Wilhelm Nicolai Petersen (1857 - 1921)

Born 8 Sep 1857 in Süderhohlweg, Schleswig-Flensburg, Denmark

Ancestors

Husband of Mette Marie Elise (Rohlffs) Petersen — married 20 Jun 1885 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Jan 1921 at age 63 in Ewa, Honolulu, Hawaii Territory, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Robert Haviland [send private message]

Biography

Wilhelm Nicolai "William Niclai" Petersen son of Ludwig Petersen and Cristina (Antonsen) Petersen, born in Süderhohlweg, Schleswig-Flensburg, Denmark (based on baptism place; present day Germany), 8 September 1857; died in Ewa, Honolulu County, Hawaii Territory, 19 January 1921, age 63; buried in the Lihue Lutheran Cemetery, Lihue, Kauai County, Hawaii Territory; sugar boiler, foreman sugar mill; Freemason; married in San Francisco, California, 19 Jun 1885, Mary Metta Rohlffs. [See below for sources]

Timeline

Contemporary, non-family events are indented.

1857, Sep 8. Birth of William Niclai Petersen in Süderhohlweg, Schleswig-Flensburg, Denmark (present day Germany). Place of birth is based on baptism location.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

1857, Sep 25. Baptism of Wilhelm in Adelby Parish, Süderhohlweg, Schleswig-Flensburg, Denmark (present day Germany).^[1]

1882. William Niclai Petersen immigrates to the United States disembarking at New York.^[6][7]

1885, Jun 19. Marriage of William Niclai Petersen and Metta Mary Rohlffs in San Francisco, California.^[4][5][8]

1886, Apr. Birth of daughter Fanny Henrietta Petersen at Paauhau, Hamakua District, Island of Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii.

1887. King Kalakaua signed the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Wikipedia.

1887, Jun 21. Birth of son William "Billy" Christian Petersen at Paauhau, Hamakua District, Island of Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii.

1888, Jul. Birth of son Fredrick Petersen, Kingdom of Hawaii.

1891. Death of King Kalakaua. Kalakaua's sister Queen Lili'uokalani succeeds her brother. She was the last monarch of Hawaii. Wikipedia

1892, Aug 12. Birth of daughter Meta Christine Petersen at Paauhau, Hamakua District, Island of Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii.

1893, Jan. Queen Lili'uokalani overthrown and replaced by a provisional government. The provisional government was subsequently replaced by an independent republic on July 4, 1894. This lasted until 12 August 1898 when Hawaii became a territory of the United States. Wikipedia

1900. Hawaii population was 154,001 (About 25% Hawaiian/part-Hawaiian; 40% Japanese; 16% Chinese; 12% Portuguese; 5% other Caucasian. Wikipedia

1900, Jun 21. U.S. Census. Petersen renting in Hamakua District, Island of Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands. Head of household William Petersen, Ca [Caucasian], born September 1857 Germany, age 42, married 15 years, parents born Germany, immigrated 1885, 15 years in Hawaiian Islands, alien, sugar boiler.^[4] William was working in the sugar mill on the Big Island of Hawaii while his wife and family had relocated to Honolulu, Island of Oahu.

1903, Jan 1. First message sent over the newly laid Pacific Cable which linked Waikiki to San Francisco. Hawaiian Historical Society.

1903. "Orville Wright travels 40 yards in the first successful powered flight, at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina." History World.

1910. Hawaii population was 191,874. Wikipedia

1910, May 20. U.S. Census. The Peterson family renting a house in Aiea [Ewa side], Honolulu, Hawaii Territory. Head of household William N. Peterson, OC [other Caucasian], age 52, married 24 years, born about 1858 Germany, parents born Germany, immigrated 1883, naturalized, foreman sugar mill; wife Mary, OC, age 52, married 24 years, four children and four living, born about 1858 Germany, parents born Germany, immigrated 1882; daughter Meta, OC, age 17, single, born about 1893 Hawaiian Islands, parents born Germany.^[5]

1913, Feb 3. The 16th Amendment to the Constitution made income tax a permanent part of the United States tax system. Wikipedia

1914 – 1918. World War I. "With five major European nations committed within a few days to hostilities, World War I begins." History World.

1917, Apr 6. "Woodrow Wilson, president of the USA, declares war on Germany." History World.

1919, Jan 29. Ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors brought in the period known as the Prohibition. Prohibition ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution in 1933 which repealed the 18th Amendment. History.com

1920. Hawaii population was 255,881 (About 42.7% of the population is of Japanese descent). Wikipedia

1920. "The Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees women the right to vote." History World.

1920, Jan 7. U.S. Census. The Petersen family renting in Aiea Village, Ewa District, Honolulu, Hawaii Territory. Head of household William Petersen, OC [other Caucasian], age 62, married, immigrated 1882, naturalized citizen, born Germany, parents born Germany, sugar boiler at sugar mill; wife Mary, OC, age 63, married, immigrated 1881, naturalized citizen 1902, born Germany, parents born Germany; daughter Meta Nickelson, OC, age 27, married, born Hawaii, parents born Germany; granddaughter Dajmar, OC, age 6, born Hawaii, father born England, mother born Hawaii; granddaughter Betty, OC, age 4-3/12, born Philippines, father born England, mother born Hawaii; granddaughter Carlin, OC, age 1-10/12, born Philippines, father born England, mother born Hawaii.^[7]

1921, Jan 19. Death of William Niclai Petersen at Ewa, Honolulu, Hawaii Territory.^[3][9]. William was cremated on 20 January 1921 and buried 23 January 1921 in the Masonic plot at the Lihue Lutheran Cemetery, Lihue, Kauai County, Hawaii Territory.^[3] Notice the Masonic Square and Compass at the top of his gravestone.

