Peter Hansen Petersen
Peter Hansen Petersen shared the same name as his father The younger Peter was born on 10 March 1860 in Tinningstedtmark (his obituary gives the date 19 March 1859, but this is an error).
Tinningsdtedt today is a small farming village in Schleswig-Holstein, just over the border from Denmark. Peter Hansen Petersen was one of nine boys and two girls born to Peter Hansen Petersen and Elise Momsen. And he was the second son called Peter!
Parents P.H. Petersen, Elise Momsen Petersen, and children Peter Edlef (later Alfred), Peter Hansen, Catharina, and twins Andreas and Ludwig emigrated to the USA in November 1878 in preparation for the marriage of Catharina to her first cousin Hans Petersen.
Peter Hansen was eighteen when he made the crossing with them on the ship Hansa, bound for Liverpool, and then on the ship Egypt into New York City. This was called an "indirect" emigration (rather than "direct," on one ship only) and was a more frugal way to make the passage to America.
After landing at Castle Garden, the predecessor of Ellis Island, the family made their way by rail to the small town of Belle Prairie, Nebraska, where Peter's uncle, Lorenz Peter Petersen, and family had already established a farm.
After the wedding Hans and Catharina settled on their own farm, while Peter Hansen and his family settled into life as laborers and farmers nearby. In the nearby town of Friend, Peter Hansen met and married Anna Christina Johansen, herself a Danish immigrant, in 1886 (Anna's sister Karen Marie Johansen would marry one of the Petersen twins, Andreas/Andrew).
Peter Hansen and Anna lived in Florence, north of Omaha, and later in the town of Algernon, Custer County. They had nine children: Helena (later Lena), Charles (also Carl), Katherine or Katie, Ada (also Edith), Christian, Peter, Anna, Elizabeth (Lizzie), and finally Alfred. In between farming and raising their family, Peter and Anna were able to take a trip back to Denmark in 1910 to visit Anna's brother.
By all accounts Peter and Anna had a happy life together until her death in 1936, just short of their golden wedding anniversary. Peter remained in their home with their youngest son, Alfred, who required special care. Peter retired from farming and moved to Mason City in his later years. He died in 1945 at the age of 85.
Very detailed obituaries are available for both Peter and Anna by clicking on the links at left. Thanks to a newly-discovered cousin, we now know that Peter's and Anna's daughter Anna Petersen married Carl Martin Andreas Eliassen of Denmark, whose own ancestry has been well-researched by John Juul.
If you're related to any of these families we'd be delighted to hear from you. Just click the contact button above.
