Tobias Peterson (abt. 1767 - 1838)

Born about Apr 1767 in Årjäng, Värmland, Sweden [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 26 Apr 1838 at about age 71 in Poplar, Mitchell, North Carolina, United States

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Biography

Tobias was born about 1767. Tobias Peterson ... He passed away in 1838. ^[1]

Notes on TOBIAS PETERSON: (Notes by Beth Whitson) Tobias is supposed to have come from Sweden, but so far, no proof of that. Tobias went south to Cumberland County, NC. Finding no free land available, Tobias traveled westward some 200 miles, crossed over the Blue Ridge divide and entered the Cherokee Indian territory that had been opened to settlers in 1778. Choosing a location near the mouth of Hollow Poplar Creek on the southern slope of the Unaka Mountains he erected a cabin home and cleared land. The 1800 Burke Co. US Census lists Tobias Peterson 26-44 years of age, three males under 10 years, one female under 10 and Margaret Ann, age 26-44. Signed Petition for the formation of a New County (Buncombe) in 1791. Signed as Tobyas Peterson. Other signers include Gutredge Garland, John Benit, Stevin Benet, William Benet, Sr., John Masters, John Peterson, Moses Peterson, Peter Peterson, John McKinney, William Benit, Jr., Stevin Benit, Jr. The last time Tobias appeared on a US Census is that of Burke Co., NC, for the year 1820 with family listed as Males 1-1-0-2-0-1 and Females listed as 1-0-2-0-0-2. Tobias, according to old letters, was a gunsmith as well as a carpenter, blacksmith, hunter and farmer. A tradition among the descendants of Tobias’ oldest son, MOSES PETERSON, b. 1794, relates that Tobias made flintlock rifles for JOHN SEVIER (see TIPTON line) for his militia. Tombstone of Tobias reads: 1767. Died April 26, 1838. First white settler of Poplar Creek. Ancestor of all Mitchell and Yancey County Petersons.

Here is an 1853 letter (transcript) from Daniel Peterson to Polly Peterson, daughter of Tobias that gives the Peterson genealogy. Tobias Peterson was the son of Paul Peterson who was from Switzerland. The letter gives all of Tobias brothers and sisters. Tobias' brother John b.1759 was born in PA. Tobias was most likely born 1767 in Catawba County. He lived on Horseford Creek that flows north into Catawba River. The Hickory Crawdad baseball stadium sits on Horseford Creek in Hickory. This letter was included in a box of letters once owned by Polly Peterson. The letter was part of a collection of letters from the 1850s and 1860s. The Polly Peterson bible that I (Terry Edwards) own came from this same collection. I have a scanned copy of the letter that you may look at. I do not have permission to distribute the copy. I also have a copy / picture of a small trifold pocket book owned by Tobias Peterson. Tobias wrote both in English and German. His writings showed he was a blacksmith

Catawba View P.O. June 20th, 1853

Caldwell County, NC To Miss Polly Peterson

Dear cousin, Your kind and affectionate letter of the 23rd, ult (?) duly arrived and is now before me and to which I have now commenced scribbling off an answer. As is customary, I inform you in the first place that we are all enjoying the same blessing.

You say in your letter that you have been sorely afflicted. I truly sympathize with you in all your afflictions and would be very glad to hear of you enjoying good health. Your condition is truly a “pitable” one even in the best of health but your affliction doubtless proceeds from a kind and beneficent hand and as such you ought to resign yourself submissively to the Will of Him who is the disposer of all events. You might also take courage and feel firmly assured that you are one of his beloved ones because it is that “The Lord loveth whome he chasteneth” and as this is the case you can still be thankful to God because he has not left you without a good supply of reasonable, or rather, reasoning faculties by which you are enable to read and meditate upon the Holy, and thus your soul can soar aloft and traverse the regions of the Bliss, Immortality, Felicity with as ample scope as those who enjoy the free use and command of all the members belonging to the physical body. Not withstanding you are at least to a considerable extent deprived of their healthy action, but permit me to say that it is but a very short time, even if we were thus afflicted from our infancy, until this mortality shall put on immortality and consequently, no deformity of person, but all will be perfection and beauty and Holliness but it is common and natural for all of us to complain and murmur at every slight visitation of the afflictive hand of Providence but we must try to quite “grumbling”.

