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Note: l well. Our families got together for the main holidays all the time. His daughtyer, Edna, died not many years ago. She was well up in years." Her letter was dated 14 Sep 1987. !This is from a newspaper article that Lucille Wimer sent me dated: "Funeral services for Peter W. Peterson, retired farmer and cattle feeder, were held Monday at the Elmore-Wagner Funeral Home, with the Masonic Lodge in charge of the final rites. Mr. Peterson passed away Friday night after a lingering illness of almost five years. !Mr. Peterson was well known in Vermillion and Clay county and was an active member of Masonic Lodge for over 50 years. He was a member of the Baptist Church and during World War I was a member of the local selective service board. !Mr. Peterson came to this country when eight years of age. He and his father came to Vermillion from Omaha to homestead in Prairie Center township. He attended the first schools in Clay County and went into business with his father in the general merchandise business. !24 September 1885, Mr. Peterson was married to Ada E. Maurer and they went to the farm home to live. Mr. Peterson became known as one of the foremost cattle raisers in the United States, and shipped cattle to almost every state in the union. He was at one time a member of the city council and moved to Vermillion in 1910. !Mr. and Mrs. Peterson celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1935 and Mrs. Peterson passed away in February of 1941." !To Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were born four children, only one of whom, Miss Edna, is still living. She makes her home in Vermillion. One son, Lee Arthur, died in infancy. The oldest daughter, Mabel, died of diphtheria when she was twelve years old. A son, Howard M., died in the service during World War I. Mr. Peterson leaves a sister, Mrs. Mary Swanson, of Nebrasdka and a sister, Mrs. Ella Pivoto, who lives in Texas and a brother, Frank Peterson, who lives in Arizona." !From another history Lucille Wimer sent: "Accompanying his parents and his sister Christine, he came to Clay County in July 1868, and grew to manhood on the homestead claim his parents filed on upon their arrival here. For many years during his active years, he was a breeder of thoroughbred swine on his farm directly north of Vermillion. He was a member of the State Lgislature for two sessions, elected a Representative from Clay County in 1908 and 1910. He retired, and for the past twenty five years has been a resident of Vermillion (was until his death I believe). He married Ada E. Maurer (sister of Henry Maurer who married Christine, our grandmother)." !From a paper article dated 1935 from Lucille Wimer: "Mr. and Mrs. P. W. Peterson are extending a general invitation to their friends to call on them at their home at 27 North Yale street on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 24, between 2:00 and 5:00 o'clock. !They will be at home to all of their friends during those hours in observance of their 50th wedding anniversary. !It will be 50 years on that date since P. W. Petrson and Ada E. Maurer were united in marriage at the home of the bride's parents in Cedar Rapida, Iowa. The Reverend Barnhard, a minister of the Presbyterian church, was the officiating minister. !The romance that culminated in this marriage came as the result of an acquaintance formed when Mr. Peterson was in the general merchandise business with his father in the west half of what is now the Silverberg building. The firm name was G. J. Peterson & Son. At that time Ada Maurer was keeping house for her brother, Ed Maurer, on a farm east of Vermillion, which he still owns, and came at times to the store to purchase supplies. !Ada Maurer, later to become Mrs. Peterson, was born and raised at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, of American parents whose forebears had originally come from England and Germany. She says that her travels have not been wide. She lived in Cedar Rapids until she came to Clay county, and has lived here ever since. !Mr. Peterson was born in Sweden, 1 May 1860. As a boy eight years old, he came to the United States with his parents. The family landed at Omaha, where they met the father of Senator Peter Norbeck, who had already homesteaded in Clay county, and who advised them to come here. They came on to Sioux City the next day. That was as far as the trains ran then, so the following day his father walked to Vermillion. !He was located by Ole Bottolfson on Section 8, Prairie Center township, and he filed on the land before the late John L. Jolley, who then had charge of the land office. !Mr. Peterson likes to talk of those early days. Of the school held in a dugout with nail kegs for seats and a lonely first reader for the only school book. Of how his father organized the first church and for years was its minister. He tells of his first five dollars, earned during a long winter by reading the Bible from cover to cover. Later there was schooling in Vermillion under T. J. Sloan and Professor Culver. !After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, they continued in the store for a year, and then rented the old home farm, where they farmed for the next three years. After that Mr. Peterson commenced buying land, undtil he had gathered together a tract of 666 acres in one body, which he still owns. !Here they farmed for many years. In the early nineties Mr. Peteson embarked upon the raising of Poland China hogs, and by the time he had been in the business for ten years, he had acquired a national reputation as the owner of the best Poland China herd in America. During those years he shipped hogs to every state in the union except the four New England states, and to Canada and Cuba. !At the time of the organization of the Sioux City Interstate Fair, Mr. Peterson was one of its directors and organizers. He