Free Republic

In late winter of 1654, four-year-old Lars, and nine-year-old Mårten, followed their father’s icy breath forward, as they hurried with their few belongings toward the ship. They paused in awe as they got closer to the Eagle. It was largest ship they had ever seen, as it laid anchor in Gothenburg Sweden. It was the largest ship yet to sail to America.  The boys wished their mother were alive to see it, as she used to tell them bedtime stories about the "tall ships" that sailed from Sweden to far away places. Like most of the 350 passengers who boarded that...