LEWIS K. ONSGARD:

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.

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The first half of the collection is comprised of Dr. Onsgard's Physician's Call List and Record Books (1891-1925), which include chronological listings of patients visited and Onsgard's charges for his medical services. The books also include an obstetric record and sections for recording deaths, bills and accounts, vaccinations, memoranda, and other information.

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.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Lewis K. Onsgard and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,582

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, January 2001

Catalog ID number: 09-00322368

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Farm management -- Records and correspondence.

Farms -- Minnesota.

Medical records -- Minnesota -- Houston County.

Medicine -- Minnesota -- Houston County.

Norwegian Americans -- Minnesota -- Houston County.

Physicians -- Malpractice -- Minnesota.

Physicians -- Minnesota -- Fillmore County.

Physicians -- Minnesota -- Houston County.

Physicians -- Wisconsin -- La Crosse.

Prohibition -- Minnesota.

Teachers -- Minnesota -- Faribault County.

Places:

Harmony (Minn.).

Houston (Minn.).

Persons:

Onsgard, Agnes.

Onsgard, Laura A.

Onsgard, Ruth M.

Organizations:

Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway Company.

Faribault County (Minn.). School District No. 132 (Bricelyn).

Types of Documents:

Diaries.

Occupations:

Physicians.

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