The 100th annual meeting of the Slooper Society of America!

October 3-5, 2025

Plans are underway for the 100th meeting of the Slooper Society! Mark your calendars for a very special bicentennial celebration October 3-5 in Norway, Illinois (formerly known as the Fox River Settlement), the oldest permanent Norwegian settlement in America. Here is where the seed was originally planted that resulted in over 800,000 Norwegians deciding to emigrate between 1825-1925. All this history can be viewed at the Norsk Museum through artifacts and exhibits. For more information about the Norsk museum, visit NorskMuseum.org.

As we await the bicentennial celebrations, now would be a great opportunity to learn more about the Sloopers and there is no better resource than The Bicentennial Collector’s Edition of J. Hart Rosdail’s The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity. This specially-commissioned reproduction of the 1961 original 668-page book, with many maps and pictures, tells the story of their journey, the families involved, and genealogies of the descendants. Divided in two volumes, with volume 1 describing “The Years Together (1825-1850” and volume 2 detailing “Their Ancestry and Posterity (1850-1961)”.

Available for $95 plus $18.40 shipping Order your book here,

The Slooper descendants have grown substantially since the original 53 who sailed to America in 1825 — today we number over 20,000!! Sloopers are found in all 50 states plus various countries. Many of you may have never attended the annual meeting. I would encourage you to take pride in your unique Slooper heritage and be a part of its preservation. If the line stops with you, your children and grandchildren may never know the rich history that is also theirs.

We look forward to seeing you October 3-5, 2025 in beautiful Norway, IL!