FAMILY STORIES

performing the ceremony. The couple moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, and "J.N." ran a store on South 11th Street for about a year and a half. In 1889, they moved to Elba, Nebraska, where they bought and ran a dry goods store for 15 years. In 1904, they moved to Riverside, California, intending to reside there. But "J.N."s' father persuaded him to return to Yutan to take charge of the Bank of Yutan and they moved back to Nebraska in 1905.

   Their daughter, Ruth, was born in Lincoln. Five of their children, Joanna, Pauline, Hubert, Frederick and Carol were born in Elba. Eleanor was born while they were living in California.

   J.N. Peters was Executive Officer of the Bank of Yutan for the next 20 years. A new bank building was erected in 1907, and the Bank of Yutan has been an important part of the community up to, and including, the present time. The Bank is still owned and operated by members of the family.

   J.N. Peters died March 3, 1925. Mrs. Peters died May 1, 1949. People who knew them always spoke of their influence for good and their many services to the community.

   My grandfather, A.H. Williams, and his wife, Isabelle Spencer Williams, came to Nebr. for the first time in 1868 with their six children. After a plague of grasshoppers destroyed everything they had, they moved back to Pa. for a few years to work and get enough money to try again. When my mother was seven years old, they returned to Nebr. to stay. My grandfather and his brother owned a section of land around the town of Wann. Much of the land was divided into farms and sold or given to their children.

   My mother (Mary Williams) and my father (Jacob Decker) were married in 1887 and moved to his farm, which they purchased from A.H. Williams in 1896. They had ten children. All of my brothers and sisters and I were born in the house I live in today. I have one sister and two brothers still living today.

   My mother told of life in this area. There were Indians who camped along the river and would come begging for dead cholera hogs, frozen potatoes, bread or food of any kind. They would enter without knocking but were peaceful. There were lots of visitors and travelers going from place to place. They were always welcome and given a place to rest. There were long hours and lots of hard work. Women made their own bread, lard, butter, soap, clothes, etc. They carried water by bucket from the well to wash, bathe and wash clothes. They also helped their husbands in the fields and helped herd livestock until fences could be built. Travel to town was a full day's journey. Some people had wagons and teams, others walked. Doctors were scarce so neighbors often served as doctors, nurses, and housekeepers without a thought of pay or the time it took.

   My husband and I moved to this farm in 1963 after my husband retired from the railroad. The farm now consists of 90 acres, 80 of which we farm. We raise mainly corn and soybeans and no longer raise livestock. I spend my time caring for the farm and enjoying the visits of my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Gziah Decker Petersen

   Alfred Peterson and Eula Jane Cheney married in 1948 and have two daughters. Sharon, who married Marlin Reeson in 1970, lives in West Point, Nebraska. Their daughter, Tonja Sue (8), must see Grandpa Peterson at least every two weeks. Shirley, who married Dana Bowling in 1976, lives in Arvada, Colorado. They have a son, Sean Ryan (l). This makes summer trips and Christmas visits most exciting!

   Alfred and Eula Jane live on the Alfred Peterson farm, which has been in the family for 100 years. When the grandchildren come, it makes "Five Generations" that have slept in this 1909 home.

G. Alfred Peterson Family

   Alfred loved to farm, but in 1964 was stricken with multiple sclerosis. However, he kept on farming, getting to the tractor and combine with a 110 garden tractor. This had a double seat for Eula Jane and the dog, and would haul seed corn, tires, (you name it!) and on the hood served as a table for lunches to men or shellers. Because of his health, Alfred retired from farming in 1982.

   Together they enjoy antique machinery and threshing bees; attend Farm Bureau State and National Conventions; and, at present, Alfred is President of the Saunders County Farm Bureau with Eula Jane serving a 3-year term on the State Women's Farm Bureau. Her hobbies are painting pictures, sewing, and bead Chrismons.

   Alfred's grandpa, Andrew Peterson, born in 1833, and grandmother, Lotta Johnson, born in 1842, married in Sweden, came to America and located in Pennsylvania; later on, they settled in Mariposa Precinct in 1878.

   G. Alfred Peterson and Emma Veskrna married and had three children: Alfred, Maxine (Mrs. Reinhart Miller), and a son, who died in infancy. G. Alfred and his brother, Charlie, did custom shelling with a horsepower sheller in 1902. His wife, Emma, loved to make kolaches and pigs in the blanket for large neighborhood birthday gatherings.

   Alfred and Emma's daughter, Maxine, married Reinhart Miller. Maxine had two daughters. Marlene, Mrs. Tom Haskell, is a graduate lawyer of UNL. They have one son, Ben, and reside in Omaha. Eunice is also a graduate of UNL and is a medical technologist at the Veterans Hospital in Omaha.

