Dyrhaug, Agnes

3 file folders
1 sound cassettes

This interview was conducted with Agnes Dyrhaug on May 21, 1982 in Portland, Oregon. It contains information concerning family background, emigration, work, marriage and family, community activities, and Norwegian heritage. The interview also includes an article in Norwegian from the Western Viking concerning Agnes's eighty-fifth birthday and her nomination to Gerda Farestrand's committee on the Oregon Arts Commission. The article also gives an overview of Agnes's life, including emigration, schooling in Astoria, Washington, marriage, involvement in Scandinavian organizations, meeting Crown Prince Olav, and employment with Nordic Ware and Chicago Cutlery. The interview was conducted in English.

Folder Contents

Box 8, File 12 Personal and Family History
Tape Archive Sheet, Family Background and Tape Index

Box 8, File 12A Correspondence and Forms
Checklist and Forms
Letters from Janet Rasmussen regarding Mrs. Dryhaug’s participation.
Handwritten Tape Archive Sheet and Family Background

Box 8, File 12B Personal Papers
Clipping from Western Viking about Mrs. Dyrhaug’s 80th birthday and her life in America.

Interviewed by Donna Mallonee
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: Good

Biographical Note

Agnes Dyrhaug was born on July 11, 1896 in Nord-Statland, Norway to Anton Peterson and Jette Krestine. Anton worked in a sawmill, and there were three other children in the family: Ole, Johan, and Wilhelmine. Agnes immigrated to America in 1905 with her mother, sister, two brothers, and an aunt. Her father had immigrated three and a half years earlier and lived in Astoria, Oregon, where he had originally come to fish and later became a carpenter. The World Fair was in Portland, Oregon the year Agnes and her family came, and due to the large number of travelers, the immigrant coaches of the train were left behind in Minnesota when the train got too long. After two weeks of travelling, they finally reached Astoria.

In Astoria, Agnes's other siblings, Paul, Helen and Earl, were born, and the family bought a farm in nearby Napa, Oregon. Agnes attended school for eight years and also took a commercial course, after which she began bookkeeping for Haukes. Agnes met her first husband, Marinus Berg, in Astoria and was married in 1917. Marinus was also of Norwegian descent and worked as a carpenter and a contractor.

They continued to live in Astoria for five years and had two children, Maurice and Bonita (Foster), before moving to Portland. When Marinus got sick, Agnes began managing apartments and later worked for the Portland Housing Authority. Marinus passed away in 1939, and Agnes later remarried Peter Dyrhaug.

In Portland, Agnes attends Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and is a member of the Sons of Norway. She has also been a demonstrator for Nordic Ware and Chicago Cutlery, which involved demonstrating making Norwegian foods from Seattle to San Francisco, CA. Agnes has returned to Norway twice and believes that her Norwegian heritage is very important.

Lineage

Full Name: Agnes Johanna Dyrhaug
Maiden Name in Norway: Agnes Johanna Ovesen
Maiden Name in the U.S.: Agnes Johanna Peterson
Father: Anton Peterson
Mother: Jette Krestine Pettersen
Paternal Grandfather: Ove Pettersen
Paternal Grandmother: Hannah Pettersen
Maternal Grandfather: Peter Pettersen
Maternal Grandmother: Indianna Pettersen
Brothers and Sisters: Ole P. Peterson, Johan H. Peterson, Wilhelmine C. Peterson, Paul A. Peterson, Helen O. Williams, Earl N. Peterson
Spouses: Marinus Berg, Peter H. Dyrhaug
Children: Maurice A. Berg, Bonita J. Foster