Manuscripts Collection
Lewis K. Onsgard was born on a farm near Spring Grove, Houston County, Minnesota, on January 1, 1866. He was one of eight chilren born to Knute and Bergit Larson Onsgard, natives of Hallingdal, Norway, who came to Minnesota in the early 1850s and were among the early settlers in Houston County. Lewis grew up on his parents' farm. He earned his medical degree from the Eclectic Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1887. He practiced medicine in Harmony, Minnesota, for five years, and in May 1892 moved to Houston, Minnesota, where he took over the practice of Dr. Henry P. Johnson. Onsgard's son Kenneth joined his father in the practice in 1929. Onsgard suffered a paralyzing stroke at about that time and retired from active work. Lewis Onsgard died in Houston of arteriosclerosis on October 24, 1938.
Early in his career Onsgard was appointed local company surgeon for the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway Company (the Milwaukee Road), and served in this capacity for many years. He served on the staff of the General Hospital of Winona, Minnesota, and also served for several years as a member of the local board of health, and as a coroner (1893-1895). He owned a farm that apparently was located somewhere in the vicinity.
Lewis Onsgard married Anna Laugen of Houston in the spring of 1889. The couple had five children: Orrin, who operated a Ford dealership in Houston; Dr. L. Kenneth Onsgard, Houston; Agnes, a piano teacher in Houston; Laura (Mrs. Axel M. Hanson), who taught high school at Albert Lea, Minnesota; and Ruth (Mrs. P. F. Johnson), a school teacher at Bricelyn, Minnesota, at Houston, and perhaps at other places.
The first half of the collection is comprised of Dr. Onsgard's
Subject files include letters from patients and consultative correspondence with other physicians; information about Onsgard's work as a surgeon for the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway Company; information about a medical malpractice lawsuit brought against him (1895-1897); a diary (1885); information about the prescription of alcohol for medicinal purposes during Prohibition (1920s); and some records of a farm evidently located in the Houston area that Onsgard rented to tenant farmers. Correspondents include officials of the National Association of Railway Surgeons; Drs. Christensen and Gundersen, La Crosse, Wisconsin; Dr. J. A. L. Bradfield, La Crosse; Dr. H. P. Johnson, Long Prairie, Minnesota; A. C. Clark & Co., Chicago, manufacturers of dental and surgical chairs and equipment; and the Duxbury & Duxbury law firm, Caledonia, Minnesota. Some of the correspondence is in Norwegian.
The daughters' materials include a diary (1910) and a book of handwritten poetry that apparently were kept by Agnes Onsgard; a class record book kept by Laura Onsgard; and a teacher's employment contract signed by Ruth Onsgard.
These documents are organized into the following sections:
Accession number: 15,582
Processed by: David B. Peterson, January 2001
Catalog ID number: 09-00322368
This book was kept while Onsgard was practicing at Harmony.
This book and all of those following were kept after Onsgard moved to Houston, Minnesota.
A newspaper obituary and other articles assembled by the cataloger.
Includes obituary of Dr. Otto F. Fischer (1926); announcement of the wedding of Laura Onsgard and Axel M. Hanson; announcement of the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Tollef Sanderson, Harmony; graduation exercises program of Houston High School Class of 1929 (May 30, 1929); an obituary of Dr. Christian Christenson; and some loose clippings that were found interfiled among the pages.
Includes letters from patients reporting their symptoms and asking for visits and prescriptions; consultative and other correspondence with physicians, particularly with doctors in La Crosse, Wisconsin; correspondence with medical equipment suppliers, railroad officials, and friends; and correspondence with other family members pertaining to some kind of family dispute following the death of Onsgard's father. Some of the letters are in Norwegian.
Receipts and other material found between the pages of the farm record books. Includes Bureau of the Census Farm and Ranch Schedule (1940).
Formerly the National Association of Railway Surgeons. Onsgard was evidently a member.
Medical malpractice suit brought against Onsgard for his treatment of a railroad-related injury. Includes deposition of Dr. Edwin Freeman (a witness for Onsgard) and correspondence with railroad officials, the Duxbury & Duxbury law firm (Caledonia, Minn.), and his friend H. P. Johnson, M.D. (Long Prairie, Minn.).
Later known as the Inter-National Association of Railway Surgeons. Onsgard was evidently a member.
This seems to be a diary of Agnes Onsgard.
Composition book of handwritten poetry probably written and/or collected by Agnes Onsgard and her high school classmates.
Gives names of seventh and eighth grade students and their grades in grammar and English classes; school not identified but possibly a high school located at Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Includes a signed contract committing her to teach first and second grades in Faribault County School District No. 132 (Bricelyn, Minn.) (1920-1921), a Winona State Normal School commencement program (June 3, 1920), and curriculum vitae. Ruth Onsgard became Ruth Johnson after she married.
Includes volume:
Includes