Coming to America

Coming to America

During the 1870s and 1880s Otto and Johanna along with many of their siblings immigrated to the United States. As far as I can tell Johanna headed for California upon her arrival in the United States. Whereas, Otto went to Chicago, Illinois briefly before he headed to California with a friend.¹ The 1910, 1920 and 1930 U.S. Census stated that Otto immigrated in 1882 and Johanna came in 1884 from Sweden.² Often times immigrants upon arrival in the United States would Americanize their name. Such was the case for Johanna Gustafsdotter who went by Hanna Gustafson prior to her marriage to Otto. Otto did not change his name but his brother and children dropped the i at the end of Martini, and made the family name Martin. Family tradition is they changed their name because the family did not want to be associated with the Italians.   

Otto left Sweden at the age of 21 on 28 October 1881 from Göteborg, aka Gothenburg, Sweden, on the ship Romeo which arrived in the United States in 1882. The ship’s passenger list stated he was headed for Chicago, Illinois where his older brother Nils was living.³ Johanna Gustafsdotter, worked from 1882 to 1884 as a servant in Sweden, prior to immigrating to America.⁴ She traveled to America from Göteberg on the ship Orlando which left 2 May 1884. According to the passenger list she was headed for New York.⁵ However, her older sister Christina, who immigrated in 1882, lived in Riverside, California.

The siblings of Otto and Johanna who immigrated to the United States were:

Name	Birthdate	Immigration Year	1900 US Census Residence6
Nils E Martini Half-Sibling	27 July 1850	1873	Suez Township, Mercer, Illinois
Ulrica Christina Martini	27 March 1852	1870	Galesburg, Knox, Illinois
Maria Gustafva Martini	25 September 1855	1873-1874	Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Anders “Andrew” Martini	29 May 1863	1884	Chicago, Cook, Illinois Migrated to California by 1910
Johannes “Harry” Martini	19 July 1865	1882-1885	Riverside, Riverside, California
Peter Martini Half Sister	13 March 1884	~ 1891	Riverside, Riverside, California – in Otto’s household
Sofia Martini Half Sister	14 December 1882	~ 1891	Riverside, Riverside, California – in Otto’s household
Christina Gustafsdotter	13 May 1857	1882	Riverside, Riverside, California
Johan Gustafsson	22 October 1861	1887	Unknown
Carl August Gustafsson	17 August 1867	1887	Unknown
Otto Gustafsson	14 November 1870	1888	Riverside, Riverside, California

Otto had two older brothers and three younger half siblings who stayed in Sweden. While all of Johanna’s siblings except her oldest sister emigrated from Sweden. Two of her brothers, who emigrated in 1887 together, have not been discovered in U. S. immigration records or census records.⁷  

1.  Raymond Charles Martin interview by Amy Woodward 17 September 2016, Salt Lake City, Utah. Otto Martin to Hanna Gustafson, 3 November 1886, San Bernadino, California, “California, County Marriages, 1850-1892,” database, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed September 2016) p. 493.

2. 1910 U.S. Census, Riverside County, California, Otto Martini Household; digital image, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed September 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication.  1920 U.S. Census, Riverside County, California, Otto Martini Household; digital image, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed September 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication. 1930 U.S. Census, Riverside County, California, Otto Martini Household; digital image, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed September 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication. 

3. Otto Martini, age 21, “Gothenburg, Sweden, Passenger Lists, 1869-1951,” digital images, Ancestry  (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed September 2016) passenger list, Romeo, 28 Okt 1881, p. 605, line 13,200.

4. Johanna Gustafsdotter, Byarum (Jönköping, Sweden) “Husförhörslängd” AI:25, digital image ArkivDigital (www.arkivdigital.net: accessed December 2015) p.185.

5. Johanna Gustafson, age 20, “Gothenburg, Sweden, Passenger Lists, 1869-1951,” digital images, Ancestry  (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed September 2016) passenger list, Orlando, 2 May 1840, p. 448,  line 979.

6. 1900 U.S. Census; digital image, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org: accessed November 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T623. 

7. Johan and Carl August Gustafson, Tofteryd (Jönköping, Sweden) “Flyttnings-Längd” vol. BI:3, digital image ArkivDigital (www.arkivdigital.net: accessed December 2015) p. 59.