Divorce Filed After Long-Distance Separation
A local man seeks a legal separation from his wife in Norway, claiming she refused to join him in America after he sent money for passage.
Jack Severson commenced divorce action against Marie Severson in the superior court this morning, charging desertion and abandonment. Severson claims that they were married in Norway in 1899. Two children were born. In 1902, he came to America to earn enough money for the transportation of his wife and children. He sent regular payments to Mrs. Severson, and finally sent the required money for steamer passage. His wife, he alleges, refused to come to America.
“He sent regular payments to Mrs. Severson, and finally sent the required money for steamer passage. His wife, he alleges, refused to come to America.”
This legal filing highlights the personal toll of the great wave of immigration, where economic necessity forced families apart for years, sometimes resulting in permanent estrangement as immigrant experiences diverged.
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