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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t102-103
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Creator:
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DeRosa,
Bergliot (Bella) Moxness Oliver
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Title:
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DeRosa (Bergliot
Moxness Oliver) Oral History Interview
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Dates:
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1981 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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4 file folders
4 photographs
2 sound cassettes
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Languages:
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Some Norwegian toward the end of the interview.English
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Summary:
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An oral history interview with Bergliot
(Bella) Moxness Oliver DeRosa, a Norwegian immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Bergliot DeRosa was born on August 11, 1902 in Trondheim, Norway to
Olav Johannes Moxness and Sara Petrine Kristensen. Olav was a sea captain of
the English Freighter and spent a great deal of time away from the family. In
1918, en route to Australia, the boat he was on disappeared and was never heard
of again. In addition to Bergliot, there were five other children in the
Moxness family: Gunvor, Ruth, Johan, Sara, and Olav. Bergliot had a very active
childhood, which including a lot of skiing and hiking. She was confirmed in the
Cathedral in Trondheim and was then sent to Humerskole for four years to learn
how to bake, cook, and care for children. In 1914, Bergliot's sister Gunvor
immigrated to Tacoma, Washington, and Bergliot joined her in 1922. Eventually,
the entire family came.
When Bergliot arrived in Tacoma, she already had a housekeeping job,
which paid $50 a month. Following that job, Bergliot worked for Everybody's
Candy Factory and then as a housekeeper for Dr. Whitaker. In addition to work,
Bergliot also went to school to become a citizen and learn the English
language, which did not take her very long.
Bergliot met her first husband, Fremont Oliver, at Point Defiance.
Fremont owned the Oliver Tire Company in Tacoma, and he and Bergliot were
married at a local Lutheran Church. They had three children: Ruth (Jones),
Rosemary (Duncan), and Fremont. After being sick for two years, Fremont Sr.
died in 1946. Bergliot was later remarried to Frank DeRosa, the supervisor for
the Tacoma Water Department. Bergliot continued working, cooking in the kitchen
at Pacific Lutheran University for one year and then caring for Mrs. Hawkins,
the bedridden wife of an attorney at the Country Club. Bergliot was very active
in the Daughters of Norway, serving as a Marshall for many years, and was also
active in the 17th of May celebration and Leif Erikson committee.
She is still fluent in Norwegian and has given many lectures on Norway
to various groups. Bergliot has returned to Norway twice, once shortly after
Fremont died and once in 1969. In Bergliot's opinion, so much has changed in
Norway that it no longer feels like her home. Nevertheless, she claims she is
"just as much Norwegian as when she left Norway."
Lineage
Full Name: Bergliot Moxness Oliver DeRosa. Maiden Name: Bergliot
Moxness. Father: Olav Johannes Moxness. Mother: Sara Petrine Kristensen.
Paternal Grandfather: Johan Wedege Pettersen Moxness. Paternal Grandmother:
Olive Røskaft. Maternal Grandfather: Nils Kristensen. Maternal Grandmother:
Gunhild Wiklun Kristensen. Brothers and Sisters: Gunvor Moxness, Bronow Ruth
Moxness, Johan W. Moxness, Sara Moxness Vanderbilt, Olav Moxness. Spouse:
Fremont Oliver, Frank DeRosa. Children: Ruth Nadin Jones, Rosemary Duncan,
Fremont Ashley Oliver
Content Description
This interview was conducted with Bergliot DeRosa on October 22, 1981
in Tacoma, Washington. It contains information about family background,
emigration, work, marriage and family life, and Norwegian heritage. The
interview also contains a copy of a photograph taken at Bergliot's mother's
aunt's wedding, a photograph of the DeRosa family, a postcard of Trondheim, and
two photographs of Bergliot at the time of the interview and a copy of her
certificate of vaccination. The interview was conducted in English with some
Norwegian towards the end of the interview. Also see Sara Vanderbilt, T115.
