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It was clear that those who wrote the letters were far, far from home and indeed seized the opportunity to stretch the truth. One could boast a little for those back home.
Since so many emigrated to America particularly from Småland, it appeared over the years more common to move away. The concept of America became rather ordinary. It was spoken of in every home, in every churchyard every Sunday. It became much more common to know someone who had gone to America than someone who had gone to Stockholm. America grew closer and closer. There were of course letters from there and then came photographs. There were addresses to keep track of, friends and relatives to be contacted upon arrival. In time, even Swedish churches and post offices were built in the larger towns. Local newpapers published addresses of shipowners who could be hired to transport people across the Atlantic. Every once in a while a Swede living in America would even return home and share additional fantastic stories about the new world on the other side of the ocean.
In this way it became easier to embark on the journey - one only needed to scrape together enough money. The Swedes in the USA started to work using the skills they had learned back home. If they did not become farmers, like Karl Oskar, then they became carpenters, masons, or other craftsmen. In time, some became building contractors, others got rich prospecting for gold, and others fell into trades which they could never imagine doing until they came to America.
But they all started with strenuous work,
something they knew quite well from their toils back home. Women often
performed housework. It was spoken of at the time as "the Swedish maid".
The Swedish women were so common in American households that it became a
familiar term for such a housekeeper.
Summer 1998
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