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FOURTH GENERATION on Glen's Mother's side

John Henry PETERS *

John Henry was born about 1833 in Odense, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany... He died in 1878 in Albion, Orleans County, New York, and was buried on 20 January 1878 in the "Potters Field" section of Mount Albion Cemetery... He married Anna Dora ISMUS [USMUS]* about 1863 in Germany.

Note: It was always understood by this researcher, from information provided by his mother, that the Peters were from Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark, not Germany.. However, from an article in the January-February 2001 issue of Heritage Quest magazine, "Questions Answered" by Ruth Ellen Maness, AG - "Before 1867 the area known as 'Scheswig-Holstein', down to the Elbe River, was ruled by Denmark. After Kaiser Wilhelm won the Dano-Prussian War, Germany ruled that area, and the area they had conquered up into the area of Tonder, Haderslev,and Aabenraa-Sonderburg counties, until after World War I. Then the three counties of modern Denmark were given back to its rule, and the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein came under German rule, again."

In June 1993 Mt. Albion Cemetery was visited to locate John and Anna's burial plot... Anna and her daughter Mary were found buried together but John's grave was not found... The original "on site" Cemetery record book was searched and John was found listed as being buried in Potters Field... The caretaker explained that when John was buried (1878) if a family could not afford burial fees the burial was done in Potters Field... This area is at the rear of the cemetery and an individuals were laid to rest alongside the last person buried, chronologicaly... Some sites had headstones while others were not marked... Johns burial site could not be found at the point where it should be chronologicaally, the area for 1878 burials was hard to distingush due to the lack of markers... Cemetery records indicate John was 45 years old when he died of "complications". It is curious why no member of the family ever provided a head stone for their father.?
Anna Dora ISMUS [USMUS] *
Anna was born 29 June 1842 in Kiel, Schelswig-Holstein, Germany... She died 15 October 1924 in Albion, Orleans County, New York, and was buried on 19 Oct 1924 in Mt. Albion Cemetery, (Lot 1231-E 1/2 Orange)[see information given under Mary below] In 1892, the New York State census shows Annie Peters (49), washwomen, living with her is daughter Mary (21), sons Henry (24), Fred (20), John (15), and daughters by husband Felix Burkla, Louise (13), Lillian (11), Gussie (7)... At the time of the census, daughters Anna Doris (27) and Katherine (25) had been married and living elsewhere... In the 1903 Orleans County Directory for the Village of Albion, page 27, Anna D. Burkla, widow of Felix, is listed running a boarding house at 5 Washington Street... Living with her is Lillian (Gussie is not shown in the directory although she is shown in the 1905 census..?)... In the 1905 and 1910 Census, Anna D. Burkla (63), is shown as self employed and still running a bordinghouse on Washington Street in Albion... Her two single daughters, Lillian M. and Gussie M. are indicated living with her as are five male boarders. All other children have left home or married except Mary, who died in 1897 at age of 26... 1920 Census for Albion shows Anna Burkla (77) and Lillian Burkla (38), still single, living at 30 Clinton Street... Mt. Albion Cemetery gravestone reads "Anna Burkla, Mother, 1842-1924"... Buried next to her is daughter Mary (see Mary's notes regarding burial plot).

Land Records for Orleans County (LDS FHLibrary MF0590827), Bk 125, Pg 314, 131, Pg 518, Bk 133, Pg 87, Bk 136, Pg 11, Bk 160, Pg 132 and Pg 335, shows that Anna was Grantee and Grantor of land on Washington and Clinton streets in Albion between 1905 and 1920.