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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| DeRosa,
Bergliot--Interviews (creator) |
| DeRosa, Frank |
| Kristensen, Sara Petrine |
| Moxness, Olav Johannes |
| Oliver, Fremont |
| DeRosa family |
| Kristensen family |
| Moxness family |
| Oliver family |
| Røskaft family |
| Bergensfjord (Steamship) |
| Daughters of Norway (U.S.) Embla Lodge #2 (Tacoma,
Wash.) |
| Ellis
Island (N.J. and N.Y.) |
| Everybody's Candy Factory (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Oliver Tire Company (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Tacoma
(Wash.) |
| Trondheim
(Norway) |
| Christmas |
| Confirmaton |
| Emigration and
immigration |
| Family--Norway |
| Norway--History--German
occupation, 1940-1945 |
| Norwegian-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews |
| Norwegian-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Railroad travel |
| World War,
1914-1915 |
| 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
Married twice, widowed once. She describes the Moxness name
origin. Born in Melhus, Norway near Trondheim on August 11, 1902.
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Cassette Counter
028:
FATHER
He was a sea captain. He could be gone for year at a time. He
sailed all over the world.
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Cassette Counter
033:
CHILDHOOD
Born out in the country. She was a "fair" delicate baby. Talks
about being a baby.
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Cassette Counter
047:
Moved to town, Trondheim, Norway.
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Cassette Counter
050:
PARENTS
Father was a sea captain of the English Freighter. His name was
Olav Moxness. Mother, Sara Kristensen Moxness. She was born in Sortland.
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Cassette Counter
061:
GRANDPARENTS
Paternal grandfather, Oline Røskaft. Paternal grandfather worked
with the schools. Worked at Bispehaugen school outside of Trondheim.
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Cassette Counter
080:
SCHOOL
Went to school at Bispehaugen for the first three years. She
describes the school.
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Cassette Counter
095:
Grandfather died and then she moved up by the university in
Trondheim, Norges Teknisk Høyskole. They lived at a place called Tingvalla.
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Cassette Counter
105:
MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
All very old. Made dolls. Very interesting people. Mother's
grandmother, Sara Wiklun had a saloon in Trondheim. It was also a grocery and
bakery.
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Cassette Counter
125:
Mother's grandmother had an annual sale of her wares. She went by
boat to Stokmarkness. She was 80 the last time she went.
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Cassette Counter
132:
MATERNAL GRANDFATHER
Nils Kristensen. He had a store. Fisherman bought wares for the
store. She describes some family history.
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Cassette Counter
150:
Parents married and had six children.
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Cassette Counter
151:
BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Gunvor Moxness Bronow. Johan Moxness worked for the county in
Seattle. Ruth Moxness died of the Spanish flu. Sara Moxness Vanderbilt married
a Dutchman. Olav Moxness died, he worked for a lumber company in Oregon.
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Cassette Counter
175:
CHILDHOOD
"Lived it up." Skied all the time. Lost 30 pounds every winter by
skiing.
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Cassette Counter
195:
SUMMER
Hiking. Walked several miles. WINTER: Taxied students down in
sled for 5 cent.
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Cassette Counter
206:
HOUSE
Had a big house. Wooden apartment. Had a caretaker. Well build
house. Didn't do much work at home.
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Cassette Counter
231:
EDUCATION
Another lady taught her to bake, cook, and care for children.
Daughters were often sent to Husmorskole in Norway to learn domestic work. She
worked for four years for this lady and enjoyed it.
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Cassette Counter
263:
1914
Sister Gunvor was a midwife and entertained new immigrants in her
home in Tacoma, Washington where she was for ten years before returning to
Norway.
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Cassette Counter
275:
FATHER
Was in New York in 1918 waiting to get a new boat. He headed for
Australia on the boat but it disappeared and was never seen or heard of
again.
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Cassette Counter
294:
CHRISTMAS
Always had relatives over. Had handmade gifts. Sang around the
tree. Christmas parties.
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Cassette Counter
317:
CHRISTMAS
Could wear patent leather shoes on Christmas. Really dressed up.
Father bought most of the clothes in England. "Treated like a princess."
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Cassette Counter
333:
CHURCH
Had to go to Sunday school. Didn't go to church service. It was
too deep. Learned religion in school also. Walked three miles to Sunday school.
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Cassette Counter
366:
Confirmed in the cathedral in Trondheim.
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Cassette Counter
369:
CHRISTMAS EVE
Had service at home. Just the family. Ate spareribs and bakery
stuff. Mother hired someone to make lefse. Describes making this. Bought many
things in town.
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Cassette Counter
409:
MOTHER
She was a very smart woman. Talks about ways her mother had of
dealing with children. Great respect for her. Good disciplinarian.
