Mae Evelyn Peterson Armstrong 1907-1998

My maternal grandmother, Mae Evelyn Peterson (or May Evelyn Peterson, it's been written both ways in the records) was born on 1 May 1907 in Lanesboro, Minnesota.  She was the daughter of John O. Peterson (1863-1935) and Agnette "Nettie" Johnson (1873-1943), the 7th of their 8 children.

John O Peterson family.  Evelyn is the one with the bow in the middle of the photo.

Known as "Evelyn" throughout her life, she graduated from Lanesboro High School in 1925 in a class of 31 students.

From her class photo

After graduation she attended the Teacher's College in Valley City, North Dakota.  She taught school for several years. I have not definitively determined where she taught school, but there is an Evelyn Peterson listed in the 1930 census in Mineral Springs, North Dakota.  She was a teacher.  There was also an Evelyn M. Peterson listed as a teacher in the Windom, Minnesota census in 1930.

The Peterson children (Evelyn is on the right)

According to the article about her marriage, Evelyn also was employed by the Southern Minnesota Benevolent Society in Lanesboro and St. Paul, Minnesota after her teaching career and before her marriage.

Evelyn and her children, about 1985. (L-R:  Tom, Kay, Ev, Ann, Jon, Carroll)

Evelyn and her children, 1994

In May 1934, she married Thomas Emmet Armstrong.  The article in the Lanesboro newspaper noted that she was "one of the most popular of Lanesboro's younger set."  Evelyn and Thomas Armstrong made their home in Harmony, Minnesota where they raised five children:  Thomas, Ann, Kathryn, Jon and Carroll.  

Evelyn partnered with her husband to form the Armstrong Insurance Agency in Harmony.  She was also a tax consultant.  In addition to her work and raising a family, Evelyn was involved in many community organizations, and was a member of the Greenfield Lutheran Church.  She was also an avid crocheter.

Evelyn and her children at her 90th birthday party:  Kay, Ann, Jon, Carroll and Tom

She died at the Harmony Community Nursing Home on June 22, 1998, leaving five children, 13 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.  She is buried next to her husband at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.