Rev. M. O. Silseth Photograph Collection
Collection
Identifier: Photo 2206
Scope and Content
The Rev. M.O. Silseth Photograph Collection contains mostly postcards, both photographic and colorized, removed from a photo album that seems to have been compiled between 1904 and 1911. Many of the postcards have personal messages handwritten on the back sides to the Rev. and his family. They have been organized into three series, the United States and Canada Series, and the Norway Series, and the Greeting Card Series.
The United States and Canada Series have been broken down into Rugby, and other North Dakota locations, Minnesota, Western United States, Eastern United States, and Canada.
The first folder contains six photographic postcards of various Rugby, N.D. scenes including Main Street, Norwegian Lutheran Church, Great Northern Depot, Band and Judges Stand at the Race Track, Residence of F. H. McBride, and residences on Third Street.
The second folder contains six postcards, from North Dakota locations. They are the H. E. Gunderson home at Barton, N.D., a composite view postcard of Barton, N.D., cranes hunted near Fairdale, N.D., ice skating on unidentified frozen river, Martyrs of Walhalla monument, Roosevelt’s cabin near Medora, N.D.
The third folder contains five postcards of Minnesota scenes. They include a photographic postcard showing a group class photo from St. Olof College, in Northfield. Another postcard is written from “Uncle Johann” and shows a man standing in front of a tree. There is a postcard of the saw mill in Crookston, Minn., and a postcard of Stony Point at Green Lake. The last postcard is of the Masonic Temple in Minneapolis.
The Western U.S. folder contains six postcards featuring the locations of Marcus, Tacoma, and Spokane in Washington, and Yellowstone National Park. The Eastern U.S. folder holds four postcards from Chicago, Niagara Falls, New York City, and Saint Ansgar, Iowa. The Canada folder holds two postcards, one is a bird’s-eye view over Calgary, and the other is of C.P.R. S.S. “Princess Charlotte,” Vancouver-Victoria Service steam ship.
The Norwegian Series contains mostly colorized postcards of various locations in Norway featuring scenery, people dressed in traditional clothing, and the royal family. Geographically the folders are organized roughly geographically by regions from north to south.
The first folder in this series contains the regions of Finnmark, Troms, and Nordland, and include the towns of Hammerfest, Tromsø, and Bodø.
The next folder contains the north central regions of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn of Fjordane, Oppland, and they include the locations of Trondheim, Kristiansund, Nordfjord, Mundal, Balholm, Jotunheimen, and Valders.
The third folder in this series holds postcards from the south and western regions of Hordaland, Buskerud, Rogaland, Agder, and Telemark. This includes Bergen, Odde, Hardanger, Stavanger, Drammen, Ringerike, Arendal, and Hjartdal.
The forth folder holds postcards from Oslo, Vestfold and Akershus region, including Eidsvold and Laurvik.
There is a folder of the Royal Family with postcards of King Frederik VIII, Haakon VII, his wife Maude and Crown prince Olav.
The final folder has general Norwegian Postcards showing people in costumes and dress, the flag and other general national themes.
The third series are of general Greeting Cards. Most are written on and postmarked. The first folder are organized by date for those who are legible, The second folder contains cards whose dates are not legible.
The first folder contains six photographic postcards of various Rugby, N.D. scenes including Main Street, Norwegian Lutheran Church, Great Northern Depot, Band and Judges Stand at the Race Track, Residence of F. H. McBride, and residences on Third Street.
The second folder contains six postcards, from North Dakota locations. They are the H. E. Gunderson home at Barton, N.D., a composite view postcard of Barton, N.D., cranes hunted near Fairdale, N.D., ice skating on unidentified frozen river, Martyrs of Walhalla monument, Roosevelt’s cabin near Medora, N.D.
The third folder contains five postcards of Minnesota scenes. They include a photographic postcard showing a group class photo from St. Olof College, in Northfield. Another postcard is written from “Uncle Johann” and shows a man standing in front of a tree. There is a postcard of the saw mill in Crookston, Minn., and a postcard of Stony Point at Green Lake. The last postcard is of the Masonic Temple in Minneapolis.
The Western U.S. folder contains six postcards featuring the locations of Marcus, Tacoma, and Spokane in Washington, and Yellowstone National Park. The Eastern U.S. folder holds four postcards from Chicago, Niagara Falls, New York City, and Saint Ansgar, Iowa. The Canada folder holds two postcards, one is a bird’s-eye view over Calgary, and the other is of C.P.R. S.S. “Princess Charlotte,” Vancouver-Victoria Service steam ship.
The Norwegian Series contains mostly colorized postcards of various locations in Norway featuring scenery, people dressed in traditional clothing, and the royal family. Geographically the folders are organized roughly geographically by regions from north to south.
The first folder in this series contains the regions of Finnmark, Troms, and Nordland, and include the towns of Hammerfest, Tromsø, and Bodø.
The next folder contains the north central regions of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn of Fjordane, Oppland, and they include the locations of Trondheim, Kristiansund, Nordfjord, Mundal, Balholm, Jotunheimen, and Valders.
The third folder in this series holds postcards from the south and western regions of Hordaland, Buskerud, Rogaland, Agder, and Telemark. This includes Bergen, Odde, Hardanger, Stavanger, Drammen, Ringerike, Arendal, and Hjartdal.
The forth folder holds postcards from Oslo, Vestfold and Akershus region, including Eidsvold and Laurvik.
There is a folder of the Royal Family with postcards of King Frederik VIII, Haakon VII, his wife Maude and Crown prince Olav.
The final folder has general Norwegian Postcards showing people in costumes and dress, the flag and other general national themes.
The third series are of general Greeting Cards. Most are written on and postmarked. The first folder are organized by date for those who are legible, The second folder contains cards whose dates are not legible.
Dates
- 1904-1911
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSU Archives
Copyrights
Copyrights to this collection is held by the NDSU Archives.
Biographical / Historical
Martinus Olson Silseth was born August 7, 1871, at Battenfjorden, Indre Nordmore, Norway, to Ole Andersen Silseth and Jensine Marie Flor. He attended evening school at Kristianssund in 1888, and Bergen Inner Mission School from 1889 to 1890. Then from 1890 to 1892, he attended the Gossners Missionsschule, in Berlin. He immigrated to the United States in 1893. He attended Augsburg Seminary from 1893 to 1897. He took elocution lessons in Milwaukee in 1912, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the N.D. University. He served as pastor at St. Luke’s Church in Minneapolis, Minn., 1897-1899; Rugby, N.D., 1899-1901; Larimore, N.D. from 1901-1905; Staten Island, N.Y from 1905-1906. Then back to North Dakota serving in the towns of Adams from 1906-1911, Lankin from 1911-1920. Then to Minnesota where he served parishes at Litchfield from 1921-1927, and Dalton from 1927-? By 1930, he had moved to St. Paul, and worked for the Ebenezer Home Society located in Minneapolis. He was married to Ella Grorud on 12 Aug 1896, in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, and they had two children, Martha and Ellsworth. He died in Ramsey County, Minnesota on June 7, 1943, and is buried at Hillside Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Extent
135 Postcards
Language of Materials
English
Norwegian
Abstract
Collection of postcards and greeting cards pulled from an album belonging to Norwegian-American Lutheran Minister, Martinus Olson Silseth who served parishes in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Provenance
Donated by the Cass County Historical Society, 1977 (Acc. 1989)
Property rights
The NDSU Archives owns the property rights to this collection.
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Rev. M. O. Silseth Photograph Collection
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository
Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu