    
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Administrative
Information
Scope and Content Note
Biographical Information
Lineage
Selected Search Terms
Partial Interview Transcript
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Information
Resources
Robert A. L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific
Lutheran University
Tacoma, WASHINGTON 98447
Phone: (253) 535-7586 E-mail: archives@plu.edu
New Land
New Lives Oral History Collection
Anna Malena Hopen
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Hopen, Anna Malena
Collection Nr: t113
File Content:
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3 file folders
9 photographs
1 sound cassette
0 compact discs
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Processing Information:
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The
interview was conducted 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.
Interviewed
by Inger Nygaard Carr
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky
Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: Good
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Restrictions:
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The
collection is available for research.
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Preferred Citation:
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[Collection
Number, Collection Title]
New Land New Lives Oral History Collection
Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection
Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
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The
interview was conducted with Anna Hopen on November 2, 1981
in Tacoma, Washington. This interview provides information on
family history, immigration to Norway, school, Christmas traditions,
return to the U.S., feelings about leaving Norway, work in U.S.,
marriage, children, community involvement, church, visits to
Norway, changes in Norway, and Norwegian traditions. The interview
also contains Anna Hopen's husband Anton's obituary from the
Western Viking and photographs of Anna's grandmother's home
in Espetveit, Norway, Anna's home in Norway, Hopen, Norway,
Anna and Anton at Prince William Sound in Alaska (1936), Anna
in Tacoma, Washington before her family returned to Norway,
Anna and her brother Oscar in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Anna and
Anton at the time of the interview. The interview was conducted
in English with some Norwegian towards the end of the interview.
Also see Carl Tweiten, Martha Handeland, and Anton Hopen.
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Anna
Malena (Tweiten) Hopen was born on either November 13 or 25,
1913 in Lemon's Beach, Washington, which is now University Place
in Tacoma. Her parents are Ommund Karlson Tweiten and Pauline
Amelia Liland. Her family moved back to Norway in 1920; she
attended first grade in Tacoma and then continued school in
Norway. After school, she spent two winters trapping ptarmigan,
an expensive delicacy in England, and lived with Ingeborg Tveiten.
Her brothers and sisters began immigrating back to the U.S.,
and Anna returned in 1931, traveling through Quebec, Canada
to reach Tacoma. She did housework for various people before
marriage, and she met her husband, Anton Hopen, at Normanna
Hall in Tacoma during a snowball fight. Anton fished in Alaska
in the summer, and they were married on May 21, 1936 in Cordova,
Alaska. They lived in Alaska for three months and then rented
a house in Tacoma. They have six children: Junis, Sigvald Dagfin,
Phillip Obed, Alf Magnus, Ruben Harold, and Bruce Leon. Anna
did part-time catering for parties after marriage and was head
cook for Smorgasbord restaurant in Gig Harbor for thirteen to
fifteen years. She joined the Daughters of Norway in 1932 and
also belongs to the Sons of Norway, and she visited Norway in
1970, 1975, and 1979.
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Full Name: |
Anna Malena Hopen
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Maiden Name: |
Anna Malena Tweiten
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Father: |
Ommund Karlson Tweiten
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Mother: |
Pauline Amelia Liland
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Paternal Grandfather: |
Karl Pederson Tveiten
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Marte Lunde
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Maternal Grandfather: |
Ommund Pederson Hampland Liland
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Maternal Grandmother: |
Anna Malena Jonsdatter Espeveit
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Carl Tweiten
Oscar Tweiten
Bertha Tweiten
Thor Bernhard Tweiten
Martha (Tweiten) Handeland
Alma Johanna Tweiten
Jørgen Tweiten
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Spouse: |
Anton Magnus Hopen
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Children: |
Junis Hopen
Phillip Obed Hopen
Alf Magnus Hopen
Ruben Harold Hopen
Bruce Leon Hopen
Sigvald Dagfin Hopen
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Hopen, Anna Malena
Tweiten, Anna Malena
Tweiten, Ommund Karlson
Liland, Pauline Amelia
Tveiten, Karl Pederson
Lunde, Marte
Liland, Ommund Pederson Hampland
Espetveit, Anna Malena Jonsdatter
Hopen, Anton Magnus
Tveiten, Ingeborg
Hopen, Junis
Hopen, Phillip Obed
Hopen, Alf Magnus
Hopen, Ruben Harold
Hopen, Bruce Leon
Hopen, Sigvald Dagfin
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Family Names |
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Hopen family
Tveiten family
Tweiten family
Lunde family
Liland family
Espetveit family
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Geographical Names |
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Lemons Beach, Tacoma (Wash.)
