JOHN¹ PETERSON was born at Denmark on 22 November 1842 a son of Peter Nelson and his wife Margaret Christofferson. He died at Mower County, Minnesota, on 19 May 1931. He married at Olmsted County, Minnesota, on 30 September 1869 JOHANNA ANTOINETTE DOROTHEA MARIA CHRISTENSEN. She was born at Denmark on 13 July 1845 and died at Olmsted County on 2 October 1909.^[1] The four given names for John's wife were reported in their marriage record. She was more commonly called "Hannah."

According to a genealogical chart in the possession of the family, John Peterson was the child of Peter Nelson and Margaret Christofferson, and Peter Nelson was the child of Nelse Peterson and Anna Jacobson.^[2] I have no further information on his Danish roots, or on Hannah's Danish roots, or their journeys to America. He reported to census takers that he came to America in 1865 and became a citizen in 1867.^[3]

John Peterson worked as a blacksmith, which was reported in his every census record. They were married in Olmsted County in 1869, and in the 1870 Census were reported in Rochester, Olmsted County, in the home of John Ernerson.^[4] However they soon moved to the village of Grand Meadow in Mower County, where they lived the rest of their lives.

John and Hannah had four children, all of whom lived to adulthood, but only two married and had children. The two middle children, both daughters, lived at home throughout their parents' lives.

The 1880 Census reported John Peterson, 37, blacksmith, Hannah, 34, and three daughters, Elizabeth, 9, Clara 8, and Alma, 5.^[5]

The 1900 Census reported John Peterson, blacksmith, 56, Hannah, 54, and children Clara, 28, Alma, 25, and Albert, 16.^[6] Elizabeth, 29, had married in 1889, but lived at Grand Meadow with her husband, John Sanders, a day laborer, 32, and their children, Lilia, 10, Bernice, 8, Merle, 6, and Donovan, 1.^[7]

Hannah died in 1909. The 1910 Census reported John Peterson working as a blacksmith in a machine shop, and living at Grand Meadow with two daughters, Clara, 38, and Alma 35, and a servant, Freda Johnson. Alma, who had completed two years of college, was teaching in a public school.^[8] Albert, who was 27, I have not located in the census. Elizabeth and her husband, John Sanders, had moved to Ward County, North Dakota, where he was farming, and she was tending to the eight children at home.^[9]

Albert married in 1913. The 1920 Census reported John Peterson, 77, blacksmith, living with his two single daughters, Clara, 48, and Alma, 45. John continued to work as a blacksmith. Alma listed her occupation as moulade, lace making.^[10] Elizabeth, 49, continued to live on their farm in Waterford Township, Ward County, with her husband John Sanders, 52, and eight children still at home.^[11] Albert was reported in the village of Greenbush, Roseau County, Minnesota, age 36, teaching school, with his wife, Mary, 28, and daughter Marion, 3.^[12]

In 1930 Juhn Peterson, 87, was listed with no occupation. He continued to live at Grand Meadow with his single daughters, Clara, 58, and Alma, 55.^[13] Daughter Elizabeth, 58 and recently widowed, continues to carry on the farming at Waterford, with her sons, Kenneth, 20, and Shirley, 18, and daughter Inez, 13.^[14] Albert, 47, resided on a farm, but also worked as a public school teacher, living at Roseland Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. With him were his wife, Mary, 38, and children, Marian, 14, Carol, 8, and John, 6. Also with them were his Swedindh born in-laws, Peter and Frederika Anderson, aged 74 and 75, who came to America in 1880.^[15] John Peterson died in 1931. Clara and Alma contiuued to live at Great Meadow.

John Peterson and his wife Hanna Christensen had the following children:^[16]

1. ELIZABETH² PETERSON b. at Grand Meadow, Mower County, on 15 July 1870.
2. CLARA L.² PETERSON b. at Minnesota about Decembver 1871; d. at Minot, Ward County, on 25 August 1957.
3. ALMA W.² PETERSON b. at Minnesota about July 1874; d. at Mower County on 18 September 1951.
4. ALBERT THEODORE² PETERSON b. at Minnesota on 3 February 1883; d. at Kandiyohi County on 14 August 1975; m. at Kanditohi County on 30 July 1913 MARY LOUISE ANDERSON, b. at Minnesota on 1891, d. on 1979. Children of Albert and Maty Louise:
   1. Marian A. Peterson b. at Finlayson, Pine County, Minnesota, on 27 February 1916, d. at Wilmar, Kandiyohi County, on 2 November 2015; m. ________ Stanghelle.
   2. Carol E. Peterson b. at Minnesota about 1921-2.
   3. John A. Peterson b. at Minnesota about 1923-4.
   4. Richard D. Peterson b. at Minnesota about 1934-5.

