    
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
Helen Nordström Mork
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Mork, Helen Nordström
Collection Nr: t281
File Content:
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3 file folders
2 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 Laura Schubert
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky
Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: Fair. On Side I, the voices are
faint from 045 - 190, and fade completely about 220. The
remainder of the tape is good, but an amplifier is necessary
for the first part.
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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 Helen Mork on January 21, 1989
in Seattle, Washington. The interview contains information on
personal background, emigration, adjustments, family, and heritage.
Also available are two black and white photographs from Helen's
life. The interview was conducted in English. See also Ola Mork,
T282.
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Helen
Mork was born Helena Elizabeth Nordström on November 11, 1910
in Hindersön, Norrbotten province, Sweden. Helen's family, which
included six brothers and sisters, lived on an island on the
northeast coast of Sweden. Helen says she had a very happy childhood
and enjoyed celebrating Christmas with the traditional decorations
and food. At the young age of 16, Helen decided she wanted to
move to America. She met her aunt and uncle in Graham, Washington
and then moved to Tacoma, finding a job as a housekeeper. In
1933, Helen married a Norwegian fisherman named Ola Mork, whom
she met at night school; they built a house and settled in Parkland,
Washington, where they lived for nine years. In 1934, Helen
and Ola had their first child, Erling. Soon thereafter, Helen
became an American citizen. The family visited Norway and Sweden
in 1937. They had one more son, Harold, and a daughter, Eleanor,
before moving from Parkland to Tacoma in 1942. Helen continued
to work as a housekeeper until the kids were in school, at which
time she catered for wealthy families in the area. When Eleanor
was 16 years old, they returned to Sweden and Norway for a summer.
Helen and Ola traveled to Scandinavia themselves in 1962, 1970,
1975, and 1981. All of Helen's siblings still live in Sweden,
and she has maintained close contact with them. Helen belongs
to the Swedish Club, Vasa Lodge, and Sons of Norway; she can
still speak Swedish and reads Swedish magazines.
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Full Name: |
Helena Elizabeth Mork
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Maiden Name: |
Helena Elizabeth Nordström
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Father: |
Helmer Nordström
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Mother: |
Amanda Nordström
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Paternal Grandfather: |
Frederick Nordström
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Johanna Nordström
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Maternal Grandfather: |
Johannes Olofson
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Maternal Grandmother: |
Johanna Olofson
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Hilder Nordström
Henny Nordström
Harold Nordström
Ruben Nordström
Ragnhild Nordström
Annie Nordström
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Spouse: |
Ola Mork
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Children: |
Erling Mork
Harold Mork
Eleanor Schubert
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Mork, Helen Elisabeth
Nordström, Helena Elisabeth
Nordström, Helmer
Nordström, Amanda
Nordström, Frederick
Nordström, Johanna
Olofson, Johanna
Mork, Ola
Mork, Erling
Mork, Harold
Schubert, Eleanor
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Family Names |
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Mork family
Nordström family
Olofson family
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Geographical Names |
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Hindersön, Norrbotten province (Sweden)
Råneå (Sweden)
Volda (Norway)
Tacoma (Wash.)
Parkland (Wash.)
Graham (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Sweden
Sweden -- Emigration and immigration
Railroad travel
Swedish Club (Seattle, Wash.)
Vasa Lodge (Tacoma, Wash.)
Sons of Norway (Seattle, Wash.)
Christmas -- Sweden
Christmas -- US
Swedish-Americans -- Ethnic identity
Family -- Economic aspects -- Sweden
First Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
Trinity Lutheran Church (Parkland, Wash.)
Bethel Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (Seattle, Wash.)
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Occupations |
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Cooking
Fishing
Domestics
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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.
045 PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Helen Mork was born Helena Elizabeth
Nordstroem on Hindersön, Sweden. Her parents were Amanda and
Helmer Nordström. Mother was a housewife, and Dad worked on
a freighter in the summertime. In the winter, he chopped wood,
which the children stacked in a woodshed the following summer.
They lived on an island three Swedish miles [21 English miles]
outside of Luleå on the northeast coast of Sweden.
They rarely went to town during the winter. If they did, they
rode with the mailman on a horse and sled over the ice. The
road was staked out with evergreen trees on both sides so the
horses would know where to go. There were no landmarks over
the 21 miles of ice. In summer, they went to town often via
motorboats, and it was a lot of fun.
115 It was a very happy childhood on the island, although there
was nothing fancy. They walked to school in warm weather. In
winter, they skied, taking shortcuts, as there were no real
roads. There was a one hour lunch break when the kids returned
home to eat. School was held six days a week and five hours
per day. It was pretty dark except around 11 - 1, but they enjoyed
school, skiing and skating.
