Step Two
Completion requirements
Please read the following primary source letters by Uriah Oblinger, a Norwegian immigrant who traveled to the United States, lived for a short while in Indiana, and then moved to Nebraska to take advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862, which gave settlers land provided they lived and farmed on it. Oblinger is writing to his wife and child who are waiting back in Indiana while he gets settled.
When you are done reading the letters, there is a primary source analysis assignment to complete that will ask you to do some thinking about life for Norwegian immigrants in Nebraska.
Photo of Uriah Oblinger
Fillmore Co
Nebraska
Mar 9th 1873
Dear Wife And Baby,
I am here alone at present. While I think of it, how much is the box going to weigh that you will send if I know I can tell what it will cost to send it but you had better inquire which road carries freight the cheapest, by way of Chicago or by way of Burlington, and send it by the cheapest route you spoke about coming on to Sutton on the cars if it did not cost to much as you would be tired. it will cost $3.20 for you and 1/2 cent a pound for the Box beside I expect to have some business in Lincoln about that time and I thought of making it all in one trip and it will not cost me half as much to fetch you & my things my self as it will on the cars beside I will give you a good nights rest before starting out and then you will get to see more of our beautiful country.
Ma you must make up your mind to see a very naked looking home at first nothing but the land covered with grass and a sod house to live in. The prospect will no doubt look monotonous enough to you at first no fences (as none is needed) in sight but we have a soil rich as the richest river bottoms of Indiana and no clay hills of course there is some poor land but it is the shape of sand & gravel knobs you do not see here as in Indiana a rich black piece of ground and clay all round it, but the land is even all black soil I do not believe there is an acre of clay soil in Fillmore co.
You must not build your hopes to high for "there's many a slip twixt cup & lip" but if we have health and luck we will have a beautiful home in a few years for we have a nice pattern to make one out of one thing we wont have to do here is clear land before we can put up a house. All we have to do is plow up some sod (which will hang together for a half mile without breaking) cut in lengths to suit and lay up a wall & cover it and you have a house. To one who never seen one of our houses built of Nebraska brick it would seem as though they were a dirty house but they are warmer & cleaner than our log cabins ever were unless double pains were taken with them for there is no daubing to fall out nor cracks for the wind to sift dust through. There are some here who wish they had built sod houses in place of frame ones until they were able to build permanent.
I have to tell you of a beautiful week some have been plowing & harrowing and today is nice and warm so that I am writing without fire in the room & in my shirtsleeves the most objection I have to the weather here is the wind there is a great deal of it during winter & spring and being nothing to brake it. One feels it more than in the timber but there is no more wind here than in Indiana only it can all be felt. Tomorrow the plows will start in every direction unless it should freeze up which it does not favor now.
Your loving husband,
Uriah W Oblinger
Photo of Mrs. Uriah Oblinger
Fillmore Co
Nebraska
Mar 13th 1873
Dear Wife And Baby,
I hope the day is not far distant when we will not have to deny ourselves of all the luxuries of life but if we can manage to get through the summer without going in debt. We are all right unless some bad luck should overtake us. In my last I told you about getting a letter from Father. When I was in Minnesota Father said he could not send me any money as he was in debt himself for building and other improvements and would not get out till after harvest so you see I will have to do as I always have run my machine without his help. Well I guess I can as I am about used to it.
Well Ella I don't think it is good for little girls to eat much candy it is better for them to have little books and learn to read and write beside candy money will be scarce for a year or two it will take all we can rake and scrape to get Bread, Meat, & potatoes but nevertheless we will try and get what my little needs to make a useful woman of her
Ma you talk of not wanting nice clothes till we can afford them from present appearances we will be able to afford them sooner here than if we had staid in Indiana but a home of our own is far more preferable at present than nice clothes, or rather fine clothes for good common clothes is good enough for anybody. Mother wanted to know how our butter was keeping it is doing well. The first jar we opened is at any rate we have just commenced on the second we have about half of the sack of dried fruit yet that we started with and a few of the beans and one piece of the meat that come in the box and one can of the apple butter yet.
