization on track to support all facets of research involving Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy and family history.

There have been many changes and improvements at NAGC since I first joined its board in 2008. There have been important additions and changes to both the staff and the board. Our endowment has more than doubled, and important repairs to the Naeseth Library building have been completed. Our website has been completely reworked and modernized, making it more informative, up-to-date, interesting, and useful. With its recently augmented database, webinar, and video content, the NAGC website is now one we can all be proud of. Based on usage statistics, we know that the site is widely consulted, not only from researchers in the U.S., but also by many in Canada, the U.K., and Europe. The updating of the website by a joint committee of board, staff, and volunteer members, under the guidance of board vice chair Paul Larson, was a most successful model of creative and cooperative work . This group was able to make exciting changes and improvements while maintaining critical expense control and audit requirements.

NAGC & NL serves an important role in the Norwegian-American community nationwide as the premier genealogy research center for Norwegian heritage and family history, assisting all those of Norwegian ancestry who are searching for their roots.With the continuing contributions of staff, volunteers, and board members, as well as the generous support from members and patrons across the country, our treasured organization will continue to be one of the leading genealogical research centers, serving new generations of Norwegian Americans for many years into the future.

Although I will rotate off the board, Helen and I will continue to be involved with NAGC as supporters and as attendees at the annual Madison-area Friends’ dinners. It has been a pleasure to serve and I wish NAGC’s new board chair, who will be elected later this year, all the best for the continued success of this vital resource.

This issue of Norwegian Tracks is made possible by generous support from

The Edwin E. and Janet L. Bryant Foundation

grEEting from thE board of dirEctors

Published two times a year byNorwegian American Genealogical Center

& Naeseth Library (NAGC & NL)415 W. Main Street

Madison, WI 53703-3116608-255-2224 www.nagcnl.org

Sent to members of NAGC & NLFor membership, contact:

Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library (NAGC & NL)

415 W. Main StreetMadison, WI 53703-3116

608-255-2224 www.nagcnl.orggenealogy@nagcnl.org

_________________________

The purpose of this publication is to assist and encourage genealogists with Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogical questions.

Norwegian Tracks is the sole possession of NAGC & NL. All rights are reserved. No reproduction by mechanical or other means without written permission from the editor. We endeavor to respect copyright in a manner consistent with our nonprofit educational mission.

Letters concerning genealogical inquiries forNorwegian Tracks should be sent to Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library (NAGC & NL) 415 W. Main Street, Madison, WI 53703-3116

Norwegian Tracks occasionally solicits or accepts unsolicited copy and artwork for publication.Written material is subject to editing for length, grammar, and accuracy of content. As a rule, no compensation will be given for any accepted material. NAGC & NL reserves first serial publication and reprint rights, but releases all other rights for subsequent publication back to the author or artists.

The Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library is an educational non-profit research center with national and international scope. The Center collects, preserves, shares, and interprets resources for the study of Norwegian heritage.

To carry out this mission, the Center provides:

• The Naeseth Library, located in Madison,Wisconsin, where resources devoted to Norwegian and Norwegian-American genealogy are collected, preserved, shared, and interpreted;

• Assistance, interpretation, education, and research by trained staff to members, patrons, and correspondents;

• Continuing education and outreach for genealogists and the public worldwide through cooperative information exchanges, .publications, tours, displays, seminars, and merchandise sales.

NAGC & NL is open to the public Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please telephone ahead, 608-255-2224. An appointment is needed to ensure staff availability and record accessibility.

Helen and Lowell Olberg

3NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

Continued from page 1How to Access All Databases

These NAGC & NL Proprietary Databases are accessible to Supporter and Life Members of our organization. (We no longer offer Life Memberships; annual Supporter Memberships are available via www.nagcnl.org/membership.) All NAGC & NL webinars and videos are freely available on our website to the public.

Acknowledgments

These important advances have been made possible by generous support to NAGC & NL from the Edwin E. and Janet L. Bryant Foundation, Stoughton, Wisconsin; and by the assistance of the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Additional support was provided by Dianne and Paul Larson. Many thanks are due to the NAGC website committee members who carried out the work for this online access: Paul Larson, Diane Maurer, Helen Olberg, Jerry Paulson, and Jeanne Wright

An Important Accomplishment

The research behind these impressive volumes began as the work of Gerhard B. Naeseth (1913-1994), founder of our organization, for whom our headquarters building is named. As early as the 1940’s, Naeseth began collecting primary resource information and documents relating to Norwegians in the U.S. During his lifetime, in an era before wide-spread computer use, Naeseth completed and published the first volume in the series, a directory of Norwegians who came to America between 1825 and 1843.

