Johannes B. Wist
Encyclopedia
Johannes B. Wist was an Norwegian American
newspaper editor, journalist and author.
parish in Nord-Trøndelag
county, Norway. He immigrated to the United States during 1884.
Wist served as editor of a number of Norwegian-language
newspaper serving the immigrant Norwegian American
community. He was the editor of Fakkelen Glenwood, Minnesota
1885–1886, Arbeitets Ridder Minneapolis, Minnesota
1886–1887, Skandinavisk Tribune Madison, Wisconsin
1887–1888, Nordvesten St. Paul, Minnesota 1889–1897 and Norge Granite Falls, Minnesota
1899–1900.
Most notable Wist was the editor of Decorah-Posten from 1901 until his death in 1923. During the period 1905 to 1914, he additionally served as editor of Symra
which was also published in Decorah, Iowa
. In 1914, he edited a survey of the Norwegian-American press entitled Norsk-amerikanernes festskrift (Decorah, Iowa: Symra Co., 1914).
Wist wrote a column in Decorah-Posten about a fictional Norwegian pioneer named Jonas Olsen. Originally published serially during the 1920s, the stories were subsequently published in book form. With translation by Orm Øverland, professor at the University of Bergen
, the book has been published in English as The Rise of Jonas Olsen: A Norwegian Immigrant's Saga (University of Minnesota Press; 2005)
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
newspaper editor, journalist and author.
Biography
Born Johannes Racinus Benjaminsen, he was the son of Benjamin Johannessen Wist and Magdalene Arnoldusdatter Wist. He was born on the Sund farm in InderøyInderøy
Inderøy is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straumen. Other villages include Gangstadhaugen, Hylla, Kjerknesvågen, Røra, Sakshaug, Sandvollan, Småland, Utøy, and Vangshylla.The...
parish in Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
county, Norway. He immigrated to the United States during 1884.
Wist served as editor of a number of Norwegian-language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
newspaper serving the immigrant Norwegian American
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
community. He was the editor of Fakkelen Glenwood, Minnesota
Glenwood, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,594 people, 1,131 households, and 629 families residing in the city. The population density was 466.0 people per square mile . There were 1,202 housing units at an average density of 215.9 per square mile...
1885–1886, Arbeitets Ridder Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
1886–1887, Skandinavisk Tribune Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
1887–1888, Nordvesten St. Paul, Minnesota 1889–1897 and Norge Granite Falls, Minnesota
Granite Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,070 people, 1,344 households, and 806 families residing in the city. The population density was 890.5 people per square mile . There were 1,472 housing units at an average density of 427.0 per square mile...
1899–1900.
Most notable Wist was the editor of Decorah-Posten from 1901 until his death in 1923. During the period 1905 to 1914, he additionally served as editor of Symra
Symra
Symra was a Norwegian language periodical published between in 1905 and 1914.Symra; En Aarbog for Norske Paa Begge Sider Af Havet was established to publish the literary works of Norwegian American authors, writers and poets. Johannes B...
which was also published in Decorah, Iowa
Decorah, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...
. In 1914, he edited a survey of the Norwegian-American press entitled Norsk-amerikanernes festskrift (Decorah, Iowa: Symra Co., 1914).
Wist wrote a column in Decorah-Posten about a fictional Norwegian pioneer named Jonas Olsen. Originally published serially during the 1920s, the stories were subsequently published in book form. With translation by Orm Øverland, professor at the University of Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
, the book has been published in English as The Rise of Jonas Olsen: A Norwegian Immigrant's Saga (University of Minnesota Press; 2005)
Other sources
- Hoerder, Dirk and Christiane Harzig Migrants from Northern Europe. The immigrant labor press in North America, 1840s–1970s ( New York: Greenwood Press, 1987)
- Øverland, Orm The Western Home: A Literary History of Norwegian America (Norwegian-American Historical Assocociation. 1996)
- Øverland, Orm Immigrant Minds, American Identities: Making the United States Home, 1870–1930 (University of Illinois Press. 2000)
