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Find
your Danish Ancestors |
Danish
immigrants travelling to North America and Canada
Many Danes left their homeland Denmark around
1880 to seek new opportunities primarily in USA and
Canada together with other immigrant from Scandinavia - Sweden
and Norway. At that time no social
benefits or social security were offered
to the immigrants, who was compelled to manage by their own and begin
their new life with a lot of struggle for the daily bread. |
Thingvalla
Line – Larsen’s Plads
The very first route between Scandinavian ports and
America for Danish and Scandinavian passengers was
established around 1879 by the Thingvalla
Line offering Scandinavian immigrants un-expensive, comfortable
and in all ways safe voyages with the steam ship "SS
Thingvalla" across the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of
emigrants have waited patiently at Larsen’s Plads
– now the Amalie Gardens - with crowds of relatives saying goodbye
to their love ones before starting the more than one month journey
to America - arriving at Ellis Island - New
York.
More
history |
| Painting
from 1890 by Edvard Petersen describing the many Danish emigrants
at Larsen's Plads leaving for America together with their relatives
saying goodbye before crossing the Atlantic to New York. The
steamship at the pier is "SS Thingvalla" equipped
with one funnel and three masts. |
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| Ellis
Island - situated in New Jersey at New York Harbor was the main
port facilities for immigrants entering the USA. The federal
immigration station operated from 1892 to 1954, and more than
20 million immigrants pass the ports of Ellis Island. Today
Ellis Island houses a museum. |
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Danish
settlers and northern states of the USA
The Danes who immigrated to America or Canada were mostly poor people
looking for a new life with better social and economic
prospects then offered in Denmark. Mostly - the Danish settlers
found work in the dairy and farming
communities in the northern states of the USA, mainly in Wisconsin
- Minnesota - The Dakotas - Illinois
– Michigan and Iowa.
Iowa had the largest colony of Danish citizens and is probably the
most Danish of all USA states. By 1970 almost 360,000
Danes had settled in the USA and still the five most common
Danish surnames in the northern part of America is Jensen
- Nielsen - Hansen - Pedersen
and Andersen. |
Rebild
Festival - Rebild Nationalpark - Jutland |
| The
Rebild Festival is celebrated every year on the American Independence
Day July 4th in Jutland. |
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| Thousands
of Danish-Americans join the Rebild Festival at the - Rebild
Hills and National Park. |
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The
Rebild Society – A Danish American Friendship Organization
Every year since July 4th 1912 -
hundreds of thousands of Danish-Americans and others
have joined with Danes in this celebration of the American Independence
Day July 4th on the beautiful heather-covered hills
at Rebild National Park in Jutland
and 20 km south of Aalborg. On this
festival day - Stars and Stripes of USA and the Danish
Dannebrog flag are flown side-by-side in natural
picturesque surroundings expressing the thanks to the USA for welcoming
over 350,000 Danish emigrants to the US homeland.
US-citizens, who are visiting Copenhagen can experience this festival
in Jutland - and by train or car the trip will take nearly 4
hours and there is plenty of logging facilities at Rebild
and Aalborg. As a tribute to this special USA – Danish festival
and as a countdown to the event - an added VIDEO performs - Strike
Up the Band.Video
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