Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Alfred (Aage) Valdemar Anderson Oral History Interview, 1982
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Anderson, Alfred (Aage) Valdemar
- Title
- Alfred (Aage) Valdemar Anderson Oral History Interview
- Dates
- 1982 (inclusive)19021982
- Quantity
-
2 file folders
1 sound cassette, - Collection Number
- t159
- Summary
- An oral history interview with Alfred (Aage) Valdemar Andersen, a Danish 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
Aage Valdemar Andersen was born on August 24, 1902 in Hornbæk, Denmark to Ernst Andersen and Louise Jensen. Ernst owned a shoe store but spent most of his time as a Lutheran missionary. There were four other children in the family: Dan, Skjøld, Else, and Frede. Aage finished high school in Denmark and then became an apprentice in the hardware business for four years. Aage obtained a good job after his apprenticeship but wanted to travel, which led him to immigrate to the United States in 1924. He stayed in New York City for about one year and then went to Detroit, where he worked for General Motors. Aage then went to British Columbia, where his brothers had immigrated in the meantime. He did harvest work with them for a couple of months before moving to Seattle, WA, where he got back into the hardware business. In Seattle, Aage also met his wife, Ellen Hoch, and was married in 1928. Ellen was from Fredericia, Denmark, and they had two children, Elsie and Carl. Aage worked as an electrician at Sand Point Naval Station during WWII, after which he and Ellen bought their own store, where they sold gifts and hardware. Aage also became a storekeeper in Alaska for ten seasons, during which time Ellen managed the store at home. After the store, Aage made another business venture and built a motel in Moses Lake, WA with a friend named Sigmund Tetten. Aage sold the motel after eleven years, retiring at the age of sixty-six. After retirement, Aage and Ellen settled in Poulsbo, WA and bought a motor home. They have visited all fifty states and have also visited Denmark several times. Aage has belonged to the Danish Brotherhood and the Sons of Norway and is proud of his heritage. However, he also feels he is "as good of a citizen [American] as anybody is going to be."
Lineage
Full Name: Alfred (Aage) Valdemar Andersen. Father: Ernst Andersen. Mother: Louise Jensen. Paternal Grandfather: Jens Christian Andersen. Paternal Grandmother: Stine Tipperup. Maternal Grandfather: Lars Jensen. Maternal Grandmother: Else Jensen. Brothers and Sisters: Dan Andersen, Skjøld Andersen, Else Andersen, Frede Andersen. Spouse: Ellen Hoch Andersen. Children: Elsie Andersen, Carl Andersen.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This interview was conducted with A.V. (Aage Valdemar) Andersen on April 1, 1982 in Poulsbo, Washington. It provides information on family background, emigration, employment, marriage, and Danish heritage. The interview was conducted in English. Also see Ellen Andersen.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Custodial History
Acquisition Information
The Oral History collection contains the recorded interviews of 282 men and women who emigrated from Scandinavia and settled in the Pacific Northwest. The project was started during an experimental course on Scandinavian Women in the Pacific Northwest. Students in the course were encouraged to interview women and learn about their experiences as immigrants to the United States. The project was continued and expanded with support from the president's office and by grants from the L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, from the Joel E. Ferris Foundation and the Norwegian Emigration Fund of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project was directed by Dr. Janet E. Rasmussen. Upon completion, the collection was transferred to the Archives and Special Collections Department.
Related Materials
To search and view Pacific Lutheran University's digitized images, visit our Digital Assets Website
Processing Note
The interview was conducted by Donna Mallonee 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. The recording quality is good.
The collection was transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky Husby.
Bibliography
Rasmussen, Janet Elaine. New Land New Lives: Scandinavian Immigrants to the Pacific NorthwestTacoma, WashingtonUniversity of Washington Press1993
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 | |
| 159, side 1 | 010 : PERSONAL
BACKGROUND
His name in Denmark was Aage
Andersen which has been changed to Alfred Valdemar Andersen. Born on 24 August
1902 in Hornbaak, Denmark, which is about 30 miles outside of Copenhagen. This
place means "Horn Brook." This is a summer resort area.
|
| 159, side 1 | 072: PARENTS
Ernst and Louise. Father had a shoe store but he spent
more time as a Lutheran missionary. He was quite strict. Had a good home life.
The oldest brother has the house which now houses stores and apartments.
|
| 159, side 1 | 125: GRANDPARENTS
Paternal grandfather sailed in the war in 1868.