In summertime, they went swimming and had to work at home. She
remembers doing lots of dishes for their large family. They
had a few cows, sheep, and calves. Sometimes they took the calves
to another island and stayed all summer. The calves fattened
up and were butchered in the fall; the meat remained frozen
all winter. They also ate lots of fish. They would put out nets
at night and pull in fish the next morning. With the fish, they
had potatoes, a milk-like yogurt--"filmjölk", and tunnbröd.
175 At Christmas, Mother made many cookies. They had a Christmas
tree decorated with homemade items. Twenty days after Christmas,
the tree was taken out, and they had a party, dancing and singing
around the tree. Santa Claus would come, but they never saw
him. He just threw things on the floor through the door as the
cold wind blew in. They always received Christmas presents:
mittens, socks, etc. Once she received a blue coat with a red
lining. Grandmother always gave the children a book. When Dad
came home from work, he brought a bag of candy.
They had Sunday school every Sunday, and a preacher would come
to the schoolhouse once in awhile. Later, a mission church was
started. Religion--catechism, Bible history, hymns--was taught
daily in school.
EMIGRATION: When she was 16, she wanted to go to America. None
of her siblings wanted to go. An aunt had left when Helen was
a baby.
[TAPE FADES BADLY.]
239 She came by boat, had a lot of fun, and ate delicious food.
From New York, she got a train to Tacoma. Along the way, she
managed to meet Norwegian or Swedish people who also knew English.
They helped her buy food, mainly cheese sandwiches. "For a long
time, I couldn't eat cheese afterwards because I was so tired
of cheese sandwiches". She also bought fruit, coffee, and milk.
266 SETTLING IN: In Tacoma, she was met at the old Milwaukee
train station by 14 strange relatives. They went to one of mother's
cousins for coffee and a visit. She then accompanied her aunt
and uncle home to Graham, Washington. Later she found a job
as a maid in Tacoma. The lady was exceptionally kind and wrote
out recipes for Helen in Swedish. It was also hard work because
the family of seven produced a lot of dirty clothes and ate
lots of food. Helen washed clothes by hand but had a hand-wringer.
She worked for five years beginning with 35 dollars a month
plus room and board. After awhile, she got 45 and 50 dollars
a month. She worked at different places mainly as a cook.
304 In the evenings she attended English school for several
years.
FAMILY: In 1933 Helen married a Norwegian commercial fisherman.
They built a little house in the country a few miles east of
Parkland. They had electric lights and a wood cookstove. A year
later, a son was born, so she didn't work anymore. Ola went
to Alaska every summer for herring and California in the winter
for sardines.
325 In 1937 they went to Sweden and Norway. She and the oldest
boy, Erling, stayed 10 months and established relationships
with the families again. In April, Ola had to return to Alaska.
As they were in Norway at the time, Helen and Erling returned
and stayed with her folks in Sweden. After a real good summer,
they returned in September, and Ola came back from fishing in
October.
338 They lived in Parkland for nine years, and had two more
children. Then in 1942, they moved to Tacoma. There was a gas
shortage, and it was difficult for her to live alone in the
country with three small children. They lived in Tacoma 24 years,
and moved to Seattle in 1956. When Eleanor was 16 years old,
they returned and spent a summer in Sweden and visited in Norway.
Eleanor liked Sweden very well, and spent a year [1962] at the
University of Stockholm during her college days.
The Christmas of 1962, Ola and Helen returned to Norway as her
sister was married to Ola's brother. They bought a car and returned
to America. They've returned to Scandinavia in 1970, 1975, and
1981. In the meantime, all Helen's sisters and brothers visited
in America. The Morks now own a cabin near Mt. Vernon and spend
a lot of time there.
380 MEETING SPOUSE: Helen met Ola at night school. They walked
to dances at Normanna and Valhalla Halls, and then they began
"going together" and had lots of fun. Ola had a car, which "was
a big thing in those days".
393 She adjusted easily in America. In a couple of months she
understood English pretty well, and she had many friends with
whom she spoke Swedish. Her social life was good: school on
Monday and Thursday nights and dances on Saturday.
403 CHURCH: She attended First Lutheran in Tacoma. After marriage,
they joined Trinity Lutheran in Parkland. Later in Tacoma, they
joined Bethel Lutheran with Pastor Larson; the children were
confirmed there, but baptized at Trinity. They transferred to
Our Redeemer in Seattle where Helen is active in the ladies
circle.
419 She also belongs to Swedish Club, Vasa Lodge in Tacoma,
and Sons of Norway in Seattle. She likes to knit, and has made
many afghans for her grandchildren.
437 SIBLINGS: Her oldest sister, Hilder, was a schoolteacher
and is now retired and lives in Luleaa. Henny, the second sister
was a housewife with one daughter. Her brother, Harold, and
an uncle built a garage in Raaneaa; he is a retired mechanic.
