Winnebago County, IA Genealogy Trails
Norwegian Immigration

In 1856 some nine families of Norwegians settled in the northeast part of the county. Among them were: Oliver Peterson, Colburn Larson, John Johnson, H. J. Knudson, John Iverson, Christian Anderson and Louis Nelson.

All are still residents of the county, with the exception of Louis Nelson, who died in 1870.

This class of the population of the county did not receive any further accessions until 1865, but since that time there has been a heavy immigration, so that at present they constitute fully one half of the population of the county; there being somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 families of Norwegians, Swedes and Danes; the Norwegians being in the majority. The balance of the population of the county is made up almost entirely of Americans; there being, however, a few Germans and Irish.