Courtesy of Library of Congress, Pearson, Edna, 21 November 1938
Description
The interview of Mrs. Will H. Berger focuses on the woman describing how her parents immigrated from Sweden in 1866. They were able to save up $900 in nine months by working for the Union Pacific Railroad Company. This interview was part of the Federal Writers’ Project with the U.S. Work Projects Administration and was published in 1938.
Full Transcript of Mrs. Will H. Berger Interview
Transcribed Excerpts from Mrs. Will H. Berger Interview
Source-Dependent Questions
- Where did Mrs. Berger’s parents immigrate from and in what year?
- If Mrs. Berger’s parents were able to save $900 by working on the Union Pacific Railroad for nine months, infer if those were high-paying or low-paying jobs for that time.
For additional information, consider that in 1846, an acre of land in Marion County, Iowa, sold for $1.25 per acre according to "The History of Marion County," or that a farm laborer in 1870 earned $13.90 a month.
Citation Information
Pearson, Edna, "[Mrs. Will H. Berger]," 21 November 1938. Courtesy of Library of Congress