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Reverend Johan Olsen In 1867 to 1872 he served congregations at Neenah, Wisconsin and Fort Howard and also organized numerous congregations.
He served the congregations at St. Ansgar, Deer Creek, Rock Creek, and other congregations for over thirty years when he retired from active service. He died September 11, 1911 and was laid to rest in the First Lutheran Cemetery. He was married to Rakel Johanna Rodli who died in 1910. Reverend and Mrs. Olsen’s children were Sigurd, Helga, Mrs. Molly Granrud, Olaf, Rolf, Fritjof and Mrs. Olga Field.
First Lutheran Church The younger photo of John is from the STANDARD HISTORICAL ATLAS OF
MITCHELL COUNTY, 1911, published by Anderson Publishing Co., Chicago.
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Reverend Johan Olsen, the second pastor of the St. Ansgar Church, was born
near Tromso, Norway, July 3, 1834. Having graduated from the Tromso
Seminary, he was for some time engaged in teaching at Velfjorden and
Kaafjord. From 1859 to 1866, he was a student at the University of
Christianna, now Oslo. Having completed his course at the University
and coming to the United States in 1866, he served the first year as
professor at Augustana Seminary, Paxton, Illinois. He was ordained a
minister of the gospel by Professor Hasselquist. D.D. (the president of
the Scandinavian Synod.)
In 1873, he came to St. Ansgar. From 1872 to 1881 he was
president of the Norwegian Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
He was vice-prsident and trustee of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota
for several years. He took a leading and active part in uniting the different
church bodies into one consolidated church body, known as the “United
Church.” Reverend Olsen was a very able preacher, highly regarded and
loved. He was a man of great literary and the writer of many poems and
hymns.
Rev. Johan OlsenRev. Johan Olsen, only son of Ole and Anne (Hermansen) Jacobson, came to St. Ansgar, Mitchell Co. Iowa, in January 1873. His birthplace was Helgeland, Norway, near Tromso, and he was born on July 3, 1834. He received his education in Norway, graduating first at Normal school, and then at Tromsoe Seminary in 1854, also receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts, at the University of Christiana, in 1863, and in 1864 he obtained the "Examin Philosopicum," and received the degree of "Candidate of Philosophy." In the same university he also studied theology during the two following years. He came to America in 1866 and settled at Paxton, Illinois, where he became teacher in Augustana College and Seminary, from 1866 to 1867. In 1867 he was ordained and began preaching Neenah, Wisconsin and at Fort Howard, Wisconsin, where he remained until 1873 when came to St. Ansgar, Iowa. From 1872 until 1881 he was president of the conference for the Norwegian Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He was vice-president and trustee of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota for several years. In 1883 he was the editor of the Norwegian church paper, Lutheraneren of Mission-Blaldet. He served the songregations at St. Ansgar, Deer Creek, Rock Creek, and also other congregations, for over thirty years. Johan died on September 11, 1911, and was buried in the First Lutheran Cemetery in St. Ansgar. He was married Aug. 15, 1858, to Rakel (Rachel) Johanna Rodli (Rodlie), who was born in Helgeland, Norway. She died in 1910. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom were still living as of 1883: Lars J. S. (Sigurd), Helga O., Amelia O. (Molly Granrud), Olaf E. N., Rolf J., Fritjof and Rachel O. C. (Mrs. Olga Field).
Above compiled from History of Mitchell and Worth Counties, Iowa, 1883; Page 498 and The First Lutheran Church sesquicentennial booklet (2003).
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M O R E O N J O H N O L S E N
Additionally, note that in the 1918 edition of the History of Mitchell and Worth Counties, Iowa, it reads as follows, under the heading of "The Norwegian Lutheran Churches, page 101" regarding the church in St. Ansgar.
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