    
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
Harold Jarle Beck
A Guide to His Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Beck, Harold Jarle
Collection Nr: t046
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.
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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 Harold Beck on March 9, 1981 in
Tacoma, Washington. It contains information on family background,
emigration, work experiences, marriage, church, and community
organizations. The interview was conducted in English.
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Harold
Beck was born Harold Jarle Bech on June 25, 1910 in Bjerka,
Norway. His parents were Jens Martin Bech, a tanner and farmer,
and Kristine Jonette Skjefstad, a dressmaker. Harold was the
sixth of seven children, which included Øyvind, Ottar, Gunnar,
Asmund, Solveig, and Ruth. Harold's brother Gunnar originally
had the idea to immigrate to America, but when their uncle,
Peter Strand, sent a ticket; Harold was the one who went in
April 1929. Peter was a fisherman in Tofte, Minnesota. In Minnesota,
Harold worked in various towns as a hired hand and store clerk.
He then moved to Wisconsin, where he again worked as a store
clerk, worked in a factory, and owned his own grocery store.
He was also active at the church in Muskego, Wisconsin, singing
in the choir and teaching Sunday school. During WWII, Harold
was drafted and joined the Navy. He had his training at the
Bremerton shipyards, but was stationed in southern California
during the war. In 1941, he married Ruth Hildegard Kjendalen,
a teacher. Ruth and Harold had two sons: John Harold and Paul
Phillip, both of whom attended PLU and speak Norwegian. The
family settled in the Pacific Northwest, where Harold got involved
with the fishing industry. Due to the restrictions it imposed
on his family life, he later gave up fishing and went into construction
work in Marysville, Washington. There, Harold became involved
with the Bethlehem Lutheran Church and worked with the Sunday
School as well as being the president of Marysville PTA, a member
of the Sons of Norway, and participating in the Everett Male
Chorus. When he retired, Ruth and Harold moved to Tacoma, where
he served as the vice-president of Nordlandslaget. Through the
years, Harold kept in touch with his relatives in Norway and
continued to celebrate the 17th of May.
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Full Name: |
Harold Jarle Beck
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Father: |
Jens Martin Bech
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Mother: |
Kristine Jonette Skjefstad
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Paternal Grandfather: |
Gulle Bech
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Karen Oldsdatter
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Maternal Grandfather: |
Ole Christianson Skjefstad
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Maternal Grandmother: |
Anne Gurine Skjefstad
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Øyvind Bech
Ottar Bech
Gunnar Bech
Asmund Bech
Solveig Beck Neverdal
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Spouse: |
Ruth Hildegard Kjendalen
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Children: |
John Harold Beck
Paul Phillip Beck
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Beck, Harold
Bech, Jens Martin
Skjefstad, Kristine Jonette
Kjendalen, Ruth Hildegard
Bech, Gulle
Oldsdatter, Karen
Skjefstad, Ole Christianson
Skjefstad, Anne Gurine
Strand, Peter
Beck, John Harold
Beck, Paul Phillip
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Family Names |
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Beck family
Bech family
Skjefstad family
Kjendalen family
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Geographical Names |
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Bjerka (Norway)
Minnesota
Muskego (Wis.)
Marysville (Wash.)
Tacoma (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Norway
Norway -- Emigration and immigration
Norway -- Social conditions -- 1945-
Nordlandslaget (Tacoma, Wash.)
Everett Male Chorus
Sons of Norway (Marysville, Wash.)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Marysville, Wash.)
Stavangerfjord (Steamship)
Norwegian Lutheran Church
Navy-yards and naval stations -- Bremerton (Wash.)
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Occupations |
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Farmers -- Norwegian-americans
Fishing -- Washington (State)
Factory workers
Construction industry (Marysville, Wash.)
United States -- Armed Forces
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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.
004/09 PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Born June 25, 1910 in Bjerka, Norway,
which is near Mo I Rana.
017 PARENTS: Kristine Jonette Skjefstad. Jens Martin Bech, tanner
and farmer. He met his wife in Bodø she was a dressmaker.
034 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Five (see lineage). The home farm
is still in the family.
049/10 TANNERY BUSINESS: How it worked. Later phased out.
061 FARMING: Sold cattle and grain. Also did some logging.
074 FJORDS: Froze in the winter. Good skating.
082 FATHER'S EMPLOYMENT: County work. Chairman of the County
Relief Society. He talks about socialized medicine in those
days.
100 GRANDPARENTS: Paternal, Gulle Bech was a schoolmaster and
Karen. Maternal, Ole Christianson and Anne Gurine.
