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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t254
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Creator:
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Lovestrand, Astrid Maria Rehn
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Title:
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Astrid Maria Rehn
Lovestrand 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 photograph
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 Astrid Maria
Rehn Lovestrand, a Swedish immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Astrid Maria (Rehn) Lovestrand was born in
Dömle, Deje, Värmland, Sweden on April 4, 1906. Her father was the farm foreman
on a large estate where he and the rest of the Rehn family resided. Astrid's
mother Maria died when she was young and her father remarried the cook on the
estate. His new marriage gave Astrid one stepbrother and four stepsisters in
addition to her one full brother and two full sisters. After attending school
and being confirmed, Astrid moved away from home to work at the age of 14. She
found employment as a housekeeper, but Astrid wanted to seek better work in
America. Many of Astrid's relatives lived in America and encouraged her to
come. After Astrid's father died, her aunt, who lived in Yakima, Washington
persuaded her to move there. Astrid was a bit frightened because she did not
know her relatives well; nevertheless, in 1930, she decided to leave Sweden for
America. With the assistance of her family and of women from the YWCA, Astrid
immediately found work as a housekeeper in Yakima. The family she worked for
helped her learn English, and Astrid had a pretty good handle on the language
after only three months. There was a large Swedish community in Yakima founded
by two Swedes who made a great deal of money from gold in Alaska. Astrid's
husband was the first resident of the Swedish community. Astrid met her
husband, Emil Lovestrand, at the Covenant church they attended. He was fifteen
years her senior and a well-established farmer; they married in 1931. Astrid
and Emil had eight children-six girls and two boys. They all worked hard on
their orchard raising cherries, pears, peaches, apricots, and apples. About
1949, Astrid went to school for training as a practical nurse; she has worked
as one since then. Emil passed away in 1967, and Astrid sold their farm to
their oldest son. Astrid has traveled back to Sweden four times-in 1954, 1969,
1973, and 1979. She has not participated in any Swedish organizations, but she
taught Swedish at a local high school for people in the community in 1980.
There is still a fairly large group of Swedish residents in her area.
Lineage
Maiden Name: Astrid Maria Rehn. Father
Alfred Johan Rehn. Mother: Maria Elisabeth Carlsson (Barud). Paternal
Grandfather: Alfred Rehn. Paternal Grandmother: Maria Rehn. Maternal
Grandfather: Karl Carlson (Barud). Maternal Grandmother: Sara Carlson (Barud).
Brothers and Sisters: Ruth Eklund, Elsa Broström. Half-Sisters: Elsa Gustavson,
Gunhild Larson, Maerta Rehn, Majken Johnson. Step-Brother John Rehn. Spouse:
Emil Lovestrand. Children: Barbara Neis, Phylles Tilton, Rita Vierleng, Bernard
Lovestrand, Elsa Smith, Sharon Vance, Roland Lovestrand, Becky Thomas.
Content Description
The interview was conducted with Astrid Lovestrand on
June 17, 1982 in Yakima, Washington. This interview contains information on
personal background, immigration, employment, Swedish community, marriage and
family, trips to Sweden, and Swedish heritage. Also available is a black and
white photograph of Astrid Lovestrand 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
Janet Rasmussen 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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Carlson (Barud), Maria Elisabeth |
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Carlsson (Barud), Karl |
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Carlsson (Barud), Sara |
| Lovestrand, Astrid Maria |
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Lovestrand, Astrid Maria Rehn--Interviews (creator) |
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Lovestrand, Bernard |
| Lovestrand, Emil |
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Lovestrand, Roland |
| Neis, Barbara |
| Rehn, Alfred |
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Rehn, Alfred Johan |
| Rehn, Astrid Maria |
| Rehn, Maria |
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Smith, Elsa |
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Thomas, Becky |
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Tilton, Phylles |
| Vance, Sharon |
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Vierleng, Rita |
| Barud
family |
| Carlsson family |
| Lovestrand family |
| Rehn
family |
| Swedish Covenant Church (Yakima, Wash.) |
| Karlstad
(Sweden) |
| Värmlands län (Sweden) |
| Yakima (Wash.) |
| Confirmation |
| Emigration and
immigration |
| Family --
Sweden |
| Naturalization |
| Railway
travel |
| Sweden --
Social conditions -- 1945 |
| Swedish-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews |
| Swedish-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Oral
histories |
| Farmers |
| Nurses |
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
038:
Astrid Maria Rehn
Lovestrand
Her father took the name Rehn
when he became a "knack" or knight. Her maternal grandfather chose his name in
the same way. He changed it from Carlson to Barud. He changed it back to
Carlson when he and his family went to America in 1907. They came with seven
children. Had twelve children all together. Kristine, the eldest daughter came
before the rest of the family. Her uncle in Minnesota sent her the ticket. She
sent for her sister, Sophie. Astrid's Aunt Sophie, who lived in Yakima,
Washington, sent Astrid a ticket to come to America.
