    
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
Tove Foth Barfod Ott
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Ott, Tove Foth Barfod
Collection Nr: t048
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 Scott Lawley
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky
Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: Poor - very noisy and difficult
to understand throughout.
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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 Tove Ott, January 1981, in Burlingame,
CA by Scott Lawley, a Pacific Lutheran University student and
Tove's grandson. It provides information about family background,
emigration, marriage, employment, community involvement, and
Danish heritage. The interview was conducted in English.
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Tove
Ott was born on June 25, 1896 in Sønderholm, Jylland, Denmark
to Trenton Barfod and Emily Foth. Her father was a minister
in a small town called Jølunde, which is located outside of
Copenhagen, and Tove had three older siblings: Volner, Kaj,
and Louise Johanna. In 1916, Tove married Mr. Peterson and a
year later, had her daughter Gertrude. Shortly after Gertrude's
birth, Tove's husband died of heart failure. To support herself,
Tove worked at an establishment similar to Western Union, sorting
telegrams. At work, Tove became friends with a woman named Annie
(Kolten) Newman. Annie immigrated to the United States in 1921
and encouraged Tove to do the same. Tove came two years later,
leaving Gertrude with her sister in Denmark. Tove's first job
in America was as a babysitter, and in April 1924, Annie informed
her of a job opening at a boys' school in Palo Alto, CA. Tove
got the job and started work immediately. In May, she met her
husband, Minet William Ott, and was married in March of 1925.
Two years later, Tove sent for Gertrude. Gertrude was ten and
a half at the time and learned English quickly. Tove has not
been actively involved in church in the United States but does
belong to the Danish Sisterhood in San Francisco, a Senior Citizens
group in Burlingame, and a civic group. She has returned to
Denmark in 1936 and 1969 and still uses Danish when she writes
to her relatives there. Tove is very proud of her heritage.
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Full Name: |
Tove Barfod Ott
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Maiden Name: |
Tove Barfod
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Father: |
Trenton Barfod
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Mother: |
Emily Foth
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Volner Barfod
Kaj Barfod
Louise Johanna Barfod
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Spouse: |
Mr. Peterson
Minet William Ott
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Children: |
Gertrude Barfod Peterson
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Ott, Tove
Barfod, Trenton
Foth, Emily
Peterson, Gertrude Barfod
Newman, Annie Kolten
Ott, Minet William
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Family Names |
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Ott family
Barford family
Foth family
Peterson family
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Geographical Names |
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Sønderholm (Jutland)
Jølunde (Denmark)
Palo Alto (Calif.)
Burlingame (Calif.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Denmark
Denmark -- Emigration and immigration
Christmas -- Denmark
Naturalization
Danish Sisterhood (San Fransisco, Calif.)
Danish-Americans -- Ethnic identity
Denmark -- Social conditions -- 1945-
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Occupations |
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Nursing
Domestics
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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.
015/08 PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Born with the name Tove Foth Barfod.
She married a Mr. Peterson who died and later she married Mr.
Ott. Tove was born 25 June 1896 in Sønderholm, Jylland, Denmark,
which is near Aalborg.
PARENTS: Mother's name was Emily and her father was Trenton.
Her father was a minister in a small town outside of Copenhagen.
This town is called Jølunde, which is not too far from Frederiksborg
castle, Roskilde, Denmark, and Landskrona, Sweden. She talks
about her father's characteristics. Her mother played the piano.
106/09 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Two boys and two girls in the family.
Her oldest brother is Volner, then Kaj, Louise Johanna and Tove,
the youngest.
125 MATERNAL GRANDFATHER: He became the president of the Cryolite
mining company. She doesn't remember the rest of the family.
145 EMIGRATION: Traveled alone on a Danish ship. They left from
Copenhagen, Denmark to New York. Tove was married in 1916, had
a child in 1917 and then Mr. Peterson died of heart failure.
190/10 CONDITIONS IN DENMARK BEFORE LEAVING: Pretty good. Employed
at a place like Western Union in Copenhagen where she sorted
telegrams. Her daughter stayed with an uncle while she was working
in Copenhagen. She had a friend Annie (Kolten) Newman(?) who
she worked with who came to America in 1921. She encouraged
Tove to emigrate.
