In preparations for their voyage to America, police reports and inspections were necessary as well as physical exams to make sure there would be no spread of infectious disease that would be carried to their destination or even brought aboard ship that might affect other passengers.

The latter was very important as living conditions aboard ship were going to be very crowded.  After a few days in Liverpool, those passengers who had met all of their requirements were allowed to board with the limited possessions they could carry.

A short trip to Ireland to pick up more passengers and then it was off  to the open sea.  The two short trips from Sweden to England and then to Ireland, might have prepared them somewhat for the longer voyage to New York but the North Atlantic can be very rough and dangerous.  Icebergs were always a threat as the eyes of sailors on watch were the only means of early warning; however, seasickness might have been the worst distraction as it can make you feel like you never want to be aboard any seagoing vessel again and the only real cure is to return your feet to solid ground.

Conditions aboard ship were far from  ideal.  Unless you were wealthy, living quarters were below  deck with little privacy.  In their sleeping quarters, families were close together, speaking several different languages.  Bunks were short and narrow, sometimes only separated by a curtain hung between one family and another.  Bath rooms didn’t exist and unemptied chamber pots along with the vomit of seasick people made the air very foul, almost unbearable to breathe and making those who were seasick worse.  In rough waters, and that is about the only kind of waters the North Atlantic has, hatches were closed and passengers were restricted to their quarters leaving them with no fresh air and very little light if any, with very little room to move around.  Water was limited and rationed for the entire trip.  Drinking water consisted of one large container where everyone had to use the same cup or dipper. Passengers were not allowed to bring their own drinking container to keep them  from  taking more than they were allotted and  taking water back to their quarters.
Today I have a hard time envisioning my father as ever having been unruly, but at that young age he probably was.  How  do  you  handle a three year old or even a five year old in these conditions, day and night,  for almost two weeks?  A mother’s hands were probably in touch with those youngsters constantly while the ten and eleven year old had to fend for themselves.  Tempting as it might have been, walking on the weather deck with little children, letting them experience the bow of the ship rising high, then come crashing down, sending sprays of salty water back over the ship, into their faces, would not have been a good idea as the ship would have been battling high seas most of the time.  Is it any wonder the face of my grandmother in pictures was  always somber?  Sometimes you are just too tired too smile.