Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Peterson, John P. 1859 - 1904
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 3, 2006, 9:41 pm

Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908)

  JOHN P. PETERSON (1859-1904) was one of the pioneer residents of Nobles

county, and during a residence of many years here played an important part in

the affairs of the county in a business, social and political way.



  Mr. Peterson was born near Lansing, Allamakee county, Iowa, Aug. 25, 1859,

next to the youngest of a family of seven children. His parents were John and

Johanna Peterson, who were born in Sweden, where they attained maturity and were

married. They came to the United States in 1840, resided a while in western

Illinois, and then moved to Allamakee county, Iowa. Mr. Peterson, Sr., engaged

in carpentering and farming and died on his old homestead near Lansing in 1864.



  The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was reared on his father's farm and

secured a primary education in the district schools. He came to Worthington in

1872 and for two years attended the graded schools of that city. At the end of

his school days he became a clerk in the general store of L. E. Kimball, one of

the pioneer business men of Worthington, and later was employed as clerk in a

Worthington grocery store. He then taught a country school two terms, after

which he went to Wisconsin and spent a year in the logging district. Returning

to Nobles county he farmed two years, and then spent two years as an employe in

the real estate office of L. Franklin & Co., Minneapolis.



  Mr. Peterson returned, to Nobles county in 1884 and became the manager of H.

E. Torrance's general store in the town of Ellsworth, which had just been

founded. He was the manager of the store two years, and then he started in the

grain business at Ellsworth on his own account, later engaging in the same

business at Worthington. He also embarked in the mercantile business at

Worthington as a member of the firm known as the Swedish Mercantile Co., later

reorganized as the Hub Mercantile Co.



  In 1894 Mr. Peterson was elected county treasurer on the republican ticket and

was reelected in 1896 and 1898. At the close of his last term, Jan. 1, 1901, he

again entered the mercantile business, in which he was engaged at the time of

his death. He died March 17, 1904, and was buried in the Worthington cemetery,

the funeral being under the auspices of the Knights of Pythias lodge, of which

organization he was deputy grand chancellor commander several terms. He also

held a membership in the M. W. A. and W. O. W. lodges.



  Mr. Peterson was married in 1889 to Miss Alma Turner, of Rock Rapids, Iowa, a

daughter of Jesse K. and Elizabeth Ann (Hughes) Turner. Mrs. Peterson was born

in Marshall county, Iowa, Feb. 14, 1870. Her mother died when she was four years

of age. Her father, a native of Illinois, and for some years a resident of

Worthington, now resides in Grangeville, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were the

parents of three children, as follows: Rolland A., born in Worthington Dec. 29,

1894; a son who died in infancy; Helen M., born in Worthington Feb. 2, 1897.

Mrs. Peterson and her two children now reside in Worthington.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY

MINNESOTA

BY

ARTHUR P. ROSE



NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY 



WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA 

PUBLISHERS

1908

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