Lions Club hears about recently discovered Elizabeth Koren letters

Kari Gronningsater, Decorah Lions Club member Dale Nimrod and Oyvind Gullickson

Many with an interest in local history have read the "The Diary of Elizabeth Koren".  It was translated into English by Decorah's David T. Nelson.  Recently a collection of 155 letters written by Elizabeth Koren to her family in Norway was rediscovered in the attic of the home of David and Betty Nelson.  Oyvind Gullickson of Norway has been working with those letters, transcribing them and translating them to English.  Gullickson spoke recently to members of the Decorah Lions Club.

In the letters, Elizabeth Koren describes her family's new life in Iowa and comments on American politics and community and church matters.  She was worried about events during the American Civil War as well as the war concurrently being between waged between Germany and Norway and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent ascension to the presidency of Andrew Johnson.
 
Elizabeth was also concerned that when her husband purchased the land on which Luther College now stands, that he would be so busy with the affairs of the college that he would neglect the family farm and that she would never be able to return to Norway for a visit.
 
It is Gullicksen's hope that the letters will be published in Norway and eventually the translations would be published in the United States.