Celebrate Crossings 200

Crossings 200 commemorates the bicentennial of the first organized Norwegian immigration to America. Discover more about the voyage of the ship Restauration, and see if you are related to one of the Sloopers.

Image Source: Restauration Friends Association (alternatively Venneforening) www.restauration.no/en

Get to Know the Sloopers

39

Age at landing

Lars Larsen played a pivotal role in Norwegian immigration to America. Born near Stavanger, Norway, he was a skilled carpenter. Captured by the English during the Napoleonic Wars in 1807, he embraced Quaker principles while imprisoned. In 1825, he led 52 Norwegian immigrants to America aboard the sloop Restauration. Settling in Rochester, New York, Lars thrived as a boat builder and became a cornerstone of the Norwegian immigrant community, providing shelter, food, and employment to newcomers.

Lars Larsen

1786–1845

See His Genealogy

What was the voyage like?

Relive the voyage of the Sloopers as they made their way from Norway to North America.
This information is adapted from The Sloopers, Their Ancestry and Posterity.

1
July 4th
The sloop Restoration, departs from Stavanger, Norway, with 52 passengers aboard.
2
Around July 12th
The sloop stops at port for one night in Lizard Head, Cornwall, England.
3
July 28th
The sloop is in the “Spanish Sea,” as noted by passenger Daniel Rossedal.
4
August 1st
The sloop arrives at Madeira Islands, approximately 2,070 sea miles from Stavanger. The sloop stays for a few days to replenish supplies.
5
August 7th
The sloop departs from Madeira, heading southwest toward the Caribbean Sea.
6
September 2nd
Lars and Martha Larsen welcome the birth of their baby girl Margaret Allen aboard the sloop near the West Indies.
7
October 9th
The sloop arrives in New York harbor after a 98-day voyage.