[From "The History of Anna Sophia Carlsdotter (Anna S. Peterson)" by Jan Patrick Mongoven in 2006.]
Anna Sophia Carlsdotter was a child of Carl Magnus Danielsson and Catharina Magnusdotter. She was born August 2, 1831, at Haga gård in Stenberga, Jonköpings län, Sweden, and she was christened five days later. Her sister, Anna Sophia, had died at the age of four months, during the summer of 1830. As was customary in those times, Anna Sophia was named in honor of her deceased sister.
Forty-seven days later, another baby was delivered at Stenberga. Born on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote, the boy was christened Johannes Petersson. He was the second son of Peter Jonasson and Eva Christina Petersdotter. Johannes would grow to manhood in Stenberga and marry Anna Sophia Carlsdotter.
As was customary, a couple's intention to marry was announced by the pastor after his sermon on three consecutive Sundays. The banns of marriage – or lysnings – provided parishioners an opportunity to voice objections to the union. The couple's marriage – or vigde – record indicates that the lysnings for Johannes and Anna Sophia were delivered to the congregation on April 24, May 1, and May 8. Thankfully, nobody objected! The notation, "Hennes Faders Skriftliga bifall lägga till handlingarna," means "her father's handwritten consent was saved (set aside) with the other documents." So her father, Carl Magnus, had approved of the marriage. In the right column, the minister also wrote: "Hemmavarande Son hos Modren 1852," which claims that "he (Johannes) lived with his mother in 1852." Dräng Johannes Petersson of Skerfvete married piga Anna Sophia Carlsdotter (spelled Anna Sofia Karlsdotter in the record) on May 21, 1853. But the final statement on the marriage record is also telling: "flytadde genast till N. Amerika" – "they left immediately for North America."
Life had grown increasingly difficult in Stenberga, given the area's poor soil and its hopelessly overcrowded farm conditions. Letters arrived in Sweden from friends and relatives abroad who wrote of the promise of America. Travel agents stationed in Scandinavia offered glowing advertisements of land and employment opportunities awaiting those who would sail to the new world. Johannes had lost his father to smallpox in 1850, leaving his widowed mother, Eva Stina Petersdotter, to raise several young children on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote. Two of Johannes's brothers had already sailed to the United States in 1852. They undoubtedly wrote back from their new home in New York, encouraging the rest of their family to join them.
It was settled, then – the farm had been sold at auction, and family members obtained their transfer certificates. Every Swedish person intending to move out of a parish had to obtain such a certificate, called Flyttningsbevis (among other names), from their parish minister. The newlyweds, Johannes and Anna Sophia, would travel with enka Eva Stina, plus her three youngest, to the port of Göteborg, where they would embark on their journey to America.
The emigrants packed their few belongings aboard a horse-drawn, or oxen-drawn, wagon and began a trip of several days to Göteborg harbor. Any early 1850's voyage to America meant sailing – the "luxury" of steamship travel was still several years away – and all of the physical and emotional difficulties associated with what invariably amounted to more than a two-month odyssey.
It must have been very difficult for Anna Sophia to say good-bye to her parents, siblings, and lifelong friends in Stenberga. Since she would never return to Sweden, this was her final farewell. Her father and mother died at Stenberga in 1867 and 1887, respectively, many years after her departure…so she never saw them again. Her sister, Mathilde Frederica, remained in Stenberga with her soldier husband, and they lived there as of 1897. Little is known of what became of Anna Sophia's other five siblings. Of husband Johannes's immediate family, only his sister, Anna Maria Petersdotter, and her husband, Daniel F. Carlsson, stayed behind in Sweden. The others in his family would spend the rest of their lives in Chautauqua County, New York.
After arriving at Göteburg, Johannes and Anna Sophia, along with enka Eva and three of her children, transferred to a "feeder" vessel that brought them into the harbor at Kiel, Germany, a few hundred kilometers south. Once their meager possessions were safely transferred, the emigrants were transported by steam locomotive another 100 kilometers or so south, to the bustling harbor city of Hamburg. They secured lodging of some sort there – likely for a week or thereabouts – as a crew prepared the Sir Robert Peel for her trans-Atlantic voyage. The Sir Robert Peel was constructed in 1852 by Hans J.A. Meyer at Lübeck, Germany. Another ship, the Humboldt, was built by the same man in 1853; since the two sailing ships looked almost identical, a portrait of the Humboldt is included below so one can visualize what our ancestors' ship looked like in its entirety. The Sir Robert Peel was lost in the North Sea, near the island of Juist, on November 24, 1863.
Each family was responsible for providing its own food for the trip. It was recommended that a family secure a supply of food provisions for almost three months' travel. The family's food chest likely contained flatbread, dried and salted meats and fish, butter, sour milk, cheese, potatoes, rye and barley flour, coffee, tea, sugar, syrup, salt and pepper, vinegar, and onions – and a keg might have contained beer. The captain was charged with supplying wood for burning and water for the long journey. We are left to imagine the mix of emotions our ancestors must have felt as they climbed aboard the Sir Robert Peel, while she lay anchored in the Hamburg harbor.
Then one day in June or July of 1853, after our emigrant ancestors' worldly possessions and food chest were stowed aboard ship, the massive anchor was hauled, the ship's sails unfurled, and the Sir Robert Peel glided from the safety of Hamburg harbor. She would complete her journey at New York City on the final day of August, many weeks after leaving Germany. Once in the open ocean, the ship's crew and passengers were subject to Mother Nature's moods. Kerstin Injeborg is a family historian and a direct descendant of Anna Maria Petersdotter, Anna Sophia's sister-in-law who chose to remain in Sweden. According to Kerstin, family lore holds that our ancestors might have been forced to toss some of their belongings overboard, in order to lighten the load, during a fierce Atlantic storm.
Our ancestors' voyage ended on August 31, 1853, when weeks after departing Hamburg the Sir Robert Peel glided into the port of New York. Those were the days before Ellis Island and its predecessor, Castle Garden, so ships were moored at wharfs that lined the swarming American city. The ship's passenger list was completed by a transcriber and Captain Weinholtz testified to it. Listed among the steerage passengers were: "#57 Johann Petersson, 22 years, 3 months, farmer, Schweden" and his wife, "#58 Anna Peterson, 22 years, 3 months, Schweden." They claimed that their destination was Ohio. In reality, of course, they quickly settled in the vicinity of Jamestown, in Chautauqua County, New York – missing Ohio by nearly 100 miles.
Scrolling further down the list, one encounters passenger #95: "Eva Petersdotter, 51 years, 9 months, farmer, Schweden, destination Ohio." Under hers are the names of her three youngsters, passengers #96, #97, and #98: "Andrew Peterson, 11 years, 3 months; Gustav Peterson, 7 years"; and "Johanne Petersdotter, 5 years, 3 months." Again, all were from Schweden – destination "Ohio."
Once they had been cleared to leave the ship, our family gathered their possessions and made their way into the city. One of the reasons Castle Garden was turned into an immigrant processing facility was to protect the immigrants against the common thieves and scoundrels who preyed upon those poor, tired, unwitting, and naïve folks. Family historian Kerstin Injeborg recalls that, at some point, "crafty" Eva Stina Petersdotter was subject to a thief – but managed to hold on to her family's tiny money supply by hiding it on her person!
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. An 1855 map drawn shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. The map above was drawn in 1855, and shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
The 1855 New York State Census for Chautauqua County verifies that this is our family's first farm dwelling. Their names had become Americanized. "John" and "Sophia" Peterson were recorded as "aliens" who "cannot read (in English)"…and it was stated that John "owned his land." The listed value of their tiny frame house was $1,200. Recall, however, that no deeds exist for the purchase of land, so recording that John "owned" land might have been an error by the census enumerator. Norman Carlson hypothesized that John might have lived on the property at the time without owning it, but still would have qualified for inclusion on the 1854 map.
During that time, the first of Anna Sophia's babies were born. She and John would have six children eventually, including: Charles W. (who married Mary Helen Fridland), Franklin B. (later changed his name to Frank Jones), twins Albert W. and Alfred C., Mary A., and Ella Florinda Theodora (died at four months of age). All of the children were raised on the farm at Busti.
John Peterson became an American citizen, on June 4, 1860, at a meeting of the Chautauqua County Supreme Court at Mayville. Testifying to his character were his neighbors, Henry Baker and Samuel Berg. Anna Sophia and their children automatically became United States citizens – and citizenship opened the doors to land ownership.
The bloody Civil War raged when the Petersons bought their first eight acres in Busti, in lots 47 and 55, on January 23, 1863. The couple purchased four additional acres in the same lots three days later. Next, on May 1, 1865, as the war around them approached its merciful end, the Petersons turned their focus toward property lot 54, just south of lot 55. They first bought ten acres in lot 54, but added 40.75 acres to it in 1873. An 1881 Busti plat map shows John and Anna Sophia Peterson's farm property. After John's younger brother, Andrew Jones (he had taken an Americanized name), quit-claimed 140 acres to him in 1877, they had maximized their property holdings.
