Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/1072

 924 HISTOKY OF GOODHUE COUNTY settled in Leon township, where the father still resides, the mother having died October 8., 1904. J. A. Peters, who owns a good farm in Cannon Falls town- ship, came to this county as a child with the early settlers, and lives on the place where his parents first settled and where the family has made all the improvements, developing the place from a wilderness to its present high state of cultivation. The subject of this sketch was born in Sweden May 30, 1849, son of John and Christina Peters, also natives of that country. After com- ing to America in 1851 they lived successively in Chicago, Indiana and Iowa, and in 1856 came to Cannon Falls township and pur- chased the place where J. A. still lives. After farming for many years, the father retired to Cannon Falls village, where he died. J. A. attended the public schools, but since early boyhood has devoted his life to farming. He owns 320 acres, has 200 under the plow and carries on general farming and dairying, selling cream in large quantities to the creamery. He is a Republican in politics, but beyond serving as a school officer has never cared to seek political preferment. In 1875 Mr. Peters was married to Hattie Johnson, by whom he has five children, Edward, Clarence, Esther, Ella and Edith. Edward is in Minneapolis in the hardware business, and Esther is a ladies' tailoress in Min- neapolis, the others being at home. Eugene D. Stone is one of the genuine old settlers still living in Goodhue county. He named the town of Leon from a place with a similar name in Cattaraugus county, New York, and was the first supervisor after the organization in 1858, in which organ- ization his father had an important part. The subject of this sketch was born in Warren county, Pennsylvania. January 10. 1832, son of William and Lavina (Collins) Stone, natives of Vermont. Moved by the venturesome spirit which has always been prominent in the breasts of the sons and daughters of the Green Mountain State, they moved to New York and then to Pennsylvania, later pushing their way further west to this county, where in 1856 they pre-empted a farm in Leon township. This farm, now consisting of 222 acres. 197 of which is plowed, has since that date remained in the family. E. D. Stone, who had received his education in the East, worked with his father in breaking the land and bringing it under cultivation, and had an important part in the establishment of the family roof tree, com- ing into possession of the place after the death of his parents. For over fifty years, either alone or with his father, he carried on farming, conducting general agricultural operations and stock raising and selling cream furnished by his fine Jersey cows. More recently he has moved to the village of Cannon Falls and Uved a retired life. Aside from being chairman of Leon for