Minnesota Marriage Record
ST. LOUIS
09/30/1915
BURTNESS, PETER
SWENSON, ANNA M

United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Name: Peter Burtness
Event Type: Draft Registration
Event Date: 1917-1918
Event Place: St. Louis, Minnesota, United States
Event Place (Original): United States, Minnesota, St. Louis County no 4
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 19 Oct 1873
Birthplace: , , United States
Citizenship Place: United States

Peter Ellingson Burtness:
Born: 19 October 1873, Wilmington Township, Houston County, Minnesota, to Elling Helgesen Burtness and Kristi Olsdatter Myhre
Baptized: 2 November 1873, in the Wilmington Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church (part of the Spring Grove Lutheran parish), Wilmington Township, Houston County, Minnesota. Among his sponsors were Sven O. Myhre [uncle] and Sigrid Svensdatter Rudningen Myhre Asleson [grandmother]
Confirmed: 1890, Wilmington Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church
ca. 1890: Attended Breckenridge Academy, Decorah, Iowa
Graduated: 1900, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa; played tenor and alto saxophone in band, was editor of the college newspaper (Chips), and active in numerous musical organizations
Attended: 1900, University of Minnesota, [Saint Paul, Minnesota?]
Professor/teacher: 1901, Park Region Luther College, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, teaching grammar, geography, civics, and director of the band
27 July 1903: Settled on claim in Field Township, Saint Louis County, Minnesota; applied for homestead 18 October 1904, noting that he had constructed a log house (16 x 18 x 8), a barn (20 x 14), a root cellar (16 x 14), ½ mile of fence, 1/3 mile of road, cleared 6 acres, cropped 3¼ acres; 20 January 1910, received patent on land from United States government
1909/1910: bank clerk in Caledonia, Houston County, Minnesota
1910/1912: bank clerk in Lebanon, South Dakota
1912/1916: bank clerk in Cook, Minnesota
Married: 30 September 1915, Duluth, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, to Anna Mathilda ("Tillie") Swenson, daughter of Albert Swenson and Emma Olsdotter; by Rev. J.A. Krantz; Albert Swenson and Dorothy Swenson were the witnesses
Died: 22 July 1964, Cook Community Hospital, Cook, Saint Louis County, Minnesota
Buried: 25 July 1964, Cook Cemetery, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

Obituary: "Rites Held Saturday for Peter Burtness, 90, Area Pioneer, Civic Leader. Peter Burtness, 90, longtime resident of the Cook area, died Wednesday at the Cook Community hospital, following a brief illness. He had been hospitalized for a month. Born in Wilmington, Minn., October 19, 1873, he was graduated from Luther college at Decorah, Iowa, in 1899 [1900]. He taught school in Fergus Falls, and later worked in a bank at Rugby, N.D. In 1902 [1903], he came to the Cook area, where he operated a farm until his retirement. He helped build the first church, Little Fork Lutheran, and the first school in this area. Elected the first town clerk on the first town board, he held this post for 20 years, and was treasurer of the first school board. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran church; the St. Louis County Master Farmers, a past director of the St. Louis County Fair Board; a charter director of the Cook State Bank. His wife, Anna, preceded him in death in 1953. Surviving are two sons, Eldred H. Burtness of Cook and Howard W. Burtness of Wethersfield, Conn.; two daughter Mrs. Glen (Marianne) Swanson of Braham and Mrs. Laurence (Betty) Rieder of Delano, one sister, Mrs. Fred Engen of Rio Linda, Calif.; one brother, Edwin Burtness of Spring Grove, 13 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Funeral rites were held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran church. The Rev. Marvin P. Holt officiated. Interment took place in the family plot of the Cook cemetery. Pallbearers were Albert Ditman, Harold Wien, Peter Anthony, Walter Enzmann, Carl Scott and Harlow Tonheim." (Cook News-Herald, July 1964).