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J. C. M. Hanson

Norwegian-American librarian

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 5, 2025
Entity authorityQ23020816 ↗
Source-derived summary

James Christian Meinich Hanson (March 13, 1864 – November 8, 1943) was a Norwegian born, American librarian.

Background

Jens Christian Meinich Hanson, now known as J. C. M. Hanson, was born on March 13, 1864, in Oppland, Norway, in the Nordre Aurdal district at Sørheim. He was the sixth child and second son of Gunnerius "Gunnar" and Eleonore Adamine (Röberg) Hansen. His first name was initially Jens, but in America, his playmates called him Jim, which was then turned into James, a change that he subsequently used. The change in the spelling of his name was incremental and inconsistent, but by 1897 he'd adopted the signature "J. C. M. Hanson" that he is known by today. Hanson's father was a government employee and a landlord, but his family was big and profitable prospects in Norway were hard to come by.

Education

Hanson's mother's half-brother Han Roberg, who had settled in Decorah, Iowa, offered education to one of the boys of her family, and nine-year-old Jens was selected. He graduated in 1882 from Luther College in Decorah, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Two years at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, came after this, but Hanson was not drawn to the ministry.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “J. C. M. Hanson” as norwegian-American librarian. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Hanson, Norwegian-American and librarian.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1864, 1943, 1897, 1882—that can be checked directly. The authority record carries competing date values—1864-03-13, 1864-01-01—which should remain separate until their references and qualifiers are resolved. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Hanson, Norwegian-American and librarian providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “J. C. M. Hanson”, the useful work is to connect “norwegian-American librarian” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q23020816. VIAF identifies the subject as 76681734. The Library of Congress control number is n85089022. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1864, 1943, 1897 and 1882.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “J. C. M. Hanson”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow J. C. M. Hanson primary sources, J. C. M. Hanson archive and Hanson research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “J. C. M. Hanson”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “J. C. M. Hanson” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.