    
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
Thora Gjelstad
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Gjelstad, Thora
Collection Nr: t271
File Content:
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3 file folders
1 photograph
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 Janet Rasmussen
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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This
interview was conducted with Thora Gjelstad in Oslo, Norway
on June 24, 1984. It contains information about her family background,
emigration, re-emigration, and further contact with America.
The interview was conducted in Norwegian.
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Thora
Gjelstad was born in Toerklep, Norway on February 3, 1902. She
was the youngest of nine children, and when she was four and
a half years old, she immigrated to America. The family stayed
in Stanley, Wisconsin for three years and then moved to Tacoma,
Washington, where Thora grew up. From 1914 - 1916, Thora and
her parents returned to Norway, where her father had planned
to stay permanently. He could not find a steady job, however,
and the three returned to Tacoma. By this time, Thora had finished
school and got her first job in a restaurant. She later worked
for a factory that made broom handles. Although she was not
a part of any Scandinavian groups while living in Tacoma, Thora
did participate in Norwegian festivals and meet many other Norwegians.
In 1918, Thora and her parents returned to Norway indefinitely.
She met her husband, Anders Gjelstad in Vestfold, Norway and
was married for fifty-two years. They lived in Stabekk, outside
of Oslo, and had two children. Thora's sister Sigrid and brother
Einar continued to live in Tacoma, and Thora remained in contact
with them. She also continued to keep some American customs
when back in Norway and visited Tacoma with Anders in 1960.
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Full Name: |
Thora Gjelstad
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Maiden Name: |
Thora Toerklep
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Father: |
Johan Toerklep
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Mother: |
Anna Kristina Toerklep
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Paternal Grandfather: |
Anders Toerklep
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Helle Hvidtsten
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Ole Toerklep
Helle Toerklep
Johan Arnt Toerklep [+ WWI]
Sigrid Toerklep [+ child]
Einar Toerklep [in Tacoma]
Sigurd Toerklep
Thora Toerklep [+ child]
Sigrid Barkost [Tacoma]
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Spouse: |
Anders Gjelstad
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Children: |
Berit Synnoeve
Hans Gjelstad
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Gjelstad, Thora
Toerklep, Johan
Toerklep, Anna Kristina
Toerklep, Anders
Hvidtsten, Helle
Gjelstad, Anders
Synnoeve, Berit
Gjelstad, Hans
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Family Names |
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Gjelstad Family
Toerklep Family
Hvidtsten, Family
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Geographical Names |
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Toerklep (Norway)
Oslo (Norway)
Vestfold (Norway)
Stanley, (Wis.)
Tacoma (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Norway
Norway -- Emigration and immigration
Return migration -- Norway
Oskar (Steamship)
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Occupations |
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Cashiers
Waitresses -- Tacoma (Wash.)
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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.
014 FAMILY BACKGROUND: Thora Gjelstad was born in 1902, the
third of February. Her maiden name was Toerklep, and she was
the "minste", the youngest of nine children.
050 EMIGRATION: She was four and a half years old when she immigrated
in 1906 to America with her parents; her father, her oldest
brother and a brother-in-law came in 1905.
074 Her father's name was Johan Toerklep; he kept that name
when he was in America. Her mother was Anna Kristina. Father
came from Toerklep but mother was born in Horten in Vestfold.
He was brought up on a farm, but that one was sold. Their family
had a small farm when Thora was young.
118 EMIGRATION: Father came to America because they suffered
a fire twice, and there was no insurance. Also, at that time
many people were emigrating to America. They came to Stanley,
Wisconsin where they stayed three years, and then to Tacoma
where Thora grew up.
140 They didn't have relatives in Stanley, but there was work
available for her father and siblings at a sawmill.
166 The trip over was very good on the "Oskar", a Danish boat.
The weather was very bad and no one could come on deck. Went
through Ellis Island.
194 IN AMERICA: Mother and father didn't learn English; the
kids spoke English to parents, but parents answered in Norwegian.
216 After three years, the family moved from Wisconsin possibly
because of the bad climate. Traveled to Tacoma by train; Father
worked for the railroad in Tacoma. She and her mother and father
returned to and stayed in Norway from 1914-1916. An older brother,
Johan Arnt, was drafted to serve in the military during WWI.
