Elizabeth Oakland Papers

Elizabeth Petturson was born November 28, 1911, in Reykjavik, Iceland. She was the daughter of Magnus and Sigridur (Einarsdottir) Petturson. Following the death of her father, she and her mother traveled to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in March 1913 to live with relatives. In 1914, her mother took a job as housekeeper to Gudni Helgason in Highland Township, Ramsey County. Her mother married Helgason September 11, 1916. A daughter, Rosy, was born the following year. Elizabeth Petturson graduated from Edmore High School in 1931. She married William Oakland October 1, 1933, in Fairdale, North Dakota. The couple began their married life on the same farm where Elizabeth Oakland had grown up. They had two children, Sylvia and Steven. After living in Highland Township for seven years, the couple moved to William Oakland's former home near Nekoma, North Dakota. They remained there until 1965, when they moved to Grand Forks. Elizabeth Oakland worked as a resident manager for Bosar Company in Grand Forks. She was also a poet. Her poetry appeared in several local newspaper and magazines, including the Grand Forks Herald, the Cavalier Republican, the Dakota Farmer, and North Dakota Outdoors. In 1969, she published Prairie Collage, a collection of her poetry. Elizabeth Oakland died June 29, 1996, in Grand Forks. She is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery.

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