After Naeseth’s death in 1994, this ambitious research and publication project was carried forward by Naeseth’s protégé, Blaine Hedberg, who was associated with our organization for thirty years. (Hedberg was the first occupant of the Gerhard B. Naeseth Chair at NAGC & NL.) Inspiring a team of volunteers, Hedberg pressed on, publishing volume two (1844-1846) in 1997; volume three (1847-1848) in 2000; volume four (1849) in 2004; and volume five (1850) in 2009. The online databases of these volumes contain the prose introductory comments written by Gerhard Naeseth in 1993 and by Blaine Hedberg in 2008. An additional preface, describing Hedberg’s important contribution to this work, written by board chair Dan Huebner in 2008, is also included.

These databases are of enduring value, not only for amateur genealogists, but also for advanced researchers and scholars, as they contain the basic information concerning each emigrant from Norway and provide a grand synthesis from many sources. Arranged by order of arrival, entries include names, parents’ identities, date and place of birth, occupation, place of settlement in America, death date and burial place, and basic information on marriages and children. These databases provide a context for the arrival of each immigrant, supplying information on his or her accompanying passengers, their place of origin and settlement.

The wider circumstances of ancestral immigration are gleaned from this information and the format in which it is arranged. Settlement patterns, immigration conditions and locales, and relationships of contemporaries in Norway, in transit, and in America can all be studied in depth. Many insights can be gained from placing side by side various records for persons coming to America in the same year.

The original publication of the volumes from 1993 to 2009 was made possible by grants to NAGC & NL from Milma P. Naeseth (1914-2006), the bequest of Harriet Hustvedt (1922-2005), and the Gerhard and Milma Naeseth Charitable Trust.

NAGC invites you to share additions, corrections, and new information that you have uncovered about your Norwegian ancestors. Whether your ancestor arrived in the U.S. before or after 1850, we would like to include this information in our growing databases. When you send your family history to us via www.genealogy@nagcnl.org – we will eliminate duplicate information, confirm accuracy, and add your ancestral records to the appropriate database.…and consider volunteer work on this exciting project.

Whether working remotely from your home computer, or on site at our Naeseth Library in Madison, you can help this project along by volunteering your time in handling the information that will result from many wiki contributions. For further information, contact Jerry Paulson via www.gpaulson@nagcnl.org

Join in the wiki…

Share Your Ancestral Records and Build a Greater Resource for Norwegian American Genealogy Worldwide

(from left) Dan Huebner, Blaine Hedberg, and Erik Anundsen celebrate the publication of volume 5, Norwegian Immigrants to the U.S.," 2009.

4 NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

Solving a Genealogical Puzzle

During the summer of 2017, the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library received a most fascinating enquiry from a Massachusetts researcher in possession of a treasured heirloom, a handsome sewing box or ‘skrin’ that contained tantalizing clues about her distinguished family, going back to the 17th century in Norway. This correspondent was Beverly Brandt Bachelder, who has deep roots in the Norwegian-American community in the Upper Midwest and a family connection to our founder, Gerhard Brandt Naeseth.

Beverly wrote to Carol Culbertson, NAGC’s senior researcher:

I was thrilled to inherit this sewing kit from my father, the Rev. Olaf O. Brandt. This kit was once owned by his grandmother (my great-grandmother) Diderikke Ottesen Brandt. Her husband (my great-grandfather), the Rev. Nils O. Brandt, was one of Luther College’s founders. This was the kit used when she mended the clothes of Luther College boys. Diderikke also used this kit when leading sewing circles in town, made up of women who sewed and raised money for scholarships for the students. Diderikke served as “mother” to the many Luther boys when they were away from home,

and was much appreciated by them. She was also an early advocate for co-education for girls. When she died in 1885, students and others raised the money to erect a monument on her grave. On commencement morning that year, and for some years thereafter, the graduating seniors went to her grave and decorated it with flowers…

My father was given the kit by his cousin once removed (my second cousin) Margaret L. Reque Soreide, Nils and Diderikke’s great-granddaughter, who lived and taught elementary school in Decorah for many years…

Beverly sent additional information with photographs:

On the cover of the kit is a series of initials stitched by the various owners, down through the generations, with five legible dates: 1653, 1685, 1709, 1729, and 1768. Two other monograms unfortunately have become worn and illegible.

