Close to Home (#52Ancestors, Week 4)

Princeton, Illinois, is my dad’s hometown and the home of many of his aunts, uncles and cousins. Princeton is the county seat of Bureau County and in the 1960s and 1970s it had a population of about 7000. Princeton always seemed like the quintessential American home town, with its Main Street business district and friendly citizens.

When I was younger we would travel from Indiana to Princeton to visit my grandparents, Harry and Edna Peterson. But once we were in Princeton, there were many more people to visit. “Visiting” always seemed to be the main activity when we went to Princeton. Here are some of my recollections of the two Petersons (in addition to my grandpa) who stayed “close to home” and whom we visited once or twice a year.

Hildur Peterson

Hildur, my grandpa’s oldest sister, lived in Princeton almost her entire life. She was born in 1902 and died in 1987. She never married. She lived with her parents Herman and Cecilia until they died. According to the 1930 and 1940 census she worked as a bookkeeper or office worker for a family doctor, Dr. Nix, and my dad tells me that when the doctor retired she went to work in Alma Magnuson’s Dress Shoppe. Sometime in the 1950s or ‘60s Hildur moved with her parents from the big family house on Thompson Street to a smaller bungalow on West Peru. Her parents’ health declined and she became their primary caretaker. Her mother was in a wheelchair having had one leg amputated, and her father was eventually bedridden as a double amputee. After both Herman and Cecelia died, Hildur lived in a high rise apartment building in Princeton. This seemed very cosmopolitan to my younger self. I remember visiting her in her apartment and the rooms all seemed quite small—to me and my three energetic siblings. I’m sure there was plenty of room for her when we all left!

Hildur Peterson in her apartment

Here is what I remember about Hildur: She seemed very “proper,” but kind. She always wore dresses and hose, and sat with her legs properly crossed. She was a mean Scrabble player but would play with us anyway. She always remembered our birthdays with a card and small cash gift. She visited family back in Sweden at least once and kept in touch with them as well. She had a good sense of humor but was a staunch teetotaler and never went with the rest of us to Rip’s in Ladd, Illinois (Rip’s served the best chicken anywhere but were located in a bar).

Nina, the second Peterson child, was born in 1903 and died in 1989. (I wish I had a picture of Nina as a young woman) She never lived outside of Bureau County. Nina married Conrad Johnson in 1927.

Princeton Bureau County Tribune, 25 March, 1927, p. 8

I imagine that they were a popular couple because the newspaper reported that 40 of their friends gave them a charivari after they were married. Conrad was a farmer and raised Angus beef cows, a lucrative business. Conrad and Nina had four sons: Roland, Robert (Bob), Lyle and Doug. Roland and Bob went into farming also and lived around Princeton, too. I can’t remember what Roland farmed but Bob raised pigs. Lyle died tragically of spinal meningitis when he was in college. Doug suffered brain damage when he was born and lived with his parents all his life.

During the early years of their marriage Conrad and Nina lived on farms northeast of Princeton, but sometime in the 1940s or '50s they moved to a farm south of Princeton. When Conrad retired from farming they built a ranch house next door to his farm house, and it was also right across the road from Grandma and Grandpa’s house. When we visited Conrad and Nina’s, we always had cookies or some sort of homemade dessert on glass snack plates with glass cups for the punch. My brother and I sat as quietly as we could, finished our cookies and answered the adults’ questions, and then we were allowed to go down into the basement—oh, joy!—where we played with the pool table and the shuffleboard court which was painted on the floor.

Lillian Peterson Stickel, Nina Peterson Johnson, Sylvia Nelson Peterson, Hildur Peterson

By staying in Princeton, Hildur, Nina and Harry kept the home fires burning for other family members to come back. I know the family often celebrated a traditional Swedish Christmas Eve dinner together. The bonds between the Peterson siblings always seemed strong and sincere, and I'm sure that having a place to “come home to” has a lot to do with that. Thanks you, Hildur, Nina and Harry, for staying close to home.

The Peterson home on Thompson Avenue
where Herman and Cecilia raised their children

The Peterson home on West Peru.
Hildur lived here with her parents Herman and Cecilia.
The porch was not enclosed when they lived here.