Luci J. Baker Johnson
NEARBY NORWEGIAN
I was born in a small
town in west central Wisconsin and raised in an a-typical 1960s neighborhood
St. Paul, Minnesota. I did all the things a ‘Minnesota Nice’ girl does;
graduated high school, went on to college earning degrees in Sociology
& Recreation, then landed my first job as a Youth Director at a
community center in St. Paul.
After a 2 years I found my perfect career at the American Red Cross working with military families, responding to nation wide disasters, and supporting international relief work. I loved the work, but developed a seven-year itch and found myself headed west to Seattle (1992) to work for the Seattle-King County Red Cross: working with youth, AmeriCorps, and International Services. After 18 years I left the Red Cross in pursuit of my passion for architecture, social history, writing and exploring everything Norwegian. From 2006 - 2016 I worked half-time as Manager of Volunteers & Events for Historic Seattle.
In the fall of 2016 I left my paid position to be a full-time caregiver for my mother, who lives with my husband and I. She recently turned 90, and for the past 6 years has had dementia which has become more severe to the point where she can never be left alone. It's a challenge, but one I accept.
I'm now a freelance writer / historian with an expertise in Norwegian-American genealogical research, house histories, and Pacific Northwest social history. I volunteer weekly at the regional office of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as a citizen advocate. A role I thoroughly enjoy and which provides me a consistent 'learning ground'.
I held the position as Sons of Norway Lodge Historian: Leif Erikson Sons of Norway (1600+ member s) from 2005-2009, where I lead yearly Norwegian Genealogy Workshops that often had 50-100 participants. I've also the historian / archivist for Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. Our congregation started as a mission church, in 1915, by Norwegian-Americans. I wrote and published a weekly bulletin insert for the 100th Anniversary (52 issues).
I’m 50% Norwegian and 50% English, Irish, German – you name it. My mother is 100% Norwegian-American with all of her grandparents born in Norway. Her grandparents immigrated to America between 1853 and 1878 settling in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. My Norwegian ancestral roots are all within 200 miles of Oslo, Norway: Lier (Drammen), Buskerud flyke & Sande, Vestfold fylke.
After a 2 years I found my perfect career at the American Red Cross working with military families, responding to nation wide disasters, and supporting international relief work. I loved the work, but developed a seven-year itch and found myself headed west to Seattle (1992) to work for the Seattle-King County Red Cross: working with youth, AmeriCorps, and International Services. After 18 years I left the Red Cross in pursuit of my passion for architecture, social history, writing and exploring everything Norwegian. From 2006 - 2016 I worked half-time as Manager of Volunteers & Events for Historic Seattle.
In the fall of 2016 I left my paid position to be a full-time caregiver for my mother, who lives with my husband and I. She recently turned 90, and for the past 6 years has had dementia which has become more severe to the point where she can never be left alone. It's a challenge, but one I accept.
I'm now a freelance writer / historian with an expertise in Norwegian-American genealogical research, house histories, and Pacific Northwest social history. I volunteer weekly at the regional office of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as a citizen advocate. A role I thoroughly enjoy and which provides me a consistent 'learning ground'.
I held the position as Sons of Norway Lodge Historian: Leif Erikson Sons of Norway (1600+ member s) from 2005-2009, where I lead yearly Norwegian Genealogy Workshops that often had 50-100 participants. I've also the historian / archivist for Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. Our congregation started as a mission church, in 1915, by Norwegian-Americans. I wrote and published a weekly bulletin insert for the 100th Anniversary (52 issues).
I’m 50% Norwegian and 50% English, Irish, German – you name it. My mother is 100% Norwegian-American with all of her grandparents born in Norway. Her grandparents immigrated to America between 1853 and 1878 settling in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. My Norwegian ancestral roots are all within 200 miles of Oslo, Norway: Lier (Drammen), Buskerud flyke & Sande, Vestfold fylke.
NORWEGIAN LINEAGE
Surnames: HEGG, KATTERUD, LINNEVOLD, HELLUN, ULVE, RESKOUG
Lier, Trandby, Hegg, Linnevold in Buskerud flyke
Lier, Trandby, Hegg, Linnevold in Buskerud flyke
Surnames: HIPPE, SUNDEM, OPPEN, VISTE
Ådal, Buskerud fylke (Valdres Valley)
Surnames: RØSRUD, DAVIDSEN, KROGVALD
Eidsvoll, Røsrud, in Akershus flyke
Surnames: LARSEN, FOSS, BODING, FAVELL
Nes, Foss, Hurdal in Akershus fylke
Eidsvoll, Røsrud, in Akershus flyke
Surnames: LARSEN, FOSS, BODING, FAVELL
Nes, Foss, Hurdal in Akershus fylke
WHERE THEY SETTLEED IN AMERICA
Hegg, Katterud, Linnevolds in Springfield Township and Decorah
in Winneshiek Co., Iowa
Larsen, Davidsen in St. Paul, Ramsey Co., Minnesota
Davidsen in Evansville, Douglas Co., Minnesota
I'm living out my dream in Ballard (a Scandinavian community of Seattle) with my software-engineer husband and my octogenarian widowed mother.
