Funding for encoding this finding aid was
provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Biographical Note
John Edwin Nelson was born Johan Nilsson on
July 15, 1893 in Knäred, Halland, Sweden. John began working immediately after
completing school and receiving his confirmation at the age of 14. He worked
for his cousin and then his uncle tending cattle and gardening. On an impulse,
John decided to move to America; he traveled aboard the Hellig Olav, although
he had the option of going on the Titanic. John left Sweden on April 4, 1912
and arrived in Tacoma, Washington on April 25. After initially working as a
gardener, John found jobs at a fuel company, in a sawmill, and on a streetcar.
He attended night school for English, but he struggled to learn the language.
Even now, he admits, he occasionally has problems. John moved to Alaska to mine
for a short time, but he returned to Tacoma and soon met his wife at a party.
They both attained their citizenship and had one daughter. John finally got
into the real estate business after working again in a sawmill. John has been a
member of First Lutheran Church and has been very active in Scandinavian groups
like Vasa and Valhalla, in which he is the longest member (70 years). John
played the alto French horn for the Vasa Svea Band and is a member of their
male chorus. He values his involvement with these groups a great deal.
Occasionally, he and his wife prepare traditional Swedish food, and they can
still speak the language. He has returned to Sweden four times to visit family
and has been tempted to stay permanently. America slightly disappointed John,
but he wanted to stay for the sake of his wife and his daughter.
Lineage
Full Name: John Edwin Nelson. Original
Spelling: Johan Nilsson. Father: Nils Johansson. Mother: Johanna Svensson
Johansson. Brothers and Sisters: Hildor Nilsson, Ellen Nilsson, Johan Nilsson,
Henning Nilsson, Einar Nilsson. Spouse: Rut Otilla Lindberg. Children: Nancy
Nelson Stolz.
Content Description
The interview was conducted with John
Nelson on July 1, 1981 in Tacoma, Washington. This interview includes
information on personal background, emigration, work, community life, and
Swedish heritage. It also contains a photograph of John Nelson in the Svea Band
of Valhalla Lodge in Tacoma, Washington and a publicity shot in the Tacoma
Armory, which includes John. Also see Ruth Nelson. The interview was conducted
in English.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
The oral history collection is open to all users.
Restrictions on Use :
There are no restrictions on use.
Administrative Information
Custodial History :
The Oral History collection
project was started during an experimental course on Scandinavian Women in the
Pacific Northwest. Students in the course were encouraged to interview women
and learn about their experiences as immigrants to the United States. The
project was continued and expanded with support from the president's office and
by grants from the L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, from the Joel E.
Ferris Foundation and the Norwegian Emigration Fund of the Royal Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project was directed by Dr. Janet E.
Rasmussen. The collection was transferred to the Archives and Special
Collections Department.
Acquisition Information :
Related Materials :
To search and view Pacific
Lutheran University's digitized images, visit our
Digital Assets
Website
Processing Note :
The interview was conducted by
Morrene Nesvig 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. The recording quality is good
The
collection was transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky Husby.
Bibliography :
Rasmussen, Janet Elaine. New Land
New Lives: Scandinavian Immigrants to the Pacific NorthwestTacoma, WashingtonUniversity of Washington
Press1993
Additional Reference Guides :
Detailed Description of the Collection
The partial interview transcription
highlights important aspects of the interview. Numbers 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.
Cassette
67, side 1
009/03: PERSONAL
BACKGROUND
Born July 15, 1893 in Knäred,
Halland, Sweden which is north of Skåne.
67, side 1
034: SCHOOL AND
CONFIRMATION
Have to go to work the minute
you are confirmed. Hired as a farm boy at age 14. (see counter I-096).
67, side 1
041: PARENTS
Nils Johansson, farmer and Johanna Svensson. Tomatoes are
recently new to Sweden. Father worked on the railroad and clearing land at
home.
67, side 1
067: BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
See attached.
67, side 1
075: MATERNAL
GRANDFATHER
Farmer, lived with them until
he died in 1911.
67, side 1
084: NAME
ppreviously Johan Nilsson. Talks about how it
changed.
67, side 1
096: AGE 14
Through with school. Took care of the cattle. Worked for a
cousin. (see counter I-034). Uncle from Tacoma sent for him, he was a gardener.
67, side 1
150/05: FEELINGS LEAVING
SWEDEN
When young you don't think. Went to
Helsingborg, Skåne, Sweden and then to Copenhagen, Denmark. Stories of gold in
America.
67, side 1
159: BOAT TRIP
Spoke no English. Would have gone on the Titanic.
Rough voyage (seasick). Went on Hellig Olav (Scandinavian American Line).
Mostly Scandinavians. Went from Copenhagen to Kristiania (Oslo), Norway to
Kristiansand, Norway.
