Anna Mathilde Barski

Fundraising drive for the patient hotel.

Helga Johnsen, Masjok: 5 kroner. Challenges Berit Biti and Anna Henninen, Masjok, and Elmine Iversen, Seida.

The parish-council election in Tana

By the deadline, the following proposed list had been received.
Proposers: Dagny Breivik, Gunhild Hirsti, Per Hirsti, Ragna Ravna, Aslaug Bithi, Elise Ravna, Karen Kokko, Sara Saraksen, Eilert Sabbasen, Marit Olsen.

The list contains these names:
Albert Andersen, Seida;
Sigrid Børresen, Torhop;
Hans Dervo, Holmfjell;
Einar Hagalid, Bonakas;
Anna Henninen, Masjok;
Sverre Henriksen, Lavonjarg;
Emanuel Johnsen, Masjok;
Nanna Johnsen, Austertana;
Nils Larsen, Vestertana;
Andreas Olsen, Lavonjarg;
Anne Pedersen, Smalfjord;
Petter Ravna, Bonakas;
Kaisa Samuelsen, Austertana;
Odd Seim, Sandlia;
Berit Siri, Bonakas;
Anne Skjåvik, Bonakas;
Johanne Løvoll Smette, Smalfjord.

The new parish council in Tana

Sverre Henriksen, Lavonjarg.
Einar Hagalid, Bonakas.
Nanna Johnsen, Austertana.
Anne Pedersen, Smalfjord.
Hans Dervo, Holmfjell.
Albert Andersen, Seida.

Deputies:
Andreas Olsen, Lavonjarg.
Sigrid Børresen, Torhop.
Emanuel Johnsen, Masjok.
Anna Henninen, Masjok.
Nils Larsen, Vestertana.

Golden-wedding couple Anna and Andreas in Masjok

If anyone deserves the title “couple of the year,” today’s couple must be among the strongest candidates.

For today’s couple are celebrating their golden wedding. That means they have been married for fifty years.

Anna and Andreas Henninen were joined in matrimony one early summer’s day fifty years ago, and since then they have shared both good days and bad.

Their home has been, and still is, Masjok in Tana. Here they have cleared new land and brought up their children, with the Tana forest as their nearest neighbor. Those of us outside the family have also benefited from their having such magnificent nature on their doorstep and living in harmony with it. Not everyone can tell from the stars on New Year’s night whether there will be a good cloudberry harvest—but this golden-wedding couple can.

If one dared describe today’s couple in a few words, they would have to be: an abundance of good humor and joy in life. They have also always held fast to the faith of their childhood, and it has given them comfort in difficult times.

For those who know them, it is strange to think that Anna and Andreas have been married for fifty years—they look like newlyweds.

And those of us who for some years have had the pleasure of visiting Anna and Andreas in Masjok, and have always been received with almost royal hospitality, can only bow our heads and give thanks that we have been able to get to know them.

Many will surely join us in sending greetings to the golden-wedding couple as we wish them happiness on their special day today, Wednesday, June 20.

HH

Attempted break-in at an elderly couple’s home

By Bjørn Hildonen

During the night before Thursday, Anna Henninen in Masjok had an experience that frightened her. Around one o’clock she woke to some strange noises. Someone was trying to get into the second floor of the house. They tried the bedroom where Anna, 79, and her husband Andreas, 79, were sleeping.

The intruder did not manage to get into the bedroom. As it happened, Anna had closed the window before going to bed, something she did not usually do.

Put up a ladder

“My husband can no longer hear very well. That was why he did not notice a ladder being placed against the wall. At first I thought something was knocking against the wall. Then I heard something like loud scratching.

“Then I realized that someone was there who might be trying to get into our bedroom. And that was exactly what was happening. Fortunately, I had closed the window because it was very windy that evening. That meant the person could not get in,” a frightened Anna Henninen says.

Fears further visits

She now fears that they will have more nighttime visitors.

“But there is really nothing to take from us. We have no money, certainly none under the bed. I do not know what they were after. But what happened has made me nervous, especially because we live some distance from the main road.”

Anna and Andreas have their bedroom on the north side of the house. Two of the couple’s sons were sleeping at the other end of the house. They had heard nothing unusual that night.

“I lay completely still when the scraping woke me. The person left when it proved impossible to open the window. I heard a car with an unusually loud engine being started. I do not know who it was. Nor have I reported the matter,” says Anna Henninen, who has not reported it to the police.

Photograph caption: ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN: During the night before Thursday, Anna Henninen had an unwelcome visitor. The person or people tried to get in through the second-floor bedroom window.

Our dear and kind
Hans Kristian Harjo,
beloved by us all,
born January 6, 1902,
died October 5, 1990,
at his home in Seattle, USA, surrounded by his dear, large family—his wife Alfhild and seven children.
He died in faith in his Lord and Savior.

Tana, Harstad, Vadsø,
October 22, 1990

Yours was a heart of gold,
which, despite the distance, held us all.
You carried us in your thoughts and prayers.
Your prayers have now fallen silent.
We fold our hands.
Thank you for all the care you gave.

