Henry Peterson Jr (1798 - 1848)

Ancestors

Husband of Annie Stickley (Sirk) Peterson — married 10 Sep 1821 in Virginia

Died 13 Aug 1848 at age 49 in Nicholas County, Kentucky

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Biography

Son of Henry Peterson Sr., and Asenath Peterson. Born September 14, 1798. Died August 13, 1848, with typhoid fever at Morningglory, Nicholas County, Kentucky, and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. He married Annie Stickly Sirk in Virginia, September 10, 1821, and moved to Kentucky in 1823 with his brother, Peter Lawrence Peterson. He and his wife became homesick and only stayed a few months and went back to Virginia and lived near Flatwood and in October, 1831, he returned to Kentucky on a flat-boat which he built, bringing with him his wife and four children: Henry Willis Peterson, Forest Williamson Peterson, Asenath Jane Peterson and Ballard Smith Peterson. With two horses, stones and irons for a water mill floated out of Virginia on some stream and down the Ohio River, landing at Augusta Kentucky, where he sold his boat and went back about twenty miles south of Clayville, where his brother, Peter Lawrence Peterson lived, and they built a water-mill, the first one in the northern part of Kentucky.

RECOLLECTIONS One horse he brought with him on the boat, appeared to be sick and would not eat after they arrived in Kentucky, and in about two weeks he got out and went back to Virginia, it was six weeks before he arrived there and afterwards they shipped him back to Kentucky by boat, and he lived to be thirty-two years old. His name was Dick. Henry Peterson Jr., then moved to Nicholas County and built a water mill on Beaver, two miles north of Morningglory, and then moved from there, one mile south of this mill and built a Tread-mill where he ground corn, wheat and sawed lumber by a tramp wheel, operated by horses. He built a home and lived there until his death. This mill was known for over sixty years as “Peterson’s Old Mill”. He was six feet five or six inches tall and very active. After his death his sons operated the mill and put in steam-power and furnished flour, meal and lumber for miles around and during the winter months ground for six distillers. Henry Peterson Jr., was a very religious man and was what was at that time called “Class Leader in the Methodist Church.” He had a good education, being a surveyor as well as a Millwright and a mechanic. He took active part in politics, was a Whig and was the only person in that part of the County that took a newspaper. He got their mail at Millersburg, Bourbon County, Kentucky, and would send after their mail once a week, a distance of nine miles. He was considered one of the best citizens in the community. He sawed lumber and built the first church, known as Old Mount Pleasant Church, in Harrison County, Kentucky. Henry Peterson Jr., and Samuel J. Peterson were the first Petersons to leave Maryland and go to Virginia for the purpose of building a courthouse, and while there Henry Peterson Jr., met Annie Stickley Sirk at church and after a short courtship they married.

Sources

• Historical and genealogical account of the Peterson family Barnard, Mo., Rush Printing Co., 1926