Nellie Mabel Peterson

1874 - 1897  (23 years)

• Name	Nellie Mabel Peterson
  Born	10 Feb 1874	Normanby Twp., Grey Co., Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Female
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169108303
  Interesting	scandal, suicide
  Residence	1881	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	Weslyan Methodist
  Residence	1891	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Methodist
  Misfortune	1897
  	suicide
  Residence	1897	, , Ontario St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-131278
  Died	6 May 1897	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Cause: suicide - carolic acid poisoning (2 hours)
  Buried	Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Person ID	I131278	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	Andrew Jackson Peterson,   b. 12 Dec 1823, Southampton, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States ,   d. 7 May 1900, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 76 years)
  Mother	Hannah Armstrong,   b. 10 Jul 1825, Huddersfield, , Yorkshire, England ,   d. 6 Jan 1904, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 78 years)
  Married	3 Aug 1845	Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4, 5]
  Family ID	F10062	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Father	Dr. Henry Peterson,   b. 1 Aug 1850, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 11 Jun 1929  (Age 78 years)
  Mother	Victoria Elisabeth Waugh,   b. 4 Oct 1851, South Dorchester, Elgin, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 24 Apr 1878, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 26 years)
  Married	7 May 1873  [6]
  Family ID	F227888	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  PETERSON (Brantford, Ont.) May 11 - The neighbouring villages of Cainsville and Echo Place have been thrown into a great state of excitement over the fact that the guilty man concerned in the betrayal of Miss Nellie Mabel Peterson, of Berlin, who committed suicide on Thursday last, is none other than Mr. Zeigler, a Methodist student at Cainsville, who had been engaged to deceased. As a young man just entering on the work of the ministry he was taken off "the list of reserves" last August to supply a vacancy on the Cainsville circuit and he was so well liked and popular that the congregation recently preferred a unanimous request that he be allowed to continue for another twelve months. When he heard of the tragedy by telegram, he took a horse and rig with the remark that he was going to Lynden, but instead drove to Onondaga, where he boarded a train for the purpose of getting out of the country. Within the last day or so Mr. Vanderlip, with whom he lived has received from him in Buffalo, stating where the horse and rig could be found, and it is evident that this is the last that will be heard of him. A charge of immorality has been laid against him, and Rev. Dr. Ross, of this city, chairman of the district, has caused the necessary notices to be served looking towards an inquiry. In the letter to Mr. Vanderlip, Zeigler stated that he had been walking Buffalo streets in an agony of mind, and did not know whether to make away with himself or not. _____________________________ (Berlin, Ont.) May 11 - It was very commonly known here that Miss Peterson was engaged to be married to a young Methodist minister named J.A. Zeigler, who received his education at the McGill university, Montreal. He was a native of Berlin, and was taken up by some philanthropically inclined members of the Methodist church in Berlin, and put through college, the object being for him to qualify as a Missionary to China or Japan. He failed to pass his examinations at McGill last summer and was appointed probationally to Kingsley, a little village near Brantford, where he has preached for the past six months or so. What makes his duplicity and villainy all the more barefaced was a letter from him, which was taken from the post office just about the time of Miss Peterson's death, in which he had advised her not to go to Dr. Honsberger or any other of the Berlin doctors, but rather to see one of the medical men in Waterloo, otherwise, he feared, the matter would leak out. According to the rules of the Methodist church, a probationer may not marry until he has been ordained. Zeigler, not having been ordained, was afraid that if he married the girl he had betrayed he would be compelled to give up all changes of becoming a Methodist minister. Hamilton Spectator Wednesday, May 12, 1897 ____________________________ PETERSON (Berlin, Ont.) May 6 - Miss Nellie Peterson, daughter of A.J. Peterson, clerk of the surrogate court here, committed suicide early this afternoon by swallowing a quantity of carbolic acid, which she had purchased during the morning. The other members of the family did not become aware of the young lady's act until it was too late, and she was a corpse before medical aid could be summoned. Miss Peterson was one of the most prominent and popular young ladies in the town, and the news that she had ended her life by her own hand created a great sensation. The cause of the girl's act is as yet unknown. Hamilton Spectator - Friday, May 7, 1897

  
  

• Sources

  [S158] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1881, Div 1 Page 62. [S1592] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1891, Section 1 Page 53. [S166] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Mount Hope CC#4508 Internet Link . NorthEast: A.J. Peterson/ born/ Dec. 12, 1823/ died/ May 7, 1900/ Hannah Armstrong/ beloved wife of/ A.J. Peterson/ born/ July 10, 1825/ died/ Jan. 6, 1904/ SouthEast: Robert Smyth/ born/ July 6, 1851/ died May 31, 1933/ Rebecca Peterson/ wife of Robert Smyth/ born June 14, 1852/ died Feb. 3, 1934/ Elora Peterson/ born Aug. 18, 1848/ died July 29, 1918/ Julia Ann Peterson/ born Sept. 26, 1854/ died Dec. 3, 1929 / SouthWest: Rebecca Armstrong/ died/ May 13, 1865/ aged 64 y'rs. 6 mo./ 2 d'ys./ Sarah Horwood/ nee Armstrong/ died/ Sep. 4, 1878/ aged 85 y'rs. 7 mo./ 14 d'ys./ NorthWest: Victoria Elisabeth/ wife of/ H. Peterson M.D./ died/ Apr. 24, 1878/ aged 26 y'rs. 6 mo./ 20 d'ys./ Nellie Mabel/ Peterson/ died/ May 6, 1897/ aged 23 y'rs. 2 mo./ 26 d'ys./ Peterson/ [makers mark] F. Frank/ (A) R.S. (B) R.P.S. (C) A.P. (D) N.M.P. (E) V.E.P. (F) R.A. (G) S.H.A. [S826] Church Records - ON, Waterloo, Preston - Saint Peter's Lutheran - index. [S13] Vit - - ON, Waterloo - Wellington District Marriage Register Part 1 1840-1852, Rev'd Jacob Huttner, Lutheran Minister, Preston report 53. Andrew Jackson Peterloo, to Anna Armstrong, both of Waterloo. 3 Aug. 1845 [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 7 May 1873. 26 Apr 1874 By Pastor Wurster in Preston, Franz Pernfuss of Bridgeport was married to Elisabeth Todt of Preston.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 10 Feb 1874 - Normanby Twp., Grey Co., Ontario, Canada Residence - Weslyan Methodist - 1881 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Methodist - 1891 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - 1897 - , , Ontario St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: suicide - carolic acid poisoning (2 hours) - 6 May 1897 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth