Since I began my hobby of genealogy I have found copies of many kinds of documents. I think, though, my favorite is a hand written summary of my great-great grandfather's life by
Aagot Raaen. Aagot Raaen is a semi-famous author who is best known for writing "
Grass of the Earth", which is about her growing up in North Dakota as an immigrant from Norway. Towards the end of the book she mentions a friend of her father's by the name of Asle, mutual friends from Norway. The grandson of the sister of my great-grandmother recognized this Asle as Asle Lien his grandfather and my great-great grandfather. A corrrespondance began between him and Aagot Raaen about Asle and his family. At the end of the correspondance Aagot wrote a summary of Asle's life and family based on what the grandson had written and what she remembered from his visits. All this correspondance plus other papers of hers can be found at North Dakota State. I was able to get copies of the correspondance from the University.