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| From Hellig-Olav passenger list |
In 1909, a third sister, Anne, emigrated, also to Spring Grove. In 1909 Johanna married Thomas Rosten and in 1919 they moved from Spring Grove to Pope County, Minnesota, where happily I discovered a granddaughter - a number of years later.
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| Thomas & Johanna - Spring Grove |
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| Immigrants - Killingberg sisters |
Spring Grove was the first Minnesota settlement of Norwegian immigrants, with many from the Trondheim area. Norwegian settlement in the area dates from the 1850's, although the first major wave of immigration coincided with the 1862 Land Grant Act, which bestowed 160 acres on settlers who agreed to remain on the land for 5 years. Even now, the area around Spring Grove between the Root River & Iowa River is referred to as "Norwegian Ridge". The 1900-1910 timespan has been tagged as the "3rd wave" of Norwegian immigrants.
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[Editor note: Here's a plug for the Spring Grove based "Giants of the Earth Heritage Center, a must visit for Norwegian genealogy buffs. "Giants of the Earth Heritage Center is housed in the historic Ballard House at 163 West Main Street. “Giants” was incorporated in 2009 as a non-profit educational institution, dedicated to honoring, preserving, and interpreting the heritage of the immigrants who settled at Spring Grove’s Norwegian Ridge, cited as Minnesota’s first Norwegian immigrant settlement."]
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| Spring Grove postcard taken from Trinity Church steeple - 1908 |
I recently discovered a tiny notebook in my wife's Aunt Othelia's effects. (see Othelia's Story posts for a stirring WWII army nurse saga.) The notebook was kept by Johanna during her journey from Leksvig to New York in 1907. It is not, unfortunately, a diary, but it does provide detail on the where and when of her journey.
The translation for p 1-3 is roughly
- The 30th of April I travelled from Leksvik to Trondheim. [Editor note: 1907 - this would have been by ferry across the fjord]
- The 1st of May I left Trondheim! Came to Tynset in the evening at 8pm. [Editor note: this would have been by train. Tynset is a stop on the rail line from Trondheim to Oslo]
- In the morning at 6 AM the 2nd of May we left from Tynset and came to Kristiania(Oslo) in the evening at 7 PM. [Editor note: Norway's capital was named Kristiania in 1907- renamed Oslo in 1928]
- From Kristiania the 3rd of May at 10 PM in the evening, we traveled to Kristiansand the 4th of May in the morning, and left from there in the afternoon. [Editor note: Johanna then traveled directly from Kristiansand to New York aboard the Scandinavian-America liner, Hellig Olav.]
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| Scandinavian-America Liner Hellig-Olav |
Saturday the 5th of May [Editor note: aboard Hellig-Olav]
Monday the 6th
Tuesday the 7th
Wednesday the 8th
Thursday the 9th
Friday the 10th
Saturday the 11th
Sunday the 12th
Monday the 13th
Tuesday the 14th [Editor note: Arrival in NY]
Wednesday the 15th [Editor Note: travel by train to Spring Grove]
Thursday the 16th
Friday the 17th
Saturday the 18th
Sunday the 19th Pentecost
The 14th of May we came to New York in the morning and did not leave from there till the 15th of May at 9 in the evening.
Page 4 of the little diary is a bit mysterious. It is in a different handwriting and appears to be a poem or hymn. Something like:"Oh God, your mercy and Holy Spirit helped us through so we kept up the hope and good spirit."
I'd like to think it was a blessing and prayer from her mother.
The 14th of May we came to New York in the morning and did not leave from there till the 15th of May at 9 in the evening.
Page 4 of the little diary is a bit mysterious. It is in a different handwriting and appears to be a poem or hymn. Something like:"Oh God, your mercy and Holy Spirit helped us through so we kept up the hope and good spirit."
I'd like to think it was a blessing and prayer from her mother.
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| Johanna 1956 |
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| Johanna's parting gift to Sister Ingeborg - "to remembrance" |
Johanna never returned to Norway.
Copyright © 2017 Dave Hoplin
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