So a very distant relation in Sweden is working on fleshing out his family history and managed to get in touch with my mother regarding my mothers fathers fathers father, who left Sweden in 1852 and came to Illinois. Included in what we have so far is a translation of a letter the guy sent back home to Sweden describing the ocean voyage and the trip from Boston to Chicago in “steam wagons.” Kinda interesting to read, but there was one sentence that jumped out at me as kind of a WTF moment. I don’t know if there were anomalies in the translation from Swedish to English, but given how well the rest of the letter seems written, I’m thinking not. I think my Great great great grandfather got some bad info while in Boston regarding a local landmark:
“We went to see the tree under which Samuel Columbus rested the first night after discovering America.”
Ummm.
GGGGrandfather makes note of tricksters trying to scam immigrants, so it would surprise me none at all if some random tree was declared an important historical landmark. Doubtless someone tried to sell souvenir branches or something.
He lived to the ripe old age of 99, having fought in the Civil War on the Union side.
