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Leaving Sweden
Hello, my name is Svetlana Olweus and I had lived in Uppsala Cuntry, Sweden until I was of the age 25. My mother died when I was only three, leaving me with my often drunk father. My father was shot one night about 2 months ago, just after my fiance moved to the United States. I decided to move to the United States to live with my fiance and have a better life as a farming immigrant. -
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Immigration and Westward Expansion
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Welcome to America
I got on the ferry with all my luggage, which included two dresses I made, the pair of shoes I was wearing, a few gold pieces from working on a farm for 3 years, and a few pieces of jewelry my grandmother had given me for a "special day." i just got off the boat and was forced to pass through a dreadful immigration station. -
A Wedding
I met my fiance after getting off the boat and have been married to him for several years. Our marriage consisted of us, a minister, and a few church goers. He told me off a land to the west of New York where our lives would be better and we could live free. He said they were giving away land, thanks to the Homestead Act which claimed free land for anyone who would improve the land, and that we should move there once we got some money. -
Horrible Jobs End
I had been working at a terrible butcher shop with a drunk boss who overworked me with little pay since I moved here. He even cracked a whip in the air if he thought I was slacking off, but, I was just glad that that time was over as my husband and I were headed to California soon. We each got our final paychecks and waited until they finished building the Trans-continental Train. -
A Train Ride
On the train ride to California, my husband, Svensson and I were on the train, almost to California, when Svensson cought a terrible head cold. I hoped that when we arrived, I would be able to find a decent doctor, one better than the train's infirmary. -
Land Run
When we arrived in California, I found a decent doctor who cared for Svensson and saved him. Svensson and I joined the land run and competed for a plot of land. We bought horses, mine was a little crazy, but under control, while Svensson had a tame and good natured horse. We raced, side by side at first, until my horse picked up speed and we raced along the moore land searching for the post which I could pull out and replace it with my flag and claim the land. -
Living Free
I claimed land in the land run and am now living on a farm with my husband, two kids, and horses. We're growing something specific every season so we can keep the farm up, improve the land, and have supplies to bare through the harsh winters.