Education & Training
A Seminar for Researchers & Writers • Fall 2006 Museum of
History & Industry, Nearby History program.
Scandinavian
Research • January 12-16, 2004 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, Utah
Writing
& Publishing • June 9-14, 2002 Institute of Genealogical &
Historical Research (IGHR)
Genealogy
& Family History Certificate • October 1999-June 2000
University of Washington
B.A.
Sociology & B.S. Recreation – Moorhead State University, Moorhead,
Minn., 1982
Nearby History 2007 - Project
“Norwegian Artisans’ Effect onSeattle”: Seven Canvas Murals, Three Norwegian Men & One Historic Landmark.
“Norwegian Artisans’ Effect onSeattle”: Seven Canvas Murals, Three Norwegian Men & One Historic Landmark.
A work of creative
non-fiction that explores the lives and artistic legacy of three Norwegian-born
men, one architect and two artists, who left their mark on Seattle from the
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 to the end of the New Deal in 1941. The
book will chronicle the personal and professional lives and artistic
contributions of these men. It will explore the mystery of paintings, by these
artists, that are missing or have been destroyed. At least eight paintings are
known from period photographs, but their current whereabouts is unknown. As the
biographer, I hope to establish a greater appreciation of contributions made by
Norwegians to Pacific Northwest history and culture.
Nearby History 2006 -
Project
“Compass on the Prairie”: Lutheran Pastors Serving Norwegian Immigrants 1900-1950.
“Compass on the Prairie”: Lutheran Pastors Serving Norwegian Immigrants 1900-1950.
A creative non-fiction
chronicling the careers of three Norwegian Lutheran pastors – and their
families – in the early 20th century. These three provided a spiritual and
moral compass to thousands of Norwegian immigrants and their families in
eastern Montana, North Dakota and southern Minnesota between 1908 and 1947.
Cumulatively, the three couples had 26 children, all of whom are 100% Norwegian-Americans.
All three pastors died within a 10-year span at the age of 56 or 57, leaving
the sisters widows, never to marry again, until their deaths at the age of 74,
80, and 88. The book will explore what life was like for these dedicated men,
and for the women who supported and believed in them. It will combine
vignettes, anecdotes, and facts from their lives and the lives of the members
of their numerous congregations.
Books I've had a hand in writing
The Chapter on 'Clubs and Associations' in Tradition and Change on Seattle’s First Hill: Propriety, Profanity, Pills, and Preservation (October 2014)
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: souvenir program • Compiled an index to this 1909
Currently working on three creative non-fiction books.
Articles in magazines and periodicals
• "A Fortune in Gold [Dust] How a Seattle Assayer Skimmed a Klondike Fortune" National Archives Prologue Magazine, Spring 2015• Margaret's Library" Western Viking, a weekly Norwegian-American newspaper (January 14, 2005)
• “Sleepless in Seattle – or Should I say Headless?!” The Leadership Link, a publication of the Alumni Association of Leadership Tomorrow Seattle, Wash. (Fall 2003, cover story)
• “Norwegian Lutheran Life in the Dakotas: Reverend & Mrs. Gustav Hegg” – a thesis (Spring 2000)
• “Bark Tegner”, an 1853 Norwegian immigrant ship
• "Rev. Gustav & Mrs. Mabelle Lydia (Larsen) Hegg” Newsletters: 1999 and 2003
• “Telling Your Ancestor’s Story” Seattle Genealogical Society Bulletin, Volume51, #1, (Autumn 2001)
• “Scandinavian Genealogical & Historical Research in the Pacific Northwest”. AVISEN, quarterly publication of the Norwegian-American Genealogical Association (November 2001)
• “Telling Your Ancestor’s Story” Budstikken, a semi-annual publication of the Valdres Samband, Volume 32, Number 1 (December 2001)
Weekly Newspaper Columnist
Luci
was a weekly columnist [Emigrant/Immigrant Passages] for the Western Viking
newspaper (a.k.a. Norwegian American Weekly) from December 2006 through July
2007. The theme of the articles was based on the following: Each and every one
of us share at least one thing in common: an emigrant story. A story about how
our ancestors and neighbors emigrated to North America. The names, dates, and
places may differ, but the story itself can hold mystery, suspense, drama, and
adventure.
- “Emigrant / Immigrant” • December 1, 2006, pages 8-9.
- “Finding Aids vs. Google: It’s All on the Internet” • December 8, 2006, page 15.