Anna and Andreas Henninen
Gunvor Harjo
Sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law

On behalf of nieces, nephews, cousins and the rest of the family in Norway:
Anne-Lise Akerhei, niece
Olga Holm, cousin

The funeral has taken place in Seattle.

Monday, December 16: Andreas Henninen, Masjok, turns 81.

Monday, February 21: Anna Henninen, Masjok, turns 83.

Heartfelt thanks

Following the illness and passing of the recently deceased Anna Mathilde Henninen, we would like to thank the following:

The home nursing service in Tana, especially Eija and Hjørdis; Helena from the home-help service; and the doctors and staff at Tana Health Centre.

Thank you, Elvi, for staying with her until the end.

We would also like to thank everyone for their kindness and sympathy, and for attending the funeral.

Thanks also to Janets Funeral Service.

Anna Mathilde Henninen’s surviving family

Easter thieves go straight to jail

Repeat offenders will be put behind bars over the Easter holiday if they try to burgle houses. Drammen police are showing no mercy in the fight against everyday crime.

By Bjørn Haakon Nilsen
Printed contact: bjorn.haakon.nilsen@dtbb.no

“We are not locking up any potential burglars before Easter, but we will be watching closely. Those who try their luck during Easter week will be held in custody until after Easter. A thief arrested on the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday could remain in custody until Tuesday before a court appearance is considered,” Erik Grundstrøm, acting head of the crime section at Drammen police station, tells Drammens Tidende.

“Our Easter arrangements are intended to maintain safety in the police district. We have no more people at work than during a normal Easter, and we do not expect anything out of the ordinary in Drammen. There are no major events in the city, and the greatest pressure will probably be in the mountains. Nevertheless, we know that a late Easter without much snow means more people than usual choose to stay at home. We are aware of the connection between Easter and the risk of burglary,” says Drammen police station chief Kjell Henninen.

Good advice

An experienced burglar needs only thirty to forty seconds to break into a house. The Norwegian Homeowners’ Association offers the following advice, which the station chief endorses:

• Stop mail and newspaper deliveries. Call the post office and ask it to hold your mail while you are away. Your newspaper can be redirected or suspended.
• Forward your telephone calls. Redirect calls to where you are staying or to someone you know. In any case, do not leave an answering-machine message saying you are on holiday. Many thieves call beforehand.
• Avoid an empty rubbish bin. An empty bin shows that you are not at home. Ask a neighbor to put out the bag and place some rubbish in the bin.
• Put a timer on the outdoor lighting. A simple timer can switch lights, and perhaps a radio, on and off while you are away.
• Fit two door locks. Half of all thieves enter through doors. Fit two insurance-approved locks to every exterior door, including the basement and veranda doors. Check that the door frame is properly secured and whether the frame and studs can be forced aside to open the door. If your doors have exposed external hinges, fit simple hinge-security devices.
• Secure the windows. Removing a glazing bead is a common way for thieves to get in. Use one-way screws, or cross-head screws with the cross drilled out.
• Make the house look occupied. Do not draw the curtains or leave flowers wilting on the windowsill. Leave a few coffee cups on the table and toys on the floor.
• Put away valuables such as jewelry, money, photographic equipment, silverware and other items that are easy to sell.
• Install an alarm. Houses with burglar alarms are seldom burgled. For good protection, install an alarm connected to a monitoring centre.
• Team up with a neighbor. Good neighbors look after one another’s houses while they are on holiday.

Photograph caption: EASTER READINESS. “We are aware of the connection between Easter and the risk of burglary, but we assume that a late Easter without much snow will mean that more people than usual choose to stay at home,” says Drammen police station chief Kjell Henninen. Archive photograph.

In memoriam
Andreas Wilhelm Henninen

The village’s oldest resident, Andreas Henninen of Masjok, was born on December 16, 1910, and died on December 19, 2007.

His passing was not unexpected, considering his age and the course of his illness in recent weeks. Despite his age, he had long been remarkably fit and was still up and about until just a few weeks before he died, although his memory had deteriorated. Andreas was said to have canceled the home nursing service himself, so they had not visited him for the last six months. The family was not informed of this until he was admitted to hospital, severely dehydrated, with kidney failure and in a weakened general condition.

Andreas was born in Utsjoki, Finland, to Marie Elisabeth, known as Marielise, née Kollstrøm, from Masjok in Tana, and Ville (Wilhelm) Henninen from Kuusamo, Finland. His father was a policeman working in Utsjoki municipality before they moved to Masjok. Andreas was then about seven years old and began school here. According to Andreas, his father had been ordered to transfer to Ivalo police station, but his mother refused to move there. She wanted to go to Norway and her home place instead, and that is what happened.

There were seven siblings in all. Four died young of tuberculosis, while the other three—Dagmar, married name Mäntyjärvi; Sofie, married name Lanto; and Andreas—lived long lives. Andreas was an upright, hardworking and strong man who never spared himself. Only a couple of years ago his daily routine still consisted of chopping and carrying in firewood and doing other small jobs around the farm. Until the age of ninety, he always joined his sons in work on the surrounding land, woodcutting and farm work.