University Place (Wash.)
Tacoma (Wash.)
Tveiten, Sirdal (Norway)
Liland, Sirdal (Norway)
Lunde, Sirdal (Norway)
Hompland, Sirdal (Norway)
Espetveit, Sirdal (Norway)
Eikefjord (Norway)
Flekkefjord (Norway)
Cordova (Alaska)
Gig Harbor (Wash.)
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Subjects |
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Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
Scandinavian Heritage Festival (Tacoma, Wash.)
Emigration and immigration -- Norway
Railroad travel
Church attendance -- Norway
School attendance -- Norway
Parkland Childrens Center
Norway -- Social conditions -- 1945-
Normanna Hall (Tacoma, Wash.)
Daughters of Norway (Tacoma, Wash.)
Sons of Norway (Tacoma, Wash.)
Smørgåsbord Restaurant (Gig Harbor, Wash.)
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Occupations |
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Domestics
Fishing -- Alaska
Caterers and catering
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Genre/Form |
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Oral history
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Institution |
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Pacific Lutheran University. Scandinavian Immigrant Experience
Collection
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The
partial interview transcription highlights important aspects
of the interview. Numbers on the left 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.
SIDE I
004 PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Tweiten maiden name. Born Lemon's Beach,
Tacoma, Washington, November 13, 1913. 1920 the family left
for Norway. Lived there for eleven years until 1931.
015 PARENTS: Father, Ommund Karlson Tweiten. Mother, Pauline
Amelia Liland. Father did various work. He immigrated to Michigan
then back. Came to U.S. again and back to Norway. Did this three
times. Came west. Worked as a saw filer in logging camps.
033 Father married here. Mother was an immigrant from Sirdal.
She was doing domestic housework then did laundry work and cooked
in logging camps.
039 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Carl born in Deming near Bellingham.
Now lives in Gig Harbor. Carl was a logger then went to Alaska
prospecting until he lost most of his eyesight in a mining explosion.
066 Carl worked at Northwest Plywood for many years. He built
his own house.
077 Martha born at University Place, then called Lemon's Beach.
Oscar next child.
083 RETURN TO NORWAY: Planned to take over the farm, ended up
driving bus instead.
099 FLEKKEFJORD: Buying supplies in Flekkefjord for the townspeople.
Lake close by used for hauling freight by steamboat.
109 GRANDPARENTS: Paternal, Marte Lund and Karl Pederson Tveiten.
Pederson was father's name. Tveiten is a little place with 7-8-
farms.
137 GRANDPARENTS: Were farmers. Grew potatoes, oats, barley.
Grew things for themselves. Sold cattle and hide for money.
Did trading.
157 They made and sold butter and cheese.
162 MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS: Ommund Pederson Hompland Liland and
Anna Malena Jonsdatter Espetveit. They were farmers too.
174 BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Alma died when she was 21 in Tacoma.
Bertha lives in Tacoma, she married a Swede. Joergen born in
Norway. Barney born in Norway works in Arctic on roads.
192 GOING TO NORWAY: As a child had fun. Went by boat. Took
train to Stavanger. Took little boat. Took horse and buggy to
Sirdal.
215 SCHOOL: First grade in Tacoma. Had Smaaskole and Storskole
in Norway. Went to Smaaskole for twelve weeks in a year. When
10 to Storskole for fourteen weeks.
233 They lived in the old family house.
242 CHRISTMAS: Julefest. Children's programs different school
hosues. Children read. Sing around the tree.
264 CHRISTMAS EVE: Pinne steak, meat on skewers roasted it in
coals.
CHRISTMAS DAY: Got together with the family.
274 CHRISTMAS DAY: Went to church. Shared minister with another
church.
282 CHURCH: Important in the family. She was confirmed. Sang
in choir. Church every other Sunday.
291 CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Stories told to the children. Put
out mush and raisin bread for Julenissen. Old tales were scary.