- “Christmas is for giving and Receiving: Share an Oral History!" • December 15, 2006, page 13.
- “Christmas Wish (List)" • December 22, 2006, page 16.
- “Name Changes: Norwegian American Genealogical Center” • January 5, 2007, page 7.
- “Is there an Askeladden in your family?” • January 12, 2007, page 5.
- “Bygdeboker – a Goldmine of Information for Researchers” • January 19, 2007, page 7.
- “Making History Come Alive!” • January 26, 2007, page 14 & 15.
- “So What Does it Say?” has been replaced with “What’s the word for…?” • February 2, 2007, pages 8 & 9.
- “2007 – 1982; Research in the 21st Century” • February 16, 2007, pages 8 & 9.
- “Norwegian Bachelor Farmer–Norske Bonde Ungkar” • February 23, 2007, pages 14 & 15.
- “History of the Norwegian People in American by Olaf Morgan Norlie” • March 23, 2007, page 15.
- “Norse-American Centennial Celebration, June 6-9, 1925” • April 6, 2007, pages 6 & 7.
- “Diaries Can Impact More Than Just the Immediate Family ~ How Just 124 words changed my life forever.” • April 13, 2007, page 15.
- “Successes Realized from the Norwegian Genealogy Workshop” • April 18, pages 4 & 5.
- “Norwegians in (US) Census Records: Territorial, State and Federal” • April 27, May 4, and May 18, 2007, page 15.
- “Nesting vs. Un-Nesting” • May 25, 2007, page 9.
- “A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words!” • June 8, 2007, page 9.
- “Bygdelag? Stevne? What are they and how can they help the budding family historian?” • June 15, 2007, page 15
- “Vertical Files” • June 22, 2007, page 15.
- “Vertical Files – Part 2” • June 29, 2007, page 15.
- “When an Elder Dies, it is as though a Library has Burned to the Ground” • July 13, 2007, pages 15 & 16.
Creator & Editor of a Weekly Bulletin
The Centennial Communiqué was a weekly snapshot into the history of the Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church (PRLC) community. PRLC, located in north Seattle (Phinney neighborhood), is a member of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Issue #1 was published November 8, 2014. Issue #52 was published November 1, 2015.
In 2015 the congregation celebrated '100 years on the Ridge'. The congregation was started by Norwegian immigrants that settled in the Greenwood neighborhood.
The 52 issues are sequentially numbered and inserted in each Sunday Bulletin. The items contained are gleaned from materials found in the church archives: congregational records (baptism, confirmation, marriage, and death), church council minutes, weekly bulletins, Tower Echoes (monthly newsletter), annual reports, scrapbooks, commemorative programs, and memoirs written by members of the congregation. Also referenced are items found in local newspapers, www.ancestry.com, www.luther.edu, and other local history archives. In some cases, oral history interviews have been conducted and written by the editor.
Blogger
Changing Places
A Journey with My Parents
into Their Old Age. The blog chronicles (past - present - future) the
highlights of 'MY changing places' journey with Lyle and Eunice.
Solberg Family ... Q&A -
Family and historical
research on the Solberg family that immigrated to the Pacific Northwest
(Vincent / Carnation, King Co. Washington) from Kvinesdal, Vest-Ager, Norway:
1880 to present day.
Blog entries I've written for Nearby Norwegians:
Sharing
Resources
"If
a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a
sound?".......February
20, 2018
Norway
• Digizitation – The National Library of Norway is Digitizing its Entire
Collection... January 5. 2018
Bygdebøker
and Arne G. Brekke, Citizen Advocate.............................................October
21, 2017
Facebook
Groups, a new way to ask for help..........................................................October
8, 2017
Where
do I begin, my Norwegian Genealogy Research..........................................October
6, 2017
Norwegian
Naming Patterns, Expertly explained in a YouTube Video............September
30, 2017
Understanding
the new Digitalarkivet website - Launched May 2017.............September 27, 2017
Uncoding
Gothic Script.................................................................................... September
17, 2017
Online
Norwegian Newspaper Research................................................................ March
11, 2013
Digging
for 'gold nuggets' in historical newspapers, specifically The Seattle Daily
Times......... March 8, 2013
MOHAI
Resource Center in GEORGETOWN.....................................................February
9, 2013
Why
Norway Have Two Written Languages.......................................................February
15, 2009
Commentaries
What
Separates Norwegian Lutherans in America?.................................... October
1, 2017
Going
Down the Proverbial Rabbit Hole.................................................... February
24, 2016
Thomas
Andersen Stang • 1935 - 2016..................................................... February
14, 2016
Admire,
Respect & Emulate: my Top Ten......................................... May
26, 2013
The
Seattle Sunday Times: May 26, 1901 (#1)......................................... March
8, 2013
Norway’s
