Re: Tobias PETERSON & Margaret Ann MASTERS
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In reply to:
Re: Tobias PETERSON & Margaret Ann MASTERS
Loren Boyd 10/27/07
Terry Edwards, the BEST researcher of the Peterson line that I have met, is convinced that the story of Tobias Peterson being born in Kjolen, Sweden and the son of Charles Mathias Peterson is FALSE.He cites as evidence:
A.The story of Charles Mathias Peterson and Kjolen Sweden has no documentation
B.There were many other adult Petersons in Western North Carolina as early as 1779
C.Kjolen cannot be found on current or historic maps of Sweden
I am attaching all of the data that I have on Tobias, including much from Terry Edwards.
Data (Confirmed Records):==================================================
Signed Petition for the formation of a New County (Buncombe) in 1791.Signed as Tobyas Peterson.Other signers include Gutredge Garland, John Benit, Stevin Benet, William Benet, Sr., John Masters, John Peterson, Moses Peterson, Peter Peterson, John McKinney, William Benit, Jr., Stevin Benit, Jr. (2 - The question is "Who are all these other adult Petersons in North Carolina in 1791??")
"Thomas Paterson m. Martha Peterson, surety-David Eder on 9 April 1787" (5)
"John Peterson m. Fanne Brown, surety - Peter Peterson on Nov 30, 1786" (5)
"Matthias Peterson m. Ketren Rominger, surety-George Fink on Sept. 29, 1779" (5)
"Signed Petition for the formation of a New County (Yancy) in 1825." (3)
"Tobias Peterson died April the 26th 1838" (1)
"Mary Ann Elizabeth Sivilia Peterson died September the 9th 1846" (1) - She has been assumed to be the second wife of Tobias and buried next to him, but this is unconfirmed.
"Grant #858 - 1910 ac on waters of S Fork of Catawba River and waters of Clarks Creek; border:Francis Ring, Matthias & Tobias Peterson, Monsier (sic) Horton, George Sides, on both sides of a road from Lincolnton to Morganton, a white oak marked "LC" & Stoney Creek" (6)
Tobias' Gravesite:===================================================================
Tobias is buried at the "Old Peterson Cemetery"in Poplar, North Carolina.His original stone reads, "T.P. A 1767 A 1838".Terry Edwards erected a new stone in 1983.DIRECTIONS:From Erwin, Tennessee take Route 395 E, which winds around and up the mountain turning into Route 197 S.Take a left onto Poplar Creek Road.Pass Peterson Rd.Turn left into the second driveway on the left.Go behind the house to the left and follow a trail up to the top of the ridge.Everyone in the area is descended from Tobias and knows where the grave is located!! (4)
Some narratives about Tobias (Not all of this data is confirmed):===============================
"Looks like Peter Peterson may be Tobias' father.Peter Peterson was a surety for John Peterson's wedding in 1786.A surety is usually paid by the father of the groom.Peter's children are looking like John, Matthias and Tobias." (A - in letter dated July 22, 1997)
"My grandfather (Augustus "Guss" Peterson) related a history about his Petersonfamily that maybe you should share with Terry. His history did not fit what I had read, so I never took it seriously.I am beginning to think I was wrong to do so.Grandpa died about five years ago but fortunately my mother wrote down what grandpa told her.This history came down "through time" (from grandpa's grandfather) and was not corrupted by "modern research" (of course, this means that a few facts may be mixed up, but I think the names are worth looking into).According to grandpa, Tobia's father was named Robert. Robert had three sons who came to Wilkes County, NC (when I was very little I remember grandpasaying that the three sons came to "Winston-Salem") from Sweden with Germans and Moravians. Grandpa listed the three sons as: Solomon, Tobias and Moses (the Moses grandpa talked about was actually Tobias' son, Moses; so he must have confused the name. Perhaps Moses was the name of Tobias' brother as well as his son)."(D in e-mail dated July 22, 1997)
"Tobias arrived in Buncome County, North Carolina (Later Burke County) around 1800." (E)
"Tobias Peterson was born in April 1767 in Kjolen, Sweden.He died on 26 April 1838 in Hollow Poplar, North Carolina.He has reference number 50.He was one of three brothers, sons of Charles Peterson, who emigrated to England in the early 1780's.They obtained employment in Liverpool in order to earn money for passage to America.Tobias worked in an iron foundry where he learned the trade of making iron tools and guns.When they earned their fare, Tobias and his brothers, Charles & Ananias sailed for America about 1784.Charles settled in NY state, Ananias went west and Tobias went south to Cumberland County, NC where he visited John and Moses Peterson, two earlier immigrants and probably uncles of Tobias.Finding no free land available, Tobias traveled westward some 200 miles, crossed over the Blue Ridge divide and entered the Cherokee