LIFE IN THE EARLY DAYS IN IOWA

Several of you have asked me to write about what our ancestors encountered in their early days in Iowa. What was their daily life like? How did they survive the extreme weather? Did they build churches and schools? What hardships did they face?

I've searched for information that I thought would be relevant to our Linn, Olofson, Barquist, Carlson ancestors; but it appears that none of our ancestors wrote much of anything to pass down. We were fortunate to have the story written by Daniel Peterson about the journey from Sweden to Iowa in 1849-50. And as I continued through my mother's notebooks, I came across more of Daniel's writing. This time, at the age of 39, he wrote his recollections of those early days in Boone County. His story is full of details that helps us understand the courage and strength of our early ancestors. Our Linn ancestors are mentioned throughout this piece. And, because of his writing, we can also learn what our other ancestors would have faced as they settled in Iowa nearly two centuries ago.

Like Daniel Peterson's other writing, this one is also long--10 page long. But I want to share it with you as he wrote it. I hope that you enjoy this look at life in early Iowa. We start with the Peterson family deciding to travel a bit north of Raccoon Forks to Boone County where they receive help from John Linn.

NOTE: In this first post, a mention is made of the Dragoon Trail. For those of you who don't know about this well-marked section of Iowa, I've copied from wikipedia a brief description:

In 1933, the State of Iowa opened the Dragoon Trail, a scenic and historic drive along the Des Moines River.

The trail follows the path of the 1st U. S. Dragoons, the country's first mounted infantry unit, on their historic march in the summer of 1835, to scout Iowa after the Black Hawk Purchase of 1832 put the area under U.S. control. The march lead to the establishment of outposts from present-day Fort Dodge and Webster City through Des Moines to Pella and Knoxville.

The Trail is about 200 miles long and passes cultural, historical, natural and scenic attractions including Lake Red Rock, Ledges State Park, the Kate Shelley High Bridge and Dolliver Memorial Park.

It starts with two branches originating from Fort Dodge and Webster City that join near Stratford; from there it runs through Boone and Des Moines to the Red Rock Dam between Pella and Knoxville.

Peter Linn has arrived in Iowa, living near his brother John. Love is in the air with George and Anna.

Don't you enjoy hearing about the excitement for the mail, especially the Harper's Magazine? And the dislike of a daily staple, corn bread, after having it at every meal? We also see that Gus Linn's family had arrived and established himself in the community as well.

We've learned in this first section about the early settlers, attending church services in their homes, John Linn's position as elder/bishop over Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, and a bit about how difficult courting could be with a language and cultural barrier.

I'll add the other part of Daniel Peterson's writing in a few days.

Gus and John's Excellent Adventure Photo

On 26 August, 2018, I posted a story about John and Gus's trip back to Sweden in 1894. This was their final opportunity to see their homeland and family and friends, for Gus passed away in 1897 and John in 1907.

I recently came across a photo taken in Sweden of the brothers and some of their relatives.

In one of the letters posted in the Dayton Review and copied in the 26 August 2018 post, a reference is made to their taking a train to Flisby, Jonkoping County, Sweden to visit. An older sister to John and Gus who lived in Flisby was Brita Catharina Olsdotter. My best guess is that she is the woman seated on the left of the picture above. Standing next to her is Gus Linn with his cane. And on the far right is John Linn. Both men look handsome with snowy white beards and are well dressed from their hats to their shoes. 

Brita's husband Adolf Isaksson could be the man standing next to Brita and perhaps the other men (in white hats) are their two sons, Carl and Gustaf Lindstrom. Carl never married, leading me to believe that the other woman and the child are part of Gustaf Lindstrom's family.

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.

ANSWERING A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS

Thanks for the comments and questions about the first two parts of John Linn's journey. I was so excited to read this story, and so very happy to know you're enjoying it as well.

One person asked if seeing a photo of Dodringshult, the farm in Jonkoping where John, Peter, and Gus lived for a time until their father died, would help those who are new to this genealogy journey. On 28 January 2018, I did post about their father Olaus Fredericsson and included a couple of photos of the beautiful farm on which they lived. We visited there a few years ago. It's expansive. Green. Beautifully maintained. You can see the photos by going back to that earlier post. And I would encourage you to go back to read any of the posts that might give you more of the story about the individuals currently at the center of these posts.

We know, of course, that none of the three brothers left from Dodringshult for North America. They each went to work on farms as soon as they were able, moving from time to time to find work as a laborer or drang. John was on a farm called Packarp in Ulrika Parish, Ostergotland County when he joined up with Andrew Peterson and the others traveling in 1849.

Peter was working on Svarvarestugan in Ulrika Parish when he left in 1851. And Gus also left from the same farm and parish. 

These 3 brothers had moved around a great deal, but I imagine they may have felt that Dodringshult was their home, a place where their family was in tact and happy until 1830.

A second question came up about the author, Daniel Peterson, who was just 10 years old when the journey was made. The Petersons are not related to us as far as I can determine. But they did settle near our Linns and undoubtedly remained friends, retelling the story they all shared in migrating from Sweden to Iowa. Daniel was 39-40 years old when he recounted the story we are reading, but it appears from the records I've found that Daniels parents, Andrew and Maria were also alive in 1879 and 1880, perhaps helping him fill in any details he may have forgotten.

Daniel died in 1927 and is buried in the Linn Cemetery in Pilot Mound.

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. 

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.

OLOFSON PHOTOS

 I have so many photos of the Olofson family. From my great-great grandfather Olof and his second wife and family to William Olofson, his wife Olivia, and their children, and more. Today, I'll pick a few that I'm not sure I've shared before. I hope there are some new ones in here for you to enjoy.

Olof Olofson married Brita Rask in 1880 and together they raised William who was the son of Olof, Anna Sophia Charlotta who was the daughter of Brita, and the 7 children they had together. Below is a picture of this handsome group:

Taken around 1904, they are (back row) Charlie, Lottie (Anna Sophia Charlotta), William Edward, Hannah, Gilbert; (front row) Bada, Olof, Delbert, Brita, Leon, Alice.

Great-great grandfather Olof Olofson was one of 6 children, 5 of whom survived to adulthood. The following picture shows Anna, Greta, and Kerstin in the back with Olof, who was blind by this time, and Lars.

William Edward Olofson and Olivia Rask, my great-grandparents, were married on October 17, 1889, and below is their wedding photo:

Next are two of my favorite photos of William and Olivia. Both show them in a buggy pulled by horses. One in the summertime dressed to impress. The other was in the winter, dressed for the very cold Iowa winters.

Olof Olofson with his dog and his cane:

Next is a photo of Olivia Rask Olofson and her son Vernie, my great uncle.

And finally, pictures of my grandmother Maude Edith Olofson Linn and her sister Lilly Sophy Olofson Lundgren.

I hope you've enjoyed these few picture of our Olofson ancestors. I love seeing their clothes and the glimpses into their lives before any of us were here.

Next week I'll post photos of other relatives: Lundgrens, Barquists, Rasks, and others.