Anna Malen Hopen Oral History Interview, 1981 PDF
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Hopen, Anna Malena
- Title
- Dates
- 1981 (inclusive)19811981
- Quantity
- 3 file folders
9 photographs.
1 sound cassette - Collection Number
- t113
- Summary
- An oral history interview with Anna Malena Hopen, 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 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.
Lineage
Full Name: Anna Malena Hopen. Maiden Name: Anna Malena Tweiten. Father: Ommund Karlson Tweiten. Mother: Pauline Amelia Liland. Paternal Grandfather: Karl Pederson Tveiten. Paternal Grandmother: Marte Lunde. Maternal Grandfather: Ommund Pederson Hampland Liland. Maternal Grandmother: Anna Malena Jonsdatter Espeveit. Brothers and Sisters: Carl Tweiten, Oscar Tweiten, Bertha Tweiten, Thor Bernhard Tweiten, Martha (Tweiten) Handeland, Alma Johanna Tweiten, Jørgen Tweiten. Spouse: Anton Magnus Hopen. Children: Junis Hopen, Phillip Obed Hopen, Alf Magnus Hopen, Ruben Harold Hopen, Bruce Leon Hopen, Sigvald Dagfin Hopen.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
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.
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 | |
| 113, side 1 | 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.
|
| 113, side 1 | 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.
|
| 113, side 1 | 033: Father married here. Mother was an immigrant from Sirdal.
She was doing domestic housework then did laundry work and cooked in logging
camps.
|
| 113, side 1 | 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.
|
| 113, side 1 | 066: Carl worked at Northwest Plywood for many years. He built
his own house.
|
| 113, side 1 | 077: Martha born at University Place, then called Lemon's Beach.
Oscar next child.
|
| 113, side 1 | 083: RETURN TO
NORWAY Planned to take over the farm,
ended up driving bus instead.
|
| 113, side 1 | 099: FLEKKEFJORD Buying supplies in Flekkefjord for the townspeople.
Lake close by used for hauling freight by steamboat.
|
| 113, side 1 | 109: GRANDPARENTS Paternal, Marte Lund and Karl Pederson Tveiten.
Pederson was father's name. Tveiten is a little place with 7-8- farms.
|
| 113, side 1 | 137: GRANDPARENTS Were farmers. Grew potatoes, oats, barley. Grew
things for themselves. Sold cattle and hide for money. Did trading.
|
| 113, side 1 | 157: They made and sold butter and cheese.
|
| 113, side 1 | 162: MATERNAL
GRANDPARENTS Ommund Pederson Hompland
Liland and Anna Malena Jonsdatter Espetveit. They were farmers too.
|
| 113, side 1 | 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.
|
| 113, side 1 | 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.
|
| 113, side 1 | 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.
|
| 113, side 1 | 233: They lived in the old family house.
|
| 113, side 1 | 242: CHRISTMAS Julefest. Children's programs different school
hosues. Children read. Sing around the tree.
|
| 113, side 1 | 264: CHRISTMAS Pinne steak, meat on skewers roasted it in coals.
Christmas day, got together with the family.
|
| 113, side 1 | 274: CHRISTMAS DAY Went to church. Shared minister with another
church.
|
| 113, side 1 | 282: CHURCH Important in the
family. She was confirmed. Sang in choir. Church every other Sunday.
|
| 113, side 1 | 291: CHRISTMAS
TRADITIONS Stories told to the children.
Put out mush and raisin bread for Julenissen. Old tales were scary.
|
| 113, side 1 | 315: CHILDHOOD Very nice in Norway and America. Worked in the fields
a lot. Machinery, mower pulled by horses.
|
| 113, side 1 | 330: WINTERTIME Skied to church and school.
|
| 113, side 1 | 346: CHORES Planting and picking potatoes were kid's jobs.
|
| 113, side 1 | 358: SCHOOL Had lots of homework. Had to prepare for school.
|
| 113, side 1 | 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.
|
| 113, side 1 | 390: Sold bird to England. Delicacy in England. Small birds. Sold
from 75 oere to 1 krone.
|
| 113, side 1 | 414: Brothers and sisters began immigrating back to the U.S.A.
|
| 113, side 1 | 430: RETURN TO U.S. Went through England. Stavanger to London, good trip.
Train from London to Liverpool.
|
| 113, side 1 | 447: Ship to Quebec, Canada, Atlantic was rough. Later part of
September 1931. Took train across Canada took about two weeks.
|
| 113, side 1 | 463: TRAIN Dirt. Food on train. Had forgotten English, some trouble.
