Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA)

The largest collection of Norwegian-American archival material in America is to be found at the Association. Founded in 1925 with the assistance of novelist Ole Rolvaag, the Association has established an enviable reputation as one of the leading organizations of its kind. Anyone researching Norwegian-Americans will find the NAHA an essential repository of relevant materials.

The NAHA Archives can be a rich resource of information for family historians and genealogists. Although the focus of NAHA is the Norwegians after they arrived in America, and is historical in nature rather than strictly geneaolgical, you may find its resources helpful in your research.

From the beginning NAHA has been located on the campus of St. Olaf College. Although both institutions are independent entities, they maintain close cooperation on common causes.

Archives

The heart of the NAHA archives is its extensive manuscript collection, which includes letters, diaries, journals and ledgers, newspaper clippings, obituaries, congregational records, family and local histories, and other resources related to Norwegians in America. The archival collection also includes photographs illustrating all aspects of Norwegian-American history. The archives are available to NAHA members and non-members, but fees are charged for most services.

Online Research

Online researchers can search the NAHA archives in three different ways.

•	Leif, is the online search engine for NAHA manuscripts and photographs. It allows keyword searching of collections, groups of documents and images.

•	A published [http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/archives/guide.htm guide to the archives is available in PDF format.

•	The NAHA site index searches the volumes of Norwegian-American Studies that have been scanned and are available online.

Online Resources •	Norwegian-American Studies Volumes 1-33 of Norwegian-American Studies, our scholarly journal of Norwegian-American History, are available online in a printable format. •	A list of Norwegian-American newspapers published in the United States is available. Search by newspaper name, state or city of publication, or browse the entire list.

•	Norwegian-American Images Our developing online image collection can be searched in a variety of ways. Image reproduction fees are detailed below. •	Hovland Index (Rolvaag Library holdings of Bygdebøker) See also: HovlAND Map index. Search the Hovland Index to identify which Bygdebøker (Norwegian Community History Books) are located in the Rolvaag Library, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.

•	Links These external web sites may assist you in conducting research on Norway, Norwegian Immigration and the Norwegian language.

Researching at NAHA Researchers are welcome to use the NAHA archives in person. Arrangements can be made to use the NAHA archives by calling the archivists at (507) 786-3229 or by e-mailing naha-archivists@stolaf.edu to make an appointment. Appointments should generally be made several days in advance and for our regularly posted hours of 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Afternoon hours are also often available but only by advance appointment. The archivists are happy to assist visitors in finding appropriate resources, but we are able to undertake research for others only when our schedules allow and only upon pre-payment of research fees. We can answer simple research questions on the telephone and by e-mail, but we may need a few days to respond.

Fees

•	Daily Fees Visitors who are not members of NAHA pay a daily fee of $15 for use of NAHA resources. Non-members may join NAHA at the time of their first visit. Daily fees are waived for members and for students.

•	Research Fees Staff responses to research questions that require more than 30 minutes of work are undertaken only upon pre-payment for one hour of research at $20 (members), $40 (non-members), or $60 (commercial). Additional hourly charges may apply.

•	Reproduction Fees Reproduction fees are collected in advance of any work. The fragile condition of many manuscripts and photographs may preclude any form of duplication. Please allow 2-3 weeks for the processing of all reproduction orders.

•	Photocopying Fees We will make photocopies at 15¢ a page, if the condition of materials and staff time permits. (This fee includes defrayment for staff time).

•	Fees for Images •	Fees of $2.50 apply for copying, scanning, or e-mailing individual images ($5.00 minimum), which may also be placed on CDs for an additional $2.00 charge. •	Duplicate copies of photographs may be made for $10.00 ($20.00 minimum).

•	A minimum fee of $50 will be charged for scanning images at resolutions higher than 300 dpi.

•	Fees for Publication or Commercial Use of Documents and Images

•	$10 for each publicaton or commercial reproduction of a document.

•      $100 for each publication or commercial use of an image.

•	Postage Fees

Postage/handling fees of $4.00 apply to orders sent out by NAHA staff.

Other Norwegian-American Resources at St. Olaf

Norwegian-American books and newspapers belonging to NAHA are housed in the St. Olaf College Library and may be identified with the St. Olaf-Carleton on-line catalog, Bridge. Rare Norwegian-American imprints (books and pamphlets) are housed in the library vault, as indicated in Bridge. Access to these materials requires advance notice to the circulation desk (507-786-3224). The library also houses a rich collection of Norwegian-American materials of its own, including bygdebøker.