held this position until he was named by Coe I. Crawford, then governor, as a member of the state agricultural commission. He held this postiion until he resigned in 1909 to take a seat in the house of representatives, where he served for two terms. Mr. Peterson was at one time a member of the city council of Vermilllion. !It was in 1910 that Mr. and Mrs. Peterson left the farm and moved to Vermillion and built the comfortable home where they have lived since. !During 50 years spent together as man and wife in Clay county, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have surrounded themselves with a host of friends who will welcome the opportunity of greeting them and visiting with them on their anniversary next Tuesday. !Another article from the newspaper: "Last Friday evening Mr. and Mrs. P. W. Peterson were guests of honor at a reception tendered them by the Eastern Star in the Masonic hall. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have been members of the chapter since 26 May 1899. Nearly 75 people were present and all signed their names in the golden covered book of Mr. Peterson's. Mrs. Carl Iverson was in charge of the program which consisted of several violin selections played by Dorothy Colton and the song, "Silver Threads Among the Gold" by Ethel Christianson. Informal talks were given by George Brosius, W. R. Cleland and Mr. Peterson. A gift from the chapter, a huge golden bucket of gold roses, was presented to Mr. and Mrs. Peterson by Marilyn Lloyd, who took the part of the bride, Richard Iverson, the groom, and Bobby Beatty, the minister. Later refreshments were served in the dining room. All decorations, including the huge wedding cake, carried out the color scheme of yellow and white. !Mr. and Mrs. Peterson held open house to their many friends celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary Tuesday afternoon, from 2:00 to 5:00 o'clock in their home on North Yale street. Two hundred thirty-seven people from Vermillion and surrounding territory were present during the afternoon and evening. They brought with them many beautiful floral offerings as tokens of their friendship. !Refreshments were served throughout the afternoon. A huge yellow and white wedding cake, cut by Mrs. Peterson, was served to the guests. All of the table decorations carried out the yellow and white color scheme. !Pictures were taken of Mr. and Mrs. Peterson by the committee which was in charge of the reception. !About 7:00 o'clock Tuesday evening nearly 20 firends from the Dalesburg community came to the Peterson home to entertain with songs and music. Most of these people have been friends of Mr. Peterson's since early boyhood. The choir and quartet offered many songs both in the English langauge and the Swedish. Later in the evening the committee in charge served refreshments. Just before departing the choir sang "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again."" !Obituary clipping from Lucille Wimer, dated 22 November 1946: "Has a picture of PWP. !P. W. PETERSON DIES FOLLOWING !LONG SICKNESS !Services Held Monday for Longtime Resident of Clay County !Peter W. Peterson, a resident of Clay county since 1868, died at his home on Yale street Friday afternoon after an illness of several years. Services were held at the Elmore-Wagner funeral home Monday afternoon and burial was in Bluff View cemetery. !The services at the funeral home and at the grave were conducted by Incense Lodge No. 2 and the Vermillion Commandery, of which Mr. Peterson was a long-time member, and were in charge of Mayor R. D. Thompson. Active pallbearers were W. R. Cleland, Dr. L. J. Brookman, Dr. E. P. Churchill, Dr. Carl Viers, Harry Gunderson and Morrison Barton. Honorary pallbearers were Earl Lien, Dr. W. H. Fairbanks, S. G. Horner, E. C. Barton, W. H. Beede and C. R. Beaty. !Peter W. Peterson was born in Sweden May 1, 1860, and came to Clay county with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Peterson, when he was eight years old. The family homesteaded on a farm in Prairie Center township and this farm was the home of the deceased until he moved to Vermillion in 1910. !On September 24, 1885, Mr. Peterson was married to Miss Ada E. Maurer. To this union were born four children, one of whom, Edna survives. Their only son, Howard, died during World War 1 while a member of the armed forces. There are also two surviving sisters and one brother, Mrs. Mary Swanson of Wausau, Nebr., Mrs. Ella Pivoto of Texas, and Frank Peterson of Arizona. Mrs. Wimer wrote a note on the obituary to the effect: "This is not accurate, and listed the four children with their information." She also wrote that "part of it must have been cut off of the newspaper article obituary". !From Lucille Wimer August 1999: "Peter W. Peterson was my grandma's (Christine Lillian (Peterson) Maurer's older brother. I did not know they even existed until he died when Aunt Hannah Sullivan (my dad's sister) told me she was sure Peter was Grandma's older brother. Then Maimie, wife of my Uncle Frank Maurer told us that Edna Irene Peterson a lady who came into the store while they were there that Peter's daughter (only living child was her cousin but the "We don't speak" !Upon Peter W's death his daughter Edna inherited all of his estate. His other children had all died before then. At any rate she had entire enough money to build an entire wing on the fairly new Vermillion Hospital. Edna had never married. As near as I ever knew or assumed the money from her grandfather G. Jonas must have somehow been the cause of P. W.'s family and my grandparent not speaking. !It was a double relationship as Peter had married my grandfather Edward H. Maurer's sister Ada and my Grandfather had married Peter's younger sister Christine.
Note: !Frances Helen Olson Dornor wrote: "I knew your father's oldest brother, P. W. Peterson rea
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