ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202
COLLECTION: OGL# 1212
DATES: 1926-1941
SIZE: .25 linear feet
ACQUISITION: The Julia Ellingson Griffis Papers were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Christine Haynes of Reynolds, ND, August 8, 1990.
ACCESS: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.
Julia Ellingson Griffis was born on October 20, 1882, in Reynolds, ND. She was the first white child born in the city of Reynolds. She had three brothers and two sisters. She attended high school in Reynolds, ND, and then worked in the mill. Julia moved to California in 1923 and worked as a nurse in the homes of elderly women. She lived in Long Beach, CA, until 1936 when she moved to Hollywood for one year. She lived the rest of her life in Lynwood, CA, until her death on March 31, 1941.
The Julia Ellingson Griffis Papers include correspondence from Julia Griffis to Oscar and Emma Ellingson, her brother and sister-in-law, in Reynolds, ND. In her letters she discusses life in California during the depression. She mentions the free food provided to people in California and seeing people sleeping in the auditorium at Long Beach, CA. She writes about times being hard with no food, no work, and no clothes available.
She took a trip to Florida in 1930 and some of the letters discuss the traveling and economic conditions experienced during the trip. She also mentions the Olympics held in Long Beach in 1932.
In her letters from 1937 to 1941, she writes about World War II. She discusses being afraid of war and hoping that the United States would not become involved. The remaining content of the letters is mostly concerned with family issues and personal information. A brief history of Julia's life and an eulogy are also included in this collection.
Box 1
Folder
Return to: Medicine
Return to: Women's Papers
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