Brown County, South Dakota

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegian settlers in Brown County were Ole Everson and V. Everson from Sogn. They settled in the vicinity of Columbia, although the year of their arrival is unknown. The Norwegian settlement near Bath was established somewhat later, in 1880. The first settlers there were Ole K. Hunstad and his sons Edward and Nils, together with Jens Swarstad and Embret Bunsness, all from Ringerike. They were followed by C. O. Petersen from Kristiania (Oslo), John Vaaler from Nedre Telemark, E. S. Nelson from Numedal, H. D. Docken from Valdres, Andrew Thorson, and many others. The settlers initially lived in dugouts and began growing wheat and other grains.

Pioneer Pastors

The Norwegian-American pastors generally did not become wealthy, and pioneer pastors had little opportunity to do so. They were often paid in natura, since money was scarce among the settlers and, at times, even food was limited. One informant offered an example of the hardships endured by a pastor’s family. On one occasion, he brought some meat to the parsonage and found the pastor washing clothes while his wife remained in bed. When asked whether she was ill, the pastor gave an evasive answer. The reason eventually became clear: he was washing his wife’s only dress, and she had to remain in bed until it was dry. The informant remarked that young women who had imagined how pleasant it would be to become a pastor’s wife were often mistaken about the realities of pioneer life. Conditions, however, had improved considerably by the time he wrote.

Churches and Congregations

Skandinavia Congregation was established at Bath in 1881 and for a time belonged to the Norwegian Synod. It was the first Norwegian congregation in Brown County. The first Norwegian church in the county was built at Aberdeen in 1893 by the congregation there, which also belonged to the Norwegian Synod. By 1905, Brown County had ten Norwegian congregations and four churches. Eight congregations belonged to the United Church, one to Hauge’s Synod, and one to the Baptist Church.

Public Office

John A. Fylpaa and John Vaaler were the first Norwegians to hold county office in Brown County. Both were elected in 1880, Fylpaa as Treasurer and Vaaler as Commissioner. Erick G. Nelson was, by 1905, the only Norwegian to have represented Brown County in the State Legislature. He was elected in 1894.

Norwegian Place Names

Brown County included a township named Hanson.

Sources:

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