Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff
Astrid Andersen, Bookkeeper, c. 1928-1929

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TAGS: Astrid Andersen, Astrid Anderson, Pine Mountain Settlement School, bookkeeper, Harriet Crutchfield, funeralizings, Fern Hall Hayes;

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ASTRID ANDERSEN Staff

Bookkeeper, c. 1928-1929

Astrid Andersen (or Anderson) left behind few traces of her existence at Pine Mountain Settlement School. This was probably due to the short time she spent as PMSS bookkeeper in the School’s office in c. 1928-1929. If we knew more about her, we would certainly have an interesting story to tell, as her country of origin was Norway and she came to Pine Mountain from New York. This information was mentioned in a 1929 letter written by Harriet Crutchfield, a PMSS teacher and one of Astrid’s friends:

Miss Anderson, the bookkeeper, completes the office force. She is a young Norwegian — just been in this country about two years, so she has a broad accent still. She is here in the U.S. to learn English & have experience, I guess. She had worked for some time in N.Y. and, wanting a change, came down here. She is very funny and I like her lots.

Astrid is credited as the author of a narrative titled “The Funeral,” an account of one of the early iconic memorials to the deaths of those in the community. According to the story’s introductory paragraph on the page titled “A Mountain Funeralizing”

[Astrid] was sent by the Director of Pine Mountain Settlement with a companion to represent Pine Mountain at a “funeralizing” and to also gather notes regarding this traditional mountain ritual.

The following document is most likely the document that was gathered by the two. The report was possibly from the shorthand notes of Fern Hall Hayes, a school secretary, who in later years described attending a similar event. The shorthand notes were transcribed when the two returned to Pine Mountain to compare observations. The event was keenly observed and recorded. The transcription was added to the Pine Mountain record in the early 1940s.

Fern Hall Hayes attended PMSS as a boarding student and was later employed by the School during the 1930s. This suggests that Astrid’s time at Pine Mountain may have extended beyond the years that are attributed to her in the BIOGRAPHY PMSS Workers Guide 1913 to Present.

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GALLERY: Astrid Andersen Staff

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Title	Astrid Andersen
Alt. Title	Astrid Anderson
Identifier	ASTRID ANDERSEN
Creator	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY
Alt. Creator	Ann Angel Eberhardt ; Helen Hayes Wykle ;
Subject Keyword	Astrid Andersen ; Astrid Anderson ; bookkeepers ; Harriet Crutchfield ; funeralizings ; Fern Hall Hayes ;
Subject LCSH	Andersen, Astrid. Pine Mountain Settlement School (Pine Mountain, Ky.) — History. Harlan County (Ky.) — History. Education — Kentucky — Harlan County. Rural schools — Kentucky — History. Schools — Appalachian Region, Southern.
Date	2017-11-10
Publisher	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY
Contributor	n/a
Type	Collections ; text ; image ;
Format	Original and copies of documents and correspondence in file folders in filing cabinet
Source	Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff
Language	English
Relation	Is related to: Pine Mountain Settlement School Collections, Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff.
Coverage Temporal	1928 – 1930s
Coverage Spatial	Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ; New York ; Norway ;
Rights	Any display, publication, or public use must credit the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Donor	n/a
Description	Core documents, correspondence, writings, and administrative papers of Astrid Andersen ; clippings, photographs, books by or about Astrid Andersen ;
Acquisition	n/d
Citation	“[Identification of Item],” [Collection Name] [Series Number, if applicable]. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Processed By	Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt ;
Last Updated	2017-11-12 aae ; 2023-11-16 aae ;
Bibliography	Source “Astrid Anderson.”Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff. Harriet Crutchfield Journal II Transcribed; A Mountain Funeralizing; Guide to PMSS Workers 1913-2000s. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource.

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