Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

native born young men by spurring them
on to nobler ambitions and higher ideals.
Coming to this country a stranger with-
out influence, not even knowing the lan-
guage, Carl Peterson has made for himself
an honored position among our most
worthy citizens. He is one of our sub-
stantial business men, and one of the important
men in his line. His greenhouses
in West Hartford are a substantial testi-
monial to his thrift and industry.
In Sweden the custom still survives of
adding the suffix "son" to the father's
Christian name to designate his offspring.
Parish records are kept with most scrupulous
care, and special permission must
be obtained before one may depart from
the established custom. Thus, Mr. Peter-
son's grandfather was Peter Anderson ;
his father was named Hendrick, and took
the cognomen Peterson; and the subject
of this sketch has a brother, now a resi-
dent of Hartford, who in conformity to
this rule has taken for his surname Hen-
drickson, his Christian name being John.
The family of whom Carl Peterson is
a worthy and a representative member
have been for many generations residents
of Stockholm, or the suburbs of that city.
His father, Hendrick Peterson, was a
farmer, and lived in Stockholm all his
life. He married Charlotte Lenstrom, of
that city.
Carl Peterson was born in Stockholm,
June i, 1870, and educated in the public
schools of his native city, after which he
attended a school for training gardeners.
After completing his technical studies, he
went to work on the estate of Ekman,
who was at that time the largest manu-
facturer of cannon in Sweden. He also
served the required three years in the
army, his branch being the cavalry. He
came to America in 1893 an d located in
Cromwell, Connecticut, entering the em-
ploy of the A. N. Pierson Company, of
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
156
State and National reputation. Mr. Peter-
son remained there three years, then
entered the employ of Thomas Young, a
big wholesale florist of New York City,
whose greenhouses were in Jersey City.
After working there for nine months, he
came to West Hartford, where he was
employed by Alfred A. Whiting, the
pioneer florist of that section of Connec-
ticut. This was a position of no slight
importance, as the Whiting standard of
quality was very high, and there is no
industry which demands more good sound
judgment or more painstaking attention
to detail. He remained there in the ca-
pacity of foreman until Mr. Whiting's
death, then managed the place for Miss
Helen Whiting for nine years. In 1916
Mr. Peterson purchased the plant, including
the original Whiting residence. He
has over one hundred thousand square
feet of glass with up-to-date equipment,
and grows a general line of flowers and
bedding plants. The entire output is sold
at retail at the greenhouse. Mr. Peterson
is a member of the Swedish Zion Congre-
gational Church, of which he has been a
trustee for eighteen years.
Mr. Peterson married Anna Linney
Larson, a native of Warberg, Sweden,
and they have two children living, Carl
Eric and Ruth Harriet.
COLTON, Frederick Marshall,
Agriculturist, Tobacco Grower.
The American ancestor of Frederick M.
Colton, of Granby, Connecticut, was Quar-
termaster George Colton, who settled in
Springfield, Massachusetts. Ephraim Col-
ton, of the second American generation,
settled in Hartford county, Connecticut,
and from his coming that county has
been the family seat of this branch ; a son
of Ephraim Colton, Rev. Benjamin Colton,
served West Hartford Congrega-