Martin Ulvestad (1865-1942) came to America in 1888. He was the author of  "Nordmændene i Amerika (Norwegians in America) and other Norwegian-American histories in the early 1900's.  He traveled throughout the Norwegian settlements in America gathering information and is reported to have sent out over 450,000 postcards requesting information from both immigrants and Norwegian-American organizations and institutions in the course of his career.

His works are rich in first person accounts and offer an important insight into the lives of Norwegian-American pioneers. However, Ulvestad depended upon information contributed by others as the major source for his settlement histories. The omission of the Buffalo River Settlement from the settlement history for Clay County MN, for example,  has much more to do with no one in the community sending Ulvestad information than it does the relative importance of this West Telemark settlement.

Ulvestad reviewed a variety of sources as he compiled lists of Norwegian-American office holders and military veterans.  We know that Tarje was a county commissioner in Clay County MN, yet he does not appear in Ulvestad's roll of elected officials.  Why?  The answer is two fold. Ulvestad obviously did not receive the information from any of his correspondents.  Further, Ulvestad would never have recognized the family name as Norwegian.  Remember, Grover is a typically English name.  Although Tarje is a solid Norwegian first name, the county records show that he was consistently referred to as "T A Grover." 

We know that Vining township in Clay County was named for a Swedish farmer.  Ulvestad recognized the Scandinavian origin of the name but erroneously assumed it was Norwegian.

The task Ulvestad set for himself was monumental, and the unavoidable oversights and omissions do not diminish the historical value of his work.  However, it is important to consider the limitations of his efforts when reading his settlement histories. Do not assume that any contradictions between your research and the information reported by Ulvestad should automatically be resolved in Ulvestad's favor.