Raising children and ensuring their good health is difficult under ordinary circumstances, but adding to Anna Sophia's challenge was the weather in her new home country. Busti is located about 30 miles from the shores of Lake Erie. She was pregnant with her second baby, Frank, during the winter of 1855-56, when temperatures plummeted to near or below zero for 100 days straight, starting around Christmas. Many apple, plum, and peach orchards were destroyed by the frigid weather. Travel by rail was shut down, too. Then, in June 1859, a devastating frost wiped out most crops. But cold wasn't the only problem. In 1864, a triple plague of grasshoppers, weevils, and drought wreaked havoc on nearly half of the wheat, oat, and corn crops in the township. Throughout if all, John and Anna Sophia stressed the importance of hard work, education, and the Lutheran catechism.
When the 1860 census was taken, the Petersons' farm property was valued at $420. Our immigrants spoke only Swedish, but demanded that their children learn the English language. By the time of the 1865 New York State Census, John and Anna Sophia still read and spoke Swedish. By way of contrast, their Swedish friend and neighbor, John Ellickson – who twice accompanied John Peterson to the courthouse where they both received their citizenship papers – read and spoke in English, according to the 1865 census. Immigrants were faced with dilemma. On one hand they wished to become Americanized as quickly as possible. In fact, three of John Peterson's brothers changed their surname from Petersson to Jones, and his sister changed hers to Clark. This clearly was based upon a desire to become Americans first. On the other hand, they yearned to retain much of their own Scandinavian culture and customs. Learning such a new and complex language certainly provided a challenge.
Anna kept house, John farmed, and the boys helped with Busti farm chores during the time surrounding the 1870 census. The American Civil War was part of history, and oil had been discovered a bit south of Busti, in Pennsylvania. The value of their real estate had risen dramatically as a result, such that their property was listed at $7,000. They also owned $600 worth of personal items, according to the census enumerator. Hard work and determination had paid off handsomely!
When the 1880 census worker knocked at the Peterson's farmhouse door, only the parents and their 22-year-old twins, Albert and Alfred, remained. Anna Sophia's second baby daughter, christened Alla Florinda Theodora, had been born six years earlier, on June 23, 1874. Her conception must have surprised the couple, as she arrived nearly twenty-one years after their marriage and eight years after the birth of their fifth child, Mary. Baby Ella was christened by Rev. C.O. Hultgren on the third of June. Sadly, John and Anna Sophia lost their beloved little girl on November 20, 1874. Her birth, christening, and death dates were recorded in the books of the First Lutheran Church of Jamestown. Daughter Mary married Rev. John W. Swenson. They lived in Jamestown, but later moved to Illinois. Son Charles wed a Swedish girl from Jamestown, Mary Helen Fridland. The newlyweds quickly left the city to buy a farmstead in Minnesota. Son Frank left home, married Hattie Marshall in Minnesota, and ultimately wound up in Oregon. He had his name changed to Frank Jones and decided never to see his parents again. Two of his grandchildren, family historians Lisa and Craig Jones, wrote that Frank "never again spoke of his parents and (that) he hated the Swedish." The reasons for such a serious family rift remain a mystery.
John Peterson died too early, at age 55, on July 30, 1886. Virtually all of the 1890 U.S. Census records were destroyed in a devastating fire. As a result, genealogists must use other means to determine the whereabouts of family members. The 1892 New York State Census helps, in our case. Sometime following John's death, Anna Sophia moved a few miles north of the Busti farm to the city of Jamestown. The census shows that she lived in the home of her unmarried son, Alfred, and with her daughter, Mary. Their ages were incorrectly recorded – Anna Sophia was 60 at the time, not 55 as was written by the enumerator – a common mistake in census reporting. Alfred's twin, Albert, also lived in Jamestown with his wife, Ida Carlson, and their daughter, Ella. Albert was in the grocery business in the city. Anna Sophia's oldest sons, Charles and Frank, had left the area for Minnesota by this time.
City directories were available at Jamestown's Fenton History Center. These, together with warranty deeds and census reports, help us reconstruct what happened next to our ancestor. A problem with using Jamestown's directories is that there were at least three Anna Sophia (or Anna or Sophia) Petersons living in the city during the period in question – and each of these was a widow! Also, the names of their deceased husbands may have been given incorrectly. In 1888, 1892-93, and 1895-96, one Anna Peterson, widow of "Nicholas," lived at 269 Willard Street. She, or else another Anna Peterson, lived at 243 Willard Street in 1909-1910. We know from the census record that our Anna Sophia lived with son Alfred in 1892. Another Sophia Peterson, the widow of "August," lived at 462 Willard Street continuously from 1907 to 1916. A different Sophia Peterson, widow of "Miles" (or "Nils" or "Niles"), lived at 16 Bowen Street from 1888 through 1920. In 1892-93, a domestic named Sofia Peterson lived at 303 Foote Avenue. And a woman named Anna Peterson, widow of "John," resided at 32 Benson Street in 1913-14. Three directories place our Anna Sophia Peterson, widow of "John," with son Alfred at 120 Prospect Street from 1899 through 1904. Alfred, a bachelor, cared for his aging mother in his home, as he went about business as an insurance agent in Jamestown. This arrangement, begun at least as early as 1892, continued until Alfred's unexpected death in 1904. After her son's untimely passing, Anna moved to the city of Galesburg in Knox County, Illinois, where she lived for several years under the care of her daughter, Mary Anna Swenson. Mary's husband, John Swenson, was a minister, and the couple had four school-aged children in the home during grandma Peterson's stay.
By the spring of 1908, John Peterson's heirs had elected to sell what remained of the family farm in Busti. Those who signed the document for the transfer of 58.30 acres in lot 54 included: Anna S. Peterson (widow of John Peterson, deceased) of Galesburg, Illinois; Anna Mary Swenson (daughter) of Galesburg, Illinois; Charles W. and Mary Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Richville, Minnesota; Frank B. and Hattie Jones (son and daughter-in-law) of St. Maries, Idaho; and Albert and Ida C. Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Jamestown, New York. The indenture paper was drawn up, and a signature from each heir was gathered by a notary public from each of the different towns. The paperwork finally was in order. On May 20, 1908, title to the Peterson farm passed to Alfred Johnson of Jamestown.
Anna Sophia returned "home" from Illinois sometime around 1909. The 1910 census and Jamestown city directories indicate that Anna Sophia rented a place at 93 Steele Street, in Jamestown's 6th Ward, in the shallow valley near the southern banks of the Chadakoin River. She lived with a 29-year-old Swedish boarder named Hulda Nelson, a weaver in a local towel mill. Long widowed at age 78, "Anna S." gave "cook" and "at home" as her occupation. She had learned to speak some English and listed it as a language spoken. Anna Sophia reported having had six children, four of whom were still alive. A series of seven Jamestown city directories, spanning from 1910 through 1916, place her at the same address.
On January 9, 1918, Anna Sophia purchased a small home on a lot at 110 Palmer Street from B. Leonard and Mary C. Johnson, a couple who had owned the place for the previous two years. By the time of the 1920 census, "Sophia A." was 88, and lived in a portion of her Palmer Street home in the 6th Ward. She was listed as "head" of household, but roomed with, and received assistance from, a 34-year-old Swedish immigrant named Mary Carlson, who offered "nurse" in the "home" as her occupation. The other portion of the house was rented to Sadie Holmes, an American-born textile worker, who shared the space with two sons and her 67-year-old Swedish-immigrant mother, Nellie Manson.
Anna Sophia sold her home to Mary Tewey Johnson for $2,000, on February 7, 1921. She suffered a debilitating stroke on March 8, 1821, and passed away just six days later, on the evening of March 14, 1921, in the home on Palmer Street. She was 89 years old. The official cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage with contributory arterial sclerosis. Albert Peterson served as informant on his mother's death certificate, but didn't – or couldn't – name her parents. He knew only that they were born in Sweden. Her date of birth was incorrectly given as August 18, 1831. [Photos on this page show Palmer Street and the home at 110 Palmer Street, as they appeared in 2006.]
A funeral service was held for family and friends at Albert's home at 164 Forest Avenue. Afterward, our immigrant ancestor, Anna Sophia Carlsdotter Peterson, was laid to rest next to husband John, in the family plot near the high point of Jametown's Lakeview Cemetery.
Death notices appeared in both English and Swedish newspapers. From the Thursday, March 17, 1921 edition of the Jamestown Morning Post:
Funeral Announcements
The funeral of Mrs. Anna S. Peterson will be held privately today (Thursday) at 3 P.M., from the home of her son, Albert Peterson, 164 Forest Avenue.
News of her death was also delivered to the Swedish community of Jamestown, on Thursday, March 17, 1921, in the Skandia:
Dödens Skörd
Mrs. Anna S. Peterson afled i måndags kl(ockan) 8 e.m., i sitt hemm, 110 Palmer st. 89 år gammal. Hon sörjes närmast af barn.
[Translation: Death's Harvest: Mrs. Anna S. Peterson passed away on Monday at about 8 p. m. o'clock at her home, 110 Palmer St. 89 years old. She is chiefly mourned by her children.]
Anna Sophia Carlsdotter was a child of Carl Magnus Danielsson and Catharina Magnusdotter. She was born August 2, 1831, at Haga gård in Stenberga, Jonköpings län, Sweden, and she was christened five days later. Her sister, Anna Sophia, had died at the age of four months, during the summer of 1830. As was customary in those times, Anna Sophia was named in honor of her deceased sister.
