Trygve Nakkerud was born on June 22, 1903 in Oslo, Norway to Andreas Nakkerud and Elise Bloch. Andreas was the President of a pulp mill and owned two farms. There were six children in the family, including Trygve: Ingrid, Sverre, Mads-Egil, Trygve, Eilert, and Ruth. Trygve attended public school and then went on to Agricultural College and training. In 1924, he decided to emigrate, but could not buy a ticket to the United States and went to Calgary, Alberta instead. In Calgary, he was hired by Lord Calendar to work with his horses, but when he failed to pay Trygve, Trygve left. He then went to New Westminister, British Columbia, where he joined the Sons of Norway and got a job as a carpenter. After this job, Trygve got a job extinguishing fires on the M.S. McCormack and then moved to Seattle, Washington. In the late 1920s, he worked as a non-union carpenter and later as a logger. At a logging camp near Vail, Washington, Trygve was asked about the logging conditions in Norway, and after he talked about conservation, he was fired. From there, he went to Aberdeen, Washington and wrote his first resolution on replanting and protection of forestry, after which he was unable to find any jobs. Trygve then began fishing in the Bering Sea and wrote two more resolutions, one of which Senator Jackson took to Washington D.C. In 1948, the Seafarers International Union of North America asked Trygve to be their International Representative. Trygve was active in the Union for thirty-two years. Trygve has also been a member of the Denny Park Lutheran Church, the President of the Leif Erikson League, and the 17th of May committee treasurer. Trygve married Inga Amanda Treland, originally from Lyngdal, Norway, and had three children: Elise, Gladys, and Arnold. The family settled in Seattle, Washington. Trygve has enjoyed life and his accomplishments.
Lineage
Full Name: Trygve Bloch Nakkerud. Father: Andreas M. Nakkerud. Mother: Elise Gradert Bloch. Paternal Grandfather: Martinius A. Nakkerud. Paternal Grandmother: Johanne Kolbjørnsdatter. Maternal Grandfather: August Gradert. Maternal Grandmother: Christine Bloch. Brothers and Sisters: Ingrid Nakkerud, Sverre Nakkerud, Mads-Egil Nakkerud, Eilert Nakkerud, Ruth Sofie Nakkerud Rojahn. Spouse: Inga Amanda Treland. Children: Elise Katrine Nakkerud, Gladys Irine Nakkerud, Arnold Olav Nakkerud.
From the guide to the Trygve Bloch Nakkerud Oral History Interview, 1981, (Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection Archives and Special Collections Department)