Maternal grandfather had a delicatessen in Copenhagen.
|
| 159, side 1 | 158: BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
Oldest brother, Dan. Skjold lives
in Canada. Has a sister on Orcas Island. Youngest brother, Frede lives in
Denmark.
|
| 159, side 1 | 175: FAMILY HISTORY
Maternal grandfather came from Sweden and maternal
grandmother came from Denmark. He also has some Norwegian blood. Paternal
grandfather was an interesting man and wrote a few small books.
|
| 159, side 1 | 210: CHRISTMAS
Lighted candles on the tree.
|
| 159, side 1 | 222: BIRTHDAYS
Was a big occasion.
|
| 159, side 1 | 225: WEDDING
ANNIVERSARIES
Big occasion. Neighbors come
in the night and put up a big arch. Then about 6am they come and sing wedding
songs. (Added by Aage's wife, Ellen)
|
| 159, side 1 | 244: SCHOOL DAYS IN
DENMARK
Finished high school there. Took
German, Swedish, and arithmetic. There weren't as many choices of what they
could take. They had gym and religion once a week. He didn't work while he was
going to school.
|
| 159, side 1 | 268: WORK IN
DENMARK
Was an apprentice for four years
to learn the hardware business. Had to go to night school. He opened the store
at 7am and came home from the night school about 12 midnight. After his
apprenticeship he went to Copenhagen and got a job at a place which made light
fixtures and also hardware. It was a good job.
|
| 159, side 1 | 300: REASONS FOR
EMIGRATION
Wanted to travel. Left by
himself. Didn't have to leave because he had a good job and family in Denmark.
Felt free and happy when he left home.
|
| 159, side 1 | 315:
Left by ship in Copenhagen and went to New York.
|
| 159, side 1 | 318: NEW YORK
EXPERIENCES
He and a friend he met on the
ship went to the Danish Mission Home. They had to take the subway there and get
off at Prospect Ave. When the subway stopped the sign said "Women" so they
didn't get off there. They found the place and stayed a few days, but there
were too many bed bugs
|
| 159, side 1 | 349: FIRST IMPRESSIONS IN NEW
YORK
Got a job right away because he saw
so many people who were broke. He was shoveling snow outside a bakery shop
where he saw an entire family laying by the grate from the shop to keep warm.
He had never seen anything like that in Denmark. There were many people without
homes.
|
| 159, side 1 | 396: PITTSBURGH,
PENNSYLVANIA
Had a job here for 2-3
months.
|
| 159, side 1 | 400: DETROIT
Was going to get a job
at Ford, but it was too much work so he went to General Motors. The man he gave
his application to was Danish so Aage got a good job. After this he sold vacuum
cleaners.
|
| 159, side 1 | 430: HARVEST HELP
Saw an advertisement. Took the train to Winnipeg,
Canada and then up to Regina, Canada. They ran into a farmer who asked them if
they needed a job. The horses on the farm didn't understand his Danish
commands.
|
| 159, side 1 | 465: BROTHERS
Met his brothers who were farther west. They had
immigrated in the mean time. They were working as harvest hands and moving from
farm to farm. Aage went and worked with them. This was 1925. They lived in
tents.
|
| 159, side 1 | 490: DANISH COLONY
Brother started a colony in Edgewater, BC. Went and
stayed there for 2-3 months then went to Vancouver, BC, then to Seattle.
|
| 159, side 1 | 500: SEATTLE
Hard to find work. Got a job at American Can Company. Wanted
to get back into the hardware business. Worked for Seattle Hardware Company for
about four years.
|
| 159, side 1 | 524: MARRIAGE 1928
Met his wife at the Danish Church. Ellen adds that
they married in that church and that their children were baptized, confirmed,
and one was married there. The other was married in Montana.
|
| 159, side 1 | 530: SEATTLE HARDWARE
COMPANY
Saw no future in this company.
There were no unions or anything so he quit.
|
| 159, side 1 | 535: OTHER JOBS
Ellen adds that Aage had a milk route and sold
supplies to restaurants.
|
| 159, side 1 | 540: HOME
Lived between Seattle and Tacoma near Beacon Heights. During
the depression they sold the house there and moved into Seattle where it was
easier to find work.
|
| 159, side 1 | 553:
Didn't work with many other Danish people.
|
| 159, side 1 | 560: CHANGES IN WORK FROM THEN
AND NOW
People were more willing to do
anything. There wasn't relief or unemployment. During the depression he bought
an old truck and went to the public market and bought fruit and went out and
sold this in the country. They made a couple of dollars a day doing this. Too
proud to go on relief.
|
| 159, side 1 | 595: ORGANIZATIONS
Belongs to the same organization as his wife, Ellen,
plus the Sons of Norway. Used to belong to a club called "Mental Club".
Belonged to the Danish Brotherhood.
|
| 159, side 1 | 605: WORK DURING
WWII
Worked at Sand Point Naval Station.
