Theodore C. Blegen Correspondence

JAN 10 1927

The Norwegian-American Historical Association

OFFICE OF THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY Northfield, Minn.

Executive Board

REV. D. G. RISTAD, President, Manitowoc, Wisc.

DR. L. M. LARSEN, Vice President, Urbana, Ill.

PROF. O. E. RÖLVAAG, Secretary, Northfield, Minn.

HON. O. M. OLESON, Treasurer, Ft. Dodge, Iowa.

MAJOR BIRGER OSLAND, Assistant Treasurer, 134 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, Ill.

MR. A. C. FLOAN, 442 Summit Ave., St. Paul, Minn.

DR. KNUT GJERSET, Decorah, Iowa.

Board of Finance

HON. O. M. OLESON,

MAJOR BIRGER OSLAND,

DR. T. STABO, Decorah, Iowa.

MR. A. C. FLOAN,

DEAN J. JÖRGEN THOMPSON, Financial Secretary, Northfield, Minn.

Board of Editors

DR. THEO. C. BLEGEN, Managing Editor, Minn. State Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.

KRISTIAN PRESTGARD, Editor, "Decorah Posten," Decorah, Iowa.

DR. KNUT GJERSET, Decorah, Iowa.

Local Vice Presidents

DR. E. NYMAN FIGVED, Boston, Mass.

A. N. RYGG, Publisher, "Nordisk Tidende," New York City.

CONSUL M. MOE, Philadelphia, Pa.

MRS. OAKLEY KISSAM BROWN, Chicago, Ill.

PROF. C. MARTIN ALSAGER, Chicago, Ill.

REV. H. J. THORPE, Milwaukee, Wis.

COL. CHR. BRANDT, Decorah, Iowa.

DR. G. T. LEE, Editor, "Lutheran Church Herald," Minneapolis, Minn.

JOHN NORNBORG, Duluth, Minn.

REV. JOHN BROWN, President, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.

HANS USTRUD, Baltic, S. D.

MRS. FRIDA BUE-HOMNES, Crosby, N. D.

GUNNAR LUND, Publisher, "Washington Posten," Seattle, Wash.

Jan. 8, 1927

Dr. Theo. C. Blegen Minnesota State Historical Society St. Paul, Minn.

Dear Doctor Blegen:

Tak for sidst! That was a fine meeting we had. I hope and pray that you may succeed in finding ways and means to carry out your publishing plans.

I enclose a letter from Doctor Figved. I feel that the matter which he mentions in regard to sailors on the coast, you should take up, or perhaps delegate it to Doctor Gjerset. Anyway that matter belongs to your committee.

I take it for granted that Ristad notified you of your re-election as Managing Editor; but lest he forgot in all the excitement, I hereby notify you now. Dr. Larson was added to the committee; otherwise it remains the same.

I can't help feeling that we have accomplished a great deal during our short existence. If it hadn't been for the five months I spent in bed, our membership would have been a good deal larger than it is.

As soon as I can I want to drop in to see you but can't tell when it will be.

And by the way, we always have coffee Sunday afternoons, so if you and Mrs. Blegen should take a drive down, there will be a cup for each of you.

Sincerely yours,

O. E. Rölvaag

Minnesota Historical Society SAINT PAUL

SOLON J. BUCK Superintendent

THEODORE C. BLEGEN Assistant Superintendent

January 20, 1927

Prof. O. E. Rölvaag St. Olaf College Northfield, Minnesota

Dear Prof. Rölvaag:--

Your cordial letter of January 8 warmed my heart. An attack of influenza has delayed my answer at least a week, however.

It is very kind, indeed, of you to invite Mrs. Blegen and myself to drop in some Sunday afternoon and we may do so before long, for we both have many interests in Northfield, Mrs. Blegen having been at one time a student at Carleton College and later a teacher in the Northfield High School.

I have sent on the letter from Dr. Figved to Dr. Gjerset. He will return it to you. I am delighted to know about the election of Professor Larson to the Editorial Board and I have already been in touch with him.

Up to the present I have forgotten about attending to the copyright business on the Rynning book but I am now sending two volumes to Washington and taking care of the details.

Come in and see me sometime and give me all the suggestions you can for Studies and Records. You must know of many possible contributors.

Sincerely yours

Theodore C. Blegen

TCB/H

JAN 24 1927

The Norwegian American Historical Association

OFFICE OF THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY Northfield, Minn.

Executive Board

REV. D. G. RISTAD, President, Manitowoc, Wis.

DR. L. M. LARSEN, Vice President, Urbana, Ill.

PROF. O. E. RÖLVAAG, Secretary, Northfield, Minn.

HON. O. M. OLESON, Treasurer, Ft. Dodge, Iowa.

MAJOR BIRGER OSLAND, Assistant Treasurer, 134 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, Ill.

