Hilma Laitinen Miller Oral History Interview, 1981 PDF
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Miller, Hilma Laitinen
- Title
- Dates
- 1981 (inclusive)19811981
- Quantity
- 3 file folders
1 photograph
1 sound cassette - Collection Number
- t080
- Summary
- An oral history interview with Hilma Laitinen Miller, a Finnish immigrant.
- Repository
- Pacific Lutheran University, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Pacific Lutheran University
12180 Park Avenue South
Tacoma, Washington
98447
Telephone: 253-535-7586
Fax: 253-535-7315
archives@plu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The oral history collection is open to all users.
- Additional Reference Guides
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Hilma Miller was born on January 25, 1893 in Joutsa, Finland, which is located in the central part of the country. Her parents were Gusta and Rikkina Laitinen, and Hilma had one sister, Anna. Gusta also had five other children and Rikkina had another daughter from their previous marriages. Hilma's family did not have a lot of money, and Hilma went to work when she was eleven years old. For seven years, she worked at various farms with her sister. When Hilma was nineteen, she met her husband and was married. They immigrated to America one week after their wedding, settling first in Virginia, Minnesota. Hilma's husband found work at a sawmill, and they remained there for eight years. During that time, their first daughter, Lila, was born. The family then moved to Lost Lake, North Dakota, where Hilma's husband took care of a farm for three years and their second daughter was born. In 1922, they moved to Astoria, Oregon, where Hilma's husband had hoped to go fishing but became a longshoreman instead. Hilma, on the other hand, worked as a short order cook, making Finnish food. She also became involved in Peace Lutheran Church and the Finnish Brotherhood. She returned to Finland once in 1960.
Lineage
Full Name: Hilma Miller. Maiden Name: Hilma Laitinen. Father: Gusta Laitinen. Mother: Rikkina Laitinen. Maternal Grandmother: Liisa. Brothers and Sisters: There were nine children. Children: Lila Miller.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This interview was conducted with Hilma Miller on August 25, 1981 in Astoria, Oregon. It provides information on family background, marriage and family, emigration, employment, and Finnish heritage. The interview also includes a photograph of Hilma. The interview was conducted in English.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
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.
| Container(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Cassette | |
| 80, side 1 | 023: PERSONAL
BACKGROUND Born in Joutsa (Youtsa),
Mikkelin Lääni, Finland. Joutsa is in central Finland. Birthdate - January 25,
1893.
|
| 80, side 1 | 105: PARENTS Rikkina & Gusta Laitinen. Raised food on own farm.
Father fished & sold fish.
|
| 80, side 1 | 173: Left home at 11 to work. Took care of cows &
children.
|
| 80, side 1 | 201: BROTHERS AND
SISTERS Parents each married twice.
Mother had 1 girl from 1st husband. Father had 2 girls and 3 boys from 1st
wife. They had 2 girls together - Anna & Hilma.
|
| 80, side 1 | 236: CHILDHOOD
HOUSE: Very little - one room. Little
light - one window. Piece of steel in the fireplace to hang pots on. Described
how they baked.
|
| 80, side 1 | 278: FOOD Ate fish and potatoes, Kalamojaka (soup made of fresh fish),
and oatmeal.
|
| 80, side 1 | 303: GRANDPARENTS: Mother's mom called Liisa. Father's parents died
before she was born - can't remember them.
|
| 80, side 1 | 327: SCHOOL Not much. Had school 3 weeks a year at different farms.
|
| 80, side 1 | 350: CHRISTMAS Had butter and meat.
|
| 80, side 1 | 366: WORK Age 11, went to work in Heinola. Watched cows and children.
Sister worked with her. Worked 7 years at various farms.
|
| 80, side 1 | 434: Talks about a place called Makkaramäki (Sausage Hill) and
how she like sausage.
|
| 80, side 1 | 451: CAME TO US When about 20 with husband.
|
| 80, side 1 | 463: HUSBAND Met when 19. Lived with mother and brothers on farm.
|
| 80, side 1 | 492: WORK Hilma worked at a paper mill for a while.
|
| 80, side 1 | 498: Hilma asked husband to go to America.
|
| 80, side 1 | 498: WEDDING Married before they left for America. Big wedding -
party for 3 days. Her husband's family had money.
