Anne Strom was born on February 1897 in Bjørnør, Norway to Josef Olsen Hasen and Karen Jensen. Her father was a fisherman, and the family lived on a small farm. In addition to Anne, there were eight other children in the family: Oline, Kirsten, Lars, Martin, Karen, Josef, Ove, and Karl. Anne's mother passed away when Anne was four and a half, and her father did not remarry. Oline was eighteen at the time, and Anne's grandmother also lived with them, so the younger children were taken care of. After Anne finished school, she obtained a job on a neighbor's farm, where she did housework and later returned home to take her turn helping her father. When Anne was twenty, she decided to emigrate and wrote to her uncle in Grantsburg, WI. Her uncle sent her money for a ticket, and Anne left Norway in August 1920 with her friend Karen Tellefson, who had previously been to America. They landed on Ellis Island on the sixteenth and then took the train to Grantsburg. In Grantsburg, Anne went to her uncle's house and obtained a job on a neighbor's farm in the spring. Karen then decided to move to Duluth, MN, and Anne went with her. In Duluth, Anne found work at a match factory and also met her husband, Alfred Strom. Alfred was from the same community in Norway as Anne, and Anne knew he was in the United States. They were married August 1923 and had two children: Ingvald and Ruth. The family eventually settled in Tacoma, WA. In Tacoma, Anne has been very active in the Daughters of Norway. She has served as President and chaplain of the grand lodge. Anne also maintained traditional Norwegian cooking in her household, and her children learned some Norwegian. She has returned to Norway five times.
Lineage
Full Name: Anne Kristine Olsen Strom. Maiden Name: Anne Kristine Olsen. Father: Josef Olsen Hasen. Mother: Karen Jensen. Paternal Grandfather: Ole Olsen Hasen. Paternal Grandmother: Karen Hasen. Maternal Grandmother: Nella Jensen. Brothers and Sisters: Oline Hasen, Kirsten Hasen, Lars Hasen, Martin Hasen, Karen Hasen, Josef Hasen, Ove Hasen, Karl Hasen. Spouse: Alfred Julius Strom. Children: Ingvald Kenneth Strom, Ruth Irene Strom.
From the guide to the Anne Kristine Olsen Strom Oral History Interview, 1982, (Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection Archives and Special Collections Department)