¹Grand Meadow Cemetery, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 1 August 2020), John-Hannah Peterson; Created by: K. Pike, Photo added by Janet Stephenson. Minnesota Department of Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota, "Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002," database, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2 August 2020), John Peterson, certificate 008719. Minnesota Counties, "Minnesota Official Marriage System," database, Minnesota Official Marriage System (https://moms.mn.gov : accessed 2 August 2020), Peterson-Christinsen, 1869.
²Letter from Jenette Anderson Sonnenberg, to Charles A. Maxfield, 29 June 1997; held in by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
³Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920, population, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, enumeration district (ED) 88, roll 846, p. 9B, household 102, John Peterson family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 1 August 2020); NARA microfilm record group T625, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁴Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population, Rochester, Olmstead County, Minnesota, roll T132_8, p. 820, household 199, John Ernerson family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 15 February 2018); NARA microfilm publication M593, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
⁵Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, enumeration district (ED) 162, roll 626, p. 484C, household 22, John Peterson family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 19 February 2018); NARA microfilm publication T9; Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁶Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, enumeration district (ED) 88, p. 8, household 157, John Peterson family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 9 March 2018); NARA microfilm group T623; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
⁷1900 Census, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, ED 88, p. 9, household 183, John Sanders family.
⁸Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, population, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, enumeration district (ED) 86, roll 712, p. 10B, household 91, John Peterson family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 4 January 2015); NARA group T624, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁹1910 Census, Waterford, Ward County, North Dakota, ED 181, roll 1149, p. 10B, household 16, John R. Sanders family.
¹⁰1920 Census, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, ED 88, roll 846, p. 9B, household 102, John Peterson family.
¹¹1920 Census, Waterford, Ward County, North Dakota, ED 221, roll 1343, p. 3B, household 16, John R. Sanders family.
¹²1920 Census, Greenbush, Roseau County, Minnesota, ED 239, roll 857, p. 3B, household 67, Albert Peterson family.
¹³Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, population, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, enumeration district (ED) 18, p. 4A, household 92, John Peterson family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 1 August 2020); NARA microfilm record group T626; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
¹⁴1930 Census, Waterford, Ward County, North Dakota, ED 74, roll 1745, p. 1A, household 9, Elizabeth Sanders family.
¹⁵1930 Census, Roseland Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, ED 26, p. 3B, household 51, Albert T. Peterson family.
¹⁶1900 Census, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota, ED 88, p. 8, household 157, John Peterson family. Grand Meadow Cemetery, Grand Meadow, Clara Peterson; Created by: K. Pike, Photo added by Janet Stephenson; Alma Peterson; Created by: K. Pike, Photo added by Janet Stephenson. "Miss Clara A. Peterson," obituary, Austin (Minnesota) Daily Herald, 27 August 1957; Newspapers+ (newspapers.com : accessed 1 August 2020). p. 2. "Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002," database, Ancestry, Alma Peterson, certificate 009476; Albert Peterson, certificate 020177.; Marian C Stanghelle, certificate 2015-MN-040324. Clover Leaf Cemetery, Willmar, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 4 August 2020), Albert-Marie Peterson; Created by: Kevin Thompson. "Minnesota Official Marriage System," Peterson-Anderson, 1913. 1930 Census, Roseland Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, ED 26, p. 3B, household 51, Albert T. Peterson family. Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, population, Roseland Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, 34-26, household 39, Albert Peterson family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 1 August 2020); NARA microfilm group T627.

Austin Daily Herald. Austin, Mower County, Minnesota. 27 August 1957.

Clover Leaf Cemetery, Willmar, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Find a Grave. Digital images. findagrave.com : 2020.

Grand Meadow Cemetery, Grand Meadow, Mower County, Minnesota. Find a Grave. Digital images. findagrave.com : 2020.

Minnesota Department of Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota. "Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2002." Database. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2020.

Minnesota Counties. "Minnesota Official Marriage System." Database. Minnesota Official Marriage System. https://moms.mn.gov : 2020.

Sonnenberg, Jenette Anderson. Letter. 29 June 1997, to Charles A. Maxfield. Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

United States Department of the Census. Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2018.

________. Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2018.

________. Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2018.

________. Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2015.

________. Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2020.

________. Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2020.

________. Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2020.