Charles A. Petrehn (1851-1934) was born in Linökping, Östergotland, Sweden, and died in Guttenberg, Iowa. He was trained as a tinsmith and followed that trade throughout his lifetime, at times also working as a hardware dealer, mill hand, custodian, and commercial fisherman. He immigrated to the United States in 1875, settled in Lansing, Iowa, and became a naturalized citizen in 1877. He married Mary Caroline Petrehn (b. Johnson) in Lansing in 1878. By 1880 they had moved to New Albin, Iowa, where they remained until the early 1920s, except for a brief stint in the early 1900s when they homesteaded in North Dakota. They finally settled in Guttenberg, where they remained for the rest of their lives. Petrehn wrote a letter to the Massachusetts Metaphysical College in 1886 to order a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Based on the records available, we have found no further information concerning his involvement with Christian Science.

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