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Biographical Note
Amanda Nelson was born on January 5, 1883 in
southern Sweden. She was one of ten children who worked on their small farm.
After finishing school and working in the fields for several years, Amanda
decided to move to America. In 1904, at the age of twenty, she and a friend
traveled to the United States. Amanda's sister paid for her trip over, so
Amanda worked for her on her farm near Portland, Oregon to pay off the debt.
Since the labor was so difficult and Amanda did not like living with her sister
and brother-in-law, Amanda found a job as a housekeeper with a Jewish family in
Portland. She also traveled and worked in Florida, Colorado, and New York.
Through a friend, Amanda met her future husband. He owned a farm in Mt.
Vernon and after meeting Amanda, asked her to be the cook on the farm; they
married soon thereafter. They had one son who died at birth and one daughter,
Evelyn. In 1920, Amanda, with her husband and daughter, returned to Sweden to
visit their families. They have practiced Swedish traditions in their family
around Christmas time, such as cooking and decorating in the customary way.
Amanda has been very active in her Lutheran church, Savior's Lutheran, in Mt.
Vernon. She fondly remembers being confirmed in Sweden and since then has loved
to volunteer and take charge of church projects. Amanda has become an avid
painter and has sold and given away many. Even though she worked so hard all
her life, Amanda feels that living in America was good for her and that she has
been very fortunate.
Lineage
Full Name: Amanda
Nelson. Maiden Name: Amanda Nelson. Brothers and Sisters: There were 10
children in the family; one died at birth. Five emigrated to America and four
remained in Sweden. Spouse: .......Nelson. Children: Evelyn Nelson, A son who
died.
Content Description
This interview was conducted with Amanda
Nelson on June 8, 1978 in Stanwood, Washington. It contains information about
personal background, work, emigration, marriage, Swedish traditions, and
church.
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 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
11, side 1
004: BACKGROUND
My name is Amanda Nelson. [From 006 - 038 is
garbled.]
11, side 1
038:
...Tomesis? [her husband], a neighbor man who she knew from
the old country, Sweden. They had one girl who lives in Seattle and a boy who
died at birth. The daughter has two children; one works at Swedish Hospital and
another lives in CA. [Discussion about granddaughter's trip to Europe.] Amanda
has two great-grandchildren who are 12 and 14 years old.
11, side 1
120:
Amanda remembers only her paternal grandmother. There were
ten children in the family, and Amanda was the next to the youngest. One of the
children died at birth. Her folks had a little farm; the kids had to go out and
work as soon as possible. They had plenty of healthy food, and she was never
sick in 95 years with anything worse than the flu.
11, side 1
150: SETTLING IN AND
WORK
Amanda was 20 when she emigrated to
her sister's. "If you ever wanted to come over, you should never go to your
relatives". Her sister lived on a farm near Portland, OR. They had about 25
cows and no milking machines. Amanda got up at 5 am and worked until 9, 10 pm
for 10 dollars a month. When the brother-in-law took the cows to pasture,
Amanda was in charge of carrying the milk pails to the milkhouse and separating
the milk from the cream. The milk was put into a tank. "I never got to go
anyplace". One day she met a man on her way to the milkhouse. Since she didn't
understand English, he continued on to the house. Amanda's sister told her at
dinner that he was a neighbor who thought Amanda's treatment was horrible, and
they [the neighbors] would take her away if the situation didn't improve. After
that, the brother-in-law carried the milk pails.
11, side 1
210:
Amanda had only 50 cents in her pocket when she arrived. Her
sister had sent her the money for the ticket, and she had to work for them over
a year before paying off the debt. The following summer there was a huge cherry
crop on the farm, and they held a picnic. She talked with other Swedish people,
and one fellow--Mr. Johnson, a caretaker at the Portland Zoo--said he would
find her another job. He later sent for her with instructions on how to travel
the 14 miles from the farm to Portland. Amanda took the cream boat and then
walked to their house, spending her first night there.
11, side 1
270:
She had just had her 20th birthday, after emigrating in 1904
on Good Friday. She left Sweden because she had her sister here and because so
many Swedes emigrated. "I have never regretted that I left. No, golly, I should
say not. I was home in the old country in 1920, and I never was so glad to come
home again to America. ...I love it here".
11, side 1
287:
In Portland, she began housework with a Jewish family in
Portland. "They were the most wonderful people. Oh, boy. They were good to me.
