The collection is organized by writer (Anders Solem, Elling Sende, or Anders Lian) and letters are arranged chronologically. Following the translations are photocopies of the original handwritten letters and a typed transcription in Norwegian.
The correspondence are personal letters, written by the immigrant to family members in Norway. Letters by Anders P. Solem are directed to his grandfather in Norway. In them he describes his experiences working in sawmills and lumber camps, comments on labor conditions, including a strike for the ten-hour day, and offers various observances regarding life in America. Letters by Elling Anderson Sende and his wife Guruanna relate family matters and further detail life in Eau Claire. Letters written to Anders Lian and his family concern arrangements for bringing him to America.
The largest group of letters in the collection are written by Anders Lian to his family in Norway. They also document work in the lumber industry and discuss current events, and the economic and political climate in 1890s America. Also of interest are Lian's experiences enlisting and in military training camps as a volunteer soldier at the time of the Spanish-American war.
The family histories included in the collection were compiled by Genevieve Hagen and include biographical details as well as genealogical information for each of the correspondents.
A copy of The Solem-Oien Connection by Genevieve Hagen is in the Special Collections Department at McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire. It provides helpful background information on the ancestors and descendants of Anders and Marit Solem.
