Syver Svenson Rodning Biography

The biography, autobiography, and photocopies of personal documents of immigrant Syver Svenson Rodning, born in 1869 in Hallingdal, Norway. He came to America in 1894, studied at Augsburg Seminary for three years, moved to North Dakota in 1901, and married Bergit Bjella in 1907. Elected to office in 1921, Syver was Register of Deeds in Minnewaukan County for fourteen years. He passed away in 1937. This collection consists of two folders of biographical information on Syver Swenson Rodning. One folder contains a biography of Syver Swenson Rodning written in 1987 by his son Richard Rodning. The biography includes family information as well as copies of documents: letters, maps, pictures, emigrant rates of passage, graduation certificate, record of naturalization, homestead certificate, marriage license for Syver and Bergit, product and grocery advertisements, Syver’s campaign poster, and poems written by Syver. There is also information on Syver’s brothers and sisters. The other folder contains a story written by Syver Swenson Rodning about his childhood, adolescence, and immigration translated in 1993 by Richard Rodning. The original was published in “Skandinaven", dated 1938 and 1939.

Biographical Note

Syver Swenson Rodning was born in Hol, Hallingdal, in 1869 to Sven Olson Rodning and Tarand Olsdatter. He attended school and took a two-year course at Asker Agricultural School. He was a substitute teacher before immigrating to America in 1894. In America he served as a Norwegian teacher in different congregations of the Red River Valley. He studied at Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis for three years but was in poor health and had to give up his studies. Instead, he began farming on his homestead in Benson County, North Dakota, in 1901.

Later he went into the hardware and furniture store business with a cousin, Selmer Ellingson, in Epping, Williams County. He moved back to the farm in 1910. He married Bergit Bjella in 1907. They had six children. He became a citizen of the United States in 1900. In 1921 Syver was elected to office in Minnewaukan county and the family moved to the city. Syver was Register of Deeds for fourteen years and kept records of all real estate in the county. He was a writer and had several of his stories published in the magazine “Skandinaven.”