New York: Norwegian Settlements

History:
Post-Columbian settlement There was a Norwegian presence in New Amsterdam (New York after 1664) in the early part of 17th century. Hans Hansen Bergen, a native of Bergen, Norway, was one of the earliest settlers of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam having immigrated in 1633. Another of the first Norwegian settlers was Albert Andriessen Bradt who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1637. Approximately 60 persons had settled in the Manhattan area before the British take-over in 1664. How many Norwegians that settled in New Netherlands (the area up the Hudson River to Fort Oranje—now Albany) is not known. The Netherlands (and especially Amsterdam and Hoorn) had strong commercial ties with the coastal lumber trade of Norway during the 17th century and many Norwegians emigrated to Amsterdam. Some of them settled in Dutch colonies, although never in large numbers. (For further reading, see for example J.H. Innes, New Amsterdam and its people.) There were also Norwegian settlers in Pennsylvania in the first half of the 18th century, and in upstate New York in the latter half of the same century.

Cleng Peerson On 9 Oct 1824 the first organized group of Norwegions arrived in New York. They came in the sloop "Restauration" and was often referred to as the 'sloopers'. They were met by Cleng Peerson who helped them settled on the shores of Lake Ontario, and created the Kendall Settlement. In 1834 many in the group followed Cleng Peerson to Fox River near Ottawa, Illinois, which became the first permanent Norwegian settlement in America.

Early Norwegian Settlements in New York

Archives/Libraries:
New York State Library

New York State Deptm of Health

Genealogy:
Newberry Library: Norwegian Genealogy

NYGen Web

Societies:
New York Genealogical Societies

Central New York