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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t105
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Creator:
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Loman, Anna Fisk Beckman
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Title:
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Anna Fisk Beckman Loman
Oral History Interview
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Dates:
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1981 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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3 file folders
9 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 Anna Fisk
Beckman Loman, a Swedish immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Anna (Fisk) Loman was born in Leksand, Sweden
on September 6, 1894 to Erik and Karin Hanses Fisk. The family lived on a small
farm in the country in a log house. Anna started school at the age of seven and
attended for six years. She also took Bible classes and was confirmed when she
was fourteen years old. Anna enjoyed celebrating a traditional Christmas
holiday with customary Swedish decorations and food. Anna worked at a hotel
until she met her first husband; they married on Christmas Eve in 1918. Anna
worked for a while as a groundskeeper at a graveyard when she first married.
She and her husband had one daughter, Margit, in 1919. Anna's father moved to
America and lived in Tacoma; he encouraged her to move there as well when her
husband mysteriously disappeared around 1927. Her mother and brother joined
them a year later. First Anna found work in a laundry and as a housekeeper. She
attended night school to learn English. In 1931, Anna married John Loman, a
Swedish man whom she met in the berry fields in Puyallup; the two of them and
their daughter Margit received their citizenship together. They visited the
Loman family in Sweden in 1947. John Loman worked as a logger and started a
plywood business, but he passed away in 1949. Anna took care of her mother for
25 years when her father died of cancer, and her brother Axel took over their
father's farm in Gig Harbor. Anna has been an active member of the Ladies Vasa
Auxiliary for 51 years. She has taken seven trips back to Sweden, one of them
in 1959 for her 50-year reunion of her confirmation class. Anna recognizes that
Sweden has been quite modernized, but she still enjoys making traditional
Swedish food.
Lineage
Maiden Name: Anna Fisk.
Father: Erik Fisk. Mother: Karin Hanses Fisk. Paternal Grandfather: Karl Kvist.
Paternal Grandmother: Brita Nygard Kvist. Maternal Grandfather: Hanses Lars
Larson. Maternal Grandmother: Aron Anna Aronson Larson (both name are given due
to inconsistency differing versions of her family tree). Brothers and Sisters:
Maria Fisk, Karl Fisk, Karl Fisk, Erik Fisk, Axel Fisk. Spouse: Nils Beckman,
John Loman. Children: Margit Young.
Content Description
The interview was conducted with Anna Loman on October 23, 1981 in Tacoma,
Washington. This interview contains information on personal background,
employment, family, emigration, heritage, church and community life, and return
trips to Sweden. It also contains a letter from Anna to Janet Rasmussen and
photographs of Anna's homeplace, Anna's daughter Margit (March 16, 1925),
Anna's last Christmas in Sweden (1926), Anna in Gig Harbor (1931), Anna
weaving, at an auction (1942), Anna at Olympic Laundry in Tacoma, and Anna at
the time of the interview. The interview was conducted in English with some
Swedish towards the end of the interview.
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
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Aronson, Aron Anna |
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Fisk, Karin Hanses |
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Kvist, Karl |
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Larson, Aron Anna |
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Loman, Anna Fisk Beckman--Interviews (creator) |
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Young, Margit |
| Beckman, Nils |
| Fisk, Erik |
| Kvist, Brita Nygaard |
| Larson, Hanses Lars |
| Loman, Anna Fisk |
| Loman, John |
| Larson
family |
| Beckman
family |
| Fisk
family |
| Kvist
family |
| Loman
family |
| Gig Harbor (Wash) |
| Leksand
(Sweden) |
| Puyallup
(Wash) |
| Rättvik (Sweden) |
| Tacoma
(Wash.) |
| Christmas |
| Education --
Sweden |
| Emigration and
immigration |
| Family --
Sweden |
| Railroad travel |
| Sweden -- Social conditions -
1945 |
| Swedish-Americans--Northwest,Pacific--Interviews |
| Swedish-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Oral
histories |
| 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
004:
PERSONAL
BACKGROUND
Maiden name Fisk and background
behind family name. Born Leksand, Sweden, September 6, 1894.
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Cassette Counter
024:
PARENTS
Mother - Clara Larson. Father - in the Army. He was a
handyman, could do many things. Got name Fisk when he joined the army.
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Cassette Counter
035/074:
FARM LIFE
Grew crops for food, didn't sell anything.
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Cassette Counter
039:
BROTHERS &
SISTERS
(See previous): 6 children/4 died
when they were young.
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Cassette Counter
048:
Description of Spanish Flu
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Cassette Counter
051:
Brother Axel employed as a carpenter
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Cassette Counter
057/135:
GRANDPARENTS
Maternal
grandfather - Hans Larson. Maternal grandmother - Anna. Paternal grandfather -
Karl Fisk
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Cassette Counter
071/161:
FAMILY
HOME
small farm in the country. Lived in
log house that father had built. Mother was hard worker -worked as hard or
harder than any man/Children helped with chores.
