Selma: Swedish Fortitude on the North Dakota Frontier by Lela Atwood Peterson

Peterson tells the story of her mother's family coming to America. Her grandfather, Johan, came to North Dakota and homesteaded northwest of Minot. His wife, Selma, came the following year. She brought two sons and one daughter (Lela's mother). Selma left behind her little baby and oldest daughter. Little did they know they would never, ever return.

Lele Peterson started intensive research and writing after retiring from teaching. Research took her all over the world to Sweden & Norway, Ellis Island, and county courthouses. She read all the archived newspapers of her mother's homestead from 1904 to 1922, from which she gleaned interesting family tidbits. After rewriting and reediting for 7 years, Selma: Swedish Fortitude on the North Dakota Frontier was published.

Paperback 198 Pages

ISBN: 154320355

About the author: Lela is a graduate of both Minot State University and the University of North Dakota. For many years she taught elementary school in North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Germany. In her retirement she has enjoyed writing family history and genealogical research. She resides in North Dakota and cares part time for her two grandchildren. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, arts, and crafts. 

Image description: The illustration on the cover depicts a grass field, with tire tracks in it. The sky is blue, with a couple clouds. On the left side there is a black and white photograph of a couple, looking like a wedding picture. The subtitle is printed to the right of the photograph in the sky. The title is printed in big, white, letters at the bottom of the cover, with the author's name printed underneath it.