Your loving Husband,
Uriah W Oblinger
When you are done reading the letters, there is a primary source analysis assignment to complete that will ask you to do some thinking about life for Norwegian immigrants in Nebraska.
Photo of Uriah Oblinger
Fillmore Co
Nebraska
Mar 9th 1873
Dear Wife And Baby,
I am here alone at present. While I think of it, how much is the box going to weigh that you will send if I know I can tell what it will cost to send it but you had better inquire which road carries freight the cheapest, by way of Chicago or by way of Burlington, and send it by the cheapest route you spoke about coming on to Sutton on the cars if it did not cost to much as you would be tired. it will cost $3.20 for you and 1/2 cent a pound for the Box beside I expect to have some business in Lincoln about that time and I thought of making it all in one trip and it will not cost me half as much to fetch you & my things my self as it will on the cars beside I will give you a good nights rest before starting out and then you will get to see more of our beautiful country.
Ma you must make up your mind to see a very naked looking home at first nothing but the land covered with grass and a sod house to live in. The prospect will no doubt look monotonous enough to you at first no fences (as none is needed) in sight but we have a soil rich as the richest river bottoms of Indiana and no clay hills of course there is some poor land but it is the shape of sand & gravel knobs you do not see here as in Indiana a rich black piece of ground and clay all round it, but the land is even all black soil I do not believe there is an acre of clay soil in Fillmore co.
You must not build your hopes to high for "there's many a slip twixt cup & lip" but if we have health and luck we will have a beautiful home in a few years for we have a nice pattern to make one out of one thing we wont have to do here is clear land before we can put up a house. All we have to do is plow up some sod (which will hang together for a half mile without breaking) cut in lengths to suit and lay up a wall & cover it and you have a house. To one who never seen one of our houses built of Nebraska brick it would seem as though they were a dirty house but they are warmer & cleaner than our log cabins ever were unless double pains were taken with them for there is no daubing to fall out nor cracks for the wind to sift dust through. There are some here who wish they had built sod houses in place of frame ones until they were able to build permanent.
I have to tell you of a beautiful week some have been plowing & harrowing and today is nice and warm so that I am writing without fire in the room & in my shirtsleeves the most objection I have to the weather here is the wind there is a great deal of it during winter & spring and being nothing to brake it. One feels it more than in the timber but there is no more wind here than in Indiana only it can all be felt. Tomorrow the plows will start in every direction unless it should freeze up which it does not favor now.
Your loving husband,
Uriah W Oblinger
Photo of Mrs. Uriah Oblinger
Fillmore Co
Nebraska
Mar 13th 1873
Dear Wife And Baby,
I hope the day is not far distant when we will not have to deny ourselves of all the luxuries of life but if we can manage to get through the summer without going in debt. We are all right unless some bad luck should overtake us. In my last I told you about getting a letter from Father. When I was in Minnesota Father said he could not send me any money as he was in debt himself for building and other improvements and would not get out till after harvest so you see I will have to do as I always have run my machine without his help. Well I guess I can as I am about used to it.
Well Ella I don't think it is good for little girls to eat much candy it is better for them to have little books and learn to read and write beside candy money will be scarce for a year or two it will take all we can rake and scrape to get Bread, Meat, & potatoes but nevertheless we will try and get what my little needs to make a useful woman of her
Ma you talk of not wanting nice clothes till we can afford them from present appearances we will be able to afford them sooner here than if we had staid in Indiana but a home of our own is far more preferable at present than nice clothes, or rather fine clothes for good common clothes is good enough for anybody. Mother wanted to know how our butter was keeping it is doing well. The first jar we opened is at any rate we have just commenced on the second we have about half of the sack of dried fruit yet that we started with and a few of the beans and one piece of the meat that come in the box and one can of the apple butter yet.
Your loving Husband,
Uriah W Oblinger
Last modified: Monday, July 30, 2012, 7:51 PM