At the Cronk Road farm (l-r) Susan Shafer Peterson, Thomas S. Peterson,
Layfayette Peterson, Frank and Minnie (Cleveland) Peterson (near the turn of the century).

     
   
Thomas had moved with his parents to a farm on West Bacon in 1836, at the age of 13.

That farm is now the residence of the Clingan family.

Frank was the youngest of three children of Thomas and Susan (Shafer) Peterson and was born July 11, 1868.
His father purchased this farm in 1853 from Jacob Heeter.

Frank's brother, Ambrose Peterson, was born in 1850; his sister, Mary Margaret, was born in 1857.

His parents, Thomas and Susan, passed on in 1900 and 1910.

Frank farmed there as long as he was able. He married Minnie Isador Cleveland in 1897. They lived on this farm all the rest of their years. They were parents of Angelia and Thomas W. Peterson who were born in 1899 and 1900. This farm is in Section 23. Allen Township.  

CLICK HERE for younger photos of Frank and Minnie Peterson (and family). 

CLICK HERE for to read a handwritten letter from Frank Peterson to his mother (Susan Shafer Peterson)
                                                                                on December 30, 1900 (when Angelia and Tom were still babies).

                Frank and Minnie Peterson on their 50th Anniversary

 Their son, Thomas W. Peterson, made his home at the farm
 all his life as well.


 Angelia married Robert White Patterson in 1926.

 They were the parents of Richard Thomas born in 1929 and
 Sally Joan born in 1934.

 They resided on Rippon Avenue in Hillsdale.

 Robert W. passed away in 1938. In 1972, Angelia married
 Seward A. Green and resided on his farm until May 1975. Seward passed away in 1974 after a long and very busy life devoted to fruit growing. This Peterson farm was first bought from the U.S. Government July 24. 1835 by Levi Baxter, Jr. 1836 he sold it to Samuel and Lucy Orion on September 16. 1847. They sold it to Jacob Heeter. The brick house was built in the 1860s.

 

A look to generations past...

The parents of Thomas Seward Peterson moved to their home on West Bacon Road in 1836.

 His father was James Peterson, born in 1791 and his mother was Mary Warren Peterson.

James and Mary Peterson were the parents of

Guilma,

Elouise,

Charles,

James,

Eladsit,

Thomas Seward,

Lafayette,

Mary,

and Francis.

Thomas was the sixth child. They moved here from New York State.





Susan Shafer married Thomas S. Peterson on October 1, 1847.

                             

          
 Susan Shafer Peterson (photo: June, 1898);  deceased: 1910                 Thomas Seward Peterson (76) died on June 8, 1900

CLICK HERE to read a handwritten letter from Frank Peterson to his mother (Susan Shafer Peterson)
                       six months after Thomas Seward died. Susan was visiting her daughter, Mary, in Los Angeles.

 
    Susan (Shafer) Peterson at the Cronk Road Farm


Thomas and Susan's son, Ambrose, was born on a farm on Bacon Road (later owned by Wilford Huffman).
The Peterson family moved to the farm on Cronk Road and Mary was born on April 6, 1857.

They occupied the first house that was built there. There were trees to be cut to clear the land. A barn and some other buildings were already there. Later, on July I I, 1868, Frank was born and occupied the farm all his life.

Frank's brother, Ambrose married Carrie Campbell. They were parents of Leta May, now married to Fred Blackmar, a dentist. She is (at time of writing) 92 years old.

Frank's sister, Mary Margaret Peterson, married Dr. William Brown and they lived for years in Los Angeles, California (now deceased).

School District No. 6. (Allen Township) was later known as Maple Grove is perhaps the only stone schoolhouse in Allen Township. It is now the home of Mrs. Donald Blaker. This school district has con­stantly been occupied by some of the Peter­son family since 1836. How many other families in Hillsdale County have been there that long?

District 6 Maple Grove School on Cronk Road, Hillsdale County, Michigan

back left to right:

  LeaVan Fleet, Karl Eyer, Merle Blount,
       Emily Donnelly (teacher), Beulah Thatcher

front left to right:

  Marvin Bishop, Wayne Wright, Thomas W. Peterson,
  Melvin Dush, Flossie Blount and Angelia Peterson

written by:

Angelia Peterson Patterson Green

uploaded by:

Robert Gordon Patterson (her grandson)

        CLICK HERE for additional photographs of Frank and Minnie Peterson (and family) in pastorob's journal.

        CLICK HERE for Angelia (Peterson) Patterson's story as filtered through the life of her grandson.