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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t128
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Creator:
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Davidson, Odin
Jentoft
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Title:
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Odin Jentoft Davidson 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
6 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 Odin Jentoft
Davidson, a Norwegian immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Odin Davidson was born on August 3, 1900 in
Rødøy, Helgeland, Norway to Ole Davidson and Jakobine Olsen. Ole was a
fisherman and carpenter and had twelve and a half acres of land, where the
family raised cows, sheep, and potatoes. In addition to Odin, there were four
other children in the family: Olaf, Kasbara, Aksel, and Sigur. Odin attended
school through the eighth grade and then began fishing with a neighbor after
his confirmation. Not making a sufficient amount of money in Norway, Odin
decided to immigrate to America in 1920. His brother Olaf had a farm near
Albert Lea, MN. Odin lived with Olaf and worked on various farms for three
years and then moved west, where he could fish and make a better living. After
finding work in Seattle, Odin was shipped to Alaska, where he fished for
salmon. In the early days of his fishing career, the men could fish from the
dories, which were 16 feet long and held two men each. However, in the 1930s,
dories were abolished, and they began long-lining-fishing from the big boats.
Odin maintained fishing as his occupation until retirement.
On April 27,
1929, Odin married Inga Brobak and had two children, Judith and another
daughter who died of rheumatic fever when she was fourteen. The family lived on
a small farm north of Seattle, where they had cows, chickens, and raised some
of their own vegetables. Odin was not involved with any Norwegian organizations
but was active in the Lutheran Church. Odin returned to Norway in the fall of
1949 - February 1950 and still speaks and understands Norwegian. He also
continues to cook traditional Norwegian foods.
Lineage
Full Name: Odin Jentoft Davidson Father: Ole Davidson Mother:
Jakobine Davidson Paternal Grandfather: David Olsen Paternal Grandmother:
Kasbara Olsen Maternal Grandfather: Mons Olsen Maternal Grandmother: Marie
Olsen Brothers and Sisters: Olaf Davidson Kasbara Davidson Aksel Davidson Sigur
Odin Davidson Spouse: Inga Brobak Children: Judith Davidson Another daughter
who died at the age of fourteen due to rheumatic fever.
Content Description
This interview was conducted with Odin Davidson on January 14, 1982 in
Tacoma, Washington. It contains information on family background, emigration,
work, church, and Norwegian heritage. The interview also provides photographs
of Odin and his brother Aksel, Odin halibut fishing, and Odin and his wife Inga
at the time of the interview. The interview was conducted in English. Also see
Inga Davidson, t127.
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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Brobak, Inga |
| Davidson, Judith |
| Davidson, Odin
--Interviews |
| Davidson, Ole |
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Olsen, David |
| Olsen, Jakobine |
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Olsen, Kasbara |
| Olsen, Marie |
| Olsen, Mons |
| Brobak
family |
| Davidson family |
| Olsen
family |
| First Lutheran Church (Seattle, Wash.) |
| Oslofjord (Steamship) |
| Stavangerfjord (Steamship) |
| Alaska
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| Albert
Lea (Minn.) |
| Edgewood (Wash.)
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| Helgeland (Norway)
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| Mountain View (Wash.) |
| Seattle (Wash.)
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| Christmas |
| Depressions--1929 |
| Emigration and
immigration |
| Family farms--Norway |
| Family farms--United
States |
| Family--Norway |
| Fishing |
| Naturalization |
| Norway--Social
conditions--1945- |
| Norwegian-Americans--Ethnic identity |
| Norwegian-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews |
| Norwegian-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Oral
histories |
| Carpenters |
| Farmers |
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
004:
Odin Jentoft Davidson was born in Rødøy, northern Helgeland,
Norway on the polar circle. Born in a fjord called Tjongsfjord. Born on March
3, 1900.
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Cassette Counter
024:
PARENTS
Ole Davidson and Jakobine Olsen. Father did fishing and
carpentry. Fished for cod, halibut, and herring. Father was gone out fishing
for long periods of time. Had about twelve and a half acres of land. A few cows
and sheep. Raised potatoes and feed for the cows. Ate lots of fish.
