WWI bride from Grantham, Mrs. Hans Petersen

[Yeates]

I’m not sure where to place this as I don’t have a maiden name for this lady, and I don’t see a forum for the town of Grantham, so "General Forum" it is----

My grandmother kept scrapbooks in the 1940s as she and my grandfather were involved in the Veterans of Foreign Wars work. I have come across an informative newspaper article (dated May 31, 1948 in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA newspaper) which might be of interest to a descendent of the subject of this article. It tells of the return to England after 26 years of a WWI war bride. Unfortunately, only her married name is given, and her home town of Grantham. Anyone who is related to Mrs. Petersen is going to have to recognize her from so little information. Here is a paragraph from the article:

Mrs. Petersen was a girl of 18 when she first met her husband, a crew chief in the Ninth Aero squadron. Petersen was stationed at an airfield near her home town, Grantham, about 100 miles from London.

Evidently, being so young, Mrs. Petersen did not immediately marry her soldier. The article continues: A year more on her age, and her reluctance overcome, Mrs. Petersen sailed for America on the SS President Adams…She and Peterson were married in August, 1922, in Iowa, where he was then living, and moved to Minneapolis in 1925.

If anyone recognizes Mrs. Petersen as being from their family, I would be pleased to scan and provide a copy of the article which includes a good photo of her. If so, please contact me privately.

[Coromandel]

Hello Yeates, it's good to see you around again

Those scrapbooks sound fascinating. I thought it might help to check the 1930 US census for Minneapolis. Unfortunately there are several people called Hans Peterson or Petersen there. I have started looking at each one in turn (on the transcripts on FamilySearch) to see whether any of them had English wives. I've found one so far:

Hans P. Peterson had a wife called Florence A.; she is shown in 1930 as aged 30, born England, plus four children aged 6, 3, 0, 0; her immigration year is given as 1921. Her husband was born in Iowa c.1894, of Danish parentage. The Iowa link is nice and the age of the children would fit with a 1922 marriage. However, I go on checking through the others in case there are any other likely ones.

[blue eyes]

A possible for Mrs Peterson.

Ship Name President Adams
Arrival date Aug 15 1922

Florence Draper
Age 22
Birth location Grantham
Occupation waitress
Final destination Kimbolton, Iwoa

Last permanent address London

Aunt Mrs. Mason,
15, Lancaster Road,
Stround Green.

I cant see anything on the image thats says birth place Grantham other than the transcription.

[Coromandel]

FamilySearch has a marriage at Kimballton, Audubon, Iowa on 22 August 1922 of Hans Peter Pederson and Florence Alice Draper. The entry gives Florence's birthplace as Sheffield, England, her age as 23, and her parents as Henry Draper and Sofy Reed.

Birthplace Sheffield, not Grantham, unfortunately. But it may be worth checking Florence out further, as none of the other Hans Petersons/Petersons in Minneapolis in 1930 had an English wife as far as I can tell from FamilySearch.

P.S. but things are looking more promising now that I've seen Julie's post.

[blue eyes]

There are 2 Florence Alice Drapers birth registrations for Sheffield. Oct/Nov Dec 1899 and Jul/Aug/Sep 1902.

[blue eyes]

Florence Draper born Sheffield abt 1900 parents Henry and Sophia are living in the Grantham area in 1911.

[Coromandel]

The entry gives Florence's birthplace as Sheffield, England, her age as 23, and her parents as Henry Draper and Sofy Reed.

Henry Edward Draper married in the Grantham district in the last quarter of 1896, and there's a Sophia Reed on the same page. It looks like they were in the Sheffield area in 1901 but then returned to Grantham. A Sheffield-born Florence Draper, aged 11, was in the Grantham district in 1911 . . . and the other Drapers in the same household were H.E. (aged 38), Sophia (37) and Frank (13).

Edit, sorry I cross-posted with you Julie. Looks like this must be the future Mrs Peterson!

[RayBuck]

This may be a long shot
There was a Florence Draper age 22 , a Waitress sailed on the “President Adams” as a passenger from London 5th April 1922 arriving New York 15th August 1922 , she gave here nearest relative as Aunt Mrs Mason 15 Lancaster Road Stroud Green, her final destination was Kimballton Iowa, she was to join a friend Mr Kristan Pedersen ( spelt as typed) Kimballton Iowa her place of birth given as Grantham England

[blue eyes]

Well after all that found Florence and Hans on the Iowa State Census 1836-1925.

Hans Peterson
Florence A Peterson (submitted name of Draper, father Henry Edward Draper, mother Sophia Reed)
Doreen Peterson daughter age 1

[Coromandel]

The Minnesota Death Index on Ancestry has the death in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on 15 Dec. 1977 of Florence A. Petersen (born 27 Aug. 1899). Mother's maiden name Draper [this seems to be an error: it was her own maiden name that was Draper].

Her husband may be the Hans P. Peterson in the same index, dates given as 13 Jan. 1894 to 11 Nov. 1961. His mother's maiden name is shown as Mortensen: I think one of the FamilySearch records about him gave his mother as Anna Mortensen?

Hans P. Petersen, 'Cpl US Army World War I' was buried at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis according to the 'US Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006' database on Ancestry. His d.o.b. is given as 13 Jan. 1894, death date as 1 Jan. 1961 (!) and interment date as 14 Nov. 1961. Buried at 'Section D Site 1173'.

I was surprised to find Florence A. Peterson in the same database, Service info: 'Cpl US Army';
born 27 Aug 1899, died 15 Dec 1977, interred 19 Dec. 1977; wife of Hans P. Petersen; Buried at 'Section D Site 1174'.