| dwssnell | Elling Pedersen Engen (Enger) from Eggedal was my g. g. grandfather. With him on the ship was his wife Aase, and seven children. Sigrid, 1841; Joran, 1846; Aase, 1849; Ellev, 1852; Palme, 1855: Mari, 1857; and Gunhild, born 11 May 1861 in Drammen just a week before they sailed. Their oldest son Elling, my g. grandfather, had preceded them to America in 1854.
Aase Enger Luidahl, the daughter who was 12 at the time, in her later years gave this account of the sailing to a nephew: "We sailed across the North Sea to England. Left there May 13, 1861. As they crossed the Atlantic, a red sailing vessel was hovering near. One day it was near enough so that the Captain became nervous. With 700 people aboard he sent the women and children below and gathered all the men on deck. When the occupants of the red vessel saw this large number of husky Norwegians aboard they turned around so rapidly they scraped the side of th Norwegian ship. The pirates knew they would be no match here." |