Anna Jørgensdatter Tveiten Lovrak Oral History Interview, 1981 PDF
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Lovrak, Anna Jørgensdatter Tveiten
- Title
- Dates
- 1981 (inclusive)19811981
- Quantity
- 2 file folder
1 sound cassette - Collection Number
- t079
- Summary
- An oral history interview with Anna Jørgensdatter Tveiten Lovrak, a Norwegian 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
Anna Lovrak was born on December 19, 1909 in Tveiten, Norway. Her parents were Jørgen Karleson Tveiten and Jori Olene Tveiten, and she had three siblings: Carl, Martha, and Gunhild. In 1902, Anna's parents immigrated to America, where her father found work as a logger in Bellingham, WA. In 1906, they returned to Norway and bought the family farm with the money they had earned in Washington. At the age of six, Anna began working on the farm as well as attending school. At fourteen, she attended Folkeskolen and was later confirmed. In 1930, she decided to immigrate to Tacoma, WA, where her brother and friends lived. She stayed with friends from Sirdal, Norway, and her mother and sister arrived a few weeks later. Anna had come to America to make a better living for herself, and once in Tacoma, she was soon hired as a housekeeper by a Presbyterian pastor. Anna met her husband, Greg Lovrak, through her brother. Greg was from Grimstad, Norway and had changed his name from Gregorius Lauvrak to Greg Lovrak upon his arrival to America. Greg was employed as logger when Anna met him, and they had three children: Oscar, Judith, and Glenn. The children spoke only Norwegian until they began attending school, and Anna raised them with Scandinavian foods and customs. Anna has been a member of the Daughters of Norway for 51 years and a member of the Central Baptist Church for 22-23. She has visited Norway and remains in close contact with her relatives there.
Lineage
Full Name: Anna Jørgensdatter Tveiten Lovrak. Maiden Name: Anna Jørgensdatter Tveiten. Father: Jørgen Karleson Tveiten. Mother: Jori Olene Tveiten. Paternal Grandfather: Karl Karleson Tveiten. Paternal Grandmother: Martha Tveiten. Maternal Grandfather: Ola Lunde. Maternal Grandmother: Gunhild Lunde. Brothers and Sisters: Carl Martin Tveiten, Martha Annia Tveiten, Gunhild Bertine Tveiten. Spouse: Greg Lovrak (Gregorius Lauvrak). Children: Oscar John Lovrak. Judith Irene Bentley. Glenn Arnold Lovrak.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The interview was conducted with Anna Lovrak on August 7, 1981 in Tacoma, Washington. It contains information on family background, schooling, emigration, employment, marriage and family, community involvement, and Norwegian heritage. 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 | |
| 79, side 1 | 010: PERSONAL
BACKGROUND Born on December 19, 1909 in
Tveiten, Norway. Discussion of names. Closest towns were Flekkefjord and
Stavanger.
|
| 79, side 1 | 037: PARENTS Jori Olene (Lunde) Tveiten and Jørgen Karleson Tveiten,
employed as a farmer.
|
| 79, side 1 | 048: GRANDPARENTS Paternal grandmother was a nice old lady, lived with
her uncle.
|
| 79, side 1 | 056: FAMILY NAME Discussion of Tveiten, meaning unknown. Husband's
name, Lauvrak has been changed to Lovrak upon arrival to the U.S. Anna married
in the U.S. to Greg (Gregorius) Lovrak.
|
| 79, side 1 | 069: FAMILY
BACKGROUND Parents emigrated in 1902 to
the U.S. Her father was employed in Bellingham, Washington. Wanted to make
money fast, worked as a logger.
|
| 79, side 1 | 083: REEMIGRATION Went back to Norway in 1906, bought family farm with
the money earned in the U.S.
|
| 79, side 1 | 088: GROWING UP "Lots of work" since age six, milking cows and haying
in June.
|
| 79, side 1 | 100: SCHOOL DAYS Started school at age six, Folkeskolen at fourteen,
later confirmation. Stayed on the family farm until emigration to the U.S. Her
brother was already in the U.S.
|
| 79, side 1 | 115: ARRIVAL IN
U.S. 1930, looking for better way to make
money, wanted to find work, hard to make it in Norway.
|
| 79, side 1 | 137: DESTINATION
TACOMA Brother and friends resided
here.
|
| 79, side 1 | 142: BOAT TRIP Came aboard the Bergensfjord. Took three weeks plus
two days to arrive from Tonstad, Norway to Vancouver, B.C. (See counter
I-155).
|
| 79, side 1 | 151: FEELINGS
LEAVING NORWAY Wondered if she was doing
the right thing.
|
| 79, side 1 | 155: BOAT TRIP Good food. Seasick on the trip over due to cheap
quarters beneath the water level. Mostly Norwegian aboard (see counter
I-142).
|
| 79, side 1 | 183: IMPRESSIONS
UPON LANDING HALIFAX, CANADA Alone upon
arrival in Vancouver, B.C. Mr. Strom (?) escorted her to Tacoma, the Strom (?)
family owned a grocery store in Tacoma.
|
| 79, side 1 | 208: TRIP ACROSS
CANADA No paper problems and not many
language problems.
|
| 79, side 1 | 218: IMPRESSIONS OF
WASHINGTON Very different from Norway.
