Clara’s Parents
Clara’s father, Anton August Peterson, born on September 12, 1864 in the historical province of Blekinge, Sweden, immigrated to America in May, 1885.1 He met his future wife, Mathilda Christina Johnson, a co-worker, while employed at James J. Hill’s North Oaks Farm in northern Ramsey County, Minnesota. Details regarding the nature of Anton’s duties on the farm remain unknown. However, his later reputation as a skilled hand with horses suggests a possible scenario that he honed these skills at North Oaks Farm handling and tending to the horses 2 Similar to the meager data regarding Anton’s early years, information concerning Mathilda, remains elusive. A Swedish immigrant from the historical province of Småland born in 1871, she probably emigrated from Sweden with five siblings; one brother and four sisters. As reported by Clara, the siblings from eldest to youngest are as follows: Clara Johnson, Charles Falk, Emma Falk, Louisa Falk, Mathilda, and …show more content…
Unable to work and simultaneously attend to the needs of a three-year-old child, he entrusted the care of his daughter, Clara, to Andrew and Caroline Danielson who lived on a farm approximately two miles south of Harris. Perhaps as an incentive to accept the responsibility for the care of Clara, Caroline Danielson received Mathilda’s sewing machine. Subsequent to arranging for Clara’s custody, Anton hired out his services, usually to local farmers, except for a period of time that he returned to work for his former employer, James J. Hill as a Great Northern Railroad teamster.11 Although he didn’t help construct Great Northern’s main line from St. Paul to Seattle, completed in 1893,12 Anton possibly worked on spur lines, hauling construction materials to the construction sites with horse and wagon or managing a team of horses while building the grade in preparation for laying of ties and
Clara’s father, Anton August Peterson, born on September 12, 1864 in the historical province of Blekinge, Sweden, immigrated to America in May, 1885.1 He met his future wife, Mathilda Christina Johnson, a co-worker, while employed at James J. Hill’s North Oaks Farm in northern Ramsey County, Minnesota. Details regarding the nature of Anton’s duties on the farm remain unknown. However, his later reputation as a skilled hand with horses suggests a possible scenario that he honed these skills at North Oaks Farm handling and tending to the horses 2 Similar to the meager data regarding Anton’s early years, information concerning Mathilda, remains elusive. A Swedish immigrant from the historical province of Småland born in 1871, she probably emigrated from Sweden with five siblings; one brother and four sisters. As reported by Clara, the siblings from eldest to youngest are as follows: Clara Johnson, Charles Falk, Emma Falk, Louisa Falk, Mathilda, and …show more content…
Unable to work and simultaneously attend to the needs of a three-year-old child, he entrusted the care of his daughter, Clara, to Andrew and Caroline Danielson who lived on a farm approximately two miles south of Harris. Perhaps as an incentive to accept the responsibility for the care of Clara, Caroline Danielson received Mathilda’s sewing machine. Subsequent to arranging for Clara’s custody, Anton hired out his services, usually to local farmers, except for a period of time that he returned to work for his former employer, James J. Hill as a Great Northern Railroad teamster.11 Although he didn’t help construct Great Northern’s main line from St. Paul to Seattle, completed in 1893,12 Anton possibly worked on spur lines, hauling construction materials to the construction sites with horse and wagon or managing a team of horses while building the grade in preparation for laying of ties and