Chapter 1: Early Life in Sweden (1842–1864)

Johanna Burman was born on January 17, 1842, in Borgsjö, Västernorrland, Sweden, a small rural village surrounded by forests and lakes. The mid-19th century was a time of great hardship in Sweden, with widespread poverty, crop failures, and a growing population that strained the land. These conditions would later drive many Swedes, including Johanna, to seek a better life abroad.