Rev. Jacob Aall Ottesen
Pastor Jacob Aall Ottesen was born June 1, 1825 at the Fet Prestegaard (pastor’s farm) in Oslo, Norway. He came from a long line of pastors as his father and his grandfather were pastors who served a long time in the same parish, namely Fet of Romerike. His first 13 years were spent in a quiet happy home with his parents. His father determined that he should study, instructed him in general subjects and religious studies predominated. He attended High School in Drammen and in 1844 took the “examen atrium” which is the exam that qualified him to admission to the University. He took his theological examination in June of 1849, however at that time it was required to have practice in preaching and catechizing and had to present satisfactory proof of his competency. Ottesen took part in this practice diligently in the years of 1849-1852, preaching at his own graduation on May 16, 1852 and his catechetical examination on May 24, 1852. During this time he also worked as a teacher. In a letter that was signed April 29, 1852, he was called to “The Lutheran Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin”. He was ordained in the Oslo Church by Bishop Arup on June 2, 1852….again, preaching the sermon at his own ordination.
On June 11, 1852 he married Katrine Tank Doderlein in Christiania in the Eastern Toten Church, and then sailed to the distant land where their life’s work would be for a half century.
A flock of Norwegian emigrants accompanied them on the ship. It was not a fast trip. It took days just to get out of the Christiania Fjord. The whole trip to New York took ten weeks. They came near to New York on September 11, 1852, but were kept on board until they received and closed a contract for their travel inland which was September 17th. When leaving the ship, the Ottesen’s followed along with Ole Bull, who journeyed to his colony “Oleana,” in Potter County Pennsylvania, where a great number of their fellow passengers had decided to go. They went by steamboat across the Hudson River to New Jersey, then boarded a railroad train and finally by carriage.
On October 4, 1852, Pastor Ottesen and his wife arrived in Manitowoc, WI. Ottesen remained in Manitowoc eight years with three regular congregations and eight to ten mission stations between Green Bay and Milwaukee. He traveled by horseback anywhere from 30 to 50 miles a day in all kinds of weather, even in the cold of winter. This was no doubt responsible for the chronic rheumatism which in later life was to plague him.
On August 17, 1853 their first child was born, Hannah Cathinka, but she died on May 11, 1854. On April 16, 1855 their second daughter was born, Didrikke Aall, who was named after her grandmother. Didrikke grew up and married Prof. H. G. Stub on Aug 11, 1876, but died after three years of marriage on Aug 2, 1879, leaving two young sons. Both of these young men (grandsons of Pastor Jacob Ottesen) became pastors in the Norwegian Synod. Still another child was born to Pastor Jacob Ottesen and his wife on May 2, 1858, a son named after his grandfather, Otto Christian. He became a pastor and served at Bonnet Prairie, Wisconsin (near Rio).
Pastor Ottesen was involved in a lot of Synod work, helping form constitutions, attending many meetings, including being a delegate to the German Seminaries which was a turning point in Ottesen’s life. On October 9, 1857, Ottesen was elected as the Secretary of the Norwegian Synod. On June 26, 1860 Ottesen came to Koshkonong and was installed at the West and Liberty Churches on July 1, 1860 and the East Church on July 2, 1860. The Ottesen’s remained at Koshkonong for 31 years, where they endured many joys and sorrows, both in their home and congregations.
In Manitowoc they were blessed with three children of whom God took the first before she was a year old. When they came to Koshkonong, their daughter, Didrikke Aal was 5 years old and their son Otto Christian was 2 years old. Shortly after the arrival in the new home, September 17, 1860, another daughter, Hannah Kathinka was born. She was named after the first-born departed daughter. Hannah remained with Pastor Ottesen and his wife until their end. They were also blessed with two more sons while at Koshkonong. Christian Doderlein was born March 23, 1863 being named after his mother’s father, and the second son, Herman Amberg Preus, was born June 25, 1866. However, both sons died early and not long after each other. Christian died August 26, 1867 at 1 year and 2 months and his brother Herman died November 7, 1867, at the age of 4 ½ years.
