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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t009-024
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Creator:
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Carlson, Signe Ohberg
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Title:
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Signe Ohberg Carlson
Oral History
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Dates:
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1887-1979 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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2 file folders, 0 photographs,
2 sound cassettes, 3 compact discs.
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Languages:
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English
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Summary:
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An oral history interview with Signe
Amalija (Ohberg) Carlson, a Swedish immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Signe Amalija (Ohberg) Carlson, the youngest of nine children, was
born on August 20, 1887 in Sundsvall, Sweden. Signe came to America with her
father, a granite quarry owner, around 1903. They lived on a small farm in
Bemidji, Minnesota, where Signe learned English and worked as a babysitter and
a hairdresser. Signe moved to Minneapolis and attained her citizenship before
moving to the Tacoma area to be near her sisters. Signe worked at Thorson's
util she married Anton Carlson. Anton, who worked in the lumber business, owned
20 acres on McNeil Island, so Signe moved there where they had two children.
Since both Signe and her husband were quite young when they emigrated from
Sweden, they did not retain many Swedish customs. However, Signe can still
speak Swedish and has attended some Valhalla celebrations. She and Anton
returned to Sweden twice to visit family members. Signe has been a member of
First Lutheran Church for many years.
Lineage
Father: Malcolm Ohberg Brothers and Sisters: Her father was married
twice. There was a total of nine children in the family, four children by the
first marriage and five children by the second. Tilla (?), Gurde (?). Spouse:
Anton Carlson. Children: Orville (?) Robert.
Content Description
These interviews were conducted with Signe Carlson on March 27, 1978
and April 17, 1979 in Tacoma, Washington. It contains information on personal
background, emigration, settling in, marriage, Swedish customs, and the Swedish
language. 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 Steve Melton, Helen Tengesdal and Lise
Yohe 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, Anton |
| Carlson, Orville |
| Carlson, Robert |
| Carlson, Signe Amalija Ohberg--Interviews (creator) |
| Ohberg, Gurde |
| Ohberg, Malcolm |
| Ohberg, Tilla |
| Carlson family |
| Ohberg family |
| First Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Swedish
Order of Valhalla (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Bemidji
(Minn.) |
| McNeil
Island (Wash.) |
| Minneapolis
(Minn.) |
| Sundsvall
(Sweden) |
| Confirmation |
| Education --
Sweden |
| Emigration and
immigration |
| Family --
Sweden |
| Naturalization |
| 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
006 :
FAMILY BACKGROUND
[The first portion of this interview was not recorded due to
equipment difficulties.] Signe was talking about her first days in America
compared with Sweden. They had a prize cow in Sweden. It was just her father,
sister and Signe at home then.
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Cassette Counter
030:
EMIGRATION
She came with father and older sister. Mother had died when Signe
was two years old. Pappa was past 60, and he was scared they wouldn't let him
land in America because of his age. He paid one son's fare from Minnesota to
Boston so he would meet and help them. But, they were late in arriving; had to
wait two extra weeks for papers. So the son returned to Minnesota.
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Cassette Counter
072:
Father didn't work here; just joined family. Signe helped around
at brothers' homes, caring for children for which she received her room and
board. Her father bought a little farm which the boys farmed because he
couldn't. She felt they had no business sending for him because he was well off
in Sweden. But she was too young to say anything then.
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Cassette Counter
120:
Came from Sundsvall in Sweden. She's returned home twice. It is in
the north central part of Sweden which is beautiful country. The Swedish women
are great cooks. Even everyday food like potatoes and cabbage were cooked and
seasoned properly. They had the best black bread! "You don't have to take any
milk of magnesia when you eat that!"
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Cassette Counter
172:
Father owned a granite quarry in Sweden which is still there. The
foundation of Sundsvall's church is built of that granite. Father's half-sister
was their housekeeper-cook after Mother died. She was a professional cook.
Father's people were probably farmers.
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Cassette Counter
198:
Signe and her husband returned to Sweden twice. She had cousins
back in Sweden who were in the brick making business. There was real good clay
in the area, and Father had one of those businesses also. One Auntie had kept
on with that and done very well after her husband died.