Forty-seven days later, another baby was delivered at Stenberga. Born on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote, the boy was christened Johannes Petersson. He was the second son of Peter Jonasson and Eva Christina Petersdotter. Johannes would grow to manhood in Stenberga and marry Anna Sophia Carlsdotter.
As was customary, a couple's intention to marry was announced by the pastor after his sermon on three consecutive Sundays. The banns of marriage – or lysnings – provided parishioners an opportunity to voice objections to the union. The couple's marriage – or vigde – record indicates that the lysnings for Johannes and Anna Sophia were delivered to the congregation on April 24, May 1, and May 8. Thankfully, nobody objected! The notation, "Hennes Faders Skriftliga bifall lägga till handlingarna," means "her father's handwritten consent was saved (set aside) with the other documents." So her father, Carl Magnus, had approved of the marriage. In the right column, the minister also wrote: "Hemmavarande Son hos Modren 1852," which claims that "he (Johannes) lived with his mother in 1852." Dräng Johannes Petersson of Skerfvete married piga Anna Sophia Carlsdotter (spelled Anna Sofia Karlsdotter in the record) on May 21, 1853. But the final statement on the marriage record is also telling: "flytadde genast till N. Amerika" – "they left immediately for North America."
Life had grown increasingly difficult in Stenberga, given the area's poor soil and its hopelessly overcrowded farm conditions. Letters arrived in Sweden from friends and relatives abroad who wrote of the promise of America. Travel agents stationed in Scandinavia offered glowing advertisements of land and employment opportunities awaiting those who would sail to the new world. Johannes had lost his father to smallpox in 1850, leaving his widowed mother, Eva Stina Petersdotter, to raise several young children on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote. Two of Johannes's brothers had already sailed to the United States in 1852. They undoubtedly wrote back from their new home in New York, encouraging the rest of their family to join them.
It was settled, then – the farm had been sold at auction, and family members obtained their transfer certificates. Every Swedish person intending to move out of a parish had to obtain such a certificate, called Flyttningsbevis (among other names), from their parish minister. The newlyweds, Johannes and Anna Sophia, would travel with enka Eva Stina, plus her three youngest, to the port of Göteborg, where they would embark on their journey to America.
The emigrants packed their few belongings aboard a horse-drawn, or oxen-drawn, wagon and began a trip of several days to Göteborg harbor. Any early 1850's voyage to America meant sailing – the "luxury" of steamship travel was still several years away – and all of the physical and emotional difficulties associated with what invariably amounted to more than a two-month odyssey.
It must have been very difficult for Anna Sophia to say good-bye to her parents, siblings, and lifelong friends in Stenberga. Since she would never return to Sweden, this was her final farewell. Her father and mother died at Stenberga in 1867 and 1887, respectively, many years after her departure…so she never saw them again. Her sister, Mathilde Frederica, remained in Stenberga with her soldier husband, and they lived there as of 1897. Little is known of what became of Anna Sophia's other five siblings. Of husband Johannes's immediate family, only his sister, Anna Maria Petersdotter, and her husband, Daniel F. Carlsson, stayed behind in Sweden. The others in his family would spend the rest of their lives in Chautauqua County, New York.
After arriving at Göteburg, Johannes and Anna Sophia, along with enka Eva and three of her children, transferred to a "feeder" vessel that brought them into the harbor at Kiel, Germany, a few hundred kilometers south. Once their meager possessions were safely transferred, the emigrants were transported by steam locomotive another 100 kilometers or so south, to the bustling harbor city of Hamburg. They secured lodging of some sort there – likely for a week or thereabouts – as a crew prepared the Sir Robert Peel for her trans-Atlantic voyage. The Sir Robert Peel was constructed in 1852 by Hans J.A. Meyer at Lübeck, Germany. Another ship, the Humboldt, was built by the same man in 1853; since the two sailing ships looked almost identical, a portrait of the Humboldt is included below so one can visualize what our ancestors' ship looked like in its entirety. The Sir Robert Peel was lost in the North Sea, near the island of Juist, on November 24, 1863.
Each family was responsible for providing its own food for the trip. It was recommended that a family secure a supply of food provisions for almost three months' travel. The family's food chest likely contained flatbread, dried and salted meats and fish, butter, sour milk, cheese, potatoes, rye and barley flour, coffee, tea, sugar, syrup, salt and pepper, vinegar, and onions – and a keg might have contained beer. The captain was charged with supplying wood for burning and water for the long journey. We are left to imagine the mix of emotions our ancestors must have felt as they climbed aboard the Sir Robert Peel, while she lay anchored in the Hamburg harbor.
Then one day in June or July of 1853, after our emigrant ancestors' worldly possessions and food chest were stowed aboard ship, the massive anchor was hauled, the ship's sails unfurled, and the Sir Robert Peel glided from the safety of Hamburg harbor. She would complete her journey at New York City on the final day of August, many weeks after leaving Germany. Once in the open ocean, the ship's crew and passengers were subject to Mother Nature's moods. Kerstin Injeborg is a family historian and a direct descendant of Anna Maria Petersdotter, Anna Sophia's sister-in-law who chose to remain in Sweden. According to Kerstin, family lore holds that our ancestors might have been forced to toss some of their belongings overboard, in order to lighten the load, during a fierce Atlantic storm.
Our ancestors' voyage ended on August 31, 1853, when weeks after departing Hamburg the Sir Robert Peel glided into the port of New York. Those were the days before Ellis Island and its predecessor, Castle Garden, so ships were moored at wharfs that lined the swarming American city. The ship's passenger list was completed by a transcriber and Captain Weinholtz testified to it. Listed among the steerage passengers were: "#57 Johann Petersson, 22 years, 3 months, farmer, Schweden" and his wife, "#58 Anna Peterson, 22 years, 3 months, Schweden." They claimed that their destination was Ohio. In reality, of course, they quickly settled in the vicinity of Jamestown, in Chautauqua County, New York – missing Ohio by nearly 100 miles.
Scrolling further down the list, one encounters passenger #95: "Eva Petersdotter, 51 years, 9 months, farmer, Schweden, destination Ohio." Under hers are the names of her three youngsters, passengers #96, #97, and #98: "Andrew Peterson, 11 years, 3 months; Gustav Peterson, 7 years"; and "Johanne Petersdotter, 5 years, 3 months." Again, all were from Schweden – destination "Ohio."
Once they had been cleared to leave the ship, our family gathered their possessions and made their way into the city. One of the reasons Castle Garden was turned into an immigrant processing facility was to protect the immigrants against the common thieves and scoundrels who preyed upon those poor, tired, unwitting, and naïve folks. Family historian Kerstin Injeborg recalls that, at some point, "crafty" Eva Stina Petersdotter was subject to a thief – but managed to hold on to her family's tiny money supply by hiding it on her person!
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. An 1855 map drawn shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. The map above was drawn in 1855, and shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
The 1855 New York State Census for Chautauqua County verifies that this is our family's first farm dwelling. Their names had become Americanized. "John" and "Sophia" Peterson were recorded as "aliens" who "cannot read (in English)"…and it was stated that John "owned his land." The listed value of their tiny frame house was $1,200. Recall, however, that no deeds exist for the purchase of land, so recording that John "owned" land might have been an error by the census enumerator. Norman Carlson hypothesized that John might have lived on the property at the time without owning it, but still would have qualified for inclusion on the 1854 map.
During that time, the first of Anna Sophia's babies were born. She and John would have six children eventually, including: Charles W. (who married Mary Helen Fridland), Franklin B. (later changed his name to Frank Jones), twins Albert W. and Alfred C., Mary A., and Ella Florinda Theodora (died at four months of age). All of the children were raised on the farm at Busti.
John Peterson became an American citizen, on June 4, 1860, at a meeting of the Chautauqua County Supreme Court at Mayville. Testifying to his character were his neighbors, Henry Baker and Samuel Berg. Anna Sophia and their children automatically became United States citizens – and citizenship opened the doors to land ownership.
The bloody Civil War raged when the Petersons bought their first eight acres in Busti, in lots 47 and 55, on January 23, 1863. The couple purchased four additional acres in the same lots three days later. Next, on May 1, 1865, as the war around them approached its merciful end, the Petersons turned their focus toward property lot 54, just south of lot 55. They first bought ten acres in lot 54, but added 40.75 acres to it in 1873. An 1881 Busti plat map shows John and Anna Sophia Peterson's farm property. After John's younger brother, Andrew Jones (he had taken an Americanized name), quit-claimed 140 acres to him in 1877, they had maximized their property holdings.
Raising children and ensuring their good health is difficult under ordinary circumstances, but adding to Anna Sophia's challenge was the weather in her new home country. Busti is located about 30 miles from the shores of Lake Erie. She was pregnant with her second baby, Frank, during the winter of 1855-56, when temperatures plummeted to near or below zero for 100 days straight, starting around Christmas. Many apple, plum, and peach orchards were destroyed by the frigid weather. Travel by rail was shut down, too. Then, in June 1859, a devastating frost wiped out most crops. But cold wasn't the only problem. In 1864, a triple plague of grasshoppers, weevils, and drought wreaked havoc on nearly half of the wheat, oat, and corn crops in the township. Throughout if all, John and Anna Sophia stressed the importance of hard work, education, and the Lutheran catechism.
