Henry Langum (1882-1967) Papers, 1940-1967

6.25 linear feet (5 archival boxes)

Henry Langum was the son of Johan (John) Johanneson and Kari Nerisdatter (Folsland) Langum, Norwegian immigrants who settled in Lake County, South Dakota. Mr. Langum was born February 13, 1882 in Volga, South Dakota (1st Langum to be born in South Dakota). Mr. Langum was a teacher, minister and chiropractic. He married Anna G. Nelson and had three children.

Correspondence, news clippings, book chapters and photographs. Letters are from Henry and Anna to John, with a few from John, Virginia, Artsie and DoDo. Also included are incoming correspondence and letters between Henry and Anna. Henry’s schooling from grade school thru college including Theological School and Chiropractic School. His life during his years as a minister, teacher, and chiropractic. The letters are always full of family news, keeping John up on activities with his parents and his sisters and their families. He keeps close track of his financial situation, how much he is working and spending. Contains yearbooks from the years 1905, 1906, 1908, 1909. Accounts of visits to South Dakota and California and later to New Jersey. Comments re: his book with chapters from the book. Frequent references to family health problems and his facial pain and problems eating. Anna’s letters are shorter, less frequent and usually deal with her activities, the house, Henry or the family. Her letters from California and New York tell of her activities. Anna and Henry both clipped articles relating to economics, politics and Minneapolis news to send to John. Their letters show their devotion to each other and to their children. Also included are their financial reports that are sent to their son, John. Anna and Henry‘s last illnesses and deaths.

Correspondence to and from Henry and Anna would also be in the John K. Langum Collection and David J. Langum Collection

Access: Open for research
Acc. No. 2003-22, 2005-1, 2008-1
Processed by: David J. Langum and Connie Butts, October 2003
                       David J. Langum and Debbie Hamm, May, 2005; March, 2008

Biographical Sketch | Container List | Back to Travel to Collections 

Biographical Sketch

Henry Langum was the son of John (Johan) Johanneson (born January 21, 1838 in Drammen, Norway and died February 14, 1883 in South Dakota) and Kari Nerisdatter (Folsland) (born in Telemarken, Norway and died February 10, 1911) Langum, Norwegian immigrants who settled in Lake County, South Dakota. Mr. Langum was born February 13, 1882 in Volga, South Dakota (1st Langum to be born in South Dakota). His father died the day after his first birthday, so Henry grew up working on the family farm and his formal education was slow to start, but his education continued for much of his life. He attended country school until 1899 when he then attended South Dakota Agricultural Preparatory Department until 1901. He then taught at a country school in Brookings County, South Dakota from 1901-1902 until he started at St. Olaf Academy (1902-1905). From the Academy, he went on to attend St. Olaf College where he graduated in 1909 with a Bachelor of Science degree. During the time that he attended St. Olaf College, he was a member of the St. Olaf Octet (1908-1909) and taught physiology at the Academy. After graduating from the Universal Chiropractic College (1911) he opened his practice in Story City, Iowa. He taught public school in Big Timber, Montana (1912-1913). On January 31, 1912 he married Anna Georgena Nelson in Stanhope, Iowa. He practiced chiropractic, in Sheridan, Wyoming from 1913-1916. After receiving his Candidate of Theology Degree in 1919 from Luther Theological Seminary (1916-1919), Henry took Anna to North Dakota where he served over two congregations in Driscoll until 1921 when they returned to Minnesota. In Litchfield, Minn. he served as pastor of the Ness Lutheran Church, 1922-1929, and taught biology at the high school, 1923-1943. From 1943 to 1946, Mr. Langum worked as a wartime airplane parts inspector at the Honeywell Regulator Plant in Minneapolis. They moved to Minneapolis and after passing the Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners in 1919, he practiced chiropractic in private practice and with Dr. Bly for most of the rest of his life. In 1940, he was awarded Honorary Degree of Fellow of the International College of Chiropractic. He also spent many years working on a book of his religious and philosophical beliefs that was never published.

He and Anna had three children: John Kenneth, Arlene (Artsie) Harriet and Georgene (DoDo) Wyoming. John (June 18, 1913-February 26, 1998) an economist was a vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago. He married Virginia de Mattos and they had one son David J. Langum, a lawyer, legal historian and professor. Artsie (Jan. 9, 1923-December 11, 1998) an accountant, married Charles Wright and had two sons: Charles and Thomas. They moved to New Jersey in 1958 and worked in New York City. DoDo (Jan. 6, 1916-July 30, 1978), an accountant, married Justin Darby and had two sons: John and James. Anna had relatives in Los Angeles, Ca. and she liked to visit there in the winter sometimes with Henry. Henry’s problem with tic doloreaux or trigeminal neuralgia caused him much pain and sometimes kept him at home. In 1966 Anna fell and broke her arm which led to complications from which she died March 18, 1967. Henry frequently wrote, when Anna was visiting or at one of her numerous club activities, “Mom is gone and I don’t like to be alone”. Not liking to be alone, he died a month later on April 9, 1967.

Anna Georgina, daughter of John G. and Elizabeth (Munson) Nelson was born February 22, 1884 in Hamilton County, Iowa. She was a teetotaler and a devout Republican. She attended the Iowa State Normal and Jewell College and also attended St. Olaf (1907-1908) as a music student. While at St. Olaf’s she sang in the church choir (the first one of St. Olaf Choirs). As a wife and mother she was active in church, PTA, Woman Chorus and different study groups.

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Container List

Box 1

Box 2

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