In the meantime the Ottesens had received a foster-son, Olaf Mandt, whose mother, was a widow with five children, had come to Koshkonong in 1865. Olaf came to the Ottesen home to prepare for confirmation and Ottesen soon noticed that the lad had ability and he taught him Latin and German to prepare him for College. So in 1867, when the two younger Ottesen boys died, Olaf became their substitute and in 1868 Olaf was sent by Ottesen to Decorah, IA, where he graduated in 1873. Olaf went on to take his theological examination in 1876 and then studied at an English University in New York. He was ordained on December 6, 1878 in the Liberty church at Koshkonong, by his foster-father, Pastor Ottesen. And after repeated demands from the Scandinavians in Baltimore, Maryland, he made his residence in Baltimore as a mission pastor. Unfortunately, before 2 years had passed, Pastor Mandt died on Sept 27, 1880 after a short illness of fourteen days. He is buried in the West Koshkonong cemetery where the Ottesens had three children already buried. Added to this sorrow, was the death of their daughter Didrikke who died after only 3 years of marriage as previously mentioned and just as the two sons had died in 1867 within a short period of time, the Ottesens again lost first their dear daughter and then their foster-son within a little over a year’s time.
From 1860 to 1870 Ottesen served the Koshkonong congregations without help, when partly because of the growth of the congregations and partly because of his own infirmities, he received an assistant pastor. It was Candidate Jacob D. Jacobsen who was ordained on April 29, 1870, that came and entered into his work immediately. Jacobsen only stayed a year as he moved on to Luther College in 1872. After Gulbrand A. Lunde was installed as the new assistant in 1872, Pastor Ottesen and his entire family took a lengthy trip to Norway, where they visited his and his wife’s numerous relatives. He left Koshkonong on May 20 and arrived home on December 18, 1872.
In 1875 the large Koshkonong parish was divided as the Stoughton and McFarland people, who had belonged to the West Church became a separate call. At the same time Pastor Lunde was called to the pastorate in New Lisbon, Wisconsin. Pastor Ottesen served the three older congregations, East and West Koshkonong and Liberty Prairie alone from 1875 to 1880.
During Ottesen’s pastorate, Norwegians came to Koshkonong by the thousands. Pastor Ottesen had been at Koshkonong for only a year when the Civil War broke out. This led to the first conflict Ottesen had to face. The Norwegian immigrants had opposed slavery, however, during the war they found themselves arguing in their churches whether slavery was a sin or not. The predestination or “election” controversy of the 1880’s was the most tragic story in the history of the Norwegian-American Lutheran Church. The issue was over the question of whether man must cooperate with God in attaining his salvation or whether it is dependent alone on the Grace of God. It became a war between the Synod and the anti-Missourians. This spread into the congregations, involving their members and caused strife between friends and rifts in families.
Because Ottesen suffered another illness in 1880, the church again had to call an assistant pastor. Pastor Ola Mortensen Saevig, was called as he had preached at Liberty Church in January of 1880, while he was still a student at the seminary in Madison. Saevig stayed until the summer of 1884 when he accepted a call to Wiota, Wisconsin. The now aging Pastor Ottesen suffered greatly for his doctrinal position. On April 22, 1884, the West congregation proposed that Ottesen should no longer be declared their pastor since he wouldn’t sign the anti-Missourian Confession which West had accepted. The tension within the congregations mounted. On May 1, 1886, the anti-Missourian trustees employed legal counsel so they could institute suits which would enforce their rights to possess and control the congregation’s property at both East and West. This legal battle continued for the next five years and involved East and West members in three cases that were carried all the way to the State Supreme Court. Ottesen immediately urged his followers to reorganize and rebuild. They chose a site directly up the hill and north of the old West Church. On October 1, 1891, the Western Koshkonong congregation was incorporated and the cornerstone for the new church was laid by Rev. H. A. Preus, the synod president. The completed church was dedicated on July 3, 1892. East Koshkonong dedicated their new church on September 10, 1893.