William's Obituary.

William N. Petersen Funeral services for the late William N. Petersen, who died at his home in Aiea, this island, last Wednesday, will be held at 3 o’clock this afternoon in Masonic Temple, interment of the ashes to be in the Masonic plot in Nuuanu cemetery. The body was cremated last Thursday, when a private service was held for the members of the family.
William Niclai Petersen was born in Flensburg, Germany, September 8, 1857, and was 63 years old at the last birthday. He came to mainland United States when a young man and later to Hawaii and during the last 36 years resided in the Islands. He was for some time at Paauhau, Hamakua, Hawaii, and the past few years was a sugar-boiler with the Honolulu Plantation Company at Aiea. He had been ill the past 18 months and was bed-ridden the last 10 months.
Surviving the deceased are the widow and four children. The children who are all adults, are Mrs. O. R. Olsen, W. C. Petersen, Fred N. Petersen, and Mrs. Theodore Nickelsen, the last named being at present a resident of Manila.^[10]

1922, May 11. Commercial radio broadcasting began in Honolulu with two stations, KGU and KDYX. Hawaiian Historical Society

Children of William and Mary

1. Fanny Henrietta Petersen, born, April 1886, Paauhau, Hamakua, Island of Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii.
2. William Christian "Billy" Petersen, born 21 June 1887, Paauhau, Hamakua, Island of Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii.
3. Fredrick Petersen, born July 1888, Kingdom of Hawaii.
4. Meta Christine Petersen, born 12 August 1892, Paauhau, Hamakua, Island of Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii.

DNA Information

DNA testing of a paternal line great-great-grandson of William Niclai Petersen indicated the haplogroup R-Y13202.^[11] This is a subset of the major haplogroup R1b (R-M343). "R1a and R1b now define substantial fractions of the populations west of the Ural mountains. The 'original' R1b SNP, M343, probably arose less than 20000 years ago, still in the Russian steppe. Although they didn't begin to migrate westwards until much later, the destinies of both R1a and R1b in Europe were still intertwined. It is likely that these two populations were both contained by the glacial snowline, which they ultimately followed westwards."^[12]

Sources

Notes

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Archion.
2. ↑ State of Hawaii Department of Health, Certificate of Marriage for William Peterson, Jr. and Annie Akina, Certificate No. 151 1909-000490.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Find A Grave Memorial # 132867199.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} 1900 United States Federal Census, database online, Year: 1900; Census Place: Hamakua, Hawaii, Hawaii Territory; Roll: 1833; Page: 30B; Enumeration District: 0047; FHL microfilm: 1241833, Ancestry.com.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} 1910 United States Federal Census, database online, Year: 1910; Census Place: Aiea, Honolulu, Hawaii Territory; Roll: T624_1753; Page: 34A; Enumeration District: 0051; FHL microfilm: 1375766, Ancestry.com.
6. ↑ Staatsarchiv Hamburg.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} 1920 United States Federal Census, database online, Year: 1920; Census Place: Ewa, Honolulu, Hawaii Territory; Roll: T625_2034; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 56; Image: 654, Ancestry.com
8. ↑ Oakland Tribune
9. ↑ "Hawaii Deaths and Burials, 1862-1919," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWZD-T6T : 8 December 2014), William N. Peterson, 19 Jan 1921; citing Ewa Township, Honolulu, Hawaii, reference 2278; FHL microfilm 1,712,325.
10. ↑ The Pacific Commercial Advertiser.
11. ↑ Family Tree DNA.
12. ↑ U106 explored: its relationships, geography and history, Report to the U106 group, Mar 2016 edition, Principal investigator: Iain McDonald.

Bibliography

• Archion. | Family Research With Archion. Protestant Church Records Online, Evangelical Church of Germany. Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evang.-Luth. Kirche, Kirchenkreis Schleswig-Flensburg, Adelby, Taufen 1845-1863, Image 147

Adelby Parish Baptisms 1857, p.289, no.113. Born 8 Sept 1857, Bapt. 25 Sept 1857, Wilhelm Nicolai Petersen, son of Ludvig Wilhelm Petersen in Süderhohlweg and his wife, Christine Margaretha nee Antonsen. Witnesses: Peter Jorgensen, Nicolai Thomsen and Anna Christina Thayren.

• Oakland Tribune. Oakland, CA. Saturday, 20 Jun 1885, p 7.

• The Pacific Commercial Advertiser (now the Honolulu Advertiser). Honolulu, HI. Sunday, 23 Jan 1921, p 6.

• Staatsarchiv Hamburg; Hamburg, Deutschland; Hamburger Passagierlisten; Volume: 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 046 A; Page: 1569; Microfilm No.: K_1728. database online, Ancestry.com. (Original data: Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Bestand: 373-7 I, VIII (Auswanderungsamt I). Mikrofilmrollen K 1701 - K 2008, S 17363 - S 17383, 13116 - 13183.).

Name: Wilh Petersen; Departure Age: 25; Residence Place: Borby, Schleswig; Departure Date: 28 Aug 1882; Departure Place: Hamburg, Deutschland (Germany); Arrival Place: New York; Occupation: Tischler; Ship Name: Bohemia; Captain: Pezoldt; Shipping Line: Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft; Ship Type: Dampfschiff; Ship Flag: Deutschland; Accommodation: Zwischendeck; Volume: 373-71, VIII A 1 Band 046 A.

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to Christopher Nohrden for his research on the Petersen family on Archion.