Transcriber’s Note: Most variations in hyphenation,capitalization, and spelling have been retained as in the original.Spelling errors have been corrected when most occurrences of the wordin question are correct. Obvious typos have been amended. Allamendments are underlined in text; original text appears in a mousehoverbox over each amendment, like this. Minor printer errors(quotation marks, punctuation, etc.) have been amended without note.Mid-paragraph illustrations have been relocated between paragraphs foreasier reading, causing some page numbers to be removed. Table ofContents has been added.
REMINISCENCES
The STORY
OF AN
EMIGRANT
By HANS MATTSON,
Late Consul General of the United States, in India
saint paul:
D. D. MERRILL COMPANY
1891.
Copyrighted 1891
by
D. D. MERRILL COMPANY
st. paul, minn.
All Rights Reserved
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Ancestry and country home in Sweden—Home influences—My firstschool years—Christmas—Military life—Departure forAmerica.
CHAPTER II.
Arrival at Boston—Adventures between Boston and NewYork—Buffalo—An Asylum—Return to New York—AVoyage—On the Farm in New Hampshire.
CHAPTER III.
The Arrival of my Father and Brother—Journey toIllinois—Work on a Railroad—The Ague—DoctorOber—Religious Impressions—The Arrival of my Mother, Sisterand her Husband—A Burning Railroad Train—We go toMinnesota—Our Experience as Wood Choppers and Pioneers.
CHAPTER IV.
Future Hopes—Farm Life—Norwegian Pioneers—TheCondition of the Immigrant at the Beginning of theFifties—Religious Meetings—The Growth of theSettlement—Vasa Township Organized—A Lutheran ChurchEstablished—My Wedding—Speculation—The Crisis of1857—Study of Law in Red Wing—I am admitted to the Bar andelected County Auditor—Politics in 1860—War is Imminent.
CHAPTER V.
The Beginning of the Civil War—The Scandinavians taking part init—Appeal in Hemlandet to the Scandinavians ofMinnesota—Company D. Organized—The Expressions of thePress—The Departure—The March over the CumberlandMountains—The Fate of the Third Regiment.