Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....Peterson, Peter 1847 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 13, 2005, 11:51 pm

Author: Tom Gregory

PETER PETERSON

    That well known and highly esteemed citizen of Yolo county, Peter Peterson,
was born in Skaane, Sweden, October 4, 1849, and was a student in the public
schools in vogue there from the day he reached school age until he was seventeen
years old, when he went to Denmark to become a student in the Gylland
Agricultural College. There he was duly graduated, and for a year thereafter he
was foreman on a large farm. That position he gave up to take up the study of
civil engineering in the Scientific School at Lyngby. When he had mastered a
two-and-a-half years' course, in which he was given much field practice, he was
graduated with the degree of C. E. Then he entered definitely upon his
professional career and practiced civil engineering in Denmark. In the meantime
he took a course in dairying at AEro, Denmark, where he graduated under
Professor Pontopidan. During his practice of civil engineering he made several
trips to Sweden, professional duties calling him there.

    It was in 1884 that Mr. Peterson located at Cedar Falls, Blackhawk county,
Iowa, where he engaged in dairying and building creameries. In the latter work
he became well and favorably known throughout Blackhawk and Trinity counties. In
constructing a milk separator he invented a ball-bearing journal which he
patented in 1887. So far as is known that was the first ball-bearing ever
invented and was the beginning of a revolution in machinery construction which
has spread to machinery in nearly every department of manufacture. That was in
March. In the fall of the same year he went to Brookings, S. Dak., where he
bought a three hundred acre property and engaged quite extensively in farming
and stock raising. There he remained till 1908, gaining a reputation as a
successful business man and achieving popularity as a citizen. For some years he
was supervisor of Elkton township, Brookings county, and he also filled the
offices of school trustee and clerk of his township school board. It was in 1908
that he located at Woodland, Yolo county, and bought a small farm east of that
city. He sold the place in 1911, however, to the New Northern Electric Company,
and purchased a residence on Elliott street, Woodland, with two acres of land.
He also owns a farm of eighty-seven acres at Moore's Dam, eight miles west of
Woodland, which he is improving. Besides his pleasant home at No. 101 Elliott
street he owns three other houses in Woodland.

    Mr. Peterson's marriage at Cedar Falls, Iowa, united him with Miss Anna
Olsen, a native of Sweden, who has borne him two children: Otto M. has charge of
his father's home farm; Clara Olivia is Mrs. Raffaeta of Woodland. In his
political affiliations Mr. Peterson is an independent Republican, and
fraternally he is a devoted and helpful member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. In his dealings with his fellow men he is not only honest, but liberal,
always giving the other party to a transaction as good a show as his own, even
preferring to yield a point when there is a chance that the other man needs the
benefit of it more than he does himself. Charitable in his aspirations, he is
liberal in his views on all questions vital to men and their fortunes.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches
OF
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth
and Development From the Early Days to the Present

HISTORY BY
TOM GREGORY
AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913]




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