    
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
Clara Beck Larsen
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Larsen, Clara
Collection Nr: t278
File Content:
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2 file folders
0 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 Janet Rasmussen
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky
Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: A bit soft
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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 Clara Larsen on August 23, 1984
in Spokane, Washington. It contains information about her childhood,
emigration, marriage, work as a seamstress, Danish heritage,
and return trips to Denmark. The interview was conducted in
English with some Danish towards the end of the interview.
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Clara
Larsen was born on February 24, 1892 in Romdrup, Denmark. She
grew up on a small farm and was the fifth of six children. As
a teenager, Clara worked as a domestic, which included cooking,
cleaning, and washing dishes. While she was working as a domestic,
she met a young man who was immigrating to Viborg, South Dakota,
and once he was in America, they corresponded. Clara was eventually
invited to immigrate to Viborg as well and traveled with the
man's sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson, in March
of 1912. They originally tried to leave on the Titanic, but
fortunately, no tickets were available. Viborg was a Danish
community, and Clara stayed there for two years. Following Viborg,
she moved to Arcata, California, where the Sorensons lived and
worked as a domestic there. In 1916, she moved to Spokane and
lived with Mr. and Mrs. Jensen, whom she had met on the boat
trip over from Denmark. While in Spokane, she joined the Danish
Lodge and met her husband, Swan Larsen, in the spring of 1917.
He was a butcher in Wallace, Idaho, and they were married July
30, 1917. That November, Swan went into the military, and they
moved to Tacoma, Washington, where he was stationed. After the
war, they returned to Spokane and had their first child, Donald,
on August 26, 1920. Shortly after Donald was born, Swan decided
to return to Wallace to work as a butcher. The family remained
there until Donald was six, and they then returned to Spokane
where the school systems were better. While living in Wallace,
their second child, Leona, was born on August 23, 1922. Clara
did not go back to work until the children were married. She
was fifty years old by that time and decided to work in the
alteration departments of various clothing stores. Sewing had
always been a favorite pastime of Clara's, and she was still
working as a seamstress when she was eighty-one. Since emigrating,
Clara has returned to Denmark six times, but contends that after
living in America for so long, she is thoroughly American.
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Full Name: |
Clara Larsen
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Maiden Name: |
Clara Beck
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Father: |
Laurits Beck
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Mother: |
Kathrine Petersen
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Kirsten Beck
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Kirstine Beck
Marie Beck
Petra Beck
Laurea Beck
Kristian Beck
Lily Beck
Jens Beck
Two children died as infants
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Spouse: |
Swan Larsen
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Children: |
Donald Larsen
Leona Larsen
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Larsen, Clara
Beck, Laurits
Petersen, Katherine
Larsen, Swan
Larsen, Donald
Larsen, Leona
Busgard, Anke
Jensen, Nils
Beck, Kirsten
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Family Names |
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Larsen family
Beck family
Petersen family
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Geographical Names |
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Viborg (S.D.)
Arcata (Calif.)
Spokane (Wash.)
Wallace (Idaho)
Romdrup (Denmark)
Tacoma (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Denmark
Denmark -- Emigration and immigration
Romdrup (Denmark) -- Emigration and immigration
Oscar II -- (Steamship)
Odin Hall (Spokane, Wash.)
Denmark -- Social condtions -- 1945-
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Occupations |
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Domestics
Seamstress
Butcher
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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.
013 BACKGROUND AND CHILDHOOD: Born Clara Beck on February 24,
1892 in Romdrup, Denmark. Her parents were Laurits Beck and
Kathrine Petersen Beck. They lived on a "not very big" farm
and raised wheat and some animals. She was the fifth or sixth
child in a family of eight. Only her brother Kristian and she
immigrated to America.
072 CHILDHOOD: Her first job at 16 was caring for two little
boys. This lasted about a year. Then she got another domestic
job that included cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes. She
does not remember what she was paid.
113 SCHOOL: She liked sewing really well and went to school
for two months in Aalborg to learn dressmaking. Then she got
the idea of immigrating to America.
122 HOW SHE CAME TO EMIGRATE: While working as a domestic, she
desired to attend a dance one evening. The family gave her permission
and loaned her a horse and buggy, which she didn't know how
to drive. But, she made it to the dance and met a young man
who was emigrating to Viborg, South Dakota, the following week.
After he was in America, they corresponded. Clara was invited
to emigrate to Viborg, and she did - traveling with this man's
sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Sorensen. The Sorensens
traveled first class; Clara's father had to sell a cow to afford
Clara's first class ticket.
166 She traveled to Viborg, South Dakota, where the young man,
Anke Busgard (?), lived, only to find she wasn't expected. But
she - "the Danish girl" - was quickly offered a job. She stayed
in South Dakota two years.
184 EMIGRATION: They arrived in New York on March 28, 1912,
having sailed directly from Copenhagen. Tried to leave on the
"Titanic", but it was all booked. So, took a Danish boat, Oscar
II. (This was the fateful trip when the Titanic was lost.)
209 FEELINGS ABOUT EMIGRATION: Her parents said neither yes
nor no; felt the decision was Clara's. Her expectations of America
were positive: big, wonderful land full of opportunities. Preparations
for the trip were quick and minimal. She doesn't remember how
much money she took only that she had $3 when she reached New
York. She expected to stay in America.
239 ELLIS ISLAND: The Sorensens took care of that.
250 SETTLING IN: Viborg, South Dakota was a Danish community.
She worked as a domestic for the Larsen family with six children;
three were in school and helped Clara with her English. Her
duties included housework and childcare.
280 ARCATA, CALIFORNIA: After two years, in 1914, Clara went
to Arcata where the Sorensen's lived. She traveled by train
accompanied by Mrs. Sorensen's brother. She received employment
as a nanny, attended the Danish Lodge in Arcata, and saved her
money. From Arcata she moved to Spokane.
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON: On the boat over from Denmark, she had
met Mr. and Mrs. Jensen from Copenhagen with whom she corresponded.
Mrs. Jensen invited her to Spokane. Clara took a train from
Arcata to Eureka, a boat from Eureka to Portland, and a train
from there to Spokane in January 1916.
332 She stayed with the Jensen's. Mr. Jensen, Nils, was a gardener
and had returned to Denmark earlier in 1912 to get married.
348 SCANDINAVIAN COMMUNITY IN SPOKANE: She joined the Danish
Lodge, Princess Louise, in 1916 to become acquainted. Meetings
were held in Odin Hall once a month: card parties, dinners,
and socials. She met her husband in the lodge.
369 MEETING SPOUSE: He was the brother of a friend of the Jensen's
and worked as a butcher in Wallace, Idaho. They met in March
or April 1917, and he called her on the telephone and sent flowers
and candy. When America entered the war, he returned to Spokane
June 1 to register. They were married July 30,1917 - after a
four month courtship. His name was originally Sven Larsen, but
it was changed to Swan when he received his citizenship paper.
He was from Copenhagen and 30 years old in 1917. In later years
in Spokane, he became a painting contractor.
415 MARRIED LIFE: Swan went into the service in November. Clara
moved to Tacoma to be with her husband who was stationed there.
During this time she worked at the Olympic Hotel. After the
war, they returned to Spokane where Swan was a butcher.
420 CHILDREN: Donald was born August 26, 1920, while they lived
in Spokane.
WORK: While living with the Jensen family prior to marriage,
Clara worked as a domestic for a family- cooking, cleaning,
and washing. She cooked Danish food because the people thought
it was wonderful.
460 EMIGRATION OF BROTHER: She was still in South Dakota. Clara
and her employer, Mr. Goodrup (?), bought and sent Kristian
a $75 ticket. He worked for a while before being drafted into
the Army; he was wounded during the war. He made the army his
career, dying in an Army Hospital in South Dakota in 1974.
489 FAMILY LIFE: When Donald was a few weeks old, Swan returned
to Wallace to work as a butcher. Clara and Donald joined him
soon after. But when Donald became six, they returned to Spokane
for a better school system.
510 DANISH LANGUAGE: Not spoken very much and children weren't
taught it. Leona was born in Wallace, Idaho, in 1922.
517 WORK: Clara stayed at home until the children were married.
When she was 50, she started sewing again - this time in the
alteration departments at various stores. She worked 20 years
and really enjoyed it. In about 1940, she was paid $20 a week
at "Charles". The second store, Zokurs ?, paid $35 a week. Her
third job began at the Bon Marche in 1950, the same year she
went to Los Angeles for the birth of her first grandchild (Leona's
child).
571 She was in a train wreck on her way back and had amnesia
for a while. She returned to work quickly though. The alterations
department had 5-6 people, but she was laid off when the Palace
store took over the Bon. She went back to Charles to work. She
never had trouble finding jobs and was still working as a seamstress
at 81.
619 She had a busy life - liked sewing. Kept on at home until
her eyesight was too bad.
628 CITIZENSHIP: Shortly after marriage, she and Swan went to
night school, studied, and received their citizenship papers
in 1917.
647 DANISH LODGE: She's been a member for 68 years, having joined
before her marriage. Tells about activities in Danish lodge.
Membership now is mostly second generation Danes born in America.
665 CHILDREN: Both graduated from high school. Don worked after
school, then married and joined the navy. Leona worked at a
telephone company before marriage.
680 RETURN TRIPS TO DENMARK: Clara has made six trips: 1937,
1948, 1962, 1969, 1971, and 1973. She went alone in 1937 to
see her parents.
697 ON BEING DANISH: She's thoroughly American after so many
years; Denmark reminds her only of family members still there.
She and her husband returned in 1948 and 1962.
710 WORKING OUTSIDE THE HOME: Neither her husband nor her daughter
liked it.
724 DANISH LODGE: This has meant a lot to her.
736 SPEAKING DANISH: Om jul: et stort juletr' - recites verse
about Christmas.
760 RECOLLECTION ABOUT WORK: When she first came to Dakota,
she was paid $3 a week, and when she was 81, she received $2
an hour. "How times change."
765 End of tape.
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