PEARSON, JOHN AND JOHANNA

by Fred J. Pearson

Entry F330 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

The John Pearson Family -1890. Standing - Robert. Seated John, Nels, Otto, Emma,
Johanna. Front - Bessie and baby Marten, who died at 10 months

John Pearson was born in Sweden in 1850,
his wife, Johanna in 1858. In 1889, with their
six children, they emigrated to America.
Three more children were born in the United
States - Martin (who died in infancy), Oscar,
and Fritz. Johanna died in Holt County on
January 23, 1895.

They first lived in Saunders County, near
Wahoo, then in Holt County, near Ewing.
They moved to Minnesota for a year. In late
1904 and early 1905, soon after the Kinkaid
Act was passed, John, Emma and her hus-
band George Hohmann, Otto, Nels, Bessie,
Oscar and Fritz moved to Cherry County
where they all eventually acquired homes-
teads. John, Otto, Nels, Oscar and George
Hohmann homesteaded in a cluster in the
southeast corner of T25 R33, about five miles
northwest of Mullen. The Hohmann land
bordered on Hooker County, John's and
Nels' reached within 1/4 mile. Pearsons have
been associated with Mullen and Hooker
County ever since.

Among the Pearson's neighbors when they
lived on their homesteads were the Eriksens
(Erik and Albert) , Catrons, Simonsons, Coo-
leys, Weldons, and Littles.

The first Pearson to live in Hooker county
was probably Nels, who bought the Speck
homestead southwest of Mully in the spring
of 1913' Nels was married to May Anderson,
daughter of Toby Anderson, on March 11,
1914. Nels ranched and farmed, sold automo-
biles, and did carpentry work, among other
things, in Hooker and Cherry Counties until
his death on July 24, 1941. Nels and May had
no children but they raised Erik Levine as if
he were their own.

Fritz, the youngest of this Pearson family,
married Myrtle Rector, whose Uncle Charles
was an early sheriff of the county.

Oscar, who was something of a recluse,
never married. He lived with his father John
for many years, then traveled the Southwest
United States on horseback, alone. He also
worked for farmers and ranchers in Hooker
and Cherry Counties. Oscar died in a house
fire on April 8, 1953.

Bessie and her husband Roy Dufur moved
to Hebron, Nebraska about 1920. Most of
their descendents now live in Northern
California.

Emma and George Hohmann returned to
Holt County in the early 1920's and later
moved to Oregon.

More complete accounts of the Otto and
Fritz Pearson families appear elsewhere in
this history. A comprehensive history and
genealogy of the Pearson family is contained
in 100 Years of Pearsons which was published
in 1976 and will be found in many genealogi-
cal libraries throughout the United States.

John, Otto, Nels, Oscar and Fritz are
buried in Cedarview Cemetery, Mullen.