chapter XXI

above I have further related some incidents from the life of some early Norwegian settlers in Chicago. In the following pages I shall merely try to give a brief account of new accessions to the Chicago colony between the years 1842 and 1850. It is estimated that there were in Chicago in 1850 3,000 persons of Norwegian birth; relatively the number was therefore considerable in that year. Yet I shall probably be right if I say that the actual number of Norwegians in the city in the year 1842 was very small, not more than in some of the smallest rural settlements already established. I assume that as the early Norwegian immigrants came here with the intention of settling on a farm, comparatively very few were induced to remain permanently in Chicago. Chicago and vicinity was not particularly inviting at the time; the swamps and marshes soon drove the incoming immigrants to the more inviting and the far more fertile inland counties.

As residents of Chicago before 1839, we have found Halstein Torison, Johan Larson, Nils Röthe and wife Torbjör, Svein Knutson Lothe and wife and two children, Baard Johnson, wife and five children, Andrew Nilson Brække and Anders Larsen Flage, both with families; these were all from Voss except Johan Larsen, a sailor who was from Kopervik, a little south of Haugesund, and Torison, who was from Fjeldberg in Söndhordland.[222] Among Baard Johnson's sons were Anfin, John and Andrew; the first of these was a tailor in the employ of Simon Doyle on Kinzie Street.[223] The first directory of Chicago, published in 1839, gives a few more names of Norwegians.[224] We know that Lars Davidson Reque lived there then; he seems to have lived in the Cass Street Dutch settlement. His occupation was that of a fireman on the steamboat _George W. Dole_. There were two other Davidsons, Sivert[225] and Peter; in the latter we recognize our Per Davidson Skjerveim (see above p. 199). Other names in the same directory are: Asle Anderson, musician; Endre Anderson, laborer; Eric Anderson, pressman; all three of whom lived at the same house on North State Street, and were probably brothers; Canute Lawson (Larson), city street carpenter and Iver Lawson, who lived at 240 Superior Street.

[222] The Newberry, whom Torrison worked for as a gardener was the founder of well-known Newberry Library.

[223] For this and many other facts in this