    
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Administrative
Information
Scope and Content Note
Biographical Information
Lineage
Selected Search Terms
Partial Interview Transcript
|
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
Ed Carlson
A Guide to His Oral History Interview |
|
Administrative
Information
Creator:
Carlson, Ed
Collection Nr: t096
File Content:
|
|
2 file folders
0 photographs
1 sound cassettes
0 compact discs
|
|
|
Processing Information:
|
|
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
|
Restrictions:
|
|
The
collection is available for research.
|
|
Preferred Citation:
|
|
[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
|
Go
to top |
The
interview was conducted with Ed Carlson on September 30, 1981
in Aberdeen, Washington. This interview contains information
on personal background, emigration, settling in, work, family,
social organizations, and return trips to Sweden. The interview
was conducted in English with some Swedish towards the end of
the interview.
|
|
Ed
Carlson was born Carl Gustav Edward Carlson on June 17, 1897
in Åsa, Småland, Sweden. Ed's parents, Emma and Johannes Carlson,
had three other children: Einar, Alved, and Selma. Ed attended
school for seven years and worked on a farm after classes. In
1916 Ed left for the United States on his own and settled in
Aberdeen, Washington. After working for a time in a shipyard
building boats for the army, Ed got a job at a Swedish sawmill
where he worked for 25 years. In 1924 Ed married Anna Anderson,
and they had four children. Ed is a member of the Vasa Lodge
where they practice Swedish traditions; he still speaks the
language at times. Ed has taken several return trips to Sweden,
although he is glad that he lives in America.
Go to top |
|
|
Full Name: |
Carl Gustav Edward Carlson
|
|
Father: |
Johannes Carlson
|
|
Mother: |
Emma Carlson
|
|
Paternal Grandfather: |
Carl Granat
|
|
Maternal Grandfather: |
Lindblad
|
|
Brothers and Sisters: |
Einar Carlson
Alved Carlson
Selma Carlson
|
|
Spouse: |
Anna Anderson Carlson
|
| |
Children:
Dale Carlson
Alan Carlson
Paul Carlson
|
Go to top |
This collection is indexed under the following headings
|
|
Personal Names |
|
Carlson, Carl Gustav Edward
Carlson, Ed
Carlson, Johannes
Carlson, Emma
Granat, Carl
Carlson, Dale
Carlson, Alan
Carlson, Paul
Anderson, Anna
Carlson, Anna
|
|
Family Names |
|
Carlson family
Granat family
Lindblad family
Anderson family
|
|
Geographical Names |
|
Åsa, Småland (Sweden)
Aberdeen (Wash.)
|
|
Subjects |
|
Family -- Sweden
Sweden -- Emigration and Immigration
Vasa Lodge (Aberdeen, Wash.)
Sweden -- Social conditions -- 1945-
Family -- Economic aspects -- Sweden
Christmas -- Sweden
Education -- Sweden
|
|
Occupations |
|
Logging -- Washington (State)
Sawmill workers
|
|
Genre/Form |
|
Oral history
|
|
Institution |
|
Pacific Lutheran University. Scandinavian Immigrant Experience
Collection
|
Go
to top |
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.
042 CARL GUSTAV EDWARD CARLSON: One name from the King, one
from his father. Born in Åsa, Småland, Sweden. Åsa is the name
of a church and a community in the southern part of Sweden.
Born June 17, 1897.
052 PARENTS: Emma and Johannes. Father worked in the woods cutting
up squares. Ed also worked in the woods.
061 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Two brothers still live in Sweden.
Einar and Alved. One sister, Selma.
065 GRANDPARENTS: Lived one and half miles away. Grandfather
was a watchmaker. They visited once or twice a week. Grandma
baked good bread.
072 Mother's father was name Lindblad. He was a farmer and active
in politics.
078 HISTORY OF THE FAMILY NAME: Grandfather's name was Carl
Granat. That was a name carried down from many generations.
085 CHILDHOOD HOME: Painted red. A farmhouse. Living room, kitchen,
upstairs. Had a barn, cattle, and pigs. Raised lots of vegetables.
Stored them so that they could have vegetables all year.