[unofficial] National Song......................................................... February
17, 2013
“Emblem
of Freedom”, a song about Patrotism......................................... February
9, 2013
Coffee
Table Norwegian............................................................................ August
14, 2012
“Don’t
Think That You Are Special”: Janteloven.................................... February
20, 2010
Inventory
of Morning Norwegian Cuisine................................................. February
8, 2010
Love
That Lutefisk!................................................................................. January
29, 2009
Olaf
Kringhaug Passes Away..................................................................... December
29, 2008
Current Events
Nearby
Norwegians in Print - Luci Baker Johnson..................................... May
7, 2013
Nearby
Norwegian receives National Recognition..................................... April
20, 2013
The
82nd Annual Blessing of the Fleet....................................................... March
13, 2010
What
About That Viking Ship I’ve Heard So Much About?......................January 27, 2009
Book Reviews
Book
Review: Let the Northern Lights Erase your Name.................................January 10, 2018
Nordic
Noir & Author, Vidar Sundstøl......................................................November
26, 2017
Book
Review: “Counterfeiter: How a Norwegian Jew survived the Holocaust”......August 29, 2012
Book
Review: “The Mountains Wait”.................................................................. August
13, 2012
Seattleite
With Norwegian Roots Write About Seattle: Now, Then and in the Future...February 22, 2009
New
Lands, New Lives..................................................................................... January
26, 2009
Sami
Sámi
Jienat - Voices of Sápmi (Music documentary).................................. February 8, 2018
SOFIA
JANNOCK - a Sami Yoiker / Song Writer...................................... February
18, 2013
Johan
Turi – An Account of the Sami....................................................... February
4, 2013
The
Sami-Americans of Poulsbo............................................................... January
29, 2013
Public Speaker / Trainer
"Puget Sound
Norwegian & Norwegian-Americans in the 1888-1910 Merchant Marine
License Applications" – Keynote speaker at the Norwegian Chamber of
Commerce (May 2006)
Organize a Norwegian
Genealogy Research Seminar at the Leif Erikson Sons of Norway, April 8, 2006
with 56 participants from 7 counties in Washington state from which stemmed an
interest group of over 150 persons. The second workshop was held April 15, 2007
and the third one is planned for April 12, 2008.
"Three Norwegian
Men • One Unique Building • Seven Oil on Canvas Murals" –
Norwegian-American Genealogical Association monthly meeting, Golden Valley,
Minn. (January 2006)
“Your Ancestral Resume”
– Daughters of the American Revolution Society (November 2001)
“Scandinavian Research
in the Pacific Northwest” and “Norwegian-Lutheran Family History: Filling in
Gaps with Norwegian Lutheran Church & Congregation Records"
Seven-Lag Stevne, South Dakota (June 2001)
National Instructor –
American Red Cross: Disaster & International Services, Taught more than
200 classes to 1000+ individuals, plus hundreds of public addresses; e.g. United Way
# # # # #
Professional Experience
Manager, Volunteers
& Events for Historic Seattle, 2006-2016
Freelance Writer
& Historian, 2002-present
Administrator, Project
Development (Seattle, WA) American Red Cross, 2001-2002
Administrator, National
Rapid Response Corps: AmeriCorps (Seattle, WA), 1998-2002
Administrator, Youth
& Young Adult Services (Seattle, WA) American Red Cross, 1992-2001
Administrator, International
Services (Seattle, WA) American Red Cross, 1993-1999
Coordinator, Community
& International Services (St. Paul, MN) American Red Cross, 1984-1992
Civic Involvement
Sons of Norway, Leif Erikson Lodge (Seattle):
Library Aid (2001–2012); Historian (2005–2010); Board member (2005-2010)
Leadership Tomorrow: 2002, 2003, &
2004 Review and Selection Committee
University of Washington Genealogy &
Family History Certificate Alumni Association (2001–present)
University of Washington, Genealogy &
Family History Certificate program: Advisory Board member (2000–present)
Historic Seattle: Volunteer (Spring 2000-Fall
2006) – now on staff as the Manager of Volunteers & Events
National Archives & Records Administration,
Pacific Region: Volunteer (December 2002–present)
Pacific Northwest Historians Guild Board member (2015-present)
Pacific Northwest Historians Guild Board member (2015-present)
Memberships
· Valdres Samband - oldest bygdelag in America· Ringerike Drammen Bygdelag
· Sons of Norway-Leif Erikson Lodge #2-001
· Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle
· International Society of Family History Writers & Editors
· NORTANA (Norwegian Researchers and Teachers of North America)
· Pacific Northwest Historians Guild
· Historic Seattle
· AKCHO (Association of King County Historical Organizations)
· University of Washington Genealogy & Family History Program Alumni Association
· Leadership Tomorrow Alumni Association
