Mrs. Herman Hesslingh, 1913 Obituary

HESSLINGH, CONRAD, NOBLE, BECKER, KRUSE, HOOGESTRAAT, VON GLAN, HUENDLING, DOCIUS, SOPP, DAIKER, VON RADEN, PETERSON, JOEST

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 4/6/2008 at 13:14:38

I translated the following obituary from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on Friday, 21 March 1913. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

Deceased
[Mrs. Herman Hesslingh]

On 13 March the widow of Herman Hesslingh died at her home in the First Ward as a consequence of apoplexy. She had been ill for several weeks.

The deceased was born in 1844 in Ostfrieslad [East Frisia], Germany. She immigrated to America as a young girl, and in 1870 she married Herman Hesslingh in Illinois.

This very happy marriage produced seven children, one of whom is already deceased. The surviving children, all of whom deeply mourn their mother’s death, are as follows: Georg, the oldest son, living in Manning, Iowa; Mrs. Jay Noble; Hermann; Mrs. Otto Conrad; John; and Addie, all of whom live in Carroll or the vicinity. Her husband predeceased her three years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Hesslingh achieved prosperity through industriousness, frugality, and honesty. They were among the first settlers of Grant Township. Their existence and ways were simple and modest, and they were loved and respected by all their neighbors. It is easy to understand that the death of their parents was a hard blow for the children, but it is among the unfathomable decisions of the Lord to take them to Him, and we wish to hope that today they again find themselves together in eternity.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, the deceased was also survived by a sister, Mrs. Wilhelm Becker, who lived with her.

Those attending the funeral from out of town were: Mrs. Heinrich Jansen, a sister-in-law with her two sons from Ackley, Iowa; two nephews and a niece named K…use [possibly Kruse] from Little Rock, Iowa; Mr. and Mrs. Hoogestraat from Lennox, South Dakota; Mrs. Gottlieb Von Glan from Wheatland Township. Pastor Huendling of the Presbyterian parish in Wheatland Township was prevented from attending the funeral because he had to officiate at his parish.

Many neighbors and friends likewise attended the burial service, which took place on Sunday afternoon from the home of the deceased on North Clark Street, under the direction of Pastor Elliott. The burial followed at the local cemetery. The following men served as pallbearers: Arnold Docius, Jelste Sopp, John Daiker, Ben Van Raden, J. F. Peterson, and John Joest.

[The obituary closes with a short poem. Carroll cemetery records list Jessie Hesslingh, 14 Apr 1845 to 13 Mar 1913, and Herman Hesslingh, 24 Jan 1837 to 24 Feb 1910]