OBITUARY: Anna's 1924 newspaper obituary reads: "Mrs. Anna P. Burkla - one of our oldest citizens, Mrs. Anna Peters Burkla, aged 82 years passed away at her home on Clinton Street Wednesday of last week, October 15th... Mrs. Burkla was born in Germany, June 19, 1842, and has resided here for the past 48 years... She is survived by the following children: Mrs. Anna St.John, of Niagara Falls; Mrs. Catherine Conover, of Albion; [Peter] Henry Peters of Santa Ana, California; Fred Peters of Long Beach, California; John Peters of Lyndonville; Mrs. John [Louisa] Church, Waterport; Lillian Burkla of Albion; Mrs. Henry [Gussie] Badour of San Antonio, Texas. Funeral services were held Sunday from the home, Rev. A. Waffle officiating. Burial was made in Mt. Albion."
Sometime between 1878 and 1879, Anna married Felix BURKLA (birth and death date unknown). See information below for a listing of their children.
Children of John and Anna Peters were:

i.... Anna Doris PETERS
Anna was born about 1865 in Germany, and died after 1924... Date of death and place is not known, however, she was listed as living in Niagara Falls in her mothers 1924 obituary... In the 1880 Census she is shown at age 15 living in the Mortimer Tanner home in Albion, New York, as a servant... According to her mothers Obituary she married Mr. St.John and they were living in Niagara Falls in 1924.
ii... Kathryn "Kate" PETERS
Kathryn was born about 1867 in Germany and died after 1924... Date of death and place is not known, however, Katheryn (Conover) was listed in her mothers obituary of 1924... In the 1880 Census she is listed at age 13 living with the Wolsey Russell family in Albion, New York, as a servant... According to her mothers Obituary she married a Mr. Conover and they were living in Albion in 1924.
iii.. Peter Henry PETERS *.

iv... Mary PETERS
Mary was born on 26 March 1871 in Germany... She died 29 July 1897 in Albion, Orleans County, New York, and was buried on 30 Jul 1897 in Mt. Albion Cemetery, (Lot 1231-E 1/2 Orange)... Mary is buried next to her mother, Anna Peters Burkla, and her headstone reads "Mary b. 26 Mar 1871 d. 29 Jul 1897"... The stone has no last name, however, burial records indicate she was buried as Mary Dean on 30 July 1897 [which may, or may not mean she had been married]... Cause of death is given as "Sarcorsive (or Sarcorsis), age 26 years, 4 months, 3 days"... Lot 1231-E 1/2 Orange, where Mary and Anna are buried was originally purchased by Peter H. and Fred D. Peters... [It would appear the purchase was specifically to bury Mary and used later to bury Anna. It is assumed that since their father John was buried in Mt. Albion's potters field, the exact location could not be determined and therefore John was not relocated to Lot 1231]... Mary's brothers Peter H. and Fred D. both moved and are buried in California, her other brothers and sisters left the Albion area... Burial Lot 1231 was later sold.
v.... Frederick B. "Fred" PETERS
Fred was born on 6 September 1872 in Germany... He died in 1958 in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, and is assumed buried there although several attempts at finding the grave failed.
vi... John George PETERS
John was born on 4 July 1877, in Albion, Orleans County, New York... He died 13 January 1963 and was buried in Lynhaven Cemetery, Lyndonville, Orleans County, New York... On 17 November 1896, he married Corabelle CAIN and they had eight children (Lilah, b. 7 Jul 1897, d.31 Aug 1962, m. Roy Geo. Rice in 1914; John, b.15 Jun 1899, d.11 Nov 1989, m1. Leola Barnum in 1920, m2. Florence Fellows in 1948; Ruth, b.7 JUl 1901, d.(?), m. David Newman in 1918; Kathryn, b.1 Aug 1905, m. LeLand Conover; Frederick, b.23 Apr 1908, d.10 Jan 1990, m. Lillian Schwartz in 1930; Robert, b.22 Mar 1911, m. Adeline Schwartz in 1932; Evelyn, b.8 Jan 1914, m. Raymond MacDonald in 1932; Henrietta, b.28 Jun 1917, m. Thomas Magner)... After Corabelle's death in 1947, he married Elizabeth HOWE in 1952.
John was the only one of the Peters children to have been born in the United States, the rest of the family were born in Germany and immagrated to the United States in 1875... The 1892 State Census shows John listed as 15 years old, living with his mother, brothers and sisters, in the Village of Albion... He attended common schools in Albion and around 1865 he began a three-year apprenticeship under Reuben Pridmore, an experienced harness maker... For a short time, after this apprenticeship, he worked with his older brother Peter Henry, who owned a harness shop in Albion... After 1905 he moved his family to Medina, taking employment with J.D. Harrigan, a manufacturer of harness and dealer in horse furnishing goods... In 1909 John opened his own harness business in a small building in Lyndonville... He and his family continued to live in Medina and for four years John rode a bicycle to and from his shop in Lyndonville... In 1912 he took over the harness business of Mr. VanKurer and moved his family to Maple Avenue, Lyndonville, setting up residence on the second floor over the harness shop... It was here that John spent the rest of his life, and where his children grew up... In 1918 tractors began to be more widely used so John began repairing shoes and manufacturing apple picking bags... He retired in 1962 and died the following year at age 85.

