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Thygeson, Sylvie (audio interview #1 of 1)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This single interview with Sylvie Thygeson was recorded under less than ideal conditions in the lounge of the convalescent hospital where she was confined. Bingo numbers were being called out in the background. The interview covered good portions of her life with very little continuity. Thygeson's daughter, Mary Shepardson, was present, and also asked questions to gain clarification. 10/12/1972
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- SUBJECT BIO - Sylvie Thygeson was involved in both the illegal birth control and suffrage movements in St. Paul Minnesota in the mid-1910s. She remained involved in progressive causes after she moved with her family to Palo Alto. Thygeson was 104 years old at the time of the interview, which was conducted in the lounge of the convalescent hospital where she was confined. She was referred by women involved in Women FOR, in Los Angeles, a longtime radical group with whom Thygeson had been involved when she lived in Los Angeles. They referred to her as "Mother T," and initially could not remember her name. The interview was arranged by her 70 year old daughter, Mary Shepardson, who also participated in the interview. Despite Thygeson's very advanced age and frail condition, she was alert, incredibly articulate and determined. The single, one hour interview with her provides insight into the respectable suffrage activity among the elite women of the city, on the one hand, and the involvement of some of these same women, along with Thygeson, in running an illegal birth control clinic. The illegality of this latter activity resonated deeply, even sixty years. At the age of 106, Thygeson decided to end her life and stopped eating. TOPICS - Topics covered on this side of the tape include: involvement in both the suffrage and birth control movements in St; Paul, Minnesota; the founding and operation of an illegal birth control clinic; family background; and involvement in progressive causes after her move in 1917 to California;Topics covered on this side of the tape include: Thygeson's belief/faith in the evolutionary process; details on her family background;
- *** File: sufsthygeson1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:07)... Tape introduction. (2:07-5:41)... Although she was reluctant to provide their names, three women assisted her with the development of the first birth control clinic in St. Paul, Minneapolis. These women were very prominent women in the community. There was also a doctor who assisted at the clinic. The clinic was kept a secret because disseminating birth control information and contraceptives was illegal at the time. (5:41-9:22)... Following Margaret Sanger's direction, the birth control clinic advocated and circulated the "contrivance" created by Sanger (sic). [Editor's note: Thygeson is referring to the diaphragm, which Sanger brought to the US from Europe.] Sanger assisted the women working in the St. Paul clinic by supplying information and advice. Because of her association with the birth control clinic, Thygeson was "editorialized" in the Pioneer Press, a local St. Paul newspaper. This article discussed her activities with the clinic, providing information and public comment on the clinic's existence. (9:22-12:00)... Funding for the birth control clinic came from various sources and included personal contributions from wealthy women in St. Paul. Similar to suffrage, the birth control movement received its contributions and labor from volunteers. Most of the women involved in the suffrage movement were also associated with the birth control movement and there were prominent women who spoke on both causes. (12:00-14:19)... While in Minnesota, she worked for both the suffrage and the birth control movements. As a member of the Women's Welfare League, she attended 100 luncheons where women spoke on suffrage and raised money for the cause. Although, the Women's Welfare League did not publicly support the birth control movement, many of the women in the organizational personally supported the movement. (14:19-21:08)... It was never her belief that suffrage would change society or women's place in it. There was a myth that women were superior and that suffrage would make the world a better place; however, this was nonsense because men and women shared the same negative and positive attributes. Thygeson believes that change is an evolutionary process and women's status would change as society changed. Suffrage was a direct benefit to women because it educated them. She believe that it was inevitable that women would vote "because they were human beings endowed with certain inalienable rights." As mothers, women influence society and should not be restricted from politics . (21:08-25:17)... Since suffrage, society has gone through many changes indicative of the evolutionary process of social change. The suffrage movement was part of a larger process that educated the world and brought societal progress. People take societal change for granted. Women at the polls are not viewed as unusual, but people never think about the struggles women endured to get the right to be there. One advancement in women's lives is their access to education. She believes that while women are not superior to men, women are more interested and have to work harder for things. (25:17-30:32)... After the suffrage amendment was passed, she was not disappointed because she never had any illusions regarding the impact that suffrage would have on society. As a suffragist and a birth control advocate, her activities were somewhat limited because she had four children. However, child care assistance allowed her to devote herself to suffrage and birth control activities. She never neglected