Oscar and Anne Hagen, Norwegian Immigrants in 1904

The other day, I found some forgotten notes I made in 1986 when I was talking with my Grandma Hooper, who is now deceased. While Mom and I were visiting Grandma in Oklahoma with my 9-year-old son, and I was pregnant with my daughter, we talked about Grandma's parents who immigrated from Norway in 1904. So it was wonderful to find a reminder of that special visit. 

Grandma Helen with her mom and some siblings near Duluth, around 1908? They look so poor!

 

Friends Agnes Andersen and Helen Hagen in St. Paul, early 1920s.

Oscar and Anne Hagen on 50th wedding anniversary, Washington State, 1955. They immigrated to the U.S. from Norway and were the parents of thirteen children.

Grandma's maiden name was Helen Mary Hagen. Her parents were Oscar Oleson Rustadhagen Hagen (1884-1959) and Anne "Annie" Karine Dybdal (1883-1958), immigrants who went back and forth across the ocean more than once. "My mother's father was a bricklayer in Norway. His family was sort of wealthy until the Germans came; they took her silver," Grandma told me. "The Hagens and the Dybdals lived in Toten, Norway. Grandfather Ingvar Dybdal was 'a character,' and his wife Helena was very stern and strict...  Dad (Oscar) had two sisters there—they took me on a sleigh. Also, in Norway, Mother had a cow. She milked it and made cream and butter and sold it to the neighbors..." Besides stories told by Grandma, we are lucky to have the family history research done by my mom (the source of most of this post). The Hagens' story makes it clear just how very hard our ancestors worked to achieve the "American Dream."

In Norway and in the U.S., Oscar Hagen was  painter. The 1900 Norwegian census shows Annie working as a seamstress. How and where they met is unknown, but family lore has it that Annie’s parents disapproved of her relationship with Oscar and perhaps that’s one reason they left Norway for America. Anne came in the spring of 1904 -- it took 14 days from Oslo to Liverpool to Boston-- and she came to Mabel, Minnesota where she probably had relatives, and worked as a housekeeper for a judge.

Oscar Oleson Rustadhagen would follow in October 1904. Oscar and Annie were married in Mabel, MN on June 8, 1905.  His name as shown on the marriage certificate was Oscar Hagen so he must have dropped the Rustad when he got to America.  Witnesses to the marriage were Karen Mynvold (Annie's friend from Norway) and Erick Grøtberg.  (Some of the Dybdal family used the surname Grøtberg.) No doubt he was a relative of Annie’s.

From 1905 to 1908, the Hagens lived in or near Duluth, Minnesota. Their first child, Oscar "Oskey," was born in November 30, 1905. On November 14, 1906 Helen Mary was born; November 12, 1907 Olney Harold "Pee Wee" arrived; and on November 24, 1908 twin boys were born but died shortly afterward.  The first, Ewald, died on February 9, 1909 from starvation, according to his death certificate, and we don't know if the other child survived long enough to be named. They were living in Proctor, MN, a small town near Duluth. After the death of the twins, Annie and Oscar took their children back to Norway.  She must have been very depressed and homesick.  They lived in the house called “Nystuen,” very near “Bergli" on the old Grøtberg property where Annie’s father was living.

On March 15, 1910 Oscar again left Norway, headed for Duluth on the ship Megantic out of Liverpool, arriving in Boston on March 23.  The U.S. census for 1910 shows him living in Duluth as a boarder and working as a painter for the railroad. Another boarder at the same household is Even Strand who had accompanied him on the ship from Norway. He must’ve returned to Norway once more at least by December of 1910, because  Alf W. “Snick” Hagen was born in Norway on September 16, 1911.

On April 17, 1912 the family with four children left Norway once more on the ship Oslo for Hull, England, took the train to Liverpool and sailed on the Arabic, arriving in Boston on May 3, 1912. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for them to travel back then, especially with little kids.  First, they had to get from Toten to Oslo somehow; train/bus?  Then, after arriving in Hull, they had to take the train to Liverpool.  None of the modern day conveniences were available and they had to bring their trunks with clothing, food, and whatever else they required with them.  Besides that, Annie was already pregnant again!  Their destination as reported on the ship’s manifest was Duluth, to join “Uncle” Hans Ostdahl.  They took a train to Minnesota.  

On September 6, 1912 Myrtle was born in MN.  Esther was born in Parkland, WA on May 29, 1914.  How in the world did they get around like that? Lester’s birth occurred January 8, 1916 and Edward "Eddie Boy" was born November 3, 1920, both in St. Paul, MN.  Eddie Boy died in a car accident near Forest Lake, MN on August 3, 1933 at the age of 12.  Vivian entered the world on November 23, 1921 in St. Paul and was delivered by Dr. Bartholomew Leahy.  Dr. Leahy was the head of the family for whom Helen would work a few years later. The Hagen residence as shown on Vivian’s birth certificate was 779 No. Snelling Ave. which was where Grandpa’s painting/decorating business was located.  Forrest "Guy" was born April 1, 1923, and Annie June "Junie" completed the family on June 6, 1925.  Guy and Junie were both born in St. Paul.  

 

On June 30, 1916 Oscar Hagen filed Declaration of Intention papers in St. Paul, MN indicating his desire to become a citizen of the United States, but citizenship was not granted until February 15, 1922. Immigrants who were not naturalized were considered "aliens." The Minnesota Alien Registrations of 1918 show Oscar Hagen residing at 153 University Ave. in St. Paul, MN, having lived there for two months.  He was 33 years old and his wife was living 90 miles away at Barronett, WI where they had a farm.  It indicated he had taken out naturalization papers in St. Paul in 1916; he owned no land in MN, but had land in WI with equity of $150.  In 1986, Helen Hagen said, “Later we moved to Wisconsin for what we thought would be just for the winter. The next winter we moved to either Duluth or St. Paul again. When we lived on a farm in Barronett, Wisconsin, Dad worked in St. Paul. Mom had a miscarriage and went to (the hospital) in Cumberland.”

The 1920 census shows Oscar is living with Annie and the children in Lakeland Township, Barron Co., WI next door to the Gust Dahl family.  According to the 1930 census Oscar and Annie were still living on Wellesley Ave. in St. Paul with all of the children except Olney “Peewee” and Helen.  Peewee had married Hilda Brinkman by that time, and Helen was working as a domestic servant for Dr. Bartholomew Leahy who lived on Fairmount Ave. in St. Paul.  Grandpa Hagen and son Oskey were working as independent painter/decorators and Myrtle was a typist. Snick is unemployed and the others are too young to work.

Around 1941, Oscar and Annie Hagen left for Washington, where they finally stayed put and he continued to work as a painter.  We don’t know if the kids who ended up there went at the same time or not.  The only ones who stayed in Minnesota were Helen and her brother Lester.

Making a living in the early 20th century involved a lot of hard work and determination. Today, Oscar and Annie's descendants are spread across the U.S. We try to stay in touch via letters, e-mail and Facebook, but it is very hard to keep up!