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Cassette Counter
441:
CHRISTMAS EVE
Relatives over. Had rump roast. Describes how this is made. Also
had tyttebaer and fattigmanns.
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Cassette Counter
459:
TROLLS
She didn't hear stories. Nordland had many stories.
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Cassette Counter
469:
STORY
Tells a true story about her uncle's cows and smaakarer "little
men."
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Cassette Counter
487:
Talks about running into a weasel.
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Cassette Counter
507:
Tells a story about the monkey her great-uncle had. She talks
about this big farm and the fancy house with a ballroom and gym.
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Cassette Counter
532:
WAR
Her great-uncle had to leave the farm when the Germans came.
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Cassette Counter
543:
FAVORITE DESSERT
Gooseberry pudding. Many varieties of gooseberries in Norway.
Also many blackberries, blueberries, and tyttebaer.
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Cassette Counter
567:
MARKET
There was a big market in Trondheim where they could buy cheese
and many things.
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Cassette Counter
578:
She describes the market in Trondheim today. Flowers and other
things at the market.
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Cassette Counter
604:
Took dancing lessons. Boys and Girls. Ballroom dancing. First
movie she saw was "The Girl From Paris," this sticks strongly in her mind.
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Cassette Counter
007:
SISTER WENT TO THE U.S.
She stayed with an aunt in New York when she first came and then
came to Tacoma, Washington.
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Cassette Counter
016:
EFFECTS OF WAR ON NORWAY
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Cassette Counter
020:
FATHER
Talks of her father and his travels. One accident where he was
severely burned.
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Cassette Counter
028:
WAR
1914 during the war was a hard year. Mother took in students as
boarders. One boarder was a French noble. Food was hard to get during the war.
Had butter made of whole fat. Worse in the city than the country.
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Cassette Counter
055:
WAR
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Cassette Counter
061:
SPANISH FLU
Sister died of it. Many families wiped out.
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Cassette Counter
070:
TUBERCULOSIS
Was another common disease when she was young. She wasn't allowed
in others homes because of TB. Parents were very strict.
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Cassette Counter
102:
USA
Came to the U.S. in 1922 because sister was in the U.S. Mother
thought she could have it better in the U.S. The family all came within a few
years of each other.
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Cassette Counter
115:
FEELINGS ABOUT LEAVING
Nothing special other than missing the mountains more than
anything. Left August 22, 1922.
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Cassette Counter
128:
Brother had come over and bought a house for his mother in Tacoma,
Washington.
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Cassette Counter
132:
TRAVEL
Took the train from Trondheim to Oslo. Took the boat,
"Bergensfjord," It was a nice boat with music and dancing too.
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Cassette Counter
150:
Tickets sent from Andrew Foss who was a friend of her sister in
Tacoma. They wanted to adopt Bella because she reminded them of their daughter.
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Cassette Counter
168:
ELLIS ISLAND
Lined up like sheep. Looked at head and tongue. Didn't stay
long.
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Cassette Counter
174:
TRAIN TRAVEL
Took a Union Pacific train. Switched trains in Chicago.
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Cassette Counter
178:
LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
Didn't speak much English. Had learned some. Both parents were
fluent in English.
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Cassette Counter
184:
TRAIN TRIP
Interesting. Talks about ordering food on the train. People
encouraging her to spend money.
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Cassette Counter
206:
STORY
A rich sheep owner who wanted to buy a Norwegian coin. He gave
her a picture with 250,000 sheep on it for the coin.
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Cassette Counter
231:
WHITE SLAVERY
They threw pillowcases over girls' heads and kidnapped them.
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Cassette Counter
241:
ARRIVAL IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON
She was met by the Fosses and her sister at the Union Station.
She stood under the 15th Street Bridge and waited for them.
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Cassette Counter
251:
CONTACT WITH FRIENDS AND RELATIVES
Leif Leifson, a pastor helped her get in touch with them.
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Cassette Counter
263:
WORK
Had a job when she arrived. Did housework. It was up on Prospect
Hill. A very nice home.
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Cassette Counter
292:
Worked for Dr. Whitaker doing housework.
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Cassette Counter
297:
SCHOOL
Went to school to become a citizen. Picked up the language very
well.
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Cassette Counter
311:
HUSBAND
Met her first husband, Fremont Oliver who owned the Oliver Tire
Co., in town. She'd met him at Point Defiance.
