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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t184
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Creator:
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Breiwick, Thomas Wilhelm Olsen
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Title:
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Thomas Wilhelm Olsen Breiwick Oral History
Interview
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Dates:
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1982 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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3 file folders
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 Thomas Wilhelm Olsen Breiwick, a Norwegian
immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Thomas Breiwick was born on January 11, 1893 in Breivik, Stokmarknes, Norway to Elling Lorence Olsen, a
fisherman and small farmer, and Thea Bergitta Sorensen, a homemaker. There were eleven children in Thomas's family, but
the first four died shortly after birth. Thomas's remaining siblings were Sophia, Olga, Emma, Emil, Sigrid, and
Thorval. Thomas attended school for seven years and then fished with his father. Feeling that he was lacking in
education and opportunities, Thomas decided to emigrate when he was seventeen years old in 1912. He had an aunt and
uncle in Tacoma who lent him the money for a ticket. After arriving in Washington, Thomas got a job at a sawmill in
Selleck and later did road construction in Tacoma. Thomas's uncle was a mechanic for Northern Pacific Railroad, but
when he grew tired of working in the shop, he invited Thomas to start fishing with him. As it turns out, Thomas's uncle
did not like it, but Thomas continued fishing for the next thirty-five years. He eventually owned nine boats.
Five years after Thomas emigrated, his girlfriend from Norway, Dagmar Tekle, decided to join him. They were
married and had four children: Arnold, Lester, Eleanor, and Ruth. In Tacoma, Thomas was also one of the founders of the
Assembly of God Church on Union Street. When the family moved to Seattle, he also served as the deacon at the Assembly
of God Church there, as well as being a member of Nordlandslaget. In Seattle, Thomas and his son bought Kolstrand Inc.,
a fishing supply business that had previously belonged to a friend of Thomas's. The business is still in the family and
is now run by Thomas's grandson. Thomas has returned to Norway seven times and continues to keep in touch with his
relatives there. He believes in the importance of heritage, and all of his children have been to Norway and can
understand the language.
Lineage
Full Name: Thomas Wilheim Breiwick. Father: Elling Lorence Olsen. Mother: Thea Bergitta Sorensen. Brothers and
Sisters: The first four children died at child birth before 1885. Sophia Olsen, Olga Olsen, Emma Olsen, Emil Olsen,
Sigrid Olsen, Torvald Olsen. Spouse: Dagmar Tekle Mammies Bohn. Children: Arnold Breiwick, Lester Breiwick, Eleanor
Breiwick, Ruth Breiwick.
Content Description
This interview was conducted with Thomas Breiwick on September 14, 1982 in Seattle, Washington. It contains
information about family background, emigration, work, marriage, church and community activities, and Norwegian
heritage. The interview also includes a brief autobiography, a catalog from Kolstrand Supply Company, and an article
from the Western Viking concerning Thomas's ninetieth birthday. The interview was conducted in English.
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 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.
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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| Bohn, Mammies |
| Breiwick, Arnold |
| Breiwick, Eleanor |
| Breiwick, Lester |
| Breiwick, Ruth |
| Breiwick, Thomas--Interviews (creator) |
| Olsen, Elling Lorence |
| Sorensen, Thea Bergitta |
| Tekle,Dagmar |
| Bohn family |
| Breiwick family |
| Olsen family |
| Sorensen family |
| Tekle family |
| Assemblies of God |
| Baltic (Steamship) |
| Ellis Island (N.J. and N.Y.) |
| Nordlandslaget Nordlyset (Tacoma,
Wash.) |
| Seattle (Wash.) |
| Stokmarknes (Norway) |
| Tacoma (Wash.) |
| Emigration and immigration |
| Family--Norway |
| Fishing |
| Norway--Social conditions--1945- |
| Norwegian-Americans--Northwest,
Pacific--Interviews |
| Norwegian-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Ocean travel |
| Railroad travel |
| Oral histories |
| Sawmill workers |
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
026:
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Name, Thomas Wilhelm Breiwick. Born January 11, 1893 in Breivik which is in Northern Norway between Bodø
and Tromsø. The area was called Stokmarknes. He lived on an island where the only transportation was either to walk or
go by boat.
