PETER OLESEN FAMILY

Peter Olesen came to the United States from Haastrup, Denmark in 1899, at the age of 19. When he reached Kane County, Illinois, he had only $5.00 in his pocket! He had an uncle that lived on a farm near Elburn and he worked for farmers in that area, earning from $16.00 to $20.00 per month. 

Doris Heusinger, (his wife-to-be) was born in Plano, Illinois the oldest of five children. Her mother died in childbirth when Doris was 8 years old. She was taken in by an uncle but shortly thereafter was placed in a boarding house to work, as her uncle had a large family of his own to raise. Later, the boarding house closed and she went to live with a farm family near Hinckley, where she stayed until she was 17 years old, at which time she met and married her first husband, Chris Peterson. They had 2 sons: Wayne & Earl. Mr. Peterson got tuberculosis and died shortly thereafter. 

Peter and Doris met when they were each 23 years old and were married March 2, 1904; the same year Peter became an American citizen. They started farming near Hinckley on a farm they rented for $6.00 an acre. After about 6 years, they bought 80 acres of the farm they had been renting. They developed an accredited Holstein herd and shipped milk to Chicago, driving horses and wagon to town 3 miles each morning with the milk. 

They had stated their family by this and in 1916 they traded their Hinckley farm for part payment on a farm east of Naperville on the road that was eventually to be called Olsen Lane. The price was $180.00 an acre for 190 acres, 70 acre on the west side of the lane and 120 acres on the east side where the stone farmhouse was situated. The Olesens were members of the First Congregational Church in Naperville. 

They had a real struggle and many times wondered if they would lose the farm. They developed quite a diary business, selling to householders in Naperville. The milk was tuberculin tested but was not pasteurized. They carried on this operation for 25 years, milking 20 to 25 head of cattle. They had a hand-operated bottling machine and bottled about 200 quarts and 60 pints daily.

After most of the children had grown and left home, the Olesen’s quit the diary business, sold their herd of diary cattle and raised feeder cattle. The feeder cattle were less work and more profitable than the dairy business.

In 1959, the Olesen’s decided to quit farming as they were both 79 years old and they purchased a home in Naperville, where they moved with their daughter, Alice. Their other children all live in the area: Gladys (Mrs. Glen Sprague) in Plainfield; Ernest in Naperville: Hazel (Mrs. Alfred Faser) in Lockport; Olive (Mrs. Arnell Peltzer) in Aurora; Floyd in Aurora; and Roy in Aurora.

The Olesen’s celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary in 1967 and Doris passed away in 1968, shortly before her 88th birthday.

Peter still drove his car around town, mowed his own lawn and maintained the house and yard until three months before his death in November, 1979, at the age of 99.