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Cassette Counter
158:
PARENTS
Astrid's mother Maria Carlson (Barud) had met Astrid's father
when her parents were going to leave for America so she didn't want to go with
them. She got married a year later. Astrid's mother had an older brother who
stayed in Sweden because he was already married when the family emigrated from
Sweden.
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Cassette Counter
179:
MATERNAL
GRANDPARENTS
Settled first in either St.
Paul, Minnesota or Omaha, Nebraska after coming to the U.S. Astrid's aunt and
uncle, Sophie and Nels Nyström moved to Yakima, Washington because they'd heard
so much advertising about the land. Astrid's grandparents and uncles, Axel and
August Carlsson moved with Sophie and Nels. Astrid's grandparents came from
Norssocken, Värmland in Sweden. Her grandfather ran the ferry across the river,
Norsälven.
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Cassette Counter
249:
CHILDHOOD
Astrid was born in Dömle, Deje, Värmland. Her father
was a rättare (farm foreman) on the big estate, Dömle herrgård. The main
building at Dömle herrgård is now donated to the retired Swedish Lutheran
ministers. Now it's called a "stiftgård." They've built a church there as well.
Astrid grew up on this estate. The owner lived in the manor house. There were
two buildings on each side of the manor house. The "rättare" lived in one of
these buildings and the "förvaltare" (manager) lived on the other.
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Cassette Counter
312:
PARENTS
Alfred Johan Rehn and Maria Elizabeth. (See also I-158)
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318:
CHILDHOOD
(See also I-249) Born April 4, 1906. Born and raised
in Dömle, Deje. Went to school there and was confirmed in the Lutheran church
in Deje. The nearest big town was Karlstad.
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Cassette Counter
333:
BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
One real brother and one
step-brother. Six sisters, two real sisters and four step-sisters. Eldest
sister, Ruth Eklund lives in Lindfors, Sweden. Her other sister, Elsa Broström
was adopted by the owners of the estate because their mother died during
childbirth. Her brother, Gustav was born two years before Elsa. Astrid's father
married the cook at the estate sometime after their mother's death. They had
four daughters, Elsa, Gunhild, Märta, and Majken. All of Astrid's brothers and
sisters are living except for Märta. They are all living in Sweden.
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Cassette Counter
387:
CHILDHOOD
(See also I-249 and I-318) People were poor during
Astrid's childhood, but they always had something to eat. Her step-mother was
good to them. Sewed clothes for them. She had a happy childhood. They had to
wear wooden shoes.
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Cassette Counter
406:
PATERNAL
GRANDPARENTS
Remembers her grandmother.
They lived in Västergötland. Her grandfather was a "rättare" on a large estate
like her father was.
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Cassette Counter
415:
CHILDHOOD
(See also I-249, I-318, and I-387) Her father got his
job in Dömle by going to agriculture school. He stayed on this job for a few
years after Astrid's mother died. Later he got a job on a bigger estate,
Mölnbacka. They stayed there until her father passed away in November 1920.
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Cassette Counter
434:
WORK
Astrid moved away from home when she was fourteen. She'd been
confirmed. She worked for some people her father had gone to agriculture school
with. WORK: After working for these people, she started doing housework. She
lived in the homes where she worked. Got paid 20 crowns a month. Didn't earn
much.
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Cassette Counter
466:
REASONS FOR LEAVING
SWEDEN
After her father died, her uncle
(maternal) in Sweden wrote to Astrid's aunt in Yakima, Washington. Astrid's
oldest sister Ruth was going to go first but then she got married. Astrid wrote
to her aunt then. It was a big decision for Astrid to make because she didn't
know any of her relatives in America. When she was 23 years old, she decided
times weren't too good in Sweden. It was 1930 and the Depression had started.
