In total 1.2 million emigrated from Sweden between 1850 and 1910. Of those 950,000 left for the USA.
The majority, nearly one million, traveled through the ports of Gothenburg, Sweden. Transatlantic shipping companies arranged the journey via England to America. They had agents all over the country and their deals even included lodgings in Gothenburg. Shipping companies and hotels were gathered on one street between the train station and the harbor. (Sillgatan before 1895, later Postgatan.) This is where the emigrants spent their last few days in Sweden. Unless they returned. My great grandmother made the journey alone at 16 in August 1904, but decided to come back after one year in NYC, lucky for me. In the photo are emigrants arriving to Cunard Line at Postgatan 28, in April 1912.
Annika is a Swedish genealogist and the owner of Find a Swede. The goal of this blog is to share the little things from Sweden that make sense of your research. Always backed up with data.