Baltzar Peterson and Maude Little wedding photo 1903
Elaine Peterson (1910-1988), daughter of Baltzar Leander Peterson and Maude Little. Her grandparents Nels and Mathilda Nelson Peterson were Danish immigrants who settled in the Weber River valley in the mid 1800s. Her maternal grandparents were descended from the Littles and Thurstons, some of the original Mormon pioneers in 1847.
Elaine was born in 1910 on a farm near the small Weber valley community of Milton. She had two older sisters, Jesse and Lois, and a younger brother, Dick. The house she grew up in is still lived in today (2022). Jesse married in 1933 and later both Jesse and Lois moved to California. In the 1980s both moved back to Utah. They had a house built near the Peterson farm and lived the rest of their lives in Morgan. Dick carried on the family dairy farm for the rest of his life.
In 1933 Elaine married Daniel M. Lowe. In 1934 they were living at 461 27th St. Apartment 55 and Elaine was working as a beauty operator at the Betty Kay Beauty Shop. In 1939 they moved to 1833 Kiesel Ave. on the north bank of the Ogden River. Dan was working for the railroad in the mail room at the Ogden depot. Around this time he also worked as a photo finisher in Ogden but went back to working for the Union Pacific Railroad, where he continued until his retirement in 1968. By 1942 Daniel and Elaine bought the house at 1143 Capital St. where they lived for the rest of their lives.
Dan and Elaine adopted my mother Patricia Ann Lowe Fike (1939-2016) in 1939.
Mom’s biological parents are Lucille Lowe, Dan’s youngest sister, and Ernest Reid Hope (1921-1977). Ernest and Lucile were married in Farmington, Utah, 21 December 1938. My mother was born the next year. She was named Karlene Hope at birth. Lucile and Ernest divorced in the summer of 1939. This is a notice from the Ogden paper:
“The Ogden Standard-Examiner from Ogden, Utah Page 11, July 27, 1939 : Lucile Hope sought a divorce from Ernest Hope, to whom she was married December 21 1938 in Ogden. She alleges non-support and requests custody of a minor child and $15 monthly alimony.” My mom Patricia Ann Lowe is the minor child in question.
It is important to know that Elaine and Dan Lowe, my Nana and Papa, are my grandparents in every meaningful sense. Since DNA research is an increasingly significant part of genealogy, future generations need to know that the Lowes are my biological maternal grandmother’s family and Ernest Reid Hope is my biological maternal grandfather. I haven’t done any research on either the Peterson or Hope families, so if you are interested in either family I suggest starting with the Familysearch.org site where you will find a wealth of information about both.
Nana and Papa adopting my mother was a great stroke of luck for all of us. She could not have had a better, more loving set of parents. She always spoke very fondly of her idyllic childhood surrounded with nothing but love and nurturing. My siblings and I spent al least one month every year with Nana and Papa. They were the best grandparents on earth. Nana was endlessly loving, caring, forgiving, and humble. She was one of those rare people who always enriched and elevated the lives of anyone who was lucky enough to be around her. We were truly blessed to have had her in our lives.
