Andrew Lysander Peterson - biography
Contributed By
Andrew Lysander Peterson
23 Dec. 1887 - 24 Dec. 1963
Son of Peter Peterson and Celestia Melissa Terry
From a compilation of three life stories, only one listing a date (June 2, 1979) B they were very similar, this document was combined to include all the information available.
Andrew Lysander Peterson was born December 23, 1887 in Fairview, Sanpete County, Utah to Peter and Celestia Melissa Terry Peterson, who were the first baby boy and second baby girl born in Fairview.
He spent ten years of his early boyhood in Indianola, or Thistle Valley as it was called then, going there at the age of four when his father was called and sent there by the church to serve as a Bishop and Peace-maker between the white people and the Ute Indians. His father was called to fill this position just two years after returning home from a full time mission to the Southern State of Virginia.
While Andrew's father was in Virginia serving the church, his mother cared for their five small children and operated the farm to provide a living for them. His father was Bishop in Indianola for 10 years and was then released to return to Fairview when Andrew was 14 years of age. Andrew remembers how he helped carry pickets from the lumber yard with his father at the age of four to build a fence in front of their home, just before going to Indianola.
Of his early years, Andrew wrote: "When I was four years of age my father was chosen Bishop of Indianola, and we moved there June 29, 1892, where we remained for ten years. Our first home there was a small one-room frame house. Within a year father built a brick house. There were about forty families living in Indianola at the time, about ten of whom were Indians. We became very friendly with most of them, as they came to see father very often about their affairs and for assistance in food. I hunted groundhogs, attended school, milked cows, herded cows, hunted rabbits, etc., and attended church duties quite religiously. Among the Indians I became well acquainted with were Nephi, Moroni, James Onump, Toke, Panawatts, Charley Toke, Sam Nephi, Jim Pant, Mountain, Peggy, Nancy Panawatts, and Aby Lehi."
The Community of Indianola had 65 Indians and 35 white families as their total population. Andrew remembered many of the idiosyncrasies of the Indian people and how he and other boys would catch ground-hogs and trade them to the Indians for sinew. They would then throw them into an open fire and roast them whole, then eat them by only rubbing off the burned hair.
Andrew often told his grandchildren many stories about "Old Jim Pant" and "Old Peggy". "Old Peggy" offered to give him a Pinto riding pony if he would stay with him one full moon, which was a month. Andrew said he would do this if he could go to his own home to eat and sleep, but of course that was not the bargain, so he didn't get the pony. He said he didn't want the pony badly enough to pay that kind of price.
A boyfriend of his, Mirt Spencer, and he would often tease "Jim Pant" as Jim would get drunk because of his great weakness for whisky. One day, they mixed a bottle of brew made of "mustard", "vinegar", and "Watkins Lineament" and gave it to Jim. After he drank some of it, he became very angry, picked up a club, and chased the boys down through a lot to Henry Spencer's farm, where they hid. Jim Pant was so drunk he could not find a place to get through, into the barn, so the boys were safe.
Many times, Indians would come to the Bishop and ask for food when they were drunk, but he would tell them to go home and sober up, and then come back later. They didn't like that kind of advice, so they would call his father a "heap bad" Bishop in the Indian language.
Several times, Andrew and his brother Peter would take a lunch with them while they were herding cows, and generally the lunch was made up of bread and milk. They would put it into a stream of cold water to keep it fresh and cool, but always an Indian girl would come and steal it. They conceived of an idea to cover it over with "Thaw" bushes (a place along the stream) and then put the lunch up high in a tree. The Indian girl came by, stepped into the thaw bushes, which made her feet bleed, so she looked around until she found the lunch in the tree and was so angry she kept stealing their lunches every day until they finally gave up taking one. He had many interesting experiences while living among these people.
One day, when Andrew was a little older, and in his teens, he was driving some cattle, along with three or four other men (white men) who were drinking and using fowl language in shouting at the cattle, and they insisted that Andrew should drink with them. However, he refused, so one of them said, "Oh, I thought Peter Peterson would have one Asport" in his family". So when they found Andrew refused to drink, they left him alone after that.
Andrew said: A March 28, 1902 we returned from Indianola to Fairview where I spent the next few years of my life. After graduating from the Eighth Grade in 1905, I attended Snow Academy (now Snow College) in Ephraim, Utah and completed a three-year business course in May 1908. Prior to this I worked summers at Clear Creek at the saw mill."
Andrew received his education at Indianola, Fairview, Snow College and Henager=s Business College in Salt Lake City. It was while attending Snow College in Ephraim, Utah that he met Lettie "Smith" Phipps. Phipps was the real name but the family was known as "Smith" because her father, Isaac Newton Phipps was raised by a Smith family. Andrew and Lettie were married two years later in the Manti LDS Temple for time and all eternity by President Lewis Anderson.