He worked as an electrician for four years there.
|
| 159, side 1 | 618: GIFT SHOP
Bought a gift shop on University then they moved out
on Holmen Road where they had a giftware and hardware store. Sold mostly
imported gifts and greeting cards. The first business they bought was small and
they enlarged it quite a bit with appliances and mail order. At Holmen Road,
they had too much competition with drugstores and other stores.
|
| 159, side 1 | 644: ALASKA
Got a job as a storekeeper and went there ten seasons. Ellen
took care of the home business. The store in Alaska was about seventy miles
from Juneau. Then he worked at a larger store in False Pass in the Aleutian
Islands, which is about 100 miles away from Dutch Harbor.
|
| 159, side 1 | 675: MOTEL
BUSINESS
A friend, Sigmund Tetten (?) and
he built a motel at Moses Lake, Washington. Had the motel for eleven years
until he was 66 and then he quit the business. Sold the motel and retired to
Poulsbo, Washington.
|
| 159, side 1 | 686: TRAVELLING
Bought a motor home and traveled for seven years.
They have been in every state in the United States. Have visited Denmark
several times. Have been to Hawaii. Took a steamer from Seattle down through
the Panama Canal and down to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
|
| 159, side 1 | 700: VISITS TO
DENMARK
Nice to visit, nice people and
country. The cities are different. The Pacific Northwest is his country.
Compares old Copenhagen to today. Glad he immigrated. He feels that everyone
should travel around so they will appreciate what they have here.
|
| 159, side 1 | 733: CORRESPONDENCE
Keeps in touch with his sister-in-law in Denmark. Has
cousins there. They used to have family reunions every other year.
|
| 159, side 1 | 744: FAMILY
DISTRUBUTION
About one third in each of
the countries: Denmark, US, and Australia. His father's brother went to
Australia and was a minister. This man had about nine children.
|
| 159, side 1 | 782: FATHER
Ellen adds that since his father was a minister Aage never
missed a Sunday in Sunday school from when he was big enough until when he was
fourteen years old. Had prayers with all the meals and before they went to bed.
She says he kind of got fed up with it. She compares it to ice cream and says
he likes it but not five times a day.
|
| 159, side 1 | 795: DANISH PEOPLE
They discuss Danish humor. In Jutland where his wife
is from, they have a different kind of humor. They talk about a humorous
incident during the war.
|
| 159, side 1 | 822: IMPORTANCE OF
HERITAGE
Proud, not ashamed of being
Danish. The United States hasn't had to spend any money on him. He went to
school in Denmark. Did go to night school here to become an American
citizen.
|
| 159, side 1 | 830: CITIZENSHIP
He feels he is as good of a citizen as anybody is
going to be. Took a year to fill out the papers and get into this country. The
sponsors had to promise that you wouldn't be a burden to the US. Now the people
who come in are a burden from the day they come. This country is built on the
hard work of many immigrants.
|
| 159, side 1 | 845: GREENHORNS
They were called "Greenhorns" when they first
came.
|
| 159, side 1 | 848: CHANGES IN
DENMARK
Ellen really doesn't know how
many of the old traditions they really keep up anymore. Now they have TV and
they don't use the same forms of entertainment as before.
|
| 159, side 1 | 855: SANKT HANS
June 24th. They light bonfires and dance around to
celebrate midsummer. They had a witch on the top of the bonfire.
|
| 159, side 1 | 877: FASTELAVN
The children would decorate branches and hit their
parents' bed with them to wake them up. Then coffee and buns would be
served.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Danes -- Ethnic identity
- Danish-Americans -- Interviews
- Danish-Americans -- Northwest, Pacific--Social life and customs
- Emigration and immigration
Personal Names
- Andersen, Carl
- Andersen, Dan
- Andersen, Elsie
- Andersen, Skjold
- Tetten, Sigmund
- Anderson, Alfred (Aage) Valdemar--Interviews (creator)
- Andersen, Else
- Andersen, Ernst
- Andersen, Frede
- Hoch, Ellen
- Jensen, Louise
Corporate Names
- Danish Brotherhood in America. Lodge 29 (Seattle, Wash.)
- General Electric Company
- Naval Station Puget Sound ( Wash.)
- Seattle Hardware Company (Seattle, Wash.)
- Sons of Norway (U.S.) Leif Erikson Lodge No. 1 (Seattle,Wash.)
Family Names
- Andersen family
- Hoch family
- Jensen family
- Tetten family
- Tipperup family
Geographical Names
- British Columbia
- Detroit (Mich.)
- Fredericia (Denmark)
- Hornbæk (Denmark)
- Moses Lake (Wash.)
- New York (N. Y.)
- Poulsbo (Wash.)
- Seattle (Wash.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Oral histories
Occupations
- Farmers
- Motel management
Titles within the Collection
- New Land New Lives. Scadinavian Immigrants to the Pacific Northwest.
Finding aid
prepared by Kerstin Ringdahl and Amity Smetzler
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
