O. P. PETERSON DEAD
Passes to the Great Beyond After Short Illness on July 5, 1911 in Page County, Iowa. One of Our Oldest Settlers. Leaves Wife and Ten Children
It was certainly a sudden blow to the people of Essex, Iowa and vicinity yesterday when the word was passed around that Olof P. Peterson was dead. It was known by his friends and members of the family that he was not in the best of health, but it was not thought that he was dangerously ill.
He was taken suddenly ill Sunday night and it was thought would expire before a physician could get to him, but he rallied however and had been getting better and was able to be up and around. Wednesday night between nine and ten o'clock, his attending physician called in to see him and found him sitting up and, as he said, feeling very good. He had eaten very heartily during the day and was in the best of spirits. Shortly after the doctor left, the family retired for the night and had not been in bed but a short time when he laid his arm on his wife. Mrs. Peterson asked him to take his arm away for it was so hot. He did not answer her request and she noticed his breathing was very irregular. She at once arose and getting a light saw that he was dying. She called Grover who was asleep in another part of the house. He came at once and called the physician, but he was dead before he arrived. The cause of death being heart failure.
Olaf P. Peterson, for many years one of the prominent Swedish agriculturists of Page County, Iowa, had been identified with its history since 1875. He was born July 26, 1840, in Blekings, Sweden. He was 24 years of age when he landed in Quebec, Canada. He proceeded at once to Chicago and continued his journey to Knoxville, Illinois, where his brother Swan was living. This was in 1864; he began working on a farm, but in the fall of the same year he went to Tennessee and took a government position which he held of nine months. Returning at the end of that period to Knoxville where he engaged in teaming which he followed for eight months.
On April 20, 1866, Mr. Peterson was married to Sarah C. Nelson, who had emigrated from Sweden to America with their family in 1852.
To this union were born ten children, five girls and five boys, all of whom are living and are left to mourn with their mother the loss of their father. They are: Chase H. of Wausa, Nebraska, John A. of near Essex, Mrs. August Skalberg of Wausa, Nebraska, Geo. W. of Essex, Iowa, Mrs. August Strom of this place, Mrs. Leonard Bloomquist of Wewela, South Dakota, Mrs. Frank Strom, Anton L., Mrs. Oscar Freeman, and Grover all of Essex, Page County, Iowa.
After his marriage, Mr. Peterson came to Iowa and bought land in Webster County, on which he lived for seven years when he returned to Knoxville, Illinois, but after only two years residence there he came back to Iowa, settling on a farm east of Essex in Page County, Iowa, where the family lived for a number of years, where the children were raised and educated and some of them married and settled down in homes of their own.
A few years ago Mr. and Mrs. Peterson left the farm in the hands of some of the children and came to town where they built a fine home and during the past years have lived comfortably on the fruits of their hard labor in their younger years.
Mr. Peterson was a self-made man and an intelligent and trusted citizen; he has held many positions of trust and always had the implicit confidence of all who knew him. He was a consistent member of the Mission Church and assisted liberally in its building and support. He lived a long and useful life, was a good man, loved and respected by all who knew him; he has gone to his reward, passing away at his home Wednesday night at the hour of 10:20 P. M., at the age of 70 years, 11 months, and 10 days.
The funeral will be held tomorrow at the residence at 2:00 P. M., and at the Swedish Mission Church at 2:30 P. M., conducted by Rev. Aug. Polson, the pastor. Essex Cemetery, New Addition, Seventh Row, Lot 8.
Information found in The Essex Independent, July 11, 1911.

Mr. O. P. Peterson died at his home in this city last Wednesday evening from a severe attack of heart disease from which he had suffered since Sunday evening. Mr. Peterson was 70 years of age and has lived in this country about 50 years having come over from Sweden when about 20. He lived first in Illinois where he met Miss Sarah Nelson who afterwards became his wife. They then moved to Norton, Iowa, and then later to this city which has been their home since. Besides his wife, Mr. Peterson leaves to mourn for him, ten children, five boys and five girls, Mrs. Chas. Peterson, and Mrs. Skalberg, who lives in Wausa, Nebraka, Mrs. Bromquist whose home is in Dakota, and John Peterson, Mrs. Strom, J. W. Peterson, Anton Peterson, Mrs. Frank Strom, Mrs. Oscar Freeman, and Grover Peterson, who are all living in or about Essex. The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon in the Swedish Mission Church. Rev. Polson preaching the funeral.
Information found in The Sentinel Post Newspaper, Shenandoah, Friday, July 7, 1911