Talkshow Thursday: Meet Henry Jorgensen

Talkshow Thursday: Meet Henry Jorgensen

On the Rails is my latest publication. Perhaps you had a chance to meet the main female character, Katherine Newman in my post on February 16, 2017. Now I'd like to introduce you to Henry Jorgensen, Katherine's boyfriend and the reason she began a new life as a Harvey Girl.

Linda: Thanks for stopping by Henry. Your family is Danish, having immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1800s. Can you tell us about that?

Henry:  My paternal grandparents arrived in New York in 1869, shortly after the American Civil War. My father was a young man at the time. His family decided to leave Denmark because of the joblessness caused by the rapid population growth and the loss of a portion of the country to Germany. Five years prior to their leaving, Slesvig-Holsten fell to the Germans. Danish culture was repressed and there was political persecution. Rather than move elsewhere within Denmark, my grandparents decided to seek a new life in America. My maternal grandparents arrived several years later.

Linda: The Scandinavian population is not as large in Ohio as elsewhere in the U.S. Why did your family choose to settle in Warren?

Henry: In the early 1800s most of the Danish people settled in Eastern cities, but like most Danes my father's family were farmers and had been for generations. It is what they knew how to do and could make a living at it. The Homestead Act of 1862 said that any immigrant who filed an intent to become a citizen could claim 160 acres of unoccupied government land and earn the title in five years. Or that person could work as a farm hand and earn enough to purchase a farm in ten years. My father's family was heading west and passed through the Warren area. They liked what they saw and felt they had traveled far enough, so they staked their claim.

Linda: You broke up with Katherine because of financial reasons. Your parent's mortgage was being called in, and you didn't feel that you could provide for her. What happened?

Henry: My younger sister became quite ill when she was a child, and my parents took her to specialists in Cleveland. The treatments were very expensive, so they took out a mortgage on the farm to pay the bills. Then we had a crop failure that greatly reduced our income, and we got behind on our payments. I didn't feel it was right to subject Katherine to the stress of my family's financial woes.

Linda: You took a job on the railroad to help your parents make mortgage payments. What was that like?

Henry: It was a big adjustment for me, but it was important that I do my part to help my family. After living in a rural, farm community working on the trains was difficult. They were loud and dirty, especially shoveling coal to keep the engine going. I transferred off the trains to laying track, and that was only slightly better. It was hard work being outside in all kinds of weather conditions as well as geographically. We were laying track across rivers and through mountains, canyons, and deserts. I'm used to working outside, so I don't think it was as difficult for me as it was for some. The money was excellent, so I was able to send quite a bit home.

Linda: Thanks for visiting with us Henry. Readers can hear more about your story in On The Rails, available for free in eBook format from March 1-5.

About the book:  

Warren, Ohio, 1910: Katherine Newman loves being a teacher, but she loves Henry Jorgensen more, which is why she’s willing to give up her job to marry him. But instead of proposing, Henry breaks up with her. Devastated, Katherine seeks to escape the probing eyes and wagging tongues of her small town. A former Harvey Girl, Katherine’s mother arranges for Katherine to be hired at the Williams, Arizona Harvey House. Can she carve out a new life in the stark desert land unlike anything she’s ever known?

Henry Jorgensen loves Katherine with all his heart, but as the eldest son of a poor farmer can he provide for her as she deserves? The family’s lien holder calls in the mortgage, and Henry must set aside his own desires in order to help his parents meet their financial obligation. But when Katherine leaves town after their break up, he realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. Can he find her and convince her to give their love a second chance?

Traveling Tuesday: Arizona

Traveling Tuesday: Arizona

Have you ever been to Arizona? I had a chance to visit there several years ago, and I can tell you, it is vastly different than the East Coast where I live. In my latest book, On the Rails, Katherine Newman moves from Warren, OH to Williams, Arizona to take a job as a Harvey Girl. She is not quite prepared for what she experiences.

She would have arrived via train. The trip would have taken several days. I decided not to make her suffer too badly and allowed her parents enough money to purchase her a sleeper berth.

The Williams Harvey House would have been the first thing Katherine saw when she stepped off the train. As you can see from the photo the restaurant is located on the other side of the tracks. Williams is located about thirty miles from Flagstaff. Summer time temperatures averaged in the 80s (F) but could soar to over 100. In fact, the year before Katherine moved there, Williams had a record high of 102 degrees!

