Ulrik Vilhelm Koren ( December 22 , 1826 – December 19 , 1910 ) was a Norwegian-American author , theologian and church leader . A pioneer Lutheran minister , he played a significant role in the development of the spiritual and intellectual development of Norwegians in America . Ulrik Vilhelm Koren has been called the " patriarch of Norwegian American Lutherans . " Ulrik Vilhelm Koren was born in Bergen , Norway . Although the family home was at Bergen , but the family also spent much time at Selja , at the home of Koren 's paternal uncle , Laurentius Koren . Selja , which was formerly known as Selø , is a small island in the county of Sogn og Fjordane , Norway . Koren lived there after the death of his father , Paul S. S. Koren , a sea captain , in an earthquake on Haiti in 1842 . Koren was an 1852 theology graduate from the Royal Frederick University
earthquake on Haiti in 1842
1842 Cap-Haïtien earthquake
U. V. Koren