Jottings News

We’ve come a long way in 15 years. When Dana College closed, we found ourselves with no money and no place to house our collection. Only because we had John W. Nielsen’s vision, Tim Jensen’s level-headedness and Sandra Wigdahl’s tenacity were we able to start plotting our course.

An important collection at the Danish American Archive and Library is that of Sophus Keith Winther (1893-1983). He was born in Denmark and came to America with his family at the age of two in 1895.

Jacob Riis, a late-nineteenth-century Danish immigrant of meager resources, followed his interests and became one of the most significant contributors to social reform in the city of New York and generally throughout America.

The Big Brotherhood Books: Weighing in at between twenty and forty-five pounds, the membership books of the Danish Brotherhood in America are an important resource for those seeking information about the 80,000 men who were a part of the society from the 1880s to the 1970s.

Peder Sørensen Vig was born into a poor farm family near Egtved, Denmark in 1854. He came to the United States in 1879 and worked a variety of jobs in Chicago. His goal since his youth was to become a Lutheran pastor.

Nikolaj Thomsen Lünd, who went through so many name variations in his youth that he finally settled upon “N. T. Lund”, became a kind of Danish midwestern Everyman after immigrating to the United States in April of 1882 at the age of seven years.

Our volunteers have always been the lifeblood of our organization. John W. Nielsen, Ninna Engskow, Ruth Herman Nielsen and Flo Hansen started recording volunteer hours on July 28, 1992.

In the Fall 2007 Jottings, John W. Nielsen announced a name change for the organization (at that time still within Dana College) from The Danish Immigrant Archive to The Danish American Archive and Library to more accurately reflect the expanding nature of its focus and holdings.

Remodeling Improvements. Sandy Sonderup is pictured with new track lighting and an exhibit case behind her. The workstation now has a computer and an ergonomic office chair. There is also a standing table available for laying out projects, and the top of the front cabinet is open for displaying items.

The Dream Becomes a Reality. The first panels of the Danish American Commemorative Wall are on display! What began with the question: “Do you have any naming opportunities?” has become a reality thanks to the collaborative efforts of many.

Revealing the Remodeled DAAL. The Danish American Archive and Library closed for remodeling last October and reopened this March. During that time our major goal was to install movable shelving on one side of the Archive to increase our storage space.

The Commemorative Wall: Honoring Danish America. A conversation between Executive Director Jill Hennick and Dr. Linda Miller of Henderson, Nevada, sparked the idea for our Danish American Commemorative Wall. Dr. Miller asked Jill if the DAAL had any naming opportunities.

Teacher, college professor, pastor, editor and scholar Dr. John W. Nielsen established the DAAL in its current form in 1990 and infused it with his energy and a passion for Danish American history that carries through to today.

Dana College closed its doors nearly eleven years ago. For those of us with any connection to the college there was a tremendous feeling of loss—almost as if there had been a death in the family.

Master Of Arts Practicum + DAAL’s Primary Materials + The Internet = Online Exhibit. Researchers and scholars are always on the hunt for primary materials—original documents that contain first-hand information about a topic. This is exactly the type of information available at the DAAL…

On Friday, July 9, 2010, the staff and volunteers at the DAAL received the stunning news that we had exactly two and a half days to pack up all materials, books, equipment and furniture and get everything out of the Dana College library or risk having it locked in when the campus permanently closed. We had no choice but to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

It was the summer of 2010 when the DAAL was compelled to pack up and leave the lower level of the Dana College library. We took with us our complete inventory of books, documents and the rest…and our website, which we had introduced a couple of years previously.

On October 1 and 2, 2019, board members from three major Danish American institutions toured each others’ facilities, and afterwards met to discuss how they could work together in the future to benefit all three institutions. The event was facilitated by the Danish American Heritage Society (DAHS).