The second brother, Ruben, was a policeman in Luleaa; he was
the head of the state patrol when he retired. Ragnhild stayed
on Hindersoen and married. Annie, her youngest sister, is married
to Ola's brother and lives in Volda, Norway. They all have children
except Hilder who didn't marry.
463 GRANDPARENTS: Her maternal grandparents lived far away.
Grandma Nordstroem lived next door on a little farm. Helen visited
her every day. Her home was "nice and quiet" unlike her own
home with so many children. Helen stayed overnight with her
during the wintertime, because her mother didn't like the grandmother
to be alone.
484 The great grandparents worked for a farmer outside of Hindersoen.
They bought a farm for 300 riksdaler, and paid for it by selling
fish.
501 The most exciting thing about America was the movies. "Oh,
I thought shows were really wonderful and they were really cheap."
One could see two good shows for 15 cents at the Temple Theater.
She and her girlfriends walked to the shows; it helped her to
learn English.
513 Helen became a citizen after Erling was born. She had studied
for citizenship at night school and it was very easy for her.
She just needed to get her papers.
524 The children attended WSU in Pullman. Erling worked for
the city of Tacoma; he's now the city manager. Harold graduated
from the University of Washington [husband says WSU]. He worked
for an insurance company and then helped form another company
of which he became the vice-president. Both sons are married.
Erling has five sons and Harold has three daughters.
The youngest child, Eleanor, lives in Pendleton, Oregon, is
a high school teacher, and is married to a physicist. They have
two girls. The oldest, Laura, is 20 and attends PLU, and Heidi
is 17 and in high school.
547 CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA: "Christmas is a big to-do in our family."
It's been spent at the Mork home with a big tree in the rec
room and a big dinner on Christmas Eve. Santa Claus comes every
year. They've celebrated Christmas Eve the last few years at
Harold's in Edmonds and Christmas Day at Erling's in Tacoma.
They put on big dinners and good times. Erling's birthday is
on the 27th, so she has his family for dinner.
575 REASON FOR EMIGRATION: "Well, I just wanted to see the world.
It wasn't so sad to leave because I thought I was going to come
back in five years. Instead of coming back, I got married."
Helen really liked America, even though her first impressions
were awful. Traveling across the country by train in the late
fall, the trees were bare, without leaves, and terrible. She
thought, "if this is what the United States is going to be like,
I"m going to hurry up and make some money and I'm going right
home where the trees are green". But, she changed her mind when
they came to Tacoma; it was really nice.
594 She brought her clothes, a blanket in case it was cold on
the train, and a little pillow. The train trip took five days,
and it was tiring. The first two months were a little difficult;
she couldn't speak English. After she understood and spoke more,
she really liked it. That fall was extremely foggy, and she
depended on the streetcars with lights to get home. There was
more snow when the kids were small; they used to ski on the
hills above Pacific Avenue in Parkland. They also ice skated
on Wapato Lake and enjoyed outdoor sports like skiing on Mt.
Rainier. In Sweden, it was mostly cross-country skiing on six
to eight feet of deep snow.
633 HERITAGE: Helen still knows Swedish "except my granddaughter,
Laura, know it even better!" Helen still writes and reads Swedish.
She subscribes to a weekly Swedish magazine, which she gives
to Eleanor so she can keep up her Swedish also.
644 Helen and the interviewer [granddaughter, Laura] chat in
Swedish.
657 CONTACT WITH SWEDEN: Swedish relatives visit them yearly
plus some Swedish friends who live in Hawaii but came from Goeteborg
and Helsingborg.
665 Helen is very glad she came to America, "cause now we have
a really nice family, grandchildren and four great grandchildren".
Their names are Ola, Peder, Hans and Marit--Scandinavian names.
Helen's second name comes from an aunt; all the girls were named
after aunts. Her name was originally Helena, but was shortened
to Helen in America.
SIDE II
153 OCCUPATION: The first family for which she worked was very
helpful. The man was deceased, but had been a judge; the wife
was sickly. The daughter was nice and taught Helen how to cook
American style. In Sweden they had fish or meat and potatoes
with few vegetables. Here they rarely had potatoes, which was
strange to her.
Her second job was for a doctor's family. Besides her housekeeping
duties, she had to take messages for the doctor over the phone;
that was a real challenge for her.
Then she worked for a family who owned a car dealership. Her
working experiences were all very good. After marriage and the
kids were in school, she catered a variety of foods to many
wealthy people.
205 She came to America because she wanted to see the world
and an aunt was here. One of mother's cousins living in Tacoma
helped her find the first job. People were very nice to newcomers
in 1928. When the Depression began, the flow of immigrants decreased
because of lack of money for people to travel.
They spent a month in New Zealand last year and enjoyed the
people and the food, and of course had no problem with the language.
263 End of tape.
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