    
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
Ester Irene Sundvik
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Sundvik, Ester Irene
Collection Nr: t091
File Content:
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3 file folders
1 photographs
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 Ester Sundvik on September 29,
1981 in Vancouver, Washington. It contains information on family
background, emigration, employment, marriage and family, and
moving to the West Coast. The interview was conducted in English.
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Ester
Sundvik was born in Ödkarby on the Åland Islands, which are
located halfway between Sweden and Finland. The islands belong
to Finland, but the people that live on them speak Swedish.
Ester's parents were Julia Adarina Hinder and Gustav Fristedt.
Gustav was a baker and met Julia in a bakery. When Ester was
three months old, Gustav emigrated to the United States and
was never heard of again. Julia remained on their small farm
in Ödkarby, where Ester was raised along with her two older
sisters Wilhemina and Ingrid. Julia sold calves, milk, and butter
and also worked as a midwife and kindergarten teacher. Ester
attended school for six years but decided not to proceed further
because she wanted domestic training instead. Ester was also
confirmed, after which she went to work in Stockholm for one
year. In Stockholm, Ester became homesick and returned home
to help her mother before obtaining a job for a local minister.
In 1922, Ester's friend Edith convinced Ester to emigrate to
America with her despite opposition from her mother and the
minister. It took the girls eleven days to get from Finland
to New York, and upon their arrival in New York, they found
employment with a Swedish woman. The Swedish woman did not prove
to be very good boss, however, discouraging the girls from learning
English and failing to feed them well. After nine or ten months,
Ester and Edith left to learn English. Ester eventually found
a cooking job for a couple in Connecticut. After working in
Connecticut, Ester went to Boston working for a family with
four children. She stayed there for three years. Ester had saved
money to visit her mother in Finland. After visiting her mother,
Ester returned to New York where she met her husband. Her daughter
was born in New York. Ester's husband got a job with the Pentagon
in Washington D.C. and in 1943, he sent her tickets for Vancouver,
Washington. In October 1943, Ester started a nursery for the
Shipyard workers' children. In Vancouver, her home was torn
down to make way for a highway. Ester moved to Illinois when
they did this but returned to Vancouver later.
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Full Name: |
Ester Irene Sundvik
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Maiden Name: |
Ester Irene Fristedt
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Father: |
Gustav Fristedt
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Mother: |
Julia Adarina Hinder
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Wilhemina Fristedt
Ingrid Fristedt
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Spouse: |
(?) Sundvik
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Children: |
One daughter
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Sundvik, Ester Irene (Fristedt)
Fristedt, Gustav
Hinder, Julia Adarina
Fristedt, Wilhemina
Fristedt, Ingrid
Barrymore, Ethel
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Family Names |
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Sundvik family
Fristedt family
Hinder family
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Geographical Names |
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Ödkarby, Åland Islands (Finland)
New York City (N. Y.)
Connecticut
Boston (Mass.)
Brooklyn (N. Y.)
Vancouver (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Finland
Finland -- Emigration and immigration
Ödkarby (Finland) -- Emigration and immigration
Finland -- economic conditions
Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y. and N.J.)
Finland -- Festivals and celebrations
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Occupations |
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Cooks
Childcare workers
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.
004 Ester Irene Sundvik. Maiden name was Fristedt. Born in Ödkarby
on the Åland Islands. The islands belong to Finland but the
people speak Swedish. Located half way between Sweden and Finland.
024 Lived out in the country by the woods, firs and pines. Close
to the water. Took cows to the pasture.
033 PARENTS: Julia Adarina Hinder and Gustav Fristedt. Father
spoke both Swedish and Finnish. Some relatives changed their
name to a Finnish name. Father was a baker. He met his wife
in a bakery where she sold bread. Father was born in Björneborg
(Pori in Finnish), Finland.
058 GRANDPARENTS: Maternal grandfather was a ceramic maker,
sold his wares in Finland. Made bowls, flower pots, vases, and
candlesticks.
083 SISTERS: Two older. Wilhemina and Ingrid. Ingrid is a nurse
in Finland.
092 FATHER: When Ester was 3 months old her father went to America.
Ester, her mother and 2 sisters stayed on the little farm. Sold
calves, butter, milk. Mother was a midwife in town. She also
taught kindergarten in her home.
121 Father was never seen again. Ester never interested in seeing
him again. Mother was a hard worker, she never complained, never
was idle. Knit, sewed. She died at age 89.
140 CHILDHOOD HOME: Can still see it when she closes her eyes.
Has a little fireplace in the bedroom. This was the heat source.
159 FOODS: Mother was a good cook. She had experience from the
bakery, carrot pudding, leverlåda (ground liver, rice, raisins
with egg custard on top of it.) Meatballs, pork roast, side
roast. Made sausage, head cheese, rullepölsa. Everything was
put in the brine so it would keep longer.
183 Had a garden. Beets, cabbage, carrots, rutabaga. Kept food
in a fruit cellar. This was dug in dirt, lined with bricks,
had a roof made of shingles. Kept vegetables and dairy products
in it in the summer.
205 Land was separated from the house. Had a big lawn, wood
shed, barn. Did not have inside plumbing.
212 Mother raised flowers. Daughters were in charge of them:
lilacs, cornflowers, irises, forget-me-nots, violets, and lily
of the valley.
235 Picked berries in the woods. Blueberries, lingonberries,
cranberries, and smultron, like small strawberries.
