Funding for encoding
this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment
for the Humanities.
Biographical Note
Ed Carlson was born Carl Gustav Edward
Carlson on June 17, 1897 in Åsa, Småland, Sweden. Ed's parents, Emma and
Johannes Carlson, had three other children: Einar, Alved, and Selma. Ed
attended school for seven years and worked on a farm after classes. In 1916 Ed
left for the United States on his own and settled in Aberdeen, Washington.
After working for a time in a shipyard building boats for the army, Ed got a
job at a Swedish sawmill where he worked for 25 years. In 1924 Ed married Anna
Anderson, and they had four children. Ed is a member of the Vasa Lodge where
they practice Swedish traditions; he still speaks the language at times. Ed has
taken several return trips to Sweden, although he is glad that he lives in
America.
Lineage
Father: Johannes Carlson.
Mother: Emma Carlson. Paternal Grandfather: Carl Granat Maternal. Grandfather:
Lindblad. Brothers and Sisters: Einar Carlson, Alved Carlson, Selma Carlson.
Spouse: Anna Anderson Carlson. Children: Dale Carlson, Alan Carlson, Paul
Carlson.
Content Description
The interview was conducted with Ed
Carlson on September 30, 1981 in Aberdeen, Washington. This interview contains
information on personal background, emigration, settling in, work, family,
social organizations, and return trips to Sweden. The interview was conducted
in English with some Swedish towards the end 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
Donna Mallonee 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
96, side 1
042: CARL GUSTAV EDWARD
CARLSON
One name from the King, one from
his father. Born in Åsa, Småland, Sweden. Åsa is the name of a church and a
community in the southern part of Sweden. Born June 17, 1897.
96, side 1
052: PARENTS
Emma and Johannes. Father worked in the woods cutting up
squares. Ed also worked in the woods.
96, side 1
061: BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
Two brothers still live in Sweden.
Einar and Alved. One sister, Selma.
96, side 1
065: GRANDPARENTS
Lived one and half miles away. Grandfather was a
watchmaker. They visited once or twice a week. Grandma baked good bread.
96, side 1
072:
Mother's father was name Lindblad. He was a farmer and active
in politics.
96, side 1
078: HISTORY OF THE FAMILY
NAME
Grandfather's name was Carl Granat.
That was a name carried down from many generations.
96, side 1
085: CHILDHOOD HOME
Painted red. A farmhouse. Living room, kitchen,
upstairs. Had a barn, cattle, and pigs. Raised lots of vegetables. Stored them
so that they could have vegetables all year.
96, side 1
098: SPECIAL FOODS
Main food beef, pork, and herring. Lived close to a
lake so caught pike and bass. Spent their leisure time fishing.
96, side 1
109: CHRISTMAS
Had a tree. In Sweden you invite the neighbors in.
Also go and visit neighbors. Had sleds and skis. The lake froze over in the
winter and they went ice-skating. Caught fish in the winter under the ice.
96, side 1
125: SCHOOL
Walked about one mile. No buses. Had boots for walking in the
winter. Took their lunch to school, had handmade basket.
96, side 1
141:
Mother baked pastries, bread, and coffee bread.
96, side 1
147: SCHOOL
Went for seven years. Worked for a farmer after school. Lived
on the farm where he worked. Worked some in the woods.
96, side 1
153:
LEFT SWEDEN IN 1916. He came over by himself.
96, side 1
156: LEAVING SWEDEN
Looked forward to going to America. Ready to quit
picking potatoes in Sweden and he did not want to go in the army.
96, side 1
161:
War broke out soon after Ed arrived in America. He worked at
a shipyard that built boats for the army. This excused him from the army.
96, side 1
169: TRIP OVER
Not bad. No seasickness. Good food. Took the train
from New York to Aberdeen, Washington.
96, side 1
179:
Had two brothers and a sister already in America. They met
him at the depot. He did not speak any English.
96, side 1
184:
Worked at a Swedish sawmill handling lumber. Hard work.
Learned to inspect lumber, stamped it. Worked for the Bureau for 25 years.
Lived in a boarding house in Aberdeen.
96, side 1
202: LANGUAGE
Did not take long learning English. No problems.
96, side 1
205:
Made good wages working for the Bureau.
96, side 1
209: LOGGING CAMPS
One camp hired all Finnish people. One camp all
Swedes, and one camp all Norwegians. Good food, good wages at the camp. Had
bunkhouses. The men all worked ten hour days. The owner of the camps caused
competition between the camps.
96, side 1
243:
People spoke their native tongues in the camps. Ed tells a
story about a Norwegian who worked four years in a logging camp and made enough
money to buy a ticket to the old country. It was hard to get paid in paper
money. They paid in gold and silver.
96, side 1
278: LOGGING CAMPS
Healthy looking guys. They knew how to use an ax, fall
a tree. Americans had a hard time keeping up with the other men working in the
woods. Mr. Poulson owned the logging company. There were many men working in
the woods. Explains how they got logs down the river where they floated to main
bay and taken to the sawmill. There were no highways in the woods.
96, side 1
304:
Talks about huge logs, some 7ft. in diameter. Men today
wouldn't know how to handle this. No women working in the mills, they stayed at
home.
96, side 1
313:
There was fishing going on in Aberdeen. Canneries in town.
Mr. Strand made a fortune on a cannery.
96, side 1
322:
Could keep timber in the river for one year and it would
still be good.
96, side 1
328: MEETING WIFE
Anna Anderson. She had Swedish parents. She has
relations in Aberdeen. Married in 1924.
96, side 1
338: CHILDREN
Four. All went to school and college. Dale is a civil
engineer and professor at University of Washington. Alan is a Lutheran pastor
in Beaverton, Oregon. Paul is an electrical engineer. Youngest son is a doctor
in Seattle.
96, side 1
360: VASA LODGE
Member at Aberdeen's lodge. Have dances, music and
speakers. Finnish and Norwegian people had their own organizations.
96, side 1
372: TRIPS BACK TO
SWEDEN
Change. Lots of improvement, modern
equipment on the farms. Well-educated people. Lots of factories. Good pay.
People well taken care of.
96, side 1
388:
Parents have passed away. Brothers are still in Sweden. His
family is doing fine. Does not regret living in America instead of Sweden.
96, side 1
410:
Worked in the mills for 25 years. Worked as a councilman for
the City of Aberdeen for 10 years. Collected money, etc.
96, side 1
426: DESCRIBING THE
SWEDES
Almost like ordinary people. Cannot
tell Scandinavians apart by looking at them. Finnish people hard workers.
96, side 1
439:
No women in the mills. Some in the canneries. Doing laundry.
Could not work with machines in the factory.
96, side 1
443:
Still speaks the language at time. Many Scandinavians in the
area. Still go to church early on Christmas morning as in Sweden.
96, side 1
464: SPEAKS SWEDISH
Says prayer.
96, side 1
482:
Always got silver on payday. Had to go to the bank if you
wanted paper money.
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 :
Anderson, Anna
Carlson, Alan
Carlson, Anna
Carlson, Carl Gustav Edvard--Interviews
(
creator)
Carlson, Carl Gustav Edward
Carlson, Dale
Carlson, Emma
Carlson, Johannes
Carlson, Paul
Granat, Carl
Family Names :
Anderson family
Carlson family
Granat
family
Lindblad family
Corporate Names :
Vasa Order of
America. Lodge Number 363 (Aberdeen, Wash.)
