Knut Gjerset (September 15, 1865 – October 29, 1936) was a

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

author, historian and college professor.

Biography

Knut Gjerset was born at Fræna in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was the son of Ole Sørensen Gjerset and Karen Marie Olsdatter Eidem. He immigrated with his family to

Chippewa County, Minnesota Chippewa County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,598. Its county seat is Montevideo. The county was formed in 1862, and was organized in 1868. History Chippewa County was organized on M ...

during 1871. His brother, Oluf Gjerset, was an elected official in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Gjerset attended Willmar Seminary in

Willmar, Minnesota Willmar is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 21,015 at the 2020 census. History Agricultural expansion and the establishment of Willmar as a division point on the Great Northern ...

, and received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

in 1893. He held the position of principal at St. Ansgar Seminary in St. Ansgar, Iowa (1893-1895). He was married in 1894 to Helen Baumgarten (1866-1966) at New Richland, Minnesota. Gjerset studied at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

(1895-1896), and at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

(1896 to 1898) where he was awarded a PhD. Gjerset next worked as a principal at Glenwood Academy in

Glenwood, Minnesota Glenwood is a city in, and the county seat of, Pope County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,657 at the 2020 census. It is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Minnewaska. History Glenwood was platted in 1866, and named for ...

. In 1902, he became a professor at Luther College. Gjerset was head of the history department for more than thirty years and co-editor of the literary yearbook ''Symra'' (1905-1914). He was curator of the Norwegian-American Historical Museum. He published a number of historical works, including ''History of the Norwegian People'' (1915) and ''History of Iceland'' (1924). Gjerset was appointed Knight of the 1st class in the Order of St. Olav in 1917. He was the chairman of the committee on exhibits for the

Norse-American Centennial The Norse-American Centennial celebration was held at the Minnesota State Fair on June 6–9, 1925. Description The event served to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival during 1825 of the Norwegian immigrant ship '' Restauration''. T ...

in 1925.

"Knut Gjerset"
in ''Norsk biografisk leksikon''

Selected works

*''English Grammar'' (1908) *''Brændevinssamla gene og avholdsarbeidet i Norge'' (1911) *''History of the Norwegian People'', two volumes (1915) *''Luther College Museum'' (1923) *''John Martin Kalberlahn'' (1924) *''History of Iceland'' (1924) *''Health Conditions and the Practice of Medicine Among the Early Norwegian Settlers, 1825-1865'' with Dr.

Ludvig Hektoen Ludvig Hektoen (July 2, 1863 – July 5, 1951) was an American pathologist known for his work in the fields of pathology, microbiology and immunology. Hektoen was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences in 1918, and served as president of ...

(1926) *''Norwegian-American Studies and Records'' with Theodore C. Blegen, Kristian Prestgard and Laurence M. Larson (1927) *''Norwegian-American Historical Museum'' (1929) *''Norwegian Sailors on the Great Lakes'' (1933)

References

External links

Gjerset House
at Luther College
Knut Gjerset Collection
at Luther College
Norwegian-American Historical Association - Knut Gjerset papers
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gjerset, Knut People from Møre og Romsdal Norwegian emigrants to the United States 1865 births 1936 deaths Recipients of the Order of the Falcon Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Heidelberg University alumni American Lutherans University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni People from Chippewa County, Minnesota

Biography

Selected works

References

Related reading

External links