Inge Ambrosius Danes in Argentina The emigration of the family Ambrosius Niels Ambrosius ' "Estancia Jutlandia" 1920 Dedicated to my father Svend Ambrosius, whose interest in history inspired me to become a historian, and whose large collection of material about the family made this work possible. I hope and think he would have been pleased with the result. Content Background: Chapter 1 A small prolog Chapter 2 Denmark in the 19th century Chapter 3 Emigration, push and pull factors Chapter 4 From Bystrup to Tandil Chapter 5 Argentina Chapter 6 Hans Fugl and the first immigration Chapter 7 The arrival Chapter 8 The establishment Chapter 9 The second wave Chapter 10 A parallel society Chapter 11 The contact with Denmark Chapter 12 Integration in Argentina Chapter 13 The100th Anniversary Chapter 14 The present and the future Chapter 15 Conclusion The end: Map The family around 1900 Literature Background: I have had a box of newspaper clippings, letters, pictures, books and other materials about Danish immigrants in Argentina for many years. A large part of my relatives are living in Argentina, and the material was assembled by my grandmother and my father. I have not had time to look at it, but when I went on early retirement as a high school teacher in history and geography, I got the time to look at the material. Among other things were the memories of my great-grandfather's younger brother, Niels Jensen Ambrosius: "Memories of my life and whereabouts in Argentina". They were written in 1951 when he was 84 years old. The reading made me curious, and his memories, along with the other materials, was used as a starting point for this presentation, where I will try to find answers to the following questions: Why was Argentina and not the United States the target of emigration in our family? How did the emigrants do? Do the Danish roots have any significance today? Chapter 1: A small prolog Today, most of the family is Argentinians. They are descendants of Niels and his younger brother Laust Jensen Ambrosius and six of their nephews and a niece who emigrated to Argentina at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. As first-generation immigrants, they maintained a close contact with the family in Denmark through letters, trips and visits to and from Denmark. In 1935, my great-grandfather, Jens Jensen Ambrosius, applied for a tourist visa to Argentina on the following grounds: "I intend..... To visit my two Brothers and four of my Sons living there." 1 At that time, it was not quite straightforward to get a visa. The reasoned application was to be sent to the consulate along with a clean criminal record and various medical certificates 1Quoted from Jens Ambrosius ' application from 1938 2 My great-grandmother was paralyzed in the last years of her life, and my great-grandfather looked after her at home, so it was only after her death that he made the first trip to Argentina. He travelled by ship when it was winter in Denmark, and my father always said that the 2Extracts from the application documents of 1935: Criminal record and medical certificates for Jens Ambrosius travelling in the wintertime along with the fact that Jens started importing and drinking Argentinian red wine, was the reason he became 91 years! Freight and customs documents for 1 barrel of wine shipped to Jens Jensen (Ambrosius) from Buenos Aires in 19393 Jens Ambrosius stated in an interview on the occasion on his 90 birthday that it was perhaps the dependence of chewing tobacco, smoking a daily cigar and drinking mate that kept him going and alive. 4 3Papers from DFDS 29.08.1939 4The Honorary member of the Asado party fills 90 Years in the Morning. Viborg Stiftsgården Folkeblad on 8.5.1953 My great-grandfather's mate mug and Bombilla. Mate is made on crushed leaves from the Yerba plant (a kind of hawthorn). The leaves are placed in a mug (Mateen) and poured with cold water, so that the leaves are bled up. The cold water is sucked up with the tube (the Bombilla), which is usually made of silver. Afterwards, the leaves are poured with hot (not boiling water). Hot water can be poured several times, and it is said that the later are the best. It's VERY bitter. I personally would rather believe in red wine and summer heat as a mean of getting a long life! From my great-grandfather's passport from 1935, it appears that he made three journeys of six months ' duration to Argentina. In 1935/36, 1938/39 and in 1945/46. He had probably planned more but was prevented by the German occupation of Denmark from 1940-45. Jens Ambrosius was 83 when he made the last voyage from December 1945 to May 1946, where he attended his little brother Niels Ambrosius ' 80 