67, side 1
217/06: ELLIS
ISLAND
Couldn't get lost. Similar to a
coat house.
67, side 1
233: TRAIN TRIP
Went to Winnipeg, Canada (cheaper than U.S.). Wondered
what kind of country he was getting into. Left Sweden April 4, 1912.
67, side 1
267: ARRIVAL VANCOUVER,
CANADA
Nearly missed his boat to
Seattle.
67, side 1
300/07: BOAT TRIP FROM
VANCOUVER
Old tug. Ticket agent took
advantage of him.
67, side 1
323: COMING TO
SEATTLE
Saw a policeman. Train to Tacoma
and getting to his aunt's place. Language difficulties.
67, side 1
396/08: ARRIVED IN TACOMA ON
APRIL 25, 1912
Lovely little town, kind of
loved it right away.
67, side 1
409: EMPLOYED AS A
GARDENER
Cutting grass. Fixing the plants
for the rich. Bought out by a fellow employee.
67, side 1
443: DRIVING TEAM
Employed at West End Fuel. Hauled wood. Mr. Rasmussen
owned it. Getting wood from Day Island.
67, side 1
457/09: STREET CAR
STRIKE
How it affected people. Later drove
truck, became ill and got out of the business, his appendix broke.
67, side 1
506: MILL WORK
17 1/2 cents an hour. Tacoma, lumber capital of the
world. Employed at Fines Mill and the Swedish Sawmill.
67, side 1
542/10: LEARNING
ENGLISH
Went to three different night
schools, but still has problems. One was at Stadium High School.
67, side 1
572: CITIZENSHIP
Night school again. Mixed up with another John Nelson.
Had to know the judiciary.
67, side 2
006/11: CITIZENSHIP
Asked if he wanted his name changed. Wife received her
papers before him.
67, side 2
021: EMPLOYED IN
ALASKA
Mining for the Goodrich Rubber Co
to make money to return to Sweden. Conditions were bad and he was fired after
talking to the boss about it. This was north of Porcupine and Haines, Alaska.
All the rest quit too as a result of him being fired.
67, side 2
109/12: BACK TO
TACOMA
Met his wife at a party.
67, side 2
113: ORGANIZATIONS HE
JOINED
Vasa Lodge and Valhalla (lodge with
sick benefits). Church, Luther League, hard to get acquainted
67, side 2
136: MILL WORK 1930
Pay cut in half. Friend was blacklisted because he
wouldn't go for this. (See counter I-506). Friend had to join the WPA.
67, side 2
160: VASA SVEA BAND
Played the alto french horn. Member of the male
chorus. Sang in Seattle for Sangerfest and another time in Everett. Talks about
the importance of these groups.
67, side 2
213/13: FOUR TRIPS TO
SWEDEN
Family had it good in Sweden. Got
money from brothers to travel. Einar, his brother, owned a factory. Called
communists when they went on strike here (US)
67, side 2
244: VALHALLA
Longest member (70 years). First Lutheran Church,
still a member. Talks about church in Sweden (see counter II-113)
67, side 2
273: CHILDREN
See attached.
67, side 2
281/14: REAL ESTATE
BUSINESS
Buys and sells houses. Bought
first house for $2,200.
67, side 2
307/01: KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH
RELATIVES
writes to nephew.
67, side 2
312: IMPORTANCE OF SWEDISH
HERITAGE
Never bothered him.
67, side 2
318:
Found out what America is. Thought it was the perfect land,
discovered that it was far from it.
67, side 2
339: SWEDISH
TRADITIONS
Special dishes now and then.
67, side 2
349: SPEAKING
SWEDISH
Still speaks it. His daughter is
able to read it.
67, side 2
362: VISITING
SWEDEN
Brought peanut butter with him for
the grandchildren.
67, side 2
377/02: SWEDISH
WORDS
Didn't pray when you went to bed,
you were tired.
67, side 2
401: CLOSING
REMARKS
Had a good life. Have a very good
daughter. Brothers offered to buy him a lot and give him the timber to build a
house in Sweden, but he chose to return to his family in the U.S.
Subjects
This collection is indexed under
the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these
headings.
Personal Names :
Johansson, Nils
Lindberg, Rut Otilla
Nelson, John Edwin --Interviews
Nilsson, Johan
Stolz (Nelson), Nancy
Svensson, Johanna
Family Names :
Johansson family
Lindberg family
Nelson
family
Nilsson
family
Svensson family
Corporate Names :
First Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
Hellig Olav (Steamship)
Luther League of
America
Sangerfest of Norwegian Singers Association of
America
Swedish Order of
Valhalla (Tacoma, Wash.)
Vasa
Order of America. Lodge Number 233 (Tacoma, Wash.)