A typed note was written by my father, the Rev. Olaf O. Brandt, the grandson of Diderikke Ottesen Brandt. The note reads as follows:

“Mrs. Diderikke (Nils) Brandt’s sewing kit. She carried this to all sewing circle meetings where the women patchedand repaired the clothes of the Luther College Boys.”

womEn in history: "dEt grønnE skrin" Seven GenerationS Come to Life in a treaSured famiLy HeirLoom,

diderikke Brandt'S SewinG kit

Embroidered exterior of Diderikke Brandt's sewing kit, courtesy of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa

5NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

My father told me that the kit was passed down from one eldest daughter to the next in the family, and that Diderikke Ottesen Brandt inherited this kit from her mother, Edel Margrethe Aall Ottesen (1797-1861). Inside the kit, along with various sewing tools, is a note written in Norwegian…”

With all this information in hand, at Bev’s request, Carol Culbertson began to decipher the embroidered initials, researching and identifying the women to whom the sewing box had belonged. Working back through Diderikke Brandt’s maternal ancestors, Carol discovered the following information that fit with the initials on the kit:

Sewing Kit Genealogy

1653 monogram H K E E K H: The kit was first owned by Elsebet Knutsdatter Hammer, who had married Bernt Bleging, parish priest in Hof, Vestfold, Norway.* She was Diderikke Brandt’s 4th great-grandmother and passed the kit on to her first and only daughter, Maren.

1685 monogram H B M M B H: Maren Bentsdatter Bleging who died in 1763. She had married Johan Henriksen Kleen, parish priest in Hof.** She was Diderikke Brandt’s 3rd great-grandmother and passed the sewing kit on to her first daughter, Benedicta.

1709 monogram K E B B E K: Benedicta Elisabeth Johannesdatter Kleen, who was baptized 19 April 1709 in Hof, Vestfold, Norway. Benedicta married Christen Bödtker, parish priest in Hoff. *** She was Diderikke Brandt’s great, great-grandmother and passed the sewing kit on to her only child, Gjertrud.

1729 monogram B M G G M B: Gjertrud Marie Christiansdatter Bødtker, born 12 August 1729, on the Solberg farm in Hof, and died in 1803. Gjertrud was the 3rd wife of Realf Böyesen.**** She was Diderikke Brandt’s great-grandmother and passed the sewing kit on to her first daughter, Kristen.

1768 monogram B E E K: Kristen (Christiane) Elisabeth Böyesen, born 17 July 1768 in Skien, Telemark, Norway, and died in 1833. Kristen was the 2nd wife of Jacob Aall (1754-1826).***** She was Diderikke Brandt’s grandmother and passed the sewing kit on to their first daughter, Edel.

1797 monogram (partial) probably some combination of E M A: Edel Margrethe Aall, born 23 May 1797 in Gjerpen, Telemark, Norway, and died in 1861. Edel married Realf Ottesen, parish priest in Sande.****** She was Diderikke Brandt’s mother and passed the sewing kit on to her daughter, Diderikke.

1827 monogram (partial) probably some combination of D S M B O: Diderikke Sophie Mariane Benedicta Ottesen, born 9 March 1827 in Sande, Vestfold, Norway, and died

in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1885. Diderikke married Nils O. Brandt in 1856, and immigrated with him to Wisconsin later the same year.

____________________________________________

*See Lassen-Bleging, page 9; also page from Slekt og Data Norge, formerly Dis-Norge ** See Lassen-Kleen, page 8; also page from Slekt og Data Norge, formerly Dis-Norge ***See Lassen-Klein, page 7; Lassen-Böcher, page 5, also page from Dis Norge. ****See Lassen-Klein, page 7; Lassen-Aall, page 1; Lassen-Bocher, page 5; Ording family history…pages 22, 34, and 35.*****See Lassen-Aall, page 1; Ording…pages 67, 68, and 70. ******See Lassen-Aall, page 2; Ording…page 70.

A Chain of Tradition Broken by Emigration?

Since the dates associated with each of the clearly-surviving initials refers to the birth year of the associated person, Carol began to contemplate the two latest monogram embroideries, which are partially obliterated, presumably by wear-and-tear. The remnants of the embroidery and oral tradition within the family allowed Carol to detect that these initials and dates fit both Diderikke Brandt (born 1827) and her mother (born 1797).

Yet an enduring mystery persists. Since the sewing kit had been handed down from mother to eldest daughter for six generations, why was this treasure not given to one of Diderikke’s four elder sisters? Her sisters were Trine (1820-1902), Elise (1822-1898), Jacobine (1823-1840), and Didricha (1825-1825). Both sisters Trine and Elise remained in Norway and lived longer than Diderikke, who died in 1885. Why was this chain of tradition broken?

We suspect that the compelling fact of Diderikke’s departure from Norway in 1856 was the reason for breaking this honored family tradition. Diderikke’s mother (who died in 1861) and her living sisters must have entrusted this treasure to accompany Diderikke into her new life in America. As her family must have known, Diderikke put the sewing kit to very good use in her new life across the ocean, far away from her family in Vestfold.

