Howard County, Nebraska

Early Norwegian Settlement

The first Norwegian settler in Howard County was G. Grothan from Hemne. He settled in the vicinity of Farwell in 1875. G. N. Egeland from Sogn, or possibly Nord-Aurdal, was the first Norwegian settler at St. Libory, where a small Norwegian community had developed by 1905.

Public Office and Military Service

G. Grothan’s son, Dr. O. Grothan, served as a Major during the Spanish-American War and later became a member of the Nebraska Legislature. By 1905, he lived in St. Paul, Nebraska.

Churches and Congregations

At St. Libory, there was a Norwegian congregation and church belonging to the Norwegian Synod.

Sources:

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