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orm overland
Starting member
Norway
22 Posts |
 Posted - 17/04/2009 : 16:49:14
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Johan Engebretsen Engelaugsmoen wrote from Four Mile Prairie, Van Zandt County, Texas to Taale Andreas Gjestvang, Løiten, Hedmark on December 8, 1850 shortly after his arrival. He begins his letter with an account of the voyage:
"In response to your wish I will first briefly tell you about our voyage. As for wind and weather, we were, praise God, very lucky, because we anchored in the harbor of New Orleans 8 weeks and 4 days after we left Norway. Of 108 passengers only a child died. It was born on the ship 3 days after we left Norway and only lived for about 3 weeks and was buried on the Atlantic.
We, I and Knud [Olsen] have not been in good health since we left Norway and the main reason for this is the poor treatment we had on the ship, because when we paid for our meals included in the ticket we made a big mistake. We were not given much more to eat than dinner. For 7 weeks we only were given food for one person so the captain cheated us for 6 weeks of bread, for which we were not given any compensation. And when we suffered partly from hunger and partly from seasickness, we were forced to go up on deck to be cured by God's beneficial wind a weather. And when we came to New Orleans he made sure to get rid of us as soon as possible by getting us placed on a steamboat that goes to Alexandria, but without making sure that we got the most reasonable tickets, so we were also cheated in this manner as they demanded more money of us than we had expected. And while those who brought their own food from Norway had some left over, we had to buy provisions at a high price, and when I take into consideration the money I paid for Knud the amount was 30 speciedaler. We have now finally arrived here, but it is not so easy to write because of the constant trafic of many newcomers who go out to look for land. But I am not in a position to do this as most of my money was used for food and tickets, both for myself and for Knud."
The rest of the letter is about his impression of Texas. Based on his own negative experience, he also gives advice to later emigrants.
The entire letter is in Fra Amerika til Norge I, 47. |
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brig Amerika from Arendal to New Orleans 1850