her children while pursuing these activities; her children were very progressive and did her credit. She discusses the Women's Welfare League and the activities of Sara Bard Feld, who dedicated her life to various women's movements and whose picture hangs in the library of congress. (30:32-32:16)... Born in 1845, Thygeson's mother was from a liberal background. Thygeson's grandfather fought in the Civil War and was injured at Vicksburg, requiring a silver plate to be placed in his head. Her mother once entertained Margaret Sanger when she was passing through their family town. (32:16-36:43)... When her grandparents were traveling west and passing through the Mason-Dixon line, they came upon a fleeing "Negro" family. Her father became friends with a little girl from this family, whose name was Sylvie. When Thygeson was born, her parents named her after this little girl. Her grandfather stopped at the stations on the underground railroad and assisted the slave families. He was a Presbyterian minister who, along with his 5-year-old son, died in a prairie fire after returning from caring for a sick woman. This incident cemented her disbelief in religion. (36:43-41:15)... In 1917, she moved to San Jose, California. She continued to support the birth control movement, particularly in San Jose. She met Marian McKay who made contributions towards Thygeson's efforts in the Birth Control League. At the time of the interview, she was a member of Planned Parenthood in San Jose and active in the American Civil Liberties Union. (41:15-44:14)... When she moved to San Jose, she did not open any birth control clinics, as clinics were already there. She discusses her daughter, Ruthie, who was a doctor and dedicated her time to working at birth control clinics. (Break in tape.) She worked at birth control clinics in the schools, including Berkeley and Oakland. She instructed women on how to use contraceptives and taught them other birth control methods. end of tape *** File: sufsthygeson2.mp3 (0:00-2:08)... The tape begins abruptly with a discussion on the first time she voted. She did not believe that women would be any different simply because they had the right to vote. Most women were not interested in social movements or politics. (2:08-5:31)... It was not her belief that women would change society because they had the right to vote. When she first voted, she was not overly thrilled. Because of her ideas on evolution, the fact that women received the vote was not a surprise to her, but was simply part of the evolutionary process of social change. (5:31-8:13)... She measures change over the past 50 years by looking at how humanity has progressed in society; she does not separate women from men when evaluating societal change. (8:13-13:18)... Because her mother was a highly progressive woman, Thygeson never had to be converted to social causes, but grew up in an atmosphere that encouraged activism. Her mother and father were very active and intellectual people, both receiving a college education. Thygeson and her siblings received an excellent education and were progressive because of their parents. (13:18-15:02)... Her husband was an intelligent man who received a college education in engineering and later became a lawyer. Her children were expected and encouraged to attend the college of their choice; three graduated from Stanford University. (15:02-15:52)... As a young woman, she was told that she could not attend college because of financial constraints. She moved to St. Louis for two years where she assisted with legal publications. (Break in tape.) (15:52-20:17)... The tape begins abruptly with a discussion of her husband. He was a judge in the St. Paul Court of Appeals (?). He also wrote law books, which were published in the United States and abroad. Thygeson assisted her husband with these publications. As a mother, she encouraged her children to pursue every opportunity available to them and cultivated an atmosphere of learning. (20:17-23:55)... In 1929, she traveled to the Soviet Union. During the Russian Revolution, Soviet women had complete freedom. There were very few restrictions placed on them and they had access to birth control. However, Soviet women did not take advantage of the opportunities afforded to them in education. Although they had personal freedom, they were ignorant and did not possess intellectual knowledge. (23:55-26:55)... Most women are naturally inclined to feel responsibility towards children. As mothers, the very nature of childbirth instills this responsibility in a woman more than in a man. However, women do not hold any higher functions or superiority in society because they are mothers. Intelligence and the desire to learn are the most important attributes in society. (26:55-31:09)... During the suffrage and birth control movements, she did not believe that women were superior to men, especially because her husband was very superior and had the same traits as women. Thygeson's mother and father married when her mother was 15 and her father was 27. Her father was a very ill-tempered individual who had a difficult time controlling his anger. In contrast, her mother was very patient and well balanced. As a child, Thygeson was more attracted to her mother's personality than her father's, and will not seek out people who have the same attributes as her father. (31:09-33:26)... She was opposed to World War I and any war in which a man had to sacrifice his life for a vague principle. However, during the Second World War II she was opposed to Hitler and supported to that war. (33:26-34:01)... As mothers, women influence the atmosphere and attitudes of the children they raise. The environment in which a person grows up greatly influences their perspective on life and their thought processes. end of tape
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