|
| 80, side 1 | 518: Talks about being poor in Finland and how people would talk
about this. She didn't like this (Discussion in Finnish - translated by Donna
Mallonee).
|
| 80, side 1 | 545: STORY Tells about her and her husband being locked in a building
on the farm. Mother-in-law let them out in the morning.
|
| 80, side 1 | 605: TRIP OVER Husband, his cousin, and Hilma came together. Stayed
in England 1week and waited for the boat. Cousin named Robert Uotila.
|
| 80, side 1 | 631: Came to New York. Went to Ellis Island. Took train to
Virginia, Minnesota. Lived there 8 years.
|
| 80, side 1 | 660: WORK Husband worked in saw mills.
|
| 80, side 1 | 665: LANGUAGE
DIFFICULTIES Couldn't speak any English
so there were some problems at first.
|
| 80, side 1 | 673: FIRST
IMPRESSIONS Heavy rain. Big buildings.
Didn't like it.
|
| 80, side 1 | 693: After the war moved to Lost Lake, North Dakota. Husband took
care of a farm. They lived there for 3 years.
|
| 80, side 1 | 716: CHILDREN Oldest daughter born in Minnesota. 2nd daughter born
in North Dakota.
|
| 80, side 1 | 727: Moved to Astoria, Oregon so husband could do some fishing,
but law wouldn't allow foreigners to fish in 1922.
|
| 80, side 1 | 753: Rented a house in Astoria, Oregon. Husband worked as a
longshoreman.
|
| 80, side 1 | 775: ASTORIA 1922 Didn't like it. Everything burned. They think someone
started it.
|
| 80, side 1 | 815: Men or women - who works the hardest? She say in Finnish,
"There are lazy men and lazy women."
|
| 80, side 1 | 830: BOARDING
HOUSES Many men lived there working in
Astoria during the winter and went to Alaska during the summer.
|
| 80, side 1 | 841: CHURCH LIFE Belonged to Peace Lutheran. Mostly Finnish
people.
|
| 80, side 1 | 847: FINNISH
BROTHERHOOD Used to be a member and go to
meetings.
|
| 80, side 1 | 875: TRIPS TO
FINLAND 1960 - stayed for 3 mos.
"Everything changed." Still has family in Finland.
|
| 80, side 1 | 895: Has family who comes to visit her in Astoria, Oregon now.
Oldest daughter married a Finnish man. Youngest daughter married an
Englishman.
|
| 80, side 1 | 911: FINNISH FOOD Worked as a short order cook - made Finnish food.
Cooked Finnish food at home some (Speaks in Finnish). Story: (Donna Mallonee
translates) Finnish fisherman came to the restaurant wanting salt fish and
buttermilk, a Finnish favorite.
|
| 80, side 1 | 939: CHILDREN Can speak Finnish. Lila (oldest) speaks it.
|
| 80, side 1 | 950: RAISING
CHILDREN Lila going to school. She didn't
want to go.
|
| 80, side 1 | 970: HUSBAND DIED January 25, 1967.
|
| 80, side 1 | 996: REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN
FINLAND Hilma liked working in the paper
mill in Finland. She married her husband and left 1 week after they were
wed.
|
| 80, side 1 | 1012: WEDDING Describes her Finnish wedding. A big platform built
for dancing. Many flowers. Well decorated.
|
| 80, side 1 | 1032: STORY (Donna Translates) As a child Hilma made marks on a stick
which got her father in trouble because he'd kept track of his work days on it.
Hilma made too many marks, father's boss became upset and had to leave the
job.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
- Subject Terms :
- Emigration and immigration
- Family--Finland
- Finnish-Americans--Northwest,Pacific--Interviews
- Finnish-Americans--Social life and customs
- Marriage service
- Personal Names :
- Laitinen, Anna
- Miller, Hilma--Interviews (creator)
- Miller, Lila
- Laitinen, Gusta
- Laitinen, Rikkina
- Corporate Names :
- Ellis Island Immigration Station ( N.J. and N.Y.)
- Peace Lutheran Church (Astoria, Or.)
- Family Names :
- Laitinen family
- Miller family
- Geographical Names :
- Astoria (Or.)
- Joutsa (Finland)
- Virginia (Minn.)
- Form or Genre Terms :
- Oral histories
- Occupations :
- Farmers
- Sawmill workers
- Stevedores
