    
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
Turi Mikkelsen Drage
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Drage, Turi Mikkelsen
Collection Nr: t226
File Content:
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3 file folders
4 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: Side II is poor. Even with an
amplifier, the interview is blurry.
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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 Turi Drage in Seattle, Washington
on January 28, 1983. It contains information on family background,
life in Norway, World War II in Norway, emigration, cultural
differences, and Norwegian heritage. Also available are a photograph
of Turi on her confirmation day and snapshots of Turi at the
time of the interview. The interview was conducted in English.
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Turi
Ingeborg Mikkelsen was born on August 29, 1909 in Bergen, Norway.
Her father was a shoemaker and died when Turi was one year old,
and her mother ran a boarding house. Turi's mother died of a
stroke when Turi was twelve. Following her mother's death, Turi
lived at an aunt's house while she finished school. At the age
of eighteen, she attended school in Bergen for another year
and became a "jordmor" (midwife-maternity nurse). Two years
before World War II, Turi traveled to England for a year and
cared for the daughter of a wealthy English family. Once back
in Norway, World War II brought hard times for the country;
food was scarce. In 1947, Turi's older sister Clara, who had
been living in Everett, Washington, visited Norway for six months
and invited Turi to come work in America. Turi immigrated in
March - April 1948. She traveled on a new merchant marine ship,
and the trip took twenty-one days. After travelling through
the Panama Canal, Turi landed in California, where she had arranged
to meet a friend's sister. Turi then moved to Everett, WA but
due to her poor English, she was unable to find a job and returned
to San Pedro, California. She met her husband, Arne Drage, when
his Seattle-based fishing fleet docked there. Arne was also
born in Norway and had emigrated in 1920. On April 9, 1949,
they were married, and Turi moved back to Everett while he fished.
Turi was a member of the Sons of Norway while living in Everett
and was also active in church. Arne and Turi later built a house
in Seattle. The couple had no children.
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Full Name: |
Turi Ingeborg Drage
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Maiden Name: |
Turi Ingeborg Mikkelsen
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Father: |
Rasmus Mikkelsen
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Mother: |
Johanne Myklebust Mikkelsen
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Paternal Grandfather: |
Mikkel Monsen
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Karen Monsen
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Maternal Grandfather: |
Johan Myklebust
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Maternal Grandmother: |
J›rgine ? Myklebust
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Jenny Lunong Mikkelsen
Arnolf Mikkelsen
Clara Ervik Mikkelsen
Hj›ris Magnusson Mikkelsen
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Spouse: |
Arne Drage
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Children: |
None
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Drage, Turi
Drage, Arne
Mikkelsen, Rasmus
Mikkelsen, Johanne Myklebust
Monsen, Mikkel
Monsen, Karen
Myklebust, Johan
Myklebust, J›rgine
Mikkelsen, Jenny
Mikkelsen, Arnolf
Ervik, Clara
Mikkelsen, Hj›rdis
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Family Names |
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Drage family
Mikkelsen family
Monsen family
Myklebust family
Ervik family
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Geographical Names |
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Bergen (Norway)
San Pedro (Calif.)
Everett (Wash.)
Seattle (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Norway
Life in Norway
World War, 1939-1945
Christmas -- Norway
Norway -- Emigration and immigration
Katka (Steamship)
Norwegian-Americans -- Ethnic identity
Sons of Norway (Everett, Wash.)
Norway -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945
Norway -- Social conditions -- 1945-
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Occupations |
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Shoemakers
Boardinghouses
Midwives
Fishing
Maternity nursing
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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 FAMILY BACKGROUND: Born Turi Ingeborg Mikkelsen in Bergen
on August 29, 1909.
032 PARENTS: Father was Rasmus Mikkelsen who died when Turi
was one year old. Her mother was Johanne Myklebust who died
at age 50. There were five "søsken", four sisters and one brother:
Jenny, Arnolf, Clara, Turi, and Hjørdis. Both Jenny and Hjørdis
stayed in Norway. The other three immigrated to the US: Clara
to Everett, Washington in 1925, Turi to Everett in 1948, and
Arnolf to New York where he painted houses.
