PART TWO IN JOHN LINN’S MIGRATION

I hope you enjoyed reading the first part of the migration to the United States of 37 Swedes, including the Peterson family, along with John Linn and Brita Eriksdotter. The difficulties they had in obtaining the necessary approvals, the warnings and threats they received from family and friends, and the sad goodbyes to those they loved and to their home country, had to be difficult for every one of our ancestors.

In this installment written by Daniel Peterson several years after the migration, we learn about how these Swedes made their way to Motala, a destination where they would wait for transportation over the series of canals and rivers that would take them to the port of Gothenburg where they hoped to find a boat that would take them across the ocean.

This installment will take our group to the port of Gothenburg where the writer describes the various reasons why the Swedes were eager to leave for a new country.

John and Brita were the first two on the Linn ancestral line to migrate. But those of us who also are related to the Olofson line know that the Olofsons came in 1850 from northern Sweden to Wisconsin, probably following some of the same routes.

Enjoy reading Part 2. And please send any questions or comments to me through the blog: ancestorfootprints.blogspot.com

Already, it has taken this group of travelers 3-4 days just to move from Ulrika Parish to Motala to wait for a steamer to take them to Gothenberg. While waiting even longer in Gothenburg for passage across the ocean, the writer tells us of the reasons his family and others decided to make the difficult decision to leave Sweden. He gives us four reasons, each having merit; but it's #3 and #4 that have always held the most truth for me.

Our travelers are ready to set sail on the Virginia for the new world. What would they find there? How would they make their way to Iowa? The final post for this incredible adventure will be up in a few days. I hope you're enjoying this very detailed description of their travels, but I've definitely saved the best part for last.