Andrew Petersen

Andreas "Andrew" Petersen

Who's Who

Andreas "Andrew" Petersen was the brother of Carsten Petersen, Sr. and uncle of Grandmother Brunken.

Andreas "Andrew" Petersen

Story

A portrait of Andreas "Andrew" Petersen.

Date

Possibly circa 1900.  Andrew appears to look the same age and is in the same suit as he was wearing in the photograph of his family circa 1900.

Location

Platte Center, Nebraska

Biography

ANDREAS (ANDREW) PETERSEN
Andreas Petersen was the fifth and youngest child of Carsten and Anna Catherine Jacobsen Petersen. He was born November 1, 1853 at Joldelunt, Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark. By the time he started school, the area belonged to Germany. 

Andrew came to this country in 1879 (?) going to Washington Territory where he had a homested [sp] and then to Platte County, Nebraska. He acquired land in Platte County which he later sold to his brother Carsten. 

He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in Washington Territory on December 8, 1884 after living there for at least one year and in the United States for five years. 

His bride came from Germany in 1888 at the age of 17 with Esther Petersen, - a niece of Carsten and Andrew. Mathilda Louise Hansen was born at Rantrum, Germany, January 4, 1871, to Hans Nicholas and Johanna Freda Hansen. She had two brothers--Thomas and Johannes and one sister Margrata. Her sister married an Italian and lived in New York. They had one son, Steven Cassovella. 

Andrew and Carsten‘s sister (or in-law) Margaretha Dorothea Petersen (or Thomsen) Hansen Petersen and her family came to this country at later dates. Two of her children, a son Peter.Hansen who was a postman and a daughter, the mother of Hans Jensen stayed in Germany. Other children of Margaretha were Thomas Peter Hansen, Esther Petersen Schutt, Ingaborg Margaretha Petersen Lorenzen, Lena Petersen Nissen, Carsten Petersen, (2 other sons) and Martha Petersen Fuss. 

Andrew's brother Carsten's second wife, lda Lucia Martensen was a cousin of Andrew's wile, Mathilda. Other cousins were Christian Martinsen and Henry Martensen who also came to this country and the father of Peter Martensen who stayed in Germany. 

Andrew and Mathilda had nine children but only five lived to adulthood. All but one were born in Platte County.
Car1(Charles) Andrew May 28, 1889               4/12/1944
Alma Johanna                     9/22/1891               4/ 5/1935
Helene Mathilda                  4/11/1893               6/23/1970
Anna                                    4/14/1885               8/16/1895
Mathilda Louise                  4/18/1896
Walter Hans                         9/12/1897                6/29/73
Edward                               10/11/1898                2/11/1899
Infant Son                             6/29/1901                9/11/1901
Andrew Alfred  Antelope Co. 3/18/1902             9/11/1917 

Andrew brought his family to Antelope County in 1902. They came by train to Oakdale-the end of the line. Then they went by livery rig to the farm home of Hans Schutt in a blizzard. Mrs. Hans Schutt was the Esther Petersen That Mathilda had accompanied to this country. The family moved to a farm four miles east, one mile north and one-half mile east of Neligh where Andrew bought 320 acres from Theodore Cape.  The north quarter is still owned by a daughter Mathilda Petersen Sponhower (l983). The south quarter was sold in 1953. 

Andrew and Tillie moved to Neligh in 1913 when their daughter Helene (Lena) married Carl Lorenzen and they moved onto the home place. (At later dates all of the children made their home for a time on the home farm.) Andrew bought property at the corner of third and Main and built a new garage on the west part of the property next to the alley. He was the first one in Antelope County to have the Ford Agency. They lived in a brick house near the corner facing east. In 1917 they built a new home on the 600 block of “O” Street. Andrew, Jr. died here and Tillie did not want to remain there. They sold it and moved to a house at 208 G Street where Andrew died in January, 1920. 

On July, 1929, Mathilda married Hans Hansen and moved to Tilden. Hans Hansen was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark (Germany) April 6, 1860 and passed away March 23, 1932. He came to America in 1882. His first wife was Johanna Iversen. They had two sons - Bruno and Carsten. 

Mathilda lived at several other locations in Neligh. She passed away in her home at 205 “L” Street on February 20, 1946. She outlived her daughter Alma by 11 years and her son Charles by two years, leaving only three of the nine children.

Notes

1. Photocopies of this picture and associated family records were sent to me by Carolyn Petersen on August 27, 2014. She obtained photocopies of genealogy records including this portrait and biography from Mathilda Louise "Till" (Petersen) Sponhower over 20 years ago.