carstensp
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
PETER CARSTENS, one of the prominent
landed proprietors of Spokane and Lincoln counties, was born in Holstein,
Germany, March 1, 1841. His parents, Claus and Anna (Wien) Carstens,
were, also, natives of Germany, where his father died at the age of thirty-five
years. He was a farmer and never came to the United States.
The mother lived and died in Germany at the age of eighty-six years, in
1896. They were the parents of five children, viz: Claus, Jr., now
residing at Reardan, Lincoln county, Washington, came to America in 1886,
and is a farmer; Jacob, Eliza and Alsbay, now in Germany, and our subject,
Peter Carstens.
At the death of his mother young Carstens
was reared in the family of Henry Miller, where he received his board and
clothes for his work, and was permitted to attend the public schools until
the age of sixteen years. He began work at the age of eight, and
has since supported himself through his own unaided efforts. At the
age of twenty-five he was appointed overseer of about one hundred men,
and remained with them until he was twenty-eight. In 1870 Mr. Carstens
came to a point near Troy, Rensselaer county, New York state, where he
continued work on a farm five years, in the employment of David Benst.
He removed from there in 1875, going to Ringgold county, Iowa, where he
purchased land and subsequently lost it. He was there two years,
and in 1878, having saved thirty cattle from the wreck of his fortunes,
he took them to Kansas and sold them. He left Kansas March 20, 1878,
and drove a wagon to Spokane, Washington. He left with four children,
and one was born on the journey at Baker City. That year the Bannock
Indians were on the war path, but our subject arrived in safety.
Mr. Carstens settled in Walla Walla for one winter, his family remaining
about one year. He then came to a ranch which he now owns on Crescent
Prairie, in Spokane, where he took squatter's rights. It is now Crescent
Park. This was in 1879, and here he secured a homestead.
In 1862, in Germany, Mr. Carstens was united
in marriage to Anna Ties, a native of Germany. They are the parents
of five children, Emma, who was the wife of J. Warren, who died in 1887;
Oscar, aged twenty years; Henry, Ernest and Charles, all at present living
in the Big Bend country.
Mr. Carstens owns four hundred acres of land
in Spokane county and about $8,000 worth of city property.
He has a handsome seven-room, modern house at No. 829 Nettle avenue, Spokane,
and is holding a fine ranch in Spokane county with a nine-room house, large,
substantial barn, good buildings and a five-acre orchard. Mr. Carstens
is a progressive, enterprising business man and one of the substantial
citizens of Spokane county, who has risen to prominence by his own efforts
and in the face of many, apparently, insurmountable obstacles.
Oscar Carstens married Jennie Smith, and has
three children. He resides on section 13, town 25, range 40, Lincoln
county. Henry married Minnie Kaplinder, and has five children.
He lives on section 10, town 25, range 40. Ernest was married to
Flora Setters. They have one child and reside in Spokane, section
31, town 26, range 40. Charles lives on section 18, town 26, range
40. He married Alice Landers and they have one child.
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