Outside toilets surprised her. Mother told her what to expect.
|
| 79, side 1 | 240: ARRIVAL IN
TACOMA Stayed with the Skreen (?) family,
friends from Sirdal, Norway. Mother and sister arrived a few weeks later.
Finally all together.
|
| 79, side 1 | 257: GETTING A JOB Put an ad in the newspaper and was hired by a
Presbyterian pastor in the north end.
|
| 79, side 1 | 277: AVERAGE WORK
DAY 7am cook breakfast, later lunch and
dinner, cleaning. Some problems with the English language. Pastor Etcheson
(?).
|
| 79, side 1 | 308: LEARNING
ENGLISH Attended night school for one
winter. Spoke Norwegian at home with family and friends. Spoke English at
work.
|
| 79, side 1 | 326: MEETING
HUSBAND Through her brother. Husband was
from Grimstad, Norway. He worked as a logger when they were married.
|
| 79, side 1 | 343: DEPRESSION No work, bad times, could always get housework, made
$35 to start then up to $45.
|
| 79, side 1 | 353: HUSBAND'S JOB Worked from Sunday until Saturday night, home only on
Saturday nights, lived in the woods where he worked.
|
| 79, side 1 | 364: CHILDREN (See lineage) Her mother helped at home with the
children. The children spoke Norwegian until they went to school, attended
Franklin school, they picked up English fast, still able to speak and
understand Norwegian.
|
| 79, side 1 | 402: GRANDCHILDREN Granddaughter learning Norwegian at PLU.
|
| 79, side 1 | 412: COOKING Made meals for the families she worked for.
|
| 79, side 1 | 430: RAISING FAMILY IN
TACOMA Bought house after renting it for
a while. Had two acres with cows, chickens, rabbits, sold milk to the
neighbors, this was during the Depression, growing vegetables and canning. Had
all they needed on two acres.
|
| 79, side 1 | 471: RAISED CHILDREN NORWEGIAN
WAY Scandinavian food and customs, (see
counter I-430).
|
| 79, side 1 | 494: CLEANING JOBS Cleaned doctor's offices. Did this for many
years.
|
| 79, side 1 | 519: SCANDINAVIAN
ORGANIZATIONS Member for 51 years in the
Daughters of Norway, joined to meet Norwegian friends.
|
| 79, side 1 | 544: CHURCH LIFE Member of Central Baptist for 22-23 years, attended
the Norwegian church upon arrival to America. Very active in church today.
|
| 79, side 1 | 585: HOBBIES Knitting and crocheting. Talks about her bunad being passed
down.
|
| 79, side 1 | 608: Speaks of grandchildren, six total.
|
| 79, side 1 | 615: HUSBAND Member of the Sons of Norway for many years.
|
| 79, side 2 | 003: Speaks of remaining relatives.
|
| 79, side 2 | 004: VISITING
NORWAY Beautiful trip. Many changes they
have everything. Visited friends and relatives.
|
| 79, side 2 | 020: RELATIVES
VISIT Come over every summer to
visit.
|
| 79, side 2 | 025: SPECIAL
KEEPSAKES Dolls, weaving, and
pictures.
|
| 79, side 2 | 037: Speaks the Norwegian Table Prayer.
|
| 79, side 2 | 045: IMPORTANCE OF NORWEGIAN
HERITAGE "Not sorry for being Norwegian."
Scandinavians have fun together.
|
| 79, side 2 | 056: Glad she came to the U.S., likes it here, glad to be an
American.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
- Subject Terms :
- Confirmation
- Depressions--1929
- Education--Norway
- Embroidery
- Emigration and immigration
- Family--Norway
- Knitting
- Marriage service
- Norway--Social conditions--1945-
- Norwegian-Americans--Ethnic identity
- Norwegian-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews
- Norwegian-Americans--Social life and customs
- Ocean travel
- Railroad travel
- Personal Names :
- Lovrak, Anna--Interviews (creator)
- Bentley, Judith
- Lauvrak, Gregorius
- Lovrak, Oscar
- Tveiten, Carl
- Tveiten, Martha
- Lovrak, Glenn
- Lovrak, Greg
- Tveiten, Gunhild
- Tveiten, Jørgen Karleson
- Tveiten, Jori Olene
- Corporate Names :
- Bergensfjord (Steamship)
- Central Baptist Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Daughters of Norway (U.S.) Embla Lodge #2 (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Family Names :
- Bentley family
- Lauvrak family
- Lovrak family
- Lunde family
- Tveiten family
- Geographical Names :
- Grimstad (Norway)
- Tacoma (Wash.)
- Tveiten (Norway)
- Form or Genre Terms :
- Oral histories
- Occupations :
- Domestics
