The Unassuming Chest
My great-great-grandfather, Olaf A. Rolland, was born on the island of Osterøy in the Bergen Fjord of Norway, the second son of factory workers turned farmers. There weren’t many opportunities for him. His older brother immigrated to the United States before him, and if it weren’t for having a little sister, he’d probably have inherited the farm and stayed in Norway. In the early 1900s, he immigrated to the United States in the footsteps of his older brother. All he owned was brought with him in a chest, made of sturdy wood, reinforced by what’s presumably iron. He’d end up in the town of Oldham, North Dakota. Generations later, my family lives in Minneapolis, but the chest is still here, passed down from father to son every generation, a memento to how far my family has come. I often wonder what it originally looked like, nowadays it’s dark and dull, but was it once shiny and bright? It was made to be sturdy, to be able to survive sailing across the Atlantic and going from the East Coast to the Midwest, so I’m not surprised how it’s still around today. Like a boxer who’s taken beating after beating but still stands proud. It’s a beacon of a different time, and the American Dream, the hard work and determination of my ancestors. All of my family’s success can be traced back to that chest, unassuming to most, but inspirational to my family. Truly, an unassuming, yet amazing, chest.

– Oskar R

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more