Aagot Raaen
Aagot Raaen (December 3, 1873 - January 7, 1957) was an American author and educator.[1]
Background
Aagot Raaen was one of five children born to Thomas T. Raaen (1827-1903) and Ragnhild (Rodningen) Raaen 1839-1923), who were both immigrants from Norway. In June 1874, the family had moved to Dakota Territory settling near Hatton, North Dakota. Thomas Raaen homesteaded 160 acres of land in Newburgh Township (now located in Steele County, North Dakota). Aagot Raaen put herself through school and college. In 1903, Raaen graduated from the Mayville State Normal School, now Mayville State University. In 1913, she graduated from the University of Minnesota. She would later do graduate work at universities in Berlin and Hawaii. [2] [3] [4]
Educator
Raaen taught at rural schools in North Dakota as well as at Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo, North Dakota. From 1917 to 1922, Aagot was the Superintendent of Schools in Steele County, North Dakota. In 1922, she began teaching at a number of post-secondary institutions in Hawaii. [5] [6]
Author
Raaen authored several historical articles and books including the 1950 autobiographic work Grass of the Earth: Immigrant Life in the Dakota country. Through a description of the life of her family during their homesteading days, Raaen detailed pioneer life on the prairie. She also authored numerous short essays and biographies of pioneer families.[7]
Selected works
- Grass of the Earth: Immigrant Life in the Dakota Country (Ayer Publishing, 1950) ISBN 978-0873512954
- Measure of My Days (North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1953) ISBN 0-911042-00-8
- Hamarsbön-Raaen Genealogy (Chicago: E. Felland, 1957)
Papers
The papers of Aagot Raaen are contained within the North Dakota State University Institute for Regional Studies:[8]
- Aagot Raaen Photograph Collection
- Aagot Raaen Papers, 1915–1953
- Institute for Regional Studies records, 1950–present
References
- ↑ Aagot Raaen, Biography (Read North Dakota)
- ↑ Rosa H. Johnson (June 1940). "Early Hatton". 1884 to 1984 Hatton Centennial, A Century of Change. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ↑ "The Raaen Family" (PDF). deervalleypress.com. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Students and Schools". North Dakota Studies — State Historical Society of North Dakota. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ↑ Aagot Raaen, Portrait (Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU, Fargo)
- ↑ "The History of Oak Grove Lutheran School". Oak Grove Lutheran School. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ↑ Introduction to New Edition (Barbara Handy-Marchello. Minnesota Historical Society Press. October 1994)
- ↑ "Aagot Raaen Papers, 1915-1953". North Dakota State University Libraries. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
External links
- Aagot Raaen Photograph Collection (North Dakota State University Libraries)
- Aagot Raaen Papers, 1915-1953 (North Dakota State University Libraries)
- Finding Aid to the Aagot Raaen Paper (North Dakota State University Libraries)