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provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Biographical Note
Aleph Johannsson was born on November 9, 1882
in the Milton, North Dakota, near Pemblina. Her parents, Stigur Thorwaldson and
Thorun Jornsdottir, were from Gislatordum, Iceland and Fljotsdalheradi,
Iceland, respectively. They had met each other in Iceland and were married
after they immigrated. Stigur and Thorun settled in the Tongue River Valley in
North Dakota and had ten children, of which Aleph was the eldest. After Aleph
finished grammar school and one term at Grenwold Academy, which was affiliated
with the Lutheran Church, Aleph attended a dressmaking school. She worked as a
seamstress out of her family home. Aleph's husband, Bjarni Johannsson, was from
Framnesi, Iceland and had settled in the same area with his family. He attended
the University of Washington in Seattle, WA to become a pharmacist and
corresponded with Aleph while he was gone. Aleph wanted to go to nursing school
and did not want a serious relationship, but after Bjarni graduated, he
proposed to Aleph. Neither Bjarni nor Aleph's father wanted her to become a
nurse, so Aleph married Bjarni in 1906. They moved back to Seattle and had five
children: Sigrid, Thorun, Wilma, Alice, and Lincoln. In 1912, they built the
house that Aleph still lived in at the time of this interview, and Bjarni also
owned Cascade Drug Company until 1946. Through the years, Aleph has been active
in the Lutheran Church, has sung in the Icelandic choir, and helped organize
the Anning Society, a charity society that helps those sick or in financial
trouble. She has also met Vigdis Finnbogadottur, the President of Iceland.
President Finnbogadottur told Aleph that she spoke Icelandic as if she had been
born there and send her a telegram on her 100th birthday.
This interview was conducted with Aleph Johannsson on October 12, 1982 in
Seattle, Washington. It contains information on family background, growing up
in North Dakota, marriage and family, settling in Seattle, community
activities, and Icelandic heritage. The interview also includes a photograph of
Aleph's brothers (taken in 1893), a photograph of Aleph on her wedding day, a
photograph of Cascade Drug Store, an article, which includes a picture of Aleph
meeting President Vigdis Finnbogadottur (September 1982), and two photographs
of Aleph at the time of the interview.
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
Inger Nygaard Carr 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 Northwest.Tacoma, Washington:University of Washington
Press.1993
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
191, side 1
022: Aleph Sigriour Thorwaldson
Johannsson
Born on November 9, 1882 in the
Dakota Territory. Born near Pembina, which was established as a military post
during the Creole Rebellion.
191, side 1
115: PARENTS
Thorun Jornsdottir and Stigur Thorwaldson. Both born in
Iceland. Stigur came to America with his mother, five brothers, and three
sisters. His father died of stomach cancer after he went to Copenhagen, Denmark
for treatment. They came to America after his death. Aleph's parents were well
acquainted before they left Iceland. They had plans to get married after
leaving Iceland. Her mother's family came with them as well.
191, side 1
175:
Her mother's father, Bjorn Peterson wanted to leave Iceland
and find something to do. There wasn't anything for them here.
191, side 1
193: GRANDPARENTS
Paternal - Thorvaldur Stigsson and Vilborg Jonsdottir.
Thorvaldur was the oldest of six brothers. He had four older sisters. Vilborg
lived in her parent's old home in Keldaskoar. (This is the name of the farm in
Iceland.) Maternal - Bjorn Peterson (see I-175).
191, side 1
276: PARENTS' TRIP FROM ICELAND
TO AMERICA
1876-9 Petersons on boat.
Aleph's mother ended up coming before her father. Thorun was ready for marriage
when Stigur came in 1881. She had worked and learned the language by then.
Stigur's mother wanted to stay in Iceland and take care of the farm. Stigur had
a man who could help her on the farm, but after he was ready to go, she backed
out and wouldn't let. She decided that if he was going, they were all going.
They had to get rid of the farm and animals before they left and that took
time.
191, side 1
332: SETTLING IN
AMERICA
When they came to America, Aleph's
mother had staked a claim on a homestead on the Red River, Dakota Territory.
Not satisfied with the farm. It flooded every year. She found a young fellow
who wanted a good fishing place. Fishing was marvelous on the Red River. They
exchanged farm lots. Aleph's parents got married and settled in the Pembina
Mountains, North Dakota. Her father wanted a wheat farm. An Irishman had jumped
their claim and didn't want to give it up. He'd built a house there. He paid
them. They settled in the Tongue River Valley and had a nice home and farm
there in North Dakota.
191, side 1
414: BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
10 children in the family. Oldest
brother, Thorwald stayed on the farm. Bjorn had an automobile agency in
Cavalier, North Dakota. Pauline became Mrs. Shaeld (sp?). Wilmar died as a
small boy. The next sister was Gwen Hjalmarson born in 1890. Ole was the
youngest brother. There was another brother named Wilmar. He was a policeman
and died in California. Her youngest sister was Jennie Elizabeth.
191, side 1
493: SCHOOL
She attended school and then Grenwold Academy, which was
affiliated with the Lutheran Church. Aleph and one brother attended this
academy for one season. It was a good addition to their general education. They
had some business courses. Aleph attended a dressmaking school in Pembina
County, North Dakota.
191, side 1
510: WORK
She was a seamstress. Always worked at home because her
mother was not healthy. Her mother had just lost her youngest child.