On August 10, 1891, the Ottesen family left Stoughton and arrived the next day in Decorah, Iowa. He purchased a house, where he and his wife lived the rest of their remaining days together with their daughter Hannah, who remained there after her parents’ death. Ottesen never returned to Koshkonong again. They were often invited for church festivals, and Ottesen would send greetings and kind regards, but he himself never went there again. He preached off and on and assisted with many ministerial acts as needed and as his health allowed, in Decorah. When Pastor Hove took a call to Mankato in 1894, Pastor Ottesen served as the vacancy pastor until they received a permanent pastor in Professor H. G. Stub, who came in July of 1896. Another great sorrow came to him on October 28, 1899 when his faithful wife passed away. Pastor Ottesen entered his eternal rest on October 30, 1904. He and his wife are both buried at Decorah, Iowa (Lutheran Cemetery). Pastor Ottesen served West Koshkonong from 1860-1885.
On June 11, 1852 he married Katrine Tank Doderlein in Christiania in the Eastern Toten Church, and then sailed to the distant land where their life’s work would be for a half century.
A flock of Norwegian emigrants accompanied them on the ship. It was not a fast trip. It took days just to get out of the Christiania Fjord. The whole trip to New York took ten weeks. They came near to New York on September 11, 1852, but were kept on board until they received and closed a contract for their travel inland which was September 17th. When leaving the ship, the Ottesen’s followed along with Ole Bull, who journeyed to his colony “Oleana,” in Potter County Pennsylvania, where a great number of their fellow passengers had decided to go. They went by steamboat across the Hudson River to New Jersey, then boarded a railroad train and finally by carriage.
On October 4, 1852, Pastor Ottesen and his wife arrived in Manitowoc, WI. Ottesen remained in Manitowoc eight years with three regular congregations and eight to ten mission stations between Green Bay and Milwaukee. He traveled by horseback anywhere from 30 to 50 miles a day in all kinds of weather, even in the cold of winter. This was no doubt responsible for the chronic rheumatism which in later life was to plague him.
On August 17, 1853 their first child was born, Hannah Cathinka, but she died on May 11, 1854. On April 16, 1855 their second daughter was born, Didrikke Aall, who was named after her grandmother. Didrikke grew up and married Prof. H. G. Stub on Aug 11, 1876, but died after three years of marriage on Aug 2, 1879, leaving two young sons. Both of these young men (grandsons of Pastor Jacob Ottesen) became pastors in the Norwegian Synod. Still another child was born to Pastor Jacob Ottesen and his wife on May 2, 1858, a son named after his grandfather, Otto Christian. He became a pastor and served at Bonnet Prairie, Wisconsin (near Rio).
Pastor Ottesen was involved in a lot of Synod work, helping form constitutions, attending many meetings, including being a delegate to the German Seminaries which was a turning point in Ottesen’s life. On October 9, 1857, Ottesen was elected as the Secretary of the Norwegian Synod. On June 26, 1860 Ottesen came to Koshkonong and was installed at the West and Liberty Churches on July 1, 1860 and the East Church on July 2, 1860. The Ottesen’s remained at Koshkonong for 31 years, where they endured many joys and sorrows, both in their home and congregations.
In Manitowoc they were blessed with three children of whom God took the first before she was a year old. When they came to Koshkonong, their daughter, Didrikke Aal was 5 years old and their son Otto Christian was 2 years old. Shortly after the arrival in the new home, September 17, 1860, another daughter, Hannah Kathinka was born. She was named after the first-born departed daughter. Hannah remained with Pastor Ottesen and his wife until their end. They were also blessed with two more sons while at Koshkonong. Christian Doderlein was born March 23, 1863 being named after his mother’s father, and the second son, Herman Amberg Preus, was born June 25, 1866. However, both sons died early and not long after each other. Christian died August 26, 1867 at 1 year and 2 months and his brother Herman died November 7, 1867, at the age of 4 ½ years.
In the meantime the Ottesens had received a foster-son, Olaf Mandt, whose mother, was a widow with five children, had come to Koshkonong in 1865. Olaf came to the Ottesen home to prepare for confirmation and Ottesen soon noticed that the lad had ability and he taught him Latin and German to prepare him for College. So in 1867, when the two younger Ottesen boys died, Olaf became their substitute and in 1868 Olaf was sent by Ottesen to Decorah, IA, where he graduated in 1873. Olaf went on to take his theological examination in 1876 and then studied at an English University in New York. He was ordained on December 6, 1878 in the Liberty church at Koshkonong, by his foster-father, Pastor Ottesen. And after repeated demands from the Scandinavians in Baltimore, Maryland, he made his residence in Baltimore as a mission pastor. Unfortunately, before 2 years had passed, Pastor Mandt died on Sept 27, 1880 after a short illness of fourteen days. He is buried in the West Koshkonong cemetery where the Ottesens had three children already buried. Added to this sorrow, was the death of their daughter Didrikke who died after only 3 years of marriage as previously mentioned and just as the two sons had died in 1867 within a short period of time, the Ottesens again lost first their dear daughter and then their foster-son within a little over a year’s time.
