Funding for encoding this finding aid was
provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Biographical Note
Anna Johanna Kristina Laursen was born on
June 11, 1896 in Copenhagen, Denmark. When her father lost his job, he decided
to immigrate to America with his wife and two children. Anna's father and
brother went first and were soon followed by Anna and her mother. They settled
in Tacoma, WA near Anna's mother's uncle who owned a berry farm in Puyallup,
WA. Anna's father bought a house in the Oakland area near 33rd and South Adams.
Anna was eighteen at the time and thrilled to be in America. Anna met her
husband, Marinus Laursen, at a Danish church and was married when she was
twenty. Marinus was also born in Denmark and had obtained his American
citizenship in 1910. Anna and Marinus had five children: Elmer, Elsie, Norma,
Betty, and Richard. After Richard was seven or eight, Anna opened a variety
store with a neighbor and later went on to work in a cleaning shop when Richard
was twelve. Anna and Marinus were very active in the community. Marinus
belonged to the Danish Brotherhood and Anna to the Sisterhood. These
organizations gave them many social opportunities including cards, dances, and
meetings. Anna was also involved in a Danish church, the Oakland Church, and
the PTA. Anna and Marinus subscribed to Danish newspapers for many years, but
Anna never insisted that the children learn Danish as well. She believed their
American schoolwork was the first priority. Anna and Marinus lived in Tacoma
for sixty-two years.
Lineage
Full Name: Anna
Johanna Kristina Laursen. Maiden Name: Anna Johanna Kristina Nielsen. Brothers
and Sisters: One brother. Spouse: Marinus Laursen. Children: Elmer Laursen,
Elsie Laursen, Norma Laursen, Betty Laursen, Richard Laursen.
Content Description
This interview was conducted with Anna Laursen on May 24, 1978 in Tacoma,
WA. It includes information on Anna's family background, emigration, settling
in, marriage and family, Danish heritage, Danish organizations, and church. The
interview was conducted in English.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
The oral history collection
is open to all users.
Restrictions on Use :
There are no
restrictions on use.
Administrative Information
Custodial History :
The Oral History collection
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. The collection was transferred to the Archives and Special
Collections Department.
Acquisition Information :
Related Materials :
To search and view Pacific
Lutheran University's digitized images, visit our
Digital Assets
Website
Processing Note :
The interview was conducted by
Steve Melton 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
Additional Reference Guides :
Detailed Description of the Collection
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.
Cassette
10, side 1
004: FAMILY
BACKGROUND
Anna Johanna Kristina Laursen.
Maiden name is Nielsen. She is 81 now, born on June 11, 1896. Husband was
Marinus Laursen, and they were married February 17, 1916. They have five
children: Elmer [a Lutheran minister and former chaplain in San Francisco],
Elsie, Norma, Betty, and Richard [with the Safeco Insurance Co].Anna
has lived in the Tacoma area since she emigrated on November 17, 1914.
10, side 1
071: WORK
She did housework before marriage. After the children grew
up, she worked at the lunch room in Rhodes Department Store and as a presser in
a cleaners. She made sure she wasn't neglecting the children while working.Anna came from Copenhagen. Father was in business with a firm that sold
agricultural seeds, bulbs, etc. Grandfather used to make wooden shoes. After he
retired, he became a bill collector so he could get in walking and
exercise.
10, side 1
114: EMIGRATION
There are no relatives left in Denmark that she knows
about. Anna only had the one brother, and he and her parents emigrated to
America also.She thinks her dad's firm went bankrupt, and they released
him after 20 years of work. He always thought about emigrating to America even
though his wife was strict against it. He'd always say "Anna, do you want to go
to America with me?". "Sure! I was ready to go. But mother said no, nothing
doing". When Dad lost his job, the decision was easier. Mother had an uncle
with a berry farm in Puyallup with whom she corresponded. Father and brother
came first; Mother and Anna followed. It was a group decision to emigrate, but
Father had a travel bug in him. Before marriage he had spent three years in
South America and wanted to see something different.
10, side 1
170:
Dad and brother stayed in Puyallup with the uncle who was a
widower with several children. The children were grown and married, some were
schoolteachers, etc.Father got a job at St. Paul Mill, 10 hours a
day--manual labor which was new for him. Then he worked at Northern Pacific
painting cars. When he grew tired of that job, he opened a grocery in Midland
and had that until he retired at the age of 72.
10, side 1
200:
Anna and her mother took the steamship "United States" which
ran between Copenhagen and Kristiansand, but didn't stop in England. They left
on October 29, 1914, and the trip took 12 days. Dad and brother arrived on July
4th and stayed in the harbor until they could disembark on the 5th.
