Haram, Henry

Henry Haram was born on September 4, 1903 in Ålesund, Norway, but his family moved to Sykkylven when he was very young. He was the third of ten children by Karl Haram and Hanna Grebstad. In 1923, Henry and a friend decided to emigrate; Henry's older brother, Petter Karlson, was already in America. After arriving in Washington State, Henry found work in the fishing and lumber industries, and moved to Seattle in 1926. For the next twenty years, he worked in a variety of jobs: a Ford assembly plant, a sawmill, cannery, and others. He became an American citizen in 1933 and owned a home close to the Ballard area. He returned to Norway after WWII, in about 1946, and remained in the Sykkylven area, employed in brickwork. Henry began playing the violin when he was 7, took lessons, knew Fritz Kreisler, and competed in violin contests in the U.S.

Lineage

Full Name: Henry Haram. Father: Karl Haram. Mother: Hanna Grebstad. Maternal Grandfather: Jens Jorgenson Grebstad. Maternal Grandmother: Pernille Grebstad. Brothers and Sisters: Anton Haram, Petter Karlson Haram, Hjalmar Haram, Solveig Haram, Karl Haram [twin with Hanne], Hanne Haram, Nellie Haram, Judith Haram, Jon Haram.

From the guide to the Henry Haram Oral History Interview, 1984, (Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection Archives and Special Collections Department)