Cleng Peerson
Encyclopedia
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Restauration
Restauration (ship)
Restauration was a sloop built in 1801 in Hardanger, Norway. It became a symbol of Norwegian American immigration. Historical sources may contain several variations on the name of the sloop, including Restauration, Restoration, Restaurasjonen, and Restorasjon.-History:On what is considered the...
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Background
Cleng Peerson was born Klein Pedersen near the community of TysværTysvær
Tysvær is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Haugaland. The municipality is located at the northern side of Boknafjord, east of Karmøy. Tysvær has a population of 9,349 and an area of 419 km². Aksdalsvatnet is a lake in this municipality.Local...
in the county of Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. His parents were Peder Larsson (1755-1841) and Inger Sjursdotter (1744-1814). Cleng Peerson grew up on the farm Hesthammar in Tysvær, but was born on the farm Lervik in the same district. In 1821, he first traveled to the United States at the request of a religious community in Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
. This community was made up principally of Quakers, together with Haugean
Haugean
Haugean was a pietistic state church reform movementintended to bring new life and vitality into a Norwegian State Church which had been often characterized by formalism and lethargy....
s, followers of the beliefs of Hans Nielsen Hauge
Hans Nielsen Hauge
Hans Nielsen Hauge was a noted revivalist Norwegian lay minister who spoke up against the Church establishment in Norway. Hauge is considered an influential personality in the industrialization of Norway...
, as well as a group having been influenced by the beliefs of German Rappites.
Immigration
In 1824, when Peerson came back to Norway, it was decided that a group should emigrate. Peerson returned to America to prepare for their arrival. Cleng Peerson met the immigrants when they landed in New York on October 9, 1825. They moved to northern New York state settling about 35 miles (56.3 km) northwest of RochesterRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
in the town of Kendall
Kendall, New York
Kendall is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 2,838 at the 2000 census. The Town of Kendall is in the northeast corner of the county and is northwest of Rochester.- History :...
, near Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, in Orleans County
Orleans County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,171 people, 15,363 households, and 10,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 17,347 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
. The road that ran through this settlement is today known as Norway Road.
In 1834, Cleng Peerson led a group of settlers to a little settlement on the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
, in the Fox River Valley
Fox Valley (Illinois)
The Fox Valley—also commonly known as the Fox River Valley—is a rural, suburban, and exurban region within Illinois and Wisconsin along the western edges of the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. This region centers on the Fox River of Illinois and Wisconsin...
. Norway, in Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, is the site of the Norwegian Settlers Memorial which was dedicated in 1934.
Starting in 1838, Peerson returned to Norway several times. By 1840, Peerson had settled in Sugar Creek in Montrose Township, Lee County
Lee County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,205 housing units, of which 14,610 were occupied.-2000 census:...
in the southeastern part of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Cleng Peerson was listed in the United States census records as a settler in 1840. He lived here for several years, including the period 1840-47. In 1847, he joined the Swedish immigrant society at Bishop Hill Colony
Bishop Hill Colony
Bishop Hill Colony is a historic district in Bishop Hill, Illinois. Bishop Hill was the site of a utopian religious community which operated as a commune. It was founded in 1846 by Swedish pietist Eric Janson and his followers...
in Henry County, Illinois
Henry County, Illinois
Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 50,486, which is a decrease of 1.0% from 51,020 in 2000. Its county seat is Cambridge...
which had been founded by sect leader Erik Janson.
During 1854, the Texas State Legislature granted Peerson 320 acres (1.3 km²) of land west of Clifton
Clifton, Texas
Clifton is the largest city in Bosque County in Central Texas. The city's population was 3,542 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Clifton is located at ....
, in Bosque County, Texas
Bosque County, Texas
Bosque County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,204. Its county seat is Meridian. Clifton, however, is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. Bosque is named for the Bosque River, which runs through...
. Peerson lived here until his death in 1865 and was buried in the cemetery by Our Savior's Lutheran Church
Our Savior's Lutheran Church (Cranfills Gap, Texas)
Our Savior's Lutheran Church, is a Lutheran church located near Cranfills Gap, Texas in an unincorporated community known as Norse, Texas.-History:...
in Cranfills Gap
Cranfills Gap, Texas
Cranfills Gap is a city located in Bosque County in Central Texas. The population was 335 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cranfills Gap is located at ....
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Personal life
Peerson married the Swedish-born widow Ane Cathrine Saelinger (1749-1831) in 1807. He later married Maria Charlotta Dahlgren (1809-ca. 1849) who had emigrated from Sweden in 1846.Legacy
In 1947, Cleng Peerson was featured on a Norwegian postage stamp (Cleng Peerson. Frimerke utgitt i 1947). In 1965, Tysvær municipality raised a memorial stone in his honor. During 1982, King Olav V visited Texas in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Cleng Peerson. A history of the life and adventures of Cleng Peerson was completed by Norwegian author and historian Alfred HaugeAlfred Hauge
Alfred Hauge was a Norwegian novelist, poet and historian. Hauge wrote extensively about life on the Ryfylke islands and about Norwegian-American emigration.-Biography:...
. The three volume series were published between 1961 and 1965 by Gyldendal Norsk Forlag
Gyldendal Norsk Forlag
Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, commonly referred to as Gyldendal, is one of the largest Norwegian publishing houses .-Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS:Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS was founded in 1925...
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