Knut Gjerset

Knut Gjerset was a Norwegian-American author, historian and college professor.

Biography

Knut Gjerset was born at Fræna in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was the son of Ole Sørensen Gjerset and Karen Marie Olsdatter Eidem. He immigrated with his family to Chippewa County, Minnesota during 1871. His brother, Oluf Gjerset, was an elected official in Minnesota.
Gjerset attended Willmar Seminary in Willmar, Minnesota, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in literature from the University of Minnesota in 1893. He held the position of principal at St. Ansgar Seminary in St. Ansgar, Iowa. He was married in 1894 to Helen Baumgarten at New [Richland, Minnesota]. Gjerset studied at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the Heidelberg University where he was awarded a PhD.
Gjerset next worked as a principal at Glenwood Academy in Glenwood, Minnesota. In 1902, he became a professor at Luther College. Gjerset was head of the history department for more than thirty years and co-editor of the literary yearbook Symra. He was curator of the Vesterheim [Norwegian-American Museum|Norwegian-American Historical Museum]. He published a number of historical works, including History of the Norwegian People and History of Iceland. Gjerset was appointed Knight of the 1st class in the Order of St. Olav in 1917. He was the chairman of the committee on exhibits for the Norse-American Centennial in 1925.

English Grammar
Brændevinssamla gene og avholdsarbeidet i Norge
History of the Norwegian People, two volumes
Luther College Museum
John Martin Kalberlahn
History of Iceland
Health Conditions and the Practice of Medicine Among the Early Norwegian Settlers, 1825-1865 with Dr. Ludvig Hektoen
Norwegian-American Studies and Records with Theodore C. Blegen, Kristian Prestgard and Laurence M. Larson
Norwegian-American Historical Museum
''Norwegian Sailors on the Great Lakes''