Pappa Followed His Dream and Made It to America: A True Story Told to His Family

By Eva Johannessen

This is a true, inspiring, warm family story of a young man growing up in Norway in the early 1920's. His dream since childhood was to one day go to America and experience the country. Growing up poor, only with an elementary school education, reading books was his entertainment. He plans to make the most of his life and follow his dream one day. Nothing worthwhile come easy in life, something Einar learns at an early age. He lost his mother as a toddler. His grandparents take him in and they raise him. When they too are gone he is only 17 years old and feels alone in this world. It is time for him to set out trying to find an open port somewhere, where he can hire on a ship and that way make it across to America. Having little money he sets out on a journey that takes him north to Trondheim. Luck does not follow him; the pots are all still frozen over from winter. Almost out of money, he just has enough for a train ticket to Ostersund, Sweden and travels there with new hopes.

In Sweden he uses "his apostles horses" as he calls his feet, and starts walking. He soon learns from a stranger how to get along when there is no or little work to be found, having to sustain yourself. We follow him hundreds of miles walking in Sweden, hungry and cold as he thinks of America and his future. Sadly for him, he ends up back in Norway still poor but with new experiences behind him. Later on somehow he manage to get to New York where he skips the ship he worked across the ocean on. He is in America at last, a free man.

The next seven years we find Einar in America, travelling by foot or jumping the trains with thousands of other young men trying to survive. He learns the life of a hobo and he experiences much of the country as he goes from place to place, also working. He is homesick for Norway, hires on a ship for Glasgow, Scottland, crossing the North Sea to Sweden where he again skip out.

Back in Norway he never forgets America. It is easier said than done trying to make it back, after he meets and marries his sweetheart and their children, five of them in time, is born. He wants to take them to America where he knows there are endless possibilities for a good future for them. WW ll breaks out and Norway is invaded by the Germans for five years. Finally a way is opened for the family to go to America where the children grow up, get educated and have the life so desired for them.
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I need to remember that most immigrants that come to America, had a dream , where the tiny sparks of that dream burst into a flame that grew and grew until the time was right to take action. In their eagerness to come here, they had to have faith and determination, courage and perseverance to survive.

My grandfather was such a person. For me, it is difficult not to feel a sense of pride and a bit of humility as I read about his childhood and youth. I am forever thankful for him and the sacrifices he made for me and my family to be able to live in and enjoy the American way of life.
A Grandchild

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463444167

Eva Johannessen

Eva M. Johannessen was educated in Norway with a deep love and understanding of family, history, and the values of becoming a matriarch. During her years, she wore many hats not only as a mother and grandmother but also through her leadership in several women’s organizations. She was instrumental in helping create a path for women to obtain their true potential. Eva has written and published several articles in newspapers and magazines. Her love for family and research inspired her to write Pappa Followed His Dream. She also wrote this book in order to enable many foreigners and Americans to see the determination of one uneducated person, never giving up when life gets difficult and giving his family a better life by coming to America. You will enjoy this heartwarming, true story of the man she honors, called Pappa.

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© 2011 Eva Johannessen. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 11/14/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-4416-7 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-4417-4 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011918539

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Dedication

All Because of Pappa

Orphaned as a Toddler

Pappa’s Grandparents

A Special Christmas

Teenage Years and Growing Up

The Apostles Horses

Experiences in Sweden

Working in the Mighty Mississippi

Riding the Rails in America

Hiring On a Ship for Europe

Springtime and Falling in Love

Our Family Leaves for America

Pappa Left Us America

The harvest of old age is the

memories and rich store of

blessings laid up in earlier

life.

—Cicero

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my dad, Einar Alexander Karlsen . I called him Pappa in Norwegian. From time to time he would express an endearment, jenta mi, to my sisters and me as he lovingly patted our heads or cheeks. This is written for my wonderful family and for all those who come after us. I am grateful to Pappa for my life and all the things he taught me in my growing up years. We were close, and he was always there for me. He was and continues to be my hero.

All Because of Pappa

Looking back maybe as many of us do express, I grew up in the good old days. Those days for me were with my parents and siblings during my childhood and youth in Norway. Like most people in those days, our family was poor in many ways, but I did not know the difference. I never felt deprived of anything because we had each other and a safe home where I felt loved. Sometimes, even now after a long life, I long for those long, dark fall and winter evenings when our family sat around the wooden table in our kitchen at Hegdehaugsveien in Oslo, listening to Pappa’s many stories. At times I can still hear his soft masculine voice and a chuckle, in my mind.

Pappa told us that if we had been poor of material things before, it got worse during WWII when the German army invaded our small country of Norway on 9 April 1940. I recall the morning vividly in my mind. I was seven years old and likely overheard the adults discuss something about a war. Of course I did not understand the meaning of the word, except for that it was something bad. In the early dawn of that morning, I found out how bad and scary it was.

My parents had gone to work early as usual. Pappa worked in construction and Mom—Mamma to me—delivered the Aftenposten newspaper in Oslo, early mornings and evenings. A neighbor looked in on us children until she returned. We woke up early that morning to the thundering noise of airplanes flying low above the roof. The walls and windows shook as the bombs were dropped and exploded at Kjeller Airport not too far from where we lived. Astrid, my younger sister, and I crawled up in one corner of the bed we shared. I grabbed a blanket and threw it over our heads and held my sister close to protect her from harm. How happy we were when we heard Pappa knock on the window and we saw him outside. I opened the window for him, he crawled inside, and once more we felt safe.

When word came over the radio that Oslo had to be evacuated, Pappa had lucked out and caught a ride out of town along with others. Mamma also made it home safely. There had been much confusion in Oslo, seeing the Germans in full uniforms, helmets on their heads and carrying guns across their shoulders. They marched in to Oslo’s Main Street, Karl Johansgate, playing music and singing on the top of their lungs, Hold the Banner High—showing off their high goose steps! People did not know what to think.

The Norwegians, who are peace-loving people, had been told by the Germans they were in Norway to protect us from the English who planned to attack. What followed were five long years of hunger and depravation. We were no longer safe, and we listened for the air raid sirens day and night. When the sirens went off, we had to hurry to the shelter for protection against shrapnel.

Today, being in my late seventies, I accept the fact that I am old-fashioned. I am