So Far Away (#52Ancestors, Week 5)

I’ve been writing about the Peterson siblings, children of Herman and Cecelia Peterson of Princeton, Illinois. Princeton was “home base” for the Petersons and even those who moved away came back often for family events and holiday celebrations. Some like Hildur, Nina and Harry lived in Princeton virtually all their lives. Others moved away but not too far: Lillian lived in Putnam, Illinois, with her husband Theodore “Red” Stickel and children; Helen lived in Peoria with her husband Max Puttcamp and their children; and Gilbert also lived in Peoria with his wife Jane and, after Jane’s death, Claire, plus their two daughters.

Then there were the Petersons who moved far away. I knew (or thought I knew) that Elmer lived in Idaho, and Alice Ruth worked in Washington, D. C. They should be interesting subjects for my Week 5 post, I thought. But I didn’t know much about either of them and research was spotty. Here is what I know or have found out.

 

Elmer was the second son and the sixth child of Herman and Cecilia Peterson. He graduated from Princeton High School in 1930 and worked on the family farm for a while. He also worked in Peoria for a while. In 1936 he married his high school sweetheart, Sylvia Nelson. They lived and worked on Sylvia’s dad’s farm east of Princeton. When Elmer retired they moved back into Princeton and Elmer worked as a carpenter. Elmer and Sylvia had two sons and one of them, Jim, went to Boise, Idaho. Jim married and had children, and I’m guessing that Elmer and Sylvia moved to Idaho to be closer to his family. Elmer died in Idaho but is buried in Princeton. 

 

Alice Ruth was the baby of the family, born in 1920. She is described as the one who kept everyone in a happy mood; she was fun, pretty and well-liked by everyone who knew her. After high school graduation Alice went to work in a law office in Princeton but she had bigger plans than staying around town. Alice talked to a recruiter, took the civil service test, and got herself a job in Washington, D.C., working as an Administrative Assistant in the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. While there she met and married an army career man named Howard Stevenson. For a time they lived in Germany, earning Alice the distinction of being the only Peterson child to live outside the country. Alice’s first child, a daughter, was born in Germany, and then Alice had two sons who were born in the United States. Alice died of cancer when her children were still young. Thankfully, her memory her memory has been preserved by her loving family. Alice will show up again in at least one more post this year.