Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Norwegian Settlement

The Norwegian settlement in the vicinity of Winchester consisted mainly of settlers from Telemark and was established in the late 1840s. A number of Norwegians also lived in the city of Neenah.

Churches and Congregations

A Norwegian Lutheran congregation had already been established at Winchester by 1850. Pastor A. C. Preus of the Norwegian Synod was its first pastor, while P. A. Rasmussen was the first schoolteacher. The congregation built the first Norwegian church in Winnebago County in 1855. By 1905, Winnebago County had five Norwegian congregations and five churches. Four congregations belonged to the United Church and one to the Methodist Church.

Public Office

Johannes Amundsen was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Winnebago County.

Norwegian Place Names

Norwegian place names in Winnebago County included Blaland, Norwegian, and Larsen.

Sources:

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