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Cassette Counter
050:
BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
Olaf farmed in North Dakota and
Minnesota. Worked on the West Coast and in shipyards. He came to the U.S. in
1911. Kasbara is a housewife in Norway, she had two children. Sigur was fishing
in Norway and did construction work. His wife is still there.
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Cassette Counter
075:
CHILDHOOD HOME
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Cassette Counter
078:
Odin made a trip to Norway in 1949-1950. Noticed many
changes, improvements. Modernized a lot.
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Cassette Counter
083:
GRANDPARENTS
Marie Olse was his maternal grandmother. Paternal
grandfather was David Olsen, a fisherman, and Kasbara Olsen.
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Cassette Counter
098:
Odin's name in Norway was Olsen. Used Davidson when he got
his citizen papers. Brother also changed his name when he came over.
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Cassette Counter
110:
SCHOOL
Twenty minute walk. Went through the eighth grade.
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Cassette Counter
116:
WORK
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Cassette Counter
118:
CHURCH
A mile away on an island, Rødøy. Went often in the summer.
Away in the winter fishing.
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Cassette Counter
128:
Mother died with Odin was two-years-old. Had a
stepmother.
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Cassette Counter
139:
CHRISTMAS
Tree, apples and cookies were the trimming. Had
presents.
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Cassette Counter
152:
CHRISTMAS FOOD
Christmas Eve, lutefisk, potatoes, butter, lefse,
flatbrød, rissengrøt. Christmas Day, rissengrøt and roast.
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Cassette Counter
166:
Went to church the second day of Christmas. Stayed home
Christmas Day. Had bazaars, lots of celebrating. Had to make your own fun.
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Cassette Counter
186:
"TØYELSMESSDAG"
Day they took
the tree down in Norway. He spells it "Tolesmesda." It is not in the
dictionary.
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Cassette Counter
192:
TROLL STORIES
Did not believe in them. Just stories.
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Cassette Counter
196:
CONFIRMATION
Was the end of schooling unless they paid for
more.
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Cassette Counter
204:
FISHING
Age 15 did cod and herring fishing. Stayed on a big boat.
Did not fish on Sundays as it was forbidden. He fished with a neighbor who had
a motorboat. They sold fish to cities down south, they shipped it out.
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Cassette Counter
234:
Had a cook on the fishing boat. He fished until he was 20
years old.
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Cassette Counter
239:
REASONS FOR COMING TO THE
U.S.
Came to the U.S. because he was not
making enough money in Norway. Poor times in Norway. Left May 1920. His brother
was in the U.S. close to Albert Lea, Minnesota. Olaf had a farm there.
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Cassette Counter
251:
They tiled farms in Minnesota, put pipes in to drain the land
because it was so wet. Olaf did tiling for the county.
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Cassette Counter
265:
Olaf had written to Odin and encouraged him to come. Olaf was
married in Minnesota to a girl from Sogn, Norway. Her family name was Orn (?).
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Cassette Counter
279:
Olaf sent a ticket to Odin and his brother, Aksel. His father
was not thrilled about the idea, but figured it was best for the boys.
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Cassette Counter
291:
TRIP OVER
Took the Stavangerfjord. Ellis Island, "nothing to
it," no problems. Could not understand a lot of what was going on because he
could not speak English. No difficulty getting on the train.
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Cassette Counter
306:
Agents helped them get on the train. Bought food on the
train, he pointed at what he wanted. Train trip took 3-4 days. Went to North
Dakota where Olaf was farming.
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Cassette Counter
320:
Started working on the farms. Everyone spoke Norwegian, no
problems getting along. Stayed here for three years. Came out West because
there was no money on the farms. Made $40 a week.
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Cassette Counter
340:
Came out West because of the fishing. Took train out West.
Shipped to Alaska after he got work in Seattle. Went salmon fishing. Had no
trouble finding work. Made $90 a month.
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Cassette Counter
357:
Stayed in Alaska until salmon season opened. Went out on a
sailing boat in Ketchikan, Alaska.