241 ARRIVAL IN AMERICA: Sponsors met her at the ship. They were
some relatives of her brother-in-law. Tove left in 1923 and
left her daughter with her sister. Annie, her friend, had traveled
from New York to Chicago, Illinois. Tove spent six weeks in
New York. She had left Denmark on June 14, 1923. The trip took
eleven days.
270 FEELINGS ABOUT LEAVING DENMARK: Knew she had to do something
to make a life for herself.
281/11 KEEPSAKES: Books and a few personal things.
295 Sent for her daughter in 1927 to come to the US. Her daughter
was 10 1/2 at the time.
303 TRIP OVER: All kinds of entertainment. Met many fellow passengers.
No real problems. Got along well with her sponsor family.
326 FIRST JOB IN THE US: Babysitting from August to March. Began
to pick up English on the job.
340 ON TO CALIFORNIA IN APRIL OF 1924: Her friend Annie wired
her and told her of a job opening at a boys school in Palo Alto,
California. She traveled there by train.
360/12 IMPRESSIONS OF CALIFORNIA: Started work immediately.
Lived at the school. Made good friends.
370 CITIZENSHIP: Had to have two witnesses (see counter I-410).
377 LEARNING ENGLISH: Picked it up pretty fast, kind of tough
at first. She tells a story about working New York and the language
problems she had and understanding what time to come back to
work.
399 WHAT SHE LIKED MOST ABOUT AMERICA: The beauty, took a few
trips around the country.
410 CITIZENSHIP 1926: Took classes. Had witnesses. Answered
questions (see counter I-370). This was in San Francisco, California.
419 MEETING HUSBAND: Met him through Annie and Annie's sister.
She tells the story about these sisters' immigration. Met husband
in May of 1924 they were married in March of 1925. His name
is Minet William Ott. He was from Illinois. He was employed
at Western Union.
SIDE II (Note Side I stops in the middle of the tape and Side
II starts in the middle of the tape.)
028/13 CHILDREN: Gertrude came to America when she was 10 1/2.
She didn't know any English but she learned very quickly and
liked it here. Gertrude worked in a store for awhile, then babysitting
in a doctor's home in San Francisco. She became interested in
nursing and later graduated from St. Luke's. Gertrude met her
husband in Spokane. She was in the service then.
150 GRANDCHILDREN: One is a student at Pacific Lutheran University.
160/01 VALUE SYSTEM: US vs. Denmark, no real difference. Talks
about discipline in the home. Minet worked at Western Union
until he retired in about 1963.
195 EMPLOYMENT: Worked some while married cleaning houses. The
Scandinavians had a good reputation as being good workers.
232 Who had it easier men or women?: The men had trades and
the women didn't therefore it was harder for them to find work.
241 MEDICAL CARE IN DENMARK vs. THE US: In Denmark, you have
to pay so much a year, i.e. Medicare. Talks about the hospital
care and getting their tonsils out.
287/02 CHRISTMAS EVE (Denmark and US): Started by going to church
and then came home to dinner. They had rice pudding complete
with a hidden almond. Decorating the Christmas tree. Church
Christmas Day and the day after. It was the same way for Easter.
Tove feels that Christmas lasts until after New Years.
321 CHURCH PLAYED A BIG PART: Not active in the church today.
She could never get used to church in the US.
361/03 ORGANIZATIONS: Belongs to the Danish Sisterhood in San
Francisco. She joined because of the sick benefits in 1925.
She also belongs to a Senior Citizens group in Burlingame, California.
She belongs to another civic group where she visits an older
person every week and they send out Christmas cards to those
who are lonely.
417/04 TRIPS TO DENMARK: Went in 1936 and 1969. She talks about
the conditions in 1936 when prices were going up and there was
the fear of war. There was no mail in or out during the war.
Her father died during the war. In 1969 she visited relatives
and toured museums. She talks a little bit about the fact that
they were modernizing in Denmark. She keeps in touch with relatives
in Denmark by mail.
470/05 IMPORTANCE OF DANISH HERITAGE: Important, proud of being
born in Denmark.
479 Uses Danish when she writes to relatives in Denmark. She
still speaks Danish, she reads some Danish.
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