PART 5 of the Interview November 1, 2050 In the previous session, it had been explained to the interviewers that the site has two distinct components. PAS: Personal and subjective. This component of the site stores all of the subjective material about the subject. All of the posted writings, blogs, or other material written by or about the subject. The answers to these questions will be given by the party being interviewed. DAM: Data Authentication Monitor: This component of the site stores all of the objective material relating to the subject: Test scores, grades, professional licenses, teaching posts, official honors. When a question is asked about any of these subjects, the answer is given by DAM: The Interviewers: Susan Mary Fouty, Registered as a Family Biographer Nancy Maren Fouty Higgins: Registered as a Family Member Charles Leonard Fouty: Registered as a Family Member All three of the interviewers have access to both the PAS and the DAM portions of the site. Susie and her little sister Nancy, have been joined by their brother Charles and have logged back onto the site to resume the interview with their ancestor Marvin F. Fouty. Charles is a freshman at Penn State University and has joined the interview on Scoop which is the technological successor to Skype. Charles is writing a paper on the westward expansion of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in America and had come across some of the material that Marvin had written about Peter and Maren Sollid who were profoundly affected by both The Homestead Act and the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. Charles had been told in Session 3 of the interview that his questions about Peter and Maren would be held over until the next session. Then in Session 4 his questions were again postponed so that the girls could finish their questions about the family at Houghton Lake. Now Charles, who has a limited time to ask these questions in order to finish his paper, has become insistent on being able to ask questions about Peter and Maren and their coming to America. Susie: Today we’re moving from winter and frozen noses at Houghton Lake to frozen noses in Norway. We’re going to turn the questioning over to Charles who is writing a paper about the westward expansion of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Charles: We have read about how Norwegian immigration was influenced by the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. We know that the Homestead Act was passed to create westward expansion. Free land was the essence of the Act. Pioneer families were offered 160 acres of free land in the western states, the only requirement being they lived and farmed the land for five years. The Pacific Railroad had been completed in 1867 through what was largely wilderness and Indian country. What are the specifics of the Act? MFF: The Homestead Act provided that "any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen of the United States, or who shall have filed his declaration of intention to become such," and who had "never borne arms against the United States Government or given aid and comfort to its enemies," was entitled to file on 160 acres of land in certain areas or 80 acres in more favorable localities. All of the mid-western United States was surveyed into square sections 1 mile, or 1.6 kilometers, on a side. Each section contained 640 acres, or 2.59 square kilometers (259 hectares). A quarter of a section is 160 acres, or .6475 square kilometers (64.75 hectares). This was much larger than most of the farms in Norway. Charles: What about the Pacific Railroad Act? MFF: As an incentive to build the Railroad, the government gave the Railroad Company vast tracts of land, up to 6 miles in width on both sides of the railroad and these lands were sold cheaply by the Railroad Company to raise money and to bring paying customers to the railroad. Charles: My first questions is. How was Peter, an 18 year old living in Norway, affected by these two Acts? MFF: That’s a very broad question. The Sollids were a farm family who lived in Solli, a small farming community outside of Grimstad which was on the southern tip of the country. They had seen the articles in the Grimstad newspaper advertising for workers on the farms in America and had received letters from the Risdals and other friends who had emigrated to Norwegian communities in Illinois. Many western states in need of farm workers began to advertise their respective advantages in the Scandinavian countries in newspapers. They also had agents, all through northern Europe distributing pamphlets and recruiting people to emigrate to America. Susie: For God’s sake Charles, we’ve read all of this in the detailed history that Marvin has written about the family in Norway, their life and experiences, the family name, the circumstances of Peter and Tobias’s first trip to America and on and on. Charles: For your information Susie, I am writing a paper in college and the central focus of the paper relies on a personal interview with the subject. You are free to leave at any time. Susie: Given that you’ve read all of this before, I had hoped for an abbreviated interview on these questions. Charles: Given the massive amount already known about Peter and Maren, this is a relatively abbreviated interview. Susie: Since this is a waste of my time, I will now leave you to your questions and exit the stage until next time.. Nancy: Me too. You know we have a limited time on these sessions Charles: Thanks. As much as I love you two, this is a huge relief. Susie and Nancy: See ya bro. Charles: So they were recruited by agents or they simply read accounts in the Grimstad newspaper or in pamphlets which were widely available. MFF: Yes, all of this information spelled out the tremendous opportunities in America for hard working people. The opportunity for