   Eula Jane's grandpa, John Cheney, one of 20 children, was born in 1857. He came from Marvelville, Sask., Canada and located in Marietta Precinct in 1880. In 1884, he married Debbie Adams and together, had a son, Ira.

   Ira Cheney married Ella Laudenschlager in 1913. To this union was born a daughter, Eula Jane. Ira farmed with 6 mules. He would put bang boards on both sides of the wagon, binder canvas on top, wooden kitchen chairs, blankets and a horse blanket and took off through mud roads, picking up neighbor kids, to Jay Adams, where a Mead School Dist. #72 bus was waiting.

   Ella Laudenschlager's parents, Louis and Marie Laudenschlager, came from Germany locating in Illinois. They later settled in Center and then in Chapman Precinct. Ella was the youngest girl of 12 children. She attended School Dist. #2 and #71. She remembered standing in front of an open window before their family picture was taken. Two trips by wagon brought the family to the studio. In later years, baked beans, made in a large black roaster, were family picnic specialties at Wanahoo Park near Wahoo. Submitted by Eula Jane Peterson -- Mariposa Precinct

   Carl John Peterson and wife, Charlotta Fredericka Anderson, emigrated from Gardhem, Sweden July 7, 1882, one hundred years ago. They came by boat, Romeo, to New York, by train to Fremont and then to Wahoo, Nebraska with four children ranging in age from 1½ to 11 years. In Sweden, C.J. did bridge and factory work. In Wahoo, he mastered the plastering trade and helped build the first Luther College, a building which later burned. C.J. was born November 12, 1851 and died November 19, 1922. Charlotta was born October 2, 1848 and died December 27, 1928. Her hobbies were hospitality, crocheting and flowers. C.J. liked fishing. They had seven children. Two boys, Frank and Gilbert, born in Wahoo, died at an early age. ANNA, born August 10, 1870, was married to John Johnson on May 17, 1890 who was born September 20, 1864 and died Nov. 6, 1955. Anna died January 28, 1942. They had six children: Hulda, Rudolph, Ellen, Gilbert, Leonard, and Robert. All are deceased and Dolores (Raymond) Nygren of Mead is the sole survivor.

   ELLA (Elfin) was born September 18, 1874 and married to Julius E. Olson, January 15, 1900 who was born January 13, 1878 and died November 26, 1945. Ella died December 30, 1954. They had two children: Edwin, deceased, and Gladys (Roy) Swanson of Wahoo.

   GUS was born May 2, 1878 and married to Victoria Erlander on January 1, 1904. She was born September 19, 1879 and died June 3, 1973. Gus died November 9, 1950. They had three children: Norma and Norman, both deceased, and Kenneth Peterson of Rockford, Ill.

   ELIZABETH was born December 2, 1881, and married on September 16, 1903 to Boyd Linder who was born April 24, 1883 and died Dec. 21, 1968. Lizzie died December 12, 1970. They had two children: Wilmer of Junction City, Kansas, and Ruth (Wayne) Hogg of Omaha.

   CHARLOTTE born in Wahoo on March 17, 1888 was married on Feb. 23, 1914 to Emil Barry who died August 23, 1953. Lottie died Feb. 24, 1966. They had three sons: Willard, deceased, Donald and Kenneth, both of Weston, Nebraska.

   Their little home on 6th and Locust in Wahoo, built by John and Frank Magnuson, is in good condition, still maintained as a family residence and holds happy memories. Submitted by Mrs. Roy Swanson

   Charles and Leona were married May 15, 1939. Charles graduated from Tri City Barber College in Omaha, and was a barber in Louisville, Nebraska and Wahoo. Charles was a city mail carrier for twenty years in Wahoo, and a rural carrier at Ceresco for ten years. He is retired at this time.

Charles and Leona Peterson

   Leona graduated from Ceresco High with the class of 1933. She was confirmed in the Covenant Church in 1929. She was a telephone operator at Ceresco and Lincoln until her marriage.

   Charles and Leona were blessed with three children: Robert Charles, Wahoo; Pamela Sue Seberger, Fremont; Lori Jane Peterson, Wahoo. Charles' parents were Alfred and Catherine Peterson. His grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Adam Stohr, Louisville, and adopted grandmother, Enger Peterson of Louisville.

   Leona's parents were Clemie and Ebba Swanson. Her grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. John August

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Swanson, Ceresco, and Mr. and Mrs. C.J. Erickson, Ceresco.