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Cassette Counter
070:
PARENTS
Father was Elling Lorence Olsen and his mother was Thea Sorensen. His father was a fisherman and small
farmer. His mother was a housewife.
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Cassette Counter
125:
BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Eleven children, but only seven survived past infancy. Thorval came over to the U.S. in 1923.
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Cassette Counter
180:
GRANDPARENTS
He doesn't remember them.
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Cassette Counter
200:
NAME
He took the village name. "Breivik" means wide bay. He took the village name because his cousin that came
before him took the name Breiwick. His middle name is Wilhelm, is the same as the German Kaiser Wilhelm that used to
travel in his boat in their area.
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Cassette Counter
260:
SCHOOL
In Norway at that time there wasn't much schooling. They went for twelve weeks a year for seven years and
then they were confirmed.
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Cassette Counter
295:
REASONS FOR EMIGRATION
He felt he was lacking in education. He wrote to his aunt and uncle to send him a ticket. He heard about
the Titanic sinking when he was on his way to leave Norway. He had heard of Tacoma and he knew as the many other
immigrants of this time that it was easier to make it in the U.S. After he left Norway, things changed and young people
in Norway got more education.
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Cassette Counter
370:
TRIP TO U.S.
Left alone. Stopped to visit his sister in Trondheim, Norway (continues on I-455).
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Cassette Counter
383:
WORK IN NORWAY
He was fishing with his father. The earnings went to head of the house.
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Cassette Counter
400:
IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS
He needed $100 to go through the screenings process on Ellis Island.
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Cassette Counter
408:
FEELINGS ABOUT LEAVING NORWAY
Had no thoughts of going back. Remembers saying goodbye to his mother whom he never saw again.
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Cassette Counter
438:
LUGGAGE
Had only one suitcase that a cousin made out of wood.
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Cassette Counter
455:
TRIP TO U.S.
Went from Trondheim to Bergen and then to London by ship. From there he crossed the Atlantic. Arrived in
Halifax, Canada. He took a train to the west coast of the U.S. and ended up in Tacoma, Washington. The ship was the
"Baltic." It was a nice trip. They had entertainment. A girl fell in love with him on the ship, but Thomas had a girl
in Norway.
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Cassette Counter
510:
SPOUSE
It took her five years to make up her mind to come to America. Her name was Dagmar and she was from the
south side of the island.
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Cassette Counter
552:
SHIP
There were four people in a room. He wasn't seasick. Most of the people on the ship were from Norway. It
took seven days to cross the Atlantic. They landed in New York and then the ship went up to Halifax, Canada and there
he got on the train.
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Cassette Counter
600:
TRAIN TRAVEL
Traveled across Canada and came into the U.S. at Sumas, Washington. He's not sure why he had to take that
route, but they were like "sheep being herded like a shepherd."
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Cassette Counter
615:
ELLIS ISLAND
(1912) Had to show your $100.
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Cassette Counter
640:
TRAIN TRAVEL
When they were traveling through Winnipeg, Canada, a man from a road crew threw a clump of dirt into
Thomas' open window and he got a black eye. That was his welcome to Canada.
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Cassette Counter
665:
LANGUAGE
It took a year before he was comfortable with the language. Otherwise there was always someone that could
help.
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Cassette Counter
686:
They discuss a picture that was taken of Thomas just before he left Norway. It was taken in Stormarknes,
Norway. This was on the island that he was born. The other town on the island is Melbu. The island has a circumference
of 36 miles. He was 17 when he came in May of 1912.
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Cassette Counter
705:
TACOMA
Uncle met him at the Union depot which was built in 1910. Uncle was a mechanic in the shop for the
Northern Pacific RR.
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Cassette Counter
735:
SAWMILL WORK
Got a job at the sawmill in Selleck, Washington. He ran some of the big machines. There were many
Scandinavians there.
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Cassette Counter
760:
ROAD WORK
Got a job wheeling sand and gravel for a section of the road that goes through south Tacoma.
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Cassette Counter
788:
Didn't have time or money for school. He had to pay the $100 he borrowed from his sister back. The bank
had taken her bankbook as collateral.
