PETER J. PETERSEN
CHEESE MAKER, GILROY

An experienced dairy­man who is much interested in the progress of Santa Clara Valley is Peter J. Petersen, who was born in Silkeburg, Denmark, on March 26, 1869, the son of Christian Petersen, a native of the same province, who died at the age of fifty-six, after a very strenu­ous life in the Danish forestry service. He. had mar­ried Miss Sarah Nisson, a native of the same pro­vince, and on Ocober 3, 1921, she was eighty years of age, happily residing at her old home. Peter was reared in the home of his parents, and until he was fourteen years of age, he went to school. Then he secured work on a dairy farm in Denmark, where he had plenty to do, but learned a great deal. In 1890, he decided to come to America, and in company with an older sister he reached New York in October, 1890. In a short time, they made their way westward to San Francisco; but four years later, the sister re­turned to her mother.

In the meantime, Peter Petersen had removed to Sonoma County, and for ten years he was in the employ of  R. A. Linebaugh, who had a dairy near Petaluma, and for whom our subject was cheese-maker. He also worked as butter-maker on the J. R. Denman ranch at Petaluma, where he remained for four years. He engaged in the poultry business at Tworock Valley for a few years, and, on disposing of his property in 1918, he removed to Santa Clara Valley and located on the Shepherd Dairy, near Old Gilroy. He operates a farm of 275 acres, with its own irrigation system, keeps 115 head of high-grade stock there, and has made much improvement since 1918. His cheese factory is No. 26.

At Petaluma, in 1902, Mr. Petersen was married to Miss Elizabeth Fisher, who had been reared at Tomales and is the daughter of Judge A. L. Fisher of Marin County; and they have four children—Earl, Clifford, Kenneth, and Norman, who are at school. Mr. Petersen belongs to the Masonic lodge and is a standpat Republican.

 from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,  published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1456

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