    
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
Elias Kristofferson Veholmen
Holmes
A Guide to His Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Holmes, Elias Kristofferson Veholmen
Collection Nr: t152
File Content:
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3 file folders
3 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 Inger Nygaard Carr
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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The
interview was conducted with Elias Holmes on March 18, 1982
in Stanwood, Washington. This interview contains information
on family history, emigration, life and work in Norway, Norwegian
Christmas traditions, voyage to the U.S., reasons for and feelings
about emigrating, work in the railroad, learning English, railroad
unions, visits to Norway, life in North Dakota and the West
Coast, children, dairy farming, citizenship, church, schools,
changes in Norway, use of Norwegian language, comparison of
work and wages between the past and now. The interview also
provides a photograph of Elias and his family in Stanwood, WA
(1940) and photographs of Elias and his wife Gudrun at the time
of the interview. The interview was conducted in English. Also
see Gudrun Holmes, T153.
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Elias
Kristoffersen Holmes was born on October 12, 1894 in Stavanger,
Høle, Norway, one of eleven children by Nellie Selvig and Kristoffer
Veholmen; his father was a farmer and sold milk to the Stavanger
dairy. Elias went to school for seven years and was baptized,
confirmed, and married in Dome Church in Stavanger. He worked
on the farm until confirmation, then at a potato mill in Stavanger
when he was 16. His father had come and worked in the U.S. in
the 1870s but went back to Norway to marry, and he encouraged
his children to emigrate. All of Elias' siblings moved to the
U.S. except for one, and Elias left for America on March 14,
1914 when he was 19, meeting his brother Louie in Belfield,
ND. Elias reached Belfield at 2:00 am, and had to be at work
for the railroad at 7:00 that morning; he continued to work
for the railroad for twenty years. He visited Norway in 1927,
where he met his wife Gudrun Hauge, who was his sister-in-law's
sister. He later went back to Norway to marry her. They settled
in North Dakota, but disliked the weather; working for the railroad
required them to move often, but they moved permanently to the
West Coast in 1937. He has four children: Kjell, born on April
1, 1931 in Billings, MT; John on October 4, 1932 in Bismarck,
ND; Gudveig on May 25, 1935 in Glendive, MT; and Leif on September
9, 1937 in Mt. Vernon, WA. Elias gained citizenship in about
1935 when they lived in Stipek, MT, and he became a dairy farmer
when the family moved to Washington. He quit selling milk when
he was 71 and now rents out the farmland. His last name changed
from Veholmen to Holmes when he came to the U.S., and he has
not been back to Norway since 1930; he has not belonged to any
Norwegian organizations either.
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Full Name: |
Elias Kristofferson Veholmen Holmes
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Father: |
Kristoffer Veholmen
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Mother: |
Nellie Selvig Veholmen
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Paternal Grandfather: |
Jacob Veholmen
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Rakel Veholmen
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Maternal Grandfather: |
Ivar Selvig
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Maternal Grandmother: |
Laurensa Selvig
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Jacob Holmes
Everine Holmes
Ivar Holmes
Rakel Veholmen (Died as an infant)
Joakim Holmes
Laurits (Louie) Holmes
Rakel Holmes
Kornelius Holmes
Kristoffer Holmes
Magnus Holmes
Laurensa Holmes
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Spouse: |
Gudrun Hauge
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Children: |
Kjell Holmes
John Holmes
Gudveig Holmes Nelsen
Leif Holmes
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Holmes, Elias Kristoffersen
Veholmen, Elias Kristoffersen
Veholmen, Kristoffer
Veholmen, Nellie Selvig
Veholmen, Jacob
Veholmen, Rakel
Selvig, Ivar
Selvig, Laurensa
Holmes, Gudrun Hauge
Holmes, Kjell
Holmes, John
Nelsen, Gudveig Holmes
Holmes, Leif
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Family Names |
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Holmes family
Veholmen family
Selvig family
Hauge family
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Geographical Names |
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Stavanger, Høle (Norway)
Veholmen, Høle (Norway)
Selvig, Høle (Norway)
Hauge, Torvastad, Karmøy (Norway)
Belfield (N.D.)
Billings (Mont.)
Bismarck (N.D.)
Glendive (Mont.)
Mt. Vernon (Wash.)
Stipek (Mont.)
Stanwood (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Norway -- Emigration and immigration
Høle (Norway) -- Emigration and immigration
Family -- Norway
Ocean travel
Naturalization
Norwegian-Americans -- Ethnic identity
Norwegian language
Norway -- Social conditions -- 1945
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Occupations |
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Fishing -- Washington (State)
Railroad workers (Stanwood, Wash.)
