WILLIAM PETERS from the "Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa"

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WILLIAM PETERS, a citizen of Boomer Township, was born in Prussia, 
March 15, 1818, a son of Nicholas and Hannah (Barrent) Peters, natives 
also of that country.  Mr. Nicholas Peters was a farmer by occupation; 
was aid-de-camp for General Blucher in the Napoleon army during the 
Prussian war.  There were nine sons from one family in this war, of 
whom five were killed.  A maternal grandfather came to America and 
fought in the Revolutionary war under General Washington, and lived 
afterward to the advanced age of 104 years.  He was in the employ of 
the Government. in connection with farming, and accumulated a large 
fortune.  On his death he left a wife and five children.  The children 
were:  Catharine, now Mrs. Frederick, residing in Prussia; Christoph, 
deceased; William, our subject; and Lewie, residing in Prussia.  
Frederick and Lewie are officers in the army.  Their grandfather 
served thirty-six years under Frederick the Great, and the generations 
following have ranked high in the esteem of the royal families.

Mr. William Peters was reared at home until he was twenty-four years 
of age, when he also entered the army, as Orderly, and served eight 
years at Berlin and Potsdam.  At the age of forty years he married 
Margaret Armstrong, a native of Scotland and a daughter of William and 
Catharine Armstrong, natives of England.  Mr. Armstrong was a chemist 
by profession in England, but on coming to America he located in Utah, 
where he now lives, at the age of eighty-eight years.  His first wife 
died early after her marriage, and by his second wife there are the 
following eight children:  John, Joseph Wilhelm, James, residing in 
Utah; Mary, wife of Lewis Stuersbaugh, in Utah; Margaret, the next in 
order of birth, is the wife of Mr. Peters; Jane, now Mrs. John 
Williams, of Utah; and Kate, the wife of Mr. Chadwick, in Utah.  Mrs. 
Peters was born in England, November 3, 1843, received a good 
education and came to America with her parents.  In November, 1849, 
Mr. Peters sailed from London, England, to New Orleans, went up the 
river to St. Louis, but in a short time, finding business dull there 
on account of Asiatic cholera, he returned to the ocean and was a 
sailor along the Atlantic coast of the Americas, until he obtained 
money enough to go to California.  He went to the gold fields, 
followed mining about five years, and then was one of the first to 
enter Colorado as a miner, and was there three years mining and 
freighting.  Then he spent two years in similar occupations in 
Montana; next he was employed for over two years freighting with 
provision wagons under General ------------, of the California 
Volunteers.  He helped to build Fort Douglas, in Utah.  While he was 
in Salt Lake, President Lincoln was assassinated, and while operating 
in Utah he suffered many hardships and privations.  He came thence to 
Council Bluffs, and four years afterward, namely, in 1870, he located 
upon his present farm, buying forty acres of unbroken prairie land.  
He built a frame house, broke and fenced the land, planted a find 
orchard of one and a half acres, set out shade and ornamental trees, 
etc., and has made a comfortable residence.  His orchard is one of the 
best in the township, and every feature of the premises gives evidence 
of good taste as well as of much labor.  Mr. Peters deals in a fine 
grade of cattle and horses, taking special interest in the improvement 
of live-stock.  He has added to his first purchase of land until he 
now has 240 acres of land of first rate order.  He has also upon his 
premises three running streams of water.  In fact, he has one of the 
finest farms in the county, and in it takes great pride.

Politically Mr. Peters is a well settled Republican, taking an active 
interest in the principles of his party.  He is a member of the 
Farmers' Alliance, and of the M. P. S.  He has had fifteen children, 
namely:  William and Louis, farmers in Boomer Township; Fred, 
Nicholas, Bernhart, James and Charles, at home; Maggie, wife of Samuel 
Bateman, in Nebraska; Mary Ann, who married ------ Burbridge, and 
resides in Boomer; Jane, wife of La Fayette Hatcher, is a resident of 
Harrison County; Caroline, Kate and Tilda, at home; Dora May, the next 
is deceased, as is also Isaac, the youngest son.

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If you would like more information about anyone mentioned in this
biography, please write to the Pottawattamie County Genealogical
Society at:

P.O. Box 394
Council Bluffs, IA 51502-0394

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