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Part 1- A long time ago (1869), in a land far away (200 miles south of the Arctic Circle), lived two crazy 19th century Norwegian kids named Jakob and Ingeborg.
Ingeborg Anna Johannesdattir was born on Sandnes farm on the island of Naeroy in 1844.
Jakob Jensen was born on Strandval farm on the same island in 1840, 8 miles from Ingeborg.
In the latter part of the 1800s, vaccinations were becoming quite commonplace. Suddenly, these Norwegian families who had had 10 children in anticipation of a 50% mortality rate had 8-10 children surviving to adulthood. In the rocky north, arable land was at a minimum and there simply were not enough jobs or resources for everyone to thrive. Fishing was the main occupation and was rather a rough and tumble lifestyle.
With the death of Jakob's father in 1868, it's quite likely that planted the seed for his great move to America. There wasn't enough property for every adult son, so one son would inherit the family home and the others would have to find a way to make it on their own. The family farm would fall to Jakob's brother, Jens Petrus. With the Homestead Act passed by Congress in 1862, there was unlimited land on the prairie nearly free for the taking.
Step 1- Marry Ingeborg and get the show on the road.
Map screenshots of Norway:
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