Dairy Farming -- Washington (State)
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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.
019 PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Name is Elias Kristoffersen Veholmen
Holmes. Background on his names. His father's name was Kristoffer
and came from an island called Veholmen and that's the name
they went by until they came to the U.S. when their name changed
to Holmes. Born in Stavanger, Norway on October 12, 1894.
100 PARENTS: Kristoffer Veholmen and Nellie Selvig. Father was
a farmer and he also sold milk for the dairy in Stavanger. Had
a route through town two times a day. He had a big can of milk
with a faucet on it that he used to measure out the milk into
his customers' containers. This was a hard job in the winter.
He drove a horse and wagon.
190 FAMILY FARM: Had eight cows.
200 CHILDHOOD: Had it good. Had Sunday clothes to wear.
210 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Jacob emigrated to the U.S. and lived
in Illinois farming all his life. Everine died when 13. Joakim
died when he was 21 years old in Illinois when kicked by a horse.
Laurits (Louie) worked on the railroad in Belfield, North Dakota.
Rakel lived here in Seattle after being married in Norway. Kornelius
had a farm in Stanwood, Washington. Krist worked in a butcher
shop in Sacramento, California. Then Elias. Magnus stayed at
the home place in Norway. Nellie was married and lived on a
farm in Benson, Minnesota.
305 EMIGRATION: All siblings emigrated, but one. Their father
had come to the U.S. in the 1870s. He worked falling timber
in Wisconsin and working with timber on the Mississippi River.
He was "stuck" on this country. He went back to Norway and was
married. He wanted to come back and homestead in the Red River
Valley but his wife would get so seasick he was afraid that
she would die on the trip over.
335 BOAT TRIP: Father came over on a sailboat in about 1872
or '73. He was gone for about three years.
365 Father encouraged them to go to the U.S., but it was really
hard for their mother to see them go.
400 GRANDPARENTS: Maternal grandmother, Laurensa Selvig who
had broken her hip and walked with a crutch. Maternal grandfather
was Ivar Selvig who did some fishing. They lived in the Høle
community in place called Selvig.
445 PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS: Jacob and Rakel. He did fishing too.
They lived on a small island and there was just one family that
lived there. They talked about dividing the island so that Elias'
father and his brother could both live in the same place, but
Elias' father went to Stavanger instead. This was the island
of Veholmen, which was about an hour's ride by boat from Stavanger.
The island had a lot of wood on it. Now the island has been
sold. Lost a lot of their connection with home when the youngest
brother died in 1979. The only connections they have now are
with Ole's wife's family.
510 FAMILY HOME: Outside of Stavanger. Close to the North Sea.
Could see the storms. Describes the waves as mountains fighting
each other.
525 SCHOOL DAYS: Went for seven years. Walked to school in all
weather. Wore wooden shoes.
553 CHURCH: All baptized and confirmed in the same church. Elias
was married in this same church. This was the Domkirke ( the
same as Cathedral) in Stavanger.
577 WORK: Worked on the farm until he was confirmed. After he
was confirmed he worked at a potato mill in Stavanger where
they made potato flour. He also had to do chores at home because
his father was getting ill (heart problems).
595 MILL WORK" Had to be there at 7am. Worked six days a week
for ten hours a day. Started when he was 16.
610 CHRISTMAS IN NORWAY: Similar celebration to here, but they
would walk around the Christmas tree and sing songs. There were
just a few presents. Went to church Christmas morning. Special
foods on Christmas Eve they had risengrynsgroet (rice pudding)
and on Christmas Day they had roast.
652 TRIP TO U.S.: Was 19 when he left on 14 March 1914. Came
alone to his brother, Louie in Belfield, ND.
662 REASONS FOR EMIGRATION: "When one sheep jump over the cliff,
the rest of them follow." They all wanted to go to the U.S.
and their father liked to see them go. They all went, but Magnus.
Magnus was the one still in Norway when his father died. Nellie,
the youngest girl, came to the U.S. then too.
678 MOTHER: She died in 1912. She saw all the children leave
except Elias. The day she died they got a telegram from Kristiansand
that Kornelius, who had been in Alaska fishing would be home
the next day. He knew she was sick.
700 FEELINGS ABOUT EMIGRATION: Didn't bother him a bit. Liked
to leave Norway and come home. Something new. Liked it here
right at first.
720 TRAIN TRAVEL: Got lunch packages at stops. Immigrants got
a lot of help. Couldn't speak English, but most of the time
there was someone around who had been here before to help.
740 BOAT TRIP: Rough over the North Sea from Bergen to Newcastle,
England. They were locked up down below. This was before the
Scandinavian American Line; there was no direct route. Went
by rail to Southampton and from there they took the Olympic
which was the sister ship of the Titanic. Took 36 hours from
Bergen, Norway to Newcastle, England and five days from Southampton,
England to New York. Wasn't seasick.
785 SHIPBOARD ENTERTAINMENT: Dancing all day long, drinking,
and even church.
795 NEW YORK: Taken first to Ellis Island and checked then someone
came and took them all to the railway station. Then they were
in the hands of the conductor. Always someone who looked after
them. Went to Belfield, ND, which is about 125 miles west of
Bismarck, ND. Brother met him at 2am.
825 WORK: After coming in at 2am he had to get up and go to
work at 7am. He has worked ever since. He worked on the railroad
section for 15 cents an hour for tens hours a day. Poor wages
only enough to pay for board and work clothes. There was no
future in it. Worked there for a while and got to be section
boss and then you made good wages, $80 a month. He lived with
his brother for a while, but then the railroad found out they
were related and they moved to Elias to another area.
880 BROTHER: He was a section boss for 45 years. He retired
in 1950 and came out to Seattle and lived on his pension. He
died when 95 years old. Was in the Josephine Sunset Home in
Stanwood, Washington for a while.
900 LANGUAGE: Took about a year to get it down enough to get
along pretty well. Worked with many foreigners who all spoke
English. His boss was American and that helped a lot. He worked
with Italians, Greeks, and Turks in the summertime, but in the
wintertime they were all white. The railroad would get these
laborers cheap for the summer and sent them home in the winter.
935 RAILROAD UNION: Put a stop to this practice of bringing
in workers. Roosevelt put a stop to this union because it was
a company union and then they were able to get a more powerful
union. Talks about unions now and how they are never satisfied
and that they have no limits and how we can be competitive at
these costs. Stayed with the railroad for 20 years.
988 VISITS TO NORWAY: Went in 1927 just because he wanted to
take a trip. It was on this trip that he met his wife. She was
a sister to his sister-in-law. He later went back to marry her.
Her name was Gudrun Hauge.
1016 NORTH DAKOTA: They settled in N. Dakota and had children
but the summers were too hot and the winters too cold. Elias
said he wouldn't stay there. He would either go back to Norway
or move to the coast.
1022 WEST COAST: He had been out here before and knew what it
was like. He came out on a vacation to visit his sister and
brother out here in 1926. Talks about the house they have now
and that he had seen it then. They moved out in 1937.
1055 CHILDREN: The youngest child was born out here and the
others were born in the east. Kjell was born in Billings, Montana.
John was born in Bismarck, ND and Gudveig in Glendive, Montana.
1060 Moved a lot because of work. People were laid off or bumped
by someone. The railroad furnished housing sometimes. They were
perfectly satisfied when they got settled in the west.
1090 FARMING AND CLEARING LAND: Started farming and clearing
land, worked hard. They have been dairy farmers. They sold milk
to Darigold. They started selling with cans and then came tanks
and refrigeration. Quit selling when he was 71 years old. He
now rents out the farmland.
SIDE II
020 CITIZENSHIP: About 1935 when they were living in Stipek,
Montana. This was the same year that Gudveig was born in the
hospital in Glendive, Montana. Waited so long because they were
young and happy-go-lucky. Had to study first. Had books he studied
from and there was a woman who helped them. They never asked
very many questions. The judge just talked and showed them pictures
of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and asked if they knew
who they were. There was one sticky question when he asked if
the senators should be elected by the people or the judges.
He was afraid he might be turned down if he didn't say judges,
but he wasn't.
180 SCANDINAVIAN ORGANIZATIONS: Hasn't belonged to any of the
organizations. Always too busy.
195 CHURCH: Only organization he ever belonged to. Not particularly
active. Elias believed that churches and schools belong to the
Americans, he got all his education and ideas in Norway.
225 SCHOOL: Was on the school board for a few weeks. Didn't
feel he belonged there because he had only seven years of education.
"Let the Americans have it."
270 VISITS TO NORWAY: Hasn't gone back since 1930. There was
some changes then, many foreigners, many more buildings, part
of the home place is sold out in house lots.
327 USE OF NORWEGIAN: Can still speak it. Spoke Norwegian when
the children were small. Then they started speaking English
when the kids went to school. The children learned English fast.
390 Talks about wages and the hard work in the early days and
compares that to today.
420 SPOKEN NORWEGIAN: Recites the Lord's Prayer in Norwegian.
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