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TRAVELING TO AMERICA

(Gunnar's Immigration Papers)

Gunnar’s brothers Andreas and George went to America in 1873 and 1874. They liked it, and Gunnar got tickets for the spring of 1875 for himself, his wife, and his daughter, named Sigfrid Andrea, born June 20th, 1873. It was hard for him to say goodbye to his mother because he was not sure he would see her again.


They boarded the boat the first of July and arrived in England. They met with an agent who took them on a ship to America. They were given a fitness test on the ship to make sure they were all healthy. 


Once arriving in America, they traveled to Minnesota, where they lived for several years. The prairies were a difficult place to live--Gunnar had no farming experience, and prairie fires were a constant worry. They moved to Tacoma, Washington in March of 1887. By then they had five daughters. Gunnar helped lay some of the streets and drove an express wagon. Later, he became a bookkeeper at a lumber mill. They had two more daughters.


All seven of their daughters were married. Their youngest daughter, Gertrude, stayed home to care for Gunnar and Grethe, and did not marry until after they died.

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