The first family history book that
Neva researched and wrote was about her mother's
family. Her
mother, Emilie Streech Bendix, was the second oldest of a family of 13. Neva is
now working on a book about the Bendix family. Her
mother and father were German. Her
mother's family was from near Poland. Her
father's family was from near Denmark,
and sixteen of his ancestors immigrated in June 1870. Nevapassed
around copies of her book as an example for those who want to write a
family history book.
Neva read the following excerpt
from her family
history book. "When
we were young we did not ask questions, and now that we are old, there
is no one to answer them. When
I became interested in genealogy and my family heritage, I often wished
that I had located my ancestors in an English speaking land, or that I
had taken German in school instead of French and Latin. I
soon discovered that I knew more German than I thought, because I grew
up in a community that was predominantly German and most of my relatives
had German backgrounds.
"How
often I had heard the greeting, 'Wie
gehts?' (How
goes it?), and many of the stones in our cemetery were marked tochter,
mutter or kinder (daughter, mother, child), words that I was familiar
with. When I
started searching the records of the LDS or Mormon Church, many of them
were in excellent handwriting and, with a little study of the alphabet,
I became fairly familiar with the Deutsche entries in the church record
books. However,
there were many disappointments and dead ends. Since
my ancestors were not English speaking, I am grateful they were German. Germans
are natural-born bookkeepers and savers. In
our family it seems to be built into the genes. We
keep lists, diaries, records, and scrapbooks. We
save obituaries, wedding invitations, baby announcements, report cards,
certificates, diplomas, letters, postcards and pictures. Some
of us are compelled to save most everything.
"I shall
be forever grateful to my Aunt Lena Bendix Redetzke, who saved and gave
to me an old school and house book printed in 1856 in which are recorded
inside the cover in very neat and legible handwriting the names and
birth dates of the entire Bendix family who emigrated from Prussia to
America. This
data started my search, and I have followed this family through ship's
passenger lists, census records, microfilms of LDS
records, and all those obituaries that my mother saved. Here
then is my record of this Bendix family of three brothers, two sisters
and their parents from a small village of Schadenberger, Pomerania,
Prussia, whose descendants can now be found as meteorologists, teachers,
professors, doctors, nurses, Ph.D.s, farmers, ranchers, bankers,
chemists, jewelers, executives and even a dancer with the Joffrey
Ballet. We are
scattered from Maryland to California in this United
States of America."
Neva said, "If
you are interested in studying your family, you should get acquainted
with the LDS Library in St.
Cloud near 14th Avenue and
Northway Drive (1420 29th Avenue
North, 320-203-7717). You'll
be surprised what you can find there. Note: It's
a branch of the Family History Library in Salt
Lake City staffed
by local volunteers and open one day a week from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. It's open to
anyone for free research. There
is a small charge for copies. The
LDS Family History Library website is www.familysearch.org.
Neva sold
about 100 family history books for $20 each, mostly to cousins. The
book came out around Christmas and many used them for gifts. It
was costly to print the book. She
said, "It's
much cheaper to make copies now. The
next book will be done on a copy machine instead of at a printer."
Neva said that
Vesta had a four-room schoolhouse with very good teachers. Her
father was on the school board. Freshman
and sophomore year they took algebra, geometry, two years of Latin,
English and more. They
had to go away for the last two years of high school. (Neva's
oldest brother was Dr. Lester Bendix (1902-1988) of Annandale. Her
youngest brother was a chemist. Another
brother had polio when he was young. Her
sister, Delia, died in 1994 at age 85.)
1994 - Neva Peterson presentation to the Annandale History Club,
tape transcribed by
Secretary, Annandale History Club
Neva Harriet Bendix Peterson (1909-2008)
was born in Vesta,
Minnesota, to Frank and Emilie Bendix. She
graduated from Redwood FallsHigh
School in
1927 and earned a Bachelor's Degree in
Education from the University
of Minnesota in
1932. She
taught at the Women's College of the
University of North
Carolina and
at Moser Business College in Chicago.
Neva married Donald P. Peterson in Minneapolis
in 1937. They
moved to Annandale in
1942 where Donald practiced dentistry for many years. Neva
worked as a substitute teacher and as the bookkeeper for the Annandale
School District.
She was past president of the
Annandale PTA. She
was active in the Annandale Improvement Club and headed the Annandale
Library Board for a number of years. Neva
grew up Presbyterian and after moving to Annandale became
active in the Annandale
United Methodist Churchwhere
she taught Sunday school and organized the annual Christmas pageant. She
held the position of secretary for many years and was also worthy matron
at Vesta Chapter #68 of the Order of the Eastern Star. She
enjoyed travel, reading, genealogy, gardening, playing cards, cooking,
family and friends.
Neva Peterson, 98, died November
14, 2008, at the Annandale
Care Center. She
is survived by her sons, Richard and James (Margaret), three
grandchildren and one great grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her
parents, Frank and Emilie Bendix; husband,
Donald; brothers, Dr. Lester Bendix, Ralph Bendix and Gordon Bendix; and
sister, Delia Hardy. -- Annandale Advocate,
November 19, 2008.
Dr. Donald P. Peterson (1908-1972)
was born in Duluth to
Dr. and Mrs. P. O. Peterson. He graduated from the Dental School, University
of Minnesota, in 1938. He
married Neva Bendix in Minneapolis in
1937 and they lived in St.
James, Minnesota, from 1938 to 1942. He
was a Captain in the Dental Corps, Air Transport Command in the CBI
theatre, World War II, from 1943 to 1946. He
had a dental office in Annandale for
several years and later was appointed as chief dentist at the St. Cloud
Reformatory.
Dr. Peterson was a member of the
Presbyterian Church, the Masonic Lodge, and V.F.W. Post of Annandale. He
was a member of the School Board of Annandale District 876 for nine
years.
He is survived by his wife, Neva,
two sons, James and Richard, two granddaughters, brother Raymond and
sister Lois. He
was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Irwin.
Annandale Advocate,
June 8, 1972.