When the 1860 census was taken, the Petersons' farm property was valued at $420. Our immigrants spoke only Swedish, but demanded that their children learn the English language. By the time of the 1865 New York State Census, John and Anna Sophia still read and spoke Swedish. By way of contrast, their Swedish friend and neighbor, John Ellickson – who twice accompanied John Peterson to the courthouse where they both received their citizenship papers – read and spoke in English, according to the 1865 census. Immigrants were faced with dilemma. On one hand they wished to become Americanized as quickly as possible. In fact, three of John Peterson's brothers changed their surname from Petersson to Jones, and his sister changed hers to Clark. This clearly was based upon a desire to become Americans first. On the other hand, they yearned to retain much of their own Scandinavian culture and customs. Learning such a new and complex language certainly provided a challenge.
Anna kept house, John farmed, and the boys helped with Busti farm chores during the time surrounding the 1870 census. The American Civil War was part of history, and oil had been discovered a bit south of Busti, in Pennsylvania. The value of their real estate had risen dramatically as a result, such that their property was listed at $7,000. They also owned $600 worth of personal items, according to the census enumerator. Hard work and determination had paid off handsomely!
When the 1880 census worker knocked at the Peterson's farmhouse door, only the parents and their 22-year-old twins, Albert and Alfred, remained. Anna Sophia's second baby daughter, christened Alla Florinda Theodora, had been born six years earlier, on June 23, 1874. Her conception must have surprised the couple, as she arrived nearly twenty-one years after their marriage and eight years after the birth of their fifth child, Mary. Baby Ella was christened by Rev. C.O. Hultgren on the third of June. Sadly, John and Anna Sophia lost their beloved little girl on November 20, 1874. Her birth, christening, and death dates were recorded in the books of the First Lutheran Church of Jamestown. Daughter Mary married Rev. John W. Swenson. They lived in Jamestown, but later moved to Illinois. Son Charles wed a Swedish girl from Jamestown, Mary Helen Fridland. The newlyweds quickly left the city to buy a farmstead in Minnesota. Son Frank left home, married Hattie Marshall in Minnesota, and ultimately wound up in Oregon. He had his name changed to Frank Jones and decided never to see his parents again. Two of his grandchildren, family historians Lisa and Craig Jones, wrote that Frank "never again spoke of his parents and (that) he hated the Swedish." The reasons for such a serious family rift remain a mystery.
John Peterson died too early, at age 55, on July 30, 1886. Virtually all of the 1890 U.S. Census records were destroyed in a devastating fire. As a result, genealogists must use other means to determine the whereabouts of family members. The 1892 New York State Census helps, in our case. Sometime following John's death, Anna Sophia moved a few miles north of the Busti farm to the city of Jamestown. The census shows that she lived in the home of her unmarried son, Alfred, and with her daughter, Mary. Their ages were incorrectly recorded – Anna Sophia was 60 at the time, not 55 as was written by the enumerator – a common mistake in census reporting. Alfred's twin, Albert, also lived in Jamestown with his wife, Ida Carlson, and their daughter, Ella. Albert was in the grocery business in the city. Anna Sophia's oldest sons, Charles and Frank, had left the area for Minnesota by this time.
City directories were available at Jamestown's Fenton History Center. These, together with warranty deeds and census reports, help us reconstruct what happened next to our ancestor. A problem with using Jamestown's directories is that there were at least three Anna Sophia (or Anna or Sophia) Petersons living in the city during the period in question – and each of these was a widow! Also, the names of their deceased husbands may have been given incorrectly. In 1888, 1892-93, and 1895-96, one Anna Peterson, widow of "Nicholas," lived at 269 Willard Street. She, or else another Anna Peterson, lived at 243 Willard Street in 1909-1910. We know from the census record that our Anna Sophia lived with son Alfred in 1892. Another Sophia Peterson, the widow of "August," lived at 462 Willard Street continuously from 1907 to 1916. A different Sophia Peterson, widow of "Miles" (or "Nils" or "Niles"), lived at 16 Bowen Street from 1888 through 1920. In 1892-93, a domestic named Sofia Peterson lived at 303 Foote Avenue. And a woman named Anna Peterson, widow of "John," resided at 32 Benson Street in 1913-14. Three directories place our Anna Sophia Peterson, widow of "John," with son Alfred at 120 Prospect Street from 1899 through 1904. Alfred, a bachelor, cared for his aging mother in his home, as he went about business as an insurance agent in Jamestown. This arrangement, begun at least as early as 1892, continued until Alfred's unexpected death in 1904. After her son's untimely passing, Anna moved to the city of Galesburg in Knox County, Illinois, where she lived for several years under the care of her daughter, Mary Anna Swenson. Mary's husband, John Swenson, was a minister, and the couple had four school-aged children in the home during grandma Peterson's stay.
By the spring of 1908, John Peterson's heirs had elected to sell what remained of the family farm in Busti. Those who signed the document for the transfer of 58.30 acres in lot 54 included: Anna S. Peterson (widow of John Peterson, deceased) of Galesburg, Illinois; Anna Mary Swenson (daughter) of Galesburg, Illinois; Charles W. and Mary Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Richville, Minnesota; Frank B. and Hattie Jones (son and daughter-in-law) of St. Maries, Idaho; and Albert and Ida C. Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Jamestown, New York. The indenture paper was drawn up, and a signature from each heir was gathered by a notary public from each of the different towns. The paperwork finally was in order. On May 20, 1908, title to the Peterson farm passed to Alfred Johnson of Jamestown.
Anna Sophia returned "home" from Illinois sometime around 1909. The 1910 census and Jamestown city directories indicate that Anna Sophia rented a place at 93 Steele Street, in Jamestown's 6th Ward, in the shallow valley near the southern banks of the Chadakoin River. She lived with a 29-year-old Swedish boarder named Hulda Nelson, a weaver in a local towel mill. Long widowed at age 78, "Anna S." gave "cook" and "at home" as her occupation. She had learned to speak some English and listed it as a language spoken. Anna Sophia reported having had six children, four of whom were still alive. A series of seven Jamestown city directories, spanning from 1910 through 1916, place her at the same address.
On January 9, 1918, Anna Sophia purchased a small home on a lot at 110 Palmer Street from B. Leonard and Mary C. Johnson, a couple who had owned the place for the previous two years. By the time of the 1920 census, "Sophia A." was 88, and lived in a portion of her Palmer Street home in the 6th Ward. She was listed as "head" of household, but roomed with, and received assistance from, a 34-year-old Swedish immigrant named Mary Carlson, who offered "nurse" in the "home" as her occupation. The other portion of the house was rented to Sadie Holmes, an American-born textile worker, who shared the space with two sons and her 67-year-old Swedish-immigrant mother, Nellie Manson.
Anna Sophia sold her home to Mary Tewey Johnson for $2,000, on February 7, 1921. She suffered a debilitating stroke on March 8, 1821, and passed away just six days later, on the evening of March 14, 1921, in the home on Palmer Street. She was 89 years old. The official cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage with contributory arterial sclerosis. Albert Peterson served as informant on his mother's death certificate, but didn't – or couldn't – name her parents. He knew only that they were born in Sweden. Her date of birth was incorrectly given as August 18, 1831. [Photos on this page show Palmer Street and the home at 110 Palmer Street, as they appeared in 2006.]
A funeral service was held for family and friends at Albert's home at 164 Forest Avenue. Afterward, our immigrant ancestor, Anna Sophia Carlsdotter Peterson, was laid to rest next to husband John, in the family plot near the high point of Jametown's Lakeview Cemetery.
Death notices appeared in both English and Swedish newspapers. From the Thursday, March 17, 1921 edition of the Jamestown Morning Post:
Funeral Announcements
The funeral of Mrs. Anna S. Peterson will be held privately today (Thursday) at 3 P.M., from the home of her son, Albert Peterson, 164 Forest Avenue.
News of her death was also delivered to the Swedish community of Jamestown, on Thursday, March 17, 1921, in the Skandia:
Dödens Skörd
Mrs. Anna S. Peterson afled i måndags kl(ockan) 8 e.m., i sitt hemm, 110 Palmer st. 89 år gammal. Hon sörjes närmast af barn.
[Translation: Death's Harvest: Mrs. Anna S. Peterson passed away on Monday at about 8 p. m. o'clock at her home, 110 Palmer St. 89 years old. She is chiefly mourned by her children.]
[From "The History of Anna Sophia Carlsdotter (Anna S. Peterson)" by Jan Patrick Mongoven in 2006.]
Anna Sophia Carlsdotter was a child of Carl Magnus Danielsson and Catharina Magnusdotter. She was born August 2, 1831, at Haga gård in Stenberga, Jonköpings län, Sweden, and she was christened five days later. Her sister, Anna Sophia, had died at the age of four months, during the summer of 1830. As was customary in those times, Anna Sophia was named in honor of her deceased sister.
Forty-seven days later, another baby was delivered at Stenberga. Born on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote, the boy was christened Johannes Petersson. He was the second son of Peter Jonasson and Eva Christina Petersdotter. Johannes would grow to manhood in Stenberga and marry Anna Sophia Carlsdotter.