From 1860 to 1870 Ottesen served the Koshkonong congregations without help, when partly because of the growth of the congregations and partly because of his own infirmities, he received an assistant pastor. It was Candidate Jacob D. Jacobsen who was ordained on April 29, 1870, that came and entered into his work immediately. Jacobsen only stayed a year as he moved on to Luther College in 1872. After Gulbrand A. Lunde was installed as the new assistant in 1872, Pastor Ottesen and his entire family took a lengthy trip to Norway, where they visited his and his wife’s numerous relatives. He left Koshkonong on May 20 and arrived home on December 18, 1872.
In 1875 the large Koshkonong parish was divided as the Stoughton and McFarland people, who had belonged to the West Church became a separate call. At the same time Pastor Lunde was called to the pastorate in New Lisbon, Wisconsin. Pastor Ottesen served the three older congregations, East and West Koshkonong and Liberty Prairie alone from 1875 to 1880.
During Ottesen’s pastorate, Norwegians came to Koshkonong by the thousands. Pastor Ottesen had been at Koshkonong for only a year when the Civil War broke out. This led to the first conflict Ottesen had to face. The Norwegian immigrants had opposed slavery, however, during the war they found themselves arguing in their churches whether slavery was a sin or not. The predestination or “election” controversy of the 1880’s was the most tragic story in the history of the Norwegian-American Lutheran Church. The issue was over the question of whether man must cooperate with God in attaining his salvation or whether it is dependent alone on the Grace of God. It became a war between the Synod and the anti-Missourians. This spread into the congregations, involving their members and caused strife between friends and rifts in families.
Because Ottesen suffered another illness in 1880, the church again had to call an assistant pastor. Pastor Ola Mortensen Saevig, was called as he had preached at Liberty Church in January of 1880, while he was still a student at the seminary in Madison. Saevig stayed until the summer of 1884 when he accepted a call to Wiota, Wisconsin. The now aging Pastor Ottesen suffered greatly for his doctrinal position. On April 22, 1884, the West congregation proposed that Ottesen should no longer be declared their pastor since he wouldn’t sign the anti-Missourian Confession which West had accepted. The tension within the congregations mounted. On May 1, 1886, the anti-Missourian trustees employed legal counsel so they could institute suits which would enforce their rights to possess and control the congregation’s property at both East and West. This legal battle continued for the next five years and involved East and West members in three cases that were carried all the way to the State Supreme Court. Ottesen immediately urged his followers to reorganize and rebuild. They chose a site directly up the hill and north of the old West Church. On October 1, 1891, the Western Koshkonong congregation was incorporated and the cornerstone for the new church was laid by Rev. H. A. Preus, the synod president. The completed church was dedicated on July 3, 1892. East Koshkonong dedicated their new church on September 10, 1893.
On August 10, 1891, the Ottesen family left Stoughton and arrived the next day in Decorah, Iowa. He purchased a house, where he and his wife lived the rest of their remaining days together with their daughter Hannah, who remained there after her parents’ death. Ottesen never returned to Koshkonong again. They were often invited for church festivals, and Ottesen would send greetings and kind regards, but he himself never went there again. He preached off and on and assisted with many ministerial acts as needed and as his health allowed, in Decorah. When Pastor Hove took a call to Mankato in 1894, Pastor Ottesen served as the vacancy pastor until they received a permanent pastor in Professor H. G. Stub, who came in July of 1896. Another great sorrow came to him on October 28, 1899 when his faithful wife passed away. Pastor Ottesen entered his eternal rest on October 30, 1904. He and his wife are both buried at Decorah, Iowa (Lutheran Cemetery). Pastor Ottesen served West Koshkonong from 1860-1885.