    
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
Esther Wiirre Rinne
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Rinne, Esther Wiirre
Collection Nr: t081
File Content:
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3 file folders
1 photograph
1 sound cassette
0 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 Donna Mallonee
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 Esther Rinne on August 25, 1981
Astoria, Oregon. It provides information on family background,
emigration, employment, marriage, and community activities.
The interview also includes a photograph of Esther. Also see
Sulo Rinne.
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Esther
Rinne was born on January 7, 1901 in Pyhajoki, Finland to Antti
and Sophia Wiirre. Esther had five older siblings, but most
of them had immigrated to Eureka, CA in the 1890s. When Esther
was two years old, her mother passed away. Her father, who was
a carpenter, tried to take care of her but had to board her
out to different families for ten years while he worked. When
Esther was nineteen, one of her sisters sent her a ticket to
America. By the time Esther arrived in California, her sister,
Anne, had already arranged a job for her. She began living and
working at a cookhouse, where she washed dishes and waited tables.
The language differences were a problem at first, but Esther
remained at the cookhouse for two years. When she was granted
a two-week vacation, Esther went to Astoria, OR to visit her
sister, who ended up convincing Esther to stay. Esther found
a job at a local restaurant and met her husband, Sulo Rinne,
who was originally from Pirkkala, Finland. They had one son,
but he died while serving in the military. In Astoria, Esther
also joined the Peace Lutheran Church and American Legion Auxiliary.
She has returned to Finland twice, but by the second trip, so
many things had changed that she felt no need to return a third
time. Esther likes living in America and has no special feelings
about being Finnish.
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Full Name: |
Esther Rinne
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Maiden Name: |
Esther Wiirre
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Father: |
Antti Wiirre
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Mother: |
Sophia Wiirre
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Heikki (Hank) Wiirre
Jenny Wiirre
Hilda Wiirre
Anne Wiirre
Helmi Wiirre
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Spouse: |
Sulo Rinne
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Children: |
One son killed in World War II
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Rinne, Esther
Wiirre, Antti
Wiirre, Sophia
Wiirre, Anne
Rinne, Sulo
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Family Names |
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Rinne family
Wiirre family
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Geographical Names |
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Pyhajoki (Finland)
Pirkkala (Finland)
Eureka (Calif.)
Astoria (Or.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Finland
Emigration and immigration -- Finland
Railway travel
Lifestyles -- Finland
Lusitania (Steamship)
Peace Lutheran Church (Astoria, Or.)
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Occupations |
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Cooks
Waitresses
Farming -- Gearhart (Or.)
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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.
018 ESTHER RINNE: Maiden name was Wiirre. Born in Pyhajoki,
Finland on January 7, 1901. Pyhajoki is near Oulu in Oulun Laani.
074 PARENTS: Father - Antti. Mother - Sophia. Mother died when
Esther was 2 yrs old. Father was a carpenter. Father tried to
take care of her. He had to board her out because he had to
work. Some families treated her cruelly. She didn't dare tell
her father. He visited her often. This...
140 went on for 10 years. Went to school. When 14 years old
found a nice family to stay with. Took good care of her.
156 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Had a brother who was 22 years older,
a sister 21 years older. They were in America when she was born.
Heikki (Hank), Jenny, Hilda, Anne, Helme. Esther was youngest.
Only knew Helme. Helme 17 when mother died. Most of them settled
in Eureka, California in 1890's.
211 GRANDPARENTS: Doesn't remember them.
216 FAMILY NAME: Name hasn't changed.
225 Stayed with a good family from age 14-17. Their name was
Harrilla (?). Lived on a farm. This was still in Pyhajoki.
248 After this, went to stay with a sister in Rauma in the southern
part of Finland. When Esther was 19, a sister in America sent
her a ticket to come to the US. Came to Eureka, California.
Came by herself.
282 TRIP TO AMERICA: Came on the Lusitania (?) across the Atlantic.
Ellis Island was awful.. Dirty. 5 girls from Finland. This was
1920.
318 Sister wrote from America - don't take any money with you.
She wrote that they'd send what she needed to Nilson & Lundbeck
Co. in New York. When Esther got to Ellis Island, she found
out Ellis Island was Ellis Island and New York was New York.
Esther didn't have the $25 on her so she had to send a telegram
to her sister for money. Stayed in a tiny room with some other
Finnish girls. Finally got her money. They gave her a sack lunch.
Cost $3.00. Bread and moldy cheese. Escorted to the train. Pinned
a note on her said where she was going.