As was customary, a couple's intention to marry was announced by the pastor after his sermon on three consecutive Sundays. The banns of marriage – or lysnings – provided parishioners an opportunity to voice objections to the union. The couple's marriage – or vigde – record indicates that the lysnings for Johannes and Anna Sophia were delivered to the congregation on April 24, May 1, and May 8. Thankfully, nobody objected! The notation, "Hennes Faders Skriftliga bifall lägga till handlingarna," means "her father's handwritten consent was saved (set aside) with the other documents." So her father, Carl Magnus, had approved of the marriage. In the right column, the minister also wrote: "Hemmavarande Son hos Modren 1852," which claims that "he (Johannes) lived with his mother in 1852." Dräng Johannes Petersson of Skerfvete married piga Anna Sophia Carlsdotter (spelled Anna Sofia Karlsdotter in the record) on May 21, 1853. But the final statement on the marriage record is also telling: "flytadde genast till N. Amerika" – "they left immediately for North America."
Life had grown increasingly difficult in Stenberga, given the area's poor soil and its hopelessly overcrowded farm conditions. Letters arrived in Sweden from friends and relatives abroad who wrote of the promise of America. Travel agents stationed in Scandinavia offered glowing advertisements of land and employment opportunities awaiting those who would sail to the new world. Johannes had lost his father to smallpox in 1850, leaving his widowed mother, Eva Stina Petersdotter, to raise several young children on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote. Two of Johannes's brothers had already sailed to the United States in 1852. They undoubtedly wrote back from their new home in New York, encouraging the rest of their family to join them.
It was settled, then – the farm had been sold at auction, and family members obtained their transfer certificates. Every Swedish person intending to move out of a parish had to obtain such a certificate, called Flyttningsbevis (among other names), from their parish minister. The newlyweds, Johannes and Anna Sophia, would travel with enka Eva Stina, plus her three youngest, to the port of Göteborg, where they would embark on their journey to America.
The emigrants packed their few belongings aboard a horse-drawn, or oxen-drawn, wagon and began a trip of several days to Göteborg harbor. Any early 1850's voyage to America meant sailing – the "luxury" of steamship travel was still several years away – and all of the physical and emotional difficulties associated with what invariably amounted to more than a two-month odyssey.
It must have been very difficult for Anna Sophia to say good-bye to her parents, siblings, and lifelong friends in Stenberga. Since she would never return to Sweden, this was her final farewell. Her father and mother died at Stenberga in 1867 and 1887, respectively, many years after her departure…so she never saw them again. Her sister, Mathilde Frederica, remained in Stenberga with her soldier husband, and they lived there as of 1897. Little is known of what became of Anna Sophia's other five siblings. Of husband Johannes's immediate family, only his sister, Anna Maria Petersdotter, and her husband, Daniel F. Carlsson, stayed behind in Sweden. The others in his family would spend the rest of their lives in Chautauqua County, New York.
After arriving at Göteburg, Johannes and Anna Sophia, along with enka Eva and three of her children, transferred to a "feeder" vessel that brought them into the harbor at Kiel, Germany, a few hundred kilometers south. Once their meager possessions were safely transferred, the emigrants were transported by steam locomotive another 100 kilometers or so south, to the bustling harbor city of Hamburg. They secured lodging of some sort there – likely for a week or thereabouts – as a crew prepared the Sir Robert Peel for her trans-Atlantic voyage. The Sir Robert Peel was constructed in 1852 by Hans J.A. Meyer at Lübeck, Germany. Another ship, the Humboldt, was built by the same man in 1853; since the two sailing ships looked almost identical, a portrait of the Humboldt is included below so one can visualize what our ancestors' ship looked like in its entirety. The Sir Robert Peel was lost in the North Sea, near the island of Juist, on November 24, 1863.
Each family was responsible for providing its own food for the trip. It was recommended that a family secure a supply of food provisions for almost three months' travel. The family's food chest likely contained flatbread, dried and salted meats and fish, butter, sour milk, cheese, potatoes, rye and barley flour, coffee, tea, sugar, syrup, salt and pepper, vinegar, and onions – and a keg might have contained beer. The captain was charged with supplying wood for burning and water for the long journey. We are left to imagine the mix of emotions our ancestors must have felt as they climbed aboard the Sir Robert Peel, while she lay anchored in the Hamburg harbor.
Then one day in June or July of 1853, after our emigrant ancestors' worldly possessions and food chest were stowed aboard ship, the massive anchor was hauled, the ship's sails unfurled, and the Sir Robert Peel glided from the safety of Hamburg harbor. She would complete her journey at New York City on the final day of August, many weeks after leaving Germany. Once in the open ocean, the ship's crew and passengers were subject to Mother Nature's moods. Kerstin Injeborg is a family historian and a direct descendant of Anna Maria Petersdotter, Anna Sophia's sister-in-law who chose to remain in Sweden. According to Kerstin, family lore holds that our ancestors might have been forced to toss some of their belongings overboard, in order to lighten the load, during a fierce Atlantic storm.
Our ancestors' voyage ended on August 31, 1853, when weeks after departing Hamburg the Sir Robert Peel glided into the port of New York. Those were the days before Ellis Island and its predecessor, Castle Garden, so ships were moored at wharfs that lined the swarming American city. The ship's passenger list was completed by a transcriber and Captain Weinholtz testified to it. Listed among the steerage passengers were: "#57 Johann Petersson, 22 years, 3 months, farmer, Schweden" and his wife, "#58 Anna Peterson, 22 years, 3 months, Schweden." They claimed that their destination was Ohio. In reality, of course, they quickly settled in the vicinity of Jamestown, in Chautauqua County, New York – missing Ohio by nearly 100 miles.
Scrolling further down the list, one encounters passenger #95: "Eva Petersdotter, 51 years, 9 months, farmer, Schweden, destination Ohio." Under hers are the names of her three youngsters, passengers #96, #97, and #98: "Andrew Peterson, 11 years, 3 months; Gustav Peterson, 7 years"; and "Johanne Petersdotter, 5 years, 3 months." Again, all were from Schweden – destination "Ohio."
Once they had been cleared to leave the ship, our family gathered their possessions and made their way into the city. One of the reasons Castle Garden was turned into an immigrant processing facility was to protect the immigrants against the common thieves and scoundrels who preyed upon those poor, tired, unwitting, and naïve folks. Family historian Kerstin Injeborg recalls that, at some point, "crafty" Eva Stina Petersdotter was subject to a thief – but managed to hold on to her family's tiny money supply by hiding it on her person!
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. An 1855 map drawn shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. The map above was drawn in 1855, and shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
The 1855 New York State Census for Chautauqua County verifies that this is our family's first farm dwelling. Their names had become Americanized. "John" and "Sophia" Peterson were recorded as "aliens" who "cannot read (in English)"…and it was stated that John "owned his land." The listed value of their tiny frame house was $1,200. Recall, however, that no deeds exist for the purchase of land, so recording that John "owned" land might have been an error by the census enumerator. Norman Carlson hypothesized that John might have lived on the property at the time without owning it, but still would have qualified for inclusion on the 1854 map.
During that time, the first of Anna Sophia's babies were born. She and John would have six children eventually, including: Charles W. (who married Mary Helen Fridland), Franklin B. (later changed his name to Frank Jones), twins Albert W. and Alfred C., Mary A., and Ella Florinda Theodora (died at four months of age). All of the children were raised on the farm at Busti.
John Peterson became an American citizen, on June 4, 1860, at a meeting of the Chautauqua County Supreme Court at Mayville. Testifying to his character were his neighbors, Henry Baker and Samuel Berg. Anna Sophia and their children automatically became United States citizens – and citizenship opened the doors to land ownership.
The bloody Civil War raged when the Petersons bought their first eight acres in Busti, in lots 47 and 55, on January 23, 1863. The couple purchased four additional acres in the same lots three days later. Next, on May 1, 1865, as the war around them approached its merciful end, the Petersons turned their focus toward property lot 54, just south of lot 55. They first bought ten acres in lot 54, but added 40.75 acres to it in 1873. An 1881 Busti plat map shows John and Anna Sophia Peterson's farm property. After John's younger brother, Andrew Jones (he had taken an Americanized name), quit-claimed 140 acres to him in 1877, they had maximized their property holdings.
Raising children and ensuring their good health is difficult under ordinary circumstances, but adding to Anna Sophia's challenge was the weather in her new home country. Busti is located about 30 miles from the shores of Lake Erie. She was pregnant with her second baby, Frank, during the winter of 1855-56, when temperatures plummeted to near or below zero for 100 days straight, starting around Christmas. Many apple, plum, and peach orchards were destroyed by the frigid weather. Travel by rail was shut down, too. Then, in June 1859, a devastating frost wiped out most crops. But cold wasn't the only problem. In 1864, a triple plague of grasshoppers, weevils, and drought wreaked havoc on nearly half of the wheat, oat, and corn crops in the township. Throughout if all, John and Anna Sophia stressed the importance of hard work, education, and the Lutheran catechism.
