Georgia State

Norwegian Settlement in Dooly County

A small Norwegian settlement developed at Listonia, near Lloyd Post Office in Dooly County. The first settlers were Ole O. Lockrem and T. O. Lockrem from Valdres, together with S. O. Andersen and R. Syverson. They settled there in 1898. A small Norwegian congregation was established in the settlement in 1902 by Pastor H. Engh of the United Church.

Norwegian Community in Savannah

A number of Norwegians also lived in Savannah, many of them seamen or workers engaged in loading and unloading ships. Pastor H. Iverson had worked among the Norwegian population there for many years.

Another Norwegian mentioned by the source was Captain Nils P. Moe from Porsgrunn. By 1905, he spent most of his time ashore, but despite being seventy-three years old, he was still described as remarkably agile and able to move quickly through the deepest compartments of a ship.

Sea Captain Iversen settled in Georgia in the early eighteenth century. His son, Alfred Iversen became a U.S. Senator.

Norwegian Place Names

Three places in Georgia with Norwegian names: Norden Post Office in Bryan County, Norway Post Office in Harris County, which had later closed, and Sigurd Post Office in Dodge County. Despite these names, relatively few Norwegians lived in Georgia, and especially few lived in these particular areas.

Sources:

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