Shipping Trunk
lands	Hi, Recently whilst going through an ancestors shipping trunk (dated 1837) a secret compartment was found. This compartment held about 20 letters that were stamped and post marked as being sent from Norway to Iowa between 1853 and 1879. 1) Was it usual for shipping trunks to have secret compartments at that time?. 2) How or where would I get these letters translated from Norwegian to English?. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Steve
Hopkins	I've lately read several books based on the early letters between emigrants and their homes in Norway. You might contact the Norwegian-American Historical Association and see what they suggest. The years between 1853 and 1879 were dramatic years of US history. If you know what area in Norway the Iowa emigrants came from - a historical group in their home Norwegian district might also take interest. There is also a Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo that might know more about that type of trunk or even the Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa.