    
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
Carl Albin Berg
A Guide to His Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Berg, Carl Albin
Collection Nr: t171
File Content:
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3 file folders
1 photograph
1 sound cassette
0 compact disc
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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 Carl Albin Berg on May 12, 1982
in Seattle, Washington. This interview provides information
on personal background, emigration, first impressions of America,
work in Canada, life in Seattle, family life, a return trip
to Sweden, children, and Swedish organizations. The interview
also includes photographs of Carl Berg and his wife Emmy at
the time of the interview. The interview was conducted in English
with some Swedish towards the end of the interview. Also see
Emmy Berg.
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Carl
Albin Berg was born on July 14, 1890 in Bohuslän, Sweden. His
father worked in a factory to support his family of seven. Carl
attended the church in town on occasion and went to school for
six to seven years, working at a butcher shop after school to
earn some extra money. In 1909 Carl joined a group of young
men who wanted to avoid the service by moving to Canada. They
left from Göteborg, and eventually Carl reached Vancouver, British
Columbia. He worked on road construction crews for a while in
Canada, but he later moved to Nome, Alaska to mine gold for
two years. Carl then returned to Canada to work at a paper mill
on Paul River. After working at the mill, he moved to Seattle
in 1916 and was employed by the Bank of California, where he
worked for 29 years. At the Swedish Club in Seattle, Carl met
his wife, Emmy Erickson, and they had one son, Roy David. Carl
has not lost touch with his heritage. He still speaks Swedish
and participates in several Swedish organizations: Swedish Club,
Vikings, and the Vasa Order of America. In addition, Carl and
Emmy took one trip back to Sweden in 1957.
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Full Name: |
Carl Albin Berg
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Father: |
Carl Fagerberg
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Mother: |
Johanna Fagerberg
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Johan Fagerberg
Anna Fagerberg
Hilda Fagerberg
Ingrid Fagerberg
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Spouse: |
Emmy J. Erickson Berg
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Children: |
Roy David Berg
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Berg, Carl Albin
Berg, Emmy J.
Fagerberg, Carl
Fagerberg, Johanna
Berg, Roy David
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Family Names |
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Berg family
Fagerberg family
Erickson family
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Geographical Names |
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Bohuslän (Sweden)
Göteborg (Sweden)
Vancouver (B.C.)
Nome (Alaska)
Seattle (Wash.)
Transtrand, Dalarna (Sweden)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Sweden
Sweden -- Emigration and immigration
Alaska -- Employment
Naturalization
Swedish Club (Seattle, Wash.)
Vasa Lodge (Seattle, Wash.)
Vikings Seattle, Wash.)
Education -- Sweden
Sweden -- Social conditions -- 1945-
Christmas -- Sweden
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Occupations |
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Butchers
Janitors
Mines and mining
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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.
021/006 Carl Albin Berg was born in Bohuslän, Sweden. This is
in the southern part of Sweden out in the country. Born July
14, 1890.
071/049 PARENTS: Johanna and Carl Fagerberg. Father was a worker
in the factory. Worked with metal. Lived in a little city.
142 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: One brother and five sisters. Johan
Fagerberg, Anna, Hilda, and Ingrid. They all live in Sweden
now. A sister was in the U.S. but has gone back to Sweden.
196/136 GRANDPARENTS: Do not remember seeing them when he was
small. Grandfathers were factory workers also.
220/152 CHILDHOOD HOME: Not there anymore. Regular house. Other
people lived in the house with them in the upstairs.
249 CHILDHOOD: Went to school in the town where he lived. Was
also a church in town, went once in a while. Had religious instruction
in the school. Confirmed in the church.
308 CHRISTMAS: Always gave presents. Had chicken or turkey.
Mother baked a lot for Christmas. Had lutfisk.
354 SCHOOL: Went for 6-7 years. Worked in the butcher shop after
school until he came to Canada and then U.S.
383 Fourteen came together in the gang. Went to Canada in 1909.
Was 17 years old. Landed in Vancouver, B.C. Came over so he
would not have to go into the service.
417 Got ship in Göteborg. Went to Liverpool, England after going
to Denmark. Rough water at sea. Landed in Canada.
471 Started work on the road in Canada. Hard work, laying rail.
The boys he came over with spread out all over. Carl did not
have any relatives to come to.
494 ALASKA: For two years in Nome. Worked two summers doing
gold mining, did not see much gold. Paid well.
530 Worked at Paul River in Canada at a paper mill. Was with
his friend, John Carlson from Sweden.
555 Met people here through work. Was working with mixed nationalities.
584 Worked for the Bank of California for 29 years in Seattle,
Washington.
590 Moved to Seattle after the paper mill and worked for the
bank. Did a little of everything. Was trained on the job. Moved
to Seattle in 1916. Came down to Seattle with a friend from
Nome, Alaska.
685 HARDEST THING ABOUT COMING OVER: Language held you back
some.
642 Went to school to become an American citizen. Became citizen
in Seattle.
661 Met Wife in Seattle. Emmy Erickson. Met at a dance. Went
to the Swedish Club in Seattle.
SWEDISH ORGANIZATIONS: Swedish Club, Vikings, and the Vasa Order
of America.
686 TRIPS BACK TO SWEDEN: 1957. Wife went with him. Stayed longer
than had anticipated because they did not have any reservations
to come back. Childhood home is still there. Not too many changes.
740 CHILDREN: One son, Roy David. He worked in a factory in
Ballard.
777 Worked as a janitor in the bank.
784 Happy he had come to America. Did not want to go back to
Sweden to stay.
828 Worked during the Depression for the bank and did painting
for other people. Did not have any trouble during the Depression.
858 Built the house that they are in now. Have lived here since
they came to Seattle.
877 Still can speak Swedish, "never forget that". Speak more
English than Swedish in the home. Son does not speak Swedish.
903 Lived in a camp when he worked up in Nome, Alaska. Not much
work there in the winter. Lived in a camp when he was working
on the railroad.
950 Continues talking about the camps in Alaska.
965 Bosses for the camps were pretty good.
982 Saw Eskimos in Alaska. They were by themselves.
1004 Saw first black person when he came over. There were black
people n Sweden too.
1018 Was not hard to get used to the food as the camps usually
had real good food.
1034 Went to the Clubs once and a while. Played bingo. In Nome,
there was not any recreation. Worked everyday. "Eat and work."
Made about $4-$5 a day.
1070 Took the boat up to Nome. Took six days to get there. Left
from Seattle.
1089 Train ride when he first landed was fine. Pointed at the
food that you wanted. Gang of boys all took the same train.
Had a good time.
1111 Recreation not much in Vancouver when he was working on
the railroad. Got together with friends and a drink now and
then.
1131 What has it meant to be Swedish?
SIDE II
28 Nothing different about the Swedish people.
50 SWEDISH ORGANIZATIONS: Just belonged, never held a position.
Go to the Swedish Club meetings.
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