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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t224
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Creator:
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Kasen, Sigrid
Josephine
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Title:
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Sigrid Josephine Kasen Oral History Interview
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Dates:
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1983 (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 Sigrid Josephine Kasen, a Finnish immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Sigrid Kasen was born on November 15, 1884 in Sideby, Finland, which is a Swedish community on the West Coast
of Finland. Her parents were Matt Lammenpaa and Sophie Rönnkvist, and Sigrid had three younger siblings: Hilma,
Hilding, and John. Sigrid's mother passed away when Sigrid was twelve, and she helped her father raise the other
children. In Sideby, Sigrid attended a Swedish school and church, and her family spoke Swedish in their home. Sigrid
understands Finnish but cannot converse in it. In 1909, Sigrid immigrated to the United States due to curiosity and
lack of work for young girls in Finland. She knew someone in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and went there first. After one
winter in Massachusetts, she moved to San Francisco, California and did housework. While living there, she met her
husband, Alfred Kasen. Alfred was also from Finland and did carpentry work. After they were married, Sigrid and Alfred
moved to Seattle, Washington, and they had five children: Anna, Astrid, Edith, Ruth, and Melvin. Sigrid has returned to
Finland once and her heritage is very important to her. Nevertheless, she is very glad she came to America.
Lineage
Full Name: Sigrid Josephine Mattson Kasen. Maiden Name: Sigrid Josephine Mattson. Father: Matt Lammenpaa.
Mother: Sophie Rönnkvist. Brothers and Sisters: Hilma Lammenpaa, Hilding Lammenpaa, John Lammenpaa. Spouse: Alfred
Kasen. Children: Anna Kasen, Astrid Kasen, Edith Kasen, Ruth Kasen, Melvin Kasen.
Content Description
This interview was conducted with Sigrid Kasen on January 18, 1983 at Foss Home in Seattle, Washington. It
provides information on family background, emigration, employment, marriage and family, and heritage. Also available
are two photographs of Sigrid at the time of the interview. 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 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.
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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| Kasen, Alfred |
| Kasen, Anna |
| Kasen, Astrid |
| Kasen, Edith |
| Kasen, Melvin |
| Kasen, Ruth |
| Kasen,
Sigrid--Interviews (creator) |
| Lammenpaa, Hilding |
| Lammenpaa, Hilma |
| Lammenpaa, John |
| Lammenpaa, Matt |
| Ronkvist, Sophie |
| Kasen family |
| Lammenpaa family |
| Mattson family |
| Rönnkvist family |
| Fitchburg (Mass.) |
| San Francisco (Calif.) |
| Seattle (Wash.) |
| Sideby (Finland) |
| Christmas |
| Education--Finland |
| Emigration and Immigration |
| Family--Finland |
| Finnish-Americans--Ethnic identity |
| Finnish-Americans--Northwest,
Pacific--Interview |
| Finnish-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Oral histories |
| Carpenters |
| 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
046:
Sigrid Josephine Mattson Kasen. Born November 15, 1884 in Sideby, Finland. Sideby is a Swedish community
on the west coast of Finland between Kristinestad and Bjoerneborg (Pori) in the province of Vasa Lan.
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Cassette Counter
116:
PARENTS
Matt Lammenpaa and Sophie Ronkvist. She tells why her father had a Finnish name. Hard times in Finland
during the late 19th century. Many Finnish speaking people came down from the north looking for food and work in the
Swedish speaking villages along the coast. He married and settled in the town where his wife was from. He fished in the
summer. Did whatever he could in the winter.
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Cassette Counter
203:
BROTHERS & SISTERS
Mother died when Sigrid was 12 years old. She, her father, and her grandmother raised her 3 younger
brothers and sisters. Hilma was 8, Hilding was 5, and John was almost 2 when their mother died.
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Cassette Counter
246:
GRANDPARENTS
Remembers maternal grandmother, but doesn't remember her name. Paternal grandmother lived to be quite
old, but she lived in Finnish speaking Finland.
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Cassette Counter
272:
CHILDHOOD
Grew up in a Swedish village. Went to a Swedish school and Swedish Church. Sigrid understands Finnish and
can say a few words, but she can't converse in Finnish. They spoke Swedish in her home. Her father spoke Swedish quite
well. Nobody could tell he was Finnish.
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Cassette Counter
314:
SCHOOL AND CHURCH
Didn't have to go far to go to school or church. Both were in the same village. She would often go to
church with her brothers and sisters. She was confirmed at the church in Sideby.
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Cassette Counter
333:
CHRISTMAS
Had a decorated Christmas tree. Had lutfisk, rice pudding, potatoes on Christmas Eve. Farmers would
butcher animals and have meat too. People in the villages had to buy meat and it was expensive. Didn't get many
presents. Went to church on Christmas Day.
CONTACT WITH BROTHERS & SISTERS: Visited both brothers in Finland while they were still living. Sister
got married and lived near Lake Stevens, Washington. Sigrid is the only one in her family still living. Sigrid is a
tough Finn.