And I had 20 dollars a month then!". The sister in Portland was next to
the oldest and had been here for years. She married a boy from the neighborhood
in Sweden and didn't have to change her name either. Another sister lived in
Florida. When Amanda's husband died, Amanda visited this sister. But it was
just more work because the 80 year old sister was laid up with a broken hip and
leg.
11, side 1
347:
From Florida, Amanda went to Denver, CO. [She tells a long
story about an orphan girl that she had helped and in return, the girl
befriended her.]
11, side 1
427: EMIGRATION
A couple from Coeur d'Alene came home to Sweden.
Another girl, 17, and Amanda, 20, decided to return to America with them. She
had finished the 8th grade, and had been out working, tending cows and doing
field work in Sweden. Women always worked out in the fields in Sweden in those
days and no one thought about it. They lived in southern Sweden, close to
Skaane. She'd been working down there with the sugar beets as a part of a crew.
They carried their own food and cooked for themselves.
11, side 1
471:
On the boat she was somewhat sick, but was also up and
dancing. "You know, when you're young, anything goes". In America at one train
stop, they got off to have a cup of coffee. It was only a 15 minute stop and
the train started to leave without them. The others and Amanda ran after it.
She was wearing bedroom slippers and couldn't run fast enough, so she kicked
them off and managed to catch the train. Then somebody told them in Swedish
about the 15 minute stops to take on and remove freight.
11, side 1
499:
The boat was full of people. Amanda came second class with a
bedroom and food. The third class didn't have much of anything and was a
mixture of various people. The ticket cost about 100 dollars from Halmstad in
Sweden to New York. When she visited in 1920, she had to enter through
Norway because of a strike in Sweden. Going through customs, she "hid" certain
items by wearing a watch and ring and stuffing other things in the back of her
bloomers. There was no problem with emigration customs in America,
because they had such few things in a suitcase. Tells a story about a friend
taking 9 liters of Swedish whiskey through customs.
11, side 1
580:
She and her friend traveled by train with the couple until
they reached Coeur d'Alene. Amanda was not afraid to travel alone. She had
brought rye bread, cheese, and dried beef from home. She had only the 50 cents
with and wasn't asked about money in New York.
11, side 1
605:
"The hardest thing is you can't talk". But people were
wonderful and didn't make fun of her. She learned the language little by
little. The most different thing between America and Sweden is the friendliness
of Americans; you could make friends very quickly. Tells a story about herself
and a girlfriend in Sweden and how they weren't allowed to sit in the kitchen
of one family. Swedish were more class conscious at that time.
11, side 1
654: MEETING HUSBAND AND
MARRIAGE
Her husband stayed in Sweden
until he was 35. He courted a cousin whom his father didn't like and he refused
to give the son the farm as long as he went with this girl. So, he emigrated.
He was a bachelor in Mt. Vernon and owned a 40 acre farm. After Amanda and he
returned from Sweden in 1920, they built a new home on the farm. In 1937, they
moved to town and built another new house. When she moved to the Home, she sold
that house.
11, side 1
676:
She had met her husband through her friend with whom she
corresponded. This girl, his cousin, worked on his farm but planned on marrying
Amanda's brother who lived in Spokane. She invited Amanda to visit her in Mt.
Vernon which Amanda did. The farmer asked Amanda to stay and be the cook since
his cousin was leaving. They had known each other in Sweden. They were married
later at home and spent a couple of days in Seattle before returning to the
farm.
11, side 1
699:
Amanda worked hard on that farm also--milking cows. "There
were a lot of things. But you know, you don't think of anything else. But it's
your own and you feel all right and you're happy. I got the most wonderful man
that's ever could be, and I got a daughter".
11, side 1
708:
There were nine kids in Sweden. One brother died at the
Josephine Home [Stanwood]; one died in Mt. Vernon; one sister in Florida; and
one sister in Portland. Five kids emigrated and the other four stayed in
Sweden. All were over 80 when they died.
11, side 1
716:
Amanda, her husband, and another couple and two children
returned to Sweden in 1920 for a month. Her daughter was eight years old and
could speak Swedish very well. Amanda believes the old people in Sweden
have better benefits than in America, especially medical care. The kids in
America used to send money home; the parents never owned a farm but rented a
part of an estate. They made a living on the farm but had to pay rent also.
Some of the kids moved to the city to work, but Amanda preferred to work on
farms. One Swedish brother worked for the railroad.
