August Boehme 1844-1906

BOEHME, KRUEGER, PUCKRANZ, STUEMPERT

Posted By: Georgea Clinton (email)
Date: 5/4/2011 at 09:17:52

March 8, 1906 - Carroll Times - Last Thursday, just at midday, August Bohme, of whose serious illness we made mention in that week's issue passed away at his home in the first ward. His illness a chronic stomach trouble, extended over the last two years and during the past year he had virtually been at Death's Door. He is survived by his wife and seven children, as follows: Albert, aged 17; Gustav, 16; Theresia, 14; Ulricka, 11; George, 8; Emeline, 5; and Roy 4. Two children had preceded their father into the better life.

Departed was born at Hamburg, Germany, September 11, 1834 (I used 1844 from his head stone), being hence 71 yrs., 5 months, and 20 days old at the time of his death. His father was a merchant who carried an extensive trade operations with the West Indies. At the age of 16 the subject of this sketch, seized, it seems, with youthful love of adventure, determined on seeing the fabled regions of which "the landlubber" (the sailors favorite expression when spying a credulous resident of "terra firma"), had no doubt heard in glowng terms from the very credible(?) source aforsaid.

It seems that he then cut off all communication with home and next we find him at Blumenau, province Santa Catherine, Brazil, in that country he spent five years, being employed largely at extensive road building projects. He could tell interesting experiences in the great forests of that tropical country. Here he added Spanish to his fund of varied knowledge and always spoke with a longing, peculiar to adventuresome spirits, of the wild free life he had led in the regions of perpetual spring.

Again launching out to see the world he took passage on a fruiter and landed at New Orleans, La. shortly before the breaking out of the Civil War. When that exciting climax came he threw in his lot with the South, not because the views of the slaveholders was shared by him, but rather on the ground of sectionalism and advocacy of state rights.

He fought throughout the war and his brilliant chirography (penmanship) and superior education made his lot much easier, he being detailed largely to clerical duties, officers gladly turning that work over to a competent subordinate. At the close of the war he ranked as sergeant major.

He remained in different parts of the South, finally coming north from Texas to Kansas, there he met a Carroll county man, John Gartner, whom he accompanied here in the early eighties. He took up school teaching and after a few years became an employe of Judge Paines abstract office.

On October 4th, 1885 he was united in marriage to Miss Emilia Krueger and they have resided here ever since. He was an expert in work on court house records and many county officers were eager to show the even glistening lines and pages of his superior penmanship as part of their record. His handwriting on county records is a perpetual monument to his skill and deftness with the pen. It was only of very recent years that his failing eyesight compelled him to abandon that class of work.

The funeral obsequies were conducted Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the residence. Rev. W.H. Jordon of the Presbyterian church officiating. There were present old friends from far and near, respect for the dead and sympathy for the sorrowing family were manifested by the attendance and beautiful floral gifts.

Of relatives from a distance there were present: Mrs. Wilhelmina Krueger, mother of Mrs. Bohme, Herman Puckranz, brother-in-law, Mrs. Theresa Stuempert, a sister, and Mrs. Gustav Puckranz, also a sister, all from What Cheer, Iowa. The Times joins in the general sympathy to the bereaved family.