It’s been a while since I wrote about the Mystery Postcard – here’s a quick re-cap of where I left off. I found in my files a postcard sent to my great-grandfather, P.W. “Will” Pearson, from his “cousin” E. H. Olson. I was unaware of any Olson cousins, so I figured this person had to […]
Connecting the dots
When I first got the genealogy bug, my goal was to extend my pedigree charts as far back in time as possible. For many of my Swedish ancestors, that’s very doable and gets you to the 1700’s. At one time, I thought my genealogy was mostly “done”. Then I attended a workshop where they suggested […]
What happened to Johanna’s babies?
When my Aunt Jane wrote her Family History book in 1979, she uncovered a story about Christian and Johanna Pearson (my great-great-grandparents): As Jane mentioned, we have not been able to find any records or tombstones that corroborate this story (other than census records showing 2 children not living). Well, something just turned up! Several […]
Clara Pearson: the 1920’s
On June 20, 1921 – just four days short of a year since Will’s death – Clara filed the very last of the required probate paperwork with the Saunders County Court. She had paid off all the creditors, thanks to a loan of $7,000 from her parents. She still held title to the farm, but […]
P.W. Pearson Probate Records, Part 9
Last time, we looked at all the debts and bills that Clara had accumulated since Will’s passing. She owed $6,400 to creditors and her net worth was only $2,200. The farm was already mortgaged. She managed to save the farm, though. How did she do it? First, her attorney helped her shield assets from creditors. This was perfectly […]