10, side 1
256:
There were no problems on the ship. World War I had started,
and an English boat stopped and boarded their ship in Mid-Atlantic. Mother and
Anna shared a cabin with a Mrs. Norsker (?) and her two girls. Both mothers
were sick, so she took care of the two girls. One day Anna tripped over a rope
on deck and fell flat on her face. Her nose swelled and her face turned black
and blue. When she landed, she looked terrible. Went to a surgeon and asked for
relief and advice, and he said "No, my dear. Just patience--patience". But the
bump was on her nose and her eyes were discolored for months. She was 18 at the
time of emigration.
10, side 1
306:
Father had a place to live. Later on, Anna's husband bought
and fixed up the same house, and they lived there for 34 years.
10, side 1
315: SETTLING IN
Anna didn't like New York because of all the big
buildings; it wasn't like Copenhagen. Mom and Anna got off at the Tacoma depot
and had to wait for Father. They had the house number, 1921 Durango Street, so
when Father didn't come she took the address to the traveler's aid. They had
never heard of it. But pretty soon, Dad came on the streetcar and all was
okay.Anna was thrilled about coming here. The Oakland area at 33d and
South Adams near the Oakland grade school was wilderness: no street or
sidewalks--just a few trails and houses. Father had met another Danish family,
and they lived on the same plot. Their daughter eventually became her brother's
wife. The Nielsen's ate their first supper in America with this family--a nice
welcome, Anna recalls.
10, side 1
378:
They had always rented an apartment in Copenhagen, so buying
and living in a house were different. Anna had worked as an office nurse,
telephone girl, etc. for a lady dentist in Denmark. Later on she learned to
make dentures. If her English language skills were better, she could have
gotten a similar job here.She'd had English fundamentals in school, but
there was a huge difference between book-English and American speech. But Anna
got along "by keeping my ears open and reading...listening to people when they
talk. Just absorbing everything. It didn't take me very long to learn it". The
rest of the family learned English also. Mother, Dad and Anna continued to
speak Danish around the house.MARRIAGE AND FAMILY: Anna and her husband
both knew Danish but usually didn't use it. She gained her citizenship through
marriage in 1916. That law was changed in '21 or '22. She was 20 years old at
marriage. Marinus was born in Denmark and had gotten his American papers in
1910.
10, side 1
450:
They lived in the North End in a rented apartment for four
months, and then moved to the Oakland area. The neighbor lady in the first
house took in washing, and had the washing machine on the back porch above
them. Between her machine and her cussing at the kids, Anna and Marinus decided
to move. He bought a run-down place and changed all the windows, partitions,
etc. He had been trained in Denmark as a carpenter/cabinetmaker.
10, side 1
486:
Husband belonged to the Danish Brotherhood and she to the
Sisterhood. They had lots of good times in those days as it was a main source
of sociability: cards, dances, meetings. She always took the kids along; would
bed them down on the benches. When it was time to go, they'd pick the kids up,
catch the streetcar, and put the kids to bed again at home.Anna never
played cards, but would invite people over and while they played, she did
embroidery. They didn't have a radio for a long time, and when they did, you
couldn't count on it working when you wanted to hear a special program.
10, side 1
527: HOLIDAYS AND
TRADITIONS
In Denmark there was always a
first Christmas day [Easter, etc.] and then the second day. Here, they got
together with two-three families and had big parties. Christmas Eve was
celebrated in a Danish manner with a huge tree that went to the ceiling and
with candles on it. Any fire was extinguished with a big wet rag on a long
stick. They never had any real fires. The kids could dance until 11 o'clock at
night, and then the adults took over the dance floor. Anna danced with both
groups. Entertainment in those days usually consisted of dinners and
visiting.Denmark now celebrates the 4th of July in Jylland out in the
hills. There is a log cabin with words from all the states in America. The
royalty comes and there are speeches--a big holiday now. When she was a child,
they had a children's day, "barnejobsdag" ?. The children would dress up and go
door-to-door collecting money in boxes for the more unfortunate children.
10, side 1
605:
They subscribed to Danish newspapers for many years, and
there is still one on the Coast. There was little mingling of Scandinavian
organizations then, except for the Leif Eriksson group. The Sisterhood met in
one of two halls side-by-side to the Brotherhood. After separate meetings, the
two groups would gather for the social evening--dancing, eating, playing cards,
etc. They also belonged to a Danish Church where she first saw her husband. The
minister was ........(?), and he helped them put on Danish plays. Anna was in
several that included lots of singing and performing, both locally and in the
Seattle Danish Hall.
10, side 1
650: DANISH FOOD
After Sisterhood and Brotherhood meetings, open faced
sandwiches were served. Anna made quite a few Danish meals at home including
pea soup, kale soup, chicken soup with dumplings.
