Kristian Ostergaard
Encyclopedia
Kristian Ostergaard was Danish-American Lutheran pastor, educator and author.
, now Struer Municipality, Region Midtjylland
, Denmark
.
Folk high school
s. He taught at the Elk Horn Højskolein in Elk Horn, Iowa
from its beginning in 1878. He also helped establish the Ashland Folk School at Grant, Michigan
in 1882.
In 1885 he returned to Denmark, where he founded a Folk high school in Støvring
(now Rebild municipality
in Region Nordjylland
). In 1892, Ostergaard returned to the United State. He was ordained a Lutheran pastor in 1893. He served the ministry of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church
. He ministered to a number of congregations before retiring in 1916 at Tyler, Minnesota
. Ostergaard devoted the remainder of his life to writing songs, poetry and fiction. His writings were all in the Danish language.
Ostergaard wrote a number of novels depicting the life among Danish-American immigrants. His novels provided accounts of the immigrants struggling to create communities on the prairies, mostly Nebraska
. Several trace members of a family from their arrival in the early 1870s to their participation in settling Nebraska.
Ostergaard also wrote many songs and hymns an anthology
of which was published in 1912. Most notably, Ostergaard wrote the hymn Den Sag er aldrig i Verden tabt. Translated into English by Jens Christian Aaberg as That Cause Can Never Be Lost Nor Stayed, it was published in Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark during 1945.
Ostergaard died in Tyler, Minnesota
and was buried at the Danebod Lutheran Cemetery.
Background
Kristian Ostergaard was born in Østergård in the Hjerm parish of Viborg CountyViborg County
Viborg Amt is a former county in the north-central part of the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. The county was abolished on 1 January 2007, when most of it merged into Region Midtjylland...
, now Struer Municipality, Region Midtjylland
Region Midtjylland
Central Denmark Region or Central Jutland Region is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Career
Ostergaard immigrated to the United States where he worked at Danish languageDanish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
Folk high school
Folk high school
Folk high schools are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal...
s. He taught at the Elk Horn Højskolein in Elk Horn, Iowa
Elk Horn, Iowa
Elk Horn is a city in Shelby County, Iowa, United States. The population was 649 at the 2000 census. Elk Horn is known as a center of Danish ethnicity and is home to The Danish Immigrant Museum...
from its beginning in 1878. He also helped establish the Ashland Folk School at Grant, Michigan
Grant, Michigan
Grant is a city in Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 894 at the 2010 census. The city is on the boundary between Grant Township and Ashland Township, but is politically independent of both...
in 1882.
In 1885 he returned to Denmark, where he founded a Folk high school in Støvring
Støvring
Støvring is a town in Rebild municipality in Region Nordjylland in the geographic region of the Jutland peninsula known as Himmerland in northern Denmark...
(now Rebild municipality
Rebild municipality
Rebild municipality is a municipality in North Denmark Region in Denmark. It covers an area of 628 km² and a total population of 28,753 ....
in Region Nordjylland
Region Nordjylland
North Denmark Region or North Jutland Region is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger...
). In 1892, Ostergaard returned to the United State. He was ordained a Lutheran pastor in 1893. He served the ministry of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church
United Evangelical Lutheran Church
The United Evangelical Lutheran Church was one of the many denominations formed when Lutherans came to the United States from Europe...
. He ministered to a number of congregations before retiring in 1916 at Tyler, Minnesota
Tyler, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,218 people, 532 households, and 338 families residing in the city. The population density was 632.8 people per square mile . There were 577 housing units at an average density of 299.8 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.78% White, 0.49%...
. Ostergaard devoted the remainder of his life to writing songs, poetry and fiction. His writings were all in the Danish language.
Ostergaard wrote a number of novels depicting the life among Danish-American immigrants. His novels provided accounts of the immigrants struggling to create communities on the prairies, mostly Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Several trace members of a family from their arrival in the early 1870s to their participation in settling Nebraska.
Ostergaard also wrote many songs and hymns an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of which was published in 1912. Most notably, Ostergaard wrote the hymn Den Sag er aldrig i Verden tabt. Translated into English by Jens Christian Aaberg as That Cause Can Never Be Lost Nor Stayed, it was published in Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark during 1945.
Ostergaard died in Tyler, Minnesota
Tyler, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,218 people, 532 households, and 338 families residing in the city. The population density was 632.8 people per square mile . There were 577 housing units at an average density of 299.8 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.78% White, 0.49%...
and was buried at the Danebod Lutheran Cemetery.
Selected works
- A Merchant's House (1909)
- Songs of the Prairie (1912)
- Dalboerne (1913)
Related Reading
- Mortensen, E. Schools for life: The Grundtvigianfolk schools in America (Askov, MN: American Publishing Co. 1977)
- Larson, D. C. The movement to preserve Danish culture in North America (Pittsburgh. PA: University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh. 1980)