John Lawrence
Peterson, son of Johann Petersson
was born on March 2, 1831 in Morbylanga, Oland ,
Sweden .[1]
His future wife Anna was born about
four years later, also a native of Sweden .[2] John, age 22 married 19 year old Anna in Sweden .[3] John and Anna’s four children were born in
Morbylanga, Oland , Sweden .[4]
In the mid 1850’s through the mid 1860’s when John and Anna
were establishing their family, the Swedish economy was heading into bad
times. The Swedish population was on the
rise. Most of the economy was tied to
agriculture, 40 % of the population were farm laborers.[6] Many
of the family farms were too small to support the new generations. The
country’s resources were strained due to costly expansion of railroads.[7] Over speculation on farmlands caused serious
financial setbacks in 1864.[8] Swedish citizens were concerned over the
defeat of Denmark in the war
against Prussia and Austria . [9]
Swedish weather seemed to go crazy during 1866-68 causing repeat crop
failures. The severe winters and either
unusually wet or dry summers all but destroyed the crops.[10] In 1867, the crops in northern Sweden failed
completely.[11] 1868 ushered in the longest drought in Sweden ’s
history.[12] The people were hungry and suffering. Food shortages caused some families to strip
bark from trees to mix in their flour for making breads. They found edible mosses, lichens, roots of
flowers and shrubs. Agricultural
laborers had to beg for food and the death rate rose.[13] Times were bleak.
Across the ocean, 5,000 miles away the Midwestern United
States was opened for colonization. New
emigrants were needed to work the land and support the new industries. Expatriates wrote home to Sweden with
glowing reports of free rich agricultural lands and a place to start a new life
in a land of freedom and liberty. American railroad companies advertised heavily in Sweden . They were seeking laborers for the
construction work, settlers for their extensive land holdings and passengers
and freight for their new railroads.[14] British, American and German steam ship
companies also wanting a piece of the pie advertised heavily in Sweden , extolling the grand possibilities of
life in America .[15] Even many states recruited new emigrants
heavily. They needed many settlers as
soon as possible to increase their states populations and wealth.[16] The Federal government participated in the
recruiting of emigrants also. In 1864,
President Lincoln sent 30 young US consular agents to Sweden and
other European countries to promote emigration.[17] In 1862 the American Homestead Act became
law. This act promised free land to all
aliens who had filed declaration of intent to become US citizens.[18] The US Civil War of 1861-1865 probably
deterred some Swedish immigrants but it also encouraged others for two
reasons. Some saw the added industry
demanded by the war as a chance to start anew and others were encouraged by the
automatic US
citizenship for any enlisting in the Union army.[19] One last significant factor to encourage the
great Swedish immigration to the US during the 1860’s -1870’s was
the Swedish government’s repeal of travel abroad restrictions for its citizens
in 1860.[20]
Most likely several of these factors influenced the Peterson
family to embark for the United
States .
They made the journey sometime after the civil war and before 1868.[21] During this time period most Swedish
emigrants sailed from Gothenburg ,
Sweden . They would cross the North Sea to Hull or Grimsby ,
England . Once in England ,
they would have to board a train to get to Liverpool
on the west coast. Here they would board
one of the great steamers bound for New York
or Boston .[22] It must have been an arduous journey
traveling so far with four small children ranging in age of approximately 2 to
12 years old. Once on American soil, the family probably first went to Illinois . John stated in
the 1875 Kansas census that he had lived in Illinois before coming to Kansas .
This makes sense considering there was quite a large Swedish population
in Illinois
at the time.
The first US
record I could find for John is in Shawnee
County , Kansas . He declared his intention on becoming an
American citizen on Feb 16th, 1869.[23] In August of the next year, John becomes a
charter member of the Trinity Lutheran Church
(Augustana Synod) in Topeka ,
KS .[24] A year later, John transferred his church
membership to the Swedish Lutheran church in Scandia , Kansas
where the family homesteaded on 80 acres.[25] Since John had already applied for American
Citizenship he might have acquired this plot of land through the Homestead Act
of 1862. Their property was located in Republic County .