Distinguished Families in America

With Diderikke Ottesen’s marriage to Nils Brandt, and their departure for America, this young couple began an amazing life of service at the heart of the Norwegian-American community. First in Pine Lake, not far from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and, after 1865, in Decorah, Iowa, Nils and Diderikke became teachers, mentors, and friends to generations of Norwegian Americans. Their descendants married into some of the region’s most prominent and accomplished families.

6 NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

RequeTheir eldest daughter, Edel (1857-1925), married Lars Reque (1848-1916), a Luther undergraduate and University of Iowa law graduate who was appointed U.S. Consul to Holland by President Cleveland in 1893. Lars Reque also taught Latin, English, and French at Luther College, and became an important member of its faculty and administration from 1899 until his death. BothneAnother daughter, Katherine Elise (1867-1949) married Professor Gisle Bothne (1860-1934), a Luther undergraduate and Luther faculty member who became the longtime head of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Minnesota, and president of the Norse-America centennial celebration in 1925.

Ottesen, Preus, and NaesethOne of Diderikke and Nils Brandt’s granddaughters, Emma Louise Brandt (1890-1954), married Carelius Gunnarson Naeseth (1881-1960), the father of Gerhard Brandt Naeseth (1913-1994), the founder of the Norwegian American Genealogical Center and its Naeseth Library. Diderikke was also a cousin of Jacob Aall Ottesen (1825-1904), who helped organize the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Through the Ottesen family, one of Diderikke’s relatives, Lulla Hjort (1856-1931) married C. K. Preus (1852-1921), the second president of Luther College; their son, Jakob Aall Ottesen Preus (1883-1961) became the governor of Minnesota.

The Brandt Family Connection to Gerhard B. Naeseth

Diderikke Brandt was Gerhard Brandt Naeseth’s great-grandmother. Beverly Brandt Bachelder, owner of the sewing kit, knew of her cousin’s role as one of the leading Norwegian-American genealogists in the country. She wrote to us:

I have such nice memories of Gerhard and Milma Naeseth and their children Charles and Olivia coming to visit us out at Glenwood Lutheran Parsonage near Decorah when I was a young girl. My father was pastor there from 1964 to 1977. I remember my father thought highly of Gerhard and I believe they roomed together at Luther College. My father, the Rev. Olaf O. Brandt, and Gerhard Naeseth were double cousins

once removed: two brothers (sons of Nils and Diderikke) married two sisters – Realf Brandt married Thalette Galby and Olaf Elias Brandt married Emma Galby. Olaf Elias and Emma were the parents of my father, and Realf and Thalette were the grandparents of Gerhard. My dad spoke fondly of the many family reunions they all enjoyed over the years at the Spring Prairie (Wisconsin) parsonage, where Gerhard grew up.

In 1994, shortly before his death, Gerhard Naeseth donated one of his family heirlooms to Vesterheim Museum. The donation, a Norwegian silver spoon dating from 1786, had been a wedding gift to Christiane Elisabeth Böyesen and her first husband, Didrik von Cappelen, at their marriage in Skien in September 1786. The spoon is believed to have been brought to America by Gerhard’s great-grandmother, Diderikke Brandt. This silver not only connects Gerhard to owners of the sewing kit, but also confirms Diderikke’s interest in bringing treasured family heirlooms with her to America.

A Look Inside

The kit’s interior reveals several fascinating elements. Each of its compartments is covered by tooled and gilded leather pieces, which have a great deal in common with Continental bookbindings of the 17th century. Upon examining the photographs, Vesterheim’s Curator, Laurann Gilbertson, wrote:

…[the figures look like] Adam and Eve…there are double-headed eagles, so maybe German? The 17th century date is completely possible – this looks very old. And the clothing worn by the figures is typical for that century...the word in

Norwegian for a sewing box is “syskrin,” though this box was almost certainly imported from elsewhere in Europe. It’s quite amazing that it survived to be used in Decorah by Diderikke. Many credit her work in organizing women to sew for the Luther College students as the start of the 'Kvindeforening,' later called ‘Ladies’ Aid,’ which was such an important part of the work of the Norwegian Lutheran church in America in the 20th century…

Around the edges of the interior, and inside the covered compartments, there is a beautifully-preserved and boldly patterned red-and-white textile lining. The sewing kit’s interior also contains several treasures: two pairs of scissors, a small spool with gold thread and another spool, needle holders, a small brush, a piece of yellow textile, a small knife and sheath, and a difficult-to-read, hand-written note.

Interior of Diderikke Brandt's sewing kit Courtesy of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa

7NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

Deciphering the Indecipherable: An Exciting Discovery

Generations of the Brandt family have tried to read the contents of this note. In 2012, the family asked the Rev. Donald Berg of Decorah if he could help translate its contents. He was able to read and translate the text of one side of the note; the reverse side also contained writing that was almost impossible to read since the ink from the front had obscured the legibility of the back.

When Bev Bachelder asked if the NAGC staff could help with this translation, Carol turned to Solveig Schavland Quinney, NAGC’s translator and library services specialist. Solveig has much experience in deciphering difficult hand-written and early printed Norwegian texts. Her translation of the note confirmed what the Rev. Berg had provided, and went further. With her ability to decipher the back of the note, Solveig came upon the exciting information -- not previously known -- about who made the kit’s embroidery and when. Solveig’s translation, with her newly-discovered text from the back of the note is provided below.

The front side of the note in translation reads:

The oldest daughters in the same line in the family who have owned this and sewn their name on it and who made an item (in their time) (also) sewing items within are the following:

My name, no. 1, C. O. No. 2 Edel Margareth Aall (gave the knife and sheath) No. 3 Christiane Elisabeth Realfsdatter Böyesen No. 4 Gjertrude Marie Christiansdatter Bödker No.5 Benedicte Elisabeth Johannesdatter Kleen (or Klein)

Christiane Elisabeth gave scissors and bonnet ribbon, I have also given many things both mother and I received it. (a fiber brush)

The back side of the note in translation reads:

The names of the oldest daughters who have owned the small green chest and their names on the lid. The small chest is covered with green material embroidered with real gold thread and gold clusters.

Kristina Ottesen born Bøyesen did the embroidery. It was sewn in 1820.

A Mystery Solved

When Laurann Gilbertson had a chance to examine the sewing kit itself, she quickly noted the discrepancy between the style and date of its exterior embroidery and the box’s interior decorations. The interior is probably 17th century and Continental, but the exterior embroidery’s style and state of preservation appears to date from the 19th century. Solveig’s translation provided the evidence needed to confirm this: the box’s sewn cover was created in 1820 by Diderikke Brandt’s grandmother. In addition to the difficulty of translation and legibility, the note needs further clarification. In the note, the reference to “C. O.” is Diderikke’s grandmother. Her name is variously recorded as:Christiane OrdingChristiane Elisabeth Realfsdatter OrdingChristiane Elisabeth BøyesenKristen Elizabeth BøyesenKristine Elisabeth Bøyesen Realfsdatter Ottesen (born Ording)

The Bøyesen name was connected to her mother’s marriage as the third wife of Realf Bøyesen. Her various names are definitely identified by her dates, 1768-1833 – confirming that it was she alone of all the ancestors who had the initials C. O. and was capable of sewing the box’s lid in 1820. And it

Front and back of hand-written note found in kit, courtesy of Beverly Brandt Bachelder

8 NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

was she who had possessed the spoon that Gerhard Naeseth presented to Vesterheim, a spoon from the time of her marriage in 1786. It is interesting that the note contains no reference to the two women from the 17th century whose initials Christiane embroidered along with the later ones.

Diderikke Sophie Marianne Benedicte Ottesen Brandt (1827-1885)

Diderikke Brandt, the woman who brought the sewing kit to America in 1856, is Bev Bachelder’s great-grandmother, and one of the most charismatic people among the 19th century Norwegian settlers of the Upper Midwest. Known as “the mother of the Luther College boys,” Diderikke and her legendary energy and enthusiasm became famous during her life in Decorah from 1865 to 1882. Much of her fame was derived from her sewing, the circle she organized around sewing, and her advocacy of higher education for women. To examine the sewing kit that she treasured and used during this time brings this important history to life.

Diderikke grew up at the Sande parsonage in Vestfold, near Christiania, and had the advantage of attending boarding school at Christiansfeld in Denmark where she became adept at German, music, drawing, and fine sewing. After turning 18, she travelled widely in Germany, Holland, Denmark, and England.

When Diderikke married Nils Brandt, she joined her life with the first Norwegian pastor who had ventured west of the Mississippi. Brandt had helped the “Little Iowa” parish in its 1852 call of the Rev. U. V. Koren, who became the first Norwegian pastor to settle west of the Mississippi. Nils and Diderikke immigrated to Wisconsin, where they spent the years between 1856 to 1865. Together with their children, the couple moved to Decorah in 1865 when the Rev. Brandt was called as minister and professor at Luther College. In 1867, the family moved into the newly constructed parsonage, now called “Campus House,” which stands on the college campus.

