Brown County, Wisconsin

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegian settlers in Brown County were Peter Petersen from Tvedestrand, together with Peter Bergsvensen and Ole Knudsen from Røros. They settled in the vicinity of Fontenoy in 1848. Petersen later returned to Norway.

The First Norwegian Settler at Green Bay

Peder A. Larsen from Velfjorden, Helgeland, was the first Norwegian settler at Green Bay. When he arrived, the population there consisted only of Frenchmen and Indians. 

The Shirley Settlement

A Norwegian settlement was established in the vicinity of Shirley in 1869. The first settlers there were Ole Syvertsen, Knut Helgesen, Tore Christensen, Knud O. Jarstad, Torsten Andersen, and Ole K. Rogne, all from Valdres. They were joined by Ole Larsen from Vardal near Gjøvik, as well as Fredrik Carlson and Edward Carlson from somewhere in Western Norway.

Pioneer Travel to the Mill

A pioneer by the name of Hjalmar Ruud Holand, who lived in a neighboring county, recalled that for many years the nearest market was extremely far away and the roads were in terrible condition. As the wagon jolted over logs and stones, it was not unusual to become stuck in a bog. The load then had to be removed, the wagon lifted and worked loose, and the oxen urged forward before the journey could continue. Sometimes it took more than a week merely to reach town. Even then, the struggle was not necessarily over. On arriving at the mill, the pioneer might discover that his turn would not come for another week. He then had to find work in town in order to pay for his food while waiting. When his turn finally came, he had to sift his own flour because the mill had no sifting machine. At last the load was ready. Holand described the shout of “Go Long!” to the oxen as almost a victory cry. After another difficult journey, the pioneer finally reached home. As Holand concluded, it was expensive flour.

Churches and Congregations

The St. Johannes Lutheran Congregation, established at Green Bay in 1873, was, as far as is known, the first Norwegian congregation in Brown County. It built a church the following year, in 1874. Johan Olsen of the Conference was the founder and first pastor. Brown County had five Norwegian congregations, each with its own church. One congregation belonged to the United Church, one to the Norwegian Synod, one to the Herrnhuters, one to the Evangelical Free Church, and one to the Methodist Church.

Sources:

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