    
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
Phiea Petersen Stahl Johnson
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Johnson, Phiea Petersen Stahl
Collection Nr: t238
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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Phiea
Johnson was interviewed on March 15, 1983 in Tacoma, Washington.
Her interview provides information about family background,
emigration, her adoption, education, marriage and family, church
involvement, and Danish heritage. Also available are a photograph
of Phiea and her husband and two photographs of Phiea at the
time of the interview. The interview was conducted in English.
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Phiea
Johnson was born Sophiea Petersen on August 6, 1901 in Tinning,
Denmark to Kristian and Petrea Petersen. Phiea's father owned
a dairy farm and raised horses, and Phiea was the eldest of
about seven children. It was custom for the eldest daughter
to live with her grandmother, and Phiea lived with her maternal
grandmother, Maren Marie Petersen, until she was seven years
old. She then lived with her mother for three years and immigrated
to America at age ten in accordance with another custom. According
to family custom, if the eldest son in the family did not have
children, he adopted the eldest child of his youngest sister
to carry on the family name. This being Phiea, she moved to
Tacoma, Washington to live with her mother's brother, Anton
Stahl. Anton was a contractor, and they had a nice home in the
middle of Tacoma. Phiea attended school through the eighth grade,
and after her adopted father died of a heart attack in 1917,
her adopted mother did not feel Phiea need to continue on to
high school. Instead, Phiea had to tend to the property Anton
had left when he died. Phiea and her mother rented out rooms,
and Phiea's husband was one of their borders for seven years.
He was from Sweden, and they moved into Phiea's mother's house
after they got married. Phiea had two children, Anton and Gretchen,
both of whom graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. Phiea
never got involved with any Scandinavian organizations but has
been an active member of Luther Memorial Church. She has only
returned in Denmark once, in 1946. Phiea felt like a stranger
and had to learn the language all over again. She can still
speak it some, but when her sister writes to her in Danish,
Phiea always has to have an up-to-date Danish dictionary handy.
Since she left when she was only ten, Phiea does not remember
a lot of her country's traditions, but she is very proud of
her heritage.
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Full Name: |
Phiea Petersen Johnson
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Name after adoption: |
Phiea Stahl
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Original Name: |
Sophiea Petersen
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Father: |
Kristian Petersen
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Mother: |
Petrea Petersen
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Adopted Father: |
Anton Stahl
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Maternal Grandmother: |
Maren Marie Petersen
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Nils Petersen
Jens Petersen
Marie Petersen
Sina Petersen
Sern (?) Petersen
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Spouse: |
(?) Johnson
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Children: |
Anton Johnson
Gretchen Johnson
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Johnson, Phiea
Petersen, Kristian
Petersen, Petrea
Petersen, Maren Marie
Stahl, Anton
Johnson, Anton
Johnson, Greta
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Family Names |
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Petersen family
Johnson family
Stahl family
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Geographical Names |
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Tinning (Denmark)
Tacoma (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Denmark
Denmark -- Emigration and immigration
Lusitania (Steamship)
School attendance -- Denmark
School attendance -- U.S.
North American Dinner Association
Denmark -- History -- German occupation -- 1940-1945
Naturalization
Lincoln School (Tacoma, Wash.)
St. Johns Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
Luther Memorial Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
Christmas -- Denmark
Ocean travel
Adopted children -- Denmark
Denmark -- Social conditions -- 1945-
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Occupations |
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Farming -- Denmark
Contractors
Boarding houses
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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.
018 PHIEA PETERSEN: Born in Tinning, Denmark. Tinning is on
Jylland (Jutland). Jylland is the peninsula, which connects
Denmark with Germany. The nearest large city is Aarhus. Born
on August 6, 1901.
050 PARENTS: Petrea and Kristian Petersen. Mother was born in
Tinning. Father was born in nearby Haurum. He was a farmer,
known as "Gaardmand Kristian." Had a dairy farm and raised horses.
The royalty's forest was connected to Phiea's parent's property.
115 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Phiea is the eldest. Left Denmark
when 10. Doesn't know too much about her family. About seven
children, Nils, Jens, Marie, Sina, and Sern. One child who Phiea
didn't know died. Phiea is the only one who came to America.
145 GRANDPARENTS: Maternal - Maren Marie Petersen. Phiea remembers
her because she stayed with her for some time. It was a custom
for the eldest daughter to stay with her grandmother. She stayed
with her grandmother until she was 7. Stayed with her mother
for three years and then came to America. Maternal grandfather
passed away before Phiea was born. Never knew her paternal grandparents.
224 SCHOOL: One room school. The teacher was a sweet and kind
lady. The minister came in the mornings for worship. He taught
them the catechism and prayers for confirmation. One day, Phiea
didn't memorize what she was supposed to. The minister rapped
over her fingers with a stick. She started studying for confirmation
when she was 7 and had moved to her mother's home. She had to
learn the whole Bible by heart.
272 CHILDHOOD HOME: Large home. Front parlour, everyday parlour,
and three bedrooms. One-story house.
299 CHRISTMAS: Went to church at midnight. Before the service
everyone met in the church's reception hall. Marched around
Christmas tree. Received a small bag of candy and an orange.
Didn't have a tree at home.
357 Christmas: Had a community dinner on Christmas Eve. Everyone
brought something. Christmas day had a roast goose. Each child
in the family would make a gift for grandparents or aunts that
were alone. They visited on Christmas Day. Had Christmas cookies,
kringle, and a special kind of coffee bread with prunes, raisins,
and nuts. Had fattigmand. Christmas dinner started with the
adults having drinks and the children having juice. Had some
fruit and then goose. Had potatoes and cabbage. Always had rice.
Put a thimble and a penny in it. Whoever got the thimble would
become an old maid. Whoever got the penny would get married.
Cooked the rice in milk. Ate it with sugar and cinnamon.
462 LEAVING DENMARK: Left on August 6, 1911. Was 10 years old.
Phiea's mother's oldest brother lived in the US. His name was
Anton P. Stahl (?). Anton and his wife came to Denmark to visit
in 1910. Phiea was to go back to the US but her foster mother
got sick. She left Denmark at 4:00am on her birthday in 1911.
Phiea was at her grandmother's. Her mother came and brought
her to a small town where a boat would take her across the North
Sea. Phiea remembers getting seasick on the boat. Was traveling
with a lady who laughed at her for getting sick. This lady got
sick when they got to Liverpool, England. They had to stay there
for three days. Phiea left the room where they were staying
in. Met the caretaker's daughter who was the same age. Phiea
bought some food. The girl asked where she got the money and
then took it. Uncle had sent plenty of money for Phiea's 1st
class ticket and new clothes. All Phiea got was a new dress
from her mother. She was traveling with a friend of the family.
The woman pocketed the money, bought a 3rd class ticket and
bought her niece new clothes in New York.
616 REASONS FOR ADOPTION: Custom in family was that if the oldest
son in family has no children, he will adopt the oldest child
of his youngest sister to carry on the family name. Phiea's
son has the name Anton P. Stahl (?) Johnson. Phiea's great-grandmother
was in the same situation.
653 TRIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC: Traveled on the Lusitania. Storm
on the first night out. Everybody got seasick except for Phiea.
The woman she was traveling with never got out of bed. A stewardess
would come for Phiea when it was time to eat. Trip was stormy.
Took nine days to cross the Atlantic. Normally took seven days.
680 ELLIS ISLAND: Had to go through Ellis Island like all other
immigrants because she traveled third class. Wouldn't have had
to do this if she'd traveled first class. The woman brought
Phiea into the US under her name. Told Phiea in Danish to call
her mother. She had to do this or she would run into difficulties.
She had 1st class papers for Phiea in the name of Phiea's uncle.
Phiea didn't realize what had happened until she had taken out
her citizen papers. She had changed her name from Sophiea Petersen
to her adopted name Phiea Stahl (?) Johnson. Her adopted mother,
Elizabeth, didn't like the name Sophiea.
727 TRAIN TRIP: Met aunt and uncle (adopted parents) and another
uncle in Tacoma, Washington on August 18. Passed through on
the 16th but the woman she was with took her to Everett, Washington
and called the uncle from there. Phiea was glad to see them.
