Albany County, New York

Cohoes City

The first Norwegian known to have settled in Cohoes was Wm. Nilsen. He was followed by O. Martinsen Aas, from Drammen, as well as Geo. Brecker, John Laim, Henry Broberg, M. Martinsen, Nils Nilsen, O. Martinsen, Edw. Thoresen, Oluf G. Tufte, E. Evensen, H. Mikkelsen, and Lauritz Nilsen.

Most of these settlers, together with other Norwegians living in Cohoes, found employment in the city’s machine shops. The Norwegian population came primarily from Svelvik, Drammen, and Kristiania (Oslo).

One of the more prominent Norwegians associated with the area was Alfred Christianson, who came from Kristiania and died in Cohoes in 1903. He served as Master Mechanic at the government arsenal. According to Ulvestad, one of the last major projects carried out under his supervision involved the manufacture of guns that were later used in the Spanish-American War.

Sources:

[Ulvestad, Martin. Nordmændene i Amerika. Utg. History Book Company's Forlag. Minneapolis, Minn. 1907.]