free land, high wages and life in a new country. Charles: What was there life like in Norway? MFF: They lived on a small farm which was a part of a collective of farms called Solli. The larger farm was divided into parts among the various owners. The custom on the western and southern Norway was that the home fields consisted of a complicated variety of strips spread between other strips belonging to the other farms in the collective farmyard. The outlying fields were more or less used in co-ownership. In the fall and in the spring they were used as common grazing Peter recalled years later that as a boy he spent lots of time tending the sheep in the upper valley of the farm. Charles: Why was it Peder (Peter), among all of the children of Ommund and Dorothea the only child to emigrate permanently from their home. MFF: Aage, the oldest son had died from a genetic disease eleven years earlier in 1890 at the age of fifteen. Olaf, now the oldest son, was twenty three in 1901 and was consequently the heir to Solli, the family farm. The farm had a mortgage on it and was in danger of foreclosure. Ommund, Dorothea and the rest of the family were no longer able to earn a sufficient living on the farm. The family had discussed the possibility of Peter and Tobias earning enough money in America to buy the farm back, that being one of the reasons for the emigration. Olaf was the oldest son, and consequently heir to Solli and with an obligation to care for his parents in their old age. He was therefore bound to the farm. They carried a mortgage on the farm and were in danger of foreclosure. While families were often large, only one child could take over the family farm, so more and more children growing up in rural areas had little hope of owning a farm. As a result, most Norwegian immigrants in the late 19th century were young, single farmers’ sons between the ages of 16 and 29 like Peter and Tobias; they left to escape from slipping into the landless class and with the hope that they could acquire a farm, marry, and start a family in a land of economic opportunity. Emigrating to America was their best hope for a good life. Charles: I know in Norway in 1900 there were rules about who could emigrate from the country, age, mandatory schooling and etc. What were the particular circumstances for Peter and Tobias? MFF: Peter had turned 18 on December 19, 1900, had completed his mandatory schooling at the folkeskole, a primary school in Norway which was mandatory for all children for 7 years. At 18, he was now eligible to emigrate to America alone. His family had been discussing it for several months. In June of 1901 Tobias was 16 years old and had completed his mandatory schooling. It was seen as a good idea for Tobias to accompany Peter on the journey. Being virtually alone in a strange country and not speaking the language was unacceptable to both Peter and the family, so Tobias would go along. Charles: You mentioned “mandatory schooling” Was that a condition for emigration? MFF: Yes, unless emigrating with the entire family. But for two minors like Peter and Tobias it was a requirement of emigration. Compulsory education was established in Norway in the late 19th century. Norway has virtually no illiteracy. Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 16 and is provided by the state free of cost. For their elementary education, children attend a six-year lower school, which prescribes the same curriculum for all students. Students then attend a three-year secondary school, which offers many elective courses. Peter and Tobias had met the educational requirements for emigration. Charles: What are the details in preparing for the voyage to America? MFF: They had saved enough money for the tickets which had to be ordered and paid for beforehand. They would begin their journey on a Wilson Line Steamer from the Port of Kristiansand which was a one day trip from Solli.. The Wilson Line, by 1900 had a monopoly on passenger ships. Peter and Tobias were had been assigned a Wilson Lines Agent. They met with the agent and other passengers as a group on the dock. They were taken to the shipping company office. Their baggage was marked and made ready for loading on the steamship. The ticket was paid for and the contract with the Wilson Line was gotten ready. Then it was off to the police station where the contract was signed and names entered into the emigrant register. Men who were of age for military service (age 22-36) had to provide documentation that they had permission to emigrate, or discharge papers, military authorities. Male emigrants below the age of military conscription had to present a certificate signed by their local district commissioner. Both men and women had to present their certificate of baptism. Charles: Certificate of Baptism? MFF: Yes, Norway was a Lutheran country with a long tradition of required church participation including a mandatory payment (tithe) to the church. Charles: Then what? MFF: When all the formalities were completed, the two boys had to find lodgings for the night. Many of the agents had agreements with specific hotels and boarding houses, and arranged lodgings for the emigrants. They also exchanged currency and made out foreign drafts. On the day of departure the emigrants had to gather outside the office of their respective agent. From there they were led to the ship and assigned a place on board. There was usually a large gathering of people on the docks who had come to bid farewell to friends and relatives. The entire Sollid family had come to see the two boys off, thinking they may never see them again.. Charles: Our time is up for today but I’m anxious to continue the interview. See you later. MFF: Is that a question?
Posted on: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 15:20:27 +0000
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