Peters, Alex Wade 1832 - 1917

PETERS, CRAFT, MATTOCKS, ERNST, GEHRING, FISHER

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 11/30/2013 at 05:15:51

Elgin Echo, Thur., 14 June 1917.

A. W. Peters of Illyria township died Tuesday of last week, June 5, lacking only a few days of being 85 years of age. Mr. Peters who had been suffering from a cold for about ten days, took to his bed on Sunday, and died at 1:30 the following Tuesday, from old age pneumonia. The funeral was held Thursday from the Illyria church, conducted by Rev. J. S. Moore of Wadena.

Another of the very early pioneers has passed out of this life. How few of these early settlers of Fayette county are left ! It will not be long until they will be but a memory. Let us stop for a moment and try to gain an appreciation of what the lives of these old fellows mean to us, the younger generation.

Alexander Wade Peters was born at Peterstown, Monroe county, W. Va., June 11, 1832. He died at his home in Illyria township June 5, 1917. He came from German, French and English stock. He was the youngest member of his father's family and could trace his ancestry back to Revolutionary days. As a young man in his native state he worked as a freighter and drove a stage coach at times, over the Blue Ridge mountains.

In 1851 with his father's family he emigrated to St. Charles, Ill., and in the fall of 1852, in company with his brother, Henry, and brother-in-law, John Craft, came to the place where Brainard now stands and located there. At that time there was but one house between Elkader and West Union. He made three trips back to St. Charles after other members of his family, one of which was made with ox team, taking six weeks to make the journey. It was always his delight to recite the incidents and hardships of this early pioneer life to the younger generation.

On October 18, 1853, he was united in marriage to Margaret Jane Mattocks, who died July 22, 1915. Their children all survive them - three sons and four daughters, as follows; Mrs. Elizabeth Ernst of Wadena; Robert Henry of Clayton county; Miss Mary Henrietta at home; Mrs. Margaret Gehring of Jennings, Oklahoma; William Alexander of Clermont; Wallace Lee at home ; also James Fisher, his sister's child, whom they brought up from infancy. He was the grandfather 11 children and 11 great-grandchildren.

Mr. Peters was a good father and husband, a real neighbor, and often said he never turned a hungry man from his door. He was honest and upright in all his dealings with his fellowmen. "Uncle Alex" will be missed from the Illyria community, where he has lived for over 55 years.- Argo-Gazette.

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Note: Unknown as to whether Fisher is a surname or not.

Submitter is not related.

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