 The following genealogical materials are some which may be found in the NAHA Archives:

•	Rowberg File 200,000+ clippings of biographical articles on Norwegian Americans from Norwegian-American newspapers, English-language country weeklies, church and lodge magazines, obituaries, Golden Anniversary celebrations, etc. Mounted on 3x5" cards filed alphabetically. Women are usually listed under husbands or male relatives. Reference cards to longer articles are mounted in over 120 binders. Coverage: Upper Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and where there were pockets of Norwegian settlements. The main time period covered is 1914-1980's. The Andrew A. Rowberg Biographical File, 1914-1978, is a 1600 microfiche set. Beginning in 1914, Rowberg searched Norwegian American newspapers and other publications to find obituaries, wedding and birth announcements, honors and tributes, and Norway visits pertaining to Norwegian Americans. His collection of some 125,000 items is arranged alphabetically by name.

•	Rowberg Supplement 50,000+ recent obituaries, mainly from North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota. Women are usually listed under their own names. A few older obituaries are also included. •	Carl G. O. Hansen File Clipping collection (1900-1950) of the Minneapolis Norwegian-language newspaper. Index is in the last 13 drawers of the Rowberg File, giving number of envelope in the collection of 136 boxes. •	Family History Collection Collection P0539, 39 boxes. Check card file index under Inventory cards. (This also includes cards for bound family histories in the library collections.) •	Manuscript Collection Searchable online with Leif or at NAHA office with inventory and index cards. •	Biographical Directories Pastors, teachers, etc. Directory of congregations. •	Emigration Lists (on microfilm) Oslo (Kristiania) 1867-1901. Trondheim 1867-1926, with indexes 1891-1925. Kristiansand from 1873. Bergen list (1874-1924) on microfiche, with indexes by first name, surname. For Rogaland emigrants, see large red volumes with copies of parish "udflyttede" lists All the NAHA microfilms are located in the Rolvaag Library. See also lists of emigrants from Hallingdal, Hjartdal (Telemark), Lesje, Ringebu, Vang (Valdres) in NAHA. Also in the library: Østfold (JV6734.U8). Biri/Snertingdal, Vardal/Gjøvik (E184.S24088); Land (DL576.L3B6 v.4); Nordmøre (JV6734.S56); Hjørunfjord, Vartdal, Ørsta (HV6734.S7). •	Maps — Series M 711 Check index map; filed alphabetically, in the Archivist's office.

Reference Works

The following genealogical and reference materials are located in the Reference Room of the Rølvaag Library. •	Norwegian encyclopedia (AE43.A75) 12 volumes. Useful for place names and histories of communities. •	Postal directory (1972): HE7093.N7. Lists farms, churches, towns, etc., telling what community (kommune) and county (fylke) they are in. •	General genealogical guides: CS (e.g., Scandinavian Genealogical Research Manual). •	Norwegian biographical encyclopedia (CT1293.N6) 19 volumes. •	Norske gardsbruk (DL418.N85) Farm directory, southern counties, 1950-1970s. •	Norway handbook (DL419.N8). •	Bibliographies of local history (DL448.F94). •	Telephone books (DL576-581). •	Rygh's Norske gaardnavne (PD2695.R9). 21 volumes. Lists all main farms (and some subdivisions) by community (herred or kommune) and parish (sokn, sogn). Index for each fylke, general index for set. •	Norge: land og folk, geografisk leksikon atlas-register (DL419.N7), 4 volumes. General Collection The following genealogical and historical materials are located in the stacks of the Rølvaag Library. •	Bygdeboker - bygdebooks: local histories of Norwegian communities (DL576.A-Z; DL596.AZ). Located on level 5. •	Books on Norwegian-American history: E184.S3, level 5. Includes publications of the bygdelags (E184.S26). Lovoll's A Folk Epic (E184.S24L66) has bibliography. [Some lag publications with periodicals or in Special Collections Vault collection.] •	American local history (county histories, Norwegians in states or counties, etc.): F536-Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota. Level 5. •	Norwegian-language newspapers on microfilm: Bikuben, Budstikken, Decorah Posten, Emigranten, Emigranten og Fædrelandet, Fædrelandet, Norden, Nordisk Folkeblad, Skandinaven. Some on paper in Special Collections. Church magazines (before 1960) on Level 1.