Many tools from John's business are on display at the Cobblestone Museum in Childs, New York. The J.G. Peters Harness Shop at the museum is a memorial to his trade and profession.
Lyndonville newspaper OBITUARY: "John G. Peters, Harness Maker, A Stitch in Time Saves Nine. John G. Peters was 85 when he died at his home at 12 Maple Avenue, Lyndonville, after a month long illness (?). His survivors were his widow, Eliza Magner Peters [second wife], three sons, John Fred and Robert, all of Lyndonville; four daughters, Mrs. David [Ruth] Newman and Mrs. Raymond [Evelyn] MacDonald of Lyndonville, and Mrs. Leonard [Kathryn] Conover of Buffalo and Mrs. Thomas [Etta] Magner of Lockport, also a [half] sister Mrs. John [Louisa Burkla] Church of Albion.

Children of Felix and Anna Burkla were:

i.... Louise BURKLA
Louisa was born in 1879, Albion, New York... The date and place of her death is unknown although it was after 1963... She was married to John Church of Albion... 1892 Census for Albion shows John Church (38), Salesman, born in USA, Louise (35) housewife, daughter Minnie E. (15) and sons Robert H. (8) and Herbert C. (2)... In 1924 Louise was living in Waterport according to her mothers obituary and in 1940 and 1963 she was living in Albion according to Peter H. and John G. Peters obituaries.

ii... Lillian BURKLA
Lillian was born in June 1881 in Albion, New York, and died there before 1963... There is no indication Lillian ever married... In 1919 she is shown as one of two grantee's of land on Clinton St., Albion (Land Records of Orleans County, Bk 160, Pg 132)... The 1920 Federal Census shows her as 38 years old, single, and living with her mother on Clinton Street in Albion... In her mothers 1924 obituary she is listed as Lillian and in Peter Henry Peters 1940 obituary as "Miss Lillian Burkla, Albion"... She is not listed in John G. Peters obituary in 1963 [the reason she is believed to have died before 1963].
iii.. Agusta "Gussie" BURKLA
Gussie was born in 1887... The date and place of her death is unknown... She married Henry Badour of San Antonio, Texas, in 1905... Gussie lived many years in San Antonio, Texas, as mentioned in the Orleans Republican (an Albion newspaper), dated 15 January 1913: "Mrs. Gussie Burkla Badour leaves this week for her home in San Antonio, Texas, after spending the past two months with her mother, Mrs. Anna Burkla"... She is also mentioned in two separate obituaries, Anna Dora Burkla in 1924 and Peter Henry Peters in 1940, as "Mrs. Henry Badour of San Antonio, Texas"... The San Antonio city directory for 1914 shows Agusta and Henry Badour living on New Braunfils Avenue in San Antonio, he the proprietor and publisher of a monthly magazine, "The Southwest Farmer and Investor"... It is assumed she died sometime between 1940, when she was listed in Peter H. Peters obituary, and 1963 when she wasn't listed in John G. Peters obituary... Land Records for Orleans County (LDS FHLibrary MF0590827), Book 125, Pg 314, indicates property at 8 Washington St., Albion, was sold by Anna D. Burkla to Gussie Burkla in 1906.