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Cassette Counter
237:
Father emigrated to see his children in Minnesota. They lived by
Bemidji on small farms and worked in the woods. Signe was about 14, 16 when
they emigrated. Pa bought first class tickets on a German boat, "Irvania"(?);
the rooms were reserved and the food was good. They went over a rough North Sea
from Goeteborg to Hull, England, and then by train to Liverpool. Took boat to
Boston because it wasn't as busy as New York harbor; then took train to
Minnesota. The entire trip took over two weeks, eight days on the Atlantic and
three days on the North Sea. The latter was so rough; her sister was very sick
on the boat, which was characterized by bunks and lots of sick people. But, no
real problems on trip, just small inconveniences like waiting.
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Cassette Counter
359:
Went from Boston to Minneapolis-St. Paul where she had sisters
living, and from there to Duluth and then Bemidji. The sons picked them up. She
had never seen bananas before. On the boat, she chummed around with a girl who
was joining her father in Minneapolis.
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Cassette Counter
412:
SETTLING IN
In Bemidji, she learned to speak English by going to school. She
remembers wearing a satin blue velvet dress to school, reading a book which
made no sense, and having the teacher point to the word blue and then to her
dress. But Signe had no idea if she was referring to blue, satin, or velvet.
Signe was good in Swedish school, so she learned readily in America also. She
took care of children in Midwest. Out West, she took up hair work at Thorson's.
She wanted to learn something besides childcare. She worked at Thorson's until
she married.
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Cassette Counter
463:
There was no Swedish church in Bemidji, only Norwegian, which they
attended occasionally. She worked awhile in Bemidji for a doctor's wife who was
in real estate business. Signe would go along and help her fix up houses, hang
wallpaper, etc. Signe learned to speak English quite well as companion-employee
to this lady. When her father died, Signe moved to Minneapolis.
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Cassette Counter
486:
Citizenship was attained before marriage. She wanted to be an
American citizen but was very scared before the judge. Her English was pretty
good; he was nice and asked only a couple of questions; and she got her papers.
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Cassette Counter
511:
MARRIAGE
She and her husband worked together on a small farm on McNeil
Island. He had worked in the woods for Milwaukee Railroad. Then he attended
Lincoln High School to learn algebra, etc., in order to do inspection work in
the lumber business. He did very well at his job. For entertainment, they went
to shows if they could afford it. Gave older boy music lessons because he was
talented. Dancing was popular in Sweden as was reading.
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Cassette Counter
564:
SWEDISH CUSTOMS
They attended some Valhalla celebrations, but they both were
pretty young when they emigrated, so didn't keep up with the Swedish traditions
except at Christmas time. They never subscribed to any Swedish newspapers, but
read American papers. Besides Valhalla, there were few Swedish connections.
Their close friends were from her husband's business connection. At Christmas
she would cook lutefisk. Her daughter-in-law, Dorothy, is Scotch and ate
lutefisk when first engaged to Robert. After marriage, when she was family, she
decided not to be polite and eat it. But Robert likes lutefisk.
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Cassette Counter
647:
Signe has belonged to First Lutheran Church for many years.
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Cassette Counter
664:
Medical care was good when her children were born. Had a doctor,
although she had to come early from McNeil Island and stay in Tacoma. Husband
had ten acres of land there purchased before they were married. They built a
house and lived there.
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Cassette Counter
695:
Signe still knits and crochets, skills she learned as a child when
they had to knit their own stockings.
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Cassette Counter
718:
Speaking Swedish. She still speaks Swedish. Recites "Fader
vaar....".
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Cassette Counter
005:
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Full name is Signe Amalia [Emilie ?] Ohberg Carlson (Mrs. Anton
Carlson). Born in Sundsvall, Sweden in 1887. She was 91 years old at the time
of the interview. Doesn't remember mother's name; she died when Signe was two
years old. Her father, Malcolm Ohberg, kept up the farm. He was really a
businessman but had a farm too. After her mother died, his oldest sister came
to the farm and raised the children. There were four girls and one boy. Father
had been married before. He had two girls and two boys by the first marriage
who were grown up and gone. The boys had gone to America but the girls married
and stayed in Sweden. Signe was the youngest of all nine children.
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Cassette Counter
059:
Doesn't remember grandparents.
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Cassette Counter
078:
The family name was a regular name. Father came from southern
part, but northern part was booming so he came to start a business. He made
bricks for houses; uncle was in that business also. Good clay in that country.