Indian territory that had been opened to settlers in 1778.Choosing a location near the mouth of the Hollow Poplar Creek on the southern slope of the Unaka Mountains reminiscent of his native Kjolen Mountains in Sweden, he erected a cabin home and cleared land.One of Tobias' new neighbors was a German immigrant named Henry Masters who had a daughter, Margaret Ann, with whom Tobias fell in love and married.The 1800 Burke County US Census lists Tobias Peterson 26-44 years of age, three males under 10 yrs., one female under 10 and Margaret Ann, age 26-44.Tobias adopted the Dunker faith of his wife and became a Dunker preacher.They gave all five of their sons biblical names.Three of them became ministers, two of them Dunkers and one Baptist.The last time Tobias appeared on a US Census is that of Burke County, NC for the year 1820 with males liested 1-1-0-2-0-1 and females listed 1-0-2-0-0-2.Tobias, according to old letters, was a gunsmith as well as a carpenter, black-smith, hunter and farmer.A tradition among the descendants of Tobias' oldest son, Moses Peterson (b. 1794), relates that Tobias made flintlock rifles for John Sevier for his militia.Another interesting but odd tradition, related by Bergia Peterson Cochran (Mrs. Walter) of Greenback, TN, also a descendent of Tobias was, "Tobias' favorite sport appears to have been fishing.He made for himself a fancy dugout canoe from a white poplar tree for fishing on the Toe River.He liked the canoe so much that he requested that he be buried in it.On day his wife (second wife) came home from helping with an illness in a son's family and found Tobias dead on his workbench in his shop.It is believed that he died while taking a nap.His coffin was made by sawing the canoe in halves and closing the open ends.He was married to Margaret Ann Masters in 1792 in Poplar, NC." (E)
"My Peterson ancestors came from Sweden.Tobias my GGG-grandfather, was born in Stockholme in 1758, came to America at the age of 18, and married Peggy Masters.A genealogical record reveals (if the records are correct) that he was the son of King Charles of Sweden. [The Editor is a bit suprised by this statement.] "(C)
"My grandfather was Augustus Raymond Peterson, born Yancy County 1895.He had an interest in his family and remembered the stories he was told about them as a young boy.He grew up where Moses Peterson had lived on Jack's Creek.As a boy, I remember a couple of stories about the origins of the Peterson family that he would often relate.One story was that Tobias had a favorite canoe that he liked to fish in.When Tobias died (the local folk called him "Bise"), he was buried in that canoe.It was fashioned into a coffin by cutting it in half and closing one half over the other.Another story is that Tobias came to America with two brothers.One of these brothers was a cobbler, Tobias was a gunsmith.I remember that Tobias and maybe the other brothers came to Winston-Salem, NC.At any rate, the three brothers went their separate ways." (D)
Primary Sources:=========================================================
(1)Bible of Polly Peterson, published 1846, in the possession of Terry Edwards
(2)"Legislative Papers 1778-1779", in possession of Terry Edwards, which is a transcript of the petition.
(3)The Heritage of the Toe River Valley, Volume 1, edited by Lloyd Bailey, Article 1, page 1, which is a transcript of the petition.
(4)Gravesite visited by Grant Goodwin Peterson, Sr., Brian J. Deaver, Sr., Brian J. Deaver, II and Terry Edwards on July 11, 1997.
(5)Abstracts of Lincoln County, North Carolina marriage records, provided by Terry Edwards, found at Lincoln County Public Library, Genealogy Section
(6)Lincoln County, North Carolina, Deeds, New Book 4 & Old Books 15 & "401.10", page 70, provided by Terry Edwards, found at Lincoln County Public Library, Genealogy Section
Secondary Sources / Other Researchers:===============================================
(A)Terry Edwards, 410 Pineview Drive, Kings Mountain, North Carolina 28086, 704-739-2223, [email protected]
(B)Don Peterson - Rt 1 Box 271, Green Mountain, NC 28740 - in Families of Yancy County, NC, Volume 5, Issue 4, page 142.
(C)"Heritage of The Toe River Valley", Volume 1, edited by Lloyd Bailey, Article 230, page 179, submitted Marie Elliott Brown, 7 Fern Glade Road, Asheville, NC 28804
(D)Stuart Wilson ([email protected])
(E) CLINTON N. EDWARDS - 1200 E. North Avenue, Johnson City, TN 37601- INTERNET:[email protected] - in Families of Yancy County, NC, Volume 13, Issue 1, page 403, plus his homepage - http://www.geocities.com/heartland/plains/4277http://www.geocities.com/heartland/plains/4277
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Re: Tobias PETERSON & Margaret Ann MASTERS
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Re: Tobias PETERSON & Margaret Ann MASTERS
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Re: Tobias PETERSON & Margaret Ann MASTERS