John O. Evjen
Encyclopedia
John Oluf Evjen was an American author, Lutheran church historian and professor of theology.
. He was educated at Augsburg Seminary (class of 1895) and the Theological Institute of Augsberg Seminary (1898). He earned his doctorate in Germany at the University of Leipzig
(Ph.D., 1903). Evjen was an ordained minister in the Lutheran Free Church
. He served as a Lutheran minister in Muskegon and Grand Rapids, Michigan
He was acting professor of church history at the United Church Theological Seminary
in St. Paul, Minnesota from 1903 until 1905. He was a professor of biblical History in Pennsylvania College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
from 1905 until 1909. Starting in 1909, he became a professor of theology at Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis, MN.
Evjen was also the author of numerous books frequently addressing issues of Lutheran church theology and providing biographies of church theologians. Evjen is most frequently associated with his 1916 volume Scandinavian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674. This epic work is a reference book frequently used by historians tracing the early immigration of German and Scandinavians to North America. It contains a collection of biographies based on ship passenger lists, parish records, church records, court records, and legal documents. Included is information such as dates of birth, places of origin, marriages, names of children, types of occupation, and references to sources.
Biography
John Evjen was born in Ishpeming, MichiganIshpeming, Michigan
Ishpeming is a city in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,686 at the 2000 census. This is down from a higher population in the 1950s and 1960s when the economically supportive iron ore mines had a much higher employment level...
. He was educated at Augsburg Seminary (class of 1895) and the Theological Institute of Augsberg Seminary (1898). He earned his doctorate in Germany at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
(Ph.D., 1903). Evjen was an ordained minister in the Lutheran Free Church
Lutheran Free Church
The Lutheran Free Church was a Lutheran denomination that existed in the United States from 1897 to 1963 mainly in Minnesota and North Dakota...
. He served as a Lutheran minister in Muskegon and Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
He was acting professor of church history at the United Church Theological Seminary
Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary is the largest seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . Located in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St...
in St. Paul, Minnesota from 1903 until 1905. He was a professor of biblical History in Pennsylvania College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
from 1905 until 1909. Starting in 1909, he became a professor of theology at Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis, MN.
Evjen was also the author of numerous books frequently addressing issues of Lutheran church theology and providing biographies of church theologians. Evjen is most frequently associated with his 1916 volume Scandinavian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674. This epic work is a reference book frequently used by historians tracing the early immigration of German and Scandinavians to North America. It contains a collection of biographies based on ship passenger lists, parish records, church records, court records, and legal documents. Included is information such as dates of birth, places of origin, marriages, names of children, types of occupation, and references to sources.
Selected bibliography
- Scandinavia and the Book of Concord (1906)
- En boganmeldelse (1910)
- Lutheran Germany and the Book of Concord (1911)
- Scandinavian Immigrants in New York 1630-1674; With appendices on Scandinavians in Mexico and South America, 1532–1640, Scandinavians in Canada, 1619–1620, German immigrants in New York, 1630-1674 (1916)
- Luther and the Reformation (1916)
- Dr. Rudolph Sohm: Jurist and Church Historian (1935)
- The Life of J.H.W. Stuckenberg,: Theologian, Philosopher, Sociologist, Friend of Humanity(1938)