Anna Gudrun (Hauge) Holmes was born on February 13, 1898 in Hauge, Torvastad, Karmøy, Norway. Her parents were Johan and Gurine Hauge, and she had six sisters and two brothers. Gudrun started school when she was seven and went for seven years; she then attended Ungdomsskole at Kopervik on Karmøy for six months, where she learned to sew, cook, weave, do arithmetic, and speak English. She stayed with a cousin in various places in 1914 and then returned home. In 1927, she met her husband, Elias Holmes, who had lived in the U.S. since 1914 and was her sister Sophie's brother-in-law, when he was visiting Norway. Her cousin's husband died in 1929, and Gudrun went to help and stayed there until Elias came back to marry her in 1930. They were married in Dome Church in Stavanger on June 7, 1930 and left for the U.S. on August 17, 1930. They lived in Huntley, MT, which is near Billings, MT, for six months when they first arrived, and then in Judson, ND for a number of years. Because Elias was young and worked for the railroad, they were moved often; they moved to Richardton, ND, then Stipek, MT, and back to Richardton before Elias left the railroad and the family bought a farm in Stanwood, WA in 1937. They have four children-Kjell, John, Gudveig, and Leif. Gudrun visited Norway with her daughter Gudveig in 1966.
Lineage
Full Name: Anna Gudrun Hauge Holmes. Maiden Name: Anna Gudrun Hauge. Father: Johan Hauge. Mother: Gurine Hauge. Paternal Grandfather: Asbjørn Hauge.. Paternal Grandmother: Marie Elisebet Hauge. Maternal Grandfather: Peder Hauge. Maternal Grandmother: Anna Sofie Hauge. Brothers and Sisters: Peder Hauge, Marie Hanevik, Sofie Holmes, Amalia Hauge, Johan Arnt Hauge, Astrid Boe, Signe Østhus. Spouse: Elias Holmes. Children: Kjell Holmes, John Holmes, Gudveig Holmes Nelsen, Leif Holmes.
From the guide to the Anna Gudrun Hauge Holmes Oral History Interview, 1982, (Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection Archives and Special Collections Department)
