    
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Administrative
Information
Scope and Content Note
Biographical Information
Lineage
Selected Search Terms
Partial Interview Transcript
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Information
Resources
Robert A. L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific
Lutheran University
Tacoma, WASHINGTON 98447
Phone: (253) 535-7586 E-mail: archives@plu.edu
New Land
New Lives Oral History Collection
Bertha Østby Davidson
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Davidson, Bertha Østby
Collection Nr: t006
File Content:
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2 file folders
0 photographs
1 sound cassette
2 compact discs
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Processing Information:
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The
interview was conducted using a cassette recorder. A research
copy was also prepared from the original. To further preserve
the content of the interview, it is now being transferred
to compact disc. We deliberately did not transcribe the
entire interview because we want the researchers to listen
to the interviewee's own voice. The transcription index
highlights important aspects of the interview and the tape
counter numbers noted on the Partial Interview Transcription
are meant as approximate finding guides and refer to the
location of a subject on the cassette/CD.
Interviewed
by Inger Nygaard Carr
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky
Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: Good
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Restrictions:
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The
collection is available for research.
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Preferred Citation:
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[Collection
Number, Collection Title]
New Land New Lives Oral History Collection
Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection
Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
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This
interview was conducted with Bertha Davidson on April 25, 1978
in Tacoma, Washington. The interview contains information on Bertha's
family background, emigration, return trips to Norway, life as
a pastor's wife, and Norwegian heritage. Also see Ole Davidson,
T204 & 205.
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Bertha
Davidson was born on January 7, 1892 in Østby, Norway. She was
the youngest of four girls and one boy and immigrated to America
with a neighbor when she was sixteen. Bertha moved "just for fun"
and did not plan on staying for more than a year but ended up
staying for five. The neighbor was attending Concordia College
in Moorhead, Minnesota, and Bertha stayed there as well to learn
English. When she first returned to Norway, she felt she had changed
and nothing was there for her anymore. She returned to Concordia
College where she knew Dr. Aasgaard, Concordia's president from
1911-1925. Dr. Aasgaard introduced Bertha to Ole K. Davidson (OK)
who was studying at the seminary. When he finished his studies
there, the two were married and moved to Glendive, Montana, where
they stayed for seven years. Bertha had many responsibilities
as a pastor's wife, including entertaining, hostessing, housing
other pastors, and heading various church organizations. She also
taught Sunday school and sang in the choir, which left her little
free time. In Glendive, their son Paul was born. Following Glendive,
the family moved to California for five years, where they had
several churches in North Sacramento. They later moved to Portland,
Oregon and finally to Tacoma, Washington, where they settled for
good
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Full Name: |
Bertha Davidson
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Maiden Name: |
Bertha Østby
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Father: |
Asmund Østby
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Rachel, plus two other sisters and one brother
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Spouse: |
Ole K. (O.K.) Davidson
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Children: |
Paul Davidson
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Davidson, Bertha
Davidson, Ole K. (O.K.)
Davidson, Paul
Østby, Asmund
Aasgaard, Johan Arndt
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Family Names |
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Davidson family
Østby family
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Geographical Names |
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Østby (Norway)
Moorhead (Minn.)
Glendive (Mont.)
North Sacramento (Calif.)
Portland (Or.)
Tacoma (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Norway
Norway -- Emigration and immigration
Østby (Norway) -- Emigration and immigration
Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.)
Depressions -- 1929 -- Montana
Spouses of clergy
Norway -- Social conditions -- 1945-
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Occupations |
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Housewives
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Genre/Form |
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Oral history
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Institution |
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Pacific Lutheran University. Scandinavian Immigrant Experience
Collection
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The
partial interview transcription highlights important aspects of
the interview. Numbers on the left may be used as guides to important
subjects. Two numbers separated by a slash indicate that the first
number is for cassette and the second for CD.