The big Lutheran Church in Sundsvall is made of father 's and uncle's bricks.
Father bought a farm with granite rocks which were hewed, smoothed and sold for
house and church foundations. Also, the biggest building in town has his bricks
and granite in its structure. The home farm was a beautiful place within the
city limit. Sold this place. The law in Sweden, if mother or father died, the
children at the age of 17 or 18 could demand the dead parent's inheritance.
Brothers wanted to emigrate to America, so the farm was sold to pay them.
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Cassette Counter
201:
SCHOOL
Signe attended school and was confirmed in Sweden.
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Cassette Counter
212:
EMIGRATION
Signe was about 14-15 when she came to America with her father and
sister. The others [two half-brothers and at least three sisters] were already
here. Dad wanted to retire. The boys wrote and told how wonderful it was in
America. "Well, it wasn't. Not at that time." Boys took up homesteads around
Bemidji, Minnesota and worked as loggers.
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Cassette Counter
237:
TRIP
They left from Göteborg and went over the North Sea to Hull,
England, then across the Atlantic on a big German boat, "Irvania" (?). She and
her father weren't seasick, but sister was. Landed in Boston. No trouble. The
boys had arranged everything and Pappa had money. Came in the fall and the
ocean was rather rough. She met another girl on boat and they had a fun time
investigating the boat. Had brought some clothing, but left a lot of clothes
and remainder of goods in Sweden. They were allowed five trunks for the three
people. So they brought two, three feather beds, clothes and "fjell" (? a
sheepskin cover). The brother's wives took the beds and fjell plus some
homemade ...........(?). Dad didn't really make a new home in Minnesota because
he had two sons and one daughter married and with homes around Bemidji. Signe
stayed with one of the brothers and helped with a new baby. Next spring, she
moved to Minneapolis to one of her sister's. She got a house job caring for
children.
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Cassette Counter
391:
Then she came out West to Tacoma; she had two married sisters
living here. She surprised them. One sister lived in the Midland area on a
10-20 acre farm. They wrote continually and asked her to come. So she finally
wrote back "If you want to find out some more about my father, I'll tell you
more when I come out to see you". They didn't realize Signe was serious. She
saved enough money [$75-80] to buy a train ticket. She arrived in Tacoma on a
Saturday night in the springtime with only the Midland address on Golden Given
Road. There was bus service to that area, but it was a long walk to the house
from the bus stop, and the road was barely fit for lumber wagons. The train
people called the post office to locate the address. And she hired a horse and
buggy taxi to take her to Parkland; there they pinpointed the approximate
location of the house. She and the taxi driver walked the final leg of the
road. She rapped on the door, brother-in-law answered. Her sister, with her
back to the door, was sitting with one child on her lap and the other on a
potty.
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Cassette Counter
519:
Signe paid the taxi driver $10. Sister Tilla was so astonished at
her arrival. Other sister, Gurde ?, lived across the road, so they went to
visit right away, and she was surprised, too.
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Cassette Counter
540:
Signe stayed with her sisters and got a job at Thorson's. Took the
bus in the summer and worked for Thorson's until she got married. Had moved to
an apartment in Tacoma by that time.
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Cassette Counter
552:
Her husband, Anton Carlson, owned 20 acres on McNeil Island. He
was Swedish, born about 80 miles from Sundsvall. They just clicked together. He
had two uncles and aunts on Mcneil Island with chicken farms; sold eggs and
chickens. Also had a garden, cow and horses. Boats ran from Steilacoom or
Tacoma to McNeil, stopping also at Old Town and downtown.
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Cassette Counter
587:
After marriage, they built a house and lived on McNeil. Husband
was a good-looking man, strong and very nice. They had similar personalities
and background, and they "just clicked together".
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Cassette Counter
604:
Signe learned English by attending school in Bemidji and by just
trying. "But I didn't like school in America. Usch. No. And I'll tell you why".
She had a good education in Swedish and was a bright student. But she began
American school with very young children and felt it was so degrading. She
learned fast because she had to make her own way; father didn't have much money
left.
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Cassette Counter
639:
She had two boys. One [Orville] died of a heart attack one year
before her husband died. Robert is the second son.
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