Bio for PETERSON, Annie Rachael (b.1877 d.1965), Meeker Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Marilyn Roberston Submitted: February 2007 ========================================================================= Anna Rachael Peterson Oct 1, 1866 - Dec 2 1965 Annie Rachael Peterson was born in Danielson Township, Meeker Co., MN. on Monday Oct. 1, 1866. Annie R. Peterson 's life is probably my favorite story to do. Not many of us are familiar with the Indian Wars in South and West Minnesota that began on Aug. 17, 1862 but our Annie grew up with first hand knowledge! Annie vividly remembered running to the sod hunt whenever Indians were spotted. She had just cause to do so. The first Census in 1870, shows that the Peterson family lived in the Acton Township. We know that the family was living there in 1866 when Annie was born and probably when her brother Ralfe was born in 1865. They might have been there after Elof's birth in 1863. The Indian Wars began on Aug 17, 1862 in the Settlement of Acton, outside of Grove City! This was the beginning of the Dakota Conflict. The Dakotas were the Indians of the area. A quote from the Wikipedia, Sioux Uprising pg. 2: " Most accounts trace the beginning of the Dakota Conflict to the killing of five whites by four Dakota (Indian) men on Sunday, Aug. 17, 1862. The Dakota's had been hunting, but ended up stealing food from the settlement of Acton in Meeker County (near present day Grove City). Soon they had killed several of the settlers, including women. This event caused an uproar among the Santee Sioux living on the reservation and some warriors convinced a reluctant Chief Little Crow to lead further attacks" I have included the article on this event and also suggest the book, Through Dakota Eyes, by Gary Clayton Anderson and Alan R. Woolworth. It gives the Indian account of what had taken place. Indian raids and battles would continue to take place up to 1890. Many of the settlers in Meeker County left and never returned! This is the world little Annie experienced as a child! Even when she married, she remained in the area. Is it any wonder, one of Peter's wives was marked Insane on the Census paperwork? Annie married Hans Peter Olson on February 14th 1882, information provided by Marie Rosenthal. Even though Marie did not reply to my email, she has her genealogy information on One World Tree, which can be accessed through ancestry.com. Annie was 16 years of age when she married and Hans was 27. The 1900 Census confirms that they have been married 18 years. During this time Annie had 10 children, 9 are living. The 1900 Census of Greenleaf Township also provides the birth year and month of each child along with their names. Here is what occupied Annie's time since her marriage: 1. Willi H. son Apr 1883 age 17 2. Emma daughter Jan 1885 age 15 3. Marie C. daughter Oct 1886 age 13 4. Carl P. son Jun 1889 age 10 5. John R. son Apr 1891 age 9 6. Clara E. daughter Oct 1892 age 7 7. Henry W. son Feb 1895 age 5 8. Clarence A. son Mar 1897 age 3 9. Josie P. daughter May 1899 age 1 Annie had been pregnant one third of her life up to this point. She was only age 34. The next Census was in 1910. The family is still in the Greenleaf Township. The first 6 children are no longer at home. The household consists of: 1. Henry W. 2. Clarence A. 3. Josie P. 4. Laura A. daughter age 8 1902 5. Anton O. son age 6 Nov 25 1903 6. Esther H. daughter age 4 Jan 31 1906 With the birth of Esther in 1906, the couple has had 13 children. Twelve children are listed as living in 1912. Annie and Hans have been married 28 years. In the 1920 Census, something a little strange occurs. A son, Rudolf J. appears age 28. This means he would have been born the same time as Clara in 1892, but his name was not on 1900 or 1910 Census. He makes butter at the Creamery. Up to this point the couple reported accurately how many children they had and how many living. Was Rudolf adopted into the family? In 1920, still at home are: Hans age 63 Annie age 53 Rudolf age 28 Henry age 24 Laura age 18 Anton age 16 Esther age 13 Emil F. Gronback age 56 hired hand Annie's last child Esther was born when Annie was 40 in 1906. In 1920, the family is living in Litchfield Village, Litchfield Township on 3rd St. The last Census record is 1930. Hans is age 74 and Annie age 63(Census was prior to Oct). It is finally just the two of them. How strange that must have been! I purchased Annie's death certificate, which I have included as further documentation for future generations. Annie died on Thursday, Dec 2nd 1965 4 am. at age 99. It was her heart that was listed as the cause and an aneurysm of the aorta. She was buried Dec. 4th 1965 at Ripley Cemetery, Litchfield, Minnesota. ========================================================================= Copyright Marilyn Roberston 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm =========================================================================