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Cassette Counter
363:
WEDDING
No formal wedding. Married by Olaf Holen at the Lutheran church
in Tacoma.
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Cassette Counter
386:
MOTHER
Was here in 1925. Bella gave all her money to her mother. She
made $50 a month at the first place she worked. Dr. Whitaker paid $35 a month.
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Cassette Counter
436:
WORK
Worked at Everybody's Candy Factory before working at Whitaker's.
Worked with crackers. Talked about working here. Shined cans of cookies. Paid
on a time basis. Worked in shipping.
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Cassette Counter
482:
HOME
Lived at 12th and Stevens in a new built house when first
married. Many Norwegians in the area.
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Cassette Counter
502:
Husband made $100 per month.
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Cassette Counter
507:
FAMILY
Daughter, Ruth Jones, works for the City of Tacoma
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Cassette Counter
520:
Milton Nesvig, the pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran was a good friend
of Bella's sister.
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Cassette Counter
535:
CHILDREN
All went to Jefferson school.
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Cassette Counter
539:
Daughter, Rosemary is married to Kenneth Duncan who is a colonel
in the Air Force.
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Cassette Counter
551:
GRANDCHILDREN
Ruth's daughter, Lynn Jones Moon is a dentist. She worked very
hard for this.
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Cassette Counter
569:
SECOND DAUGHTER
She had one boy and two girls. The boy is in Virginia and the
girls are in school in Dayton, Ohio.
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Cassette Counter
590:
Problems in Ohio's economy now.
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Cassette Counter
601:
SON
Fremont Oliver works for Cable Craft. Went to Franklin High
School. He was the football captain. He was in the service for 2-3 years. He
went to the University of Puget Sound.
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Cassette Counter
009:
SON
Worked in Kansas. He married Francis Campbell from Wenatchee.
They have four children.
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Cassette Counter
019:
Moved to Richwood Ave, closer to the tire co. Husband died in 1946
after being sick for two years.
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Cassette Counter
027:
TRIPS BACK TO NORWAY
Went with Rosemary after husband died. Gorgeous trip.
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Cassette Counter
040:
Had to return suddenly, might have had something to do with the
war. Norway returned to normal quickly after the German Occupation.
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Cassette Counter
061:
UNDERGROUND
Her cousin was a captain in the underground. The family escaped
to Sweden. His mother was taken hostage. Bella sent clothes, toys, and other
things to Norway during the war.
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Cassette Counter
078:
SECOND HUSBAND
Frank DeRosa, supervisor for the Tacoma Water Department.
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Cassette Counter
085:
Moved from Richmond Avenue to Parkland. Bella did the real estate
transaction. The state took this house to put in the freeway.
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Cassette Counter
113:
WORK
Worked at Pacific Lutheran University in the kitchen for one
year. There was another Norwegian cooking too. This was about 1954.
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Cassette Counter
146:
WORK
Took care of Mrs. Hawkins, the wife of an attorney at the country
club. She was bedridden. Made about $125 a month.
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Cassette Counter
182:
DAUGHTERS OF NORWAY
Very active. Was the Marshall there for many years. Used to put
on plays and did dancing years ago.
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Cassette Counter
195:
17TH OF MAY CELEBRATION
Very active in this. Active in Leif Leifson committee.
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Cassette Counter
210:
CHURCH
Not real active. Children were active. Sunday school and
confirmation.
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Cassette Counter
236:
SCANDINAVIAN CUSTOMS
She still practices the customs today. She gets things sent from
Norway and puts them on display in various places.
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Cassette Counter
248:
TRIPS TO NORWAY
She went to Norway and Germany in 1969.
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Cassette Counter
263:
CHANGES
They built big apartments that cover everything up. Hide
everything that is beautiful. Doesn't feel like home anymore.
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Cassette Counter
285:
CHANGES
People and children. Children don't respect elders. So many
strangers coming in. Don't bake anymore. Everything bought and warmed.
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Cassette Counter
319:
LANGUAGE
Still speaks the language fluently. Oldest daughter can
understand Norwegian.
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Cassette Counter
329:
GIRL SCOUTS
Bella was a leader. She made them all uniforms. Sang "Per
Speleman" and danced.
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Cassette Counter
338:
Bella sings "Per Speleman" very clearly.
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Cassette Counter
348:
HERITAGE
Just as much Norwegian as when she left Norway. Has done lots of
lecturing on Norway to various groups.
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