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Johan August Erikson, who went by "August," and his wife Brita emigrated from Sweden in 1903 with their five children, Erik Gustav (Gust), August George (George), Agnes Katarina, Brita Matilda (Matilda) and Ella Sophia.
From Agnes Erikson Moline's "My Life" document:
"Apr. 1903 the folks left for America. We had a sale & sold everything but the clothes we brot 2 big
wooden trunks of clothes mostly wool. Imagine to wear those in Kansas in the sumer. We started out in 3
big row boats across the bay. There were 4 others (3 men + 1 girl) besides our family of 7. We arived in
Harg where we took the train then on to Stockholm and to Goteborg (it took 3 days) where we got on a ship
for Hull England & there on a train to Liverpool & then on a ship across the Atlantic (3 weeks) to Quebeck.
We landed on Sat & had to stay on ship till Monday morn. Then they herded us immigrants like sheep on a
train for Montral thru Chicago St Louis Orleans Neb. then on a mixed freight & passanger on the branch
to Herndon Kas wich was the end of our journey. Imagine to come to W Kans the 7th of May not a tree any
place & where we lived in Sweden there was timber & trees all over. Only sod houses. No wonder the folks
were lonly."
Document showing purchase of passage from Stockholm, Sweden to Herndon, Kansas
Document showing guarantee that the family would not become a "public charge"
The first leg of their trip was from Göteborg, Sweden to Hull, England.
Ship: S. S. Ariosto
Port of Departure: Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden
Date of Departure: 17 April 1903
Port of Arrival: Hull, England
Ship passenger list showing August, Brita, Gust, George, Agnes, Matilda and Ella
Page from passenger list showing ship name and date
S.S. Ariosto
The S.S. Ariosto was built in 1890 by Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. for the Wilson Line, Hull, England. It weighed 2,376 gross tons and measured 300.4 feet long by 38 feet wide with a draft of 20 feet. From 1890 to 1910, it was used for passenger service between Gothenberg, Sweden, and Hull, England. In 1910, it was sold to Spain and renamed the "Louis Vives." During World War I, it was torpedoed off Sicily in 1916. (source)
The second leg of their trip was from Liverpool, England to Quebec, Canada.
Ship: S. S. Montrose
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Date of Departure: 21 April 1903
Port of Arrival: Quebec, Canada
Date of Arrival: 4 May 1903
Passenger list showing the Erikson family (lines 21 through 27)
The S. S. Montrose
Petition for Naturalization, 26 November 1909
Erikson family Certificate of Naturalization, 21 March 1910
_Missouri_Western_District_Naturalization_Index.jpg)
August Erikson's "Missouri Western District Naturalization Index"
(I don't know how this was used.)