11, side 2
038: SWEDISH
TRADITIONS
She continued with Swedish
foods like sylta, risgryn, fruktsoppe and .... kaka?. "You feel it's Christmas
then. There were a lot of things that we tried to keep up with, but the older
you get, the less [more] you get away from it". She cried at the first
Christmas, because she thought about the old country and the family. At
Christmas time, her mother made a special roll for each child with their
initial on top; that was the Christmas present. Amanda feels that she worked
hard and maybe, it was better. People simply don't work so hard, but life isn't
that good either.Her church, Salem Lutheran Church in Mt. Vernon, will
have its 65th anniversary, and she is the oldest member. Amanda is a painter,
and her last work of Jesus and Mary was given to the church. She loves
painting, but never started until she moved to the Home. Here, at the age of
96, she bowls, paints, plays bingo, and decorates the dining tables.
11, side 2
196:
She has sent a picture to a granddaughter but hasn't kept any
herself. Some paintings, she has sold and others, given away. She has a very
steady hand and has always done good handwork. In Sweden, she knit stockings
and sweaters, and sewed clothing by hand. At 6 pm, they had dinner and were
free to do handwork--crochet or knit for themselves. "You couldn't sit down and
do that when there were so many other things to be done on the farm". It was
not considered work because you couldn't make a living doing that.
11, side 2
302: CHURCH
They worked so hard on the church; there was no electricity
or hot water. Eighteen members had to put the top on. Some years later, they
got a new schoolteacher. She came to a church dinner "all dolled up". She
announced she was the head of the group and wanted to call a meeting to decide
how to serve the dinner. The other 4-5 women told her they had done this job so
many times, they didn't need a leader or a meeting.
11, side 2
347:
Amanda was very active in the church; they had no money to
hire people or buy goods, so they did all the work themselves. Among other
things, she had to chop wood for the woodstove. In Sweden, they tried to attend
church every Sunday; her father liked to go. But when they had to stay home, he
read the Bible outloud. "I never remember that my dad put a hand on any of
us--never. But, he looked--. ...Mama was pulling hair...golly, with all them
kids, you know".
11, side 2
398:
Amanda had instructions every morning at school--a short
piece from the Bible. The church was quite distant. The pastor was a bachelor
at the time, and had an uncle sea captain who lived with him. The year she
attended confirmation class, she stayed at the parsonage and did the cooking
for them. "He was so wonderful' they were so nice to me". The pastor gave her
black fabric and hired a dressmaker to sew her confirmation dress; in addition
she received her room and board.
11, side 2
435: REMINISCES
Mother didn't like her leaving. The couple came to
take her to the depot, and her mother stood on the lawn, cried, and told
Amanda, "Now, you are going to another world. ...But don't forget, never take
anything from anybody that doesn't belong to you". Her people were poor, but
they were honest. Tells a story about honesty and the doctor visiting
her in the Home. He'd stand at the door and inquire about her health, and then
charge her 10 dollars for a medical call. She was never sick and finally got
"put out" paying him money just to say hello to her. She told him to stop
coming to see her because she wouldn't pay him anymore.
11, side 2
550:
She wrote home all the time when she first came, and she used
to write to her husband's niece in Sweden. But, now there is no communication
with Swedish cousins. She thinks the Swedish people have it just as nice as the
Americans. Her father, 80 years old, was still living at a daughter's home in
1920. His birthday was May 12, the same as her husband's. He didn't want
anything But they bought him a new suit which made him very happy and proud. He
lived until he was 87 and got good use of that suit. Her sister was a widow
living in town. The father received a small pension so he was no financial
burden to the sister.
11, side 2
628:
Amanda never considered living with her daughter, Evelyn.
People live such different lives nowdays. She didn't want to interfere with
their life style. Besides, she had enough money to pay her own way at the Home.
11, side 2
672:
Amanda is not sure it's so great for women to work outside
the home. There is no one at home for the kids. Her daughter wanted to work
after the children went to school. Her husband wouldn't let her because he felt
someone should be home when the kids came home from school, and she would be
too tired if she worked outside. The granddaughter works at Swedish Hospital
and likes it; she wants to work outside.
11, side 2
700:
When Amanda first arrived, the language was difficult. She
was glad to get away from the farm in order to learn English. After the Jewish
family, she worked for another family at the seaside. Tells a story about going
out on a date and arriving home later than 10 pm. Amanda thought that lady was
mean. Following that job, she worked for another family until she left for New
York state where the Florida sister lived. The NY family had just one boy and
was a wonderful family. They were moving to Washington, D.C., and Amanda didn't
want to go. She returned to WA when her brother was to be married.
11, side 2
768-780:
garbled
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