762 TACOMA, WASHINGTON: Uncle was a contractor. Quite well liked.
Built quite a few of the highways in the area. Excavated for
St. Leo's Church, Holy Rosary Church, and the Lincoln Bowl.
His partner was Jones. They built the highway from Longmire
up to Nerrada Falls. They had to bring their own tools and work
horses. They built their own cookhouse at Longmire. Phiea's
aunt had her own horse and buggy. She'd drive back and forth
between Tacoma and Longmire. This was the year before Phiea
came. They had a nice house in the middle of Tacoma near J Street.
831 SCHOOL: English was difficult. First principal and teacher
was an Englishwoman. Gave Phiea a hard time. Put her in the
1st grade. Teacher in that class was sweet. Said Phiea didn't
belong there. 2nd grade teacher had the same argument. She started
school after Christmas. Had learned some English by then. Teachers
with an English background were not helpful or patient. There
was another Danish girl who had the same difficulties. One teacher
with a German background was very kind. Went to Lincoln School
(not related to Lincoln H.S.) an old wooden school that had
been there for years. The only man working at the school was
the janitor. Phiea finished the 8th grade.
924 GROWING UP IN AMERICA: Her father passed away in 1917, the
year the flu was so bad. He had a heart condition. Died of a
heart attack one month after he got over the flu. Her mother
was a jealous person. Made it difficult for Phiea to make friends.
Still she was good to Phiea. Tell about her mother's background.
Phiea had to help with the dinner, learn to knit and sew. Longed
for Denmark sometimes. Cried when she was alone many times.
Missed her sisters and brothers. She never said anything about
it. Phiea's mother didn't know she cried. A friend who was staying
with the family heard Phiea crying at night. Told her father.
Her father made up for it. Played with her in the snow. He loved
children. The children in the neighborhood were his friends.
They lived in a Catholic neighborhood. When he died, they paid
for his mass.
1044 CITIZENSHIP: Took out her papers when 18 years old. Their
lawyer who was a friend said he would go with her. They could
find no records. The examiner advised them to get her baptismal
records from Denmark. Phiea could have got her papers then but
she would have deprived the woman who falsely brought her into
the US of her citizenship. Her lawyer said she could apply again
and move to Canada for four years. She finally got her citizen
papers after she got married.
1089 WORK: Phiea's father left quite a lot of property when
he died. Her mother didn't want to tend to it so she had to
take care of it. Had to take care of the banking, the rent,
and cleaning. Phiea worked in a telephone office for one year.
Her mother was angry about that so she quit.
1117 MEETING SPOUSE: They rented out rooms and he rented a room
for about seven years. He went home to Sweden for two years.
They got married when he came back.
SIDE II
030 MARRIAGE: Husband painted for Richfield Oil Co. Quit doing
that and got work doing contracting. They went to Seattle to
get married. She wore a nice new street dress. Her mother came
and her mother's friend, "Mother Curley." Phiea and her husband
moved into her mother's house. She took care of her mother until
she died at age 96. An uncle who was a bachelor lived there
too.
173 CHILDREN: Phiea's first son, Anton was his grandmother's
sunshine. (See also I-616) He never needed correcting. Kind
and thoughtful. Five years later, Phiea's daughter Gretchen
was born. Phiea's mother loved Gretchen, but not like she loved
Anton. Tells about the one time Anton got a spanking. He was
6 and was playing with a friend. They heard some swearing at
a rented house in the area. Anton came home and said one of
the new words he'd learned to his grandmother. She got quite
upset and his father had to spank him. Both Anton and Greta
started taking violin lessons when 5 years old. Anton learned
to play the clarinet and Greta the piano. Both graduated from
Pacific Lutheran University. Anton is a minister in Sweet Home,
Oregon. He has four children, John, Margaret, Martin, and Suzanne.
Suzanne goes to PLU. Martin graduated from PLU. Is in Germany
now on a scholarship. Daughter, Greta works for Northwest Airlines
at Sea-Tac. Has worked there for 20 years. Graduated as a teacher.
Got a job in Texas but didn't want to go. Got a job at Northwest
instead. Had to go to school in St. Paul, Minnesota for three
months. She is married but separated. Has three children.
