The interest of Slovene missionaries in North America in Slovene emigration, as it is expressed in their letters to Zgodnja danica

Abstract

In the column »Iz Amerike« (From America) the Slovene Catholic newspaper Zgodnja danica (1849-1902) regularly publishe letters by Slovene missionares in North America, in the area of the Great Lakes. Besides reporting on their activities among Native Americans, the letters deal with other subjects as well they also express missionaries intrest in Slovene economically motivated emigration, within their broader intrest in European emigration to North America. The essay examines the letters in this regard and stressea their main role in fostering early Slovene emigration to this continent. It mainly focuses on group of families who emigrated to Stearns County, Minnesota in 1865, following the advice of the missionary Franc Pric.