The Petersen Family

[Lincoln Wonk]

Hi Eva, I'm not certain if Petersen came from Denmark. I didn't realize, until you wrote it, that the "sen" also could be Northern German. William and Anna emigrated from Bremen on the Europa in 1841. They lived in Hanover. In his U.S. naturalization application, William said he was a native of Germany and renounced his former allegiance to the king of Hanover, according to Karen Getzinger. Getzinger said Anna Klomann Petersen was originally from Hepe Darmstadt, Germany.
I noticed all the censuses listed them as from Germany. I saw Petersen and Peterson on records I found, but Concordia Lutheran church records and L.A. tax rolls list them as Petersens. They were buried in Washington City's Prospect Hill Cemetery, which was largely German immigrants.

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Roger, You're right that Mr. Petersen left. Henry Ulke, who boarded at the Petersens' house, said Petersen left soon as he could after the president was carried in. He didn't return until his son Fred fetched him at his shop after the president's death. Kathy