191, side 1
532: MEETING SPOUSE
Her husband came from Iceland in 1886. His father
settled a claim in the area. Her husband, Bjarni Johannsson, had two brothers
who also came. Bjarni became a schoolteacher and taught at Aleph's school. They
usually had school in the winter. He didn't get paid well as a teacher so he
decided to attend the University of Washington. He became a pharmacist. Aleph
met him while he was teaching. He was writing to her after he went to Seattle.
Aleph didn't really want to correspond with him - she wasn't interested in a
serious relationship.
191, side 1
587:
She wanted to become a nurse. Bjarni talked her out of going
to school to become a nurse. He didn't want to wait for 4 years. After he
graduated, he visited her in North Dakota. He proposed so she had to decide
between getting married and becoming a nurse. Her father didn't want her to
become a nurse. Bjarni waited for a year and then they got married.
191, side 1
640: THEIR WEDDING
Very nice. It was in the summer when Bjarni had his
vacation. He had only one week off. Two of Aleph's friends came. They made the
wedding dress and the other dresses. One was a good cook and made the dinner
for the wedding.
191, side 1
698: THE TRIP TO
SEATTLE
They took the train. Automobiles
weren't in use yet. When they got to Seattle; Bjarni wanted to let his boss,
Mr. Preston,
191, side 1
710:
know he was back. They met 3 men at Mr. Preston's door.
Bjarni was acquainted with them and greeted them. The boss was mad that Bjarni
had talked with his customers on such familiar terms and Bjarni lost his job.
Bjarni hadn't even had a chance to introduce his wife. Bjarni got a job at
another drug store in Ballard. This store was owned by a Norwegian man, H.
Hourn. He wanted someone who could run the store because he wanted to start a
chicken farm in Sumner. The name of the store was Cascade Drug Company.
Eventually, Bjarni bought the store. He owned it until 1946. The other store
was Preston's Pharmacy. Preston sold out to a larger company because he was
losing his trade.
191, side 1
820: HOUSING
Mr. Preston allowed them to live on the 2nd floor of his drug
store until they could find new lodgings. Then they rented a house on 62nd
Street and lived there quite a while. In 1912, they bought the house that Aleph
now lives in.
191, side 1
864: CHILDREN
Lincoln worked for Washington State Employment
Service. Sigrid got married to Don Hastings. He was a teamster. They have two
boys, Phillip and Neil. Phillip is a manager for Shasta. Neil works for Texaco.
Thorun married Eugene Robel. He is an electrician. Wilma married Cleo Vadnaia
(sp?). He worked for Pioneer Sand and Gravel. They have a boy, James, and a
girl, Janis. James is a treefarm manager in Pysht, Washington. Janis is married
to Gordon Prutt (sp?) and lives in Port Angeles, Washington. He drives a log
truck. Alice, the youngest daughter, became ill while in school. Heart trouble.
They didn't know she had diabetes. She died in a coma in 1937.
191, side 1
982: CHURCH
Helped prepare dinners. Was in the choir. Also sang in the
Ballard High Choir. They had concerts at high school and got instruction from
the teacher, Harriet Charlton. All of Aleph's children were confirmed in the
Lutheran Church.
191, side 1
1024: ICELANDIC
CLUBS
These organizations were mostly for
men. She did sing in the Icelandic choir.
191, side 1
1035: COMMUNITY
ACTIVITIES
Helped organize the Anning
Society. This is a charity society originally for the women in the church.
Since not all women belonged to the church, they decided not to bind it to the
church. They helped sick people and people with financial troubles. She tells
about an old couple who had moved to the west part of Ballard from Alberta.
They had nothing to live on. They lived in a tent. They helped these people.
The Anning Society is still active.
191, side 1
1089: TRIPS BACK TO NORTH
DAKOTA
She and her husband went back while
her sister was still there. Her parents moved to California because of her
mother's rheumatism. Her father had a brother, Horris, in Fresno, California.
In 1919, Aleph, Bjarni, and the five kids all went back to North Dakota.
Aleph's parents and brothers and sisters were still there. They stayed there
for a month. Traveled by train. She tells about the trip back. They could only
get sets in the tourist section of the train.
191, side 2
009:
He went to Canada to see his brother and then went back to
Seattle. His brother was a storekeeper in Saskatchewan at that time. His
youngest brother had died of tuberculosis. Their mother had died in
Iceland.
191, side 2
054: GOLDEN WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY
1956 - They had a big party at
the Calvary Lutheran Church. It was an open-house. Some of her brothers and
sisters came. Ole and Dilla came and Gwen and Jessie came. Her husband died in
1970. He was born in Framnese, Iceland.
191, side 2
173: MEETING THE PRESIDENT OF
ICELAND
Vigdis Finnbogadottur. They had a
nice visit. Aleph spoke Icelandic to her. Vigdis said she spoke Icelandic as if
she were born in Iceland. Aleph received a telegram from the president wishing
her well for her 100th birthday.
191, side 2
285: ICELANDIC FOOD
Aleph sometimes fixed sausages made of liver. She also
liked blood sausage. She also made a type of Icelandic doughnut called kojna
(kleinur?). She made wienerkeppa (vieterta?), a cake with many layers. She also
makes rullpoelser, a kind of sausage. She speaks a little Icelandic.
Subjects
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the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these
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