The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Volume 1, 1917-1918Various
History
The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Volume 1, 1917-1918
Various
Wisconsin -- History -- Periodicals
In the year 1837, the 8th of April, we started from our homestead, the
farm Nattestad, in Weglie-Parish, Rolloug Parson’s District, in
Nummedal in Norway, for the purpose of trying our fortune in another
part of the world, namely in the free states in North America. We
journeyed with an agreeable weather till in the evening of the 11th of
the same month. That day we came to the farm Flotyl, at the foot of
Storfjeldet (Big Mountain). In the morning the weather was tolerably
clear. We began to climb the mountain. When we had gone some distance
there began a strong storm with snow and wind and it became so dark
that we could not see the least from us. As luck would have it, we
found a path which had been used with marsh shoes on the horses’ feet
over the mountain, and this path we stuck to for the most part, so
that we, thanks be to God, made our way safely. We rested a while at
Jordbraek, then we went to Roarquam, where we expected to stop over
night. As soon as we entered the house there came a man with a boat
whose home was 1¾ miles [the Norwegian mile is about seven English
miles] farther out on a farm by name Quildal. We were allowed to
follow him home without pay. There we stayed one day because Ansteen
became so weak in his eyes that he could not see to walk, but after we
left this place we, for the most part got transportation to Stavanger.
There we got trace of a man by name Elias Tastad, with whom all who
wanted to go to America inscribed their names. To the above named E.
Tastad we arrived the 17th of April. The man named said that “they who
desire to sail to America from Stavanger will not get a ship before
after St. Johnstide, and still it was not certain what time it would
be. But go to Tenager which lies one mile west from here. There lie
herring boats which go to Gothenborg and see that you get passage with
one of them,--that is the best.” As we were informed we went to the
place mentioned and at once met a man from Kobbervigen, by name
Engebret Rise, from whom we got terms and whom we were to go with. It
was said that the above named person, E. Tastad, was a Quaker, and he
was a particularly kind-hearted man and he gave us advice in many
things. The 18th of the same month we went on board and sailed to the
harbor Rekfjord; there we lay for 8 days, weather-bound. It is 8 miles
north of Lindesnaes. From there we sailed the 28th of the same month.
When we came some distance out they had neglected to take water on
board. They, therefore, sailed in to Kirkehavn to get water. In the
evening when we came out upon the sea again it was perfectly calm and
the fog lay so thick that we could not see a single thing. The calm
continued until in the afternoon, then we got a little breeze which
increased and came from the southeast until it grew into a perfect
storm so the waves washed entirely over the ship. That night the storm
drove us back to Kirkehavn again. There we lay till the 3rd of May,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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