446 CHURCH: Was confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church was
in now Luther Memorial. She's been a member there since 1911.
Was confirmed by Rev. Stover who helped build the church. Didn't
go to church all of the time during the summer because her father
was working out of town often and he'd take the family with
him. Pastor Loma told Phiea and another girl in the same situation
that they were sinners. Phiea quit going to church there until
a new pastor came. The other girl ended up dying in an asylum.
Phiea continued going to Luther Memorial every Sunday as long
as she could drive. Her husband went to Augustana First Church.
He did take communion when Anton got married. He went into the
church but was never active like at Augustana. He would go to
Luther Memorial's 4:00 Easter service and midnight Christmas
Eve service. He took the kids to Sunday school but later only
went when he wanted to.
546 SCANDINAVIAN ORGANIZATIONS: Never belonged to any.
549 TRIPS BACK TO DENMARK: Took Anton and Greta to Denmark in
1946. Phiea had received notice at Christmas that her father
was dying of cancer. She wrote, saying that she'd come in the
spring. They were a month later getting back to the US because
the boat they were supposed to take from Liverpool, England
was set on fire. They stayed in Denmark for three months. Phiea
felt like a stranger. Had to learn the language over again.
Denmark didn't have the dialects like it did when she was young.
Spent a week in Copenhagen with a cousin before going to Jylland
(Jutland). Phiea picked up Danish fast. Anton and Greta learned
some. Kind of a strain being with her parents in Denmark at
first. Felt like she'd had never been away from her brothers
and sisters, although two of them had been born after she left.
Phiea went to Denmark right after WWII. Saw a lot of destruction
that had occurred during the German occupation. People suffered
during the war. People felt very bitter towards the Germans.
American paratroopers would land in her parent's field. Hid
in the barn. Phiea's brother and sister would take them to the
forest at night. Then they'd be taken to Sweden. One cousin
was caught doing this. Spent the last month of the war in a
German prison camp. The Germans would enter homes and take what
they wanted. Phiea has only made this trip once. Her daughter
has been back three times.
760 DANISH HERITAGE: Proud. Doesn't remember many customs. Was
only 1 when she left.
778 DANISH LANGUAGE: Can still speak some. Has a sister who
can speak English but writes to Phiea in Danish. Phiea had to
have an up-to-date Danish dictionary because many words have
changed.
795 DANISH FOOD: Have fattigmand and rice pudding at Christmas.
803 ADOPTED MOTHER: Never spoke Danish to Phiea. Phiea's father
would explain things to her in Danish in the basement. Mother
wanted Phiea to learn English. Was only three years old when
she came to the US. Was adopted by a Mormon family when 5 years
old. Was raised in a German settlement. Learned high Dutch in
school. Kept the Danish because the people she lived with were
Danish. Was raised as a Mormon but baptized as a Lutheran. Joined
the Lutheran Church after Anton had gone through seminary. Pastor
E. Arthur Larson, pastor at Augustana Church gave her instruction
and she joined his church. She met Pastor Larson while with
a friend who went to his church. Pastor Larson knew her grandson
Anton from PLU. Phiea's mother had been married once before
she married Phiea's uncle (adopted father). Was married in the
Mormon Church when 14. She had promised Phiea's mother in Denmark
that Phiea would be raised a Lutheran.
887 ADOPTED FATHER: Was a contractor. Danes wanted him to hire
only Danish immigrants. Felt he couldn't do this. Went to St.
John's Church. Had an Italian crew, a Russian crew, an America
crew, and a couple of Danes. He didn't want a Danish crew that
couldn't speak English. Didn't want to hire Danes for labor
work. He had his crews doing sewers and planking jobs. Had street
and road jobs. Built roads at Fircrest and parts of Tacoma.
Father felt the Danes had enough education to find better jobs
than labor jobs.
956 ORGANIZATIONS: Active in Luther Memorial Church. Member
of the Rebekahs. Joined the North American Dinner Association
after she got married. This is an insurance organization. Is
still active in it. They take care of the sick. Phiea is the
paternal supervisor. Calls on the sick. Brings things to them.
They give financial assistance when needed.
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