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a. Note:   !Lucille Wimer wrote: Aunt Mary Peterson Swanson made Esther Lundeens sister Christine's wedding dress when she married Fred Olson on 25 May 1898. !Christine, Mary, Esther and Anna were all the children of my Dad's, Frank Henry Peterson, and his sister's, Christine Peterson Mauer, first cousin. In the Anders Anderson family -- should have had Graf Anders Anderson whose wife was a sister of Grandma Christine, wife of Gjed Jonas Peterson, who lived on the farm next to our ancestor's homestead. !From Wausa Gazette, 8 Aug 1974: "One of Wausa's senior citizen Mrs. G. E. (Mary) Swanson celebrated her 100th birthday anniversary 7 August 1974. !Mrs. Swanson is one of a family of thirteen children and she lived in a sod house built by her Swedish parents in Dakota Territory north of Vermillion. Her father tilled the soil with oxen and planted the seed by hand. Sunday School and Church were held in their home until the frame Church was built. Mary's father conducted the services. She graduated from the University of South Dakota on 10 June 1896 with a B. A. Degree. She came to Wausa across the prairies in a horse and buggy on nothing more than a trail. She crossed the Missouri at Yankee by ferry. There was only one tree in Wausa at that time in front of Waterman's Implement Store. There was no brick buildings and stores on Main street were assorted frame structures. There was only a board sidewalk. The Lutheran Church was the only church building in town and the Covenant and Methodists held their services in the school building. Services were held in Swedish, except for one Sunday a month, in all but the Methodist Church which had services in English. !Mary taught the primary grades at Wausa public school when there were only three teachers in the school system. On 31 August 1904 she was married to Gus Emil Swanson. Mary left her teaching profession in 1904 when she started to help her husband in the operation of his store. They oeprated the store except for a few vacation years until 1930 when he was forced to sell because of his health. He then became assosciated with Commerical State Bank of which he was vice president until his death in 1947. !Mrs. Swanson has led a very active life the past years in Wausa, being active in the church, school, civic and social affairs. Mary belongs to the Eastern Star, the Methodist Church, is an honorary member of the Women's Club and belonged to the Home Activities Club. She always worked for the good of the community. Her hobbies were her flowers and garden. Mary has given many plants to her friends throughout the years. She specialized in double poinsettas, petunias and airplane plants. !Mary now lives at the Valley View Rest Home where she has lived for the last ten years. At the present time she is in poor health, but her life has been very fruitful with all of her kind actions and deeds. We wish her a very happy birthday." !From Wausa Gazette 17 October 1974: "Funeral services were held for Mrs. G. E. (Mary) Swanson 14 October 1974 at the United Methodist Church at 1 o'clock. Rev. Olin Belt officiating. Miss Myrtle Segerdahl was the organist and Mrs. Melvin Anderson sang "Have Thine Own Way" and "What A Friend We Have in Jesus." Dean Hult was the usher. Interment was in the Woodlawn Cemetery. Mary Nellie Peterson was born 7 August 1874 in Clay County, Dakota territory near the present community of Dalesburg, South Dakota, north of Vermillion to Mr. and Mrs. Gadd Jonas Peterson, the ninth of thirteen children. Mary graduated from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion on 10 June 1896 with her Bachelor of Arts degree. She left for Wausa in June the same year and was a teacher in the primary grades for six years. On 31 Augusst 1904 she married Gus Emil Swanson. Mr. and Mrs. Swanson operated a general merchandise store until 1930 when he became vice president of Commercial State Bank and served in this position until his death on 31 March 1947. !No children were born to the couple but Mary leaves her many friends as her family Mrs. Swanson was a member of the United Methodist Church at Wausa and in 1946 she received the Good Neighbor Citation from the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben. She was also an original member of Wausa's Home Extension club. The Wausa Womans Club had given her a life membership. Mrs. Swanson was a charter member of the Wausa Chapter 159, Order of Eastern Star where she was a life member. She was a charter member of Past Matrons club and held various offices in the local Chapter. On August 7th she celebrated her 100th birthday. !Mary passed away Friday afternoon at Valley View Rest Home where she has been a resident since February 1964. !May God bless her memory." !History from Lucille Wimer: "Mary was the ninth child of Gjed Jonas and Christine (Olsdotter) Peterson. I'd guess she was about 5 feet tall as very short. She had brown hair, a chubby little dumpling of a person in later years when I remember her (not when in college or early marriage), always smiling, laughing and interested in everything. (Oh yes, and always brought candy when they came for a few days - or longer - visit with her sister Christine and Ed Maurer and us, the Mae Sullivans as we lived with Grandma and Grandpa. My mother Mae Maurer Sullivan looked very much like Great Aunt Mary. Mary often said, "I love God, flowers, and children - and in that order:. She was also very proud of the tomatoes, that she and Great Aunt Tillie grew on string or upon a trellis. They really pampered them but it was something. Mary was graduated from the Vermillion High School in 1889. She later attended the University of South Dakota at Vermillion, from where she was graduated 10 June 1896 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then taught school at Wausau, Nebraska in the primary grades for six years. This is where she met Gus. Gus owned the Swanson General Store and she joined him in operating it after their marriage which they did until 1930. Gus, then, worked with the Commercial State Bank of Wausau and was a vice-president until his death. He had purchased a farm four miles Northwest of Wausa 3 September 1915 as an investment. Virgil Lind operated it for Mary after the death of Gus. Faulkton relatives figured they were "taking" Aunt Mary as they didn't seem to like it if, or when, any of them called to ask how Aunt Mary was feeling, etc. I could be wrong but I think I heard the folks say Gus had left all of his estate to be given to a Masonic Home, after Mary's death, but to be hers to use during her lifetime. Gus had been very active in the Masonic order. Mary had been a charter member of the Eastern Star Chapter 159, and had a life membership. If I am not wrong, they both had offices higher up in the State. I know they attended conventions. !Mary also worked quite a bit for the United Methodist Church and was known for never missing a day of Sunday School while living in Wasau. She was also active socially. !Mary loved parties and one was given for her on her 85th birthday at which all the lit candles set fire to the cake. At age 89 in 1964, she entered the Valley View Home due to failing memory and poor health. When Louis and I and our children visited her there while on a vacation to South Dakota, she was enjoying things and recalled the past perfectly but was confused about the present and persisted in thinking I was my mother (Ella Mae Maurer Sullivan) and saying that "Christine and you should come more often as it is only a few miles from Vermillion to Wausa" completely forgetting the many times over the years she and Gus had visited us all living in Faulkton. She still kept a "guest book" and seemed to enjoy our children - still confusing them with me, who were by then grown up. There was no party on her 100th birthday as her health was too poor., She had had several strokes. !THEY HAD NO CHILDREN." !From another history: "Mary graduated from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion on 10 June 1896 with a B. A. degree. She left for Wausa, Nebraska in June the same year and was a teacher in the Primary Grades there for six years. Both were very active in Masonic and Eastern Star work and held state offices. She was and is a very active clubwoman and gardener. They owned (and still did in 1958) a farm near Wausa and Gus was connected with the bank there."


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