In a 1995 article*, Professor J. R. Christianson best describes Diderikke’s accomplishments:“She recognized the potential of a sewing circle organized by Elisabeth Lomen and three other women around 1861, and she transformed it into a society of Norwegian women in town, meeting regularly to mend the clothing of college students, many of whom were on incredibly tight budgets. This was the first formal women’s organization

in town, a charitable Kvindeforening on the model of one first organized in Norway by Gustava Kielland, a pastor’s wife and former tutor to Diderikke Brandt’s sisters. The Decorah society darned, mended, and sewed whole suits of clothing for the students, rather than making things to sell at bazaars to benefit foreign missions. Through this organization, Diderikke Brandt integrated women of the town into an active role in college life. She also acted as

Painted image of Christiane Elisabeth Bøyesen (1768-1833)

Diderikke Brandt photograph circa 1880 Courtesy of Luther College Archives, Decorah, Iowa

Photograph of Nils and Diderikke Brandt with their familyby Andreas Dahl, 1876. Courtesy of Luther College Archives, Decorah, Iowa

9NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

advisor to women who were unfamiliar with urban ways and helped them to perform social tasks like entertaining the Kvindeforening in their homes. Her leadership helped to integrate many young people, men and women alike, into the culture of the urban Norwegian-American community.”

Professor Gracia Grindal, in her 2016 publication,** writes with insight into Diderikke’s advocacy for women’s education: “…Diderikke’s education at Christiansfeld was a model for the future education of their daughters in the New Land.” Professor Grindal also concludes:

“Her education, and her breeding perhaps, made her and her cousin Christiane among the first of the pastors’ wives in the Synod on record who appear to have chafed somewhat at the restrictions of the role. These stirrings clearly did not endear Diderikke to the other pastors’ wives, who found her bossy, unfeminine, and wearisome, because she did not fulfill the role they expected of her. These were transgressions typical of the early feminists who wanted an education like their brothers and a more public role.”

Diderikke was not happy that women were not admitted to the college. In 1873 and 1874, she gathered nine girls in her home where she taught music, German, and fine needlework, and invited faculty members to offer instruction as well. Her popularity never waned with the Luther students: the alumni association commissioned her portrait from the artist Herbjørn Gausta in 1883 and, after her death, students and friends raised funds for her cemetery monument in Decorah.

*J. R. Christianson, “Shaping the Culture of an Immigrant College Town: Decorah, Iowa, 1850-1890” in:Scandinavian Immigrants and Education in North America, edited by Philip J. Anderson, et al. Chicago, Swedish-American Historical Society, 1995.

**Gracia Grindal, Unstoppable: The Norwegian Pioneers Educate Their Daughters. Minneapolis, Lutheran University Press, 2016.

Generous Donation and a New Future

Diderikke Brandt’s descendants continue this tradition of honoring her memory. On 6 September 2017, 190 years after Diderikke’s birth in 1827, her great-granddaughter and her great, great-granddaughter donated the sewing kit to Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum. Beverly Brandt Bachelder and her daughter, Elizabeth Bachelder, travelled to Decorah to hand over this treasured heirloom in person to Vesterheim Curator Laurann Gilbertson. Earlier, in August, Bev and her spouse, Robert Bachelder, had visited the Naeseth Library in Madison to thank the staff at the Norwegian American Genealogical

Center for the research that had uncovered the identities of the women who had owned the sewing kit. Bev graciously shared some of her thoughts with us:

These beautiful objects must have reminded Diderikke of her dear family, and served as a source of joy and comfort. It is all such a testament to the power of love and deep bonds that bind family members together, from one generation to the next…I’ve been thinking, too, how much this would all have pleased Gerhard. He would have been so happy to see the wonderful work done by NAGC to solve the genealogical mystery and translate with such skill the note left in his great-grandmother’s kit. He would have also loved to see the excellent collaboration and expertise shared between NAGC and Vesterheim in caring for, preserving, and sharing this object that represents Diderikke’s contributions and legacy in such a meaningful way, and that will serve as a source of inspiration and scholarship for generations to come.

Special thanks to all those who helped make this article possible, especially Beverly Brandt Bachelder, Elizabeth Bachelder, Robert S. Bachelder, Carol C. Culbertson, Vesterheim Curator Laurann Gilbertson, and Luther College Associate Professor of Art History Kate Elliott and College Archivist Hayley Jackson.

Grave marker of Dikerikke Brandt, Lutheran Cemetery, Decorah, Iowa

Portrait of Diderikke Brandtoil on canvas by Herbjørn Gausta, 1883

Courtesy of Luther College Archives, Decorah, Iowa

Beverly Bachelder (right) with Carol Culbertson at NAGCPhoto by Diane Maurer

10 NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

notEs from thE naEsEth libraryWe offer our sincere thanks to the donors listed below who gave research materials for the Naeseth Library during the period from March through October 2017.

