On July 4, 1825, a group of 52 Norwegians set sail on the ship Restauration to make the first organized migration from Norway to North America. Since that first voyage, about 900,000 others have followed, leaving their homes in search of opportunities and a better life. While many returned to Norway, most stayed and built a new home in the New World. Today nearly five million people in North America claim Norwegian ancestry.
This year, Sons of Norway and Crossings commemorate 200 years of organized Norwegian migration to North America. It’s a year to celebrate the strong ties between Norway, the United States, and Canada. It’s an opportunity to remember what it means to take great risks and trade one home for another. And it’s a chance to better understand the movement of peoples that continues worldwide today.
On July 4, 2025, a replica of the sloop Restauration will set sail for New York, retracing the route 200 years after the first organized group of Norwegians departed. We are reminded of struggles for religious freedom and better living conditions that inspired so many to risk the journey. Aboard the replica ship, the Randaberg Yngre Mannskor recorded the Thomas Kingo hymn Sorgen og Gleden (Sorrow and Joy) that may have been sung on board, with the mixed emotions that the migrants must have felt:
Sorrow and joy go hand in hand together
Fortune, misfortune as neighbors do dwell
Luck and adversity call to each other
Sunshine and clouds are companions as well
Earth’s brightest gold is but fine mold
Heaven alone is where bliss can unfold