247 Mother used linament made of turpentine and ammonia for
pains. Made juice out of black currant, used this for winters
colds and coughs. Also used chamomile tea when the girls were
sick. Was a doctor not far away, but Ester did not go to the
doctor until she came to the US.
277 CHRISTMAS: Lasted 20 days. Neighbors all had parties. Cut
the tree down from the woods. Snow up to their waist. Decorated
the tree with baskets, handmade decorations. Candles on the
tree.
309 Midsummer another highlight in their lives. Decorated outside
with birch trees.
327 Had bonfires on the beach the 1st day of May. Climbed the
mountain to see all the fires. Sang "I dag är det första maj."
366 SCHOOL: Went for 6 years. Could go on for further learning.
Ester wanted domestic education.
382 CONFIRMATION: Went away and lived with an older lady. Went
for 1 year. Learned many hymns.
408 Stayed home after confirmation. Went to Stockholm and worked
for a captain's widow for 1 year. She had a guestroom to serve
people who came to Stockholm. Ester worked hard. She was homesick.
Went home to help her mother. Went to work for a minister, she
lived at the parsonage. Knitted wives stockings, cared for the
plants, brought wood in. Made fires every morning. Pastor's
wife was the sister of the famous architect in Finland, Lars
Sonk.
470 It just happened that Ester went to America. Ester's friend
Edith went to America and asked Ester to go. Mother and minister
didn't want her to go.
500 BOAT TRIP: Brought a few clothes over and bread. Took 11
days to get from Goeteborg to New York. 1922 was the year of
emigration. Seasick.
517 ELLIS ISLAND: Saddest thing that Ester had ever seen. Spent
one night there. Six people in one small room. "Is this America…thought
it would be beautiful." Gives good account of Ellis Island.
564 Stayed in New York. Knew someone there. Was sponsored by
friend's sister. Came to a very famous place 711 5th Avenue.
Her friends were caretakers there.
602 WORK: Went to employment agency with her friend Edith. Woman
came looking for 2 girls. Needed interpreters, could not understand
any English. The lady was of Swedish descent so she could speak
fluent Swedish. She did not want the girls to learn English
or they might leave.
683 One of Ester's friends worked for Ethyl Barrymoore. Ester
visited them sometimes.
SIDE II
004 Worked there for 9-10 months. A friend who had come over
with them on the boat looked after them. They quit this job
and their boss got angry.
032 They left to learn English. Ester continues talking about
experiences with this Swedish boss.
064 Ester and Edith were sick, malnutrition while working for
this lady. They were not fed well.
080 Needed a girl at Ethyl Barrymoore's place. Ester took care
of the children. Worked for them during the summer.
100 Got a job in Connecticut during the summer, did cooking.
This was for the Stantons. This was the best job she ever had.
Cooked for 2. Lived by the water. Gives more details about this
work experience.
125 Met husband in New York.
125 Came back to New York from Connecticut. A friend from Finland
told her Boston was nicer than New York. Ester went to Boston.
140 WORK: Went to employment agency looking for work, a Swedish
agency. A lady came and interviewed her. There were 4 children
to care for. The lady was skeptical because Ester was so young.
Had a two weeks trial period.
159 Took a taxi to their house. Lived in Massachusetts. The
biggest house Ester had ever seen. She describes the home. Children
ate separately from the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Perkins.
186 Had fish the first night she was there. Could not read cookbooks
so fixed it the way that her mother had. Ester did substituting
of things.
202 Baked bread. Turned out quite well. She became good friends
with the children. Oldest son helped her to learn English. Stayed
for 3 years.
226 Ester had saved enough money to go visit her mother in Finland.
She made $90 a month, good for the times. Spent Christmas in
Finland.
241 She returned and stayed in New York. Met her husband who
was staying with some friends.
252 Got a job in Brooklyn for a lady. Cooking, cleaning, and
washing. Made $75 a month. Worked there for years.
280 Got a job with her husband on Long Island. Did housework,
her husband chauffeured. Ester taught him how to do his job.
289 Daughter born in New York. Husband got a job with the Pentagon
in Washington D.C. Ester worked for a dentist part-time in D.C.
Husband sent her tickets to leave September 20, 1943 for Vancouver,
Washington.
351 Got an apartment in Vancouver. Had coal stove for cooking
and heat. Lots of people in Vancouver working in shipyards.
375 NURSERY: In October, Ester started a Nursery for Shipyard
workers children. The workers were paid quite well. Everything
on ration cards. Had buses for transportation.
387 Did not have time to join Scandinavian groups. Did catering
for people. Cleaned houses and did cooking for people.
408 A highlight for Ester's life was working in the Nursery.
Ester also christened a ship in Vancouver. They were celebrating
because they had made 2 extra ships for the Navy. She also received
a promotion as cook. The ship was named the U.S.S. Hoggatt Bay.
454 DESCRIBES THE FINNISH/SWEDISH PEOPLE: Cannot really say.
Has met every kind of people. There is a resemblance in every
nationality. Some differences in thinking, beliefs, etc. Finns
are supposed to be temperamental, clean people.
489 Ester says her favorite saying that her mother taught her.
She says this every night. She says this in Swedish.
506 HOUSE IN VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON: Built their own home while
husband alive. Husband died from two shots of penicillin, he
had a negative reaction. He was sick from May - August.
538 They came and told Ester that the highway was going by where
their house was. This losing her home and her husband were the
saddest things that happened to her while in America.
562 Ester moved to Illinois when they tore down her home. She
now lives in an apartment in Vancouver, WA.
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