When the 1860 census was taken, the Petersons' farm property was valued at $420. Our immigrants spoke only Swedish, but demanded that their children learn the English language. By the time of the 1865 New York State Census, John and Anna Sophia still read and spoke Swedish. By way of contrast, their Swedish friend and neighbor, John Ellickson – who twice accompanied John Peterson to the courthouse where they both received their citizenship papers – read and spoke in English, according to the 1865 census. Immigrants were faced with dilemma. On one hand they wished to become Americanized as quickly as possible. In fact, three of John Peterson's brothers changed their surname from Petersson to Jones, and his sister changed hers to Clark. This clearly was based upon a desire to become Americans first. On the other hand, they yearned to retain much of their own Scandinavian culture and customs. Learning such a new and complex language certainly provided a challenge.
Anna kept house, John farmed, and the boys helped with Busti farm chores during the time surrounding the 1870 census. The American Civil War was part of history, and oil had been discovered a bit south of Busti, in Pennsylvania. The value of their real estate had risen dramatically as a result, such that their property was listed at $7,000. They also owned $600 worth of personal items, according to the census enumerator. Hard work and determination had paid off handsomely!
When the 1880 census worker knocked at the Peterson's farmhouse door, only the parents and their 22-year-old twins, Albert and Alfred, remained. Anna Sophia's second baby daughter, christened Alla Florinda Theodora, had been born six years earlier, on June 23, 1874. Her conception must have surprised the couple, as she arrived nearly twenty-one years after their marriage and eight years after the birth of their fifth child, Mary. Baby Ella was christened by Rev. C.O. Hultgren on the third of June. Sadly, John and Anna Sophia lost their beloved little girl on November 20, 1874. Her birth, christening, and death dates were recorded in the books of the First Lutheran Church of Jamestown. Daughter Mary married Rev. John W. Swenson. They lived in Jamestown, but later moved to Illinois. Son Charles wed a Swedish girl from Jamestown, Mary Helen Fridland. The newlyweds quickly left the city to buy a farmstead in Minnesota. Son Frank left home, married Hattie Marshall in Minnesota, and ultimately wound up in Oregon. He had his name changed to Frank Jones and decided never to see his parents again. Two of his grandchildren, family historians Lisa and Craig Jones, wrote that Frank "never again spoke of his parents and (that) he hated the Swedish." The reasons for such a serious family rift remain a mystery.
John Peterson died too early, at age 55, on July 30, 1886. Virtually all of the 1890 U.S. Census records were destroyed in a devastating fire. As a result, genealogists must use other means to determine the whereabouts of family members. The 1892 New York State Census helps, in our case. Sometime following John's death, Anna Sophia moved a few miles north of the Busti farm to the city of Jamestown. The census shows that she lived in the home of her unmarried son, Alfred, and with her daughter, Mary. Their ages were incorrectly recorded – Anna Sophia was 60 at the time, not 55 as was written by the enumerator – a common mistake in census reporting. Alfred's twin, Albert, also lived in Jamestown with his wife, Ida Carlson, and their daughter, Ella. Albert was in the grocery business in the city. Anna Sophia's oldest sons, Charles and Frank, had left the area for Minnesota by this time.
City directories were available at Jamestown's Fenton History Center. These, together with warranty deeds and census reports, help us reconstruct what happened next to our ancestor. A problem with using Jamestown's directories is that there were at least three Anna Sophia (or Anna or Sophia) Petersons living in the city during the period in question – and each of these was a widow! Also, the names of their deceased husbands may have been given incorrectly. In 1888, 1892-93, and 1895-96, one Anna Peterson, widow of "Nicholas," lived at 269 Willard Street. She, or else another Anna Peterson, lived at 243 Willard Street in 1909-1910. We know from the census record that our Anna Sophia lived with son Alfred in 1892. Another Sophia Peterson, the widow of "August," lived at 462 Willard Street continuously from 1907 to 1916. A different Sophia Peterson, widow of "Miles" (or "Nils" or "Niles"), lived at 16 Bowen Street from 1888 through 1920. In 1892-93, a domestic named Sofia Peterson lived at 303 Foote Avenue. And a woman named Anna Peterson, widow of "John," resided at 32 Benson Street in 1913-14. Three directories place our Anna Sophia Peterson, widow of "John," with son Alfred at 120 Prospect Street from 1899 through 1904. Alfred, a bachelor, cared for his aging mother in his home, as he went about business as an insurance agent in Jamestown. This arrangement, begun at least as early as 1892, continued until Alfred's unexpected death in 1904. After her son's untimely passing, Anna moved to the city of Galesburg in Knox County, Illinois, where she lived for several years under the care of her daughter, Mary Anna Swenson. Mary's husband, John Swenson, was a minister, and the couple had four school-aged children in the home during grandma Peterson's stay.
By the spring of 1908, John Peterson's heirs had elected to sell what remained of the family farm in Busti. Those who signed the document for the transfer of 58.30 acres in lot 54 included: Anna S. Peterson (widow of John Peterson, deceased) of Galesburg, Illinois; Anna Mary Swenson (daughter) of Galesburg, Illinois; Charles W. and Mary Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Richville, Minnesota; Frank B. and Hattie Jones (son and daughter-in-law) of St. Maries, Idaho; and Albert and Ida C. Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Jamestown, New York. The indenture paper was drawn up, and a signature from each heir was gathered by a notary public from each of the different towns. The paperwork finally was in order. On May 20, 1908, title to the Peterson farm passed to Alfred Johnson of Jamestown.
Anna Sophia returned "home" from Illinois sometime around 1909. The 1910 census and Jamestown city directories indicate that Anna Sophia rented a place at 93 Steele Street, in Jamestown's 6th Ward, in the shallow valley near the southern banks of the Chadakoin River. She lived with a 29-year-old Swedish boarder named Hulda Nelson, a weaver in a local towel mill. Long widowed at age 78, "Anna S." gave "cook" and "at home" as her occupation. She had learned to speak some English and listed it as a language spoken. Anna Sophia reported having had six children, four of whom were still alive. A series of seven Jamestown city directories, spanning from 1910 through 1916, place her at the same address.
On January 9, 1918, Anna Sophia purchased a small home on a lot at 110 Palmer Street from B. Leonard and Mary C. Johnson, a couple who had owned the place for the previous two years. By the time of the 1920 census, "Sophia A." was 88, and lived in a portion of her Palmer Street home in the 6th Ward. She was listed as "head" of household, but roomed with, and received assistance from, a 34-year-old Swedish immigrant named Mary Carlson, who offered "nurse" in the "home" as her occupation. The other portion of the house was rented to Sadie Holmes, an American-born textile worker, who shared the space with two sons and her 67-year-old Swedish-immigrant mother, Nellie Manson.
Anna Sophia sold her home to Mary Tewey Johnson for $2,000, on February 7, 1921. She suffered a debilitating stroke on March 8, 1821, and passed away just six days later, on the evening of March 14, 1921, in the home on Palmer Street. She was 89 years old. The official cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage with contributory arterial sclerosis. Albert Peterson served as informant on his mother's death certificate, but didn't – or couldn't – name her parents. He knew only that they were born in Sweden. Her date of birth was incorrectly given as August 18, 1831. [Photos on this page show Palmer Street and the home at 110 Palmer Street, as they appeared in 2006.]
A funeral service was held for family and friends at Albert's home at 164 Forest Avenue. Afterward, our immigrant ancestor, Anna Sophia Carlsdotter Peterson, was laid to rest next to husband John, in the family plot near the high point of Jametown's Lakeview Cemetery.
Death notices appeared in both English and Swedish newspapers. From the Thursday, March 17, 1921 edition of the Jamestown Morning Post:
Funeral Announcements
The funeral of Mrs. Anna S. Peterson will be held privately today (Thursday) at 3 P.M., from the home of her son, Albert Peterson, 164 Forest Avenue.
News of her death was also delivered to the Swedish community of Jamestown, on Thursday, March 17, 1921, in the Skandia:
Dödens Skörd
Mrs. Anna S. Peterson afled i måndags kl(ockan) 8 e.m., i sitt hemm, 110 Palmer st. 89 år gammal. Hon sörjes närmast af barn.
[Translation: Death's Harvest: Mrs. Anna S. Peterson passed away on Monday at about 8 p. m. o'clock at her home, 110 Palmer St. 89 years old. She is chiefly mourned by her children.]
Anna Sophia Carlsdotter was a child of Carl Magnus Danielsson and Catharina Magnusdotter. She was born August 2, 1831, at Haga gård in Stenberga, Jonköpings län, Sweden, and she was christened five days later. Her sister, Anna Sophia, had died at the age of four months, during the summer of 1830. As was customary in those times, Anna Sophia was named in honor of her deceased sister.
Forty-seven days later, another baby was delivered at Stenberga. Born on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote, the boy was christened Johannes Petersson. He was the second son of Peter Jonasson and Eva Christina Petersdotter. Johannes would grow to manhood in Stenberga and marry Anna Sophia Carlsdotter.