Andreas married my—our—aunt Anna Mathilde, “little Anna,” née Barski, from Masjok, and they took over Andreas’s family home by the Masjok River, near its mouth. They left this otherwise beautiful place after the wartime burning. It lay low on the riverbank, and the spring floods meant they had to use a boat and, in extreme cases, evacuate while the flooding was at its worst. They then moved to the foot of Pippuvaara, Pipefjell in Norwegian, by Masjoksletta, and began clearing a new smallholding. It was quite far from, and high above, the main road, with a marvelous view, but it must also have been a demanding place to live. They had eight children in all, of whom five—Terje, Randi, Kjell, Einar and Idar—grew up. Sadly, Terje died at only forty-one. He was a teacher and left a wife and four children.

Andreas read the newspaper, Finnmarken, every day, as well as the Bible and the book of sermons, for he was a man of faith. He and his wife belonged to the Laestadian sect, to the “congregation of the Firstborn.” In earlier times the sect forbade radios, and later television, as a medium of sin. Pictures on the walls, ornaments, curtains and flowers on the windowsill were probably also considered sinful, though not completely forbidden in Tana. Although Andreas could do without “indoor flowers,” Anna defied the “ban” and surely saw no sin in the balsams, geraniums, tubers and other plants growing in the tins that adorned her windowsill. The children probably had a strict upbringing based on their parents’ faith and convictions, which others might have found incomprehensibly rigid, as practiced within the sect at that time.

Andreas spoke perfect, almost academic Norwegian, and Finnish was his mother tongue. He had also learned Sámi as a child in Utsjoki. Times were hard during his childhood and, despite his abilities, he had no opportunity for further schooling. But when his eldest son, the late Terje, attended secondary school, his father studied the secondary-school mathematics syllabus himself!

As mentioned, Andreas’s father was a policeman, and those genes have evidently been passed down. In the postwar years Andreas was selected for the Armed Forces’ police reserve. His son Kjell attended police college and worked at Drammen police headquarters until he retired. The late Terje’s son Jørgen trained as a police officer and now works as one in Oslo. Randi also worked at Kirkenes police headquarters, though as a civilian, including in the immigration section, until she retired.

Many years ago Einar took over the family home, with an arrangement to provide for his parents and also his disabled brother. His contribution enabled them to continue living at home. It is difficult to put a price on Einar’s efforts, but there is little doubt that he has performed a service to society on the home front. Few probably think about how difficult it must have been for him to establish a family of his own under these circumstances. Randi and her family, who live in Bjørnevatn, have also faithfully visited her parents and brothers, doing everything from changing curtains to spring-cleaning and the other necessary tasks that only a “housewife’s eye” can see.

Andreas, and Anna especially, kept a wonderfully hospitable home—a real “house of food.” I particularly remember how Aunt little-Anna also “fed” every hungry child who dropped in. Her moist, fresh bread, pancakes and other food always tasted wonderful to a child with an empty stomach and a long way home after hours of playing and visiting friends. Absolutely no one, young or old, left this home hungry or thirsty.

May peace rest over the memory of Uncle Andreas.

Anne-Lise Harjo Akerhei

Photo memory

Do you have an interesting photograph from our recent or distant history that you would like to share with Finnmarken’s readers? Send it to Finnmarken, P.O. Box 616, 9811 Vadsø. Write down everything you know about where and when the picture was taken and who is in it. Remember to include a return address.

A family sorely tried

This photograph is actually more than a hundred years old. Its contributor, Anne-Lise Harjo, who now lives in Vadsø, tells us that it was taken as early as 1904–05.

She also tells us that it shows members of her own father’s family. Her father, Fredrik, who lived in Masjok, had not been born when the photograph was taken. Among those pictured is his brother Kristian, seated at the front. On the left sits her grandfather Ludvig Harjo, with her grandmother Anna Katrine. At the back, on the left, we see Isak Harjo and Andreas Harjo, while the girl on the right is Signe Margrethe Harjo. She married a man from Salangen in Troms and eventually had four children.

But life was not as easy for the others. Andreas and Isak both died of tuberculosis. They were only twenty-seven and twenty-eight years old.

The eldest brother, Bernhardt, who is not in the photograph, also died young, at only twenty-one, of the same disease. Andreas was married and left a wife and a daughter. Bernhardt and Isak were unmarried and died without children.

Anne-Lise Harjo believes the photograph must have been taken in Vadsø. She bases this on the fact that the family lived in Vadsø before moving to Masjok in Tana.

We have mentioned that many of the children in the family died very young. So did their father Ludvik, who died as early as 1908. At that time, the youngest son was only two years old. His wife eventually remarried, to Petter Barski from Østre Seida. They had a daughter together.

Of the people in the photograph, Signe and Kristian lived the longest. Anne-Lise’s father also died young, at only forty-seven, while his wife Anna was sixty-two when she died. She is remembered as an incredibly kind, warm and good woman.

Translation note: The newspaper’s photograph identifications and ages are retained as printed. Its final paragraph mixes generations: Anna Katrine was Ludvig’s wife; Fredrik’s wife was Gunvor. The family’s updated identifications remain in the biographies.