    
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
Anna Åberg Larson
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Larson, Anna Åberg
Collection Nr: t026
File Content:
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2 file folders
0 photographs
1 sound cassette
1 compact disc
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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 Lisa Yohe and Jenny Bjorback
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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The
interview was conducted with Anna Larson on April 19, 1979 in
Tacoma, Washington. This interview contains information on personal
background, emigration, and married life. The interview was
conducted in English.
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Anna
Larson Åberg was born in the cold area of Aspberg, Norrbotten,
Sweden on September 12, 1894. Anna was among twelve children
born to her parents, but only seven or eight survived. Her father
farmed for a living and raised the family on his own when Anna's
mother died. One of Anna's friends encouraged her to move to
America when she was 18 years old; Anna took her advice and
traveled to the United States in 1912 with several other people,
one of whom later became her husband. At first Anna settled
in Seattle and worked as a housekeeper while attending night
school to learn English. After marrying, Anna and her husband
moved to Alaska where he could mine. When a couple of years
had passed, they moved to California and then back to Washington,
building a house in Tacoma. They had three children--Arthur,
Lawrence, and Elroy-whom Anna tried to teach Swedish, but they
didn't retain it after starting school. Anna especially loves
the Swedish traditions surrounding Christmas, but she has had
a hard time preserving all of the customs in the United States.
Still, she and her husband were once members of Valhalla, and
they returned to Sweden twice to visit relatives.
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Full Name: |
Anna Larson
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Maiden Name: |
Anna Åberg
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Father: |
Björn Åberg
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Mother: |
Landfors
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Brothers and Sisters: |
There were twelve children in the family but only seven
or eight survived
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Spouse: |
?) Larson
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Children: |
Arthur Larson
Lawrence Larson
Elroy Larson
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Larson, Anna
Åberg, Anna
Åberg, Björn
Larson, Arthur
Larson, Lawrence
Larson, Elroy
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Family Names |
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Larson family
Åberg family
Landfors family
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Geographical Names |
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Aspberg, Norrbotten (Sweden)
Seattle (Wash.)
Tacoma (Wash.)
Alaska
California
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Subjects |
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Family -- Sweden
Sweden -- Emigration and Immigration
Valhalla Lodge (Tacoma, Wash.)
Ocean travel
Sweden -- Social conditions -- 1945-
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Occupations |
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Farming
Housekeeping
Mining
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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.
005/06 FAMILY BACKGROUND: Anna Larson was born way up north
in Norrbotten province, Sweden, "nice there but cold." Aspberg
was a little community nearby. Father's name was Björn Åberg,
mother's last name was Landfors (?). She died when Anna was
small. Father was a farmer and grew things like potatoes, corn
and wheat.
054 There were twelve children born but only seven or eight
lived. Three sisters besides Anna came to America, one in Port
Angeles and two in Tacoma. She knew her paternal grandparents
real well; grandfather was so good to her that she idolized
him. His name was Aaberg also. The family name was not from
the farm.
086/07 EMIGRATION: "I was 18 years old when I came and I was
homesick. I used to cry at night so my pillow was all wet in
the morning. I wanted to go home." She came with a few other
people including the man who would later become her husband.
They were married later and lived in Alaska for two years while
her husband worked in a mine. But there was a strike and then
they moved down to Seattle.
103 Anna had a friend who bugged her about coming to America.
Anna finally gave in and decided to come, but her friend changed
her mind at the last minute and didn't emigrate. Anna stuck
to her decision.
113 TRIP: Anna traveled by boat to Norway, England, and then
Boston. From Boston they took the train to Seattle.
SETTLING IN: Anna knew no one in Seattle but she was lucky.
The lady for whom she worked was so good to her: "my own mother
couldn't have been better. She took me wherever they went; she
took me down to night school; she was a doll."
133 Anna did housework as she couldn't do anything else. She
had attended cooking school before leaving Sweden and was good
at that. She didn't know English when she left. Went to night
school to learn English and then practiced it at night.
154 The boat trip was rough, big waves, and took about a week.
"We used to dance on the boat and we had a heck of a good time."
The language was the worst problem but she learned it little
by little. Being homesick was also a problem. When Christmas
came she thought she couldn't make it because they had such
a good time in Sweden at Christmas time.
193/08 HUSBAND AND FAMILY LIFE: She knew her husband from Sweden.
He'd been in America and they came with him because he could
speak English. She had "nothing to do with him for a long time."
She was happy to move back to the Tacoma and Seattle area from
Alaska; she liked this region. The first baby was born in Alaska,
and the next two boys were born down here. Arthur, Lawrence,
and Elroy (?), all live quite close to here and all three are
married. There are many grandchildren. The youngest boy had
five children, two girls and three boys.
She still has the house and property which they built. They
lived in California a few years before settling down in Tacoma.
270/09 TRADITIONS: In Sweden they always went to church by sled
the first thing on Christmas morning. Christmas baking started
two weeks before hand. In Tacoma, they belonged to a Lutheran
church where the children were confirmed. They belonged to Valhalla
for awhile, but only used it for social purposes, dances and
dinners on Saturday nights.
319 RETURN TRIP TO SWEDEN: She has been back to the home place
twice. Her sister was 90 (?) and wanted Anna to come celebrate
her birthday. But "I hate to go home because I hate to say good-bye
to her." She has the one sister left in Sweden and three in
America. Anna felt right at home when she returned to Sweden;
just didn't like crossing the ocean. "The great big waves, up
and down, up and down. I get a stomachache when I think about
it." Her husband was seasick from the day of departure from
Sweden until arrival in America; she didn't see him at all.
The food was good and so were the dances. Both return trips
were by boat.
358/10 Anna still speaks Swedish. People in Valhalla spoke both
English and Swedish. Her sons didn't retain much Swedish after
they began school. Anna tried to retain much Swedish after they
began school. Anna tried to teach the oldest one later on, but
wasn't too successful. Her own Swedish is not good anymore;
she recites "Fader vår…"
408 She doesn't remember about medical care in America in the
early days because she was never sick. Has a poster of Sweden
on the wall which reminds her of her Swedish home, lots of snow
and little red bricks. She has given or thrown away most of
her Swedish things.
442 End of tape.
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