Norwegians celebrating epic voyage 200 years ago that brought immigrants to Orleans County

The replica of the Norwegian ship, the Restauration, is re-enacting the 14-week long voyage taken 200 years ago in 1825 by a group of 52 emigrating Norwegians bound for the deep dark woods of Murray on the southern shore of Lake Ontario.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, No. 35

On Thursday, October 9, H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will welcome the ship “Restauration” on its arrival in New York City. This will culiminate its successful re-enactment of the journey undertaken in 1825 by the group later referred to as the “Kendall Sloopers.” This event is part of a celebration of 200 years of Norwegian emigration.

It may come as a surprise to many Orleans County residents to learn that the Kendall Sloopers are still celebrated in Norwegian history. From an early age, Norwegian students learn about this brave group who are hailed as the first group of organized emigrants to America.

Their journey is referred to as the Norwegian Mayflower because of its impact on later emigration trends. It is estimated that, following the inspiration of the original group, some 800,000 people, about a quarter of the population, left Norway in the following years.

The story of that first Norwegian group is remarkable. Two factors influenced their decision to embark on this journey to America: freedom of religious expression and better economic prospects.

In the course of the Napoleonic Wars, a young Norwegian named Lars Larsson was imprisoned in England for seven years, 1807-1814. Members of the newly formed Society of Friends, or Quakers, visited the prisons. Their philosophy of pacifism, equality and rejection of rituals and ministers appealed to the Norwegian prisoners. The prisoners also learned to speak English. Upon his release, Larsson chose to stay in England for a year, working for Margaret Allen, whose son, David, was a prominent Quaker.

Back in Norway, Larsson proclaimed his new Quaker beliefs. Many people were attracted by the Quaker philosophies. Lutheranism was enshrined in the Norwegian Constitution, and a strict version was observed at that time. Hefty fines would be imposed on those who did not pay Church taxes. Larsson was soon in trouble with the authorities for convening Friends meetings.

Another group of religious dissidents emerged at that time, the Haugean Lutherans, who were also reacting against the strictures of the established Church. Both groups were harassed by the authorities. It became obvious that they would not be permitted to practice their beliefs. Some English Quakers who visited them had also been to America. They told of the freedom of religious practice permissible here and of the opportunities to purchase land and prosper.

Cleng Perrson, an adventurous Norwegian, acted as a scout. He journeyed to America in 1823, He made contact with Quakers in Farmington, Ontario County, and learned about land available in Western New York. He went to the land agent in Geneva, bought a parcel of land and arranged for five additional parcels to be held for a year. The land was located in northern Murray, which was split off to form the Town of Kendall in 1835.

Cleng returned to Norway with news of good prospects and plans were soon made for departure. Lars Larsson was a shipbuilder. He and a crew retrofitted a 54-foot sloop for an ocean voyage and named it the Restauration.

The ship set sail on July 5, 1825, with 52 people aboard: a crew of seven, and six families. Conditions were very cramped. The ship took a long and circuitous route, presumably to take advantage of the trade winds.

There were some misadventures. The ship stopped at the coastal town of Lizette in England but ran afoul of the authorities when they tried to trade alcohol for supplies and had to make a hasty departure. On their approach to Funchal, in Madeira, they were almost fired on for being a plague ship as the crew, who had enjoyed the contents of a floating cask of Madeira wine, failed to raise their flag.

After 14 long weeks, the ship arrived in New York on October 9, 1825 with 53 people aboard. A daughter, named Margaret Allen, had been born to Lars Larsson’s wife.

It is this journey that the Crown Prince will celebrate on October 9. While in America, he will also visit the Norwegian-American communities in Decora, Iowa and Minneapolis, Mn. As befitting the times, this event is chronicled online at www.vesterheim.org, https://vesterheim.org/programs/200th-immigration-anniversary or the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum’s posts on Facebook.