When she came to America, the Depression was just as bad here.
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Cassette Counter
503:
TRIP TO
AMERICA
Left home on a cold winter morning
in 1930. Took the train from Deje to Värmland to Göteborg (Gothenburg). Took 22
days to cross the ocean. Astrid got seasick. Maybe wouldn't have if the boat
hadn't had to stop in the middle of the ocean to wait for an iceberg to
pass.
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Cassette Counter
533:
ARRIVAL IN NEW
YORK
A lady from the YWCA met them. She
could speak Swedish. There were a lot of immigrants running around.
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Cassette Counter
545:
TRAIN TRIP
The lady from the YWCA put them on the train to
Chicago. When they got to Chicago, they changed trains to go to St. Paul,
Minnesota. When Astrid got off the train in St. Paul, a man was calling her
name in the depot "Fröken Rehn!" He took hold of her and she ran. She told a
lady from St. Paul's YWCA about the man. The lady told her not to be afraid
because she knew her name. The man turned out to be her great uncle (her
mother's uncle). His name was Ström. He was a free missionary in Sweden. He was
the one who sent a ticket for Astrid's Aunt Kristine to come to America.
Astrid's aunt in St. Paul invited her for dinner. Astrid had a two and a half
hour stop over in St. Paul. The group of people Astrid had been traveling with
from New York separated in Chicago. Astrid was with the ones who were going
west. Ladies from the YWCA met them in New York, Chicago, St. Paul, and Yakima.
They all spoke Swedish.
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Cassette Counter
618:
ARRIVAL IN YAKIMA,
WASHINGTON
Aunt and uncle met her as well
as the lady from the YWCA. The lady from the YWCA helped her get her first job.
Astrid was told that she could call this lady and tell her that she was looking
for housework.
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Cassette Counter
650:
WORK
First job was for a banker, Mr. Fletcher. This job was
temporary while their housekeeper was on vacation. Her next job was with Mr.
and Mrs. Davis in Yakima. He was the superintendent of schools. She worked for
them until she got married.
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Cassette Counter
666:
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF
YAKIMA
Loved it from the first. It was
spring when she arrived. Frogs were in the ponds. She'd never heard frogs make
so much noise before. Although she hadn't met her relatives before, she felt as
if she'd known them all of her life.
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Cassette Counter
680:
MEETING SPOUSE
Started going to the Covenant church. Met her
husband-to-be there.
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Cassette Counter
690:
WORK
(See also I-650) Earned about $45 a month. Lived with the
people she worked for.
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Cassette Counter
696:
LEARNING
ENGLISH
Learned it from the people she
worked for. Decided she would have to get away from the "Swedish colony" if she
was going to learn English. Learned a lot from the three children of the people
she worked for. Wasn't as self-conscious about making mistakes in front of the
children. They would correct her mistakes.
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Cassette Counter
712:
WORK
(See also I-650 and I-690) Cooking was a part of her
responsibilities as a housekeeper. Cooking was difficult because she wasn't
used to American food. Hadn't seen squash, pumpkin before. Steak in America
different than in Sweden. Didn't understand how to fix it. Hadn't seen a lot of
different vegetables before. Had to learn to read recipes. Learned English in
about three months. Learn quickly if you really put your heart into it. She was
really self-conscious about speaking English with other Swedish people around
her.
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Cassette Counter
758:
THE SWEDISH
COMMUNITY
Her aunt and uncle's farm was
located about fifteen and a half miles out of Yakima. The community there was
started by two Swedes, Fridjolf Nilson and Nathaniel Gottberg (?), who'd made
quite a lot of money in Alaska from gold. They heard about the land in the
Yakima area. Dams such as Rimrock nd Bumping Lake were being built and
supplying water to the area. These two men advertised the land in the Covenant
churches and the Lutheran churches in the Midwest. That is how the Swedes ended
up in this area. They divided the land up into 15-20 acre lots. They planted
orchards. Her husband was the first one in the area.