This couple was blessed by five wonderful children: Rhoda May (Christensen), Dean Andrew, Roid Harold, Elden Jay and Wayne Leo. During their courting days they had a great deal of fun dating and dancing. Andrew went to Snow College a year before Lettie did and of course dated girls there. One in particular that Lettie remembers was May Nielsen, daughter of the family where he boarded. Mr. Nielsen would never eat with the boys, so one day Berkley Larsen went into the kitchen where he saw him eating by himself and made the comment, "Looks like you pick your own company!" Mr. Nielsen retorted, A Company, company. That's vot I don=t vant!"
During the summers, Andrew worked at Clear Creek in the coal mines to earn money for his schooling. Every other Friday when he was finished with his work, he would hike all the way over the mountains, a distance of 20 miles, to Fairview. Here he would clean up, eat his dinner, and go to Mt. Pleasant in his father's horse and buggy to date Lettie and take her dancing. In those days there was a dance in town every Friday night, and they had a great deal of fun and enjoyment when they could attend.
Lettie says, "We were married January 20, 1909, and lived with my family for a while. Andrew worked for the City of Mt. Pleasant, and after getting this employment, we moved into a little apartment east on Main Street that was owned by a nice little old German lady. Andrew's father gave us a cow. Sometimes we would go out to the farm and stay overnight and when we returned home the next morning, Mrs. Ficher would meet us at the gate and say, "Our cow has yust been hollerin". I doxxt she wants to be milked." And sure enough, she did, and was hungry, too. We didn't have cars in those days, so we had to walk every place we went."
After living here for just about one month Andrew decided he wanted to go to Salt Lake City and attend Henager's Business College, so they moved there and attended school. It was while in Salt Lake City that their first child, Rhoda May was born, February 24, 1910. Then after graduating from College, Andrew taught school at Henager's for a few months when an opportunity came to him to move back to Mt. Pleasant and work in the Consolidated Wagon Company. Then about a year later he obtained a position with the North Sanpete Bank, where he then worked for the next 20 years. Ten years as Assistant Cashier and ten years as Cashier.
They bought a small home on 6th south and State Street in Mt. Pleasant and lived there for 7 years. It was here that Dean Andrew and Roid Harold were born. Roid passed away at the age of 2 years and 11 months B and then they sold their home and purchased a new one from Bent Hansen on 3rd south and State Street, where Lettie still lived at this time, June 1979. It was in this home that Elden Jay and Wayne Leo were born.
Lettie reports that Andrew was a kind, loving and considerate husband and father, always working and doing things for the welfare of his family. He held many positions in the church, and always honored his Priesthood. He served as Ward Clerk for 10 years in the Mt. Pleasant South Ward, Sunday School Superintendent 3 years, Counselor to Bishop Abraham McIntosh for 5 years, Bishop of the Ward for 17 years with C.L. Stewart and Joseph Johansen as his counselors and Emil Rutishauser, Ward Clerk. He later, after being released as Bishop, served as a Counselor to Reed H. Allred in the Stake High Priest Quorum and was then called to labor in the Manti Temple as Ordinance worker for 5 years. Both Andrew and Lettie were Home Missionaries for 2 years.
He then served on the North Sanpete School Board and the Mt. Pleasant City Council when John Gunderson was the Mayor. He worked in the Post Office for 2 2 years under H. C. Jacobs, Postmaster. This was during the early 1930s when the nation's greatest depression was on. Two banks in Mt. Pleasant had closed, and their son Dean, was called to serve the church in Norway as a missionary. With earning only $85.00 per month and sending Dean $50.00 of that, it was difficult times financially. It was during this time that Jay Rulon Christensen was born to Dr. H. Reed Christensen and Rhoda May Peterson Christensen at the home in Mt. Pleasant, 268 South State Street. This became Andrew's and Lettie's first grandchild.
Andrew was a charter member of the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club and served as a member of it for many years. He and Verg Johnson were chosen as delegates to the National Lion's Club Convention in San Francisco B and went there to represent Mt. Pleasant Club.
In 1943, he began working for the Consolidated Furniture Company in Mt. Pleasant and worked there for the following 20 years. He started out as a clerk and later became the manager following the death of Jorgan Madsen.
He was chairman of the Republican Party in Mt. Pleasant for several years, was a notary public and did income tax reports for many people. He taught the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School Class for many years after he was released as Bishop.
