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HOME
> History > History
Club > Neva Peterson - Family History
Family History
Presentation to the Annandale History
Club
1994
Neva Peterson
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.
Neva
passed 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
Falls
High 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
Church
where 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.
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