birthdays. His Danish family thought he had become too old to travel by himself, and it was determined that my father should accompany him, but it was prevented by the Danish military, who prolonged his military service by appointing him sergeant. Instead, my great-grandfather was followed, as evidenced by this clip from a local newspaper, with his niece, Niels Ambrosius ' daughter, who was married and lived in Denmark.5 However, my father later experienced Argentina, when my parents travelled there in 1988 in connection with the celebration of the 100 anniversary of Niels and Laust Ambrosius ' arrival in the country. A lot has been written about the Danish emigrants to the USA in the period 1850-1920, but much less about the non-insignificant exodus to other countries, including Argentina. Over the years some 15,000 Danes immigrated to Argentina, far from the 300,000 that immigrated to the USA but still a bit. As mentioned, apart from Niels and Laust Jensen Ambrosius a 5Aalborg Stiftsgazette den 11.01.1946 further six of their nephews and a niece emigrated, among them four of my great-grandfather's six sons. Only two stayed in Denmark, my grandfather Thorvald Ambrosius, who became a merchant in Balling in Salling, and Ole Ambrosius, who became owner of a hardware store in Mørke in Djursland. Some also went the other way, as Niels ' daughter Edeele (called Tita) Bru el, who meat her Danish husband during one of the family's visits to Denmark and moved to Hasseris near Aalborg in Jutland. This means that most of the family today is Argentinians, but still today there is some contact between the family in Denmark and the family in Argentina. The contact was, of course, significantly greater earlier, both in the family but also in general between Denmark and Danish-Argentinians. The Danish emigrants lived concentrated and kept close together for many years, helping to maintain close contact with Denmark. Annual gatherings were held in Denmark, Asado celebrations, aka the Rebild celebrations on the 4th of July, where people related to Argentina met and ate grilled lamb (asado). My great-grandfather was one of the initiators of these gatherings, and he was later appointed honorary member of the Asado society. These gatherings were held to up in the 1960’s, and my grandmother and grandfather attended regularly, especially when they had a visit from Argentina. .6 In 1996, the Danish newspaper Politiken in a large-set article could tell about "A jutlander in Argentina". The article is about the 88-year- old Hans Jensen and his wife Elda. Hans Jensen emigrated in November 1929 from Slagelse to Necochea 500 km south of Buenos Aires. His wife, Elda, is the "jutlander in Argentina". She was born in Argentina, her 6Skive Folkeblad on 9.07.1946 parents had emigrated from the Viborg region, but even though she has spent her entire life in Argentina, she speaks better Danish with clear Viborg accent, then Spanish. And the husband thinks of himself as Danish, despite almost 70 years in Argentina: "I have never been an Argentine, because I feel Danish, and it has been almost being like Denmark to live here, because everyone around us was Danish, says Hans Jensen".7 Here you could talk about ghettoes and parallel societies, but today the Danish descendants are fully integrated, and although most are proud of their Danish roots, only few understand let alone speak Danish, but it has taken several generations! 7Anne M. Sørensen: En jyde in Argentina, Politiken 9.01.1996 Chapter 2: Denmark in the 19th century The 19th century was the century of industrialization in Western Europe and the USA. Industrialization began in England at the end of the 18th century and spread over the next 100 years to large parts of Europe and the USA. This meant a dramatic change in demography and living conditions. The population grew exponentially due to the decreasing mortality. Large populations moved to the growing cities or emigrated to achieve better living conditions. Denmark was also influenced by the development, although industrialization came relatively late. In order to start an industrialization process, a few basic factors must be present. It is: Raw materials Labor Technology Capital Market Denmark has none of the raw materials, such as iron and coal, that started the industrialization in the United Kingdom, so the development came later and was derived from industrialization and urbanization elsewhere. The high population growth and immigration to the cities in the UK, meant an increased demand for food, and Denmark could contribute. The processing of food which takes off in the second half of the 19th century is an important factor in Danish industrialization.