FROM GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN TO BOONE COUNTY, IOWA

We've read about the difficulties that John Linn and his wife Brita Eriksdotter had in 1849 gaining permission to leave, making the trip to the port, and waiting for their turn to finally board the ship to North America. Today is Daniel Peterson's final pages that, I think, are the most compelling. We learn about the actual trip across the ocean and then all of the twists and turns, diseases and deaths, to finally make it to their destination.

This is a very detailed description of what Daniel saw and experienced and for that I'm so thankful. But as we continue to follow this group from the shore to their destination, it can be difficult to follow. At the end of this narrative, I've placed a map showing the route they took to make it a bit easier to see.

FOUR MONTHS AND 14 DAYS!

Library of Congress maps: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3700.fi000230/ for the 1850 map which I used to create the following:

Each of the orange triangles represents a stop in Daniel's story. 

• Sandy Hook, a barrier spit in Monmouth County, NJ; Health officer came on board. Towed up to Castle Gardens which was simply a port until 1855 when it was established to help with translations, letter writing, quarantines and more;
• Steamer up the Hudson River to Albany, NY
• Canal boat through the Erie Canal to Buffalo, NY
• Lake Steamer bound for Chicago which took 5 days; Notice the long way around through the lakes because no railroads were there at the time for a more direct route
• Boat on the Michigan and Illinois River canal to Peru, IL.
• Steamship to St. Louis where they experienced severe cholera.
• Boat captain took them up the Mississippi River to Keokuk, Iowa
• Teams and teamsters took them to Des Moines (Raccoon Forks) by canoe.
• Teamsters took them by land to Boone County.

I'm exhausted! And I'm in awe of our immigrant ancestors for their decisions, their courage, their will to make this journey. And I'm so very, very thankful. 

I hope you've enjoyed this narrative, too. And any of our ancestors who came during that same time period would have experienced similar routes and challenges.

AROUND HALF THE WORLD IN SIX MONTHS

Several family members have asked how our ancestors traveled to the United States. Ship the entire way? Train? Walking? Covered Wagon? And what route would they have taken? I have to say that I’ve been equally curious about this and, until now, simply had a reasonable guess based on migration patterns of the time.

But now I know for certain how at least one of our ancestors came from Sweden to Iowa. An exciting find that I’m thrilled to share with you.

John Linn and his wife Brita Eriksdotter left Ulrika Parish in Ostergotland County on 25 April 1849. John and his wife appear on the ship manifest for the Virginia and arrived in New York on 24 August 1849, a trip across the ocean that took FOUR months. But that was not the end of their migration. And certainly there was a story to tell about the entire trip. But until now, I couldn’t fill in the blanks.

While going through one of my mom’s 3-ring notebooks, I came across a 35-page typewritten narrative written in 1879 and 1880 by another passenger who made the same trip with John and Brita. It’s wonderfully written with details to bring the trip alive for the reader. There is no way that I could summarize this narrative and do it any kind of justice; and so, I’m going to post it in parts that won’t be too long to read at one setting and will keep you intrigued to learn what happened next in their trip.

The narrative was written by Daniel Peterson who was 10 years old at the time of the emigration. He was the son of Anders Peterson and Maria Hansdotter, also of Ulrika Parish in Ostergotland County. While I cannot determine how John’s and Anders’ paths crossed, the farms they were on were in close proximity and they undoubtedly would have attended the same church. Family story tells us that Anders paid for John and his wife to come to America and we learn in the narrative that John worked for Anders, building his home, which lends support to John’s paying off a debt.

Because the narrative was published in a newspaper, I am assuming that my posting it for our family and friends to read would be of no concern.

Enjoy the first installment:

What an incredibly detailed process it was to receive the proper papers to leave Sweden. Being harassed by neighbors and friends, hearing tales of how doomed their lives would be if they crossed the ocean, and the expense of all of this...It's difficult to imagine our ancestors going through all of this to make their way to the new world. And there's more for them to face:

The work that had to be done, the harassment and warnings they received, clearly show in Daniel Peterson's writing. And remember that John Olausson Linn and his wife Brita Eriksdotter were going through the very same formalities and warnings. Next week we will learn about how they traveled to the port where they would sail for America. Just the beginning of an amazing trip to Iowa. And whether you are related directly to John Linn or not, this same process was waiting for the Olofsons and Rasks and Lundgrens and more of our ancestors. And given that Peter Linn came a year later and Gus two years later, I think it's reasonable to assume that their adventure was much the same as well.

If you are unable to enlarge the pages for your reading, please let me know. I can send a couple at a time through email. It's worth taking the time to read. A great find hidden in mom's notebooks.