When my great-great-great-grandfather, John Peter “J.P.” Hendrickson, died near Essex, Iowa, on July 22, 1927, he left behind considerably more than the Page County farm where he had lived for many years. His probate file, preserved in the Page County courthouse, provides a detailed picture of the property he had accumulated during his lifetime and how it was divided among his children and grandchildren.
By about 1887, J.P. had acquired an 80-acre farm northwest of Essex, described in the land records as the south one-half of the southwest one-fourth of Section 21 in Pierce Township. The property was about two and a half miles northwest of Essex and remained the Hendrickson family home for the rest of J.P. and Johanna’s lives.
J.P. first acquired 40 acres from "Mattie Bennett and unmarried woman" for the sum of $440.00. The legal description described this portion as the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section twenty-one in township seventy north of range thirty-nine west.
J. P. Hendrickson Farm as of September 2026.
The probate records reveal something I would never have known simply from looking at the land records: by the time J.P. died, the improvements on the farm were described as being in a “dilapidated and run down condition.” The court authorized Aaron Nelson to take possession of the property, make necessary repairs and rent it while the estate was being settled.
The farm was rented to Sam Carlsward for the year beginning March 1, 1928, for $525 in cash rent. Estate records show money being spent for fencing, fence posts, lumber, hauling, insurance, taxes and other expenses associated with maintaining the property.
Eventually the family decided to sell.
On September 22, 1928, Aaron Nelson entered into a contract to sell J.P.’s 80-acre farm to Charley J. Johnson for $9,000. Johnson paid $1,000 when the contract was signed, with the remaining $8,000 due March 1, 1929.
That sale effectively brought an end to J.P. Hendrickson’s ownership of the Section 21 property.
J.P. Had More Than a Farm
One of the things that surprised me most about the probate file was discovering that J.P.’s financial affairs extended well beyond his land.
He had money in certificates of deposit and had loaned substantial amounts of money to several people, including family members. The estate collected promissory notes from Elmer Hendrickson, Oscar Axelson and S. A. Nelson, along with the interest that had accumulated on those loans.
For example, a $300 note from Elmer Hendrickson (my great-grandfather) produced $326.22 when principal and interest were collected. Three notes from Oscar Axelson totaling $850 in principal brought $1,058.38, while a $1,500 note from S. A. Nelson brought $1,622.40 with interest.
There were also proceeds from livestock, crops, corn, personal property, bank deposits and rent from the farm.
By the time Aaron Nelson prepared his final accounting, the estate had received $15,547.23 in cash during the administration.
The records therefore give a much fuller picture of J.P. than I had before finding the probate file. He was not simply an elderly farmer whose wealth consisted of his land. By the end of his life, he had accumulated land, savings and money that he was lending to others.
A Special Provision for His Daughter Hulda
Perhaps the most personal part of J.P.’s will concerns his daughter Hulda Hendrickson.
J.P. left Hulda $2,000 in cash as well as all of his household goods and furniture. The probate papers explain why: the additional inheritance was intended as compensation for the services Hulda had provided to J.P. and his wife.
That small statement in an otherwise very legal document tells us something important about the Hendrickson household. Hulda apparently played a significant role in caring for her parents during their later years.
And the $2,000 was not Hulda’s entire inheritance. After receiving the special bequest, she also participated in the division of the remainder of the estate.
Dividing the Hendrickson Estate
After the debts, taxes, repairs, funeral expenses, and costs of administering the estate had been paid, $11,758.05 remained for distribution among the beneficiaries.
J.P.’s surviving daughters Amanda C. Almquist, Hulda Hendrickson and Clara Johnson each received a full one-sixth share of the residue—approximately $1,959.67 each.
But several of J.P.’s children had died before him. Their shares passed to their own children.
The four children of J.P.‘s deceased son C. J. Hendrickson—Emma Falk, Elmer Hendrickson, Ida Falk and Mabel Erickson—divided their father’s share, receiving approximately $489.92 each.
The six children of J.P.’s deceased daughter Emma Nelson divided her share. They were Annis Lundgren, Nina Johnson (formerly Nina Nelson), Lester Nelson, Glen Nelson, Ivan Nelson and Raymond Nelson, each receiving approximately $326.61.
J.P.’s deceased daughter Minnie Axelson was represented by her two children, Inez Lindell (formerly Inez Axelson) and Theodore Axelson, who received approximately $979.84 each.
Because several grandchildren were still minors, guardians formally received their inheritances on their behalf.
Closing the Estate
During March 1929, the beneficiaries signed individual receipts acknowledging that they had received their inheritance and agreeing that they had no further claim against the estate or Aaron Nelson.
Those pages are some of my favorite documents in the entire probate file because they contain the actual signatures of J.P.’s children and grandchildren.
On March 26, 1929, Aaron Nelson signed and swore to his final report. He reported that all debts and claims had been paid, all property had been distributed according to J.P.’s will, and his work as executor was finished.
Less than two years after J.P.’s death, the estate he had spent decades building had been converted largely to cash and distributed among the next two generations of his family.
More Than Dollar Amounts
At first glance, a probate file can look like little more than page after page of legal language and accounting.
But J.P. Hendrickson’s probate file turned out to be one of the most revealing records I found during my research in Page County.
It tells me what land he still owned when he died. It tells me the condition of his farm. It shows that he had accumulated savings and had enough capital to lend money to other people. It identifies his surviving children, his deceased children, and many of his grandchildren. It documents Hulda’s role caring for her parents. And it preserves the signatures of members of the family nearly a century later.
Most importantly, it provides the final chapter in the story of the Hendrickson farm in Section 21. After decades in J.P.’s hands, the property was sold in 1928 to Charley J. Johnson, and the proceeds became part of the inheritance J.P. left to his children and grandchildren. As a footnote, as of September 2026, the farm is still owned by descendants of Charley J. Johnson.
For me, that is what makes probate records so valuable. They don’t simply tell us what someone owned when they died. They show us the life—and the family—behind the property.
Original records: The complete probate file for John Peter Hendrickson (Jonas Petter Hindrickson) is available here. The file contains his will, estate accounting, sale of the 80-acre farm, distributions to his children and grandchildren, beneficiary receipts, and the final settlement of the estate in March 1929.
