The Life Story of Harold Hansen (continued) (Hansen)

Margaret Elizabeth Hayes and Harold Lloyd Hansen
2 July, 1939

  Harold Hansen's Life Story is compiled from his own writings and audio cassettes that he recorded in 1991.  They were transcribed and written down by my Auntie Claire.  We continue with Harold's story after he completed his trip to Norway.  Louise, the young lady he thought he had been in love with, had gotten married while he was gone.  The family story goes (as retold by Margaret Hansen Boothby) that when he went to see her she met him at the door and told him he had been gone too long.  She had met and married someone else.  She then proceeded to "throw all my stuff at me" (things he had given her).  But, that was not the end of his story.  

  "The young lady that I thought I was in love with had gotten married while I was gone.  I lost interest in being a sailor, as it was hard work and not as exciting as I had expected.  So, I went to work at the Idaho-Maryland Mine."

  There I worked as a rock crusher that prepared rocks for the stamp mill, for $2.88 per hour.  In a couple of months I went to work as a 'mucker' underground with partners Jack Dunavan, Ernie Angove and Homer Simon at the 850 foot level.  That's where (we had) a close call down there.  In the process of running a drift we had to drill a new piece of ground.  At the end of the drift was a pile of muck blasted down the day before.  Jack and I were shoveling out the pile of muck into the shoot.  We went to eat lunch when there was a drip where we were sitting.  We heard the tommy knocker warn us to get out of the way.  When that happened underground, we were thankful for the warning.  Another time I turned up a whole stick of  powder with the blasting cap still there.  The cap was on the end of my pick.

  After some time working in the mines I decided that mining wasn't for me.  So, I went to work for Uncle Roy, mother's brother, in Reno.  He had an iron works making columns for buildings.  I went to the Baptist Church with brother Bob and Alma.  All along I  kept up my singing in churches and for concerts.  There in Reno someone suggested that I take singing lessons.  So, I went to Oakland, Ca because I found that there were some good teachers there. 

Caption on the back...The "Ensign" in the "Sho-Gun"
Heath Club Show at Auditorium Oct. 1-2 1937

  First, I found a Welsh man.  He had me think of singing with expression, feelings. He didn't give lessons though.  Paul Ralston was an organist and he gave me the name of a woman who lived in the Piedmont.  She taught me to breath properly, sing right, and I had to find places to sing while she coached me. As she was a Christian Scientist, she told me of some churches that were having tryouts for soloists.  I went to these try outs and I won a position with the 2nd Church of Christ Scientist in the Fruitvale area of Oakland where I worked for 3 years.  Each Sunday (I sang) new songs that were not repeated for 6 months.  I found a practice room too.  Also  in those years, I had a radio spot on KROW Oakland, 1934-35, but as I couldn't get a sponsor the station dropped my show as it was the depression days.  I went back to Grass Valley to work in the mines. 

  
   

The Idaho-Maryland Mine as it looked in the 1930's

  I kept up singing in churches of Grass Valley. There was a woman who came to me to ask if I would come to the Methodist Church to help them with their Easter music.  She just cornered me on Mill Street one day.  Her name was Emma Van Duzer.  Well, I did attend their practice.  There I met up with Emma's daughter, Betty, who was a sweet soprano in the choir.  She wanted some help with her singing.  So, I went to her house.  Well, I took a shine to her from the start.  I don't know if she ever had any lessons.  But, she became my wife on July 2, 1939, until she died March 26, 1991. We had just celebrated our 50th (wedding anniversary) with a big family party a couple of years before her death."  


  

Emma Van Duzer with Harold Hansen

Jack Hansen Harold Hansen Margaret Hayes Hansen Dorothy Hayes
Methodist Church Grass Valley, Ca  2 July, 1939

 

  

Betty and Harold Hansen 2 July, 1964
25th Wedding Anniversary

                                                           Harold and Betty Hansen sometime in the 1980's.  

 

    Harold Hansen went on to serve in WWII along with both of his brothers,  raise two daughters with Betty, and continued to sing tenor in the choir at the Grass Valley United Methodist Church until his death, 21 October, 1993.