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Cassette Counter
802:
SPOUSE
Emil Lovestrand. A farmer boy from Minnesota who came to
Washington with his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. August Lovestrand. They had
three children, Olga, Emma, and Fritz. Olga still lives on the farm. Astrid met
her husband through her uncle who was married to Emma. Emil came to the area in
1910. There was nothing but sagebrush on "Swede Hill." 20-30 families ended up
settling in the area.
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Cassette Counter
850:
CHURCH
Emil was Lutheran. There was a small group of Lutheran there
before the Covenants came. There were four or five Lutheran families there.
They bought land and built a church. This was later sold to the Covenants. This
church was there for many years. New one is 10-15 years old. Services were
sometimes in Swedish. Preachers traveling through would deliver the Swedish
sermons. Nathaniel Gottberg (?) was a missionary and he would sometimes give
Swedish sermons. By the time Astrid came in 1930, the church had been turned
over the an English speaking minister.
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Cassette Counter
895:
SWEDISH COLONY'S
ACTIVITIES
Had a smörgåsbord once a year.
Still keep up the Swedish traditions. They're letting the younger people take
over now. Astrid's daughters have been helping out. Have the smörgåsbord every
other year now.
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Cassette Counter
907:
STORES IN THE AREA RUN BY
SWEDES
Was one in Wiley City, Washington.
Owned by a man named Rakström (?). He wasn't from Sweden but his wife was.
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Cassette Counter
924:
MATERNAL
GRANDPARENTS
(See also I-038 and I-179)
Never learned English. They passed away before Astrid came to America.
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Cassette Counter
942:
SPOUSE
(See also I-802) Emil had been in the area for 20 years when
Astrid came in 1930. He was well established. Had his farm. His oldest trees
were 12 years old and bearing fruit. He was living in a house with a bedroom, a
kitchen, and one more room. He built another house when they decided to get
married. He was 15 years older than her. Got married in 1931.
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Cassette Counter
961:
CHILDREN
First daughter was born in the fall of 1931, Barbara,
Phyllis, Rita, Bernard, Elsa, Sharon, Roland, and Becky. Six girls and two
boys. Gave her children American names because she thought it would be
embarrassing for them if people couldn't pronounce their names. Her husband
spoke Swedish, but he made her promise that she wouldn't teach her children
Swedish. When Emil started school all he could speak was Swedish and the other
children laughed at him. He didn't want his children to go through that. Now
the children wish they could speak Swedish.
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Cassette Counter
993:
TRIPS TO
SWEDEN
Took Phyllis and Becky to Sweden in
1954. Went by boat. Had to stay for three months before she could get back to
the U.S. She missed her family. After 24 years, Sweden seemed backwards. They
stayed with her sister. Didn't have an indoor bathroom. Had to carry water in
and out. Husband passed away in 1967. Astrid went to Sweden in 1969, 1973, and
1979. Went to Germany too because Becky was married and her husband was in the
service there. 1973 went to Sweden with friends. 1979 went with three
daughters, Barbara, Rita, and Elsa. They met Astrid's sisters and brothers.
Things had changed in Sweden a great deal. Sweden is making more progress than
other countries.
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Cassette Counter
1052:
ORCHARD
Mixed fruit orchard. Had Bing cherries, Royal Anne
cherries, pears, peaches, apricots, and apples. Three kinds of apples. Had
twelve and a half acres. Used horses on the farm for years. Eventually earned
enough money to buy a tractor. Hard times.
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Cassette Counter
1077:
RAISING
FAMILY
Raised her children during the
Depression. Got easier after WWII. Had to sew the children's clothes. All of
her kids went to high school. First four or five had to walk three miles to
school. Got a bus later.
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Cassette Counter
058:
"EARNING MY OWN
WAY"
Wanted to make enough money to pay
her aunt for her ticket to come here. She was working to pay room and board.
Wasn't making money fast enough. After a year, she met Emil. He offered to pay
off her debt. After they were married, he liked to say that he had an imported
wife. Her ticket cost $150. That was a lot of money then. She earned $45 a
month.
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Cassette Counter
115:
WEDDING
Worked for Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Davis. Mrs. Davis offered to buy
the cloth for Astrid's wedding gown. She also had a seamstress sew the gown. It
was peach colored, not white. She had a white veil. Got married in the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Carlson, friends of Emil's on Wiley Heights. Were married by
Rev. Upsal (?), the Covenant minister.
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Cassette Counter
175:
MEETING SPOUSE
Emil had a brand new Model A Ford when Astrid met him.
