The Petersen Family

[Jim Garrett]

I don't recall seeing a middle name in reference to William. The house was/is an impressive structure of very high quality workmanship and trim. The Petersens built the house with the intent of using it as a boarding house. During the 1850s, Vice President John C. Breckenridge lived there.

William was a successful taylor. It has often been stated that he had his shop in the basement, but for at least some time, he had a shop on 8th St (I'm pretty sure). During the war, his shop made officer's uniform and their boarding house was always full. With the end of the war, there was no longer much demand for officer's uniforms, so he experienced a decline in the taylor shop. With also with the end of the war, and the closing of Ford's across the street, his boarding business also decline. I wasn't help by the President dying in his house. Lack of business and boarders cause a great loss of income, which the Petersen family never fully recovered from.

BTW Louis Shade was Henry Wirz defense atty.