Located at the base of Bill Williams Mountain, the town had a population of about 1,200 in an area covering forty-three square miles. Her home town of Warren had a population slightly more than 11,000. The mountain peaks at 9,259 feet-like nothing Katherine would have seen in Ohio.

During the story, Katherine and her friends visit the Grand Canyon, located about sixty miles north of Williams. In those days it would have been quite a drive, but fortunately Williams was on the south terminus of the train line, so the girls could ride for free (a benefit of working for Fred Harvey). The Canyon was definitely not like anything Katherine had ever seen.

Katherine and her friends also took a trip to Sedona, known as Red Rock Country, and vastly different from the rolling, green hills and farmland of Ohio.







Where are you from? Have you visited somewhere that was significantly different from where you live?

Talkshow Thursday: Meet Katherine Newman

Talkshow Thursday: Meet Katherine Newman

On The Rails is my most recent publication. Set during 1910, the novella is about Katherine Newman and her experiences as a Harvey Girl in Arizona. What’s a Harvey Girl? Draw up a chair and let Katherine tell you all about it.

Linda: You were a schoolteacher prior to heading West. What was that like?

Katherine: I am from a small town in Ohio, so our school only had one room. That meant I had students from Kindergarten all the way through the end of high school. Although most kids dropped out after eighth grade. So many of them had to work to help provide for their families. Many families felt their children didn’t need what they would call higher education (high school). The best way to learn a subject is to teach it, so I used the older students to help teach the younger students. That also helped control the classroom by keeping them all busy.

Linda: What was the process of getting hired as a Harvey Girl?

Katherine: I had a bit of an in because my mother had been a Harvey Girl. But I still had to complete the application process. I was interviewed extensively and had to provide three character references. Then I waited and waited. Finally out of the blue, I got a letter telling me I had been hired and to report to Williams, Arizona in a week. That didn’t give me much time to prepare.

Linda: What is a typical day for a Harvey Girl?

Katherine: Our days are quite busy. We work a split shift, and serving the meals is the least of our responsibilities. In between the trains we shine the silver, dust, fold napkins, water the plants, iron our uniforms, and any other task the Head Waitress tosses our way. The idea is to create a warm, inviting atmosphere for the diners.

Linda: Fred Harvey had already passed away by the time you were hired, but his sons were running the company. What is it like to work for the Harvey organization?

Katherine: From what I understand, Mr. Harvey’s sons run the company exactly as he did. Mr. Harvey started the company in the mid 1880s because a traveler took his life in his hands eating at the establishments along the railroad lines. Mr. Harvey had already owned a restaurant so he knew he could do a better job. He managed to secure a contract to provide food on the entire Santa Fe line and became very successful. Attention to detail and extraordinary customer service are watch-words in the Harvey Company. Known for our well-cooked food, extensive choices, and generous portions, we are expected to create an exquisite dining experience that will keep our customers returning over and over. We never know when there will be an inspection, so we’re always ready. There are a lot of rules, but they make sense so the business can run smoothly.

Linda: What kind of rules?

Katherine: We have a very specific dress code including the fact that we are not allowed to wear make-up. We’re also not allowed to date during the first six months of our employment, and after that we have to seek permission from the House Manager. A strict curfew is enforced, and we sleep in a dorm. The rules protect our reputation, because in some places waitresses are considered not much better than soiled doves, although I don’t know why.

Linda: What do you like best about your job?

Katherine: I have met people from all over the country. It has been very exciting, and I’m glad to be a Harvey Girl.

On the Rails is available on Amazon and your independent bookstore: www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUYAGU3. Pick up your copy today!

About the book: Warren, Ohio, 1910: Katherine Newman loves being a teacher, but she loves Henry Jorgensen more, which is why she’s willing to give up her job to marry him. But instead of proposing, Henry breaks up with her. Devastated, Katherine seeks to escape the probing eyes and wagging tongues of her small town. A former Harvey Girl, Katherine’s mother arranges for Katherine to be hired at the Williams, Arizona Harvey House. Can she carve out a new life in the stark desert land unlike anything she’s ever known?

Henry Jorgensen loves Katherine with all his heart, but as the eldest son of a poor farmer can he provide for her as she deserves? The family’s lien holder calls in the mortgage, and Henry must set aside his own desires in order to help his parents meet their financial obligation. But when Katherine leaves town after their break up, he realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. Can he find her and convince her to give their love a second chance?