William Peters, a citizen of Boomer Township, was born in Prussia, March 15, 1818, a son of Nicholas and Hannah (Barrent) Peters, natives also of that country. Mr. Nicholas Peters was a farmer by occupation; was aid-de-camp for General Blucher in the Napoleon Army during the Prussian War. There were nine sons from one family in this war, of whom five were killed. A maternal grandfather came to America and fought in the Revolutionary War under General Washington, and lived afterward to the advanced age of 104 years. He was in the employ of the Government, in connection with farming, and accumulated a large fortune. On his death he left a wife and five children. The children were: Catharine, now Mrs. Frederick, residing in Prussia; Christoph, deceased; William, our subject; and Lewis, residing in Prussia. Frederick and Lewie are officers in the army. Their grandfather served thirty-six years under Frederick the Great, and the generations following have ranked high in the esteem of the royal families.

Mr. William Peters was reared at home until he was twenty-four years of age, when he also entered the army, as Orderly, and served eight years at Berlin and Potsdam. At the age of forty years he married Margaret Armstrong, a native of Scotland and a daughter of William and Catharine Armstrong, natives of England. Mr. Armstrong was a chemist by profession in England, but on coming to America he located in Utah, where he now lives, at the age of eighty-eight years. His first wife died early after her marriage, and by his second wife there are the following eight children: John, Joseph Wilhelm, James, residing in Utah; Mary, wife of Lewis Stuersbaugh, in Utah; Margaret, the next in order of birth, is the wife of Mr. Peters; Jane, now Mrs. John Williams, of Utah; and Kate, the wife of Mr. Chadwick, in Utah. Mrs. Peters was born in England, November 3, 1843, received a good education and came to America with her parents. In November, 1849, Mr. Peters sailed from London, England, to New Orleans, went up the river to St. Louis, but in a short time finding business dull there on account of Asiatic cholera, he returned to the ocean and was a sailor along the Atlantic coast of the Americas, until he obtained money enough to go to California. He went to the gold fields, following mining about five years, and then was one of the first to enter Colorado as a miner, and was there three years mining and freighting. Then he spent two years in similar occupations in Montana; next he was employed for over two years freighting with provision wagons under General _____ _____, of the California Volunteers. He helped to build Fort Douglas, in Utah. While he was in Salt Lake, President Lincoln was assassinated, and while operating in Utah he suffered many hardships and privations. He came thence to Council Bluffs, and four years afterward, namely, in 1870, he located upon his present farm, buying forty acres of unbroken prairie land. He built a frame house, broke and fenced the land, planted a fine orchard of one and a half acres, set out shade and ornamental trees, etc., and has made a comfortable residence. His orchard is one of the best in the township, and every feature of the premises gives evidence of good taste as well as of much labor. Mr. Peters deals in a fine grade of cattle and horses, taking special interest in the improvement of live-stock. He has added to his first purchase of land until he now has 240 acres of land of first rate order. He has also upon his premises three running streams of water. In fact, he has one of the finest farms in the county, and in it takes great pride.

Politically Mr. Peters is a well settled Republican, taking an active interest in the principles of his party. He is a member of the Farmers' Alliance, and of the M.P.S. He has had fifteen children, namely: William and Louis, farmers in Boomer Township; Fred, Nicholas, Bernhart, James and Charles, at home; Maggie, wife of Samuel Bateman, in Nebraska; Mary Ann, who married _____ Burbridge, and resides in Boomer; Jane, wife of LaFayette Hatcher, is a resident of Harrison County; Caroline, Kate and Tilda, at home; Dora May, the next, is deceased, as is also Isaac, the youngest son.