Elfriede Leschewski Beyer was born on August 1, 1893, in Liegnitz Schlesien, Germany. She married Rev. Earl A. Beyer on August 14, 1923. She worked as a banker in Germany until they moved to the United States. Her husband was a romance language professor at Augustana College from 1931 until his death in 1957. Elfriede was a member of the Blackhawk Hiking Club, and an award-winning artist.

The Elfriede Beyer papers range from 1927 to 1989 and measure 1.5 linear inches. The papers are arranged in two series: sketchbooks and miscellaneous. The small sketchbook is filled with an eclectic array of her artwork. In the large sketchbook, a significant portion of the pages are either cut out or left blank. The miscellaneous documents include a published Christmas story, obituary, and personal notes on biblical subjects.