You said that cousin Hiram was at a loss to know where to direct a letter to me or the name of the post office. I named it as you justly remark at the beginning of my letter, as I have also done again. I would like to receive a letter from cousin Hiram. I have been very much afraid that I had offended him because I could not call upon him when I was out among you all, but it was with me about that like it was with you about writing to me, it was not because I had no anxiety to do so but it was because I could not at that time bestow that favor, if indeed a favor it might be called, upon him. I would like for him to excuse me and I would be glad to see the manner in which he does it put in a letter and sent to “Catawba View P.O.”i.e. if he cant come on the South Side of the Blue Ridge and inform me of his willingness to excuse which I of course would much rather see than a letter but to see neither him nor his letter is a little too bad, and it is not only the case with him but some more of them might spend time enough to take a journey upon the wings of science and visit me and all the rest of our folks. You know Polly that I took it upon myself to tramp over all the rough and rocky mountains, and paid you all (except Hiram) a visit and have since written to him and not the first one has ever written the first syllable to me yet! But as I have since moved they are probably at a loss to know where to address me. If this be the case they are of course excusable. Catawba View ( Catawba View P.O. Caldwell County NC) is my present post office address. You will please remind cousin Peter and his family of it and also cousin Hiram and don’t forget to say something about it to the Millers. Tell them and all the rest of our folks in Yancey that I am still in the land of mortality and would be happy at any time to see any of them come over and see where I suffer. I am at this time about 8 miles from fathers and have not seen any of them since I saw your letter. If you wish to write to father, his P.O. is his Newton and so is brother John’s, sister Rhoda, the youngest child is at this time in Morganton going to school. We received a letter from her some since and she wishes to know how to back letters to the Petersons in Yancey. Letters written to her or any of the rest of our folks from any of our folks in Yancey will be thankfully received. Brother J.G.Peterson, the doctor is also living in Morganton and was lately married to Miss Louisa Scott, a daughter of Joseph Scott. Brother David Peterson was at last accounts living in Greenville, SC. He is a printer by trade and was working at the business some time since. Cousin J.R.Peterson the preacher lives near Lincolnton, hence that is his post office, cousin Charles, a brother to J.R.P. is also a son of Henry Peterson is working at his trade, viz Black Smith in the town of Marion nearer to Yancey than any of the rest of us.

Paul, Joseph, and John Peterson are the 3 Petersons that came from Switzerland, Europe. Paul was your grandfather and was buried about one and a half miles from where I was born and raised. This is what my father (Samuel) says about the matter but where he lived and raised his family, I know not. I will however try to find out. Paul Peterson had 8 children viz. Matthias, John, Peter, Tobias, Priscilla, Susannah, Sally, and Hannah. Of these, John & Peter migrated to Pacolet SC. Hannah married James Brown and also moved to Pacolet SC. Priscilla married Matthias Bullinger and moved to Missouri. Susannah married George Seitz lived and raised a family and died in the neighborhood where I was raised. I saw her when she was living and saw her when she was a corpse. Sally married Thomas Fisher, raised a family and also died in this country. This is all I know of our ancestors at this time. If you know anything more or if this is not correct, you will please transmit the information, I am not positive that I am correct. I am just telling you what my father told me. I must now close. I remain as ever your affectionate cousin.

Daniel Peterson

Tobias was born in 1767. He passed away in 1838.

Sources

1. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by Larry Arrowood, Sunday, July 20, 2014. Replace this citation if there is another source.

• 1800 Burke Co., NC, US Census
• Petition of formation of Buncombe County 1791
• 1820 Burke Co., NC, US Census
• 1853 letter (transcript) from Daniel Peterson to Polly Peterson, daughter of Tobias that gives the Peterson genealogy.
• Ancestry.com