Peter McGinley Getty was born on August 18, 1853 in Groveland, New York about a year after his mother and siblings arrived in America from Ireland. He was the eighth of the nine children of James, Sr and Matilda (McCaughey) Getty.

At the time of his birth, the family was living with an Irish friend, Peter McGinley for whom Peter is named. In 1854, the family moved to Ridgeway Township, Lenawee County, Michigan. In the 1870 census, at the age of 17, he was listed as a farm laborer and boarder on a farm in Franklin Township of Lenawee County.

His first marriage was to Rebakah Cone on May 1, 1873 in nearby Britton, Michigan and they had two boys and one girl:

1. James Getty (1873 - )

2. Erastus Getty (1875 - )

3. Grace (Getty) Culver (1881-1960)

Rebakah did not recover from the birth of Grace and died from pneumonia sixteen days later on February 25, 1881. She had been born in 1854 and was 27 years old at her time of death.

On March 27, 1882, Peter married 25 year old Mariah (Mason) Holcomb (right) (1857-1945)  and they had four children:

4. Mabel Getty (1883-1885)

5. Myrtle Mae (Getty) Hall

6. Clarence Getty

7. Gertrude Ina (Getty) Peterson

Peter died on July 1, 1919 in Cone, Monroe County, Michigan and is buried in Rice Cemetery in Cone.

Mariah who was born on March 24, 1857, died on November 10, 1945 at the age of 88.

"When he was eighteen, Peter went to work for Erastus Cone, who owned 100 acres a mile east of West Milan Post Office, which was later known as Cone. He married Rebakah, daughter of Erastus and Sarah Cone, on May 1, 1873. They were married in East Ridgeway, later known as Britton, by W. W. DeGeer, Minister of the Gospel, Christian Church; witnesses  Joseph Cone and Eva Dubois. Peter was 19 and Rebakah was 18. The young couple continued to live at West Milan, even though Peter owned land in the northwest corner of Dundee Township. His father had sold 80 acres for $500 to Peter on October 30, 1871.

Their first son, James, named for his Grandfather Getty, was born February 6, 1873. Erastus, named for his Grandfather Cone, was born October 27, 1874. Their third child was born on Wednesday, February 9, 1881. They named her Grace. Rebakah apparently suffered complications after the birth of her daughter, for she never regained her health and on Friday, February 25, 1881, just sixteen days after Grace was born, she died. The cause of death was pneumonia.

On March 27, 1882, Peter and Mariah were married. Peter was 28 and Mariah was 25.

...Peter Getty was a farmer all his life, first at his parents' home in Ridgeway Township, Michigan, then at Cone, Michigan. At the approximate age of 32 years he and his family moved to Faribault County, Minnesota, where their last three children were born. Later they moved to Jackson County, Minnesota, and lived on a farm near the village of Alpha. Life was pleasant but hard during those early days in Minnesota. It has been said that in the winter Peter would stretch a rope between the house and the barn, because the blizzards would be so violent and the snow would get so deep, that they used the rope as a guide to find their way 1:Bck and forth from the house to the bam. Peter was a kind and pleasant person. All the old timers remember that Uncle Pete and Aunt Mariah would come all the way to Michigan to visit as often as their work permitted. In 1919, tragedy struck. At the age of 66, our beloved Peter took his own life.

Peter owned a land company in Fredonia, which dealt in "improved and wild lands". In the letter, he tells Erastus that there is lots of fine land around there and it has doubled in price during the last two years. He hopes Erastus is feeling better.

Peter and Mariah raised their family in Faribault County, Minnesota, and spent their later years in Jackson County. Following are some comments by their grandchildren, children of Myrtle."