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Cassette Counter
800:
WORK
He worked ten-hour days and made $2.25 a day.
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Cassette Counter
816:
FISHING
His uncle was tired of working in the shop and wanted Thomas to start fishing with him. Uncle took a
leave from work. Uncle didn't like it. Thomas bought a tent so that he would have a place to sleep when fishing in Neah
Bay, Washington. He set up his tent on Waadah Island, Washington. He kept fishing for 35 years. He had nine boats over
the years. He got bigger boats that he could live on. They made port sometimes in Grays Harbor, Washington, Astoria,
Oregon, or Cape Flattery, Washington. There were no restrictions on the fishing season then.
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Cassette Counter
920:
SPOUSE
When she came, Abelsen, Thomas' uncle met her at the station and it was a week before she saw Thomas. He
had a small home for her in Tacoma. It was in the Norwegian area.
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Cassette Counter
945:
CHILDREN
They had four children, two boys and two girls. One girl died when seven after she had an operation. The
family now owns Kolstrand, Inc. in Seattle. The boys' names are Arnold and Lester. Thomas' grandson runs the business
now.
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Cassette Counter
988:
FISHING LIFE
Sometimes the earnings are meager. He tells about fishing off of Tatoosh Island, Washington and catching
fish which he thought were worth $1 a piece and only getting 10 cents for them in Neah Bay, Washington. There were
times when he got 4 cents a pound and today's fishermen will get $3. He enjoyed fishing when the weather was nice and
there were fish biting.
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Cassette Counter
1050:
They lived in Seattle, Washington for 27 years and prior to that in Tacoma.
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Cassette Counter
1060:
CHURCH LIFE
He was one of the founders of the Assembly of God Church on Union Street in Tacoma. This was in about
1918. In Norway, there was only the Lutheran Church. This church started out as a Pentecostal church. The original
church burned down. When they lived in Seattle they went to the Assembly of God church there. He has been a deacon and
active in what went on.
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Cassette Counter
016:
KOLSTRAND
Mr. Kolstrand started the company by making trolling gurdies. They were friends and he had stood up for
them at their wedding. He was suffering from asthma and decided to sell the business. This was a fishing supply
business. Thomas and his son went to run it after they had paid for it in full the day after they got the call. The
business was in Seattle and he worked there for 27 years until his son retired him with a pension.
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Cassette Counter
245:
VISITS TO NORWAY
Went back for the first time in 1927. They went by ship and visited his sister. He took his wife Dagmar
and daughter, Eleanor.
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Cassette Counter
310:
He talks about fishing and eating fresh fish in Norway. They would have it boiled in a soup and have
potatoes. In herring season in Norway they salted 2-3 barrels of fish.
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Cassette Counter
368:
CONTACT WITH NORWAY
He keeps in touch with his sisters and he has a lot of cousins too.
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Cassette Counter
377:
VISITS TO NORWAY
Has made six other trips. They like to go in the summer time. It has been eleven years since they have
been to Norway. They returned because they have relatives there. They live higher and are cared for in Norway. They are
on the same standard as we are. He says that he heard that Norway is the richest land in the world.
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Cassette Counter
444:
IMPORTANCE OF HERITAGE
The children have all been there. The children can understand Norwegian. He doesn't use Norwegian
anymore.
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Cassette Counter
475:
SPOKEN NORWEGIAN
He says a Norwegian table prayer and I Jesu navn.
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Cassette Counter
535:
HOLIDAYS IN NORWAY
At Christmas they have at least three days of vacation from work and the same at New Years.
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Cassette Counter
553:
FAVORITE HOLIDAY FOODS
He likes lutefisk and has attended the dinners at Peninsula Lutheran. He tells how to eat it. He likes
lefse too.
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Cassette Counter
607:
NORDLANDSLAGET
He is a member. This is a group which is supposed to be for people from Northern Norway but they will
accept anyone now.
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Cassette Counter
635:
IMPORTANCE OF NORWEGIAN HERITAGE
He is satisfied with how things have turned out.
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Cassette Counter
645:
JOKE
He tells a joke about a lady who claimed she was injured in a car wreck.
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