1. Fifty-two "Sloopers," the first group of Norwegian immigrants to North America, departed from Stavanger on July 4, 1825. Fifty-three arrived in New York City on October 9, a baby having been born en route. 2. Their 54 feet long slop, the "Restauration," exceeded the maximum of sixteen passengers allowed under U.S. maritime law. The boat was therefore impounded, the captain arrested, and a $3,150 fine levied. However, President John Quincy Adams pardoned them. 3. The "Sloopers" traveled up the Hudson River and along the newly-completed Erie Canal, meeting Governor De Witt Clinton and the "Seneca Chief" en route to Holley, where they disembarked near this site in late October. 4. They continued on foot to Lake Ontario in what is now the Town of Kendall where Slooper Clen Peerson had bought land for them. 5. Lars Larson Geilane remained in New York to sell the sloop. By the time he reached Albany, the canal was closed for the season. So, he ice skated the 290 miles to Holley, the longest such feat in history. Larson was the spiritual leader of at least 28 sloopers affiliated with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Most of the others were followers of the Lutheran dissenting pastor, Hans Nielsen Hauge. They were fleeing religious persecution in Norway. 6. Later, Larson built this house on Rochester's Atkinson Street and became a successful canal boat builder.
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