As was customary, a couple's intention to marry was announced by the pastor after his sermon on three consecutive Sundays. The banns of marriage – or lysnings – provided parishioners an opportunity to voice objections to the union. The couple's marriage – or vigde – record indicates that the lysnings for Johannes and Anna Sophia were delivered to the congregation on April 24, May 1, and May 8. Thankfully, nobody objected! The notation, "Hennes Faders Skriftliga bifall lägga till handlingarna," means "her father's handwritten consent was saved (set aside) with the other documents." So her father, Carl Magnus, had approved of the marriage. In the right column, the minister also wrote: "Hemmavarande Son hos Modren 1852," which claims that "he (Johannes) lived with his mother in 1852." Dräng Johannes Petersson of Skerfvete married piga Anna Sophia Carlsdotter (spelled Anna Sofia Karlsdotter in the record) on May 21, 1853. But the final statement on the marriage record is also telling: "flytadde genast till N. Amerika" – "they left immediately for North America."
Life had grown increasingly difficult in Stenberga, given the area's poor soil and its hopelessly overcrowded farm conditions. Letters arrived in Sweden from friends and relatives abroad who wrote of the promise of America. Travel agents stationed in Scandinavia offered glowing advertisements of land and employment opportunities awaiting those who would sail to the new world. Johannes had lost his father to smallpox in 1850, leaving his widowed mother, Eva Stina Petersdotter, to raise several young children on the Säteri farm at Skerfvete rote. Two of Johannes's brothers had already sailed to the United States in 1852. They undoubtedly wrote back from their new home in New York, encouraging the rest of their family to join them.
It was settled, then – the farm had been sold at auction, and family members obtained their transfer certificates. Every Swedish person intending to move out of a parish had to obtain such a certificate, called Flyttningsbevis (among other names), from their parish minister. The newlyweds, Johannes and Anna Sophia, would travel with enka Eva Stina, plus her three youngest, to the port of Göteborg, where they would embark on their journey to America.
The emigrants packed their few belongings aboard a horse-drawn, or oxen-drawn, wagon and began a trip of several days to Göteborg harbor. Any early 1850's voyage to America meant sailing – the "luxury" of steamship travel was still several years away – and all of the physical and emotional difficulties associated with what invariably amounted to more than a two-month odyssey.
It must have been very difficult for Anna Sophia to say good-bye to her parents, siblings, and lifelong friends in Stenberga. Since she would never return to Sweden, this was her final farewell. Her father and mother died at Stenberga in 1867 and 1887, respectively, many years after her departure…so she never saw them again. Her sister, Mathilde Frederica, remained in Stenberga with her soldier husband, and they lived there as of 1897. Little is known of what became of Anna Sophia's other five siblings. Of husband Johannes's immediate family, only his sister, Anna Maria Petersdotter, and her husband, Daniel F. Carlsson, stayed behind in Sweden. The others in his family would spend the rest of their lives in Chautauqua County, New York.
After arriving at Göteburg, Johannes and Anna Sophia, along with enka Eva and three of her children, transferred to a "feeder" vessel that brought them into the harbor at Kiel, Germany, a few hundred kilometers south. Once their meager possessions were safely transferred, the emigrants were transported by steam locomotive another 100 kilometers or so south, to the bustling harbor city of Hamburg. They secured lodging of some sort there – likely for a week or thereabouts – as a crew prepared the Sir Robert Peel for her trans-Atlantic voyage. The Sir Robert Peel was constructed in 1852 by Hans J.A. Meyer at Lübeck, Germany. Another ship, the Humboldt, was built by the same man in 1853; since the two sailing ships looked almost identical, a portrait of the Humboldt is included below so one can visualize what our ancestors' ship looked like in its entirety. The Sir Robert Peel was lost in the North Sea, near the island of Juist, on November 24, 1863.
Each family was responsible for providing its own food for the trip. It was recommended that a family secure a supply of food provisions for almost three months' travel. The family's food chest likely contained flatbread, dried and salted meats and fish, butter, sour milk, cheese, potatoes, rye and barley flour, coffee, tea, sugar, syrup, salt and pepper, vinegar, and onions – and a keg might have contained beer. The captain was charged with supplying wood for burning and water for the long journey. We are left to imagine the mix of emotions our ancestors must have felt as they climbed aboard the Sir Robert Peel, while she lay anchored in the Hamburg harbor.
Then one day in June or July of 1853, after our emigrant ancestors' worldly possessions and food chest were stowed aboard ship, the massive anchor was hauled, the ship's sails unfurled, and the Sir Robert Peel glided from the safety of Hamburg harbor. She would complete her journey at New York City on the final day of August, many weeks after leaving Germany. Once in the open ocean, the ship's crew and passengers were subject to Mother Nature's moods. Kerstin Injeborg is a family historian and a direct descendant of Anna Maria Petersdotter, Anna Sophia's sister-in-law who chose to remain in Sweden. According to Kerstin, family lore holds that our ancestors might have been forced to toss some of their belongings overboard, in order to lighten the load, during a fierce Atlantic storm.
Our ancestors' voyage ended on August 31, 1853, when weeks after departing Hamburg the Sir Robert Peel glided into the port of New York. Those were the days before Ellis Island and its predecessor, Castle Garden, so ships were moored at wharfs that lined the swarming American city. The ship's passenger list was completed by a transcriber and Captain Weinholtz testified to it. Listed among the steerage passengers were: "#57 Johann Petersson, 22 years, 3 months, farmer, Schweden" and his wife, "#58 Anna Peterson, 22 years, 3 months, Schweden." They claimed that their destination was Ohio. In reality, of course, they quickly settled in the vicinity of Jamestown, in Chautauqua County, New York – missing Ohio by nearly 100 miles.
Scrolling further down the list, one encounters passenger #95: "Eva Petersdotter, 51 years, 9 months, farmer, Schweden, destination Ohio." Under hers are the names of her three youngsters, passengers #96, #97, and #98: "Andrew Peterson, 11 years, 3 months; Gustav Peterson, 7 years"; and "Johanne Petersdotter, 5 years, 3 months." Again, all were from Schweden – destination "Ohio."
Once they had been cleared to leave the ship, our family gathered their possessions and made their way into the city. One of the reasons Castle Garden was turned into an immigrant processing facility was to protect the immigrants against the common thieves and scoundrels who preyed upon those poor, tired, unwitting, and naïve folks. Family historian Kerstin Injeborg recalls that, at some point, "crafty" Eva Stina Petersdotter was subject to a thief – but managed to hold on to her family's tiny money supply by hiding it on her person!
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. An 1855 map drawn shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
Anna Sophia and husband Johannes, along with his mother, Eva Stina, and his three young siblings didn't remain long in the city. According to another family historian, Gunnard C.E. Danielsson, Eva Stina's grandson, the family traveled by Erie Railroad to Dunkirk, New York, and then proceeded by oxcart to their final destination in the vicinity of Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. The New York & Erie Railroad was chartered in 1832 to connect Piermont (near New York City on the Hudson River) with Dunkirk, on the shore of Lake Erie. The last spike of this great railway was driven nearly 20 years later – at last, passengers could travel by train from New York City to the banks of Lake Erie. The map above was drawn in 1855, and shows that even more rail lines had been laid by then. Our family was able to take advantage of this and use the train to travel to Dunkirk; however, as shown on the map, no railroad yet connected Dunkirk with Jamestown, which lies near the border of New York and Pennsylvania. They were forced to travel to Jamestown by a much slower, albeit efficient, mode of transportation – oxcart.
The 1855 New York State Census for Chautauqua County verifies that this is our family's first farm dwelling. Their names had become Americanized. "John" and "Sophia" Peterson were recorded as "aliens" who "cannot read (in English)"…and it was stated that John "owned his land." The listed value of their tiny frame house was $1,200. Recall, however, that no deeds exist for the purchase of land, so recording that John "owned" land might have been an error by the census enumerator. Norman Carlson hypothesized that John might have lived on the property at the time without owning it, but still would have qualified for inclusion on the 1854 map.
During that time, the first of Anna Sophia's babies were born. She and John would have six children eventually, including: Charles W. (who married Mary Helen Fridland), Franklin B. (later changed his name to Frank Jones), twins Albert W. and Alfred C., Mary A., and Ella Florinda Theodora (died at four months of age). All of the children were raised on the farm at Busti.
John Peterson became an American citizen, on June 4, 1860, at a meeting of the Chautauqua County Supreme Court at Mayville. Testifying to his character were his neighbors, Henry Baker and Samuel Berg. Anna Sophia and their children automatically became United States citizens – and citizenship opened the doors to land ownership.
The bloody Civil War raged when the Petersons bought their first eight acres in Busti, in lots 47 and 55, on January 23, 1863. The couple purchased four additional acres in the same lots three days later. Next, on May 1, 1865, as the war around them approached its merciful end, the Petersons turned their focus toward property lot 54, just south of lot 55. They first bought ten acres in lot 54, but added 40.75 acres to it in 1873. An 1881 Busti plat map shows John and Anna Sophia Peterson's farm property. After John's younger brother, Andrew Jones (he had taken an Americanized name), quit-claimed 140 acres to him in 1877, they had maximized their property holdings.