It was 3 miles from Courtland and 4 miles from Scandia . The post office serving this location was New
Scandia. Family tradition says, he did
not farm the land at that time and that he was a stingy man who didn’t even
want to feed his children.[26]
The Swedish/American colony
John wife’s Anna may have had some of these concerns as well as family concerns. According to John’s granddaughter Ida, John was a temperamental man.[29] On April 28, 1875, a probate judge for
The following year on April 19, 1876 John appears before the Republic County Clerk in Bellville
By 1880 John had moved in with his married son, John Laurence. Fred and Axel were living with their father in their brother’s home.[37] Five years later, the Kansas State Census showed John was living with the Baer family on the South side of
On March 30, 1912, John’s oldest son, John Laurence dies in
Anna lived out the rest of her life in state institutions. After 9 years in the Kansas State Insane Asylum, she was transferred to the Topeka Insane Asylum (
[1] John
Peterson, death certificate, no. 2892765 (1915), State of Kansas State Board of Health-Division of Vital
Statistics, Topeka ,
in possession of Kathy Tarullo
[2] John L
Peterson household, 1875 Kansas State Census, Courtland, Republic, Kansas , Roll: KS1875_17
[3] Family
Tradition
[4] Family
Group sheet of John Lawrence Peterson compiled by Marita Peterson (great grand
daughter-in-law) Marita gives her source
of children’s birth place as from a Hanna Larson, who is John Laurence’s
daughter. Group sheet in possession of
Kathy Tarullo
[5] http://swedentravelnet.com/oland/
[6] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1975, p 330
[7] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1975, p 331
[8]ibid
[9] ibid
[10] ibid
[11] ibid
[12] ibid
[13]Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1975, p 332
[14] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1975, p333
[15] ibid
[16] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1975, p 275
[17] Ibid
[18]
Allan Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America, North Central Publishing Company,
St. Paul, Minnesota, p274
[19] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, , p 275
[20] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1975, p274
[21]
John L Peterson household, 1900 Federal Census Topeka Ward 2, Shawnee Kansas ,
roll T623 500 pg 2B ED 150 and John Peterson household, 1910 Federal Census
Topeka Ward 2, Shawnee, Kansas, roll
T624-457 pg 4A ED 155.
[22] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1975. p 333
[23] Index
to naturalization Records of Shawnee County, Kansas 1865-1930, published by
Topeka Genealogical Society, April 1992, p58
[24] Family
notes from Marita Peterson, 2nd great-granddaughter-in-law, in
possession of Kathy Tarullo
[25] ibid
[26] ibid
[27] Allan
Kastrup, The Swedish Heritage in America,
North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, p 462
[28]
Emory
Lindquist , “The Swedish Immigrant and Life in Kansas ” , Kansas
Historical Quarterly, Spring, 1963 (Vol. XXIX, No. 1), pages 1 to 24
[29] Phone
interview with Buddy and Marita Peterson; 6121 N.E. Meriden Rd , Topeka ,
KS 66617
1-785/246-1300, by Kathy Tarullo, May 5, 2009, Transcripts in possession of
Kathy Tarullo
[30] Copy of
written report from the probate judge.
Found in family files.
[32] ibid
[33] ibid
[34] John L
Peterson, Naturalization document from 12th Judicial District of the
State of Kansas ,
dated 19 April 1876
[35] Kansas , Shawnee County
Deeds, Vol 72-73 1881 V 74 (p1-361) 1881-1882, FHL US/Can Film # 1533641
[36]
Belleview Telescope microfilm Reel number B 559 - Belleville Telescope (2)
4/6/1876 - 10/6/1881 KSKS
[37] John
Laurence Peterson household, 1880 Federal Census, Courtland, Republic, Kansas
roll T9-394 pg 92, 3000 ED 279
[38] 1885 Kansas Census,
Ancestry.com
[39] ibid
[40] John
Peterson household, 1900 Federal Census, Topeka Ward 2, Shawnee, Kansas roll
T623 500 pg 2B ED 150
[41] Family
records per Marita Peterson
[42] 1912
City Directory, Topeka , Kansas page 421
http://distantcousin.com/Directories/KS/Topeka/1912/pages/421.jpg
[43] John
Lawrence Peterson, family tree, Ancestry.com
[44] ibid
[45] John
Peterson, death certificate, no. 2892765 (1915), State of Kansas State Board of Health-Division of Vital
Statistics, Topeka ,
in possession of Kathy Tarullo
[46] John
Peterson, Deaths and funeral notice, Topeka
State Journal, Saturday March 27, 1915
[47] ibid
[48] Osawatomie State
Hospital , 1900 Federal Census,
Osawatomie, Miami , Kansas . Kansas State
Insane Asylum, Ancestry.com
[50] Letter
from Osawatomie State Hospital
in procession of Kathy Tarullo
[51] Ibid