Hale, Henny Pauline Marie Johannessen

Henny Hale was born in Eidet, Vesteraalen, Norway on April 15, 1903. She was one of six children by Harold Johannessen and Petra Nilson. Her mother died when Henny was 12 years old, at age 36, which left Henny and her older sister Mary to do the work and raise the rest of the children. Her father remarried Amanda Freeberg, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. Henny was confirmed at age 15 and left home when she was 17, after which she did housework at a neighboring farm for two years. She then worked as an aid for her schoolteacher. Henny left for America on October 10, 1923, originally planning on staying only five years. After reaching Ellis Island, she took a five-day train ride from New York to Tacoma, WA where her uncle, George Johnson, and aunt met her. She did housework for Scott Henderson, a lawyer in Gravelly Lake, but soon found another job.

From the description of Henny Pauline Marie Johannessen Hale Oral History Interview 1982. (Eugene Public Library). WorldCat record id: 183426671