084 Father was a shoemaker in Bergen. Mother had a three "etasjer"
(floors) boarding house in Bergen and rented out rooms to 20-25
single men. She had a maid and a cook to help her.
125 Turi attended school in Bergen, a seven-minute walk. Church
was fairly close - 10 minute walk; she was confirmed there.
Turi didn't have to work at home in the Mikkelsen Boarding House
after school because her mother had hired help. Ladies also
came in to mend clothes and house furnishings.
160 CHRISTMAS IN NORWAY: Christmas Eve started at 4 pm with
some cake if visitors came. If not, it officially began at 8
pm with the main dinner of "pinnekjøtt", "surkaal", etc. This
was followed by viewing the Christmas tree, opening the presents,
and attending church at midnight.
On Christmas Day, company came for dinner of "svinesteik" and
"surkaal" followed by apricot cream for dessert. Mother did
a lot of baking before Christmas because the men (boarders)
liked to eat. Christmas lasted a long time. It was their tradition
to take the tree down on her oldest sister's birthday, January
12. (This is in conflict with the family background sheet.)
250 Between Christmas and the 12th, there was visiting and parties.
On New Year's Day they had a big Christmas party - like Halloween
here. They went to one house and received cookies and cake.
280 Turi tells about her mother's death. Her mother had gone
to the country in July to visit a "fetter" (cousin) and had
taken one child with - Turi. They were sitting outside in the
yard after dinner at 8 pm when her mother complained of bug
bites. Convinced that a spider had bitten her, a doctor was
sent for. He determined she had a stroke, and she died in four
hours. "So I opplevedd (lived through) the stroke." As they
were quite distant from Bergen, they phoned her oldest (20 years)
sister Jenny who fainted.
335 Turi, 12 years old, returned home to Bergen. Her sister
had just married, so she and a reluctant husband took over the
boarding house and made it into small apartments - even the
portion of the third floor that was to be Turi's. Jenny had
one child already, so she hired a cook and maid to help with
the house.
360 Turi lived at an aunt's house while she finished school.
370 SCHOOL AND WORK IN NORWAY: When she was 18, Turi attended
school for one year at the Bergen Hospital becoming a "jordmor"
(midwife-maternity nurse).
Her brother, Arnolf, spent six months sailing and the other
six at the boarding house. When she was 18, Clara went to America
to some of father's cousins, Sivert and Helene Sivertson in
Everett, Washington.
432 When Turi attended the jordmor school, she lived at the
hospital. Her first job was caring for a little girl in a family's
home. It was the Depression, and jobs were hard to obtain. After
a year, she got her own room-apartment and worked as a jordmor
until she emigrated at age 39 in 1948 after the Second World
War.
499 WORLD WAR II IN NORWAY: "That was terrible. I don't like
that - to tell that." The Germans came in and took everything.
"Ja. I was thinking I was going to forget it. But - it was terrible.
The five years were just like many years to me."
Most of the other "jordmødre" and "pleiersker" (nurses) had
to return to their parental homes, but as she didn't have a
parental home, she stayed and worked as a jordmor for five years.
"I had plenty of work. I was tired."
522 None of her family was killed. Only Jenny, Turi, and Hj›rdis
were left in Norway; Arnolf was out sailing. Most of her cousins
were younger and living back in the country, so they weren't
as involved.
It was hard to get food, especially the last year of the war.
The Germans took all the meat, not the fish; they confiscated
five of her aunt's six cows. Then that last year, the Germans
took the fish, too. Everyone lost weight due to lack of food.
"We didn't get much. Nei. In the country, der de could find
litt better." In town they had cards, which allowed them to
buy only certain foods. If the market didn't have the food,
the person didn't get it, nor did they receive a substitute
food.
593 It was great when the war was over. The Germans were put
in a truck. The Norwegians didn't say anything to them, although
they thought about it. They just celebrated by dancing all night.
The food supply was slow to recover. By 1948 there was still
mainly fish. Turi liked "okselever" (beef liver) really well,
so she asked the butcher to "skaffe" (obtain) liver for her
because she was going to America and having a party.
632 EMIGRATION: Her sister visited Norway in February 1947 for
six months. She invited Turi to come to America and work. Turi
was not married and had no marriage prospects, so she decided
to get ready, have a party, and come. She took little with her,
just clothes and a few presents.