117 HISTORY ON FAMILY NAME: He changed his name on his citizenship
papers.
156/11 ARRIVED U.S. CA. APRIL 1929: Knew no words of English.
Train trip to Duluth, Minnesota. Met by uncle, Peter Strand
who was a fisherman in Tofte, Minnesota.
177 EMPLOYMENT FARM WORK: Only work available if you wanted
to immigrate.
184 REASONS FOR LEAVING NORWAY: Times dreadfully bad. Talks
about boat building in the area. Uncle loaned him the money,
three years to pay it back.
207 FEELINGS ABOUT LEAVING NORWAY: Not real good.
215 Brother, Gunnar talked about wanting to come to U.S. His
uncle sent the ticket and Harold came instead.
238/12 BOAT TRIP: Crossed the Atlantic on the Stavangerfjord.
Funeral on the ship. He traveled from Oslo to Halifax, Canada.
Came to New York. Big storm.
298 What he brought with him to the U.S., his trunk.
314/13 IMPRESSIONS OF NEW YORK: Went directly to the train.
326 Arrived Duluth, Minnesota. Employed at Pine River, Minnesota.
Began working right away. There was the Old Norwegian Church
there where they preached in Norwegian. Oscar Remen was the
pastor and his wife was Marie.
353 ON TO MUSKEGO, WISCONSIN: Home of the first Norwegian Church.
He milked cows, but times got too bad and he was let go.
384/01 GOING INTO ICE BUSINESS: Bought a truck. Made $18 a month
as a store clerk in the Township of Norway in a town called
Northscape.
399 LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES: Absolutely lost. Learned from a 14
year old. Part time at high school. (See counter II-103)
448 NORMANNA MALE CHORUS: Long time member.
454 Worried about getting citizenship, 1936.
468/02 MEETING WIFE: Met eight years prior. She did housework.
She was from Iola, Wisconsin. She went to Stephens Point College
and became a teacher.
478 EMPLOYED AT VARIOUS JOBS: Store clerking, factory in Burlington,
Wisconsin got laid off and owned a grocery store.
529 DRAFTED: Went into the Navy. Later settled in the Pacific
Northwest. Married in 1941, had his training at the Bremerton
Shipyard. He was in Southern California during the war.
592/03 EMPLOYED: Safeway and salmon fishing.
600 BACK TO NORWAY: Mother died. (See counter I-478, II-394)
618 Gave up fishing as employment, no family life.
SIDE II
037/04 COMMUNITY LIFE IN WISCONSIN: Story behind the first Muskego
church founded in 1843. Sang in the choir. Taught Sunday school.
Talks about the different synods and Norwegian Lutheran Church
in America.
103 WORKED HARD LEARNING ENGLISH: Always felt free to ask (see
counter I-399).
127/05 Attraction to the Pacific Northwest area. Talks about
fishing and the life.
142 Settled in the Seattle area later on to Marysville. (see
counter II-217)
149 CHILDREN'S NAMES: (see lineage) Both attended Pacific Lutheran
University. John Harold has published some things. Paul Phillip
works for Tower Records.
171 HOW HE HEARD ABOUT PLU: from the Choir of the West.
83 EMPLOYED BOATWORKS: Building boats. Later fiberglass came.
217/06 Went into construction. Why he moved to Marysville. Active
in Bethlehem Lutheran Church (see counter II-142). Worked with
the Sunday school.
261 CONSTRUCTION WORK: Had to give it up because of health reasons,
angina pectoris.
279 BOUGHT LAUNDROMAT: Bum Deal. Presently retired.
296 Wife, Ruth taught school on the Indian Reservation. He was
employed as a teacher's aide.
311/07 Former president of Marysville PTA. Member of Sons of
Norway and Everett Male Chorus. Presently, vice-president of
Nordlandslaget.
394/08 SEVERAL TRIPS TO NORWAY: Norway has changed a lot. Talks
about the saeter and changes in the Church. (See also counters
I-478 and I-600).
447 Keeping in touch with Norwegian relatives.
488/09 IMPORTANCE OF NORWEGIAN HERITAGE: Hard to measure. Recites
Norwegian poem.
505 UNION STORY: Wagner Act.
540 KEEPING SCANDINAVIAN TRADITIONS: 17th of May and Christmas
in a Christian manner.
567 TALKS ABOUT WIFE: Who is a rich man? He who has a good wife.
579 WHAT BROUGHT HIM TO TACOMA: Good place to retire. Talks
about living on the Indian Reservation.
616/10 Children speak and understand Norwegian.
639 Would not like to Norway, very glad he's here. Mentions
dislike for their socialized medicine.
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