Went to Vancouver.
|
| 113, side 1 | 483: Took car to Tacoma. Had birth certificates to get across
border.
|
| 113, side 1 | 496: FEELINGS LEAVING
NORWAY Missed winter. Didn't like doing
housework here. Was homesick.
|
| 113, side 1 | 517: WORK Did housework until married. Met husband at Normanna Hall
during snowball fight.
|
| 113, side 1 | 541: FISHING Husband fished in Alaska winters. Married May 21, 1936.
|
| 113, side 1 | 553: WEDDING Married in Cordova, Alaska at the courthouse. Friends were
witnesses. He was fishing. She stayed at camp for summer.
|
| 113, side 1 | 597: Learned many things about American cooking from the fishing
camp cook.
|
| 113, side 1 | 615: WORK Before married worked for English people in Tacoma, the
Jesse Bamford's.
|
| 113, side 1 | 632: HOUSEKEEPING
JOB $35 per month. Did cooking, cleaning
and sewing.
|
| 113, side 1 | 674: WORK Lived with a family. Cared for four girls. Cooking,
cleaning. Made $50 per month.
|
| 113, side 2 | 003: WAGES Good for the time. Made more than men. Many times they made
$1 a day.
|
| 113, side 2 | 006: WORK Another time for some English people, Gilpen. He owned
Northwest Chair.
|
| 113, side 2 | 013: WORK Worked for Elby McDonalds who was a contractor.
|
| 113, side 2 | 024: Lived in Alaska three months when first married. Rented a
house in Tacoma. Husband didn't work during the winter.
|
| 113, side 2 | 040: CHILDREN Sigvald works in Arctic in oil fields. Was married.
Phillip married lived in Alaska. Works as a fisherman and mechanic.
|
| 113, side 2 | 054: CHILDREN Alf was married. Has two daughters. Heavy equipment
mechanic in Alaska. Mining business.
|
| 113, side 2 | 065: CHILDREN Junis lives in California. Was married. Had two
children.
|
| 113, side 2 | 080: WORK AFTER
MARRIAGE Part time catering work for
parties.
|
| 113, side 2 | 084: WORK In the kitchen at Skandiagard in Gig Harbor. Head cook for
Smorgasbord. 13-15 years. Talks of food and the different owners.
|
| 113, side 2 | 137: ORGANIZATIONS Joined Daughters of Norway in 1932. Was marshal
several times in the Daughters.
|
| 113, side 2 | 158: SONS OF NORWAY Help Boys Club and those in need.
|
| 113, side 2 | 167: DAUGHTERS OF
NORWAY Go to Pacific Lutheran University
for Scandinavian Fair. She makes sandwiches.
|
| 113, side 2 | 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.
|
| 113, side 2 | 192: LUTHER CHILD CENTER
GILD Organized as an orphanage in
Parkland. Moved to Everett. She was preside of the Gild for 2-3 years.
|
| 113, side 2 | 207: Did some fundraising by making and selling things, arts and
crafts.
|
| 113, side 2 | 213: VISITS TO
NORWAY 1970. Changes, people change;
mountains and streams don't change. Road signs new and confusing.
|
| 113, side 2 | 224: VISITS TO
NORWAY 1975-79. Old place still there.
Getting little use.
|
| 113, side 2 | 243: Many tourists especially during Easter. Good place to ski in
winter.
|
| 113, side 2 | 246: NORWEGIAN
TRADITIONS Have been maintained. Children
learned Norwegian when young. Still do some baking.
|
| 113, side 2 | 260: WORK NOW She does baking for weddings. Makes cakes and
cookies. Makes Kransekake wedding cake. Kranse means wreath.
|
| 113, side 2 | 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.
|
| 113, side 2 | 306: She speaks Norwegian a little bit.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
- Subject Terms :
- Church attendance--Norway
- Education--Norway
- Emigration and immigration
- Fishing
- Norway--Social conditions--1945-
- Norwegian-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews
- Norwegian-Americans--Social life and customs
- Railroad travel
- Personal Names :
- Espetveit, Anna Malena Jonsdatter
- Hopen, Alf Magnus
- Hopen, Anton Magnus
- Hopen, Bruce Leon
- Hopen, Phillip Obed
- Hopen, Ruben Harold
- Liland, Pauline Amelia
- Tveiten, Ingeborg
- Hopen, Anna Malena --Interviews (creator)
- Hopen, Junis
- Hopen, Sigvald Dagfin
- Liland, Ommund Pederson Hampland
- Lunde, Marte
- Tveiten, Karl Pederson
- Tweiten, Anna Malena
- Tweiten, Ommund Karlson
- Corporate Names :
- Daughters of Norway (U.S.) Embla Lodge #2 (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Normanna Hall (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Parkland Childrens Home (Parkland, Wash.)
- Sons of Norway (U.S.) Norden Lodge No. 2 (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Family Names :
- Espetveit family
- Hopen family
- Liland family
- Lunde family
- Tveiten family
- Tweiten family
- Geographical Names :
- Cordova (Alaska)
- Eikefjord (Norway)
- Espetveit, Sirdal (Norway)
- Flekkefjord (Norway)
- Gig Harbor (Wash.)
- Hompland, Sirdal (Norway)
- Liland, Sirdal (Norway)
- Lunde, Sirdal (Norway)
- Tacoma (Wash.)
- Tveiten, Sirdal (Norway)
- Form or Genre Terms :
- Oral histories
- Occupations :
- Caterers and catering
- Domestics