10, side 1
674:
At the Young People's Society at church they would have
district meetings with dinners and lots of people. Anna helped serve food. She
also sang in the choir at this church, Danish Lutheran on South 13th and L--a
nice, old church. Her mother and she belonged to the Ladies Aid. Sheridan
Lutheran and Danish Lutheran merged later. The children were baptized in the
Oakland Church. It was close and convenient; it was hard to transport four kids
by streetcar. She was very active in this church also; sang in the choir,
directed another, and helped with dinners. Two daughters were married in
Oakland Church, the older son in Moorhead, MN and the younger in Seattle.
10, side 1
732:
After the younger son was 7 or 8, Anna opened a variety
store in partnership with another woman on Center St. The youngest boy could
walk there from school for lunch, and again when school finished. Then she
worked in a cleaning shop in 1952 when Richard was 12. Her brother worked for
the a laundry/cleaners and asked her if she wanted to be a repair woman. Her
job consisted of checking military uniforms for spots, missing buttons,
etc.
10, side 1
761:
Their first doctor in Tacoma was Dr. Quivley (?), a
Norwegian. The five children were born over a 23 year span, all in Tacoma
General Hospital with Dr. McCreary?.
10, side 2
033:
She told the children Danish fairy stories. The oldest son
grew up near his Danish Grandmother in Oakland, and she spoke Danish to him. He
still knows many words. The oldest girl knew a little, and each successive
child knew a little less. The last boy was born in 1940.She didn't
insist on the children learning Danish. "I tell you what. I believe...that the
children go to school. There's no use of me imprinting a whole lot of that
stuff in them. They got to go ahead in their own schoolwork. America comes
first...with the kids when they grow up. So I did everything I could to help
them in their schoolwork". She was asked by Oakland teachers to talk about
Denmark and its traditions.She never taught prayers to the children in
Danish, but she still knows, likes, and recites one: "I Jesu navn gr vi til
bords...".
10, side 2
124:
Anna attended a private school in Copenhagen for high
school. Brother had to finish two years of schooling in America. In school, she
did well in geography--countries, capitol cities, etc. So much of that has
changed since the wars. She also had one year each of German, French, and
English, and she was quite good in German. Girls began knitting, embroidering,
and sewing. They did fine hand-stitching, not machine sewing. She still does
embroidery work. School began at 9 am and stopped at 3 pm. In the first part of
July, final exams were held in all subjects. Then they had a short summer
vacation. School began again around the 18th of August.
10, side 2
222:
School provided a general education--no special training.
She has done a lot of volunteer work with the PTA. At one point she had one
child at Oakland, one at Jason Lee, and one at Stadium. She attended all the
PTA meetings and was on the board of some. In addition, she was always very
active in church.
10, side 2
248: SIGNIFICANT
HAPPENINGS
During WWII there was shortage
and rationing. There were groups who helped the Danish people at this time. She
didn't know about any of her relatives.Their own family never suffered
during the Depression. She kept right on buying butter, because her husband
didn't believe in cutting back on the children's food. She had to watch the
money carefully, but there was no hardship. Her husband worked for W. B.
Wingard ? and Son who put in butcher cases, etc. He worked there for 20 years.
He was lucky; had no problem in getting and keeping jobs. They had four
children during the Depression so things were stretched.The Oakland
area was enjoyable; they lived on a dead-end street. In the winter, the kids
could sled on "Larsen's Hill" and they had a wonderful time. After her husband
died, Anna would walk home from work to a dark house at 9-10 PM with no
trouble. The girls rode the bus and had three blocks to walk--no bother.
10, side 2
365:
They lived in Tacoma area 62 years. She met quite a few
prominent Tacoma women through PTA, but no one real special.
10, side 2
387:
Another person to interview might be Emma Grant.
Subjects
This collection is indexed under
the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these
headings.
Personal Names :
Laursen, Anna
Johanna Kristina--Interviews
(
creator)
Laursen, Betty
Laursen, Elmer
Laursen, Elsie
Laursen, Marinus
Laursen, Norma
Laursen, Richard
Nielsen, Anna
Family Names :
Laursen family
Nielsen
family
Corporate Names :
Danish Brotherhood in America (Tacoma, Wash.)
Danish Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
Danish Sisterhood of America, Lodge 19 (Tacoma,
Wash.)
Oakland Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.)
United States
(Steamship)
Geographical Names :
Copenhagen
(Denmark)
Puyallup
(Wash.)
Tacoma (Wash.)
Subject Terms :
Danes -- Ethnic
identity
Danish-Americans --Interviews
Danish-Americans--Northwest, Pacific--Social life and
customs