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Cassette Counter
111/236:
Employed at tourist hotel at age 16
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Cassette Counter
123/256:
SCHOOL
DAYS
Started age 7, went to school for 6
years in a 1-room school house.
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Cassette Counter
135:
RELIGIOUS
TRAINING
Bible class during school years.
Confirmed at ate 14. Preacher taught classes.
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Cassette Counter
150:
CHRISTMAS
Presents not like here, lucky to get anything. Putting
up the tree. Goes into detail on preparation of Lutefisk.
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Cassette Counter
166:
CHRISTMAS
MORNING
Up early to church. Walked on
streets and looked in windows at trees. Talks of the turn of the century
celebration in 1900.
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Cassette Counter
185:
BAKING
Hard tack, describes this rye & white bread &
cookies. Making trimmings for the tree & dancing around the tree.
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Cassette Counter
236:
MARRIED
Christmas Eve 1918 in Sweden.
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Cassette Counter
243:
EMPLOYMENT
Worked in hotel until she met first husband. Later at
Graveyard-trimming grass & planting flowers later at a big store.
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Cassette Counter
271:
MEETING
HUSBAND
Met at a dance. Husband Nils
Beckman- employed by the Army. Simple wedding held at home.
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Cassette Counter
334:
SETTLED IN
LEKSAND
Husband disappeared. She,
encouraged by father, came to the U.S. Mother and brother came one year
later.
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Cassette Counter
360:
TRIP OVER
Left March 3, 1927. Arrived in Tacoma March 22, 1927.
Trip by boat wasn't great - 4 to a cabin.
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Cassette Counter
388:
ELLIS ISLAND
Lost track of friends. Stayed overnight. Many people
there for weeks sitting, knitting and other handiwork.
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Cassette Counter
409:
ENGLISH
DIFFICULTIES
Didn't speak any English.
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Cassette Counter
412:
TRAIN TRIP
Changed in Chicago and Minneapolis. Suitcase was
stolen. Found a station man who could understand Swedish and he helped them.
Father met them at the station.
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Cassette Counter
457:
IMPRESSIONS OF NEW
YORK
Didn't have a chance to see much.
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Cassette Counter
464:
FEELINGS LEAVING
SWEDEN
Needed to make a living, so it was
necessary to go.
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Cassette Counter
475:
Father rented them a house. Later she bought a house.
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Cassette Counter
486:
EMPLOYMENT
First job in laundry. Did housework in home for father
and boarder.
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Cassette Counter
496:
Daughter came down with measles before entering school. Met
many friends in school - no trouble adjusting.
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Cassette Counter
515:
Attended night school. Happy to be in U.S. Still has many
friends in Sweden.
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Cassette Counter
537:
CITIZENSHIP
Self, husband & daughter received it at the same
time.
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Cassette Counter
546:
MARRIED
In 1931 to Loman - from same area in Sweden as Anna. Met in
berry fields in Puyallup. Loman employed as a logger in Mineral, later started
Plywood business in 1942, deceased in 1949.
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Cassette Counter
573:
TRIPS TO
SWEDEN
In 1947 to see Loman's family (see
counter 076-II)
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Cassette Counter
580:
WEDDING
Brother married at same time. Stood up for each. Married at
First Lutheran Church
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Cassette Counter
609:
Employed at Laundry for 9 years until 1939.
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Cassette Counter
631:
Speaks of daughter and her husband and their 3 children.
Husband Jack builds boats.
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Cassette Counter
001:
HOBBIES
Wove rag rugs, did many things in Sweden.
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Cassette Counter
009:
SWEDISH FOOD
Family likes it. Makes potato sausage, lefse, lutfisk,
and cookies.
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Cassette Counter
020:
CHRISTMAS
Family gets together. No turkey but Lutfisk.
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Cassette Counter
044:
CHURCH LIFE
Not really active. Daughter was active at First
Lutheran.
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Cassette Counter
054:
ACTIVE IN VARIOUS
ORGANIZATIONS
Ladies Vasa Auxiliary.
Member for 51 years. Treasurer for group.
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Cassette Counter
076:
TRIPS TO
SWEDEN
7 trips back (see counter
573-I)
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Cassette Counter
076:
Father died of cancer/took care of mother for 25 years. Anna
got home in Tacoma. Brother Axel got the farm in Gig Harbor after parents'
death.
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Cassette Counter
111:
Brother's son taught at McNeil Island.
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Cassette Counter
115:
CHANGES IN
SWEDEN
home had changed, people had
changed. Attended 50 year reunion of confirmation class in 1959. (see counter
164-II)
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Cassette Counter
164:
CHANGES IN
SWEDEN
Very modern, modern appliances and
all get a big pension. Stockholm torn down old buildings and replaced them with
new. (see counter 115-II)
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Cassette Counter
210:
Taught herself to play the guitar.
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Cassette Counter
225:
Closes with Swedish remark.
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