   Charles and Leona have been Saunders County residents for forty-three years, residing in Wahoo. Leona was born at Ceresco and has lived in Saunders County all her life. Charles was born at Louisville, Nebraska and spent most of his life in Saunders County. This couple was blessed with nine grandchildren.

   Charles and Leona joined the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in 1939.

   Darwin (better known as Pete) and Dorothe Peterson moved to Cedar Bluffs in 1961. Dorothe, the daughter of Irvin and Jessie (Vaughan) Ritthaler had lived with her grandparents Dorothea (Mohrman, first wife of William Ritthaler) and Phil Peters on their farm, located half-way between Cedar Bluffs and Fremont. She lived with them for five years before attending high school. After she graduated from Central High School in Omaha, living in an apartment in Omaha, she met and married Darwin Peterson. He was originally from Ayrshire, Iowa. Darwin had attended telegraphers' school in Salt Lake City, and upon graduating, he was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad. They lived for a year in Valley but decided to move to a smaller community. Cedar Bluffs was chosen because it had a central location to the railroad depots where Darwin worked. Dorothe's parents, Irvin and Mary (second wife), lived on a farm a mile north from Cedar on the Road to Cedar Lakes.

   After their daughters, Cheryll and Debbie, were born, Dorothe attended Bahner's Beauty College in Fremont while Darwin worked nights and baby-sat during the day. A year later when she graduated he built a beauty salon on to their home at 220 So. 4th. They lived next to the city park for 15 years, until 1976 when they purchased their present home at 106 West Elm. Once again Dorothe had her beauty salon in their home.

   Darwin and Dorothe have enjoyed living in Cedar Bluffs. They are both active members of the Fire Dept., Darwin being Rescue Squad Capt. for several years. They are active in their church and community. Darwin was a member of the Village board for four years, serving as Mayor. During those four years the water tower was built, street signs were put up with house numbers assigned, and construction on the new sewer plant was begun. They have worked with the summer ball programs and swim program for the youth of the community.

   They have three children. Cheryll is attending Kearney State College, Debbie is attending Platte Community Jr. College in Columbus, and Scott is in High School. Darwin was the son of Raymond Peterson and Lela (Needham) of Ayrshire, Iowa. He has two brothers, Lawrence and Harley, both farmers in the Ayrshire area. Dorothe has two brothers. Jerry Ritthaler of Mendham, New Jersey, is a vice-president for Gulf and Western Corp., and Jim Sanderson of Denver, Colorado, is a lawyer. By Darwin Peterson

   Elmer and Mildred (Anderson) Peterson were married in 1932 and lived in Richland Precinct on the family farm which was established in 1898 by his father, Emil Peterson.

   They had two children: Virginia Peterson Purdy of Keene, N.Y. and Marvin Peterson of Ceresco, Nebraska. They had 5 grandchildren.

   Elmer and Mildred were active in the Evangelical Covenant Church of Ceresco of which Elmer held various church offices. Elmer was very active in county 4-H and served on the Saunders County Fair Board for several years.

   Elmer Peterson passed away in October, 1972 and his wife, Mildred, passed away in January, 1982.

   It is almost thirty-six years since Eugene and I moved into the farm home at Colon built eighty years ago by Eugene's father, Henry, for his bride, Sena Larson, whom he married September 17, 1902.

   Eugene was born here September 5, 1914. He and his two sisters, Laurine (Anderson) and Laverne (Johnson), grew up here as "regular farm kids." Their older brother, Lloyd, died at the age of five in 1909. Eugene attended the local school and graduated from Wahoo High School, after which he assisted his father with the farming. When World War II erupted, he enlisted in the Air Force, serving from January 1, 1942 until the close of the war. He was discharged in November, 1946, after being in the Pacific area for fifteen months.

   I was born Nov. 3, 1911 at Bertrand, Nebraska. Two years at Luther College introduced me to Wahoo and Saunders County. After seven years of teaching elementary schools, employment in Denver seemed more attractive. It was there that I met Eugene during the early days of the war, and we were married Nov. 14, 1942. For almost two years, he was an armament instructor at Lowry Field in Denver where we made our home. Following his discharge, we settled on the family farm and his parents moved to Wahoo.

   There followed the usual line of farm work, but since both of us were raised on farms it did not seem too unusual. But there were years when extra income was needed. For five years he was a member of the Wahoo police department, working the night shift and farming days. A heart attack in the spring of 1971 brought a year of comparative inactivity, but his recovery seems to have been complete.