He was sent to France and died in 1918; is buried in France.
308 MOTHER AND FATHER IN NORWAY: Father wanted to return to
Norway and it happened to coincide with the 1914 exhibition
at Frognerseteren in Oslo where he worked (?). Father hadn't
planned to return to Tacoma, but he didn't get a steady job
in Norway. It was hard on Thora to return and go to Norwegian
school. Tells that she learned to read Norwegian by studying
gravestone inscriptions. They got reasonable travel from Tacoma
to NY with the railroads.
358 Thora's oldest brother in Norway was already married and
didn't want to go to America. No one in the family had settled
in America except her sister, Sigrid, and brother, Einar; both
were in Tacoma. Thora and her husband visited for two months
in 1960.
390 Sigrid was married to John Barkost, and she remained in
Tacoma her entire life. John built houses; he came from the
same bygd [community] in Norway.
408 The family moved to Tacoma in 1916 when Thora was 14; she
had finished school and did not continue on.
432 She was more pleased with the weather in Tacoma than Wisconsin.
Besides, there were the mountains--Mt. Tahoma, a beautiful place.
453 Thora met many Norwegians in Tacoma. She helped her married
sister with her house. In her free time she went shopping.
482 The family stayed with Sigrid and John. Then, the three--mother,
father, and Thora--returned to Norway in 1918. Thora was not
quite 18 years old. One of her sisters had been married in Norway
and still lived there. Oldest brother was there too. They were
much older than Thora [18 and 20 years older, respectively].
518 When father returned to Tacoma in 1916, he continued to
work for the railroad; youngest brother [Sigurd] worked for
a factory. Thora's brother Einar, owned a little restaurant
and she worked as a cashier there on and off. Restaurant [can't
remember name] was in downtown Tacoma; served middag [noon meal]
and sandwiches.
552 Thora did not belong to any youth groups in Tacoma, but
she attended Norwegian festivals because here were so many Norwegians
around. Besides other Scandinavian people, there were Italians
in their neighborhood.
570 Thora also worked at a place that made brooms handles; did
machine work; got decent wages; worked there around one and
a half years. Her first job was at the restaurant, and then
the factory work was her second and her last job in America.
597 RE-EMIGRATION: Her parents decided to re-emigrate to Norway
in 1918 because Mother hoped to bring Arnt's remains to Norway,
but that never happened. In Norway, her father worked for the
railroad; had no trouble getting a job. Sister bought a little
farm, and they lived there. Father had gone to hospital for
an operation soon after they returned. They lived off an inheritance
from America during that period.
650 She still misses Tacoma, especially the climate. Thora could
have stayed in America, but she was the "baby" in the family
and parents couldn't do without her.
693 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY: She met her husband in Vestfold. They
were married 52 years, from 1925 to 1977. Before marriage, she
did housework. They lived in Stabekk outside of Oslo, and then
moved to Oslo. Her husband was a "snekke' [carpenter]. They
had two children, a girl and a boy. Each had two sons, so she
has four grandchildren. The youngest grandson, Anders, sat in
on the interview.
SIDE II
120 CONNECTIONS WITH AMERICA: After leaving America, Thora continued
to write to the families in Tacoma. Sigrid's daughter, Lorraine,
visited Norway with her family. The only time Thora and her
husband visited in Tacoma was in 1960. It was 41 years since
she'd been in Tacoma. Tells about how she retained a Tacoma
accent.
182 Discussion with son about teaching children American accent.
202 Thora brought some American customs back to Norway. Her
brother made very good American pancakes, hotcakes, in the restaurant,
and she continued to make them in Norway. Served them at breakfast
for the most part with syrup and butter.
238 Son tells about receiving packages from America, how exciting
that was. She also hung up long stockings [julestroemper] at
Christmas.
260 Einar married an American and his family visited back and
forth between America and Norway. He enjoyed very much coming
to Norway.
314 Thora thinks Tacoma was wonderful, liked it better than
Seattle. Liked Oslo all right. After she got so sick, she came
to the home where she presently lives, but she'd rather be in
her own home.
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