Tekamah and Vicinity, Noteworthy Men of

after them. The Peterson family packed up their belongings and with an ox team drove down through the canebrake on the bottoms to Tekamah where other settlers had gathered for protection. Nothing came of the scare except the killing of the emigrants near Fontenelle.
   Mr. Peterson experienced the hardships of the winter of '56 and '57 which has become historic for the heavy snow fall. He says there was little or no suffering as everyone had laid in their winter's supplies, hauling them from Council Bluffs. Elk, deer, and wild turkeys were plentiful and easily captured in the deep snows by a settler on snow shoes.
   Mr. Peterson was united in marriage April 27, 1870 to Miss Bergette Jonson. They moved to Tekamah in 1898, where they now reside.

   GEORGE M. PETERSON, the subject of this sketch first saw the light in Norway, May 1st, 1800. In 1839 he and his family, consisting of a wife and four sons, came to America, settling near Ottawa, Illinois. Here they lived for sixteen years and then decided to move farther west. With their faces toward the land of sunset, they journeyed, and July 1st, 1855, arrived to Omaha. They moved up the Missouri valley and being pleased with the country about Tekamah made their final halt here where he remained until his death, which occurred April 26th, 1881.

   PETER F. PETERSON, was born in Norway in 1830. Nine years later he accompanied his parents to America and later to Burt county, Nebraska. In 1855 he was united in marriage to Cordelia Kettleson, coming the same year to Burt county. He contributed much to the upbuilding of Tekamah and this portion of the county. For eleven years he was postmaster of this city. During the latter years of his life, his, health becoming poor, he removed to California where he passed from this life at San Diego, in 1893. His

daughter, Miss Emma Peterson is said to have been the first white woman born in this city.

   EDWARD W. PETERSON was born in Silver Creek township, Burt county, December 30th, 1858. He came with his parents, upon their removal to Tekamah and resided here until October, 1898, when he removed to San Diego, California. Mr. Peterson early took up the study of law and entered that profession in this city, conducting for several years a large practice. He carried the confidence and esteem of the people of this county being elected a member of the Nebraska state legislature of 1885, and bears the distinction of being the first native Nebraskan elected to that body. He was also county attorney of Burt county for two years from 1890 and repeatedly served as city attorney of Tekamah. For some years he has been member of the city council of San Diego and lately resigned to accept the deputy city attorneyship of that city. He was united in marriage October 26th, 1889, to Miss Amanda D. Olson.

   OLNEY HARRINGTON, or "Major Harrington", as he was more commonly known was born in the state of New York, in 1805. In early manhood he studied law and practiced at the bar in the state of Wisconsin, for several years. He passed from this life September 13th, 1892, after a residence here of thirty-five years. His wife preceeded (sic) him in death some seventeen years. The Burtonian, of this city, upon the death of Mr. Barrington, spoke of his life as follows:
   "Mr. Harrington upon his arrival in Nebraska settled on land which is now a part of the present townsite of Tekamah; his two log cabins, now nearly decayed, still stand at the foot of the bluff just east of the mill. With his early neighbors, the Major passed through some stirring times and with them braved many hardships of pioneer life. He was a brave, hardy, man, made of the stern stuff which opened up the great west. He was never known to shirk his duty


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