Raising children and ensuring their good health is difficult under ordinary circumstances, but adding to Anna Sophia's challenge was the weather in her new home country. Busti is located about 30 miles from the shores of Lake Erie. She was pregnant with her second baby, Frank, during the winter of 1855-56, when temperatures plummeted to near or below zero for 100 days straight, starting around Christmas. Many apple, plum, and peach orchards were destroyed by the frigid weather. Travel by rail was shut down, too. Then, in June 1859, a devastating frost wiped out most crops. But cold wasn't the only problem. In 1864, a triple plague of grasshoppers, weevils, and drought wreaked havoc on nearly half of the wheat, oat, and corn crops in the township. Throughout if all, John and Anna Sophia stressed the importance of hard work, education, and the Lutheran catechism.
When the 1860 census was taken, the Petersons' farm property was valued at $420. Our immigrants spoke only Swedish, but demanded that their children learn the English language. By the time of the 1865 New York State Census, John and Anna Sophia still read and spoke Swedish. By way of contrast, their Swedish friend and neighbor, John Ellickson – who twice accompanied John Peterson to the courthouse where they both received their citizenship papers – read and spoke in English, according to the 1865 census. Immigrants were faced with dilemma. On one hand they wished to become Americanized as quickly as possible. In fact, three of John Peterson's brothers changed their surname from Petersson to Jones, and his sister changed hers to Clark. This clearly was based upon a desire to become Americans first. On the other hand, they yearned to retain much of their own Scandinavian culture and customs. Learning such a new and complex language certainly provided a challenge.
Anna kept house, John farmed, and the boys helped with Busti farm chores during the time surrounding the 1870 census. The American Civil War was part of history, and oil had been discovered a bit south of Busti, in Pennsylvania. The value of their real estate had risen dramatically as a result, such that their property was listed at $7,000. They also owned $600 worth of personal items, according to the census enumerator. Hard work and determination had paid off handsomely!
When the 1880 census worker knocked at the Peterson's farmhouse door, only the parents and their 22-year-old twins, Albert and Alfred, remained. Anna Sophia's second baby daughter, christened Alla Florinda Theodora, had been born six years earlier, on June 23, 1874. Her conception must have surprised the couple, as she arrived nearly twenty-one years after their marriage and eight years after the birth of their fifth child, Mary. Baby Ella was christened by Rev. C.O. Hultgren on the third of June. Sadly, John and Anna Sophia lost their beloved little girl on November 20, 1874. Her birth, christening, and death dates were recorded in the books of the First Lutheran Church of Jamestown. Daughter Mary married Rev. John W. Swenson. They lived in Jamestown, but later moved to Illinois. Son Charles wed a Swedish girl from Jamestown, Mary Helen Fridland. The newlyweds quickly left the city to buy a farmstead in Minnesota. Son Frank left home, married Hattie Marshall in Minnesota, and ultimately wound up in Oregon. He had his name changed to Frank Jones and decided never to see his parents again. Two of his grandchildren, family historians Lisa and Craig Jones, wrote that Frank "never again spoke of his parents and (that) he hated the Swedish." The reasons for such a serious family rift remain a mystery.
John Peterson died too early, at age 55, on July 30, 1886. Virtually all of the 1890 U.S. Census records were destroyed in a devastating fire. As a result, genealogists must use other means to determine the whereabouts of family members. The 1892 New York State Census helps, in our case. Sometime following John's death, Anna Sophia moved a few miles north of the Busti farm to the city of Jamestown. The census shows that she lived in the home of her unmarried son, Alfred, and with her daughter, Mary. Their ages were incorrectly recorded – Anna Sophia was 60 at the time, not 55 as was written by the enumerator – a common mistake in census reporting. Alfred's twin, Albert, also lived in Jamestown with his wife, Ida Carlson, and their daughter, Ella. Albert was in the grocery business in the city. Anna Sophia's oldest sons, Charles and Frank, had left the area for Minnesota by this time.
City directories were available at Jamestown's Fenton History Center. These, together with warranty deeds and census reports, help us reconstruct what happened next to our ancestor. A problem with using Jamestown's directories is that there were at least three Anna Sophia (or Anna or Sophia) Petersons living in the city during the period in question – and each of these was a widow! Also, the names of their deceased husbands may have been given incorrectly. In 1888, 1892-93, and 1895-96, one Anna Peterson, widow of "Nicholas," lived at 269 Willard Street. She, or else another Anna Peterson, lived at 243 Willard Street in 1909-1910. We know from the census record that our Anna Sophia lived with son Alfred in 1892. Another Sophia Peterson, the widow of "August," lived at 462 Willard Street continuously from 1907 to 1916. A different Sophia Peterson, widow of "Miles" (or "Nils" or "Niles"), lived at 16 Bowen Street from 1888 through 1920. In 1892-93, a domestic named Sofia Peterson lived at 303 Foote Avenue. And a woman named Anna Peterson, widow of "John," resided at 32 Benson Street in 1913-14. Three directories place our Anna Sophia Peterson, widow of "John," with son Alfred at 120 Prospect Street from 1899 through 1904. Alfred, a bachelor, cared for his aging mother in his home, as he went about business as an insurance agent in Jamestown. This arrangement, begun at least as early as 1892, continued until Alfred's unexpected death in 1904. After her son's untimely passing, Anna moved to the city of Galesburg in Knox County, Illinois, where she lived for several years under the care of her daughter, Mary Anna Swenson. Mary's husband, John Swenson, was a minister, and the couple had four school-aged children in the home during grandma Peterson's stay.
By the spring of 1908, John Peterson's heirs had elected to sell what remained of the family farm in Busti. Those who signed the document for the transfer of 58.30 acres in lot 54 included: Anna S. Peterson (widow of John Peterson, deceased) of Galesburg, Illinois; Anna Mary Swenson (daughter) of Galesburg, Illinois; Charles W. and Mary Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Richville, Minnesota; Frank B. and Hattie Jones (son and daughter-in-law) of St. Maries, Idaho; and Albert and Ida C. Peterson (son and daughter-in-law) of Jamestown, New York. The indenture paper was drawn up, and a signature from each heir was gathered by a notary public from each of the different towns. The paperwork finally was in order. On May 20, 1908, title to the Peterson farm passed to Alfred Johnson of Jamestown.
Anna Sophia returned "home" from Illinois sometime around 1909. The 1910 census and Jamestown city directories indicate that Anna Sophia rented a place at 93 Steele Street, in Jamestown's 6th Ward, in the shallow valley near the southern banks of the Chadakoin River. She lived with a 29-year-old Swedish boarder named Hulda Nelson, a weaver in a local towel mill. Long widowed at age 78, "Anna S." gave "cook" and "at home" as her occupation. She had learned to speak some English and listed it as a language spoken. Anna Sophia reported having had six children, four of whom were still alive. A series of seven Jamestown city directories, spanning from 1910 through 1916, place her at the same address.
On January 9, 1918, Anna Sophia purchased a small home on a lot at 110 Palmer Street from B. Leonard and Mary C. Johnson, a couple who had owned the place for the previous two years. By the time of the 1920 census, "Sophia A." was 88, and lived in a portion of her Palmer Street home in the 6th Ward. She was listed as "head" of household, but roomed with, and received assistance from, a 34-year-old Swedish immigrant named Mary Carlson, who offered "nurse" in the "home" as her occupation. The other portion of the house was rented to Sadie Holmes, an American-born textile worker, who shared the space with two sons and her 67-year-old Swedish-immigrant mother, Nellie Manson.
Anna Sophia sold her home to Mary Tewey Johnson for $2,000, on February 7, 1921. She suffered a debilitating stroke on March 8, 1821, and passed away just six days later, on the evening of March 14, 1921, in the home on Palmer Street. She was 89 years old. The official cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage with contributory arterial sclerosis. Albert Peterson served as informant on his mother's death certificate, but didn't – or couldn't – name her parents. He knew only that they were born in Sweden. Her date of birth was incorrectly given as August 18, 1831. [Photos on this page show Palmer Street and the home at 110 Palmer Street, as they appeared in 2006.]
A funeral service was held for family and friends at Albert's home at 164 Forest Avenue. Afterward, our immigrant ancestor, Anna Sophia Carlsdotter Peterson, was laid to rest next to husband John, in the family plot near the high point of Jametown's Lakeview Cemetery.
Death notices appeared in both English and Swedish newspapers. From the Thursday, March 17, 1921 edition of the Jamestown Morning Post:
Funeral Announcements
The funeral of Mrs. Anna S. Peterson will be held privately today (Thursday) at 3 P.M., from the home of her son, Albert Peterson, 164 Forest Avenue.
News of her death was also delivered to the Swedish community of Jamestown, on Thursday, March 17, 1921, in the Skandia:
Dödens Skörd
Mrs. Anna S. Peterson afled i måndags kl(ockan) 8 e.m., i sitt hemm, 110 Palmer st. 89 år gammal. Hon sörjes närmast af barn.
[Translation: Death's Harvest: Mrs. Anna S. Peterson passed away on Monday at about 8 p. m. o'clock at her home, 110 Palmer St. 89 years old. She is chiefly mourned by her children.]
Family Members
See more Peterson or Carlsdotter memorials in:
- Lake View Cemetery Peterson or Carlsdotter
- Jamestown Peterson or Carlsdotter
- Chautauqua County Peterson or Carlsdotter
- New York Peterson or Carlsdotter
- USA Peterson or Carlsdotter
- Find a Grave Peterson or Carlsdotter
