Elizabeth Koren was the wife of a Lutheran minister who traveled to Northeast Iowa from Norway in the 1850s. Elizabeth’s husband was the first Norwegian Lutheran minister west of the Mississippi River. He was also responsible for purchasing the land where today Luther College is located in Decorah, Iowa. During the family’s travels Koren made a journal dated from 1853 to 1855. The diary talks about everyday life and how lonely and hard was for families who relocated from other countries. Her husband was a very busy man, considered to be a patriarch to the area. The diary also recounted what it was like for four adults and two children to live in a one-room log house throughout the winter.
Elizabeth Koren’s husband, Ulrik Vilhelm Koren was largely responsible the settlement of Norwegians in America. In addition to his ministry, Ulrik was an author and a theologian. Today, Decorah, Iowa is the home of Vesterheim Museum. This museum is dedicated the Norwegians who traveled to America sharing their cultures and traditions. The Koren home is included among its historical structures, as well. While Ulrik Koren is well-known for bringing the Norwegian heritage to this part of the country, we can also learn much from his wife Elizabeth who was brave enough to move her entire family to a new world and culture.
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