Andrew served as a Bishop during the 20s and 30s before the church started building Bishop's offices in the buildings. Therefore, his home had to serve as a Bishop's office so everyone had to go to his home to talk with him about their problems, pay their tithes and offerings, and apply for Temple recommends. The "old red brick South Ward Chapel" burned down in 1937, and a new building had to be erected, which still stands to this date.
During the construction of this new building, Andrew became very ill and nearly lost his life. The ward held a prayer circle in his behalf . After that Mrs. John K. Madsen came and told him about a doctor in Salt Lake City who she thought could help him. The three doctors out here didn't help him any. They were Dr. Monk of Manti, Dr. Limebaugh from Moroni and Dr. Bert Madsen of Mt. Pleasant.
Mrs. John K. Madsen took us into Salt Lake City. She made a bed for Andrew in the back seat of her big car. Dr. Remington said he could help him. So Andrew stayed at the home of Delmer Tripp in Salt Lake. Delmer took him to the doctor every day. After twelve treatments, he came home feeling much better and was soon back helping with the church. John Gunderson, Chairman of the Building Committee, did a great job as his stand-by. He reported to Andrew every day on the progress of the work and kept things going.
Elden helped on the church before going to California on his mission. He and Kay Schovelle saved the large red velvet stage curtains while the old red brick church burned down.
Andrew gave humorous readings at parties, mostly at church parties, where they would ask him to be on the programs. He gave readings such as: "Sockery Setting a Hen", A Levinsky at the Vedding", Poor Rastmus", "Andy and Madan Queen", and others. He was also in a quartet with Opal Schovelle, Atta Jensen, and George Squires. They sang at funerals and church gatherings. Andrew spoke at many funerals.
Andrew road a bicycle to work most of the time. His first car was a Dodge, second a Plymouth, third a Ford, fourth a Ford, fifth a Mercury Montery.
He raised a good vegetable garden every summer and kept his lot clean and neat. Lettie planted the flowers and cared for them. She also planted all the vegetable seeds while Andrew did the digging.
Nina Johnson said of Andrew, "He wasn't only kind to his family, he was kind to everyone."
Andrew made good honey candy. He would cook the honey. Then when it was cool enough he would pull it until it was golden white and fluffy. He and his sister Sarah were experts in making honey candy. We as a family had this treat quite often.
Old Peggy was an Indian doctor. He was the one who wanted Andrew to live with him for one moon. One day, Andrew's father brought a load of wood from the mountains. Old Peggy told him he would send his squaw Keyanna over to unload it for him. The buck Indians didn't work, it was the squaws that did most of the work.
Peggy's little boy died, and Andrew's father made a wooden box for them to bury him in, but they wouldn't use it. Instead, they sat him on the wagon seat between them and drove off to the mountains with him. Peter tried to teach the Indians to bury their dead like the white people did.
During the depression, Andrew lost his job when the banks closed, also his bank stock and had to pay $100.00 a share, which was seven hundred dollars. Besides sending Dean on a mission to Norway for three years and he had to have three hundred dollars over there by the time he arrived in Norway. Those were tough days for all of us. Andrew drew his life insurance out to live on and to have the money for Dean's mission.
Lettie says that during their many years of marriage, they had many faith promoting experiences where the power of the Priesthood was manifest. Two of the outstanding times were when Rhoda nearly passed away with pneumonia and when Elden was very ill with pneumonia. They were both healed by the power of the Priesthood and by faith. In those days, the early 20's and prior, penicillin and other healing medications were not yet known.
In 1962 Andrew wrote: "I am happy in my church work and have a firm testimony of the gospel and rejoice in it. I feel that the Church has been a wonderful help to me and my family. I am very active in my various labors with my store work, church work, insurance business, and taking care of home duties. I manage to put in about 15 hours a day, but I enjoy good health and as long as I feel as well as I do, I want to keep active."
A short statement now concerning the Children of Andrew and Lettie Peterson:
Rhoda was a Primary President, a Relief Society Class Leader and a Stake Relief Society President in the South Sanpete Stake for several years and has been a very devoted daughter to her mother. Elden filled a mission for the Church in California 1940 B 1942 and Wayne was a missionary in the Southern States 1942 B 1944. During World War II Elden served in the United States Air Force and Wayne in the United States Navy. Dean, Elden and Wayne have all served as Bishops and Dean was President of the Norwegian Mission and a Regional Representative of the Twelve Apostles.
Andrew Lysander Peterson passed away December 24, 1963 after suffering a massive heart attack. He died in the Salt Lake LDS Hospital. As of this date, June 2, 1979 Andrew and Lettie Peterson have 19 grandchildren and 55 great-grand children. Their posterity continues to grow!
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| Peter and Celestia Peterson Parents of Andrew L. Peterson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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Lettie's family |
Peter and Celestia Peterson
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