Ole Knudsen Nattestad
Encyclopedia
Ole Knudsen Nattestad was a Norwegian-American leader and pioneer immigrant settler. Together with his brother Ansten Nattestad, he played a key role in promoting immigration from Norway and for directing immigrants to southern Wisconsin
and northern Illinois
.
Parish of the Rollag
district in Buskerud
county. This area lies in the heart of the Numedal
traditional region and valley, the westernmost valley in southeastern Norway
. Ole and Ansten Nattestad immigrated to the United States in 1837. They soon joined a group of earlier Norwegian immigrants led by Ole Rynning living in the Beaver Creek Settlement in Iroquois County, Illinois
.
In 1838, Ole Rynning died and the Beaver Creek settlement, hard hit by malaria, broke up. Ole Nattestad moved northward into Wisconsin, and in July, 1838, entered a claim in the town
of Clinton, Rock County
. The settlement soon came to be known as the Jefferson Prairie Settlement
and represented the first Norwegian immigrant settlement in Wisconsin.
At that same time, Ansten Nattestad returned to Norway to have the letters of Ole Rynning published. The Norwegian author's observations would create an enormous stir in Norway. Some historians attribute increased numbers of nineteenth-century immigrants from Norway to the book's publication. A complete version of Ole Rynning's True Account of America (Norwegian: Sandfærdig Beretning om Amerika) with footnotes and background information can be found at the National Library of Norway in Oslo
.
The return trip of Ansten Nattestad to Norway had been immediately instrumental in promoting interest in America. Ansten Nattestad organized more than a hundred emigrants and led them to Wisconsin arriving in September, 1839. Some joined the Nattestad brothers at Jefferson Prairie; others settled in nearby the Muskegoo Settlement.
Today a Historic Marker situated off Wisconsin Highway 140, south of Clinton, Wisconsin marks the former location of the Jefferson Prairie Settlement and highlights the role of Ole Knutson Nattestad and Ansten Nattestad in its development.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and northern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Biography
The Nattestad farm was in VeggliVeggli
Veggli is a village in the municipality of Rollag, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. It is located in the traditional district and valley of Numedal. Veggli is about 66 miles north of Kongsberg. It is situated on the Numedalslågen River. Its population in 2005 was 292. Veggli Church dates from 1859...
Parish of the Rollag
Rollag
Rollag is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The municipality of Rollag was established on 1 January 1838 . Nore og Uvdal was separated from Rollag in 1858....
district in Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
county. This area lies in the heart of the Numedal
Numedal
Numedal is a traditional district and valley Buskerud, Norway. Running north–south, it extends between Kongsberg in the south to Rødberg in the north, passing through the municipalities of Kongsberg, Flesberg, Rollag and Nore og Uvdal.. The river Numedalslågen, the third-longest in the country,...
traditional region and valley, the westernmost valley in southeastern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Ole and Ansten Nattestad immigrated to the United States in 1837. They soon joined a group of earlier Norwegian immigrants led by Ole Rynning living in the Beaver Creek Settlement in Iroquois County, Illinois
Iroquois County, Illinois
Iroquois County is a county located in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Illinois along the border with Indiana. It is the third largest county in the state in terms of area, covering over . According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 29,718, which is a decrease of 5.2% from 31,334...
.
In 1838, Ole Rynning died and the Beaver Creek settlement, hard hit by malaria, broke up. Ole Nattestad moved northward into Wisconsin, and in July, 1838, entered a claim in the town
Political subdivisions of Wisconsin
The definitions of the political subdivisions of the U.S. state of Wisconsin differ from those in some other countries or even other U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area....
of Clinton, Rock County
Rock County, Wisconsin
-Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908....
. The settlement soon came to be known as the Jefferson Prairie Settlement
Jefferson Prairie Settlement
Jefferson Prairie Settlement was a pioneer colony of Norwegian-Americans located near the village of Clinton, in Rock County, Wisconsin. This site and the nearby Rock Prairie settlement outside Orfordville, Wisconsin served as a center for both Norwegian immigration and developments within the...
and represented the first Norwegian immigrant settlement in Wisconsin.
At that same time, Ansten Nattestad returned to Norway to have the letters of Ole Rynning published. The Norwegian author's observations would create an enormous stir in Norway. Some historians attribute increased numbers of nineteenth-century immigrants from Norway to the book's publication. A complete version of Ole Rynning's True Account of America (Norwegian: Sandfærdig Beretning om Amerika) with footnotes and background information can be found at the National Library of Norway in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
The return trip of Ansten Nattestad to Norway had been immediately instrumental in promoting interest in America. Ansten Nattestad organized more than a hundred emigrants and led them to Wisconsin arriving in September, 1839. Some joined the Nattestad brothers at Jefferson Prairie; others settled in nearby the Muskegoo Settlement.
Today a Historic Marker situated off Wisconsin Highway 140, south of Clinton, Wisconsin marks the former location of the Jefferson Prairie Settlement and highlights the role of Ole Knutson Nattestad and Ansten Nattestad in its development.
Other sources
- Blegen, Theodore C. Theodore C. BlegenTheodore Christian Blegen was an American historian and author. Theodore Blegen was the author of numerous historic reference books, papers and articles written over a five decade period...
Norwegian Migration to America, The American Transition. (Norwegian-American Historical Association, Northfield, MN. 1931) - Anderson, Rasmus Bjorn The First Chapter of Norwegian Immigration, 1821-1840, Its Causes and Results(Madison, Wisconsin : R.B. Anderson, 1896)
- Ulvestad, MartinMartin UlvestadMartin Ulvestad was an American historian and author whose writings focused on Norwegian-American immigration. Ulvestad was a pioneer in documenting the early history of the first Norwegian settlers in America.-Biography:...
Nordmaendene i Amerika: Deres Historie og Rekord (translated by Olaf Kringhaug by Martin Ulvestad, 1907)
External links
- Emigration, the Promise of America
- http://www.nb.no/utlevering/contentview.jsf?sesamid=e6bd6ae272950a0c379e6f355987ecc0National Library of Oslo: Ole Rynning's True Account of America translated and edited by Theodore C. BlegenTheodore C. BlegenTheodore Christian Blegen was an American historian and author. Theodore Blegen was the author of numerous historic reference books, papers and articles written over a five decade period...
] - Telelaget of America
- Jefferson Prairie Settlement Historic Marker
- Jefferson Prairie Cemetery