Mrs. Elias Hoversten was born in Norway in 1887 as Martha Elena Houen (Johnson). She attended grade school there and in 1902, at the age of 15, she immigrated to America with her uncle. She came to Iowa where she lived with her uncle's family and worked as a housekeeper. She met her future husband Elias Hoversten, married, and moved near Marshall, Minnesota. There they farmed and raised a family of fourteen children. They also raised two orphaned nephews. Mrs. Hoversten related her experiences on the ship from Norway to America: why she came to America: and her experiences from Ellis Island until she arrived in Iowa. She also talks about her life in Norway, and gives a brief synopsis of her life since she arrived in Iowa.