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Cassette Counter
362:
Has fished all his life. Mostly in Alaska. Ran boats for
others. Bought a boat with his brother in the 1960s. Was skipper for boats.
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Cassette Counter
385:
Fished for tuna, halibut, sold fish in Seattle and in
Ketchikan, Alaska, and Prince Rupert. Came into port every two weeks or so.
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Cassette Counter
394:
Since 1960 there was a conservation of fish. Could not fish
for ten days.
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Cassette Counter
404:
DIFFERENCES IN FISHING
NOW
Used to fish from the dory. Describes
this. About six dorries on each big boat. On a big boat you would dress and ice
the fish. Held 100,000 pounds of fish. Fished 8-10 days each trip. In the 1930s
they abolished dorries because too many men were lost. Then began fishing from
the big boat.
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Cassette Counter
435:
LONG-LINING-FISHING
From the
big boat. This was much safer, could fish in any kind of weather.
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Cassette Counter
447:
DORRIES
16 feet long, two men each. Describes working the dorrie.
Stayed in them all day long.
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Cassette Counter
474:
No protection from the weather. Had to put up with it in the
Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. Dug out ice to get a hold of coal.
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Cassette Counter
502:
DEPRESSION
Continued fishing. Sold fish for four cents a pound.
A lot of work for little money.
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Cassette Counter
520:
Family lived in Seattle during the Depression. Odin bought a
few acres in north Seattle. Bought a cow, few chickens, something that helped.
Raised some of their own food.
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Cassette Counter
544:
There was a three bedroom house on the land. Odin paid $900
for this, he used the money he had saved up so that he was not in debt.
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Cassette Counter
555:
DEPRESSION
Many people on WPA. Odin managed to stay off WPA.
Odin cleared his land, cut wood for wood burning stove, saved money.
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Cassette Counter
571:
CITIZENSHIP
April 27, 1929 in Seattle. Went to school for this.
Odin was married the same day.
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Cassette Counter
588:
Worked in the shipyards one winter during the 1960s, waiting
for the fish season to open up.
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Cassette Counter
608:
FISHING
A rough life. Conditions better in the U.S. than in Norway.
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Cassette Counter
633:
633 Worked with other minorities. People from the East Coast,
New Foundlanders. Most gone now.
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Cassette Counter
008:
No problem dealing with other minorities.
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Cassette Counter
010:
PROUD TO BE
NORWEGIAN
"A good race of people." Decent
people. Doing well for themselves. Look at Ballard and see what they have built
up. Other Scandinavians are also hard working people.
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Cassette Counter
024:
Did not belong to any lodges. Did not have time for meetings
and such. Met Norwegians from fishing. Many live in Ballard. Met at church.
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Cassette Counter
037:
CHURCH
Used to go to Rev. Nesvig's church (First Lutheran) on Boren
and Virginia. Active church. They preached in Norwegian.
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Cassette Counter
049:
TRIPS BACK TO
NORWAY
February 1950. Took the
Stavangerfjord back, took Oslofjord back to America. Boat was nice.
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Cassette Counter
063:
Oslofjord was not a good sea boat. Took eight days to get to
Oslo and seven days to get home.
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Cassette Counter
073:
Stavangerfjord was sold in 1950 to someplace in South
America. It was getting old.
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Cassette Counter
081:
CHANGES
Improved, modernized more now than in 1920. New Norsk made
it difficult to understand some people. Odin learned Old Norwegian. It is much
different from New Norwegian. "They've ruined the language.
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Cassette Counter
104:
People are still going to church. They built a church on
Odin's home place. They used to have a boat out to church.
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Cassette Counter
117:
Sister-in-law and niece still live in Norway. They still
correspond.
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Cassette Counter
126:
Still speaks and understands Norwegian. He is getting rusty.
Can not talk to the new people coming over.
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Cassette Counter
140:
Children could speak Norwegian when they were young. Quit
when they went to school.
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Cassette Counter
144:
Other customs maintained, cooking.
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Cassette Counter
155:
Odin's father was still living when Odin went back to Norway.
He was 80 years old.
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