This week I'm writing about my great grandparents Peter Knute Iverson and Anna Sorensen Duhn. I am descended through:
-Their son, Kermit Julius Iverson (1910–1978), married in 1933 to Avis Rae Zeigler (1913–1988)
-Their son, Peter Kermit Iverson (1952–), married in 1980 to Peggy Marie Kline (1953–)
-Their son, Perry Kermit Iverson (1984–)
Peter Knute Iverson was born on December 29, 1878 in Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois, the son of Knute Iverson and Karina Olsdatter Dale, both Norwegian immigrants. He lived with his parents in Ogle County until March 1895, when he moved with them to a farm near Cylinder, Palo Alto County, Iowa. They finally settled in 1900 on a farm in Lost Island Township, Palo Alto County, Iowa. They were members of the Lost Island Lutheran Church there. P.K. attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in about 1899, and then the Sioux City College of Medicine in about 1902.
P.K. & Anna Iverson wedding photo, 1906
P.K. was married to Anna Sorine Duhn on January 22, 1906 in Graettinger, Palo Alto County, Iowa. Anna was born on January 26, 1884 in Highland Township, Palo Alto County, Iowa, the daughter of Jens Sorensen Duhn and Inger Thoresdatter Hovda, who were Danish and Norwegian immigrants, respectively. The family were members of the Lost Island Lutheran Church, and Anna was baptized and confirmed there. She graduated from high school in Flandreau, South Dakota in 1902, and came back to teach school in Lost Island Township for several years.
Anna Duhn, high school graduation, 1902
Anna's father had died in 1904, and P.K. and Anna made their home on his homestead in Highland Township, where P.K. took over farming the land. They had 8 children, all born on the farm there:
1. Constance Irene Iverson (24 Aug 1906 – 25 Apr 1954), married Leonard Ernest Pilquist on 23 May 1929.
2. Judith Katherine Iverson (30 Oct 1908 – 15 May 1909).
3. Kermit Julius Iverson (19 May 1910 – 28 Jan 1978), married Avis Rae Zeigler on 3 Sep 1933.
4. Pearl Annette Iverson (30 Dec 1912 – 13 Jul 2005), married Elmer Bernard Twait on 22 Oct 1932.
5. Agnes Louise Iverson (21 Apr 1915 – 15 Sep 2008), married Leonard Ernest Pilquist on 13 Dec 1961.
6. Ruth Gertrude Iverson (3 Oct 1917 – 18 Aug 1992), married Luverne Joseph Peterson on 22 Aug 1935.
7. Edith Marie Iverson (23 Jan 1920 – 5 Jul 2009), married John Dee Fletcher on 21 Jul 1943.
8. Esther Violetta Iverson (11 Jul 1923 – 17 Mar 2009), married Donald Hermanson on 29 May 1943.
P.K. and Anna retired from the farm in 1955 and moved to a house in Ruthven, Iowa. Later, in 1968, they moved to St. Luke's Lutheran Home in Spencer, Iowa.
P.K. & Anna, 50th wedding anniversary
P.K. & Anna, 60th wedding anniversary
P.K. died on February 16, 1971 at the Spencer Hospital in Spencer, Clay County, Iowa. Anna died a few years later on October 22, 1974 at St. Luke's Lutheran Home in Spencer. They are buried at the Lost Island Lutheran Church Cemetery in Palo Alto County, Iowa.