Recent Acquisitions

New Family Histories• Norman Holen, Minneapolis, Minnesota• Phyllis Berget Johnson, Darlington,

Wisconsin• John Kaldahl, Fredericksburg, Virginia• Jonathan A. Shaw, Sandwich, Massachusetts

New Norwegian Local Histories & Reference

• Trine Marie Berg and the Berg Family, Snåsa, Norway

• Lorraine Hawkinson, Oregon, Wisconsin• Anne Marie Steenberg Jonassen,

Solbergmoen, Norway• Arnfinn Kjelland, Volda, Møre og Romsdal,

Norway• Jonny Lyngstad, Lyngstad, Norway• Monroe Miller, Madison, Wisconsin• Odal Slekshistorielag, Nord-Odal, Norway• Halvor Skurtveit, Fjell, Hordaland, Norway

New Family Histories• Gail Bushman, Appleton, Wisconsin• Kathy and Kenneth Larson, Batavia, Illinois• Ann Marie Olson, Black River Falls,

Wisconsin• Kris Lienke Sanderson, South Beloit, Illinois• Barbara Scottston, Eitzen, Minnesota

Other Research Materials

• Sharon Bowen, Neenah, Wisconsin• Robert M. Fossum and Trønderlag of

America, Chetek, Wisconsin• Patricia Hampton, Spokane, Washington• Stephen Heimerle, San Francisco, California• Ordell G. Hill, Richmond, Kentucky• Roger Jacobson, Madison, Wisconsin• Eugene J. Nordby, Madison, Wisconsin• Liv Paulson Norderhaug, Eden Prairie,

Minnesota• Stella Olson Rainey, Tuscaloosa, Alabama• Vaughn Simon, Palm Springs, California• Patricia Sorteberg, Franklin, Tennessee• Ginny White, Madison, Wisconsin

We are also grateful for the two acquisitions funds that continue to support additions to the library collections at NAGC, the William Helgeson Fund and the Loper Fund for North Norway acquisitions.

For a complete listing of authors, titles, and subjects of these new acquisitions, please consult our website, www.nagcnl.org in our “Research” section, and follow its drop-down box to select:“Recent Acquisitions.”

If you do not have Internet access, please phone us at 608-255-2224 to request a copy of this new acquisitions list. We thank our many generous donors for helping build the research collections at the Naeseth Library.

nEw staff mEmbEr for naEsEth library

Beginning his duties in January 2017, Stephen J. Drake has become our new library services specialist. At the time of Kathleen Olson’s retirement from this position at the end of 2016, Steve had been serving as an active volunteer here. He brings some great experience to his part-time work in the Naeseth Library.

Born in Edgerton, near Madison, Steve grew up in Verona and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied anthropology, with a minor

in German language. He enjoyed a long career in bookselling, book publishing, and art gallery management, all in the Madison area where he has been living since 1978. Steve is also a book collector with several thousand volumes in his personal library, including many genealogy reference works.

Steve’s interest in his Norwegian family genealogy began in his twenties after an interview with his aging Norwegian grandparents, and was recently reinvigorated after his DNA findings revealed that he is 49 percent Scandinavian and 28 percent northern and western European. On his maternal side, Steve’s great-grandparents emigrated in 1883 from Ullensaker in Akershus, and settled in Rock County in the Koshkonong area of Wisconsin.

Steve’s work at the Naeseth Library is closely coordinated with Jerry Paulson, the Naeseth Chair for Genealogical Research and Publication. Together, Steve and Jerry continue to build the library research collections through gift and purchase, with Steve accessioning and cataloguing a wide range of materials. Steve has already made great progress in sorting through uncatalogued holdings, and in helping plan for the rearrangement of the library collection, making space for additions and organizing the collection in a more logical and user-friendly way. When you visit the Naeseth Library, please take a moment to meet Steve and help us thank him for his important work.

connEcting cousins

Stephen J. Drake, NAGC's new library services specialist, proudly displays the bygdebok from Ullen-saker, which includes information

about his ancestors.

Cousins Todd Johnson and Judy Moriarty meet for the first time at our annual event, 2017

11NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

nEw board mEmbErAt their meeting in June 2017, the Board of Directors unanimously elected Ellen Smithback to join them

in their work for NAGC & NL. We extend a hearty welcome to the new Board member.

EllEn smithbackEllen is the daughter of Audrey and Phil Dybdahl, who both served as founding board members when NAGC became an independent non-profit in 2007. Phil Dybdahl, who died in 2016, was closely associated with his Norwegian heritage. On learning of her election to the Board, Ellen wrote: “I would be honored to join the board of NAGC and carry on my dad’s legacy.”

Ellen was raised in Stoughton and attended St. Olaf College. After two years there, Ellen transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a degree in art history. Ellen and her spouse Gary are residents in Stoughton, and support the Stoughton Village Players, the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony.