She met him at church. Her uncle was married to his cousin. Uncle told Astrid
that if she married Emil, he would buy her a wash tub and a scrub board. He
worked at the hardware store in Wiley City. One day Astrid was thinning peaches
for her cousin, Clarence Nystrom. When she went in the house for lunch,
Clarence's wife asked her to watch her kids while she went to the hardware
store. When she came back, she told Astrid she couldn't thin peaches anymore
that day because they were going to have a guest for dinner that Astrid would
like to meet. Emil came in his new car. He had to speak to her in Swedish.
After dinner, he took her for a ride in his car.
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Cassette Counter
250:
WILEY CITY & WILEY
HEIGHTS
Official name for the area. Got
its names from a pioneer family. One of the Wiley's is still living near the
place where one of Astrid's daughters was living.
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Cassette Counter
283:
KEEPSAKES FROM
SWEDEN
Didn't bring much with her. A
couple of suitcases and a trunk. Aunt told her not to bring too much. Now,
since she's been home so many times, she has a lot of Swedish things in her
house.
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Cassette Counter
312:
LIVING IN THE U.S. VS.
SWEDEN
Everything goes slow in Sweden.
Here we are so free. When she first came here from Sweden she felt that there
were some things she wasn't good enough to do because of the different class
system. In Sweden one had to curtsy and open the door for people.
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Cassette Counter
373:
CLIMATE
Loves the climate in Yakima. Thinks Seattle is a lot like
Sweden. Didn't realize how hot it would get in Yakima. They would sit in Emil's
root cellar sometimes during the summer when it got too hot. She likes where
she lives a lot better than in Sweden.
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Cassette Counter
406:
IMPORTANCE OF SWEDISH
HERITAGE
Means a lot. The Swedish people
are looked up to. Different government than the U.S. government. Used to the
U.S. system now, but proud to have been raised in a country that has a king and
queen. Saw them in Seattle in the fall of 1982. Expected the king to be taller.
Seemed to be really easy to talk to. They didn't talk to the king and queen,
but saw others talking to them.
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Cassette Counter
493:
CITIZENSHIP
Became an American citizen in 1945. Had applied for
the first papers earlier but something happened so she couldn't go through with
it.
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Cassette Counter
529:
WORK
Always worked in a nearby fruit warehouse after their harvest
was picked. After Becky was about 2 years old, Astrid took a course in
practical nursing. She has worked as a practical nurse since then. She's taking
care of a blind lady now. Starts work at 8am and quits at 3pm. Earns $900 a
month. She eats breakfast and lunch with the lady.
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Cassette Counter
568:
FAMILY FARM
Sold the land to her oldest son. Still owns four
acres. Had to sell the house with the acreage. Sold it in 1973. It had six
bedrooms. Was too big for her. They paid cash for the house but didn't have the
money for the land.
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Cassette Counter
595:
SWEDISH
ORGANIZATIONS
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Cassette Counter
600:
TEACHING
SWEDISH
Taught Swedish at West Valley High
School in 1980 for people in the community. The group she taught had had
company from Sweden and had been invited to visit relatives in Sweden. They
wanted to learn the Swedish language so that they could communicate. She had
seventeen students. Difficult to teach so many at one time. Taught out a book
she had from Sweden. It was called "Mina Pojkar" by Gustav Gejerstam. Taught
how to bake Swedish bread one year.
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Cassette Counter
678:
SWEDISH PEOPLE IN THE
AREA
Still a lot of Swedish people around.
Older ones are dying off, but some of their children are still living in the
area.
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Cassette Counter
693:
SPEAKS SWEDISH
Tells about her daughter who is a nurse, and her
daughter's children. Oldest daughter is director for a volunteer organization
for older people. One daughter is a secretary for Boeing. Oldest son farms and
works in a sawmill. Her other son is self-employed. Works with cement. Becky is
a secretary for West Valley High School. Sharon has her own shop of American
folk art. Elsa doesn't need to work. She's married to a millionaire. Astrid has
twenty grandchildren.
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Cassette Counter
787:
LIFE IN
AMERICA
Never could have had this good a
life if she had stayed in Sweden. Thankful to her aunt and uncle who sent her
the ticket to come to America. Fortunate to have met her husband.
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