   A son, Dennis, was born January 18, 1949. After Colon grade school and Wahoo High School, he graduated from UNL with a degree in accounting. He holds a Master's Degree from UNL, is a Certified Public Accountant, and is employed as an internal management auditor at the University of Florida in Gainesville. In 1975, he sent his parents on a trip to Sweden to visit relatives.

   During the war years, I worked as church office secretary at the Augustana Lutheran Church in Denver, so it seemed natural to volunteer when Bethlehem Church needed an office secretary. This lasted as a part-time job for 18½ years. Another part-time job was added in 1971 when the Saunders County Mental Health Clinic was organized and I became its coordinator. That has continued for more than eleven years.

   Family, home and church have been our main interests. Eugene has held offices in community affairs such as school board, scouts, co-op elevator, and the Colon Fire Department, where he served as chief for 25 years. In 1975, he received the Ak-Sar-Ben Award for Outstanding Firemanship. For the past eight years, he has been employed as custodian of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo. (Dagmar Peterson)

   Henry E. Peterson was born at Colon, Nebr. November 19, 1871. His parents, Andrew and Hedda Peterson, were among the early settlers and pioneers in the vicinity of Colon. Henry's father was born in Sweden in 1840 and died at Colon Oct. 22, 1911. His mother, Hedda (Gustafson), was born in Winnerstad, Ostergotland, Sweden, May 2, 1845. They were married in Fremont, Nebr. on October 20, 1870 and made their home on a farm ½ mile northeast of Colon. They had one daughter, Hulda (Lubker), and two sons, Charles and Henry.

Peterson Family Picture -- 1944

   Henry married Sena Larson on September 17, 1902. She was born in Knoxville, Ill., March 12, 1871. Her father, Lars P. Larson, was born in Sweden Sept. 3, 1823, and died April 17, 1895. Her mother, Mary (Johnson), was born in Horja, Sweden Sept. 16, 1847. In 1874, at the age of three, Sena came with her parents to Nebraska and they settled on a farm six miles northeast of Mead. Her parents were among the pioneers who endured many hardships.

   Sena attended Luther Academy in Wahoo during 1885-86. She was confirmed in the Lutheran faith April 26, 1886. The service took place in the Presbyterian Church since Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo had no building as yet.

   Henry and Sena lived on their Colon farm for forty-five years. There they raised a family of two daughters, Mrs. Laurine (Robert) Anderson, now of Wahoo, and Laverne (Jess) Johnson of Omaha, and a son, Eugene of Colon. A sad and very difficult time came when their first child, Lloyd, born November 20, 1903, died of mumps at the age of five years.

   Henry became a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo March 12, 1903, and the family were active members as long as health permitted. Henry served on the church board for many years. He took a keen interest in the activities of the Colon community, serving on the local school board, board of directors of the State Bank of Colon, and the board of the Farmers Co-op Elevator. For many years he operated a grain threshing rig in the community.

   At the close of World War II, in 1946, when Eugene and his wife, Dagmar, came home to live on the family farm, Henry and Sena retired to Wahoo. Even then Henry did not retire but took an active part with Eugene in the work on the farm until about 1956. Although for many years he could not walk without the aid of a pair of crutches or two canes, because of a hip ailment, he did not give up.

   Failing health and advancing years made it necessary to provide better care for Henry and Sena. In 1958 they were moved to the Home for Aged at Immanuel Deaconess Institute in Omaha. Henry passed away July 29, 1960 at the age of 88, and Sena died January 17, 1961 at the age of 89. (Mrs. Eugene Peterson)

   Jerry and I have lived in Wahoo most of our lives. We both graduated from Wahoo High School, Jerry in 1951 and I in 1950. We were married in April of 1952.

   Jerry is a Veteran of the Korean Conflict and spent most of his active duty in the Far East aboard ship. After four years in the Navy, Jerry went to work as a carpenter. He apprenticed in Omaha, employed by Marvin Thrasher Construction, and went to night school at Technical High School for four years. He then worked for Syverson & Syverson in Wahoo, Nebraska for eight years. After that Jerry and Marvin Schutt went into partnership as "Peterson and Schutt" for one year. Since then Jerry has been in business for himself as "Peterson Construction."

   I worked at the J.C. Penney Store in Wahoo for several years when it was located on Linden Street and later at the present location. I am presently employed at the Wahoo Clinic as the receptionist.

   The Peterson children are Sheryl, born in 1955, and Todd, born in 1958. Sheri and her husband, Ron Meduna, graduated from Neumann High School in Wahoo. They live on a farm near Weston where Ron is engaged in farming and cattle feeding. Sheri attended the University of Nebraska and Wesleyan University and is now working as a library assistant at Neumann High School. Todd is a graduate of

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