MR. A. C. FLOAN, 442 Summit Ave., St. Paul, Minn.

DR. KNUT GJERSET, Decorah, Iowa.

Board of Finance

HON. O. M. OLESON,

MAJOR BIRGER OSLAND,

DR. T. STABO, Decorah, Iowa.

MR. A. C. FLOAN,

DEAN J. JÖRGEN THOMPSON, Financial Secretary, Northfield, Minn.

Board of Editors

DR. THEO. C. BLEGEN, Managing Editor, Minn. State Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.

KRISTIAN PRESTGARD, Editor, "Decorah Posten," Decorah, Iowa.

DR. KNUT GJERSET, Decorah, Iowa.

Local Vice Presidents

DR. E. NYMAN FIGVED, Boston, Mass.

A. N. RYGG, Publisher, "Nordisk Tidende," New York City.

CONSUL M. MOE, Philadelphia, Pa.

MRS. OAKLEY KISSAM BROWN, Chicago, Ill.

PROF. C. MARTIN ALSAGER, Chicago, Ill.

REV. H. J. THORPE, Milwaukee, Wis.

COL. CHR. BRANDT, Decorah, Iowa.

DR. G. T. LEE, Editor, "Lutheran Church Herald," Minneapolis, Minn.

JOHN NORNBORG, Duluth, Minn.

REV. JOHN BROWN, President, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.

HANS USTRUD, Baltic, S. D.

MRS. FRIDA BUE-HOMNES, Crosby, N. D.

GUNNAR LUND, Publisher, "Washington Posten," Seattle, Wash.

January 22nd, 1927

Dr. Theo. C. Blegen Minnesota Historical Society St. Paul, Minnesota

Dear Dr. Blegen:

Your letter of January 20th received. Thank you very much.

I am herewith sending you a copy of the proceedings of our last annual meeting. You may keep the report.

In connection with the report, I wish to call your attention to an opinion voiced in the Board to the effect that, in the opinion of the Board, it might be well to print the additional new members in the new publications and also the purposes of our Association, together with a form for bequests. I was asked to send you the opinion; it is not the resolutions but simply the opinion of the Board.

We have been very busy this last week. I have just sent out 46 review copies of the Rynning Book and also written a personal letter to each prospective reviewer, asking not only for the review but also for a copy of it. I also made a list of city libraries and another of college and university libraries, both lists totaling about eighty. I have written a personal letter to the librarians, calling attention to our two publications, quoting prices, and giving contents, etc. This is an experiment. I doubt that it will pay us, but both Dean Thompson and myself feel that we should try the experiment.

By the way, can you give me the address of the American Library Bulletin?

I shall be looking for you and Mrs. Blegen as soon as the first note of spring comes into the air.

Sincerely yours,

O. E. Rölvaag

OER:MN Enclosure

Minnesota Historical Society SAINT PAUL

SOLON J. BUCK Superintendent

THEODORE C. BLEGEN Assistant Superintendent

January 25, 1927

Prof. O. E. Rölvaag St. Olaf College Northfield, Minnesota

Dear Prof. Rölvaag:--

Thank you very much for your letter of January 22 and for the copy of the proceedings of the annual meeting.

I am glad to know that the review copies of the Rynning book have gone out and also that you are circularizing the libraries.

You ask for the address of the American Library Bulletin. I presume that you are referring to The Booklist, A. L. A., 86 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois. The lists published in this periodical are very select and I am not sure on what principle they are made up. It may be that they are based upon book reviews in a fairly wide range of magazines. At any rate it could do no harm to send a copy of Rynning to The Booklist.

Very sincerely yours

Theodore C. Blegen

TCB/H

Minnesota Historical Society SAINT PAUL

SOLON J. BUCK Superintendent

THEODORE C. BLEGEN Assistant Superintendent

February 5, 1927

Rev. D. G. Ristad 711 North Ninth St. Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Dear Rev. Ristad:--

I have been expecting to get a copy of your annual report, for I have assumed that it ought to be published in volume 2 of Studies and Records. I suppose it would be desirable to publish the various reports presented at the annual meeting. What is your view with reference to this?

There is one other possibility that occurred to me and that is for you, as president, to draw up a general review of the association's progress in the first year of its activity. If you did this you could incorporate into your article material from the report of the Board of Editors, material on finances, information about membership, and perhaps include some kind of summary of the recent meeting in January. In other words -- a comprehensive statement about the association, its work, and its prospects.

I am turning seriously to work on volume 2 and I also have under way some preliminary work on another travel book. There were news stories in both the Minneapolis Journal and the St. Paul Dispatch yesterday about the Rynning publication. Professor L. M. Larson of Illinois has sent me an excellent review of the book, which I shall publish in the March number of Minnesota History.

Sincerely yours

Theodore C. Blegen

TCB/H