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Elisabeth Koren and Her Letters Home

Abstract:In 2014 an extensive set of written correspondence by well-known Norwegian-American pioneer diarist Elisabeth Koren was rediscovered in Decorah, Iowa. This article provides an overview of what we know about the letters and provides important context to better understand the letters and their meanings. Included are four letters in translation. Elisabeth Koren (1832–1918) was born and grew up in Larvik, Norway, in a family well placed in the upper social class of the small seaside town. She immigrated to Iowa in the fall of 1853 with her husband, Ulrik Vilhelm Koren (1826–1910), well-known pioneer pastor and cofounder of Luther College. They are both buried in the Washington Prairie Cemetery, near Decorah, Iowa.