315 CHILDHOOD: Very nice in Norway and America. Worked in the
fields a lot. Machinery, mower pulled by horses.
330 WINTERTIME: Skied to church and school.
346 CHORES: Planting and picking potatoes were kid's jobs.
358 SCHOOL: Had lots of homework. Had to prepare for school.
371 AFTER SCHOOL: Spent two winters trapping birds "ryper" or
Ptarmigan. Made more money than if she did housework in town.
Lived with Ingeborg Tveiten. Describes this.
390 Sold bird to England. Delicacy in England. Small birds.
Sold from 75 oere to 1 krone.
414 Brothers and sisters began immigrating back to the U.S.A.
430 RETURN TO U.S.: Went through England. Stavanger to London,
good trip. Train from London to Liverpool.
447 Ship to Quebec, Canada, Atlantic was rough. Later part of
September 1931. Took train across Canada took about two weeks.
463 TRAIN: Dirt. Food on train. Had forgotten English, some
trouble. Went to Vancouver.
483 Took car to Tacoma. Had birth certificates to get across
border.
496 FEELINGS LEAVING NORWAY: Missed winter. Didn't like doing
housework here. Was homesick.
517 WORK: Did housework until married. Met husband at Normanna
Hall during snowball fight.
541 FISHING: Husband fished in Alaska winters. Married May 21,
1936.
553 WEDDING: Married in Cordova, Alaska at the courthouse. Friends
were witnesses. He was fishing. She stayed at camp for summer.
597 Learned many things about American cooking from the fishing
camp cook.
615 WORK: Before married worked for English people in Tacoma,
the Jesse Bamford's.
632 HOUSEKEEPING JOB: $35 per month. Did cooking, cleaning and
sewing.
674 WORK: Lived with a family. Cared for four girls. Cooking,
cleaning. Made $50 per month.
SIDE II
003 WAGES: Good for the time. Made more than men. Many times
they made $1 a day.
006 WORK: Another time for some English people, Gilpen. He owned
Northwest Chair.
013 WORK: Worked for Elby McDonalds who was a contractor.
024 Lived in Alaska three months when first married. Rented
a house in Tacoma. Husband didn't work during the winter.
040 CHILDREN: Sigvald works in Arctic in oil fields. Was married.
Phillip married lived in Alaska. Works as a fisherman and mechanic.
054 CHILDREN: Alf was married. Has two daughters. Heavy equipment
mechanic in Alaska. Mining business.
065 CHILDREN: Junis lives in California. Was married. Had two
children.
080 WORK AFTER MARRIAGE: Part time catering work for parties.
084 WORK: In the kitchen at Skandiagard in Gig Harbor. Head
cook for Smorgasbord. 13-15 years. Talks of food and the different
owners.
137 ORGANIZATIONS: Joined Daughters of Norway in 1932. Was marshal
several times in the Daughters.
158 SONS OF NORWAY: Help Boys Club and those in need.
167 DAUGHTERS OF NORWAY: Go to Pacific Lutheran University for
Scandinavian Fair. She makes sandwiches.
172 CHURCH: Kids went through Sunday school. Our Saviors Lutheran
now merged with Gloria Dei. She was baptized at Our Saviors.
Lists some of the ministers: Ordal, Redal, Strandjord, Shafflin,
Williamson.
192 LUTHER CHILD CENTER GILD: Organized as an orphanage in Parkland.
Moved to Everett. She was preside of the Gild for 2-3 years.
207 Did some fundraising by making and selling things, arts
and crafts.
213 VISITS TO NORWAY: 1970. Changes, people change; mountains
and streams don't change. Road signs new and confusing.
224 VISITS TO NORWAY: 1975-79. Old place still there. Getting
little use.
243 Many tourists especially during Easter. Good place to ski
in winter.
246 NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS: Have been maintained. Children learned
Norwegian when young. Still do some baking.
260 WORK NOW: She does baking for weddings. Makes cakes and
cookies. Makes Kransekake wedding cake. Kranse means wreath.
279 CHILDREN: Ruben works on the Alaska pipeline. Married Pearl
Jones. They have one son and a home in Tacoma. Bruce married
and separated. He had one boy. He works in a cannery in Alaska.
306 She speaks Norwegian a little bit.
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