387 TRAIN TRIP: Saw a black person for the first time. They
wouldn't let her go anywhere when the train stopped. Trip took
9 days.
457 Came to San Francisco, California first. Went to a restroom
to wash up. Left suitcase on bench. Two ladies eyed the suitcase.
Trapped Esther. Took her on two streetcars and up to the 6th
floor of a hotel. Started looking for her purse. One of the
ladies went to a phone. Signaled...
500 for Esther to come. She heard a Finnish voice. Said the
ladies were policewomen, They wanted to know if she had the
$1.50 to pay for a hotel room for the night. They showed her
where to go in the morning. Showed her the time on a clock when
she should be there. Was ready to go at 5:30. Went to the place
they showed her. Found an ocean in front of her instead of a
train. The two ladies were there again. Gave...
560 her an envelope to give to the conductor. She had to take
a ferry across the bay. Goldengate Bridge wasn't built yet.
Policeman met her at other end. Escorted her to the train. She
gave the letter to the conductor. Took a whole day to get from
San Francisco to Eureka, California.
586 Sisters were there. Esther told them to ask the conductor
what the letter was. The letter said not to let her go anywhere.
In those days, many girls disappeared. Her sisters arranged
for her to be protected on her journey.
617 FEELINGS ABOUT COMING TO AMERICA: Left Finland from Hanko
(Hangö). On a beautiful evening. Felt lonesome. Felt better
once she got to England and met some other Finnish girls. Got
to California and her sister, Anne had a job for her. Esther
had only 2 days before she started. Sister told her not to bring
many clothes with her. They'd be out of style here. Esther was
sorry she hadn't brought more. Styles were the same. Clothes
were expensive.
665 WORK: Worked in a cookhouse near Eureka, California. First
washed dishes. Then waited tables. Owed her sister for the ticket
and the $25. Lived at the cookhouse. Cook was German. One girl
was Finnish-Swedish. Mrs. Curry was America. Esther felt at
home here. People were nice.
703 PROBLEMS WITH THE LANGUAGE: People were very understanding.
Always confused cabbage and lettuce. Which ever the cook asked
for, she brought the other. Had to learn English. Nobody spoke
Finnish there. Every fourth week she'd go to Eureka and visit
her sister. She stayed at the cookhouse for 2 years.
728 She got a 2 week vacation. Went to Astoria, Oregon. by boat
to visit her sister. Sister talked her into staying in Astoria.
Got a job at a restaurant. Waited tables.
766 Met her husband in Astoria. They've lived there for 58 years.
They had one boy, but he died in the service. Her husband's
name in Sulo.
789 After getting married they bought a farm. Had cattle, chicken.
Raised lettuce, peas, etc. Farm was in Gearhart, Oregon. Son
grew up there. Was born in a hospital in Seaside, Oregon. Went
to high school there.
816 CHURCH: Belong to Peace Lutheran Church in Astoria., Services
in Finnish once a month.
824 Doesn't belong to any Finnish organizations. Belongs to
American Legion Auxiliary.
833 FINNISH COOKING: Mommi - a Finnish dish made at Easter.
Lutefisk - A Christmas dish. Juhannusjuusto - See also I-878.
878 FINNISH CELEBRATIONS: Juhannus (Midsummer). People stay
up all the night. Custom to make Juhannusjuusto - a kind of
cheese. Made out of milk. Cook it in a pan all night. It cooks
down. Yellow and crisp. Christmas - Go to church at 6:00 am.
After church, eat breakfast: rice pudding and baked mashed potatoes.
Put cardamom in the potatoes. Pannuikku - pancake but different
than American. Baked in oven. Serve meat with the meal too.
939 TWO TRIPS BACK TO FINLAND: First in 1950. Father was gone.
Sister still living. Oldest sisters' dons almost like a brother.
Friends in Pyhajoki.
954 Not much different on the first trip. Second trip in 1963
many changes. Roads were different. People she knew were gone.
Didn't want to go back after that. Has only a niece and a nephew
left in Finland. Still writes to the Harrilla's (?) girl. She's
been to the U.S. to visit in 1972. See also I-225.
985 No special feeling about being Finnish. Has a lot of English
speaking friends.
1008 Speaks Finnish with her husband and Mrs. Leppinen (?),
a neighbor who doesn't speak English.
1031 Esther likes it in America. Astoria has changed a lot.
Likes Seaside better. Only 20 minutes to drive there.
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