098 SPECIAL FOODS: Main food beef, pork, and herring. Lived
close to a lake so caught pike and bass. Spent their leisure
time fishing.
109 CHRISTMAS: Had a tree. In Sweden you invite the neighbors
in. Also go and visit neighbors. Had sleds and skis. The lake
froze over in the winter and they went ice-skating. Caught fish
in the winter under the ice.
125 SCHOOL: Walked about one mile. No buses. Had boots for walking
in the winter. Took their lunch to school, had handmade basket.
141 Mother baked pastries, bread, and coffee bread.
147 SCHOOL: Went for seven years. Worked for a farmer after
school. Lived on the farm where he worked. Worked some in the
woods.
153 LEFT SWEDEN IN 1916. He came over by himself.
156 LEAVING SWEDEN: Looked forward to going to America. Ready
to quit picking potatoes in Sweden and he did not want to go
in the army.
161 War broke out soon after Ed arrived in America. He worked
at a shipyard that built boats for the army. This excused him
from the army.
169 TRIP OVER: Not bad. No seasickness. Good food. Took the
train from New York to Aberdeen, Washington.
179 Had two brothers and a sister already in America. They met
him at the depot. He did not speak any English.
184 Worked at a Swedish sawmill handling lumber. Hard work.
Learned to inspect lumber, stamped it. Worked for the Bureau
for 25 years. Lived in a boarding house in Aberdeen.
202 LANGUAGE: Did not take long learning English. No problems.
205 Made good wages working for the Bureau.
209 LOGGING CAMPS: One camp hired all Finnish people. One camp
all Swedes, and one camp all Norwegians. Good food, good wages
at the camp. Had bunkhouses. The men all worked ten hour days.
The owner of the camps caused competition between the camps.
243 People spoke their native tongues in the camps. Ed tells
a story about a Norwegian who worked four years in a logging
camp and made enough money to buy a ticket to the old country.
It was hard to get paid in paper money. They paid in gold and
silver.
278 LOGGING CAMPS: Healthy looking guys. They knew how to use
an ax, fall a tree. Americans had a hard time keeping up with
the other men working in the woods. Mr. Poulson owned the logging
company. There were many men working in the woods. Explains
how they got logs down the river where they floated to main
bay and taken to the sawmill. There were no highways in the
woods.
304 Talks about huge logs, some 7ft. in diameter. Men today
wouldn't know how to handle this. No women working in the mills,
they stayed at home.
313 There was fishing going on in Aberdeen. Canneries in town.
Mr. Strand made a fortune on a cannery.
322 Could keep timber in the river for one year and it would
still be good.
328 MEETING WIFE: Anna Anderson. She had Swedish parents. She
has relations in Aberdeen. Married in 1924.
338 CHILDREN: Four. All went to school and college. Dale is
a civil engineer and professor at University of Washington.
Alan is a Lutheran pastor in Beaverton, Oregon. Paul is an electrical
engineer. Youngest son is a doctor in Seattle.
360 VASA LODGE: Member at Aberdeen's lodge. Have dances, music
and speakers. Finnish and Norwegian people had their own organizations.
372 TRIPS BACK TO SWEDEN: Change. Lots of improvement, modern
equipment on the farms. Well-educated people. Lots of factories.
Good pay. People well taken care of.
388 Parents have passed away. Brothers are still in Sweden.
His family is doing fine. Does not regret living in America
instead of Sweden.
410 Worked in the mills for 25 years. Worked as a councilman
for the City of Aberdeen for 10 years. Collected money, etc.
426 DESCRIBING THE SWEDES: Almost like ordinary people. Cannot
tell Scandinavians apart by looking at them. Finnish people
hard workers.
439 No women in the mills. Some in the canneries. Doing laundry.
Could not work with machines in the factory.
443 Still speaks the language at time. Many Scandinavians in
the area. Still go to church early on Christmas morning as in
Sweden.
464 SPEAKS SWEDISH: Says prayer.
482 Always got silver on payday. Had to go to the bank if you
wanted paper money.
Go to top
|
Maintained
by archives@plu.edu
© 2002-2003 Pacific Lutheran University
|