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tmlynch
Starting member
USA
27 Posts |
 Posted - 25/04/2017 : 19:50:51
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I am very new to my Norwegian heritage and need a history lesson, please. What were some of the reasons for families to emigrate from Norway to the United States in the late 1880s?
Thank you,
tmlynch |
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jwiborg
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
4961 Posts |
Posted - 25/04/2017 : 23:31:46
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The underlying reasons for the emigration consists of several factors. A basic reason for the emigration is to be found in the enormous increase in population, an increase which continued despite the great loss of population. The population grew faster than the means of proper subsistence.
Emigration and industrialisation eventually became the solution to the problems of livelihood for the ever increasing numbers of people. False distribution of goods, religious and politican minority for many were also some of the weakness in Norwegian society at the time of the emigration. In Norway, the eldest son inherited the farm. The younger siblings had to move out, but there was not enough land or farms for the increasing poplation. According to the American Homestead act of 1862, each settler could by 80 acres if the land was close to a railway. In areas with less communication means, he could by 160 acres. So there was land for everybody as long as you settled down and cultivated it.
The picture of America was spread throughout Norway by means of writing, speech and pictures. Letters from early emigrants in America was read and sent around in the townships. Handbooks about America were printed, often with travel advice and useful information for the emigrants. Some of the books were correct, but many gave an glorified incorrectly drawn picture of America. Some of the emigrants came home and talked about America and the great opportunities there. Each district had pioneers who started an emigrant tradition in their villages, a tradition which made the break easier for those who followed.
A network of travel agents grew up in the big cities, facilitating the trip with complete tickets including railway, steamship etc, to their final destination.
To summarize; people sought happiness in America for many different reasons, in many different ways and places. But common to most of those who traveled around the turn of the century was that they wanted to create a better life. Norway was at that time a poor agricultural country, and the farms became overpopulated. Agricultural resources did not keep pace with the high population growth, and there were also failing crops in the 19th century. There was simply a lack of land. America was known as the land of the free, the country of opportunity. In America there were huge agricultural areas, and every opportunity to build a small farm and create a new life.
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Edited by - jwiborg on 25/04/2017 23:48:08 |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9216 Posts |
Posted - 25/04/2017 : 23:36:32
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An anecdotal story from my family might provide at least one reason for the emigration from Norway to America. My great-grandfather Olav occupied a small farm that he leased from a larger farm. The farm was called a husmannsplass and he paid the rent on the farm by working cutting hay for the large farm in the summer months. He and his wife Martha had eight children. I have visited this farm and while the farm house is now gone the stone foundation gives one an idea of its size. It was very small and yet ten people occupied it. In the 1875 Census he is shown with six of the children, two yet to be born, and farm animals of a few goats, two sheep and a cow. Of the eight children seven emigrated to America and one remained in Norway. The youngest daughter stayed in Norway, married and it is her descendants that provide the Norwegian families we Americans now visit from time to time. The seven children left because the possibility of owning their own farm was remote. By then the farms of Norway had been divided and subdivided as to make obtaining your own farm highly unlikely. Further the industrial revolution had yet to provide the opportunity for much employment so making a living in Norway coming from a poor family would have been difficult indeed. The oldest daughter emigrated to Chicago, got a job and started sending money back to Norway so that the other children could follow. Three of the other girls ended up in Chicago, two boys in Wisconsin and my grandfather in Minnesota. My grandfather was only 17 when he emigrated so the need or desire to leave for a better future must of have been quite strong.
I suspect that you will find that the difficulty of making a living and raising a family in the Norway in the late 1800's is one of the main driving forces for the wave of immigrants who made their way to America. |
Edited by - AntonH on 25/04/2017 23:41:23 |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
Posted - 26/04/2017 : 00:36:08
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Basically, the migration came because of the potato and smallpox vaccinations.
The potato was a great boon in Norway, easy to grow, productive. Some early immigrants told of having to live on bark soup. The potato led to fewer people dying of malnourishment.
Vaccinations against small pox begin in Norway quite early and so most folks by the 1820s were being vaccinated. Led to people not dying of this disease.
In the 1700s you might have had 10 or 12 children but usually only 4 or 5 lived to adulthood. The land and job resources in Norway could almost handle that number of people. But when two major causes of early death were mitigated and people lived, that led to a population explosion.
Land is a very limited commodity in Norway. In the district one of my ancestors came from the average farm amounted to 6 acres, the biggest farm was 30 acres. How do you support a family of 10 or 12 on 6 acres? Tough to do.
And your chances of owning a piece of property in Norway were greatly diminished as the cost to buy outright was high, since the supply was limited and inheritance favored the first son over all the other children if there was something to inherit.
In America because of the homestead law, you could own outright 160 acres, that you selected, and brought to production by your own effort (and a few fees and duties) It must have seemed like Nirvana.
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Reasons for emigration in the late 1880s
