Petersen, Mary (Died 1870)

PETERSEN PEDERSEN CHRISTENSEN

Posted By: Cheryl Siebrass (email)
Date: 3/8/2012 at 08:37:02

In an obscure country village in Denmark James Peterson and Mary Cbristenson lived and loved each other. They were what is called "common working people" but they had hearts as big as if they had been worth a million a piece. These common working people with whom some of us are foolish enough to be proud to class ourselves, are often heroes and heroines and don't know it. They often commit acts of heroism and self-sacrifice and manifest a patience in awaiting events, or looking to the accomplishment of some cherished object, which other people would attract general attention, but in their case goes forever unnoticed and unrecorded. Both the persons named were young, healthy and strong physically. They were engaged to be married. On numerous fine Sunday afternoons had they walked hand in hand together, in the rural style of their country, and talked of the future, how they would both work industriously until they had enough money with which to begin life as man and wife; how happily they would live thereafter, etc.. Not many months passed in this way. Young Peterson had heard of that land beyond the seas, where wages were good, all mankin equal, and opportunities for gaining a home of his own greater than in Denmark. He resolved to come to America, and soon after arriving at that conclusion, he took passage for this country, leaving Mary with the promise that when he had a start in life he would return and they would be married. In 1869 Peterson found his way to thispart of America and went to work with a spade on the C.R.I. & P.R. R. About a year after, he wrote Mary to come out telling her she could do better here than in the old country. She came alone, and after many trials and sad experiences, arrived in Atlantic. She soon found a place in the family of M. B. Darnell, and proved to be a good woman. In a short time the two were married, the TELEGRAPH announcing it at the time, and afterward occupied the best shanty in the North part of the city, where the railroad laborers nearly all reside. Peterson continued to work on the railroad, and in order to help get a start Mary took in washing. She washed for a number of the best families in the city. After they had acquired a certain amount it was their intention to buy a piece of land and go to farming. During the recent cold weather Mary took a very bad cold, which soon caused fever. Friday she died, and on Saturday she was buried, her funeral being attended by a large number of Americans as well as the Danes and Swedes who were her neighbors. Rev. E. S. Hill preached an eloquent funeral sermon, and at the close the Danish people sung a song in their native langue. Thus ends the simple story of a good woman's history.

The Atlantic Weekly Telegraph, Vol. 2 No. 43, Dec. 4, 1872, page 4.

NOTE: Descendants of Chris Petersen, Sr. found the issue of The Atlantic Weekly Telegraph containing this obituary in a small tin box of treasured family photos and letters from relatives in Denmark. Family members believe this to be the obituary of Chris Petersen, Sr.'s first wife, Mary.

Chris Petersen, son of Peter Christensen and Matte Rasmussen, immigrated to Atlantic in May 1869 to work for the Rock Island railroad. His betrothed, Mary Pedersen, followed him to America a year later and they were married in Atlantic in November 1870. Mary died in Atlantic on Nov. 26, 1872, the week before the above issue of The Atlantic Weekly Telegraph was printed.

In the 1870 census, dated June, 1870, "Mary Petersen", a 22 year old domestic servant from Denmark, is found living in the Mortimer Darnell household, just as indicated in the newspaper obituary. Chris' wife Mary's maiden name was also Pedersen/Petersen, so in a census taken six months before they were married that is how she would have been listed.

Cass Obituaries maintained by Cheryl Siebrass.
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