005 FAMILY BACKGROUND: Full name is Bertha Davidson; Østby is
her maiden name. She was 84 years old at the time of the interview,
having been born on January 7, 1892, in Østby Norway, a large
community.
042 Husband is O.K. [Ole] Davidson. They have one son, Paul, who
is married and lives in Tacoma. He works for a large plant and
has no children.
064 EMIGRATION: Bertha emigrated in 1912 when she was 16. She
came "just for fun. I wasn't going to stay". A neighbor lady who
attended Concordia College [Academy] visited at home in Norway
and asked Bertha if she'd like to travel to America. Bertha came
and though "I said I wouldn't stay more than a year, I stayed
five years before I came back". Bertha was at Concordia College
in Moorhead, Minnesota studying mostly the English language because
it was necessary being a newcomer.
105 Neighbor lady was an Østby also. Maybe four or five different
families were Østby 's in this area. Bertha's father, Asmund,
was a builder-farmer. She had one brother and three sisters; Bertha
was the youngest.
140 Mother didn't like her to go, but Father did because he felt
there was nothing special in Norway for Bertha to do. Bertha went
back to visit after five years, but things and people had changed:
"You don't feel the same when you've been away".
168 She knew Aasgaard [Johan Arnd], Concordia's president [from
1911-1925]. She stayed in America at Concordia because she felt
she had more opportunity there. One sister, Rachel, emigrated
and married an American. But they returned to Norway. He was a
Norwegian who had lived here six, seven years. He bought the home
place, but sister never liked living on the farm.
The oldest sister married, but died when she was young. Other
sister married and lived in Hardanger, Norway, and had one son.
Husband had a small piece of land but worked as a builder. Her
brother was also a carpenter and built homes. He married and had
four children.
240 Her first visit to Norway lasted one month, but she couldn't
find anything to do that she wanted. Dr. Aasgaard said he'd help
her find something around Moorhead. He also helped her learn the
language while she worked.
261 MARRIAGE: Bertha met O.K. (Ole) at the seminary. She was working
for Dr. Aasgaard and attending Concordia Academy, and he introduced
her to "this nice fellow". When OK finished seminary work, they
were married. His parents came from Norway to Minnesota. They
had nine children, four born in Norway including OK who was the
oldest.
293 Bertha traveled by boat when she emigrated and when she first
visited home. She returned to Norway three more times. The boat
trip was very good; she had a first class ticket. Third class
people were "scrap"; brought own food and were from other countries.
She traveled with the neighbor lady and her brother who had arranged
and paid for the trip. Bertha worked to pay them back.
There was nothing in Norway for her. "It was too hard to get places...in
Norway. You really have to have something back of you, come from
a good family and all those things, in those days".
346 She attended primary school in Norway. In America, it was
possible for anybody to attend school, but they had to work themselves
through. Her brother took over the home place, and the rest of
the family couldn't all remain there, so that's when Bertha emigrated.
388 No trouble at Ellis Island because neighbors took care of
that. They took the train from Ellis Island to Moorhead.
406 RETURN TRIPS TO NORWAY: Bertha returned to Norway twice before
marriage and twice after with O. K.. Parents were alive the first
times. She has kept touch with her relatives except the younger
generation. The oldest sister died when young. The next was married
and her husband died; she was living there when Bertha left for
America. All are dead now, and Bertha knows only one nephew from
Norway who has visited her. He has a good teaching position in
Oslo.
462 EXPERIENCES AS A PASTOR'S WIFE: It helped her to attend Concordia
and work for the Aasgaards. After they were married, the first
call was to Glendive, Montana. They were there for seven years,
a three-point parish with two churches in town and one in the
country. He gave up the country church because it was too difficult
to serve in the winter.
Bertha had to take part in most church events, so she didn't have
much time to herself. More was required of a pastor's wife then,
than now: more entertaining, hostessing, and putting up other
pastors. Pastors weren't paid much then. She also taught Sunday
School and sang in the choir.
