From Nevada (MO) to Yakima: A Family History Trip: John Robert Peterson, Part 1

John Robert Peterson, c. 1895

John Robert Peterson Timeline (1849-1887):

1849: John was born in Brown/Adams county Illinois to George H. Peterson and Nancy Webb; their first child together.
1850-1870: John lives with his parents (see below.)
1870-1879: John marries Julia Ann Perkins.
1876: John travels with his father George to Quincy (see below.)
1879: John and Julia's son, Robert Walter Peterson is born (Source: Birth records.)
1880: John is Schuyler County, Illinois with his first wife Julia Ann Perkins (Source: 1880 Census)
1880: John and Julia have a son that is unnamed. He must have died soon after (Source: Birth Record.)
1881: John and Julia's daughter, Nancy Jane is born in Fulton County, Illinois (Source: Nancy's death certificate.)
1884: John and Julia's son, Andrew Jackson is born in Schuyler County, Illinois (Source: birth & death records.)
1885: John and Julia's son, Andrew Jackson dies and is buried in Schuyler County, Illinois (Source: death records.)
1884-1892: John and Julia either get divorced or she dies. No more record of her.
1887: John's father George moved to the southwest part of Missouri and all of his male children followed (Source: George's Homestead application.)

See John Robert Peterson (Roy's father), Part 2 for remaining timeline

The destruction of the 1890 census in a fire (almost 100%) has created a gap in John's life. I'm sure most researchers have the same frustration about it as I do. Questions that I think the 1890 would have answered:

Was he married to Mary Thompson by 1890?
Where did he live (obviously)?
Did he have any children living with him besides his daughter Nancy Peterson?
What was his occupation?

John shows up in four census records:

1850-Brown County, Illinois. He was 8 months old.
1860-Adams County, Illinois. He was 11 years old.
1870-Brown County, Illinois. He was 20 years old and worked as a laborer.
1880-Schuyler County, Illinois. He was 30 years old and worked as a farmer. Doesn't say he owned any land.

Note: Adams, Brown & Schuyler counties all border each other. These counties are located in Western Illinois bordering or near the Mississippi River. He may have lived for a short time in Fulton County based on his daughter's birth certificate. Most of the counties residents were farmers or laborers

In 1876 John traveled with his Father George, to Quincy Illinois. This was the county seat of Adams County and was the biggest city in the area. George was applying for military pension (civil war) and John signed as a witness. His signature indicates that he was a literate person.

John's signature-a witness to his father George's claim about his Civil War Duty (click on image to enlarge)

The 1880 Census: John R. Peterson was married to July A Peterson. I believe this to be Julia Perkins (Note: John's sister Rebecca married a Perkins as well, but I don't know if they are related. I have a another post on John's siblings.) I have not located the marriage record of John and Julia in available records.

John and Julia had four children: Three died in infancy and one lived to adulthood-Nancy Jane Peterson. I don't know if John and Julia divorced or if Julia had died prior to John marrying his second wife.

The four children were:

Son- Robert Walter Peterson, 9 Feb. 1879 in Brown County, Illinois and died July 1879 in Schuyler County, Illinois (Sources: Brown County, Illinois birth register, v. 1, 1877-1895, index, ca. 1865-1895 and U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1880-images below.)
Son- Unnamed Peterson, born 10 Jun. 1880 in Huntsville, Schuyler County, Illinois (Source: Schuyler County, Illinois Birth Records, Book 1, 1877-1886, Pages 64-70-image below.)
Daughter-Nancy Jane Peterson, born 29 Jan. 1881 in Astoria, Fulton Co., Illinois and died 13 June 1952 in Los Angeles, California (Source: Death Certificate below.)
Son-Andrew Jackson Peterson, born 8 April 1884 in Bainbridge Township, Schuyler County, Illinois and died 19 Aug. 1885 in Schuyler County, Illinois (Source: Schuyler County, Illinois Death Records, Book 1, 1877-1903, Pages 50 - 56-image below.)