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Cassette Counter
432:
REASONS FOR EMIGRATING
No work for girls in Finland. Did housework in the US. Married a man from Finland after coming to the US.
Knew somebody in Fitchburg, Mass. Went to America with a woman who had been home for a visit. Sigrid had heard about
America from many people. Those who had settle on America's east coast would sometimes go home to visit.
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Cassette Counter
493:
TRIP TO AMERICA
Nice trip. Didn't get sick. Came to Boston, Massachusetts. Didn't take long on the train to get to
Fitchburg.
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Cassette Counter
549:
MOVING TO THE WEST COAST
The winter in Massachusetts was as cold as in Finland. Sigrid knew some people in San Francisco,
California. Traveled by train 5 nights and 4 days. Sat the whole way. Bought only one meal.
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Cassette Counter
585:
WORK IN FITCHBURG
Did housework. Many girls looking for work there so wages were low. Better wages and better climate on the
West Coast.
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Cassette Counter
604:
LEARNING ENGLISH
Never went to school to learn it. This was after she had gotten married. Husband wasn't sure if he wanted
to take out citizen papers. Might want to go back to Finland. His father had a big farm in Purmo, which is north of
Vasa and near Jakobstad. He waited so long to get his citizenship papers that she had to take out her own papers.
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Cassette Counter
641:
MEETING SPOUSE
Met husband, Alfred Kasen, in San Francisco, CA. Had worked in logging camps. Then decided to become a
carpenter. She met him at the church in San Francisco. He saw her and told his brother, "that's the girl I'm going to
marry." Married for 60 years. Didn't have a wedding. Just went to a minister. Had to have a witness. Had a dinner that
night with husband's brother and sister-in-law.
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Cassette Counter
685:
Got a house and lived in San Francisco for a while. Husband did carpenter work.
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Cassette Counter
692:
CHILDREN
Five children. Oldest - Anna. Went to only 2 years of high school. Got a touch of tuberculosis. Had to go
to a sanatorium for a while. Astrid - became a nurse. Edith - went to high school and college. Got married. Ruth - went
to college and got married. Lives near Chicago. Edith - lives in California. Melvin - lives in Portland. Works for
Centennial Flowering Company. He is a salesman.
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Cassette Counter
763:
MOVING TO THE NORTHWEST
Sigrid is a little confused as to when she lived where. They lived in Portland, Oregon for a time. Her
husband came to Seattle from Finland. Worked in logging camps in Washington. Went to San Francisco to do carpenter
work. Some of Sigrid's children were born in Seattle.
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Cassette Counter
805:
TRIPS BACK TO FINLAND
Went by herself. Her husband had nobody to visit there. His younger sister and brother lived around
Chicago. His parents passed away. His older sister and her husband bought the farm from their grandpa.
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Cassette Counter
904:
CHURCH
Has been active in a church in Seattle.
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Cassette Counter
917:
FINNISH ORGANIZATIONS
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Cassette Counter
920:
WORK
Started working again after children were grown up. Worked 2 days a week. A lot of work in the home to
feed 7 people. Had to start working after husband fell and broke a leg. He couldn't work for a year. He worked for the
government so he got some money from them. They got $1000. Made a down payment on a house.
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Cassette Counter
955:
Sigrid is glad she came to America. Would have had to work for farmers in Finland. She had heard so much
about America. She wanted to see what was going on here.
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Cassette Counter
968:
GIVES AN EXAMPLE OF THE FINNISH LANGUAGE
Kuinka se te vol? (How do you feel?) Hyvaa Paivaa. (Good day) Finnish is more difficult to learn to speak
than to understand.
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Cassette Counter
985:
GIVES AN EXAMPLE OF THE SWEDISH LANGUAGE
Hur maar du? (How are you?) God dag. (Good day) Vad goer du idag? (What are you doing today?)
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Cassette Counter
991:
TRADITIONS
Her children understand Swedish. She would talk to them in Swedish and they would answer in English. She
doesn't know if the children cook Swedish food.
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Cassette Counter
1012:
TELLS ABOUT THE FOSS HOME IN SEATTLE
"It's a home without a home." She likes it. They keep it clean. The food is good enough for her. Some
don't like it.
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Cassette Counter
1054:
IMPORTANCE OF FINNISH HERITAGE
She's just as good as anyone else. "Finland - the land of a thousand lakes." A beautiful country in the
summer. Sun never sets before 11:00 pm in the summer. Sun never sets in Lapland during the summer.
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Cassette Counter
1078:
LAPLANDERS
Doesn't know where they came from. Maybe Asia. They aren't Swedish or Finnish. Honest people.
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Cassette Counter
1086:
FINNISH PEOPLE
Honest. Borrowed money from the US twice. They paid back every cent. Other countries that have borrowed
from the US have not paid back their loans. Finnish people work hard. Didn't want to have anything to do with the
Russians.
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Cassette Counter
009:
The end of the interview is confusing and difficult to understand. She tells about the son of a preacher
who killed a man and came to Canada. He had friends there. He's in the United States now.
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