540 Pastor had a study in the home to meet with anybody who needed
him. The last year they were in Montana, the congregation fixed
a study in the church. Their son, Paul, was born in Montana.
553 NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS: Cooking was mostly American because
she hadn't done much Norwegian cooking. At home she helped with
the goats and four cows, although she never liked the barn or
the work. Since she was the youngest, she got away with less work
and responsibility. She did take the cows to the "seter" [mountain
dairy], and had just returned from there when the neighbor lady
arrived. Bertha was never one to be afraid of adventure, and that's
why she readily decided to emigrate.
588 She did some carding and spinning at home, but mother did
most of that work. Bertha stayed with an uncle in a different
town when she was about 14-16. Sister was two years older and
had worked in Bergen for awhile.
608 After Montana, they went to California for five years where
they had two or three churches in North Sacramento. [O.K. was
in the First World War. Bertha was at Concordia at this time and
didn't know him.] Then he joined the C.C.C. [Civilian Conservation
Corp] and was up in the Sierras for two and a half years. Bertha
stayed in Sacramento except for a short time when she and Paul
lived in a mountain cabin. Paul was pre-school age at the time.
659 After California, they went to Bethlehem Church in Portland,
Oregon, which was close to Laurelhurst Park.
675 In 1922 (?), they came to Washington where O.K. had a church
in North Tacoma. Pastor's wives in the beginning had to do more.
She didn't always like the hostessing, but that's the way it was.
She always had to have things prepared, and pastors didn't make
much money with which to entertain.
708 Bertha was not active in PTA. She liked being at home because
she could do as she pleased: fix up the place and take care of
everything. She never was sorry she was a pastor's wife. She didn't
work outside the home because of all her other responsibilities
with the church. She simply didn't have much time free. Oftentimes,
the parishioners called on her to head the women's organizations.
There were usually two women's groups in church, one for the younger
women and one for the older. She was involved with both. She felt
she shouldn't--it wasn't her responsibility--but would get them
started and then have other women take over.
SIDE II
023 At Concordia she stayed at the Aasgaard home. Mrs. Aasgaard
was very nice, but firm. Bertha learned a lot and was very appreciative
of the Aasgaard's.
067 They lived through the Depression in Montana. A pastor earned
about 100 dollars a month which had to pay for everything. During
WWII, they lived in Portland. She's lived a long time, and wouldn't
want to live it over again. You learned as you lived. It's different
now with more schooling available to everybody. For instance,
her nephew from Norway finished the four year program and is teaching
in Oslo now.
155 O.K. always had to help the people; she helped him and furnished
him with what he needed. In the women's groups, they had Bible
study. Many people didn't have Bibles and didn't know the Commandments.
Bertha had learned them at a very young age at home and in the
Norwegian church. Her mother was interested in having the children
study their lessons. She was more the disciplinarian than her
father. They had the Catechism, etc., and recited them by heart.
There were 64 in her confirmation class, a big congregation, and
the Pastor didn't let anybody slip by either. They attended confirmation
in the summer and school in the winter.
260 It was very different in Bible studies here; so were the teachers.
She thinks children should have to memorize the catechism so it
stays with them. She had her son learn like that.
303 She can still read and write Norwegian. Her son was never
interested in the language. She and OK never spoke Norwegian at
home. He came from northern Norway and had a slightly different
dialect. She used nynorsk in school. He continued to use his Norwegian,
but mainly for Christmas services. But his Norwegian goes slower
now, because he thinks in English to speak in bokmål.
341 O.K. attends the Brotherhood here, but he has been too busy
with church to belong to organizations. He had never belonged
to the Sons of Norway. They just got away from those, and he worked
so hard in the church. He is now retired, but still works--teaches
Bible classes and preaches occasionally.
385 Christmas baking is not too Norwegian; son doesn't like it.
She never cooked much Norwegian food anyway. Paul does some of
the cooking in his family; wife has worked part-time in past years.
412 Speaking Norwegian. "Fader vår..."
429 End of tape.
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