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DAJohnson
Junior member
USA
42 Posts |
 Posted - 07/02/2013 : 16:25:39
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Does anyone know WHY so many Norwegians emigrated from Oppland County, Eastern Toten in the second half ot the 1800's? and why did they select Wisconsin, (and the mid-west)and in particular, La Crosse WI as their destination?
Was the cause political, economic or was there some other reason? |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7790 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2013 : 17:11:34
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The primary motivation for migration was economic. The potato (which increased nutrition) and vaccinations for small pox had led to increased population which Norway couldn't sustain.
Available land was the motivator to come to America and Canada. One hundred sixty acres practically free (some fees and paperwork) gotten by your own labor may have seemed like nirvana.
So as territory opened for settlement across America and Canada, waves of immigrants came to the newest available land. People were communicating with their relatives back home and new settlers would come to their relatives in US and then move on as opportunities arose. |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2013 : 20:21:39
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An excellent source for books, essays and published studies about Norwegian Americans and their emigration is the Norwegian-American Historical Association (NAHA). They have an extensive library of their holdings converted to online searchable archives which you can search and browse.
For example - just one of their interesting articles --
http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume33/vol33_07.htm
You can look for many many more. I especially enjoy reading about the "Letters from America."
To pick up move your entire family across a wild ocean to an unknown land where you don't even speak the language would have been an act of great courage. It would be entirely logical to choose to travel to some location there where there were already people such as other family, friends or neighbors from your home area where you could be understood and where you could hopefully find a helping hand to get yourself a new start. The areas of the northern US midwest where my own emigrant ancestors chose to go were usually pioneered by Norwegian emigrants from several parts of Norway - but in definite groups.
Emigrants from other countries also settled in clusters -- think of the Polish in Chicago, the various "Chinatown" settlements in large US cities, Fox River valley in Ilinois for early Norwegians, etc. It is a completely natural tendency.
I've chosen a small settlement of Norwegian emigrants who settled in northwestern Iowa fairly early to research in great detail (related to me or not). I've found that they came from primarily four separate areas of Norway and that each group usually had family connections to each other. It is a fascinating study. |
Edited by - Hopkins on 07/02/2013 20:23:18 |
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Kċarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2013 : 23:15:15
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quote:
Originally posted by DAJohnson
Does anyone know WHY so many Norwegians emigrated from Oppland County, Eastern Toten in the second half ot the 1800's? and why did they select Wisconsin, (and the mid-west)and in particular, La Crosse WI as their destination?
Was the cause political, economic or was there some other reason?
The were many reasons for the em, but the main reason was lack of food.
The vaccination progam against small pox started in the 1790s, a blessing for the parents.
In two generations the population doubled but the number of farms did not increase in the same number. Norway could not feed so many, people starved, espesially the leaseholders and cottagers as it was most of.
Oldest hair inherited the farm, if the farm was to small to split up the future for the siblings was not easy.
Many build their own small farms in the forest or up in the hillsides, next generation had, if possible, build higher up.........
For a period Norway bought grain from "Europes grain-chamber" Ukraine. If the crop failed in Ukraine there were major problems.
Wars in Europe with blocades in periods made difficult condition even more difficult.
From ca 1835 to WW1 ca 50% of the population in Norway emigrated, the majority not voluntarily.
Throughout the whole ca 80 years lasting em. period Oppland was one of top three.
For Ĝstre Toten I have no answere at this moment.
Kċre |
Edited by - Kċarto on 08/02/2013 00:39:58 |
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Kċarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2013 : 23:47:28
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I assume the main reason for those who emigrated from Toten were the same; Lack of food.
I am not sure why Oppland had most of three in the entire period.
A nearby thought is that the situation there was even more difficult, espesially for cottagers.
The em. records, but for the whole Toten, Ĝstre and Vestre in Norwegian, easy to understand, starts with the first em. in 1846.
The site is under construction, even 1887 is complete, link
Kċre |
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Norwegians Emigrating to Wisconsin