The Smithbacks are charter members of NAGC and long-time supporters of our annual benefit dinner. They are active members of the Madison-area Friends of NAGC & NL, the event’s organizing committee. Over the years, Ellen has volunteered her help to make certain the annual event is a success.

Honoring her family’s musical heritage, Ellen is a concert pianist and also teaches piano. She and Gary have three children and two grandchildren. We extend a hearty welcome as Ellen joins the board, continuing her family’s long connection to NAGC & NL.

The five volumes of local history that have been produced by the Fjell Kommune are among the most thoroughly researched and beautifully produced of all the Norwegian bygdebøker. Halvor Skurtveit, historian of Fjell and one of the authors of this series, recently contacted Madison resident Carolyn Love, who is a volunteer here at NAGC.

Connecting through Ancestry.com, Halvor asked Carolyn for information about her great, great grandfather, Hans Rasmussen (1822-1869), who was Captain of the Brig “Favoriten” when it sank in 1869 near the island of Løno in the fylke of Fjell. Halvor was seeking this information for the upcoming sixth volume of Fjell Bygdebok that will be appear shortly.

During their exchanges, Carolyn told Halvor all about NAGC & NL, and how we have admired and shared the first three volumes of the Fjell histories. Halvor and the Fjell Kommune then donated the fourth and fifth volumes in

the series for the NAGC collection. We thank them for their impressive work and for donating these handsome and useful books.

Halvor Skurtveit will be the author of Fjell Bygdebok, volume 6, and it will include the general history of the Fjell community from 1700 to 1910. It covers a wide range of themes: farming, fishing, demography, political development, and emigration to the U.S.

The fascinating history of Captain Rasmussen and his ship will be included in the sixth volume of the Fjell series. It is a tragic story: Carolyn’s ancestor and his son died in the shipwreck of the “Favoriten,” while other members of his family were rescued. And, although Captain Rasmussen had a long career with sailing the world, this ill-fated trip was the first on which he had been accompanied by members of his family. Nearly 150 years later, Captain Rasmussen’s descendant, Carolyn Love, honors his life and accomplishments with her contributions to family history online and with her research work here at NAGC & NL.

chroniclE and coincidEncE:Fjell Bygdebøker and NAGC

Ellen Dybdahl Smithback, 2017

The Brig "Favoriten," courtesy of Carolyn Love

Fjell Bygdebøker, five volumes

Halvor Skurtveit, Fjell Historian

Hans Rasmussen, Captain of the "Favoriten" Courtesy of Carolyn Love

12 NORWEGIAN TRACKS • VOLUME 41 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017

Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library (NAGC & NL)

415 W. Main StreetMadison, WI 53703-3116

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cElEbrating cEntEnarians

There must be something to be said for an interest in ancestry and history contributing to longevity. We salute three remarkable NAGC members who continue to lead fascinating lives of accomplishment, doing their ancestors proud.

Nels Gerhard GlesneNels marked his 100th birthday in April 2016 by ziplining and kiteboarding in Hawaii. He was the oldest ever zipline participant and he was joined in this outing by a wide circle of his family. A retired forester and World War II vet, Nels was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and moved to Maui in 2013. His ancestor, Lars Davidson Reque, emigrated from Voss in 1839, and became one of the first landowners in the Koshkonong settlement, having walked to the area from Chicago. Our long-time member and supporter, John Glesne, who is Nels’s nephew, honored his uncle’s first century by giving him a special membership in NAGC.

Louise Naeseth Hubbard NAGC life member, and sister of our founder Gerhard Naeseth, Louise Hubbard turned 101 last March. In honor of this milestone, her village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, organized a volunteer day in which many residents volunteered 101 minutes of their time in honor of Louise’s

birthday. Louise’s lifelong passion has been to promote, conserve, and better the environment; she has a wonderful affinity for the outdoors. Her generosity has benefitted many organizations, including NAGC, where she made a major donation in 2009 that made it possible to scan and digitize our entire correspondence collection, including many records contributed by her brother, Gerhard Naeseth.

Irene O’Connor NavarreLast August, Irene Navarre reached her 100th birthday, and the festivities of her day included a visit and celebration from the Tin Lizzies of Albuquerque, part of the Model T Ford Club of America. (Irene’s husband Harry had been one of the club’s founding members.) Long interested in her family history, Irene has supported many organizations with her expertise as a Parliamentarian, with her time and her financial donations. A pioneer in the field of dental hygiene, Irene helped establish the University of New Mexico’s dental hygiene program over 50 years ago, and has been a leading expert in dental hygiene science and integration for her entire career. A generous patron and life member of NAGC, Irene created NAGC’s Navarre Fund for Student Internships with her important donations from 2010 to 2014.