Bio: Belay, Peter

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Belay, Lesar

----Source: Family Scrapbook

Peter Belay came to America from Ribnica Slovenija in about 1904. He settled in Ely, Minnesota and worked in the mines there. He was the youngest of four boys. When he first came there he was too young to work in the deep mines so he found other work until he was old enough to do so.

Later he went to Virginia, Minnesota where he was married in 1906, He was always interested in farming and through the Lesar family he found a parcel of land about three miles south west of Willard. He purchased it in 1919 and continued to work in Virginia. Later they moved to the farm and developed a modern dairy-farm.

They adopted a daughter Tillie. When she was old enough to get married and Mrs. Belay knew she would soon leave home, she decided to leave the farm because she had really never liked the farm.

Peter continued to work the farm with a hired man until they both grew too old to work. Finally Peter sold the farm and moved into the village of Willard, where he "batched" it until his health failed. Then he resided at the Greenwood Nursing home, later at the Neillsville Nursing Home. Here he passed away in 1968, at the age of 84.

This information was gathered from a letter written by Peter L. Belay, a nephew of Peter Belay's.