Overview of the Collection
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Repository Name:
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Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library
Scandinavian Immigrant Experience
Collection
Archives and Special
Collections Department
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA, 98447
253-535-7586
Email:archives@plu.edu
http://www.plu.edu/archives
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Collection Number:
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t281
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Creator:
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Mork, Helen Nordström
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Title:
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Helen Nordström Mork Oral
History Interview
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Dates:
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1989 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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3 file folders
2 photographs.
1 sound cassette.
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Languages:
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English
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Summary:
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An oral history interview with Helen Nordström
Mork, a Swedish immigrant.
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Biographical Note
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.
Lineage
Full Name: Helena Elizabeth Mork. Maiden Name: Helena Elizabeth
Nordström. Father: Helmer Nordström. Mother: Amanda Nordström. Paternal
Grandfather: Frederick Nordström. Paternal Grandmother: Johanna Nordström.
Maternal Grandfather: Johannes Olofson. Maternal Grandmother: Johanna Olofson.
Brothers and Sisters: Hilder Nordström, Henny Nordström, Harold Nordström,
Ruben Nordström, Ragnhild Nordström, Annie Nordström. Spouse: Ola Mork.
Children: Erling Mork, Harold Mork, Eleanor Schubert.
Content Description
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.
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.
Processing Note The interview was conducted by
Laura Schubert 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.
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.
Related Information
Bibliography
Rasmussen, Janet Elaine. New Land
New Lives: Scandinavian Immigrants to the Pacific NorthwestTacoma, WashingtonUniversity of Washington
Press1993
Additional Reference Guides
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.
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Mork, Erling |
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Mork, Harold |
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Mork, Helen Elisabeth --Interviews (creator) |
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Mork, Ola |
| Nordström, Amanda |
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Nordström, Frederick |
| Nordström, Helena Elisabeth |
| Nordström, Helmer |
| Nordström, Johanna |
| Olofson, Johanna |
| Schubert, Eleanor |
| Mork
family |
| Nordström family |
| Olofson
family |
| Bethel Lutheran
Church (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| First Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Our
Redeemer Lutheran Church (Seattle, Wash.) |
| Sons
of Norway (U.S.) Leif Erikson Lodge No. 1 (Seattle,Wash.) |
| Swedish Club
(Seattle, Wash.) |
| Trinity Lutheran
Church (Parkland, Wash.) |
| Vasa Order of
America. Lodge Number 233 (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Hindersön (Sweden) |
| Norrbotten
(Sweden) |
| Parkland (Wash.) |
| Råneå (Sweden) |
| Tacoma
(Wash.) |
| Volda (Norway)
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| Christmas
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| Emigration and
immigration |
| Family -- Economic
aspects -- Sweden |
| Family -- Sweden
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| Fishing |
| Railroad
travel |
| Swedish-Americans --
Ethnic identity |
| Swedish-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews |
| Swedish-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Oral
histories |
| Cooks |
| Domestics |
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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".
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
644:
Helen and the interviewer [granddaughter, Laura] chat in
Swedish.
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Cassette Counter
657:
CONTACT WITH
SWEDEN
Swedish relatives visit them yearly
plus some Swedish friends who live in Hawaii but came from Goeteborg and
Helsingborg.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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Cassette Counter
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.
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