671 She sailed in March-April 1948 from Bergen on a new merchant
marine ship, which carried only 12 passengers. It was a wonderful
trip. She became acquainted with the other people who were traveling
to Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc. The boat picked up fruit
in South America: oranges, bananas, avocadoes, and fruits that
Turi had never seen before. She had her first taste of avocado,
which she liked right off. The boat passed through the Panama
Canal. Everyone deboarded in San Francisco.
728 ARRIVAL IN AMERICA: A sister of Turi's girlfriend lived
and worked as a grade school principal near San Pedro; she met
Turi as arranged in correspondence with her sister.
741 Turi knew very little English, although she had worked a
year in England and had English one year with a teacher.
746 THE YEAR IN ENGLAND: Turi and another girl had traveled
to England two years before the war. Turi worked for a wealthy
London family, caring for their little girl. The man was a minister
(government ?) and had many vacations; the family (including
Turi) spent many vacations in Brighton on the sea and in Holland
and Belgium where his mother owned a factory.
SIDE II (VERY POOR QUALITY TAPE; MANY OF THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WERE REPEATED FROM SIDE I.)
020 Continues talking about the English family and traveling
to Holland and Belgium.
050 Turi immigrated to her sister's (Clara Ervik) home in Everett,
Washigton.
199 She readied her papers and went through the Panama Canal.
Took the merchant marine boat because it was very hard to find
room on any boat. This boat went into many ports; trip took
21 days. The first three days in the North Sea were the roughest;
there was a hurricane off Florida but it moved in front of them.
248 The trip cost (?) dollars, and the food was wonderful.
296 SETTLING IN: work and marriage. Turi deboarded from the
"Katka"(?) and was met by her girlfriend's sister with whom
she stayed three weeks because the Columbia River was flooded.
When Turi settled into Everett, she could find no nursing jobs;
she couldn't work in a hospital because her English was minimal.356
She returned to San Pedro and worked one year for the girlfriend's
sister who had an acute case of eczema. She met her husband
there when his Seattle-based fishing fleet arrived in town.
Arne Drage was born in Norway and emigrated in 1920; "he was
a bachelor and I was a bachelorette". There was eight years
difference in age. (This does not agree with the family background
sheet.)
386 They were married April 9, 1949 in a small wedding at the
Norwegian Community Church (?) in San Pedro. Afterwards they
had a nice dinner at the hotel in San Pedro.
420 RETURN TRIPS TO NORWAY: She moved back to Everett while
he was halibut fishing in Alaska. In 1952 they returned home
to Norway for a visit to Bergen and his home .......?, north
of Bergen on the water. The second trip was in 1960.
472 In 1953 they built a house in Seattle. While he fished in
Alaska, she worked; had three jobs where she accompanied mother
and baby home from the hospital.
488 On their return trips to Norway, they noticed the rebuilding.
Her husband's farm home was burned; actually, the entire place
had been burned by the Germans when they had searched for the
king. By 1960, all was built up again.
509 REPEATED MATERIAL: Why Turi immigrated to America, because
her sister was here working.
519 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NORWAY AND US: not too many, except
for the wartime.
534 WORK IN AMERICA: Turi worked for Scandinavians and other
nationalities. Repeated conversations on her year in England
and taking a year of English in Norway before emigration.
553 HERITAGE: She was a member of the Sons of Norway when she
lived in Everett.
567 CHURCH: Turi was active in church or Seamen's Center (Church?).
(Difficult to follow interview because of tape quality.) It
was small compared to San Pedro's.
602 NORWEGIAN FOODS: Her cooking has changed somewhat to accommodate
differences in meals and foods. Breakfast is different here;
she was accustomed to eggs and sm›rbr›d as open-faced sandwiches.
It doesn't matter because she's used to the American way now.
621 SPEAKING NORWEGIAN: In their home Turi spoke Norwegian to
Arne and he answered her in English. When they first met, he
spoke English because of his work, so she had to speak English
also.
635 In Norwegian, Turi chats about food in Norway, England,
and US, "I Bergen............."
676 End of tape.
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